Review of “Evolution of Leadership Research by Larry D. Mathis, PhD, DMin “

Review of “Evolution of Leadership Research by Larry D. Mathis, PhD, DMin “ 

The book was first brought to my attention by Shawn Mathis, Ph. D., who was my classmate at the University of Oxford and the son of the author. From the first page to the last, I was deeply engrossed in the content with depth of analysis of historical aspect of leadership research and theories.

It is divided into five chapters discussing leadership from historical background to the styles of leadership that emerged, how required tasks and the need for leadership to be oriented toward people being led, and delving into the theories of contingency and situational leadership, and then ending with current perspectives in contemporary leadership studies.

The first chapter on Foundations of Leadership gives an introduction to historical evidence of leadership with perspectives from different researchers on the two major leadership theories Great Man Theory progressed into Trait Theory and describes in length various leading researchers in the early period that contributed to the progress of the different theories.

In the second chapter titled Exploring Behavioral Leadership, further exploration and discussion focused on the progress in leadership from three major Leadership studies at the University of Iowa, Ohio State University, and the University of Michigan with the shift into research on a third type of leadership theory, the Behavioral Theory of leadership and the creation of the Blake and Mouton’s Managerial Grid Model and the Two-factor behavioral dimensions of Consideration and Initiating Structure identified.

The third chapter titled Managerial Grid Model, discussed in detail the Blake and Mouton’s Grid model of Management and its evolution with five different managerial styles. This chapter was a summary of the interaction and progress made in leadership research from the three universities of Iowa, Ohio State, and Michigan with isolation of the three major leadership dimensions: Production-Centered, Employee-Centered, and Perspective management.

The fourth chapter titled The Rise of Situationalism, discussed the emergence of Contigency and Situational Leadership theories based on the evolution of Fiedler’s Contigency theory, Reddin’s 3-Dimensional Management theory, and Hershey and Blanchard's Situational Theory, all termed the Contigency Model as a major shift in leadership research. At this stage, the idea of a leadership style is espoused as being progressive and adaptable with “the leader being able to adjust their leadership style to fit the situational maturational level of the employee”. 

The fifth and final chapter titled Contemporary Leadership Studies: Current Challenges and Perspectives, discusses the lack of a universally accepted definition of leadership. The author adopted the definition given by Rost but with further discussion on different perspectives of what leadership means currently. The author concluded aptly with a quote from Constantine et al that “organizational leader must possess appropriate levels of self-awareness, knowledge, skills, and attitudes in working with people across race, gender, age, social attitudes, and lifestyles”.

Taking my time to read the book has been deeply enlightening and educational. It allowed me to understand not just what leadership is about but also the historical perspective of researchers from the early days to the present in Leadership Studies. This allows a reader to have an insight into the thinking of the early researchers in leadership studies and to also understand the progress that has been made in the field.

I highly recommend this book which is 145 pages long but with a lot of depth in content.