Leadership and Culture

Abstract

Leadership is defined as a broad menu of behaviors, some appropriate to one environment but not second. A number of the more common leadership behaviors are discussed. The article goes on to identify the process of learning some of the behaviors required to lead. It is suggested that an individual build a leadership repertoire based on personal background and experiences. Learning to lead is then discussed as requiring experience, because leadership cannot be learned from a book. A review of several kinds of experience models of instruction follows. Finally, the article addresses the issue of culture and makes the point that organizational culture is based on both the larger culture of which the organization is a part and the behavior of the organization’s leader. The article closes with a recommendation that behaviorists not only learn about behavior analysis but also learn something about the environments in which the behavior analyst is likely to function.