From great man to the people: the fall of the GMT and the evolution of modern leadership theories in organizations

Abstract

In this paper, we shall discuss why the Great Man Theory exercised a great influence on human thinking and in providing explanations of major narratives. We will then establish the shortcomings of the GMT as a means of understanding such large-scale processes, along with taking a look at the decline of GMT-based models in organizational leadership. Finally, we will touch upon the gradual replacement of the GMT by more “egalitarian” and team-based models of leadership today, by covering what they are, their applicability in today’s organisations, and their relation to the Indian context. To explain the evolution of the GMT, we have touched upon a cross-section of literature in the fields of sociology and psychology, in particular the philosophical writings of Jean Paul Sartre and the works of Leo Tolstoy. To better understand the GMT in an Indian milieu as well as Indian styles of leadership, we have looked at a few religious, social and historical accounts of Indian society. These include works written on ancient texts such as the Mahabharata and Ramayana, historical analyses of Buddhism, as well as accounts of the practices and conditions throughout kingdoms across various periods of India’s history, from the time of the Mauryan and Gupta Empires, the Delhi Sultanate and the Mughal Empire (From the height of the Empire, till the Indian Revolt of 1857). Finally, we have also used the studies of British-era scholars including Max Mueller, Nathaniel Halhed, as well as Indian sociologists such as GS Ghurye and MN Srinivas to discuss changes during the colonial period and after independence. The Hofstede model has been used to provide an account of Indian culture and its impact in organizational situations based on selected dimensions. We have covered five modern-day theories of leadership which are now much more prevalent than the GMT, and while summarising and explaining each of them, we have used a variety of sources, including research papers, open learning websites, articles written on reputed business websites and HRM-related papers, after having reviewed each for content and credibility.