LEADERSHIP AND POSTMODERNISM - ON VOICE AND THE QUALITATIVE METHOD

Over the last 20 years we have seen a wealth of qualitative studies th at have utilized a social constructionist framework for investigating various aspects of leadership. What have we learned and what are the c hallenges that: lie ahead? The author touches on recent cultural studi es of leadership and then outlines a particular theoretical orientatio n--postmodernism. He argues that postmodernism offers distinctly diffe rent ways for qualitative researchers to approach the study of leaders hip. In particular, the article considers the textual implications for how authors portray leadership if they subscribe to postmodern notion s. The role of the narrator and the function of time in qualitative st udies of leadership receive specific attention.