Is organisational leadership theory and discourse converging internationally? An examination of the German case

SummaryThis paper addresses the issue of convergence/continued divergence within leadership theory and discourse in Germany by revisiting Larsen's (2003) work on German academic contributions to leadership theory between 1920 and 1950 and moving his discussion into the 21st century. The mechanistic and organic paradigms are used to analyse and categorise current literature on German leadership as well as qualitative data from 78 interviews in nine German companies, aiming to uncover institutionalising influences of Anglo-Saxon and nation-specific ideas within German leadership theory and discourse. The analyses reveal that academically driven theorising on leadership reflects convergence with existing mechanistic and organic Anglo-Saxon notions, whereas organisation based discourse is influenced by a national, organic paradigm tradition embedded in Germany's national ideology and culture.