Military Leadership: Concepts and Theoretical Approaches

Abstract

Leadership is a key concept in military organizations which refers to processes of direct influence and command. In this chapter, the subject, basic concepts, and central issues of military leadership are described. General leadership concepts such as military leadership myths and archetypes as well as leadership theories in philosophy and the social sciences show the broadness of the ideas about leadership. Theoretical approaches, explanatory models, and empirical findings concerning military leadership are discussed in this paper, too. Leadership concepts in modern armed forces finally help us to improve our understanding of nowadays military leadership.