We extend existing theory on leadership development by conceptualizing the leadership development industry as a cultural industry that not only responds to instrumental demands for more and better leaders, but also coproduces and shapes symbolic, interpretive, and affective expectations regarding the importance of leaders and leadership. Combining research on the meaning-laden and aesthetic dimensions of leadership development with sociological research on cultural industries, we introduce a theoretical framework to explain the four key dynamics that drive the leadership development industry: (1) framing and interpreting meaning, (2) mediating and coproducing development, (3) claiming and contesting authority, and (4) affirming the dominant industry logic. To exemplify our framework, we map these dynamics onto three diverse sectors that mobilize the dominant, leader-centered industry logic as a coordinating principle: (1) leadership coaching, (2) leadership assessment, and (3) executive leadership education in business schools. We conclude by detailing how our framework can equip providers, consumers, and scholars with increased “industry literacy,” which we define as the critical capacity to recognize how industry dynamics shape leadership development programs and practices, and to act on that recognition by adopting and promoting more reflexive, transparent, and participatory modes of engagement.
Guthey et al. (Thu,) studied this question.