Submitted by: Submitted by Eliana
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Words: 1333
Pages: 6
Category: Business and Industry
Date Submitted: 05/05/2016 01:36 AM
IS LEADERSHIP GENETIC, OR IS SOMETHING THAT CAN BE ACQUIRED?
A great deal of research about nature and nurture and their influence in human behaviour can be found in contemporary literature. Some academics believe that genes and environment interact and shape human behaviour, however they differ in which is more important, nature or nurture (Pinker, 2002; Prinz, 2012). Particularly in connection with leadership, the discussion is based if a leader is born or made. This paper will attempt to show that although nature appears to be the main source of leadership, environmental factors tend to play an important role in the development of leadership.
There is no consensus regarding what leadership is. Scholars such as Bennis (1990 in Booher, 1991: 34) defines it as “the capacity to translate vision into reality”; Rhode and Packel (2011: 18) declare: “transformational leaders induce followers to transcend their self-interest for the sake of the higher purposes of the group”; and Maxwell (Johnmaxwell.com, 2015) claims: “Leadership is not about titles, positions or flowcharts. It is about one life influencing another”. The fundamental elements of these definitions are a shared vision, having followers and influence on others. These traits and others were analysed and studied in two different genetic investigations (Arvey et al., 2006; Johnson et al., 1998), which have concluded that there is a genetic predisposition in people who show leadership skills and external stimuli can contribute developing leadership. Investigators found that around the 30% of the leader’s traits are the result of the genes, but the other percentage are attributable to the environment such as role models and the opportunity of education. In human history there are examples of natural leaders, who had not received formal training, show leadership behaviour. Mother Teresa of Calcutta, for instance, mobilised the international society to focus on her hospice in Calcutta; it is worth to mention...