The purpose of this research is to compare and contrast the leadership of Julius Caesar and Napoleon. The plan of the research will be to set forth a context of leadership as a theory and then to discuss how the examples of Caesar and Napoleon illustrate features of leadership strategy and style that might be instructive for modern sensibilities.
In the modern period, leadership is typically discussed in terms of business-management, with leadership style being linked to effectiveness and ineffectiveness. Modern styles of leadership stress the ability of leaders almost to conceal their authority behind a screen of moral suasion and teamwork. The theme of cooperative rather than power-oriented group dynamics dominates theories of organizational leadership and morale. For example, Senge draws a distinction between a "command-and-control corporate model" (1997, p. 25) and a model in which leaders and those they lead all together become "learnrs." Top-down management is not suited to that. Engagement and cooperative learning, on the other hand, implies openness to innovation and change, which may be technology- or procedure-driven.
According to the emerging leadership literature, it is essential to evolve from an ethos of compliance and toward shared commitment and responsibility. To be sure, even in the newer models, someone will supervise. However, the leader's role is to "steward cultural change through shifts in their own behavior and that of top-level teams, and who use their authority to invest in new knowledge infrastructures" (Senge, 1997, p. 26).
This approach to leadership leads to the concept of the learning organization. The role of the leader is " to harness the intelligence and spirit of people at all levels of an organization to continually build and share knowledge" (1997, p. 26).
Nonhierarchical structures seem ideally suited to a workplace that nurtures creativity and diversity of opinion. Even so, the concept...