Problematic ’zombie leadership’ lives on

Zombie leadership is harmful to people, groups and organisations. Adobe Outdated perceptions of leadership persist across society despite being repeatedly debunked, University of Queensland research has found. Professor Alex Haslam from UQ's School of Psychology led research into ideas about leadership which are still popular despite being harmful for individuals, groups, and organisations. "It's known as 'zombie leadership' because despite being demonstrably false, these claims refuse to die," Professor Haslam said. "One example is the assumption that leadership is exclusive to people with special qualities which set them apart from the masses. "Zombie leadership also considers authority as only involving leaders. "But leadership can never be a solo process because it's always grounded in relationships and connections between leaders and those they influence." Other problematic examples include the idea that all leadership is the same, that good leadership is easily recognised, that people can't cope without leaders and that leadership is always good.