I.D.3
CLASSICAL VERSUS CONTEMPORARY LEADERSHIP
The way leaders function in organizations today differs from organizations of the past. It is
instructive to compare these two leadership modes, calling the older tradition “classical” and
the newer version “contemporary.” Samaritan Centers are also experiencing this shift in
organizational culture. The chart below shows what the new style entails.
Classical Leadership
Contemporary Leadership
1. Inherited values and norms
Values and norms shaped by vision,
market, circumstances
2. Power and authority based on
position
Earned power and authority based on
on competence and character
3. Hierarchical structure
Flat structures, team structures
4. The organization is a machine which
the leader runs
The organization is a system which the
leader learns
5. Assumption: a static system where
the future is predictable
Assumption: a changing system where
the future is unpredictable
6. The leader plans from the top and
hands down policies
The leader engages the whole
organization in strategic planning
7. Clear leadership roles and functions
A fixed approach
Exchangeable roles and functions
A learning approach
8. Leadership mystique guarded by
closed door operations
Open door operations that demystify
leadership
9. Emphasis on the skills and tools of
managing the current organization
Emphasis on vision and empowerment
and on meeting new challenges
10. Accent on organizational rather than
personal leadership and vision
Accent on personal leadership that values
integrity, authenticity, and the courage to
take risks
These statements reflect ideas found in James F. Bolt, “Developing Three-Dimensional Leaders,”
and Caela Farren, & Beverly Kaye, “New Skills for New Leadership Roles,” in The Leader of the
Future, eds. Hasselbein, Goldsmith, Beckhard [Jossey-Bass, 1996]
The Samaritan Institute
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