Abstract
Leadership is considered a relevant topic for organizational studies, which can be verified by the numerous academic journals dedicated exclusively to the theme. However, despite the proliferation of journals and several publications on the subject, the definition of leadership is still vague, generally considered by the mainstream to be a male attribute of heroic individual leaders. This article presents a critical analysis of the mainstream on leadership, focused on analyzing the poststructuralist ontology on leadership. The study contributes to the ontological debate on leadership by addressing what leadership is for poststructuralism, emphasizing its ontological differences in relation to the mainstream. Poststructuralism promotes an alternative ontology of leadership to the mainstream that breaks with the universal conception of leadership by highlighting its microsocial and discursive characteristic, conceiving leadership as a micro-political discursive process. It is fundamental for understanding the poststructuralist ontology of leadership to comprehend (1) the production of the identities of leaders and followers and (2) the materiality of leadership.
Keywords:
Leadership; Poststructuralism; Ontology; Identity; Materiality