62 International Journal of Cultic Studies Vol. 4, 2013
The Dark Side of Transformational Leadership: A Critical Perspective
By Dennis Tourish
Reviewed by Alexandra Stein
New York, NY: Routledge. 2013. ISBN-13:
978-0415564281 ISBN-10: 041556428X
(paperback), $35.03 (Amazon.com). 264
pages.
I have followed Dennis Tourish’s work over
many years, since the 1998 publication of his
article, “Ideological Intransigence, Democratic
Centralism and Cultism: A Case Study From the
Political Left,” in the Cultic Studies Journal.
That article offered an insightful analysis of the
Communist Workers International, highlighting
the cultic characteristics of the group. Tourish
has been one of a small handful of scholars to
study and describe political cults, along with
Tim Wohlforth (coauthor with Tourish of the
book Political Cults Right and Left), Janja
Lalich, Masoud Banisadr, and myself. Later
work by Tourish includes an important article on
transformational leadership, which looked at
what he termed corporate cultism in the
workplace. This article discussed the perils of
charismatic, transformational leadership,
showing how this type of leadership promotes
cultic group dynamics. Tourish usefully
described a model of transactional leadership
that acknowledges the independent interests and
power differences of corporate leadership and
workers, opposite to that which requires
unquestioning obedience and buy-in to the
transformative “vision” of the charismatic
leader, a requirement familiar to any with
experience of cults.
This latest book pulls together in one volume
these articles (revised and updated) and others,
bringing Tourish’s many years of research on
transformational leadership in both cults and the
workplace under one heading, and shedding
much-needed light on this form of manipulative
and coercive leadership. In The Dark Side of
Transformational Leadership, Tourish applies a
variety of social psychological theories to
analyze how and why the coercive leadership
style takes hold. He uses a range of case studies
along with his own research to illustrate the very
real and current problems of transformational
leadership. Tourish embeds his wide-ranging
knowledge of social psychology in each chapter,
together with a comprehensive range of sources
that will lead interested students to a wealth of
both classic and contemporary literature. The
book is structured as a textbook, with useful
discussion questions listed at the end of each
chapter.
This book will be a tremendous resource,
particularly for advanced students of social
psychology, for delving into the perils of
charismatic and authoritarian leadership. For
cultic studies scholars, the chapters on corporate
cultism, spirituality in the workplace, and the
analyses of leadership in the Communist
Workers International, and of Jonestown and
Heaven’s Gate, will be of particular interest.
Tourish proposes that future research on
leadership refocus on the crucial question of
follower agency and “the productive potential of
dissent” (p. 215). As he says,
Following the wrong kind of leader can
get you killed. A spirit of independence,
self-awareness and willingness to
dissent are among the traits that leaders
such as Jim Jones and Marshall
Applewhite attempt to eradicate, as one
would attack an outbreak of pestilence
in a city. But it is precisely these
qualities that we need if we are to ensure
a healthy relationship between leaders
and followers. The alternative is a
subordination to the will of others that
may well end in catastrophe. (p. 176)
I recommend The Dark Side of
Transformational Leadership as a very useful
educational resource to teach students how to
conceptualize, identify, and resist unhealthy,
exploitative, and dangerous forms of leadership.
The Dark Side of Transformational Leadership: A Critical Perspective
By Dennis Tourish
Reviewed by Alexandra Stein
New York, NY: Routledge. 2013. ISBN-13:
978-0415564281 ISBN-10: 041556428X
(paperback), $35.03 (Amazon.com). 264
pages.
I have followed Dennis Tourish’s work over
many years, since the 1998 publication of his
article, “Ideological Intransigence, Democratic
Centralism and Cultism: A Case Study From the
Political Left,” in the Cultic Studies Journal.
That article offered an insightful analysis of the
Communist Workers International, highlighting
the cultic characteristics of the group. Tourish
has been one of a small handful of scholars to
study and describe political cults, along with
Tim Wohlforth (coauthor with Tourish of the
book Political Cults Right and Left), Janja
Lalich, Masoud Banisadr, and myself. Later
work by Tourish includes an important article on
transformational leadership, which looked at
what he termed corporate cultism in the
workplace. This article discussed the perils of
charismatic, transformational leadership,
showing how this type of leadership promotes
cultic group dynamics. Tourish usefully
described a model of transactional leadership
that acknowledges the independent interests and
power differences of corporate leadership and
workers, opposite to that which requires
unquestioning obedience and buy-in to the
transformative “vision” of the charismatic
leader, a requirement familiar to any with
experience of cults.
This latest book pulls together in one volume
these articles (revised and updated) and others,
bringing Tourish’s many years of research on
transformational leadership in both cults and the
workplace under one heading, and shedding
much-needed light on this form of manipulative
and coercive leadership. In The Dark Side of
Transformational Leadership, Tourish applies a
variety of social psychological theories to
analyze how and why the coercive leadership
style takes hold. He uses a range of case studies
along with his own research to illustrate the very
real and current problems of transformational
leadership. Tourish embeds his wide-ranging
knowledge of social psychology in each chapter,
together with a comprehensive range of sources
that will lead interested students to a wealth of
both classic and contemporary literature. The
book is structured as a textbook, with useful
discussion questions listed at the end of each
chapter.
This book will be a tremendous resource,
particularly for advanced students of social
psychology, for delving into the perils of
charismatic and authoritarian leadership. For
cultic studies scholars, the chapters on corporate
cultism, spirituality in the workplace, and the
analyses of leadership in the Communist
Workers International, and of Jonestown and
Heaven’s Gate, will be of particular interest.
Tourish proposes that future research on
leadership refocus on the crucial question of
follower agency and “the productive potential of
dissent” (p. 215). As he says,
Following the wrong kind of leader can
get you killed. A spirit of independence,
self-awareness and willingness to
dissent are among the traits that leaders
such as Jim Jones and Marshall
Applewhite attempt to eradicate, as one
would attack an outbreak of pestilence
in a city. But it is precisely these
qualities that we need if we are to ensure
a healthy relationship between leaders
and followers. The alternative is a
subordination to the will of others that
may well end in catastrophe. (p. 176)
I recommend The Dark Side of
Transformational Leadership as a very useful
educational resource to teach students how to
conceptualize, identify, and resist unhealthy,
exploitative, and dangerous forms of leadership.
