TITLE:
Understanding Organizational Leadership: An Analytic Perspective of a Concept and Its Frequent Detrimental Misuse
AUTHORS:
A. Olu Oyinlade
KEYWORDS:
Understanding and Defining Leadership, Leadership and Management Conflation, Leadership Competencies, Leadership Concept Misuse, Leadership Influence, Endorsed Power, Authorized Power
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Leadership,
Vol.14 No.4,
November
7,
2025
ABSTRACT: Every organization and its component units have someone at the helm as the head. The head may be a manager or a leader, and sometimes the two co-exist in one person. However, it is an error to address a manager as a leader when the person does not have a follower. The distinctions and similarities between the two forms of headship have been presented in some studies. Among the distinctions is the fact that managers have subordinates, and leaders have followers. Despite the differences, it is still common for the headship forms to be conflated with each other. This study advances additional knowledge to distinguish between leadership and management through six factors and highlights the detriment to leadership when it is conflated with management. The conundrum that occurs when a manager becomes a leader is also addressed. Recommendations for refraining from conflating management with leadership and investing in managers to develop leadership competencies and become leaders are made in the concluding section of this study.