From followers to leaders : followership in Xenophon's Oeconomicus / Rodrigo Illarraga, Claudia Marsico, Florencia Castro Possi.
Xenophon was an ancient Greek military leader, philosopher, and author who lived approximately from 430 to 354 BCE and thus experienced the end of the Peloponnesian War (404 BC) and the death of Socrates (399 BCE). One of his lesser-known literary works is the Oeconomicus. In the Oeconomicus, Xenoph...
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| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Ebook |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
London :
SAGE Publications: SAGE Business Cases Originals,
2023.
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| Series: | SAGE business cases
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | SAGE |
| Summary: | Xenophon was an ancient Greek military leader, philosopher, and author who lived approximately from 430 to 354 BCE and thus experienced the end of the Peloponnesian War (404 BC) and the death of Socrates (399 BCE). One of his lesser-known literary works is the Oeconomicus. In the Oeconomicus, Xenophon describes the dialogue between two Athenians, Ischomachus and Socrates, about household administration and, in a broader sense, about leadership. The key issue of the Oeconomicus is not only what makes an effective leader of a household (in fact, comparable to a leader of an army, a city, or of a kingdom), but also what defines a good follower. Followership is of utmost importance for Xenophon. The main trait of a leader is to be able to choose followers or, in any case, to educate followers to be good ones. At the same time, followers that excel at being followers (i.e., follow the leader's directives, have the proper motivation for following orders, and do good work) can become leaders on their own. In that sense, in the Oeconomicus, Xenophon provides a kind of "Guide to Followership" that not only highlights the necessity of a clear hierarchy, but also how that hierarchy can change. Students will be asked to analyze Xenophon's stance on followership and leadership, and debate how the ideas introduced in the Oeconomicus 2400 years ago could apply (or not) to the contemporary business environment. |
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| Physical Description: | 1 online resource. |
| ISBN: | 9781071912386 1071912380 |