Scott London's Home Page What's New  By Ronald A. Heifetz
Harvard University Press, 1994, 348 pages  In this widely
acclaimed and oft-cited study, Ronald Heifetz presents a new
theory of leadership aimed at clarifying two important
distinctions: between technical and "adaptive" problems, and
between leadership and authority. He also attempts to redefine
leadership as an activity rather than a position of influence or
a set of personal characteristics. We need to abandon the idea
that "leaders are born and not made," he insists. This belief
fosters both self-delusion and irresponsibility in those who see
themselves as "born leaders," and it can lead to inaction and
dangerous forms of dependency in those who do not see themselves
as leaders.  According to Heifetz, leaders are confronted with
two types of problems: technical problems, which can be solved
by expertise and good management, and "adaptive" problems, such
as poverty, drug abuse, and racial tensions, which require
innovation and learning. While the di