Evolution And Modern Tendencies In The Theory Of Leadership

Leadership as a social phenomenon accompanies mankind throughout its existence. In different historical epochs, attempts were made to study leadership qualities on the basis of a description of the personalities of great people. As a result, the idea of leadership quickly evolved as the accumulation of theoretical and empirical material, revealing new facets of this complex phenomenon. In foreign social sciences, the theory of leadership has developed in several directions and by now a number of complementary theories and concepts have been developed, which predetermines the need to describe their continuity and development. For this reason, the purpose of the paper is to analyse the basic theories and concepts of leadership, as a sociopsychological phenomenon, the most significant in the context of studying the formation of the leader as an organizational leader. Methodology. The methodological and informational basis of the investigation is scientific articles, materials of periodicals, resources of the Internet. To achieve the goal set, the following general scientific and special methods were used: morphological analysis, system and structural-logical analysis, formalization, analogy, comparison and integration, tabular method. Results. As a result of the research, a brief historical overview of approaches to the study of leadership was given; the logical continuity of the basic concepts and methods of research was considered; the main current trends in leadership research in recent years were revealed. Practical implications. In order to realize the leadership potential, it is necessary to know what determines leadership, on what it depends. Thus, the problem of studying the phenomenon of leadership in a modern organization is relevant; the considered theories of leadership can be applied by managers depending on the level of economic development of the organization. Value/originality. The authors identified current trends in the theory of leadership and possibilities of their further development.