Blending existentialist and constructionist approaches in leadership studies : An exploratory account

Purpose – This paper aims to explore the contribution of combined social constructionist and existential perspectives to the understanding of leadership and calls for a reconsideration of the objectivist, functionalist assumptions and approaches to leadership. It aims to argue the value of incorporating the subjective perspective through two related approaches. Design/methodology/approach – The paper considers the contribution of an existentialist perspective before going on to explore the value of a social constructionist approach. Findings – This paper calls for a reconsideration of the objectivist, functionalist assumptions and approaches to leadership and argues the value of incorporating the subjective perspective through two related approaches. Originality/value – The value of the paper is in the combination of social constructionist and existential perspectives in relation to understanding the experience of leadership. This is intended to have longer‐term implications both for practice, for how people share understandings of leadership, and for research in considering how these ideas might be explored further.