What assumptions of traditional leadership theory does the Theatrics of Leadership Violate?
Several come to mind. First, the there is universalism, the idea that there is a set of consistent and identifiable traits, behaviors, or principles that define leadership. Theatric leaders are not character actors, typecast into just one role and one persona. A Theatrical Leader can play many roles, and become many characters. Second, Theatrical Leaders, while attentive to situations, are not determined by them. Third, a Theatrics of Leadership would partially revise the study of great leaders, an approach that was killed off and assumed dead by the behavior and situation schools. I say partial, because, one problem we do not want to repeat is studying romantic biographies of leaders like Henry Ford and Walt Disney, thereby missing the complex aspects of their character, and changes in their character over time and circumstance. Fourth, while traditional theory is about static patterns, that can be measured in surveys, a Theatrics of Leadership model will require a more time-sensitive
