Search

The most prominent research investigations of leadership relations currently making scientific progress appear to be sociometric studies. But despite their contributions, sociometric studies seem to be seriously hampered, in terms of integrating diverse patterns of leadership, by an inadequate theoretical orientation. The adequacy of this orientation stems primarily from the inability of "socio-criteria" to comprise a system of related leadership categories but also from the proponents' questionable claims that: leadership is based on harmonious group support; the correct research method to determine leadership is to proceed by means of "respondent authorship" through the "reality test"; and leadership positions should be determined only by sociogram inspection which not only becomes progressively more difficult as the size and scope of the community increases, but also denies the validity of qualitative treatments. To develop an alternative research treatment which would eliminate the limitations of the sociometric approach and provide a possible basis for a more generalized theory of leadership relations, a New York rural community, comprising about 4,000 residents, was studied in 1946-1947.