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This article describes the villages in the Outer Hebrides, a chain of islands lying in the Atlantic Ocean off the north-west coast of Scotland. Almost all Hebridean villages are on, or near, the coast. The hinterland of bog, rough moor, and mountain, which occupies the interior is uncultivated and uninhabited. The land belonging to a typical village may be considered as made up of several irregular zones. Some of the villages may possess a stretch of machair land next to the shore, formed by the gradual accumulation of sea-sand, blown inland. Hebridean crofts are held on a special form of land tenure, which recognizes the right of the crofter, as long as his fixed rent is paid, to the ground he tills individually and to a share in the common pasture. The social unit of the Hebridean folk is definitely the village. It is noted that the breakdown of the clan system which followed the political troubles of the Highlands in the 18th century has not wiped out the individuality of the little villages which form the natural and traditional communities of Island society.

The article discusses the sources of leadership and innovation in the Hebridean crofting communities. The communal aspects of crofting township organization perpetuate an immemorial pattern, once associated with the quasi-military rule and social stratification of the clan system. Today, after an unfortunately long period, leadership provided by the agricultural advisers is beginning to take effect. The agricultural revolution, which ground to a halt in most crofting districts with the passing of the 1886 Act, has begun again. But the emergence of local natural leaders in unlikely until some means can be devised to diversify the size of agricultural units. This must be an evolutionary process. Meanwhile the most effective method of promoting innovation would be to increase the number of agricultural advisers. Under Hebridean conditions, the adviser can not only act as the innovator but, by imparting to the individual crofter skill and, above all, confidence in his agricultural ability, he can generate a demand for larger holdings. Thus leadership and innovation from without could ultimately promote leadership and innovation from within.