Platform Leadership: Cultivating Support for a Public Profile.

Although there is a broad recognition that styles and context of leadership are important factors in affecting the emergence, development, and ultimate impact of a social movement, the literature on leadership is underdeveloped (but see Morris and Staggenborg 2004; Robnett 1996). In this paper, we mean to contribute to an emerging literature by outlining an ideal type of a distinct model of leadership within movements, that of a platform leader who builds an organization with the primary purpose of supporting and amplifying her voice. The platform leader speaks on behalf of a position or a constituency, but beyond this, the actual relationship to that position or constituency is unclear.In this paper, we first discuss the ways scholars have dealt with the conflicting demands placed on leadership, including distinguishing between types of relationships leaders have with their followers, distinguishing between the kinds of audiences with whom leaders must communicate, and distinguishing between the types of activities in which leaders must be competent. We also discuss the broader trend in American associational life: the reduction of rank-and-file member participation within their organization combined with the rising importance of professional leaders. Next, we present two case studies of platform leadership within opposing organizations, comparing the development and maintenance of platform leadership. Finally, we discuss the implications for future research on the platform leadership model, including how it fits with the existing models of leadership, and what kinds of organizations and what kinds of movements are most likely to develop platform leaders. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]