...The Leadership Quarterly 14 (2003) 769 – 806 Leadership theory and practice: Fostering an effective symbiosis Stephen J. Zaccaro*, Zachary N.J. Horn Department of Psychology, Center for Behavioral and Cognitive Study, George Mason University, David J. King Hall, 4400 University Drive, 3064 Fairfax, VA 22030-444, USA Accepted 12 September 2003 Abstract Leadership theory has not lived up to its promise of helping practitioners resolve the challenges and problematics that occur in organizational leadership. Many current theories and models are not contextualized, nor do the dynamic and critical issues facing leaders drive their construction. Alternatively, practitioners too often approach leadership problems using trial and error tactics derived more from anecdotes and popular fads than validated scientific data and models. Yet, while this gap between theory and research has bedeviled the leadership community for much of its history, there have been few if any systematic examinations of its causes. In this review, we have sought to highlight the particular barriers on the leadership practice and theory-building/testing constituencies, respectively, that constrain efforts to integrate them. We also offer a number of propositions and guidelines that we hope can break through these barriers and help stakeholders create a more effective leadership theory and practice symbiosis (LTPS). Finally, we have offered two cases of effective LTPS as examples and models for such integrative...
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