Northouse, Introduction to Leadership: Concepts and Practice, 4e
SAGE Publishing, 2018
Discussion Questions
Chapter 4: Understanding Philosophy and Styles
1. What is your personal philosophy of leadership? Why? What are your beliefs about
human behavior?
2. Can basic assumptions about people change? How?
3. How are our attitudes about the nature of work formed? How can they be changed?
4. What situations are better suited for Theory X and what situations are better suited for
Theory Y? Why?
5. How important to you are the collectivist values of Theory Z? How do they change one’s
leadership style?
9. What sort of leadership (authoritarian, democratic, laissez-faire) do you prefer as a
follower and why?
10. What is the line between authoritarian leadership and abusive leadership?
11. How can a follower resist the coercion of an abusive leader?