| Citizens question the authenticity and intentions of their leaders and seek answers to the many crises of today's world such as abuse, crimes, corruption and infidelities by all levels of society. Both transformational and pseudo-transformational leaders exist within organizations and have the abilities and skills necessary to influence their followers; the difference lies in their intentions. An analysis of circumstances, leaders, decisions and choices can be gauged by examining both transformational and pseudo-transformational leadership.;Traditionally scholars have analyzed leadership styles through formulaic analysis and resolution. However, a new school of thought introduced the concept of using literature as a teaching tool to investigate leadership theory. Furthermore, the literature search revealed that many scholars believe there is a great deal that can be learned from literature regarding leadership studies; however, no formalized studies have been completed thus far. In addition, no tested frameworks or templates for analyzing leadership in literature exist. These findings led the researcher to the question, Does John Updike's 1960 novel, Rabbit, Run exemplify transformational and/or pseudo-transformational leadership as defined by the everyman characters and circumstances in the novel?;The researcher used a qualitative methodology, grounded theory analysis, to answer the research question. Updike, a widely recognized man of letters, was chosen due to his ability to accurately describe the qualities of the American everyman. Purposefully selected participants comprised of Updike Scholars, formed the membership for a focus group, from which data was collected. Data collection from the focus group was facilitated through use of an interview guide. The interview guide for this study was developed into a formal framework by the researcher, based on the published works of Joseph L. Badaracco, Jr., Harvard University Professor of Business. In his book entitled, Questions of Characters: Illuminating the Heart of Leadership Through Literature (2006) , although Badaracco established the notion of utilizing fictive literature to examine leadership theory; however, he never tested it. The interview guide for this research served as the formal framework for analysis of the literature by the focus group, in addition to exploring the proposals made by Badaracco.;Upon analysis, both transformational and pseudo-transformational leadership were found through the characters' actions, thoughts, and circumstances in the novel, affirmatively answering the research question. The central theorem that emerged as a result of this study was that traditional and non-traditional leaders can be explored and analyzed through the study of the characters and circumstances in John Updike's Rabbit, Run. Additionally, the use of the interview guide based on Badarraco's work, emerged as an operational framework for analyzing leadership in literature.;Literature is able to mobilize all facilities of knowledge at once: analyzing the outer world, while also utilizing introspection and intuition when examining characters and situations. Oftentimes, the characters in literature make choices that not only impact the individual, but also the entire social order, much like the choices of leaders. As such, using literature to analyze leadership can prove to be a viable alternative to the traditional mock case studies used most frequently in the study of leadership. Specifically, Updike's Rabbit, Run focuses on the middle-class everyman characters in post-War America and provides an important illustration of the fact that effective leadership is not a moral obligation that applies only to the social elite. Additionally, the structured application of literary study to the development of leadership principles is one that provides applicability and benefit to the wider society as a whole. |
