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Traditionally, leadership has been defined in terms of the traits or actions taken by a leader ( Yukl, 1992 ) or the perceptions of followers ( Hollander & Julian, 1969 ; Lord & Maher, 1991 ). We define leadership as a “ social perception, grounded in social-cognitive psychological theory that produces an influence increment for the perceived leader ” ( Lord & Smith, 1998 ). While there are many other definitions of leadership which focus on factors like individual traits, leader behaviors, interaction patterns, or role relations ( Yukl, 1992 ), this definition emphasizes both the social-cognitive nature of leadership and the widely recognized link between leadership and personal influence ( Hollander & Offerman, 1990 ; Katz & Kahn, 1966 ). It fits well with the systems-oriented view of leadership which we advocate in this chapter. Most leadership theories focus on the individual as a source of leadership, and by doing so, neglect the effects of larger social systems in which the individual is embedded. For example, proponents of transformational leadership have argued that it is a quality of specific individuals that is universally desired and effective, transcending national and organizational boundaries ( Bass, 1997 ). However, recent work by Pawar and Eastman (1997 ; also see Klein & House, 1996 ) maintains that important contextual factors constrain ... log in or subscribe to read full text