The Anthropology of Leadership: Culture and Corporate Leadership in the American South

Abstract

This article attempts to make sense of some of the unique cultural qualities of the American South as they manifest themselves in the leadership dynamics of three Southern firms. Two private, family-owned and managed firms, and one public (S&P 500) bank are examined in their relationship with the larger cultural structures of the American South. A combination of ethnographic and documentary research is used to articulate a ‘cultural theory of leadership’, which is premised on the idea that the leaders of these firms derive their leadership legitimacy and power from being both ‘local’ and ‘global’ at the same time. It is suggested here that leadership capital is drawn more from the elements of the region’s culture - religion, social capital, gender and class identity and so on - than it is from individual personality or firm history.

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