Neuroleadership — the application of neuroscience findings to the field of leadership — is an emerging field of study sometimes dismissed as merely a fad. In the Journal of Management Inquiry July 2013 issue, Neal M. Ashkanasy of the University of Queensland published a Reflections on Experience piece, “Neuroscience and Leadership: Take Care Not to Throw the Baby Out With the Bathwater,” warning against such criticisms and stating that “the fad will pass…but good research will have a lasting effect”:

In his critique of the application of neuroscience to leadership, and especially the use of neurological indicators to predict and select leaders, Lindebaum (2013) makes the point that, despite the developing interest in the concept, there are a raft of problematical issues, both methodologically and morally. I agree with this conclusion. I also agree with Lindebaum’s assertion that what Ringleb and Rock (2008, p. 3) referred to as “NeuroLeadership” is becoming a new management fad. Nonetheless, having written extensively on emotional intelligence, cited as a “management fad,” I would like to issue a warning here that scholars must take care not to “throw the baby out with the bathwater.”

Read the article, “Neuroscience and Leadership: Take Care Not to Throw the Baby Out With the Bathwater,” in the Journal of Management Inquiry, and sign up for e-alerts to receive updates about new articles published online before they are in print.

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