Leadership as rhetorical action: 'The Power of the Powerless' in search of its 'people'

Leadership studies gravitate toward a leader-centric, behavioral approach. This thesis argues that shifting to a rhetorical perspective of leadership provides a more inclusive look at leadership as a process involving leader, follower, message, and context. When these components align a fuller understanding grounded in rhetorical action results. The four components were derived from McGee's notions about "the people," how audiences come to exist, and applied to Havel's text The Power of the Powerless. Havel's text reveals his implicit theory of rhetoric that enhances McGee's original theoretic contribution. The thesis concludes that leadership is an interaction imbedded in rhetoric, and argues that a rhetorical theory of leadership broadens the spectrum in which leadership is studied and practiced.;Key Terms: rhetoric, leadership, The Power of the Powerless, Václav Havel, myth, co-creation of meaning, movements, Michael McGee, rhetorical action.