Two events, organised by the Møller Institute at the University of Cambridge, will see speakers discussing how the idea of leadership is moving away from a hierarchical set-up towards a focus on dialogue between leaders and followers.
Leadership and followership: Shaping opinion will hear from Steven Fielding, professor of political history and director of the Centre for British Politics at the University of Nottingham, and Lieutenant Colonel Langley Sharp, former Head of the British Army's Centre for Army Leadership at Sandhurst Royal Military Academy and author of the recent book The Habit of Excellence: Why British army leadership works. It will explore the leader-follower dynamic and explore what happens when you fail to listen to your followers as well as the danger of over-listening to them. Professor Fielding is currently writing a history of the Labour party.
The event will be chaired by Allen Packwood, Director of the Churchill Archives Centre, and will draw on the rich collection of material held at the Churchill Archives Centre at Churchill College to understand the history of how ideas of leadership have developed, including papers on Churchill’s unsuccessful leadership in the post-war election. The Archives include the papers of multiple Prime Ministers, politicians from across the spectrum, diplomats, armed forces leaders, scientists and leading social scientists such as Mark Abrams, who was a pioneer in statistical surveying and opinion polling. 5:30pm-7:00pm on Tuesday 19th March, Møller Institute.
Leadership and followership: The rise of the follower focuses on military leadership. It investigates the future of the leader-follower dynamic and considers how, far from a passive function, the role of follower is as significant as any other role in creating success, impact and transformation across contexts. Speakers include Lieutenant Colonel Mike Dean, Head of the British Army's Centre for Army Leadership at Sandhurst Royal Military Academy; Dr Linda Risso, Senior Researcher at the Centre for Army Leadership; Wing Commander Emma Keith, Commandant at the RAF Tedder Academy of Leadership; and Commander Tom Harrison, Mountbatten Scholar at the University of Cambridge. The scholarship involves a member of the Navy studying for a year at the University’s Department of Politics and International Studies.
The event, which will explore the different approaches between Britain’s military forces to leadership and the importance of training forces to be able to take vital decisions in the heat of conflict, will be chaired by Lieutenant Colonel Langley Sharp. 5:30pm-7:00pm on Tuesday 26th March, Møller Institute.
The Cambridge Festival is the University of Cambridge’s most prestigious public engagement event and involves over 300, mainly free events. It runs from 13th to 28th March.
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