Conductor Is Just Another Musician: Partnership As Leader-Member Interaction

Abstract

This paper focuses on intra-organizational partnership, which is viewed as a communication process between leadership and followership. It uses the analogy of a symphony orchestra to illustrate the process of dynamic interactions and suggests that all organizational members are partners. Each of the members simultaneously plays the roles of both leader and follower. Research in listening communication supports the contention that a CEO is just another organizational member, just as a conductor is simply another musician in a symphony orchestra. The partnership from the multi-leader perspective is supported by the leadership communication with regard to gender studies.