Leading Others

The chapter presents the analysis of the situated realisation of leadership, examining empirically how the notion gets embedded in everyday practices of work. Particular focus is placed here on the communicative practices which inevitably get associated with the actions of leading others and eliciting such leadership. The chapter begins with the analysis of the delegation of tasks and evaluation of work before turning to the discussion of how leadership can be elicited when interlocutors request help. The chapter elucidates also the link between these immediate, here and now communicative practices associated with the realisation of leadership and the broader picture of how leadership is conceptualised and realised in the studied setting. We review here how specific members of the studied context draw upon linguistic resources when engaging in leadership practices and how these contribute to the broader picture of how leadership is realised and negotiated in the context of the studied team. Finally, the chapter also explores the broader effects and implications of this.