Leadership, betrayal and adaptation

Abstract

Change stimulates complex cross-currents between institutional requirements and the psycho-social arrangements that have formed around existing configurations. In navigating these complex forces leaders are sometimes confronted with the need to betray, even if in the service of higher purposes. This article explores the links between leadership, betrayal and adaptation. It focuses primarily on the social and psychological reverberations of betrayal, with particular attention drawn to the impact of betrayal on the leaders themselves. Copyright © 2006 The Tavistock Institute ®.