Leading from the perspective of others? An exploration of the discourse of "empathic leadership" in Argentine culture

Abstract

The article explores, through the construction and analysis of a documentary corpus, the imbrication of empathy in reflections and proposals on political and business leadership that currently circulate in Argentina. The first section argues that the discourse on empathic leadership, although it comes from the field of management, also radiates knowledge and elaborations linked to political activity. Assuming, based on governmentality studies, that every government practice is deployed in a medium of thought, sections two and three show its functioning as a tool that allows leaders to govern emotions, as well as read and understand the mental and emotional universes of others. For its part, the fourth section argues that the reference to empathy also serves as a basis for establishing distinctions that are pertinent to the field of leadership studies and the debates that surround the national political reality. The work closes with a reflection on the ambivalent character of empathy that aims to discuss the optimism of the leadership reform proposals that are inspired by it.