Leadership: from classic theories to the 21th century’s challenges

Department of Management, Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, University of Craiova, 13 A.I. Cuza street, Craiova, Dolj 200585, Romania

^* Corresponding author: stancaionela94@yahoo.com

Abstract

Permanent changes, the globalized economy, the universality of information have increased the level of competitiveness between countries in general and organizations in particular. What could be the reason why organizations competing in the same market, with similar technology and comparable resources, differ significantly from each other in terms of performance? The most limited resource in any organization is an efficient and trained person. Finding the right people for each position is critical to the company’s success. Technological variations force us to learn, to adapt and to change our mentality. In order to survive, organizations need flexibility and the ability to adapt to change. It is and will be a necessary condition for employees to be the tools that provide the necessary answers that allow organizations to remain in the markets successfully over time. Leadership is the most vital, challenging and mysterious phenomenon in an organization for which researchers have worked tirelessly to explain how the best leaders perform. This article aims to review and synthesize the existing literature from the beginning to the 21th century’s challenges to find the best solution for an organization’s success.