LEADERSHIP IN EVERYDAY PRACTICE

All too often we explain problems or successes in organizations with the acts of one or several of the leaders at the top. It is never that simple. Yet leaders make a difference, and when they influence people and organization the most, we tend to call it leadership. I first heard about plant manager Steinar as I, together with two colleagues at the university, was contacted by a HR manager at an aluminum plant and asked to contribute to a new leadership development program for foremen and middle managers at the plant. As the HR manager described the plant, their principles, and practices in leadership and organizational development, we got a sense that this was something different than “industry standard,” if anything like that existed. She told us about extensive training and competence development, about efforts in creating leadership skills and practices among non-formal leaders, and she presented their work of creating a cooperative climate between all levels and areas at the plant. This was all very idealistic, of course, and we had heard managers tell such stories before and experience reality as less impressive. But after a while as we met more people and heard them describe the past, present, and future, their stories were in line with those of the HR manager, and also seemed to have at least one vital ingredient in common: namely, the plant manager, who himself rarely led the processes they referred to, but seemed to be a point of reference when it came to explaining why things happened. This case is primarily about this plant manager and his unique ability to find a place for visible leadership in everyday work practice. “This is where leadership is needed now” As the aluminum plant got new owners quite a few years ago, Steinar came in as the new leader of approximately 1,200 employees in a small town with