Overview

Whenever leadership emerges within a group, there will be resistance to that leadership. Discontent may manifest in a number of ways, and action will always be determined by factors such as resource, numbers, time, space, and the legitimacy of the resistance. What, then, turns discontent into mutiny? Mutiny is often associated with the occasional mis-leadership of the masses by politically inspired hotheads, or a spontaneous and unusually romantic gesture of defiance against a uniquely overbearing military superior. In reality it is seldom either and usually has far more mundane origins, not in the absolute poverty of the subordinates but in the relative poverty of the relationships between leaders and the led in a military situation. The roots of mutiny lie in the leadership skills of a small number of leaders, and what transforms that into a constructive dialogue, or a catastrophic disaster, depends on how the leaders of both sides mobilize their supporters and their networks. Using contemporary leadership theory to cast a critical light on an array of mutinies throughout history, this book suggests we consider mutiny as a permanent possibility that is further encouraged or discouraged in some contexts. From mutinies in ancient Roman and Greek armies to those that toppled the German and Russian states and forced governments to face their own disastrous policies, and changed them forever, this book covers an array of cases across land, sea, and air that still pose a threat to military establishments today. The critical theoretical line also puts into sharp relief the assumption that oftentimes people have little choice in how they respond to circumstances not of their own making. If mutineers could choose to resist what they saw as tyranny, then so can we.

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9780198931577

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Mutineers rebel against leaders: kings, ship commanders, and other authority figures. At the same time, they generate their own internal leadership. For every HMS Bounty Commander William Bligh, there is a rebellious Fletcher Christian. It is at that nexus of leadership in extremis that Grint focuses this startlingly insightful tour de force. As one of our foremost critical leadership scholars, Grint is well positioned to bring to light the collective agency mobilized by mutiny leaders and the opportunities for both disaster and renewal that any rebellion against authority offers. * Bert Spector, Emeritus Professor, D'Amore-McKim School of Business, Northeastern University, Boston, USA * In this outstanding book Keith Grint reveals the value of critically researching mutiny: a subject that up until now has been significantly under-explored. He presents a rich and detailed historical analysis that confirms how those in subordinate positions in various eras and contexts have proactively engaged in open defiance, dissent, resistance and mutiny. Drawing on various case studies illustrating the diverse nature of mutiny, Grint skilfully demonstrates that subordinates are far from being the passive and conformist 'followers' that leader-centric leadership studies typically assume. He also shows how studying mutiny is a great way to examine leadership. This wide-ranging text is important reading for those working in various disciplines from sociology and history to leadership, organisation and management studies. Highly recommended! * David Collinson, Distinguished Professor of Leadership & Organisation, Lancaster University Management School, UK * In Mutiny and Leadership Keith Grint guides us through the major theories, concepts and explanations of mutiny enabling us, through the beautifully told page turning narratives, to make the connection between the social context, superordinate, the subordinate and the mutineer both superordinate and subordinate. [...] This book questions if military commanders are leaders, some are shown to be and others rely on 'command' their positional authority, when this is rejected by subordinates the conditions are set for mutiny. The conditions for mutiny create the conditions for emergent leadership, those who lead the mutiny, often filling the leadership void. Keith deals with this in his poignant conclusion or final reflective chapter. I enjoyed reading this book, a journey of learning, and strongly recommend it to scholars of the military art and those curious about leadership and what happens when it fails. * Bryan S. C. Watters OBE, Professor of Defence Leadership, Cranfield University * Through an exhaustive historical analysis of episodes of mutiny, Professor Keith Grint's book uncovers the deep-rooted relationship between leadership and resistance. An intellectual tour de force, this book is wonderfully written, unique in its historical detail, and far-reaching when it comes to its theoretical consequences. * Jose Bento da Silva, Associate Professor, Warwick Business School, UK * Keith Grint always asks the tough but critically important questions about leadership, always essential for understanding how power in societies and organisations works. Here we get a close and rigorously researched view into why and how the most extreme forms of resistance - mutiny - occur through and against leadership. With the world facing many bleak turns, this book could unfortunately prove essential reading. * Owain Smolovic Jones, Professor of Organisation Studies, Durham University Business School *

Author Information

Keith Grint is Professor Emeritus at Warwick University where he was Professor of Public Leadership until 2018. He has held Chairs at Cranfield University and Lancaster University and was Director of the Lancaster Leadership Centre. He spent twelve years at the University of Oxford and was Director of Research at the Saïd Business School. His recent books include Leadership, Management & Command: Rethinking D-Day (2008); Sage Handbook of Leadership (edited with Alan Bryman, David Collinson, Brad Jackson, and Mary Uhl-Bien) (2010); Leadership: A Very Short Introduction (2010) and Leadership: Limits and Possibilities 2nd edition (with Owain Smolovic Jones) (2022). His latest book is A Cartography of Resistance: Leadership, Management, and Command (OUP 2024).

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