‘When I nod my head, hit it’: leadership and followership in the orchestral environment

Abstract

Expanding on an interdisciplinary event that was part of the Tavistock Centenary celebrations, this paper explores experiences of leadership and followership in the orchestral context. Drawing on a sample of literature from a range of sources exploring organisational life in the orchestra including organisational psychology, music education, social semiotics and sociology, and with reference to psychoanalytic and systems psychodynamics frameworks, the paper makes links between experiences of leadership and followership in the orchestra and work in the NHS.

Keywords:

• orchestra
• leadership
• followership
• systems-psychodynamics

Acknowledgments

With thanks to Michael Doran, Principal Percussionist of the English National Opera Orchestra, for joining me in conversation and sharing his experience.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).