In March 2009 The Financial Times published an article saying: ‘Andrew Likierman has taken on what might seem a veritable poisoned chalice. He has been appointed dean of London Business School after a troubled 18 months that culminated in erstwhile dean Robin Buchanan moving to the newly created and part-time role of president. All of which makes Sir Andrew the fifth dean in 11 years at the UK's most well-known business school’ (Bradshaw, 2009b). This paragraph alone eloquently portrays how critical, complex and challenging strategic leadership is at any professional service firm, including world-class business schools such as LBS. Indeed, the role of the dean seems to lie at both ends of a spectrum, stemming from the very idiosyncrasy of these institutions: a dean is both ‘first among equals’ and a regular CEO in charge of setting and implementing his/her organisation's strategic agenda.

This article also reveals the central influence exerted by internal contexts on business schools' leadership. In these organisations, many actors and constituencies have an outspoken role in agenda building. This book approaches strategic leadership as a deeply embedded, collective process that both shapes and is shaped by people and features from inside and outside organisations – a notion that seems instrumental to understanding how this process actually works in business schools. The fact that these organisations are characterised as ‘organised anarchies’ (Cohen, March and Olsen, 1972), in which it is often the case that key actors with no formal authority have an influential say on strategic decision-making and execution, further proves this point, and, at the same time, reinforces their managerial uniqueness.