I particular like the premise that top-down role based conceptions of leadership are not relevant to making sense of the complex social processes of organizational life.

Given this, Rather than try to do away with it, I am in favor of redefining the construct of leadership, away from what Rost (1991) calls an industrial paradigm definition iof leadership, to one that is reflective of and responsive to 21st century world we live in. Leadership then becomes a complex a dynamic in which people participate in rather than what people in roles of authority possess. If terms like fatherhood, citizenship, learning,etc can evolve in meaning through time and across cultures, then I think leadership can as well. In short, just like loving is not just what lovers do, leadership does not have to be about just what "designated leaders" do.