Paradoxical leadership—enduring, integrating, and addressing tensions: the TENSE leadership model

Aim: The present study aimed to develop a structural model of life satisfaction based on emotional regulation, problem-solving skills, and tolerance of ambiguity (TA) mediated by personality traits of couples. Methods: The research method was descriptive-correlational, and the statistical population consisted of all couples who visited counseling centers 2 and 5 in Tehran in 2018. Among them, 380 individuals were selected by convenience sampling. The life satisfaction questionnaire by Diner et al. (1985), cognitive emotion regulation questionnaire by Garnfsky et al. (2001), Hepner''s problem-solving questionnaire (1982), tolerance of ambiguity questionnaire by McLain (1993), and the five-factor NEO personality inventory (NEO-PI) by McCrae and Costa (1985) were used to collect data. Data were analyzed using structural equations, SPSS22, and AMOS24. Results: The results indicated a direct significant effects of emotional regulation (P=0.01, β=0.40), problem-solving skills (P=0.01, β=0.32), Tolerance of ambiguity (P=0.01, β=0.22), and personality traits- neuroticism (P=0.01, β=0.22), extraversion (P=0.01, β=0.23), openness to experience (P=0.01, β=0.19), agreeableness (P=0.01, β=0.22), and conscientiousness (P=0.01, β=0.27) on life satisfaction. There was also a significant relationship between emotional regulation, problem-solving skills, and tolerance of ambiguity with life satisfaction mediated by personality traits (P=0.01). Conclusion: Personality traits play a mediating role in the relationship between emotional regulation, problem-solving skills, and increasing tolerance of ambiguity. Life satisfaction can increase by teaching problem-solving skills and emotional regulation.

Introduction: Schizophrenia is a complex mental disorder, and one of the variables that are important in people with schizophrenia is emotional self-regulation. On the other hand, another study has shown that there is a relationship between emotion regulation disorder and ambiguity intolerance. Aim: The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between emotion regulation and meta-concern in the tolerance of ambiguity in patients with schizophrenia. Method: The present study was a correlational study and a cross-sectional study was conducted. The research population was schizophrenic patients referred to the Forghani-Nekoui Psychiatric Center in Qom in 2020. The sample of the study was 141 hospitalized patients or referred to a psychiatric center, which were selected using the convenience sampling method. In order to collect information, Questionnaires on Difficulty in Emotion Regulation Scale, Wells' Metacognitions Questionnaire and Ambiguity Tolerance Questionnaire were used. Research data were analyzed using pathway analysis with PLS software. Results: The average score of the difficulty in performing purposeful behaviors in times of helplessness was 54.1±21.63 and the average score of the difficulty in controlling impulsive behaviors in times of helplessness was 67.27±19.27. The average score of the ambiguity tolerance questions was 25.12±4.32. No significant relationship was found in the relationship between the variables, difficulty of emotion regulation and transcendence, difficulty of emotion regulation and tolerance of ambiguity. The only significant relationship was shown between the effect of meta-worry on the ambiguity tolerance (P=0.049). Conclusion: Therefore, it can be concluded that these patients, as mentioned, have less capacity to tolerate ambiguity and meta-worry. It is suggested to pay more attention to these aspects in the treatment of schizophrenia patients.

Introduction: University students are the future builders of any society, and achieving this goal necessitates ensuring their psychological well-being. Aim: The present research aimed to develop a structural model of university students’ psychological well-being based on mindfulness and ambiguity tolerance, with the mediating roles of cognitive flexibility and emotion regulation. Method: The current study employed a descriptive-correlational design using structural equation modeling. The statistical population consisted of all undergraduate students at Islamic Azad University, North Tehran Branch, in 2023, from which a sample of 367 participants was selected using a convenience sampling method. The research instruments comprised Ryff’s Psychological Well-being Scale-Short Form, the Freiburg Mindfulness Inventory (FMI), the Ambiguity Tolerance Scale, the Cognitive Flexibility Inventory, and the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ). Structural equation modeling using AMOS software was employed for data analysis. Results: In the present study, the goodness-of-fit (GFI) indices supported a satisfactory fit of the model to the collected data (χ2/df = 1.945, comparative fit index [CFI] = 0.903, GFI = 0.931, root mean square error of approximation [RMSEA] = 0.059). Conclusion: The results demonstrated that university students’ psychological well-being was predicted based on mindfulness and ambiguity tolerance, with the mediating roles of cognitive flexibility and emotion regulation. Thus, it is recommended that mindfulness and emotion regulation training courses be held for university students to foster improvements in ambiguity tolerance, cognitive flexibility, and psychological well-being

This paper analyses an organisational development project that aimed to change the organisational culture and improve people management systems and processes. The questions addressed were: was the change process a success; how was success defined; and what were the barriers to its progress? We examined the process of change over a 3-year period. The organisational development intervention is described and analysed. Qualitative methods, including document review, in-depth interviews and focus groups, participant observation, newsletters and diary entries were used to gather the data. A variant of competing values was used to analyse the data. We sought to build trust with all managers and encouraged reflection by conducting feedback sessions, presentations, workshops and one-on-one and group discussions. A cross-site action group was established to encourage organisation-wide participation in the project. However, it was clear that stakeholders had different understandings and perceptions of the problems facing the organisation. The project faltered when a leadership development intervention was organised. The existence of at least four different organisational 'worlds' and identities, according to different professional groupings with different goals, languages and values, was evident. The relationship between the researcher and subjects was key in terms of whether the researcher is seen as an 'expert' or as a 'facilitator'. In bringing about change, we need to work with the Chief Executive Officer in empowering others. Hence, the researchers need to engage in continual dialogue across boundaries and within groups as well as at individual levels to provide support for organisational change.

BackgroundThe leadership behaviours and practices of nurse managers play a pivotal role in shaping staff performance, retention, and the overall quality of patient care, making them critical components of healthcare system efficiency and outcomes. These behaviours and practices are attributed to different management strategies and leadership styles, which have a strong influence on how leaders act and make decisions.AimThis study aims to assess the leadership behaviours and practices of nurse managers within Riyadh Second Health Cluster.MethodologyA cross-sectional quantitative study was conducted using the Leadership Practices Inventory (LPI), a validated 30-item self-assessment tool. A total of 342 nurse managers working in Riyadh Second Health were recruited using convenience sampling. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, independent t-tests, and ANOVA to examine differences across their demographics.ResultsSignificant differences were found in leadership behavior scores across gender, nationality, age, education, and experience, with female, non-Saudi, mid-career, and bachelor’s-prepared nurse managers demonstrating higher self-reported leadership practices across all domains. Nurse managers exhibited very high leadership scores across all five domains of the leadership practices (average M = 4.57); Model the Way (M = 4.57), Inspire a Shared Vision (M = 4.56), Challenge the Process (M = 4.56), Enable Others to Act (M = 4.57), and Encourage the Heart (M = 4.57).ConclusionThe results indicated a very high level of all leadership practices among the nurse managers in Riyadh Second Health Cluster. The study findings highlight a strong leadership abilities among the nurse managers, emphasizing the need for continued investment in leadership training and development programs to enhance staff performance, retention, and quality of care.

The study explored how leadership behaviors shape psychological safety and employee voice in Slovak workplaces, with a particular focus on relational dynamics. Drawing on attachment theory, the study examined the barriers and enablers to speaking up and how leaders influence employees’ perceptions of workplace safety. A qualitative design was employed using semi-structured interviews with 11 employees from diverse industries in Slovakia. Data were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis, identifying key patterns related to leadership behavior, communication practices, and workplace culture. Seven overarching themes and 17 subthemes emerged, forming a typology of workplace climates: (A) psychologically safe, (B) psychologically unsafe, and (C) emotionally disengaged. Leadership behaviors, such as emotional availability, relational consistency, and accessibility, strongly influenced psychological safety. Key barriers included fear of negative consequences, hierarchical distance, lack of feedback, and unclear roles. Participants identified five leadership competency domains (social, emotional, communication, cognitive, and organizational) as essential for cultivating safety and voice in the workplace. The findings conceptualize psychological safety as a relationally constructed phenomenon co-created through everyday leader-employee interactions. Leadership with attachment-related qualities, defined by emotional support and trust, enables employees to engage, speak up, and contribute authentically. The study contributes a culturally grounded interpretive typology and a dual competency model (relational and functional) for leadership development. Psychological safety should be viewed as an integral component of occupational safety management. Leadership development and organizational interventions may benefit from targeting both relational and functional dimensions to cultivate safe and healthy workplaces.

This chapter promotes the effective evaluation of leadership learning and development interventions. An evaluation is the ‘systematic collection of information about the activities, characteristics, and outcomes of programs in order to make judgements about the program, to improve program effectiveness, and/or to inform decisions about future programming’ (Patton, 1997, p. 23). It is a fundamental step in the learning and development process. Evaluation should not be confused with assessment, which typically involves the measurement of how an individual learner performed on a learning task. In contrast, evaluation aims to improve (formative) or prove the worth and efficacy (summative) of programmes (Scriven, 1991). Many commentators have celebrated the importance of evaluation describing is as the ‘backbone of the learning and change process’ (Pym, 1968) since it ‘provides information for action’ (Weiss, 1972, p. 318). Companies, professional management associations, business schools and consultants assume that leadership development interventions will result in improved leadership (Collins and Holton, 2004, p. 218). However, on the whole organisations do not properly evaluate the impact of leadership learning and development — they fail to budget for it financially, make time available for a proper evaluation or employ the most effective evaluation practices.

Purpose – This research aims to describe leadership practices that fit into Egypt national culture, in Multinational Companies (MNCs) work environment. Taking two of the top companies in leadership field as an example, this research helps in presenting guidelines for the best leadership practices for MNCs, operating in Egypt.Design/methodology/approach – This research employed qualitative case study, using semi-structured interviews. Two-case studies were conducted to reach more comprehensive findings. Findings –Leadership practices associated with Egypt’s national culture are macro managing employees; involving employees in decision making; providing clear vision and objectives; maintaining context which includes providing clear rules and guidelines, coaching employees, maintaining a follow up system on employees performance and maintaining a clear rewarding and penalizing system; and focusing on humane aspects which includes managing conflicts, keeping employees in harmony and considering individuals’ differences. Implications– This research highlights a gap between theory and practice. Some of the presented leadership practices presented in this research contradict with the literature’s classification for Egypt’s’ national. This indicates that further research work should be conducted to generalize findings.Originality/value –The research emphasizes that there is a shift in people’s perception towards best leadership styles and practices. The cultural aspects identified in this research challenges the classification of Egypt as high power distance and masculine society. Further, findings present new prospective for some of the leadership practices. The paper also proposes that short-term orientation is also a cultural aspect associated with workplace. Keywords: National culture, Humane-orientation, Short-term orientation, Leadership practices, Individualized consideration, Employees’ performance, Case study, Interviews analysis techniques DOI : 10.7176/DCS/9-3-07 Publication date :March 31 st 2019

Orientation: Despite a progressive constitutional and legislative framework promoting gender equality, South Africa continues to face structural, cultural, and organisational barriers that limit women’s advancement into leadership roles, particularly in the public sector. Research purpose: This study examines how emotional intelligence (EI) is perceived to influence women’s leadership practices, focusing on its role in shaping influence, decision-making and interpersonal engagement. Motivation for the study: Although EI is widely regarded as a key leadership capability, research on its role in women’s leadership within South African municipalities remains limited. Examining how women apply EI can guide development initiatives that address gender biases and improve organisational effectiveness, without assuming EI is deterministically empowering. Research design, approach and method: The study employed a qualitative, interpretivist approach, using semi-structured interviews with women leaders in the CoJMM. Data were analysed thematically to identify patterns in EI and leadership practices. Main findings: EI was linked to self-awareness, emotional regulation and relational sensitivity, which influenced decision-making, adaptability and interpersonal engagement. EI supports reflective decision-making and relationship management; however, its impact was shaped by organisational culture, power dynamics and resource constraints. Findings indicate that EI does not consistently produce positive outcomes or inherently empower leaders, with participants highlighting the emotional labour involved and the risk of EI being constrained or misinterpreted in bureaucratic contexts. Practical/managerial implications: Organisations should embed EI development in leadership training, ensuring context-sensitive support that addresses structural and cultural barriers to gender-equitable leadership. Contribution/value-add: This study offers context-specific insights into EI and gendered leadership in a South African municipal setting, presenting EI as a relational, situational capability with both benefits and limitations for supporting women leaders.

BackgroundLeadership is important in the implementation of innovation in business, health, and allied health care settings. Yet there is a need for empirically validated organizational interventions for coordinated leadership and organizational development strategies to facilitate effective evidence-based practice (EBP) implementation. This paper describes the initial feasibility, acceptability, and perceived utility of the Leadership and Organizational Change for Implementation (LOCI) intervention. A transdisciplinary team of investigators and community stakeholders worked together to develop and test a leadership and organizational strategy to promote effective leadership for implementing EBPs.MethodsParticipants were 12 mental health service team leaders and their staff (n = 100) from three different agencies that provide mental health services to children and families in California, USA. Supervisors were randomly assigned to the 6-month LOCI intervention or to a two-session leadership webinar control condition provided by a well-known leadership training organization. We utilized mixed methods with quantitative surveys and qualitative data collected via surveys and a focus group with LOCI trainees.ResultsQuantitative and qualitative analyses support the LOCI training and organizational strategy intervention in regard to feasibility, acceptability, and perceived utility, as well as impact on leader and supervisee-rated outcomes.ConclusionsThe LOCI leadership and organizational change for implementation intervention is a feasible and acceptable strategy that has utility to improve staff-rated leadership for EBP implementation. Further studies are needed to conduct rigorous tests of the proximal and distal impacts of LOCI on leader behaviors, implementation leadership, organizational context, and implementation outcomes. The results of this study suggest that LOCI may be a viable strategy to support organizations in preparing for the implementation and sustainment of EBP.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13012-014-0192-y) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Poor tolerance of ambiguity is consequential in clinical practice, and has been linked to avoidance of family medicine, in which there is inherently more ambiguity. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between tolerance of ambiguity and prospective specialty choice of medical students in their third year of medical school. This stage of medical training is of particular importance as students develop clinical reasoning skills and encounter clinical ambiguity. This was a cross-sectional study using an online survey. Sixty-one third-year medical students (62% response rate) from a large Canadian university completed the survey with a validated measure of ambiguity tolerance (the 29-item Tolerance of Ambiguity in Medical Students and Doctors scale) and their top three specialty choices. Specialty choices were subsequently grouped into two categories: family medicine (FM) and non-family medicine (non-FM) specialties. There was no significant mean difference in tolerance of ambiguity between students who reported interest in FM and students interested in non-FM specialties. Similarly, we observed no significant difference in tolerance of ambiguity between female and male students. Older students reported higher levels of ambiguity tolerance. Older students were also more likely to report FM as one of their top three specialty choices. Qualitative studies are needed to explore possible reasons for the observed results, including the effects of digital information resources and clinical decision-making tools on medical students' ambiguity tolerance. Medical educators should be aware that some students may require explicit training in how to respond to ambiguity.

Creativity is a cognitive ability that enables individuals to come up with both original and functional ideas and products. As architectural design requires producing aesthetic and practically useful solutions, it is a primary concern to enhance creativity in design disciplines. Many theorists argued that design is a non-linear process and many components of design problems are not clear at the beginning. At the start of the process, designers are always working at the periphery of a solution space where there is less coherence and more ambiguity. Thus, they must deal with a lot of ambiguity in every design situation. These states of uncertainty and confusion can be annoying for architecture students. On the other hand, tolerance of ambiguity is a personality trait that has been linked to creative thinking. Therefore, this paper attempts to investigate the correlation between tolerance of ambiguity of architectural students and their creativity via a qualitative study. The researchers implemented a mixed-method approach and recruited 18 architecture students. The results from this study revealed that there is a significant correlation between students’ creative thinking abilities and their tolerance for ambiguity. Our results also indicated that there is no statistically significant correlation between students’ tolerance of ambiguity and their design creativity.

Parallel to the shortage of clinical nurses is the diminishing pool of nurses who aspire to leadership roles in healthcare. The authors of this paper report on the evaluation of an intervention administered to a group of Canadian nurses designed to assist participants to value leadership and to develop knowledge, skills and attitudes required for effective leadership. A one-group pre-test, post-test quasi-experimental design guided the study. All participants received a five-day residential leadership development intervention. Participants acted as their own controls and were assessed, both immediately before intervention implementation and three months later, on the self- and observer-reported leadership practices as well as self-reported levels of burnout. Results indicated that a concentrated, residential leadership development intervention is effective in strengthening leadership behaviours performed by both already established and aspiring nurse leaders from the perspective of observers, but not from self-reported assessments. No significant changes in self-reported burnout levels were found. It is possible to deliver leadership development interventions to both established and aspiring nurse leaders that result in fairly rapid improvements in observed leadership practices.

This study compares pre- and posttest Leadership Practices Inventory (LPI-Self) scores for public health leaders who completed the Regional Institute for Health and Environmental Leadership (RIHEL) training program at least 2 years earlier; it seeks to identify factors contributing to changes in practices and overall leadership development for public health and environment leaders. Sixty-seven alumni who completed the yearlong RIHEL program between 1999 and 2002 participated through mailed surveys and phone interviews. The Leadership Practices Inventory, an alumni leadership development survey, and interviews provided evidence for positive change in leadership practices. Alumni experienced significant increases in pre- to post-LPI scores, collaborative leadership practices, and communication skills consistent with those taught in the RIHEL program. Women presented higher Encourage the Heart scores than men. Years of public health service negatively correlated with Total Change scores of LPI. The RIHEL program as a training intervention was credited significantly with changes in leadership practices for alumni studied. Nine influencing factors were identified for leadership development and are embedded in a Leadership Development Influence Model. These include self-awareness, a leadership development framework, and skills important in multiple leadership situations. Confidence was both an encouraging factor and a resulting factor to the increased exemplary leadership practices. Leadership development in public health must include multiple factors to create consistent increases in exemplary leadership practices. While the study focused on the leadership development process itself, RIHEL training was reported as having a positive, significant impact overall in participant leadership development. This study adds research data as a foundation for training content areas of focus. Studies to further test the Leadership Development Influence Model will allow public health training programs to pinpoint training where it can make a difference to improve leadership development in the public health sector.

TABLE OF CONTENTS Section I: The Impact of Leadership: Performance and Meaning 1. Advancing Leadership Theory & Practice Rakesh Khurana & Nitin Nohria 2. When Does Leadership Matter? A Contingent Opportunities View of CEO Leadership? Noam Wasserman (Harvard University), Nitin Nohria, and Bharat Anand (Harvard Business School) 3. Revisiting the Meaning of Leadership Joel Podolny (Yale School of Management), Rakesh Khurana (Harvard Business School), and Marya Hill-Popper (Cornell School of Industrial and Labor Relations) 4. What Is This Thing Called Leadership? Richard Hackman (Harvard University) Section II: The Theory of Leadership: Personal Attributes, Functions and Relationships Chapters that take stock of different disciplinary perspectives on leadership and articulate an agenda for future research 5. Leadership through an Organization Behavior Lens: A Look at the Last Half-Century of Research Mary Ann Glynn and Rich DeJordy (Boston College) 6. Psychological Perspectives on Leadership Jennifer A. Chatman and Jessica A. Kennedy (University of California, Berkeley) 7. A Clinical Approach to the Dynamics of Leadership and Executive Transformation, Manfred Kets de Vries and Elisabet Engellau (INSEAD) 8. Classical Sociological Approaches to the Study of Leadership, Mauro F. Guillen (Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania) 9. Economists' Perspective on Leadership Patrick Bolton (Columbia), Markus K. Brunnermeier (Columbia), and Laura Veldkamp (NYU) 10. An Economic Perspective on Leadership Mark. A. Zupan (University of Rochester) 11. Leadership and History, Walter A. Friedman (Harvard Business School) 12. Power and Leadership Joseph S. Nye, Jr. (Harvard Kennedy School of Government) Section III. The Variability of Leadership: What's Core and Contingent Chapters exploring similarities and differences in leadership across task, culture, and identity 13. Leadership and Cultural Context: A Theoretical and Empirical Examination Based on Project GLOBE, Javidan, Mansour (Thunderbird Business School), Peter W. Dorfman (New Mexico State University), Jon Paul Howell (New Mexico State University), and Paul J. Hanges (University of Maryland) 14. Women and Leadership: Defining the Challenges, Robin J. Ely (Harvard Business School) and Deborah L. Rhode (Stanford Law School) 15. A Contingency Theory of Leadership, Jay Lorsch (Harvard Business School) Section IV: The Practice of Leadership: Agency and Constraint Chapters on the multiple facets of leadership practice 16. What is Leadership? The CEO's Role in Large, Complex Organizations, Michael E Porter (Harvard University) and Nitin Nohria (Harvard Business School) 17. What Makes Teams of Leaders Leadable? Ruth Wagerman and Richard Hackman (Harvard University) 18. Decision Making as Leadership Foundation, Michael Useem (Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania) 19. Leading Change: Leadership, Organization, and Social Movements, Marshall Ganz (Harvard Kennedy School of Government) 20. Leadership in a Globalizing World, Rosabeth Moss Kanter (Harvard Business School) 21. Unlocking the Slices of Genius in Your Organization: Leading for Innovation Linda A. Hill (Harvard Business School), Maurizio Travaglini (Architects of Group Genius), Greg Brandeau (Pixar Animation Studios), and Emily Stecker (Harvard Business School) Section V: The Development of Leaders: Knowing, Doing, and Being Chapters on the development of leaders 22. Identity-Based Leader Development, Herminia Ibarra (INSEAD), Scott Snook (Harvard Business School), and Laura Guillen Ramo (INSEAD) 23. The Experience Conundrum, Morgan W. McCall, Jr. (University of Southern California) 24. Leadership Development Interventions: Ensuring a Return on the Investment Jay A Conger (Claremont McKenna College) 25. Pursuing Authentic Leadership Development, Bruce J. Avolio (Gallup Leadership Institute) 26. Adult Development and Organizational Leadership Robert Kegan and Lisa Lahley (Harvard Education School)