Australian Leadership Research Articles

The deterioration of Australia-China relations: what went wrong?

ABSTRACT Sino-Australia relations have experienced a rapid deterioration in the past half-decade. From genial ties centred around trade and exchange, the relationship has descended into mutual hostility, prompting the editor of China’s Global Times to notoriously liken Australia to a blob of gum on the bottom of a shoe. To explain the deteriorating relationship, scholars have proposed numerous ideas, pointing to factors as wide-ranging as ‘Chinese influence’, poor diplomacy efforts, and ontological (in)security touched off by neoliberal governmentality. The current paper examines these ideas in a literature review, then synthesises such ideas to provide its own explanation of why things ‘went wrong’. It also addresses corollary questions such as why Australia adopted a uniquely assertive China policy, and why this occurred specifically around 2017. We argue that the breakdown in relations can be attributed to the rise of nationalist, sovereignty-oriented movements in the West, and the spillover effect this had on Australian leadership; the profound uncertainty attending the election of Trump and his isolationist tendencies; and the shift to a more rigid, authoritarian approach to foreign affairs under Xi. This perspective adds to the literature by identifying failings on both sides while underscoring significant yet underappreciated global trends, such as nationalism.

First Nations Australians’ experiences of current alcohol policy in Central Australia: evidence of self-determination?

Alcohol is the leading cause of healthy years lost. There is significant variation in alcohol consumption patterns and harms in Australia, with those residing in the Northern Territory (NT), particularly First Nations Australians, experiencing higher alcohol-attributable harms than other Australians. Community leadership in the planning and implementation of health, including alcohol, policy is important to health outcomes for First Nations Australians. Self-determination, a cornerstone of the structural and social determinants of health, is necessary in the development of alcohol-related policy. However, there is a paucity of published literature regarding Indigenous Peoples self-determination in alcohol policy development. This study aims to identify the extent to which First Nations Australians experience self-determination in relation to current alcohol policy in Alice Springs/Mbantua (Northern Territory, Australia).Semi-structured qualitative yarns with First Nations Australian community members (n = 21) were undertaken. A framework of elements needed for self-determination in health and alcohol policy were applied to interview transcripts to assess the degree of self-determination in current alcohol policy in Alice Springs/Mbantua. Of the 36 elements, 33% were not mentioned in the interviews at all, 20% were mentioned as being present, and 75% were absent. This analysis identified issues of policy implementation, need for First Nations Australian leadership, and representation.Alcohol policy for First Nations Australians in the NT is nuanced and complicated. A conscious approach is needed to recognise and implement the right to self-determination, which must be led and defined by First Nations Australians.First Nations Australians’ experiences of current alcohol policy in Central Australia: evidence of self-determination?

Indigenous environmental justice through coproduction of mining restoration supply chains in Australia

Mining activities often cause displacement and disruption of Indigenous socio‐cultural relations to land, water, biodiversity, and sacred entities. Due to the high disturbance and degradation that occurs as a result of mining on Indigenous lands, mine restoration and closure (MR&C) must mobilize the political agency of Indigenous Australians and provide enduring benefits beyond the life‐of‐mine. Here, we demonstrate that Indigenous engagements with mining restoration supply chains in Australia can only succeed if institutionalized socio‐environmental inequalities are recognized and dismantled. Through environmental justice lenses, we examine critical mine restoration injustices and how Indigenous Australian participation can energize environmental self‐determination. We analyze emerging restoration supply chains through the native seed collection and production activities as opportunities for nurturing transformative local collaborations, Indigenous entrepreneurship, and political participation. Our analysis shows the potential for community practices to coproduce MR&C through enduring partnerships, Indigenous‐led organizations, and plural knowledge systems. Indigenous Australian leadership in coordinating investments, collaborations, techniques, and business operations is critical to transforming MR&C into democratic and equitable plans and actions on Indigenous lands where mining operates. When aligned with progressive institutional changes, restoration interventions can potentially strengthen environmental self‐determination for Indigenous Australian political control over the customary use and stewardship of their lands.

Falling Apart and Coming Together: How Public Perceptions of Leadership Change in Response to Natural Disasters vs. Health Crises

Responding to disruptions and crises are challenges public leaders face as they strive to lead responsibly for the good of the community. The last two years have been especially challenging for public leaders and institutions. In Australia, the federal government battled natural disasters (bushfires) and COVID-19 within the span of only a few months, beginning in late 2019. These events provided the opportunity for a natural experiment to explore public perceptions of leadership in times of crises, with both a natural disaster and health crisis in quick succession. In this study, we develop, validate, and test a scale of perceptions of leadership for the greater good, the Australian Leadership Index, throughout different crisis contexts. We hypothesize and find support for the drivers of perceptions of public leadership and shifts in these perceptions as a function of the bushfire disaster response, a negative shift, and the initial COVID-19 response, a positive shift. Comparisons of the crisis periods against a period of relative stability are made. We discuss the implications of differential media coverage, how the crises were managed, and the resulting public perceptions of leadership for the greater good.

What makes good even better? Excellent EC leadership

The purpose of this paper is to explore sense-making of early childhood (EC) leaders in EC services rated as exceeding/excellent in Australian accreditation.,An interpretivist ontology and social constructivist epistemology informs the study. The conceptual framework uses the concept of sense-making to explore how leaders make sense of the policy frameworks and use these to shape practice.,Previous research identified that many leaders focussed on ensuring staff complied with new policy requirements. In contrast, this study found that these leaders paid more attention to relationships with staff and less to directing compliance.,The paper posits high quality service delivery is possible when leaders (in the words of a participant) look after their staff.,In Australia, neoliberal discourses have profoundly impacted on recent reforms in the EC sector. Previous research identified the ambiguities inherent in the Australian EC leadership role as leaders and staff grappled with new understandings and practices, and the uncertainties around lines of authority and influence. This paper is the first to explore the understandings of those leaders whose services are assessed to be operating at the highest level of quality.

When the Minority Rules: When and How Do Traditionally Underrepresented Leaders Impact Employees?

Scholars and practitioners have held great interest in how workforce diversity and inclusion relates to organizational outcomes. Similarly, much attention has focused on the inclusion of cultural minorities and women through the ranks of leadership and the effects of leadership team diversity on organization-level outcomes. We extend this work, exploring the effects of having traditionally underrepresented senior leaders on individual employee perceptions and engagement. We propose that organizations with a climate for innovation and flexibility are likely to see positive impacts from having a traditionally underrepresented individual as a senior leader, particularly when faced with environmental turbulence. Drawing on data from a large-scale study of Australian leadership, we tested our hypotheses with hierarchical linear modelling (HLM). Results suggest that promoting an innovative and flexible work climate has a number of positive benefits in general, and particularly when cultural minorities are leading their workplaces in turbulent environments. However, we observed some unexpected patterns when examining workplaces with female senior leaders.

Harnessing student voice and leadership: a study of one Australian Indigenous leadership program

ABSTRACT Despite growing scholarly interest in student voice and leadership over the past two decades, both terms continue to be used with little consensus about their meaning. They are also often evoked without much clarity or agreement as to how they should be enabled or enacted, for what purposes they should be fostered, or what conditions are necessary for them to take place. This article asks: ‘what are student voice and leadership, and how can they best be fostered in schools to enable disengaged or marginalized students?’ Drawing on the evaluation of a successful Indigenous leadership program in Australia, which works with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people, this discussion unpacks certain constituent parts of student voice and leadership, and explores how they can successfully be strengthened through an educational program, and the challenges arising at the interface of the program and school life.

Australia’s 2017 Foreign Policy White Paper: Deconstruction and Critique

ABSTRACTThe 2017 Foreign Policy White Paper identifies major themes and recommends preferred strategies in Australia’s engagement with the world. These themes and strategies relate to geopolitics, economics and the ‘new international agenda’; there is also a more specific focus on Australia’s Pacific island neighbours and Timor-Leste. There is a strong emphasis on perceived Australian national interests throughout the document. The geopolitical discussion is primarily ‘realist’; economically the document is pro-globalisation; the discussion of the ‘new international agenda’ involves an Australian-oriented pragmatism; there is an assertion of Australian leadership in the South Pacific. With some minor criticism, Labor has accepted the general direction advocated in the White Paper. The document is thus indicative of the likely future direction of Australian foreign policy. Lack of US response indicates declining US engagement with Australia and the Asia-Pacific or Indo-Pacific region. China, as the other major power highly significant for Australia, has been low-key in its criticisms.

Cultural Diversity in Leadership: What Does It Say About Australian Multiculturalism?

ABSTRACTAustralia is frequently described as a success story of immigration and multiculturalism. This has been a part of recent Australian self-understanding and national myth-making. Yet, such a description may belie other realities. For all of Australian society’s celebration of cultural diversity, the leadership of its major institutions remains largely devoid of cultural diversity. This article draws upon recent research into the cultural composition of groups of senior leaders in Australian business, politics, government and civil society. It examines the biases and barriers that may contribute to the status quo. It considers the organisational preconditions of better representation of cultural diversity in Australian leadership—namely, in the realms of leadership, systems and culture. The issue of cultural diversity and leadership, however, cannot be considered only in organisational terms. It also implicates larger societal questions about the current limits of Australian multiculturalism.

Physician leadership development at Cleveland Clinic: a brief review

We aim to describe the rationale for and spectrum of leadership development programs, highlighting experience at a large healthcare institution (Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio, USA). Developing leaders is a universal priority to sustain organizational success. In health care, significant challenges of ensuring quality and access and making care affordable are widely shared internationally and demand effective physician leadership. Yet, leadership competencies differ from clinical and scientific competencies and features of selecting and training physicians-who have been called "heroic lone healers" -often conspire against physicians being effective leaders or followers. Thus, developing leadership competencies in physicians is critical.Leadership development programs have been signature features of successful organizations and various Australian organizations offer such training (e.g. The Australian Leadership Foundation and the University of South Australia), but relatively few health care organizations have adopted the practice of offering such training, both in Australia and elsewhere. As a United States example of one such integrated program, the Cleveland Clinic, a large, closed-staff physician-led group practice in Cleveland, Ohio has offered physician leadership training for over 15 years. This paper describes the rationale, structure, and some of the observed impacts associated with this program.

007.6 Role of minority stress in health-risk behaviours among young msm and tgs in india

Introduction Literature shows MSM and TGs face exorbitant levels of minority stress. Moreover, health-risk behaviours in young MSM and TG have not been comprehensively studied in all parts of India. Therefore, an insight into the potential role of minority stress in mental health of young MSM and TGs, and further health-risk behaviours is essential. The study explored the pathways and mechanisms of engagement in health risk behaviours among young MSM and TGs using minority stress perspective. Methods A mixed method approach (Qual-Quant-Qual) was adopted to examine how minority stress predicts poor mental health, and the role of mental health as a mediator variable in health-risk behaviours. 6 FGDs of 5 participants each were followed by a focused questionnaire development building on the insights from the FGDs. After field pilot, collection of Quant Data from 220 young MSM and TGs (18–30 years), using TSS was performed. In-depth Interviews on a focused and smaller yet representative sample of 32 was conducted. Results This study establishes that components and associates of minority stress (internalised homophobia, perceived and actual discrimination, gender non-conformity stigma, non-acceptance of sexual/social identity, experiences of violence and impact of criminalization of Homosexuality) significantly predict poor mental health outcomes among young MSM and TGs (e.g. anxiety and depression). This establishes Meyer’s Minority stress perspective and its cross-cultural validity in Indian context for the first time. This study also significantly suggests role of mental health as mediator variable in influencing health-risk behaviours including sexual risk-taking and alcohol and drug abuse. Conclusion Health-risk behaviours are a byproduct of the interaction between socio-cultural contexts, person’s social and community identity, sexual identity acceptance by self and others (e.g. criminalization in Indian context). Insights of the study will inform policy makers to assess LGBT rights and health policies and create increased sensitivity in the mainstream society. Disclosure of interest statement This study was funded by AusAID as an Australian Leadership Award Scholarship to the Researcher. No pharmaceutical or other grants were received in the development of this study.

Australia‐Malaysia Security Cooperation as a Pivotal Component for More Stable Bilateral Relations

In the 1980s and 1990s, Australian‐Malaysian relations reached a critical juncture due to a series of crises, such as the 1986 capital punishment of convicted drug smugglers Barlow and Chambers, and the 1993 “recalcitrant” jibe by Australian Prime Minister Paul Keating. Following the election of the Howard government in 1996, relations continued to be on a roller coaster with the Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad leading anti‐Australia protests over the “Howard Doctrine,” the Australian leadership of the 1999 intervention in East Timor, and the “Deputy Sheriff” controversy. Despite this, defense relations between the two remained strong. The success of this cooperation rests on shared political commitment to the security of the region. This article examines the impact that positive cooperation in “high politics” has had in mitigating the negative aspects of crises in “low politics.” It argues that close bilateral defense relations have worked to prevent the emergence of further critical junctures in 2012 following the collapse of the Australian‐Malaysian refugee swap deal and statements by Australian politicians about Malaysia's poor treatment of asylum seekers, and in 2013 over the overt support by many Australian politicians of the opposition, especially Anwar Ibrahim, during the Malaysian general elections.

Identity and Muslim leadership: the case of Australian Muslim leaders

Drawing on data from 30 in-depth interviews with prominent Australian Muslim leaders, this paper argues that the concept of identity could bring together and explain the sources and dynamics of struggles over the Muslim leadership in Australia. The paper will demonstrate that identity definition lies at the centre of competitions and contestations around the Australian Muslim leadership. From within, sub-groups such as Muslim youth and Muslim women contest the incumbent leadership, striving to impose a new image and definition of the Muslim identity in the Australian public sphere. From without, stakeholders such as the Australian government and the Australian media influence the dynamics of the Muslim community leadership by supporting a group of Muslim leaders over others—a process aiming to define who Muslims are in the Australian context.

The Next ‘New’ Idea: The Challenges of Organizational Change, Decline and Renewal in Australian Meals on Wheels

The iconic Australian voluntary organization, Meals on Wheels, has delivered meals to the elderly and those with disabilities for over 60 years and is currently facing considerable institutional change. These exogenous changes include a more regulatory environment, tighter funding restrictions and a move towards marketization and competition. These issues are affecting a traditional service delivery organization reliant on a predominantly older volunteer workforce. This paper draws on neo-institutional theory to explore the impact of these contemporary institutional changes on an organization heavily reliant on volunteers, leading to a clash between traditional values and market concerns with efficiency and productivity. Utilizing a case study approach, and focusing on interviews with the current Australian leadership, this article explores how Meals on Wheels is managing change, and more specifically how leaders perceive the impact, and responses, of its volunteers.

Developing the Study of Australian Leadership: A Contextual Review of the Literature

The purpose of this literature review is to scope promising literatures that should inform the development of the Survey of Australian Leadership. In particular, it responds to the Centre for Workplace Leadership's Study of Study of Australian Leadership Workshop, conducted by the University of Melbourne Centre for Workplace Leadership. The review explores promising themes, narratives and 'tension points' (Flyvberg, 2013) in developing this study, and identifies possible areas for investigation.This review explores four themes:a) How organizational leadership adapts to increasingly complex and rapidly evolving global contexts.b) Leadership mobilizing innovation, technology and knowledge, in anticipating organizational & environmental changes.c) Possible linkages between leadership capabilities and firm performance and productivity.d) The evolution and future development of leadership capabilities.

The Women, Peace and Security agenda and Australian leadership in the world: from rhetoric to commitment?

What is the ‘Women, Peace and Security agenda’ and why is it relevant now for Australia? During 2013–14, Australia is a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council and, with a growing foreign military, peacebuilding and aid presence around the world, the country must play a role in preventing conflict, in protecting women and girls from violence before, during and after conflict, and in encouraging the participation of women in these peace and security decisions in order to create the structural, gender-equal conditions for lasting peace. This article highlights the promises made by Australia during the campaign for the Security Council seat. It evaluates the credibility of the campaign commitments by assessing Australia's foreign policies and overseas aid spending on women and peacebuilding in Asia and the Pacific; exploring the avenues for government-funded research on women, peace and security issues to influence government policies and programs; and taking stock of the government's record of engaging with civil society in developing and carrying out its National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security. The article suggests concrete actions that would allow Australia to fulfil its promises and progress its international leadership on the major pillars of the Women, Peace and Security agenda.

Using Benchmark Principles as a Formative Evaluation Strategy to Build a Leadership Development Culture in the Australian Rail Industry

Australian organisations are concerned about the global shortage of leadership talent and the increasing mobility of leaders. At the same time, studies are raising awareness among executives of the need to develop a cohort of leaders for the future. The rail industry is one sector that has been deliberating on how leadership capability can be enhanced by putting aside organisational and/or state differences in favour of a national, harmonised approach to nurture leadership development. At a time when Australian leadership talent is in short supply, this article draws on findings from research involving six major rail organisations working in partnership with universities within an Australian Government Cooperative Research Centre (CRC). The article finds that leadership development programs within the industry are infrequent, undervalued and under-resourced. It highlights the critical importance of gaining executive commitment, and develops a formative evaluation tool of 10 principles and evaluation criteria forming observable, measurable and evidence-based standards that can be appraised at the start of leadership development initiatives and programs and monitored as they unfold. The article illustrates how engaging executives in a ‘formative evaluation’ process before embarking on leadership development initiatives has the potential to promote successful and sustainable programs.

Personality Preferences and Their Relationship to Ego Development in Australian Leadership Program Participants

The growth of adult ego development to post-conventional levels is associated with many adaptive advantages for the individual and society. However, the vast majority of adults across a wide range of samples demonstrate ego stages well below the maximum potential. In an effort to advance understanding of why and how development to higher ego levels might occur for some individuals and not others, we explored whether particular personality preferences and combinations thereof (as measured by the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator or MBTI) are associated with higher ego levels and whether particular personality preferences might act as inhibiting or facilitating factors in ego development. Participants were 374 adults (aged 18–61; 50 % female) undertaking 11 community leadership development and 2 professional management development programs. After adjusting for effects of age and education, a preference for Intuition on the MBTI was associated with significantly higher ego development on program entry and with greater ego development during the programs. These results are consistent with previous research and provide support for Manners’ and Durkin’s (Developmental Review, 20:475–513, 2000) proposal that dispositional personality characteristics may enhance or constrain ego development.

A comparative analysis of emotional intelligence in the UK and Australian radiographer workforce

Emotional intelligence (EI) in the UK radiographer workforce has been benchmarked using the trait emotional intelligence model and the profile of the profession in the UK has begun to emerge. There are cultural differences between countries that have been shown to have an effect on EI, therefore this paper aims to benchmark the Global and four factor scores of Trait EI in the Australian radiographer population; to explore any differences within the two main professional groupings, diagnostic and therapeutic radiographers, and to compare the Australian radiographer workforce scores with those of the UK previously published. The published and validated trait EI questionnaire of Petrides was used as the survey tool for the Global EI and the four factors of Well-being, Emotionality, Self-control and Sociability.There was only one difference found in the five factors studied between the UK and Australian radiographer workforce, that of Well-being (p ≤ 0.01). No differences emerged between the diagnostic and therapy disciplines nor was a relationship found between EI and the Australian leadership in contrast to the UK workforce findings. Differences were found in the demographic profiles of the two countries and the implications of the above findings are discussed.This paper has benchmarked the EI of the Australian workforce and found a difference in well-being between the UK and Australian radiographer workforce. The Australian diagnostic and therapy disciplines were no different in their EI profiles. No relationship was found between EI and leadership in the Australian radiographer workforce.

“Bringing us back to our origin”: adapting and transferring an Indigenous Australian values-based leadership capacity-building course for community development in Papua New Guinea

The pilot delivery of an Indigenous Australian community development leadership training program was examined to determine its appropriateness and relevance for Papua New Guinea (PNG) public health leaders. The training program comprised two steps: the implementation of a values-based personal capacity-building process, which aimed to address the social and emotional well-being of individual participants; and delivery of selected topics of the program to participants' families, workplaces or community groups. Employing a constructivist grounded theory approach, the study found that participants “took ownership” of the two-step process, citing its benefit as “bringing us back to our origin”. To ensure sustainability, the program was endorsed as a core requirement for PNG postgraduate public health programs and cross-institutional agreements were developed for further program delivery and support. The study is potentially useful for other researchers and program managers attempting cross-national translation of leadership development approaches and their sustainability.