Leadership In Context Research Articles

Paradox of gender and leadership in India: a critical review of Mardaani

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to shed light on the paradoxical and dynamic nature of gender and leadership in India through a critical review of Indian film Mardaani.Design/methodology/approachThe paper offers a critical review of an Indian film and relates the analysis to the context of gender and leadership in India.FindingsThe review shows that masculine stereotypes of leadership are simultaneously reinforced and shattered in the Indian context, and that despite all the odds, women’s role in organisations is characterised by dynamism and change. The paper situates this review in the broader context of gender, employment and leadership in India and offers a critical analysis.Research limitations/implicationsThe analysis has two implications. First, it indicates that women are equally capable of demonstrating worthy leadership. Second, it highlights that being a leader, or “mannish”, in the workplace does not mean that women are not responsible for the domestic and caring duties at home. In fact, female leaders in India continue to do the double shift by struggling to balance their roles in the workplace and their personal lives.Originality/valueThe paper offers an original analysis of a Bollywood film in the context of gender, culture and leadership.

Influence of leader and employee emotional labor on service performance: A hierarchical linear modeling approach

Given the importance of emotional labor for service-oriented enterprises, it is highly valuable to explore how leader emotional labor affects the emotional labor strategy used by employees. This study was based on affective events theory and we used hierarchical linear modeling to explore cross-hierarchical relationships among leader emotional labor, employee emotional labor, and employee service performance. We tested the model with data from 534 employees and their immediate leaders working in 23 service-oriented enterprises in China. Results showed that leaders' surface acting positively influenced employees' surface acting, and leaders' deep acting positively influenced employees' deep acting and service performance. Employees' deep acting mediated the relationship between leaders' deep acting and employee service performance. Our findings enhance understanding of leader emotional labor and help to advance emotional labor theory in the leadership context.

Lean manufacturing implementation, context and behaviors of multi-level leadership

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to empirically examine the relationship between the behavioral orientation of leaders from different hierarchical levels and the implementation phase of the lean manufacturing (LM) roadmap. In addition, it also aims at analyzing the influence of inherent contextual variables related to leadership.Design/methodology/approachThe proposed method relies on both qualitative and quantitative approaches, since it combines and numerically assesses the results of semi-structured interviews with lean experts, in addition to evaluating a cross-sectional survey with 225 leaders from different Brazilian companies that are undergoing LM implementation.FindingsThe findings support the existence of a transient leadership style along the LM implementation, which is evidenced in terms of task and relation orientation and may vary according to the hierarchical level. Furthermore, the context does matter with regard to leadership style orientation along the LM roadmap phases, although not all variables matter to the same extent.Originality/valueLM implementation is about changing both technical and socio-cultural aspects, which can be seen as the essence of leadership. The relevant question that arises is whether leaders’ behaviors from different hierarchical levels should be adapted according to the maturity of LM implementation and the contextual variables that surround leadership.

Building an implicit change leadership theory

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to propose a model for implicit change leadership theory (ICLT) and to explore its relationship with perceived effectiveness of change management (CM).Design/methodology/approachThe study employed a mixed-methods design. It used a qualitative approach to identify schemas on the traits and behaviors of an ideal leader and schemas on what constitute effective CM. A quantitative approach was followed to test the conceptual model.FindingsThe study suggests five competencies of ideal change leaders: strategic and technical competencies, execution competencies, social competencies, character, and resilience. Together, these five competencies comprise an ICLT. Moreover, schema congruence correlates with perceived effectiveness of CM. The closer the congruence between subordinates’ ideal change leader and their actual change leader, the greater the perceived effectiveness of CM.Research limitations/implicationsThe study was limited to employees in the Philippines. It is thus suggested that data gathering in other populations be conducted to allow for generalizability of results. The research was cross-sectional in design, that limits causal explanations. Longitudinal studies examining perceptions and attitudes during and after the implementation of change could provide more robust evidence of the relationships between schemas and perceptions of change.Practical implicationsThe results suggest that to increase the chances of success of their change initiatives, organizations could consider leadership development interventions that could enhance the competencies of their leaders in the implicit change leadership constructs. Organizations also need to consider employee schemas of effective CM when implementing change.Originality/valueThe main contribution of this paper is to expand implicit leadership theory by applying it to a specific leadership context, that of organizational change, and to derive an ICLT.

The Moderating Roles of Perceived Task Interdependence and Team Size in Transformational Leadership’s Relation to Team Identification: A Dimensional Analysis

This study is aimed at investigating perceived task interdependence and team size as contingencies for team leaders’ transformational leadership influence on team identification. Data were obtained from a two-phase survey among 234 employees from ten multinational pharmaceutical subsidiaries in South Korea. Each dimension of transformational leadership by team leaders relates positively to team identification. However, the impact of leadership dimensions on team identification is attenuated by distinct moderator(s): charisma by higher perceived task interdependence, individualized consideration by larger team size, and intellectual stimulation by higher perceived task interdependence or larger team size. This study’s findings help us develop a more nuanced understanding of how transformational leadership operates. This study illustrates that team leaders’ transformational influence on team identification fluctuates, depending on the team structure. Such knowledge may help inform team leader development and team-structuring strategies used by practitioners and may contribute to improving organizational team effectiveness. This is one of the first studies showing evidence that the influence of the dimensions of transformational leadership is contingent upon distinct moderators, thereby contributing to advancing the theory of transformational leadership. Further, this study, by investigating team structure as a contingency of the transformational leadership-team identification relationship, complements previous research that focused on follower characteristics. Additionally, our explicit attention to the team as both the context of leaders’ action and the target of employee identification helps us gain a more concrete understanding of team leadership and team development issues, which are particularly salient in the highly competitive pharmaceutical industry.

Communicating Authenticity across Cultures: Telling Personal Stories in Leadership Contexts

The purpose of this paper is to shed light on the cross-cultural dimensions of telling personal stories to communicate authenticity in leadership contexts. The paper is based on findings from a res...

Why leadership of public leadership research matters: and what to do about it

ABSTRACTThe tough-talking, take-charge, individualistic view of public leadership is alive and well throughout the world, despite the enthusiasm of leadership scholars for more shared, relational, and collectivist views. The times therefore seem especially appropriate for assessing the state of public leadership theory and research and charting a path forward to enhance understanding of the continued appeal of Great Person leadership and the promise of collective leadership. This essay considers the current public leadership context, highlights distinctive characteristics of public leadership, and provides an overview of recent public leadership research through a collective lens. We call for more attention to leadership theory from within public management and the broader leadership fields and to public value and public values in leadership theorizing and research. We suggest public leadership scholars roam more freely through the disciplines and experiment with a variety of methods beyond the traditional case study.

Leveraging Positive Psychological Capital (PsyCap) in Crisis: A Multiphase Framework

ABSTRACTDespite recent advancements in understanding of leadership in context, there is surprisingly little insight into leadership in crisis. To provide insight into how leaders navigate crisis, we utilize historical sources of Sir Winston Churchill’s leadership during World War II to analyze which resources are used by leaders during a crisis and how they leverage these resources to lead through and out of the crisis. We discover that psychological capital (PsyCap) is a core individual resource that leaders leverage in crisis. Our findings suggest that leaders leverage PsyCap in varying ways based on the phase of the crisis. That is, different dimensions of PsyCap are used to lead ahead of, into, through, and out of the crisis. This study contributes to the strategic leadership and positive organizational behavior literatures by empirically illustrating the dynamic nature of PsyCap and how leaders leverage it to navigate crisis.

Candle in the wind

This study contributes to the leadership literature by applying the complexity leadership paradigm within China’s fringe arts businesses. China’s societal transformation provides a rich site that is far more complex than the one in established economies. Concerned with the evolving role of arts and cultural leadership within such context, this study explores the emergent, interactive dynamism between leaders, leadership and multiple contexts organized at different levels. Using an evidence-based approach, this study draws from in-depth case studies of two fringe arts businesses in Beijing. The findings not only enrich the model that describes the strategic goals of arts and cultural businesses, but also reveals leader behaviours and approaches used to achieve adaptive outcomes of complexity leadership. Overall, the study provides insights into the practice of arts and cultural leadership socially constructed within a context of drastic change and uncertainty.

Making sense of effective partnerships among senior leaders in the National Health Service.

Changing health care systems depend on strong organizational leadership that realizes the collaborative potential of both physician and nonphysician leaders. The aim of this study was to seek insight into the everyday health care leader experience by examining 24 physician and nonphysician leaders working in the U.K. National Health Service. We explored (a) how they make sense of and act with respect to specific collaborative tensions in their interactions and (b) which aspects of their everyday leadership contexts heighten the probability for producing and resolving such tensions. We conducted 24 in-depth interviews with physician and nonphysician leaders in job titles including Chief Operating Officer, Managing Director, Medical Director, and Clinical Director. Ideas from the social psychological perspectives of sensemaking, organizational role theory, and organizational citizenship behavior helped frame the study. We identified four areas of ongoing tension between senior leaders. Each of these was linked to a set of underlying drivers, with the strongest support for drivers with interpersonal roots. Effective strategies for resolving tensions involved significant effort by leaders at improving the interpersonal dynamics associated with everyday interaction and forging relational connections through enhanced trust within the leadership team. This study outlines the organizational and individual characteristics that lend to effective collaboration among senior health care leadership and the types of collaborative tensions likely to be experienced by senior health care leaders. Organizations should provide greater role clarity for senior leadership roles, promote "soft" interpersonal competencies within them, and better assess potential leaders for success in senior roles. Organizational support in the form of facilitation, time, and spaces to learn together can provide a better context for collaborative decision-making.

A perspective on gender in management

PurposeThere is still a lack of understanding why there is little progress when it comes to women seeking and obtaining top management and leadership positions in organizations today, and this is particularly true within the cross-cultural and international management and leadership contexts. One step forward, however, is to understand current work and trends in research and theory to identify these gaps. Hence, the purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of the most recently published literature on the role of gender in management teams within and across cultures.Design/methodology/approachThis content analysis has examined the most recent literature (i.e. January 1, 2010 to March 1, 2016) in 15 influential academic journals within the cross-cultural and international management field. The study has analyzed 152 primary and 85 secondary articles that met the strict criteria of the study.FindingsResults include findings on journals/articles, gender of authors, countries included in data collection, constructs measured, tone of manuscripts (i.e. adverse outcomes associated with gender compared to the neutral/mixed or positive effects), and the theoretical frameworks utilized in the articles.Research limitations/implicationsThis analysis will be useful for researchers, theorists, and practitioners in understanding the current knowledge base and in discovering the emerging gaps and needs.Originality/valueThis is the first study of its kind within gender and cross-cultural/international management. The findings clearly show gaps in research and theory that will help guide future work.

Contextual Leadership: Context as a Mediator of Leader Effectiveness

Contextual Leadership: Context as a Mediator of Leader Effectiveness

The west wind vs the east wind: instructional leadership model in China

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to develop a preliminary model of instructional leadership in the Chinese educational context and explore the ways in which Chinese school principals locate their instructional-leadership practices in response to traditional expectations and the requirements of recent reforms.Design/methodology/approachIn-depth interviews were conducted with 22 selected primary school principals in Shenzhen and Guangzhou. A qualitative analysis was conducted to categorize the major leadership practices enacted by these principals.FindingsAn initial model of instructional leadership in China with six major dimensions is constructed. The paper also illustrates and elaborates on three dimensions with the greatest context-specific meanings for Chinese principals.Originality/valueThe paper explores the ways in which Chinese principals enact their instructional leadership in a context in which “the west wind meets the east wind”; that is, when they are required to accommodate both imported reform initiatives and traditional expectations. The paper contributes to the sparse existing research on principals’ instructional leadership in non-western cultural and social contexts.

Safety leadership and systems thinking: application and evaluation of a Risk Management Framework in the mining industry

Safety leadership is an important factor in supporting safety in high-risk industries. This article contends that applying systems-thinking methods to examine safety leadership can support improved learning from incidents. A case study analysis was undertaken of a large-scale mining landslide incident in which no injuries or fatalities were incurred. A multi-method approach was adopted, in which the Critical Decision Method, Rasmussen’s Risk Management Framework and Accimap method were applied to examine the safety leadership decisions and actions which enabled the safe outcome. The approach enabled Rasmussen’s predictions regarding safety and performance to be examined in the safety leadership context, with findings demonstrating the distribution of safety leadership across leader and system levels, and the presence of vertical integration as key to supporting the successful safety outcome. In doing so, the findings also demonstrate the usefulness of applying systems-thinking methods to examine and learn from incidents in terms of what ‘went right’. The implications, including future research directions, are discussed.Practitioner Summary: This paper presents a case study analysis, in which systems-thinking methods are applied to the examination of safety leadership decisions and actions during a large-scale mining landslide incident. The findings establish safety leadership as a systems phenomenon, and furthermore, demonstrate the usefulness of applying systems-thinking methods to learn from incidents in terms of what ‘went right’. Implications, including future research directions, are discussed.

Contextual leadership of a multi-partner approach to health care innovation

Subject area Organisational behaviour; Leadership; Organisational development; Public–Private partnership; Health care management; Public health. Study level/applicability Masters students in Business Administration, Post Graduate Diploma, Clinical Training of Medical Professionals, Health Leadership Programme. Case overview Prof Jannie Hugo, the protagonist in the case, was considering his dilemma of aligning the multiple partners involved in public health care. A high level of collaboration was required of a multitude of stakeholders in developing the Daspoort clinic into a pilot site for the Tshwane district’s implementation of the National Health Insurance system. In addition, the re-engineering of primary health care with the focus on the patient and community orientated approach were launched on this site. Expected learning outcomes Gaining insight into international and national landscapes and principles of health care systems. Critically analyse the role of technology in delivering innovative health and social services. Present judgment of Prof Jannie Hugo’s contextual leadership effectiveness in enhancing collaboration between the multiple stakeholders and recommend next steps. Supplementary materials 2 × DVDs on Vimeo, Slides and teaching plan with discussion or exam questions with model answers. Subject code CSS 7: Management Science.

Kempen “Kepimpinan melalui Teladan”semasa Era Pemerintahan Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad di Malaysia

This study on leadership examines the purposes of the Leadership by Example Campaign during Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s tenure as Prime Minister of Malaysia. Leadership studies are interested in people from all walks of life because the struggles of the brave and wise leaders have become the source of legends and myths.Therefore, the issue of leadership is an important agenda for both the private and public sectors ineither developed countries or developing countries. The issue becomes more acute due to a constantly changing environment.In fact, every change that happens in the environment becomes a constant challenge for leaders in all sectors.In the context of the political leadership in Malaysia, the position and interests of UMNO and Barisan Nasional led by Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad was quite evident because it was the leadership that had led the country for a long period of time to the extent that it was considered as a bridge connecting two generations of UMNO. However, people who were born in the 1980s only recognised one Prime Minister and four Deputy Prime Ministers until the day of his retirement. Thus, the study found that the Leadership by Example Campaign introduced by Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad that aimed for instilling and cultivating effective leadership was emulated, appreciated and practised by all levels of society.In general, this study used a qualitative approach. While, this data was gathered through document review and analysis of the content to obtain the results. The Leadership by Example Campaign was a noble effort from Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad to foster a spirit of discipline and establish the identity of every Malaysian to be able to stand tall together with other nations.

Addressing Diversity on College Campuses: Changing Expectations and Practices in Instructional Leadership

The increasing diversity evident across all facets of American society is creating opportunities as well as challenges for instructional leaders across the nation’s postsecondary institutions. Racial and ethnic diversity and the attendant challenges and benefits of multiculturalism in society are more awareness in higher education. This study synthesizes the issues of Diversity in Higher Education Institutions and ethnically diverse university environments in a U.S. context and effective practices in Instructional Leadership based on that work to help administrators to find an effective way for future practice. In this way, the expected outcome is the creation of opportunities for underrepresented minorities so that all students can reach their greatest potential.

Framing Indigenous Leadership

The concept of framing is critical to the study of leadership and sensemaking across organizations. This paper examines framing from the unique military context of American Special Forces leading indigenous people of developing countries in combat. Specifically, I identify several deficiencies in the extant leadership literature that remains insufficient for understanding the unique context of indigenous leadership. I explain how the process of framing helps with sensemaking for both American and indigenous forces to include how framing can be understood as a vehicle for conserving, generating and transforming current indigenous leadership practices. I conclude with a theoretical framing construct that suggests how framing indigenous leadership using follower-centric models can help transform American leadership into micro-level social movements capable of creating collective identity.

Area Collaboration at Nedbank: cultivating culture through contextual leadership

Subject area Organisational Development, Organisational Behaviour, Leadership Change. Study level/applicability Master of Business Administration, postgraduate studies, middle or senior managers on open programmes. Case overview The case focuses on the dilemma that Douglas Lines, Nedbank’s Divisional Executive for Strategic Business Unit, South Africa, faced when a new sense of urgency was required to cultivate a culture of collaboration in Nedbank to overcome their silo-mentality. Expected learning outcomes Examine the current and recommend the preferred culture of Nedbank to enable collaboration; critically analyse and evaluate the suitability of the current structure recommend restructuring; insight into how contextual leadership contributes to collaboration in organisations; present judgement of strategies in initiating and enhancing collaboration to overcome silo-mentality. Supplementary materials A DVD is available with link and password. Teaching Plan and slides are available. The four learning outcomes are posed as questions for groups to discuss and model answers are provided as well as linking them to relevant literature. Subject code CSS 7: Management Science.

Coaching for leadership resilience: An integrated approach

Objectives:Existing approaches to coaching leaders for resilience are fragmented and often drawn from the developmental or clinical context but little empirical research has investigated the leadership perspective on resilience. The objective of this study was to establish how leaders conceptualise resilience in their context in order to inform approaches to enhancing and supporting the growth of resilience by coaches working with this target group.Design:This constructivist grounded theory study was set within a pragmatic paradigm and gathered qualitative interview data to examine the concept of resilience from a leadership perspective.Methods:Semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight senior leaders who had been coached by seven different coaches to gather their perspective on the meaning of resilience in leadership.Results:Resilience emerged as operating differently in relation to the past, the present and the future. Leaders in this study also described resilience as a ‘resource’ or fuel, which suggests that working with skills alone may not be sufficient to enhance resilience. A wider conceptualisation of resilience is proposed that includes both capabilities and the capacity for resilience. Capabilities encompass skills or strategies, while capacity is a more transient resource. Values emerged as important and may be an area for future investigation.Conclusions:Conceptualising resilience as having a stable capability component and a more transient capacity element has implications for coaching practices aimed at enhancing resilience in the leadership context. It suggests that working with capabilities alone may have a limited impact and that coaches wishing to enhance resilience may want to address the more transient ‘capacity’ element as well as values.