Heroic Leadership Research Articles

Distributed pedagogical leadership practice for sustainable pedagogical improvement: A literature review (2010–2023)

AbstractLeadership from a distributed pedagogical perspective involves engaging multiple professionals in implementing shared responsibilities. In educational organizations, leadership responsibility structures have changed, with researchers advancing a more decentralized leadership system for sustainable pedagogical improvement. These global changes in education systems have informed the demand for sustainable quality teaching, the desire for 21st‐century learning skills, and rapid progress in education. As a result, traditional individual ‘heroic leadership’ is no longer tenable in any learning environment that intends to achieve quality pedagogical outcomes. Therefore, this narrative review paper aims to examine the essence of distributing pedagogical leadership responsibilities among multiple professionals to understand how the concept is perceived in diverse educational contexts and settings. This study reviewed relevant empirical research studies conducted to investigate the concept of distributed pedagogical leadership in Finland, Norway and Singapore. The findings revealed some gaps that informed our understanding of the concept and recommended further research studies.

Stress as a Mediator of Authentic Happiness and Heroic Leadership on the Work Achievement of Nurses at Occupational Health Nursing

This study aims to identify and analyze stress as a mediator of authentic happiness and heroic leadership on work performance of nurses at the Occupational Health Nurses Association during the Covid-19 pandemic. This study uses a quantitative approach with Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) Techniques - SmartPLS. The subjects in the study were occupational health nurses who were members of the Occupational Health Assistence Associations (ONI-OHN) with a total of 101 members. The sampling technique used in this study is a purposive sampling technique with non-probability sampling. The results of this study show the important influence of authentic happiness and heroic leadership as an effort to increase work performance with stress as a mediator, and the application of organizational and work psychology implications related to authentic happiness and heroic leadership as an effort to increase work performance with stress as a mediator

Remind you of anyone? Comparing the gendered heroic leadership of Margaret Thatcher and Theresa May

Remind you of anyone? Comparing the gendered heroic leadership of Margaret Thatcher and Theresa May

Institutional Failure: Policing in Permacrisis

Recent scandals have once again highlighted ongoing failings in the Metropolitan Police force, for which yet more urgent reforms have been proposed. While police denialism of institutional racism continues to be a problem, the institutional failure that creates the recurring cycles of crisis goes beyond the Met. It is also rooted in a stunted mediascape, and, more seriously, a failing political culture that is addicted to the sugar rush of immediate political news, and mired in an authoritarian and zombie politics of law and order that seeks to manage dissent through producing first shock and then amnesia. This institutional permacrisis underlines the failures of all three institutions to recognise and address institutional racism. It is symptomatic of a failure to go beyond the facile assumption - in the face of decades of evidence to the contrary-that deeply embedded structural problems can be solved through the fix of culture-change programmes or the appointment of a heroic new leader. Recent reports have also found the Met to be marked by institutional misogyny and institutional corruption. This extension of the idea of systemic failure seems unlikely to prompt the kind of systemic and structural change that is needed.

Benedictine Value of Stability and Academic Leadership in times of Pandemic and Crisis

The paper discussed the impact of Covid-19 pandemic to academic leadership. One of the impacts of the pandemic to academic leadership was the ability to deal with unprecedented disruption and high uncertainty that had great effect not only to education and learning but also to mental health and well-being. As a consequece, the pandemic demanded for a change in leadership practice that could deal with disruption and uncertainty. This study posited that the Benedictine value of stability responds to this very specific need. The value of stability demonstrated what an academic leader must do to fulfill his/her leadership role in times of disruption and uncertainty.ReferencesAvidan, Aviva & Yonit Nissim. ‘The Kindergarten-Teachers’ Leadership and Management during the Corona Pandemic (COVID 19): From Uncertainty to Caring.” In Proceedings of IAC in Budapest 2021. ISBN 978-80-88203-24-7.Casey, Michael, OCSO. Strangers to the City: Reflections on the Beliefs and Values of the Rule of Saint Benedict. Massachusetts: Paraclete Press, 2013.Chittister, Joan D., OSB. The Rule of Benedict: Insights for the Ages. New York: Crossroad Publishing Company, 1993.de Waal, Esther de Waal. The Life-Giving Way: A Commentary on the Rule of St. Benedict. Minnesota: The Liturgical Press, 1995.Eckerstorfer, Bernard A., OSB. “Monastic Stabilitas in the World of Today.” In The American Benedictine Review. 69:3. September 2018. ISSN:0002-7650.Harris and Jones. “Leading During a Pandemic – What the Evidence Tells us.” School Leadership & Management. 42:2. 2022. 105-109. DOI:10.1080/13632434.2022.2064626.Harris, Alma & Michelle Jones. “Covid 19 – School Leadership in Disruptive Times.” School Leadership & Management. 40:4. 2020. 243-247. DOI:10.1080/13632434.2020.1811479.Joan, Chittister. Wisdom Distilled from the Daily: Living the Rule of St. Benedict Today. New York: HarperCollins Publisher, 1990.Kahn and Katz. “Leadership Practices in Relation to Productivity.” In Classic Readings in Organizational Behavior. J. Steven Ott. Pacific Grove: Brooks/Cole Publishing Company, 1989.Kaufman, Walter. Nietzsche: Philosopher, Psychologist, Antichrist. New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 1974.Kraemer, Harry Jr. From Values to Action: The Four Principles of Values-Based Leadership. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2011.Lien, Camilla Martine, et al. “School Principals’ Experiences and Learning from the Covid-19 Pandemic in Norway.” Scandinavian Journal of Educational Research. 2022. DOI: 10.1080/00313831.2022.2043430.Lowney, C. Heroic Leadership: Best Practices from a 450-Year-Old Company that Changed the World. Chicago: Loyola Press, 2003.McGregor, Douglas M. “An Analysis of Leadership in J. Steven Ott.” In Classic Readings in Organizational Behavior. Eds. J. Steven Ott. Pacific Grove: Brooks/Cole Publishing Company, 1989.Polan, Gregory, OSB. “Spiritual Value of the Benedictine Vow of Stability.” The American Benedictine Review. 69:3. September 2018. ISSN:0002-7650.Robinson, Ken and Lou Aronica. Creative Schools: The Grassroots Revolution That’s Transforming Education. New York: Penguin Books, 2015.Sergiovanni, Thomas J. “Leadership as Cultural Expression.” In Classic Readings in Organizational Behavior. Eds. J. Steven Ott. Pacific Grove: Brooks/Cole Publishing Company, 1989.The World Bank, et. al. The State of Global Learning Poverty: 2022 Update. Conference Ed. June 23, 2022.Tinsley, Ambrose, OSB. Pax: The Benedictine Way. Minnesota: The Liturgical Press, 1994.Williams, Avis. Leadership Through Crisis: A Framework for Choosing Joy in Educational Leadership. March 2022.

The return of the hero-leader? Volodymyr Zelensky’s international image and the global response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine

This article focuses on the notion of heroic leadership as it has been applied as an analytical framework to Volodymyr Zelensky’s leadership during the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022. It presents an overview of Zelensky’s leadership strategies and their domestic and international reception and puts them in the wider context of the ways in which power is exercised in the global arena. It is argued that the authority and influence of Zelensky – the hero-leader – is the result of a reciprocal relationship between leader and followers, constructed out of the fear and desperation of warfare. One of the fundamental analytical tools in International Relations studies – the notion of soft and hard power – has been applied to Zelensky’s way of affecting the behaviors of others in order to shape their preferences and obtain his desired options. The perception of him as heroic has become the main instrument of the country’s power of attraction, which in turn enabled the president to expand his leadership. In this context the article reveals the mechanisms employed to build international recognition for Ukraine and build support for its resistance to the Russian invasion.

“Here comes John Curtin”: The historical consciousness of a journalists’ hero

This article reveals fresh insights into the central, largely unexplored role of journalists as agents of memory for shaping a sense of historical consciousness among public audiences. Journalism has been anchored in the retelling of dramatic stories about heroic characters representing national values. Rüsen (2004) refers to this technique as exemplary narration, which he defines as a type of historical consciousness. This article draws on Rüsen’s theory to provide new views of journalists’ ongoing work in developing the story of an exemplary national hero. Many studies have focused on a single message dominating collective memories. This study shows how journalists helped to create, then disrupt and later reconstruct memories of Australian World War II Prime Minister John Curtin as an example of hope during a major crisis. They developed diverse narratives that portrayed a heroic leader representing national values within the theme of nation building. Recognising exemplary narratives as an ongoing, changing work helps to illuminate journalists’ efforts to orient public views of history that suggest future possibilities.

The Role of Student Team Heroic Leadership Strategy: Mathematical Communication of Middle-School Students

The Role of Student Team Heroic Leadership Strategy: Mathematical Communication of Middle-School Students. Objectives: In this article, we focus on how to improve students’ mathematical communication in building effective group discussions using the student team's heroic leadership strategy. Methods: This type of research is Classroom Action Research, which was held in 2 cycles. The research subjects were 16 seventh-grade students (six boys and ten girls). Findings: The findings indicated that by implementing the Student Team Heroic Leadership learning strategy, students’ mathematical communication improved significantly. This finding is confirmed by the increase in the average score on students’ communication tests from 76% in cycle I to 96% in cycle II. The completeness criteria of the students’ mathematical communication exam results also progressed from the first to the second cycle. Other data indicate that students concealed information they did not comprehend during the learning process, making it harder for the teacher to assess their comprehension of the mathematical concepts provided. Conclusion: The study’s findings indicate that after using the Student Team Heroic Leadership learning strategy, students’ mathematics communication skills improved dramatically. As suggested, additional research should be able to examine ways to boost students’ self-confidence, particularly while displaying confusion when doing mathematical tasks provided by the teacher.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy, heroic leadership, and the historical gaze

Since the onset of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, a great many people have cojoined their admiration for the grit and determination shown by the Ukraine people with their esteem for the nation’s formal leader, Volodymyr Zelenskyy. He has been constructed, particularly in the Western press, as kind of larger-than-life hero, displaying physical courage, resilience, and a brilliant use of communication skills to help mobilize world opinion. But the construction of heroic leadership raises concern within the framework of critical leadership given the often-accompanying characteristics of worshipful acquiescence, hyper-masculinity, and an overly individualized view of causation. In addressing the tension between holding Zelenskyy up as an admirable, even heroic leader while simultaneously harboring a deep distrust of any notion of heroic leadership, the essay examines the historiography devoted to an earlier heroic leader, Martin Luther King, Jr. The goal of this essay is to provoke thought and deepen an appreciation for the complexity of the heroic leadership construct.

Bringing Excitement to Empirical Business Ethics Research: Thoughts on the Future of Business Ethics

To commemorate 40 years since the founding of the Journal of Business Ethics, the editors-in-chief of the journal have invited the editors to provide commentaries on the future of business ethics. This essay comprises a selection of commentaries aimed at creating dialog around the theme Bringing Excitement to Empirical Business Ethics Research (inspired by the title of the commentary by Babalola and van Gils). These editors, considering the diversity of empirical approaches in business ethics, envisage a future in which quantitative business ethics research is more bold and innovative, as well as reflexive about its techniques, and dialog between quantitative and qualitative research nourishes the enrichment of both. In their commentary, Babalola and van Gils argue that leadership research has stagnated with the use of too narrow a range of perspectives and methods and too many overlapping concepts. They propose that novel insights could be achieved by investigating the lived experience of leadership (through interviews, document analysis, archival data); by focusing on topics of concern to society; by employing different personal, philosophical, or cultural perspectives; and by turning the lens on the heroic leader (through “dark-side” and follower studies). Taking a provocative stance, Bal and Garcia-Lorenzo argue that we need radical voices in current times to enable a better understanding of the psychology underlying ethical transformations. Psychology can support business ethics by not shying away from grander ideas, going beyond the margins of “unethical behaviors harming the organization” and expanding the range of lenses used to studying behavior in context. In the arena of finance and business ethics, Guedhami, Liang, and Shailer emphasize novel data sets and innovative methods. Significantly, they stress that an understanding the intersection of finance and ethics is central to business ethics; financial equality and inclusion are persistent socio-economic and political concerns that are not always framed as ethics issues, yet relevant business policies and practices manifest ethical values. Finally, Charles Cho offers his opinion on the blurry line between the “ethical” versus “social” or “critical” aspects of accounting papers. The Journal of Business Ethics provides fertile ground for innovative, even radical, approaches to quantitative methods (see Zyphur and Pierides in J Bus Ethics 143(1):1–16, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-017-3549-8, 2017), as part of a broad goal of ethically reflecting on empirical research.

De-centring the leader: using the theory of practice architectures in a postgraduate education course

ABSTRACT Much of the literature on leadership within education has centred on the heroic leader. Despite recent approaches moving away from trait and behavioural theories, the centrality of the individual leader persists. Recent practice perspectives have shifted the focus from leadership as an individual activity of a leader to leading as practices. This paper discusses how a practice perspective informed by the theory of practice architectures (TPA), has been used in the teaching of ‘leadership’ in an Australian Masterssubject to challenge conceptions of the heroic leader. It explores the use of the TPA to engage students in examining leading learning practices in workplaces and as a way of challenging their often deeply held beliefs and practices around leadership. In so doing, the approach decentres the leader and provides a lens for viewing leading learning as webs of interactions of practices rather than the traits and behaviours of an individual leader.

Increasing Learning Outcomes through the Student Team Heroic Leadership and Provision of Structured Tasks Strategies

Learning in schools is not only intended to achieve educational goals for certain lessons but also to equip students to master the concept of material and apply it in everyday life. Moreover, learning is also intended to achieve educational goals as a whole general which is formal, namely, to organize students' reasoning and shape their personalities. This research is classroom action research that aims to improve learning outcomes through student team heroic leadership strategies and the provision of structured assignments. The subjects in this study were students of class X.2 MA DDI Kaballangang, Pinrang. This research is Classroom action research carried out in two cycles. Data collection using learning outcomes tests sheets and observation sheets. The collected data is analyzed using quantitative analysis techniques and qualitative analysis, presenting information, and drawing conclusions. The results showed that there was an increasing learning outcome through student team heroic leadership strategies and the provision of structured assignments which was marked by an increase in the average score of student learning outcomes from cycle 1 to cycle 2, which was 61.28 increasing to 83.72, student learning completeness in the second cycle. I which has not been achieved classically only reached 48.3%, but in cycle 2, classical completeness was achieved, namely 89.7% so there was an increase in the percentage of student activity in the learning process from cycle 1, namely 35.28% to cycle 2, namely 47.32%

Riding East—Western Myths, Nostalgia, and the Crossing of Generic Boundaries in Hidalgo (2004)

<i>Riding East</i>—Western Myths, Nostalgia, and the Crossing of Generic Boundaries in <i>Hidalgo</i> (2004)

Troubling Unintended Harm of Heroic Discourses in Social Justice Leadership

We aim to problematize the ways in which school leaders who seek social justice conflate heroic leadership discourses in their practices. Using qualitative data collected from an urban school principal, this study examines heroic metaphors utilized by the principal when describing social justice leadership and how heroic-centered approaches contradict with achieving social justice goals in school. The findings suggest that the principal’s idea of social justice leadership relies on discourse around “battles to win”, a savior complex, and seeing herself as the central model for driving change. Such heroic discourses reflect the principal’s sole reliance on herself as a savior for her staff and community, which ultimately contradicted the social justice ideals that she sought to accomplish. Our inquiry provides a window to problematize heroic discourse embedded in social justice leadership and address how school leaders must be cognizant to how their practices might conflate with social justice outcomes.

„Pasiaści” (Al-Muḫaṭṭaṭīn) Yūsufa Idrīsa – zwierciadło egipskiej sceny politycznej

This paper is an attempt to interpret Yūsuf Idrīs’ political drama al-Muḫaṭṭatīn (The Striped Ones). Although the author died more than a quarter of century ago, the sociopolitical problems in his dramas still seem relevant. In the face of the latest developments on the Egyptian political scene, “Arab spring”, the overthrow of Husnī Mubārak in 2011, and the depravation of power of a newly elected president Muḥammad Mursī by the Egyptian army in 2013, Idrīs’ dramas, especially Al-Muṭṭaṭaṭīn (The Striped Ones), written in 1969, are especially meaningful. Not only does this drama express the dilemma of a heroic leader whose ideologies are successively satirically blurring, but also addresses the problem of corrupt power, the apparent revolution, ridicule Egyptian bureaucracy, and the phenomenon of bribery. The article’s author tries to show the universal character of this work by comparing its content with the affairs on the Egyptian political scene.

Uncertain, collective and heroic leadership approaches to gender balance change among local leaders in academia

ABSTRACT Heads of department (HoDs) are commonly made responsible for implementing gender balance change in academia. Research has found that they are often reluctant to take ownership of this problem. Our study found that department heads in Norway did take on a lot of ownership for gender balance change and we divided their leadership approaches with regard to gender balance into uncertain, collegial and heroic. However, such approaches did not distinguish much regarding what they were able to do in practice, partly due to restraints from being in a middle-management position. Thus, there is a unexploited potential for HoDs taking a leading role in gender balance change if they are granted more autonomy and more support from above leadership.

Educational Leadership in Chinese Higher Education

Despite the reforms to improve the quality of China’s higher education and to adopt certain Western leadership theories, the heroic leadership model is still dominant in Chinese higher education institutions. Therefore, employing educational leadership may be complex in traditional Chinese culture. Thus, this special issue brings four articles together to enhance our understanding of educational leadership within the Chinese context. Specifically, the issue begins by exploring educational leadership in terms of Chinese philosophy and considering its definition and role. The issue goes on to examine the gender issues related to educational leadership. This introduction discusses the topic, introduces the articles, and presents the contributions of the special issue articles.

Post-heroic heroism: Embedded masculinities in media framing of Australian business leadership

Over time, the relevance of heroic leadership to contemporary corporate environments has been questioned, with media coverage arguing there is a need for alternate, post-heroic forms of leadership. Using a multimodal media analysis, we show how two leading Australian business magazines frame leadership in response to this debate, identifying three distinct frames of leadership. The first frame emphasizes masculinized heroic leadership as normative which reinforces gendered assumptions through differential framing of men and women’s leadership. We then argue media (re)frames post-heroic leadership as a variation of heroic leadership through two further frames; by subsuming feminized attributes into the repertoire of heroic leadership as ‘softer masculinities’ and through the construction of a masculinized post-heroic hero, both applied exclusively to men’s leadership. This (re)framing of heroic leadership has significant implications for perceptions of credible contemporary business leadership.

Citius, Altius, Fortius: Managers’ quest for heroic leader identities

In this paper, we draw on Foucault’s concept “governmentality” to show how a cohort of middle-aged senior managers who engaged in competitive endurance sports fabricated (avowed) “heroic” leader identities drawing on this repertoire of discursive resources. Neoliberalism constitutes a form of governmentality which encourages people to regard themselves as autonomous and to aspire to personal fulfillment by investing entrepreneurially in themselves as “human capital.” Healthism, which requires individuals be responsible for their own health and wellbeing, is one program by which this is accomplished. We analyze managers’ talk about themselves as people who self-examined, and sought continually to transform (improve) themselves, to avow identities as superior (heroic) leaders. Our study contributes to the literature on governmentality by showing how in neoliberalism “healthism” constructs managers as enterprising selves.

운보 김기창의 『예수의 생애』 속 양반 예수에 반영된 18세기 조선의 남성중심주의와 엘리트주의: 마이클 박산달의 시대의 눈 이론의 관점에서

In 1978, Unbo Kim Ki-chʻang (1914-2001), one of the most famous contemporary Korean painters, published the first Christian painting series of the sacred subject in Korean style. Jesus, in the paintings, is described as a Confucian scholar and yangban, which means that Jesus seems like a highly educated nobleman. Given the images of the yangban Jesus in the pictures, it is obvious that they are telling us that Jesus is an apt figure not only as a religious leader, but also as a socio-political one. The high-quality gat and durumagi, instead of carpenter’s clothes, make Jesus a perfect Korean leadership, whose origin was limited within the upper class during the period of the Chosŏn dynasty. Unbo created Korean Jesus and tried to deliver the legitimacy of the high-class Jesus by succumbing to the Korean Confucian hierarchy and elitism in his artworks.<BR> This paper focuses on the historical background of The Life of Jesus, designed and worked for about a year(1952-1953), and the way of Unbo’s usage of his artistic talent in order to analyze the significance of the yangban Jesus. Unbo experienced the darkest period of modern Korean history, the Japanese colonial era(1910-1945) and the Korean War(1950-1953), and lost his ability to hear and speak when he was seven. These obstacles spurred him to overcome them through his artistic gift and led him to draw a heroic leader who was able to defeat the chaotic upheavals of his country. As a result, his pictures of sacred subjects present the elite Jesus, whose authoritarian and patriarchal image could be accepted as a socio-political leader in the Korean Confucian society. This argument is clearly supported by the fact that the Confucian scholars in the late Chosŏn dynasty criticized and denied that Jesus is the son of God because of his status, which was a carpenter and sinner. Jesus, who was not reached to the hierarchical system of Chosŏn, eventually put on the image of an intellectual upper-classman at the tip of Unbo’s brush.