Leadership Challenges Research Articles

Is educational leadership (still) worth studying? An epistemic worthiness-informed analysis

This article is exploratory and experimental. It starts from the premise that leadership scholarship is a site of disagreement, where mainstream claims are challenged by critical scholars. Some criticism focuses on conceptual clarity, and incorporates consideration of who should be categorised as a leader, and on what basis, and whether it is helpful to refer to ‘leaders’ and ‘followers’. The ‘new wave’ of critical leadership studies generates controversial questions relating to whether leadership exists or is in fact a myth that we have reified. The bulk of criticism directed at educational leadership challenges three mainstream knowledge claims – underpinned by what I call the causality belief, the leadership dependency belief, and the conceptual belief – and which are the focus of this article's analysis. While criticism of these knowledge claims is well-rehearsed, the article breaks new ground by analysing them through an epistemic justification lens to address the question: is educational leadership (still) worth studying? Represented by these three component beliefs, the mainstream educational leadership scholarship belief system is analysed within a frame derived from the philosophy of science, and draws on BonJour's coherentist theory of epistemic justification to apply a more structured assessment than has hitherto been achieved by critical scholarship.

Strategic sustainable development of Industry 4.0 through the lens of social responsibility: The role of human resource practices

AbstractResearch on sustainable development is significantly influenced by the trade‐off between the economic, social and environmental performance of businesses. Industry 4.0 development is a key business priority due to the promise of exponential increase in productivity, time efficiencies and cost reduction. However, Industry 4.0 development has been slow. Notably, human actors remain central to Industry 4.0, while the social responsibility component of sustainable development is a key prerogative for industry, championed through the UN sustainable development goals and European Commission. Therefore, we evaluate human‐related impediments for Industry 4.0 and critically explore how human resource management (HRM) can overcome these barriers using a socially responsible orientation. First, we analyse the human‐related challenges to Industry 4.0 through a thematic literature review. Thereafter, through an integrative literature review of different research streams (Industry 4.0, HRM and social responsibility), we critically argue novel perspectives on how human resource practices can enable sustainable development of Industry 4.0 in a socially responsible manner. Herein, we address a crucial literature gap. Our findings reveal numerous people‐related barriers, including change resistance, digital skills gap, employment threats widening socio‐economic inequalities, lack of industry‐wide collaboration, leadership and organisational culture challenges. We show that HRM can be a crucial enabler for sustainable Industry 4.0 development through socially responsible human resource practices. These include strategic multistakeholder collaborations, holistic talent management, change leadership, inclusive knowledge sharing, sponsoring education research and codesigning curricula, smart technology for upskilling and retention and rewarding inclusive Industry 4.0 ideas. We conclude with future research directions.

Challenges and Promotion Factors in Women’s Leadership in Nursing

Background & objective: Gender equity is imperative to the attainment of healthy lives and well-being of all, and promoting gender equity in leadership in the health sector is an important part of this endeavour, the present study aimed to evaluate the experiences of female educational supervisors on leadership challenges in Kermanshah hospitals. Materials & methods: In this ante narrative study, the required data were collected in an individual semi-structured interview. Totally 12 nurses working in hospitals of Kermanshah city were selected by targeted sampling method. Analysis was done by content analysis. Results: According to the research findings, the extracted themes included low self-confidence and the impact of professional role conflicts and family preferences. The factors of self-control were moral competence and purposefulness. Conclusion: The results of this study can be beneficial to policymakers, human resource managers, educational planners, and leaders at all health system levels.

Building Resilient Leadership

Covid-19 poses the greatest challenges for effective leadership in many years. Covid-19 undermines the deepest security we feelas humans and disables people’s capacity to work and create. This opinion piece argues that leaders should not merely hold on until Covid-19 passes, but rather learn the lessons Covid-19 wishes to teach us. In so doing, leaders become resilient to adversity and can facilitate the resilience of employees, teams, and organisations. This article addresses these lessons in relation to our common humanity, the centrality of relationships, the vital importance of spirituality, and the need for structure to enable productivity.

School directorship: effective leadership and management practices and challenges in primary schools in Cambodia

ABSTRACT In Cambodia, although school leadership and management are not systematically established, some school directors have effectively led and managed schools with positive results. Understanding the best practices of these successful directors would contribute significantly to improving both the theoretical and practical aspects in this field. Hence, this research aims to identify the leadership and management practices of good school directors. Three directors were selected from the six primary school directors who received ‘good school director’ rewards within the academic years 2013–14 to 2017–18 in order to document and propose a practical model of effective leadership and management practices in primary schools. A qualitative multiple case study method was employed for this study to explore key stakeholders’ in-depth insights and experiences in leading and managing schools. A triangulated data collection method of interviews and a focus group discussion, documents and observations were used to collect case evidence from the three selected primary schools. The results revealed that effective school directors are able to effectively translate policies and best practices to develop their schools and child-centric. Specifically, the personal values and drive of school directors are the central factors for school directors to effectively exercise their leadership and management in schools.

The essential necessity to invest in the cultivation of peer recovery specialists as organizational leaders

Purpose The emergence of COVID-19 has exacerbated and spurred the growth of mental health issues in ways that have challenged mental health workers tremendously. The complex nature of COVID-19 has made the need of mental health professionals extremely important. Hospital ward overcrowding, social distancing requirements, sequestrations, limits to face-to-face consultations have created barriers to mental health access, especially those in need of Certified Peer Recovery Specialists. Certified Peer Recovery Specialists play a critical role in the treatment of mental illness through their support and engagement of those recovering from substance abuse. Many in this role are hired because they have a strong skillset for help-oriented clinical work but are often challenged, especially in times like this to development and demonstrate leadership skills. This paper explores the nature and need to develop leadership skills and leadership challenges for people in this field through interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) and a content analysis of the current and seminal literature. Design/methodology/approach This paper explores the nature and need to develop leadership skills and leadership challenges for people in mental health through IPA and a content analysis of the current and seminal literature. Findings The essential necessity to invest in the cultivation of peer recovery specialists and mental health professionals as organizational leaders. Originality/value Hospital ward overcrowding, social distancing requirements, sequestrations, limits to face- to- face consultations have created barriers to mental health access, especially those in need of Certified Peer Recovery Specialists. Certified Peer Recovery Specialists play a critical role in the treatment of mental illness through their support and engagement of those recovering from substance abuse.

Book Review: The Leadership Challenge by James M. Kouzes and Barry Z. Posner

Book Review: The Leadership Challenge by James M. Kouzes and Barry Z. Posner

The Pursuit of Happiness: Leadership Challenges of Recognising and Supporting Child Health and Wellbeing in the Early Years

This study examined the leadership approach to child health and wellbeing within the early-years sector; it drew upon the evidence from thirty-two practitioners and ten nursery managers. Practitioners evidenced the challenges in recognising the signs and symptoms of low wellbeing and in monitoring progress. A constructivist paradigm enabled qualitative data to be collected from an interactive questionnaire and three focus groups of nursery managers. Analysis was supported by two wellbeing models: the PERMA model (Positive Emotion, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning, and Accomplishment) and the SHANARRI wheel (Safe, Healthy, Achieving, Nurtured, Active, Respected, Responsible, Included). The findings accentuated the lack of confidence of practitioners in identifying the precursors of health and wellbeing, and their ability to monitor the progress to support children. In conclusion, a clear definition of health and wellbeing should be adopted by managers; their leadership is vital to support the training of practitioners sharing their knowledge and experience to less-qualified staff. The main issues to transpire highlighted that clear mandatory guidance should be available for early-years practitioners, and the creation of a bespoke early-years model to measure child health and wellbeing.

Leadership Challenges in the Context of "Flexible Working" and Its Implication to a Virtual Workplace: Case Study of a China's Publishing House

This research aims to explore what challenges the management leaders face when dealing with flexible working employees in a remote working environment, based on the case of one of China's biggest publishing houses—People's Literature Publishing House. Through primary research that targets the managers and employees of the Publishing House, 63 valid questionnaires were collected. The survey was conducted to testify six pairs of variables, specifically the relationship between leaders' communication (independent variable) and employee performance (response variable), between leaders' mental support and employee performance & psychological health, between the use of technology and leadership effectiveness, and between leaders' promotion of flexible organizational culture and employee performance (e.g. engagement, productivity, creativity). The research findings show that leaders' effective communication, mental support, and promotion of flexible organizational culture are great challenges for leaders to manage the employees who work in the virtual environment and improve overall employee performance. The survey results are of great value to the virtual workplace as leaders should emphasize their skills and abilities to deal with flexible working employees, e.g. empowering, effective online communication, and motivating employees in the remote working environment, etc.

Exploring Leadership Challenges and Ideal Followership of University Student Organizations

Student leadership is undoubtedly an early steppingstone in developing leadership skills in individual and university student organizations that provide such platforms. Existing literature has extensively identified various character traits that young student leaders develop through leading these organizations. However, not much is discussed about the leadership challenges they face in managing these groups. At the same time, the members are self-motivated to join these groups and receive no monetary remunerations for their services. Literature exists on the reasons for joining these groups, but not much on the views of leaders and the leadership process of the organizations. This research aims to fill that gap by exploring the challenges faced by student leaders and members' attitudes towards student leadership. The research was conducted among students at a selected university in Pune, India. The respondents were part of various semi-formal student groups (approved by the university authorities) where they shared an informal relationship as leaders and followers. A questionnaire was given out to leaders and followers, which contained different questions but tried to understand various common aspects from their respective viewpoints. Data analysis reveals that the significant challenges faced by leaders are: i) members' ignorance to follow instruction/command, ii) higher preference to personal likes and dislikes, iii) carelessness on the member’s part, and iv) the anger issue. At the same time, followers seem to have a positive and respectful attitude towards student leadership, implying that although student organizations are a voluntary workforce, an ideal member is to behave professionally. The findings were paradoxical, implying that while the members know the character traits of an ideal voluntary follower, they are not the ideal follower.

Standard Competencies in Ambulatory Care: An Urgent Need.

The ambulatory setting presents unique challenges for leadership and staff transitioning from other care areas, such as the inpatient environment. Nurses and support staff newly entering the world of ambulatory care may experience challenges acclimating to their new roles as they shift from an environment that provides focused care to achieve a safe discharge to one that focuses on holistic prevention and treatment over long periods. Inpatient hospital care relies on many protocols, orders, and guidelines and a multidisciplinary team of physicians, pharmacists, dieticians, and rehabilitation support to progress the patient through their illness or injury during their hospital admission. Nurses in ambulatory care have increased responsibility and autonomy in patient care. New challenges are encountered, for example, transportation to appointments, socioeconomic challenges, immediate resource needs, and patient support for future success in their own environment. In these situations, the ambulatory nurse is an immediate caregiver and a case manager, providing direct patient care for a short period, but following up over a longer period, in some cases, years. [J Contin Educ Nurs. 2022;53(2):59-62.].

Viewing the African Political Leadership Challenge through the Lens of Music Drama: Reflections on Duro Ladipo’s Ọba Kòso

In response to the question of the relevance of ‘classical’ African Studies to the contemporary need of the continent, this article explores the dynamics of leadership challenge as portrayed in Yorùbá music drama genre, using Duro Ladipo’s most popular folk opera: Ọba Kòso (The king did not hang) as a case study. Thematic exploration of the opera was carried out to establish the linkages between leaders’ (characters’) traits and styles as portrayed in the play, and Nigeria’s political leaders’ engagement and responses to social contracts with their citizens. By comparing the outcomes of the actions, inactions and (in) decisions of Nigeria’s political leaders and the attendant consequences on their subjects with those found in the opera. I argue that the African political leadership challenge is shaped by a combination of complex factors, including the leaders’ charisma and the quality of citizens’ engagements in the affairs of governance. These are largely occasioned by multiple effects of torrential and irresistible mob pressures on leaders. At the fringes of the debacle is a convergence of human fate and other coincidental elements within the various sites of the divide in the contestation for and utilization of power as a whole.

Editorials of Conspiracy Hate and Insecurity: The Algerian Military Magazine ‘El-Djeich’ as a Case

This research critically analyzes 10 editorials written in French that the Algerian army magazine (El-Djeich) published from January 2021 to October 2021, a peak time for the army to reinforce its threatening discourse against Morocco (the classical enemy of Algeria). It attempts to explore how the editorials employ a conspiracy narrative to represent Morocco as a country that has been waging wars and threatening its stability. The editorials aim to construct an ‘outer enemy’ to shift the public opinion from political, social, and economic problems that the appointed political leadership fails to solve. More than that, the editorials try to reestablish the image of the army underestimated by the social protestation Hirak which claims a ‘civil and not a military state’. Since the 16th of February 2019, the Hirak has been claiming that the army should return to its barracks and take care of the security of the country's borders instead of interfering in social, political, and economic affairs. The theoretical framework of this study was based on van Dijk’s model (van Dijk, 1985, 1989, 1993, 1998a, 1998b, 2000, 2004, 2006) to treat the texts as a voice of the Algerian army that violently attacks Morocco, amidst high tensions between the two countries, accusing the kingdom of instrumentalizing ‘conspiracies’ and waging ‘cyber-attacks' against Algeria. Relying on critical discourse analysis (CDA), the many linguistic constructions identified in the editorials reflect that the stand of the army and the political leadership towards Morocco are unfounded and fallacious. For instance, the findings of this research identified a pattern of argumentation based on erroneous allegations that the magazine of the army attributed to Morocco. Devoid of any proofs, the editorials have portrayed Morocco as a ‘threat to the country’. As a matter of fact, the study assumes that the magazine of the army uses editorials to rally the population against an external enemy and to divert the attention of the Algerian population from real internal problems. Indeed, the challenge for the Algerian military leadership is to convince the Hirak partisans, who strongly denounce the interference of the army in Algerians life, that the national army is the only institution that can stop an external enemy (Morocco) which threatens their well-being than do internal economic, political and security challenges.

Beyond Reassurance: The Reputational Effect of Cultural Reforms in Peace Agreements

AbstractWe explore whether including cultural reforms in an intra-state peace accord facilitates its success. We distinguish between accommodationist and integrationist cultural provisions and employ a mixed research method combining negative binomial regression on a data set of all intra-state political agreements concluded between 1989 and 2017, and an in-depth analysis of the 1998 Good Friday Agreement for Northern Ireland. We recognize the important reassuring effect of accommodationist cultural reforms in separatist conflicts. However, we also find that they have an important and hitherto overlooked reputational effect across all conflict types. By enhancing the reputation of negotiating leaders, accommodationist cultural provisions contribute to ending violence by preventing leadership challenges, rebel fragmentation and remobilization across all civil conflicts. By the same logic, and despite the overwhelming emphasis of peace agreements on integrationist cultural initiatives, integrationist cultural reforms problematize leaders' ability to commit to pacts and to ensure compliance among their rank and file.

Digital poverty in a country that is digitally powerful: some insights into leadership of girls’ schooling in India under Covid-19 restrictions

ABSTRACT This paper examines leadership challenges in managing digital power and digital poverty, in the delivery of schooling during the Covid-19 emergency lockdown in India. The article suggests that although India is considered a global leader in digital technology, its primary and secondary school system suffers from digital poverty with associated tensions for school leadership. The paper explores the nature of teaching and learning in a selection of girls’ schools in India during Covid-19. In the context of the pandemic, school leaders have had to respond quickly to remote learning, supporting teachers to facilitate the use of educational technology. Our research examined the experience of leadership in a cross section of schools from different geographical and socio-economic backgrounds. The respondents reflected on their engagement with digital literacy and remote teaching methodologies, and how the pandemic changed the classroom experience with little or no lead in time to adapt. The article examines how Indian women in positions of educational leadership perceive digital power or poverty and how it affects change and challenge in their leadership responsibility. Conclusions are drawn regarding educational practices operational at present and anticipate considerations which must be acknowledged to support virtual learning into the future.

7 - Leadership Challenges of Middle-level Academics in Universities in Nigeria

One key issue confronting universities in Nigeria is the leadership challenges facing middle-level academics, especially at the Senior Lecturer cadre. This problem is rooted in a lack of leadership preparation and training for this category of academics. Through primary data sourced from interviews and secondary data, this paper analyses the underlying challenges middle-level academics face that inhibit their effective performance in leadership posts to which they have been appointed. The analysis is with a view to understanding and proffering possible solutions to the leadership challenges of middle-level academics in universities in Nigeria.

Leadership challenges for Indian hospitality industry during COVID-19 pandemic

PurposeThe COVID-19 crisis has affected almost all the global sectors. The hotel industry, however, was hit hardest challenging the leadership. This study, therefore, attempts to explore the challenges hospitality leadership in India face to navigate the crisis. The study additionally addresses how leaders manage the expectations of key stakeholders; communicate hard decisions with employees, pursue strategies for revival and explores the role of technology to survive the crisis.Design/methodology/approachThe study adopts a qualitative approach involving structured interviews with 16 senior hospitality leaders consisting of CEO, vice president, general managers, directors, entrepreneur and general managers from various organisations like hotels, restaurant chains, food services and facilities management services. Data were content analysed involving coding techniques.FindingsThe leadership challenges included making customers and employees feel safe, optimising operations, agility and resilience of leaders, maintaining a balance between stakeholders, managing employee stress and ensuring cash reserves. The study found that leaders manage the expectation of various stakeholders by maintaining balance, demonstrating empathy and agility. The hard decisions are communicated with the employees through involvement, empathy and alleviating stress.Research limitations/implicationsThe study contributes by identifying twelve themes from the participants' responses under five major themes-labelled as leadership challenges, managing stakeholders, communicating with the employees, the role of technology and best practices of surviving the crisis. Future research can be conducted on such sub-themes in different countries.Practical implicationsAs the tourism industry in India is recovering after the second wave, the governments along with all stakeholders, must launch special events for promoting the tourism sector. Safety measures like making vaccination certificates for all tourists and employees of the tourism sector should be made mandatory. Further, special certification following the COVID-19 protocol needs to be introduced for hotels and catering establishments. A fund generated from the sector's direct tax contribution needs to be established to support the employees.Social implicationsThe study has several social implications. The study results can unite all industry stakeholders to shape the post-pandemic era through collaboration. Empathetic leadership can take the industry out of chaos by balancing the interests of the various stakeholders of society. The pandemic has proven that we all are vulnerable to risks and challenges; leaders have a vital role in taking proactive steps to ensure that such uncertainties do not cause unprecedented damage.Originality/valueThis study expanded the research on the hospitality leadership challenges in managing crises in the backdrop of the crisis caused by COVID-19 pandemic. The conceptual model, variables, themes and sub-themes utilised are original contributions to the hospitality literature.

Decision-Making in Crisis Situations: How Do Leaders Manage Scarce Resources?

Crises pose significant challenges for leaders, particularly in the management of scarce resources. The objective of this study was to explore the decision-making processes of leaders across various sectors during crisis situations, focusing on how they navigate the complexities of strategic decision-making, leadership challenges, and organizational dynamics. This qualitative study employed semi-structured interviews with 20 leaders experienced in crisis management from sectors including healthcare, emergency services, business, and non-profit organizations. Data collection aimed at achieving theoretical saturation was guided by a set of pre-determined, open-ended questions allowing for in-depth exploration of individual experiences and strategies. The interviews were transcribed, coded, and analyzed to identify recurring themes and patterns. Three main themes were identified: Strategic Decision-Making, Leadership Challenges, and Organizational Dynamics. Strategic Decision-Making encompassed risk assessment, resource allocation, long-term planning, stakeholder engagement, and decision-making styles. Leadership Challenges included communication barriers, ethical dilemmas, and stress and pressure management. Organizational Dynamics covered team dynamics, change management, leadership influence, resource management, and policy and governance. Each theme and its categories highlighted specific strategies and challenges faced by leaders in managing scarce resources effectively during crises. The study highlights the critical importance of strategic decision-making, robust communication, ethical leadership, and adaptive organizational policies in crisis management. Leaders who effectively navigate these aspects are better equipped to handle crises, suggesting a need for targeted training and policy development to enhance crisis preparedness and leadership competencies.

Leadership challenges and opportunities experienced by international women academics: A case study in Australia

Scholarly articles on international academics have been weighted towards understanding their broad personal and professional challenges related to teaching. Limited research is conducted with international women academics in Australia in, especially, exploring their leadership-related challenges and opportunities. Using an intersectionality lens, this paper addresses this gap by exploring key related challenges and opportunities for international women academics in gaining leadership positions at Australian universities. It draws on qualitative data from semi-structured interviews with seven international women academics. The findings contribute to the body of knowledge in exploring two major challenges faced by international women academics in Australia: 1) administrative-related interruption impacting their research performance; and 2) lack of understanding of university policies and processes. International women academics also cited the opportunities provided to them or gained by them for their overall professional growth at Australian universities. The practical implications of these findings for international women academics and higher education institutions are also considered.

Efficacy of Transformational Leadership on Performance of Mandera County Government in Kenya

This study investigated the efficacy of transformational leadership on performance of Mandera County government in Kenya based on the 4Is of transformational leadership. Mandera County has faced a plethora of challenges including its inability to marshal, develop, direct and control the human and financial resources leading to maladministration and poor service delivery, among others. The objective of the study was to examine the efficacy of the four dimensions of transformational leadership on performance on Mandera County government. The target population for the study comprised of the personnel elected and appointed and/or in the office of the Governor, Members of County Assembly and public service board employees of the county government (N=696). Stratified simple random sampling technique was applied to select the sample size from the total population (n=247). The study used structured questionnaires as the tool for collecting primary data. SPSS version 24 was applied to compute descriptive and inferential statistics. The study concluded that individualized consideration, inspirational motivation and idealized influence do not have a statistically significant influence on the performance of Mandera County Government (p>.05). In contrast, intellectual stimulation had a statistically significant association with performance of Mandera County Government (p>.05) In contrast, intellectual stimulation had a statistically significant association with performance of Mandera County Government (p>.05) However, the multiple linear regression analysis indicates that three of the 4Is of TL (individualized consideration, inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation) excluding idealized influence were significantly associated with the performance of the County Government of Mandera. Leadership plays a central role in the success and failure of organizations and transformational leadership is the panacea for solving contemporary management and leadership challenges in sub-national levels in Kenya.