Leadership Role Research Articles

How and when illegitimate tasks lead to cyberloafing: The role of meaningful work and appreciative leadership

This study examined how and when illegitimate tasks are related to employee cyberloafing with meaningful work and appreciative leadership. Participants were 289 employees of a Chinese energy firm (female = 59.5%; bachelor’s degree = 75.8%; mean age = 30.86 years, SD = 6.99 years). Employees completed the following surveys: Bern Illegitimate Task Scale, The Work and Meaning Inventory, Personal Recognition Scale, and the Cyberloafing scale. Following a moderated mediating model, results revealed that a higher level of illegitimate tasks were associated with more cyberloafing, but that meaningful work mediated the relationship and led to less cyberloafing. Appreciative leadership served as a moderator of the association between illegitimate tasks and meaningful work, which suggests that employees with a low level of appreciation from their supervisors perceive less meaning in their work when faced with illegitimate tasks, and so tend to engage in more non-workrelated cyber activities. The results of this study contribute to the evidence on work productivity strategies for reducing workplace illegitimate tasks and cyberloafing, offering valuable insights that can guide managers in mitigating employee cyberloafing behaviour.

Optimizing a mentorship program from the perspective of academic medicine leadership – a qualitative study

BackgroundEffective mentorship is an important contributor to academic success. Given the critical role of leadership in fostering mentorship, this study sought to explore the perspectives of departmental leadership regarding 1) current departmental mentorship processes; and 2) crucial components of a mentorship program that would enhance the effectiveness of mentorship.MethodsDepartment Division Directors (DDDs), Vice-Chairs, and Mentorship Facilitators from the Department of Medicine at the University of Toronto Temerty Faculty of Medicine were interviewed between April and December 2021 using a semi-structured guide. Interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim, then coded. Analysis occurred in 2 steps: 1) codes were organized to identify emergent themes; then 2) the Social Ecological Model (SEM) was applied to interpret the findings.ResultsNineteen interviews (14 DDDs, 3 Vice-Chairs, and 2 Mentorship Facilitator) were completed. Analysis revealed three themes: (1) a culture of mentorship permeated the department as evidenced by rigorous mentorship processes, divisional mentorship innovations, and faculty that were keen to mentor; (2) barriers to the establishment of effective mentoring relationships existed at 3 levels: departmental, interpersonal (mentee-mentor relationships), and mentee; and (3) strengthening the culture of mentorship could entail scaling up pre-existing mentorship processes and promoting faculty engagement. Application of SEM highlighted critical program features and determined that two components of interventions (creating tools to measure mentorship outcomes and systems for mentor recognition) were potential enablers of success.ConclusionsEstablishing ‘mentorship outcome measures’ can incentivize and maintain relationships. By tangibly delineating departmental expectations for mentorship and creating systems that recognize mentors, these measures can contribute to a culture of mentorship.

Role of Academic Leadership in The Context of Transformation of Higher Education in India

The higher educational institutions have started witnessing initiatives taken towards restructuring and revamping existing educational structure as envisaged by the New Education Policy 2020.Strategic planning at all hierarchical levels of institutional structure is the need of the hour. Efficient leadership is the key to ensure necessary improvements and innovation at the institutions. College level institutions constitute 86 percent of Higher Education in India. Revival in colleges will have ripple effects at large. The role and responsibility of academic leadership on all organizational levels is crucial to effectively implement the NEW Education policy 2020 in its true spirit. Literature survey has been done on academic leadership aspects and Implementation of NEP 2020 which showed relevance for further study. The main research question dealt with is to understand the roles and responsibilities of academic leaders in Higher Educational Institutes in India to achieve and sustain quality and excellence in the light of New Education Policy 2020. Devise an applicable framework for institutional development plan commensurate to curriculum and pedagogy in HEIs as propounded in NEP 2020. The paper will be useful for Management and leaders of Undergraduate level of education.

Take the bull by the horns! The role of spiritual leadership and dark triad toward workplace incivility

Purpose Workplace incivility has become a global issue; therefore, this study aims to investigate how spiritual leadership can help employees to overcome uncivil behaviors in the workplace. Specifically, the authors explored the mediating mechanism between spiritual leadership and workplace incivility through workplace spirituality. The authors further examined how negative personalities (i.e. Machiavellianism, psychopathy and narcissism) moderate workplace spirituality and workplace incivility. Design/methodology/approach This study collected data from 369 employees working in the banking sector on a convenience basis. The authors applied structural equation modeling for hypotheses testing. Findings The authors noted that spiritual leaders help employees to reduce uncivil workplace behaviors and employees’ perception of workplace spirituality intervenes the same. The authors further identified that the negative association between workplace spirituality and workplace incivility is moderated by the dark triad (Machiavellianism, psychopathy and narcissism) such that individuals high in Machiavellianism, psychopathy and narcissism weaken this negative association. Research limitations/implications The cross-sectional design may restrict causality. However, our findings not only contribute to social cognitive theory but also suggest management includes civility intervention as an essential part of organizations’ training and development. Originality/value This study not only highlighted the role of spiritual leadership and workplace spirituality toward workplace incivility but also shed light on how negative personalities can ignore workplace spirituality to exhibit uncivil behavior.

Navigating AACSB accreditation with strategic leadership and change management: a systematic literature review

Purpose This study aims to identify the strategic leadership and change management used to obtain the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) accreditations as well as the research development on AACSB in the past decade. Design/methodology/approach This study used a systematic literature review following Petticrew and Roberts’ study. The articles were limited to empirical studies published from 2013 to 2022, taken from the Dimensions AI database. Findings The findings suggested that two leadership styles were used to obtain AACSB accreditation: dominance-oriented transformational and financial leadership, alongside three traits of academic leaders: commitment, engagement and encouragement. Additionally, three change management models/processes were found in the articles: teaching evaluation framework, temporary isomorphism and authenticity. Finally, they discovered that the object of the studies on AACSB accreditation had been narrowed down from the organizational level to smaller objects consisting of schools’ identity, teaching, learning and business schools’ key players. Research limitations/implications As this study only used Dimensions AI, potential articles related to the topic outside the database could not be obtained. Thus, it limits the scope of the findings of this paper. Practical implications This study informs academic leaders in business schools about the role of strategic leadership and change management in obtaining AACSB accreditation. Originality/value Through a systematic scoping review, this study presented a decade of research development on AACSB in addition to the strategic leadership and change management needed to obtain it.

Analysis on the Equity Between Private Schools and Public Schools in China: An Equity-Focused Educator Interview

In recent years, the emergence of private schools in China has caused a series of problems related to educational equity. Against this background, the author had an interview with Principal Chen, a famous educator in Ganzhou, Jiangxi, China. He is one of a few principals in Ganzhou who have both teaching and management experience. The interview aims to find what the biggest educational problem is in Principal Chen's educational career. In conclusion, this paper holds that the Chinese government should supervise and standardize the reward and punishment rather than deprive the school of its reward and punishment rights. At the same time, the government should raise the salary of teachers in the basic education stage and guarantee that their salaries are not lower than the income level of local civil servants, thereby making teachers get rid of the pressure of survival and devote themselves better to education. Finally, this paper emphasizes the important role of leadership in promoting educational equity.

LOOKING INTO THE INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERSHIP OF MASTER TEACHERS DURING THE IN-PERSON CLASSES: A PHENOMENOLOGY

This qualitative phenomenological study aimed to explore and understand the views and perceptions of Master Teachers as educational leaders during in-person classes in the elementary and secondary schools of the Division of Davao de Oro. The study was gleaned from the Contingency Theory and Path-Goal Theory. The research design employed in this study is a qualitative phenomenological design. Purposive sampling was used in selecting the participants, who are Master teachers in the elementary and secondary schools of Davao De Oro. There were fourteen (14) Master teachers, seven (7) for in-depth interview and seven (7) for focus group discussion. Results of the participants’ experiences mainly include managing curriculum implementation, facilitating pedagogical development, encountering difficulties as master teacher, and engaging support for professional growth. Participants also shared that they handled the situation by carrying out effective instructional leadership, being provided with support, and implementing strategies in new setup. Apart from other findings, possessing skills as instructional leader is one of the solutions to continue one’s educational leader role during in-person classes. It is also recommended to research further about the experiences of teachers as school-in-charge as another angle to be seen along with how they coped with the struggles in handling both instruction and administration tasks during in-person classes. KEYWORDS: In-person classes, educational leader, Master teachers, qualitative phenomenological inquiry

Team leadership and leadership roles

Although leadership theory recognises the importance of leaders in a team, research has mostly focused on various personal characteristics of leaders or leadership style, while less attention has been paid to the social relationships in which leaders are embedded. We therefore examine both internal and external social ties of leaders with the aim of identifying variations in the network patterns of team leaders. We hypothesise that leaders' relationship patterns lead to different network structures, which in turn create differences in leadership roles. By examining the social networks of team leaders from Slovenian and Finnish organisations between 2009 and 2012, we empirically identify variations in leaders' social networks. The results suggest four distinct social structures within which team leaders perform their leadership roles. We have shown that leadership roles can be distinguished from teams and team leaders based on the characteristics of social networks.

Imagination as a catalyst for Relational Leadership: Educational leaders’ perspectives.

This research examines the role of imagination in relational leadership. Specifically, the following question was explored through a case study of a unique offering of an imagination-focused MEd program in Educational Leadership in a large, public research institution in British Columbia, Canada: How do participants understand imagination’s role in leadership after completing a two-year imagination-focused MEd leadership program? The 13 participants—all aspiring and emerging leaders in their professional settings—shared their developing conceptions of leadership, imagination, and the role of imagination in educational leadership. Participants articulated how imagination contributes to understanding themselves as leaders, engaging others with empathy, and building connections. The relational role of imagination was a dominant theme. According to participants, imagination is necessary for forming and enriching relationships, and reciprocally, relationships enhance imagination. Participants indicated how imagination supports their sense of belonging; imagination allowed participants to see themselves as potential leaders, and to feel they belonged “at the leadership table.” According to these preliminary findings, imagination may also create more opportunity in leadership. Overall, imagination emerges in this study as promoting not only relational, but humanizing leadership practices. This research contributes to understandings of relational leadership and highlights directions for future research. It identifies new directions for supporting equity and diversity in educational leadership and has clear implications for leadership education.

Digital leadership, business model innovation and organizational change: role of leader in steering digital transformation

PurposeScholars and practitioners acknowledge that digital leadership can help organizations gain a competitive advantage. This article focuses on the characteristics, styles and skills needed for effective digital leadership. It looks at the role of digital leaders in innovating business models and introducing organizational change required for a successful digital transformation.Design/methodology/approachThis paper is based on a comprehensive literature review of digital transformation, digital leadership, business model innovation, and organizational culture. It draws on institutional theory (INT) the neo-institutional theory (NIT). It draws from Science Direct, Web of Science and Google Scholar publications. A proposition and a conceptual framework are developed based on evaluating and synthesizing the literature.FindingsWe find that specific leader characteristics (agility, participative, innovativeness and openness), styles (democratic and transformational) and skills (cognitive, social, technological and digital) enable successful business model innovation and organizational change, all of which allow successful digital transformation of firms.Originality/valueThe literature on digital transformation has not been well integrated with the leadership literature. This is particularly true in terms of the role digital leaders play in the successful digital transformation of firms. The conceptual framework and a way forward proposed in this paper introduce future research directions on the topic.

Being Authentic: Gender Identity, Leadership Enactment, and the Case Study of Indonesian Women Newsroom Leaders

ABSTRACT Globally, news organizations often maintain a male-dominated work culture, with a pronounced preference for men over women in leadership roles, mirroring trends observed in Indonesian newsrooms. This study challenges the misconception that women are less capable of leading newsrooms. Through in-depth interviews with 31 Indonesian women newsroom leaders, this research explores how women newsroom leaders in Indonesia deal with newsroom inequality and in the process, how they perform and negotiate their leadership roles in relations to their gender identity. Drawing from the theoretical framework of identity and anchoring on the concept of authenticity, this study identifies the varying understandings among these women on what it means to be a “true” newsroom leader and their tactical negotiations between their gender and leadership identities. Some respondents dismiss gender differences but enact masculine leadership features to belong in the professional context while others evoke their gender identity and establish femininity as part of their professional identity in newsroom. This research adds to the thin literature on women leadership in the journalism industry and contributes to the empirical and theoretical discussions on the different approaches to leadership as they pertain to gender.

Harnessing Artificial Intelligence for Women Empowerment and Work-Life Balance Enhancement in Management

This research article explores the potential of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in empowering women in various aspects of life, particularly in management and work-life balance. AI offers a plethora of opportunities to support women's empowerment, and this study highlights several ways in which AI can contribute to their advancement. By offering flexible and affordable learning opportunities, AI can empower women to acquire new skills and knowledge, enabling them to pursue fulfilling careers and leadership roles. In the healthcare sector, AI-powered solutions can improve access to healthcare for women in remote or disadvantaged regions. AI-driven diagnostics and virtual health aides enable early detection of health issues, facilitating prompt and effective treatment. In the workplace, AI can help identify trends in gender inequality, wage discrepancies, and other injustices. Armed with these insights, employers can take specific actions to promote a diverse and inclusive workplace, offering women equal opportunities to advance in their careers. Furthermore, AI-powered personal assistants can assist women in managing their daily responsibilities and schedules effectively, facilitating a better work-life balance. Additionally, AI-powered security and surveillance systems can enhance workplace and public safety, contributing to a safer environment for women to commute, work, and interact. AI can also play a vital role in promoting social change and advocacy for women's rights and gender equality. In times of crisis and humanitarian contexts, AI can offer support in disaster response, resource allocation, and medical aid, catering to the unique challenges women may face in such situations. This research article emphasizes the importance of women's empowerment in society and how AI can act as a catalyst for positive change. By leveraging AI's capabilities while prioritizing the well-being and equality of women, this study seeks to create a more inclusive and empowering environment for women in management and beyond

“I don’t know if I can keep doing this”: a qualitative investigation of surgeon burnout and opportunities for organization-level improvement

IntroductionBurnout is a pressing issue within surgical environments, bearing considerable consequences for both patients and surgeons alike. Given its prevalence and the unique contextual factors within academic surgical departments, it is critical that efforts are dedicated to understanding this issue. Moreover, active involvement of surgeons in these investigations is critical to ensure viability and uptake of potential strategies in their local setting. Thus, the purpose of this study was to explore surgeons’ experiences with burnout and identify strategies to mitigate its drivers at the level of the organization.MethodsA qualitative case study was conducted by recruiting surgeons for participation in a cross-sectional survey and semi-structured interviews. Data collected were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis, which was informed by the Areas of Worklife Model.ResultsOverall, 28 unique surgeons participated in this study; 11 surgeons participated in interviews and 22 provided responses through the survey. Significant contributors to burnout identified included difficulties providing adequate care to patients due to limited resources and time available in academic medical centers and the moral injury associated with these challenges. The inequitable remuneration associated with education, administration, and leadership roles as a result of the Fee-For-Service model, as well as issues of gender inequity and the individualistic culture prevalent in surgical specialties were also described as contributing factors. Participants suggested increasing engagement between hospital leadership and staff to ensure surgeons are able to access resources to care for their patients, reforming payment plans and workplace polities to address issues of inequity, and improving workplace social dynamics as strategies for addressing burnout.DiscussionThe high prevalence and negative sequalae of burnout in surgery necessitates the formation of targeted interventions to address this issue. A collaborative approach to developing interventions to improve burnout among surgeons may lead to feasible and sustainable solutions.

Nexus of knowledge oriented leadership and knowledge worker performance in Chinese higher education institutions: a post-pandemic behavioral analysis

PurposeIn the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak understanding the behavioral dynamics and role of knowledge-oriented leadership (KOL) in driving knowledge worker performance (KWP) is paramount for organizations striving to adapt and thrive in the post-pandemic era. Drawing on the path-goal theory, this study explores the impact of KOL on KWP. In addition, this study seeks to examine both the direct and indirect influences of KOL on KWP via digital orientation (DO) and digital citizenship practices (DCP), especially for higher education institutions (HEIs) located in China.Design/methodology/approachThe sample consisted of 319 academic staff from HEIs in China. The study used Smart-PLS 4.0 for analytical examination.FindingsThe results indicate that the impact of knowledge-oriented leadership on KWP is negligible. Furthermore, DCP and DO partially mediate the relationship between KOL and KWP. The findings of this research have practical implications for Chinese HEIs and organizations across industries, providing insights into how to navigate the complexities of the post-pandemic work environment and effectively harness digitalization to optimize the KWP.Research limitations/implicationsThe implications of this research extend beyond the HEIs, providing organizations in various industries with evidence-based strategies to promote effective leadership, foster digital skills, and cultivate a culture of digital citizenship in the post-pandemic work landscape.Originality/valueDespite the increasing significance of KOL in the higher education sector, there is a dearth of studies establishing a relationship between KOL and KWP in HEIs. The present study seeks to fill this gap by examining the association among KOL, KWP, DO, and DCP in HEIs during the post-pandemic. This research provides significant contributions to the existing literature on the topic by scientifically exploring the association between KOL and KWP by examining the intervention mechanism of both digital citizenship practices and digital orientation.

Exploring women’s challenges and victories in the New Testament through liberation theology

Women and young girls continue to face a plethora of challenges in contemporary contexts. This is caused and compounded by various factors such as male-orientated perceptions, constricted opportunities and lagging will to advance the transformation and liberation of women and young girls. This is enough to indicate that, unequivocally, there are continued setbacks that affect women. By the same token, it cannot be downplayed that women continue to overcome some of these setbacks. Therefore, this article aims to explore women’s challenges and victories in the Bible, with special reference to the New Testament. To do this, liberation theology is applied as a conceptual framework to advance the discussions in selected incidents. This article makes three notable findings. Firstly, women exercise agency in resisting and denouncing oppressive structures. Secondly, there is a necessity to (re)examine certain biblical narratives with an emphasis on justice and liberation in an attempt to elicit revolutionary perspectives on narratives that have traditionally been interpreted in ways that obstruct women’s roles. Thirdly, there are instances in the New Testament where women find liberation and empowerment through spiritual leadership roles. In closing, this article underscores the significance of scrutinising women’s issues that transcend the biblical narratives in a bid to elicit reasonable solutions to any identified challenges.Contribution: The scholarly contribution of this discourse lies in the exposition of women’s dialogues and biblical narratives. In so doing, this article chooses to focus on liberation theology on account that it is downplayed with presumptions that it is too discipline-focused.

The relevance of CRT to public administrative practice: The role of leaders

Public administration is poised to recognize that race is constitutive of bureaucratic hierarchies, processes, and outcomes and, as such, to ground our work in a more critical and progressive conceptual framework. In this exploratory analysis, we center Critical Race Theory (CRT) around practice, or praxis, a process that is self-reflexive and race-conscious to address root causes of racism, on the role of public sector leaders. This paper applies leadership research to demonstrate how public leaders, particularly career bureaucrats, can help to eliminate institutional racism. We specifically explore how critical race praxis (CRP) can apply to environmental justice and the movement against environmental racism.

Head Teacher's Self-efficacy with Transforming Leadership for Changing School

In the context of Nepal, most of government-aided schools are poorly managed. They could not provide good achievement academically and non-academically. Head teacher's leadership is considered highly significant for the transformation of such schools. The schools are not getting expected change. However, there are very few schools that have been transformed considerably. This study explored the role of head teachers’ self-efficacy and their transformative leadership qualities in connection to the transformation of schools. Along with this, teachers' perception about the head teachers' leadership role and impact in the transformation process were also underpinned. This multiple case study of two government schools from Dhading district adopted qualitative method. The findings were illustrated in narrative and descriptive way. Research findings indicated the current situation of transformed schools, leadership effect, the head teachers' self-efficacy and transformative leadership qualities. The findings are helpful to head teachers, administrators, teachers, policy makers and school managers per se in order to transform schools.

Female leadership in sports coaching: a case analysis of Chinese coaches through the ability–motivation–opportunity framework

Purpose This study aims to investigate how the role of female leadership works in sports coaching. Drawing key insights from the ability–motivation–opportunity (AMO) framework of human resource management, the authors explore the underlying mechanisms of female leadership and the role female coaches play in enabling athletes to develop their self-initiative through AMO enhancement. Design/methodology/approach The sample in this study is made up of 11female coaches from eight teams in China selected using purposive sampling. Data was collected and analyzed on various aspects of female leadership. Findings Analysis of interviews and secondary data show that the mechanisms and enablers related to AMO enhancing practices stimulated by female coaching leadership can increase team performance. Research limitations/implications This study opens new avenues for sports science research and strengthens the theoretical and practical understanding of the intentions and mechanisms female coaches implement as leaders in sports coaching. Originality/value First, this study contributes to the AMO framework by helping form new theoretical insights based on the understanding of female sports coaching mechanisms. Second, this study provides novel insights into female leadership literature by investigating the mechanisms of female leadership in the context of sports exercise. Third, this study also contributes to the body of research on sports coaching in Asia, especially that of Chinese women in such leadership roles.

Enhancing youth involvement in community development: A pragmatic strategy for local churche

This article reports on the findings of the Christian youth ministry involvement in community development in the Mayibuye community of Tembisa, in the Gauteng province of South Africa. The article employed Richard Osmer’s model of the four tasks of practical theological interpretation. These tasks have been used to understand better what is happening in youth ministry and community development contexts in the Mayibuye community by utilising documentary analysis and in-depth semi-structured interviews. The findings divulged that the Mayibuye community faces several socio-economic challenges. Most importantly, young people are the most affected. Furthermore, the findings exposed that youth involvement is limited in community development processes within local communities. As a result, the article proposes implementing a pragmatic strategy to enhance the youth ministry’s involvement in community development. Various principles of the youth ministry have been presented in the study as the essential principles that need youth leaders’ attention for functional youth ministry, and to achieve developmental outcomes. The study also recommended further empirical studies on youth culture, the importance of young people’s inclusion in leadership roles and the use of young people as catalysts for community transformation.Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: The anticipated outcomes of this research endeavour are poised to make a valuable contribution to the current corpus of knowledge in various academic domains, including Practical Theology, Youth Ministry, Theology and Development, Community Development, Congregational Studies, Missiology, Anthropology, and Sociology. This contribution suggests that adopting a pragmatic strategy is likely to yield positive outcomes for local churches, youth ministry, and community development as a whole.

In the driver’s seat: the role of transformational leadership in safe and productive truck cargo transport

In the driver’s seat: the role of transformational leadership in safe and productive truck cargo transport