Leadership Themes Research Articles

Professional learning for leadership in early years: Comparing Sweden and England

This paper critically reviews England’s National Professional Qualification of Early Years Leadership (NPQEYL) and Sweden’s National Principal Training Program (NPTP). The design and implementation of these programs are critiqued considering the process of professional learning, with view of offering recommendations for future policies on professionalisation through leadership professional learning. The study compares the professional development using a simple multiple case study design. Analysis of sources highlight common themes of leadership, curriculum, agency, and professionalism. These are discussed in relation to how such programs may contribute to the early years sector, leading to recommendations to inform future professional learning opportunities.

Women in Higher Education Leadership

The integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) into the higher education landscape has caused upset to many long-held practices in the sector as educators question the future. The male-dominated leadership landscape in AI reflects broader gender disparities prevalent in STEM fields. This position paper investigates the challenges women face in academic leadership within the context of AI and proposes strategies to address these disparities. By examining reflective narratives from three women leaders in higher education, we identify themes of visibility, recognition, and inclusive leadership. Our findings highlight the importance of mentoring programs and collaborative leadership models to support women in AI leadership roles. We argue that diverse leadership not only fosters innovative solutions and equitable access but is also crucial for ethical AI development. Promoting diverse voices in AI leadership can drive meaningful change, ensuring AI technologies benefit a broader demographic and align with ethical standards. Future research should focus on strategies to enhance visibility and support for women leaders in AI, addressing both gender and cultural dynamics.

What can be done to ease the transition to becoming a new paediatric registrar?

BackgroundThe transition period of becoming a new paediatric registrar has limited study. Consequently, the learning needs of such trainees are unclear including educational interventions that may improve the process. This qualitative study examined the negative and positive experiences of transitioning paediatric trainees to identify learning needs and subsequently derive educational interventions that are perceived to ease transition.MethodsThis was a qualitative study of semi-structured interviews with Wales deanery paediatric speciality trainees 3 and 4 (ST3 and ST4) undergoing transition to registrar. Participants were asked to recall one positive and one negative experience during transition using the critical incident technique (CIT). Transcribed responses were coded and thematically analysed and categorised into higher and lower order themes.ResultsSix paediatric trainees were interviewed for the study. A total of eighteen codes relating to learning needs were identified and dichotomised into two higher order themes; clinical skills, and leadership and management skills, with further exploration into lower order themes. Clinical skills included child protection procedures, difficult communication with relatives, emergencies, childhood death, difficult procedures, tertiary level neonatal care, managing family anxiety and expectations, dealing with uncertainty and running clinics. Leadership and management skills involved clinical decision making by new registrars, leading ward rounds, managing workload, leading a team and supervising junior colleagues. For educational interventions, sixty-seven initial codes were recorded and combined to form thirty-two lower order themes under six higher order themes. This outlined six educational interventions perceived to ease the transition to the registrar grade including; acting up whilst a senior house officer, seniors providing feedback, seniors providing support, staff providing support, trainee familiarisation with the new registrar placement and trainees maximising SHO learning opportunities.ConclusionsThis study provided a grounding upon which further research can be based, by identifying learning needs within the themes of clinical skills and leadership and management skills, as well as providing further descriptions of perceived beneficial educational interventions that ease transition to paediatric registrar. Furthermore, this study proposes evidence-based recommendations involving five key stakeholders to improve the experience of transition for future trainees. These stakeholders include; trainees, seniors, educators, nursing staff and rota coordinators.

Definitions of Sustainable Leadership in Education: A Systematic Review and Analysis

Sustainable leadership has become a significant focus in educational leadership. Still, concerns persist regarding the clarity of its definitions and their impact addressing critical educational needs. This study employs a systematic review to address these definitional challenges. Seven themes emerge, categorized into three meta-themes: effectiveness and impact, sustainability systems thinking, and collaborative responsibility and future orientation. These findings reveal the diversity of sustainable leadership themes and challenge the assumption that achieving a universal definition is the key to collaborative progress. This methodologically rigorous study enhances our understanding of sustainable leadership in education, offering valuable insights for further research.

The four Cs of physician leadership: A key to academic physician success.

Leadership is increasingly recognized as important in medicine. Physician leadership impacts healthcare delivery and quality. Little work has been done to determine how physician leadership in practice aligns with established models in leadership theory. We conducted 40 semi-structured, 50-minute interviews of physicians who had achieved the rank of professor in our school of medicine and were serving, or had served, in leadership positions. We used an inductive content analysis approach to identify content categories, with leadership emerging as one such category. Subsequently, for the present study, we performed a secondary analysis of the data. To do this, we reviewed all transcripts, seeking to identify if and how participants discussed leadership in relation to success in academic medicine. Following identification of sub-categories related to leadership, we performed qualitative content analysis. We then used a deductive content analysis approach to determine how participants' discussions of leadership aligned with major leadership theories. Then, the principal investigator conducted a secondary inductive content analysis revealing leadership themes that were synthesized into a new model of physician leadership. Twenty-nine participants spontaneously discussed leadership and leadership-related topics as important to their own academic success and comprised the present study cohort. Participants identified contributors to leadership success that aligned with multiple major leadership theories, including leadership traits, skills, behaviors styles, and situational leadership. None of the leadership theories aligned completely with our physician leaders' discussions, suggesting an alternate leadership framework was operating. Further analysis revealed a new model of leadership comprised of the "Four Cs of Physician Leadership": character, competence, caring, and communication. Our participant group of academic physicians identified leadership capabilities as being important in their academic success. While they discussed leadership in ways that fit to varying degrees with the major leadership theories, their discussions revealed a novel, more holistic leadership framework. Further work will be beneficial to determine if this model of leadership is specific to physicians or is more generalizable.

A qualitative study on university student learning as part of an outdoor leadership course in Vietnam

ABSTRACT The current study uses experiential learning theory as a framework to understand themes associated with student outcomes of an outdoor leadership course in Vietnam. The study explores student-oriented themes, benefits of outdoor learning, and examples of contextualized concrete experience. Two hundred and eighteen university students participated as part of a 3-day two credit course with the theme of servant leadership. Survey responses were analyzed using qualitative methods and results produced higher and lower order themes linked to learning outcomes, program goals, and experiential learning mechanisms. Themes emerged related to course instructional goals (leadership), programmatic features (outdoor setting), and individual skills (problem solving). Themes were also associated with the outdoor setting and connections to nature appreciation, mental health, stress reduction, health and wellness, and proud moments linked to risk taking and physical challenge. Instructional process, concrete experience, and emergent thematic connections to the outdoor education setting are discussed.

Transformational Leadership: Women's Role in Building Competitive Integrated Islamic School

This study aims to analyze the principal's strategy in overcoming obstacles such as gender stereotypes and patriarchal culture and its impact on the management of educational institutions into competitive integrated Islamic schools. The research method used is field research with a qualitative case study approach. Data were collected through interviews, observations, and documentation. Data were analyzed thematically to identify themes of women's leadership and patriarchal challenges and interpreted to understand their impact on school culture. The results of the study indicate that women's leadership in schools has shown extraordinary abilities in overcoming the obstacles faced, especially gender stereotypes and patriarchal culture. With an inclusive, participatory, and transformational leadership approach, the principal has proven her capability to manage educational institutions with solid vision, integrity, and commitment. This study contributes to the field of educational leadership by providing empirical evidence of the effectiveness of women's transformational leadership in the context of Islamic education, especially in overcoming gender-based challenges.

LEADERSHIP SPECTRUM CONSTRUED IN INAUGURAL SPEECHES BY MALAYSIAN AND FRENCH PRIME MINISTERS

Background and Purpose: Language is a form of discourse utilised in various situations, including leadership. Across borders, inaugural speech represents a common form of discourse delivered by leaders as an introductory address to their audiences. The theme of leadership is central to inaugural speeches and it is influenced by or/and influencing social aspects. This study aims to analyse leadership spectrum, namely attributes and agendas, as construed in discourse from the linguistic and social aspects. Methodology: This study compares inaugural speeches by the Ninth Prime Minister of Malaysia, Ismail Sabri Yaakob and the Twenty-Fifth French Prime Minister, Elisabeth Borne through the application of Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) by Fairclough (2010). Findings: In total, the leaders utilised 21 clauses which can be interpreted for their attributes and agendas. The discourses by both leaders reveal five attributes and six agendas. Some of the attributes are shared between the leaders, with differences exist in other attributes and agendas. Further explanation links those attributes and agendas to social aspects in Malaysia and France. Contributions: This study contributes to a new domain in Malaysia-France comparative research and the study of inaugural speeches. In which case, it examines opaque leadershipspectrum in discourses by Malaysian and French leaders through the lens of critical discourse analysis (CDA). Keywords: Critical discourse analysis, inaugural speech, leadership spectrum, Malaysia, France. Cite as: Dinie Asyraf, S., Mohammad Fadzeli, J., & Suziana, M. S. (2024). Leadership spectrum construed in inaugural speeches by Malaysian and French prime ministers. Journal of Nusantara Studies, 9(2), 241-266. http://dx.doi.org/10.24200/jonus.vol9iss2pp241-266

Leadership during crisis: a multi-sector exploration of perceptions of leadership in Australia

Purpose This paper aims to extend our understanding of the concept of crisis leadership based on perceptions of 48 Australian leaders drawn from various sectors including Australian politics, higher education, not-for-profit and corporate sectors. Design/methodology/approach This qualitative study employed semi-structured virtual interviews of 48 leaders from Australian politics, higher education, not-for-profit and corporate sectors during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Leximancer text analytics program was used for data analysis. Findings Participants perceived effective leadership during a crisis as encompassing four macro themes: leadership as power, leadership as emanating from people, leadership as management and leadership as specific to the organization. While these findings reinforced extant literature on facets of effective leadership, leaders from different sectors differed on the relative importance of some leadership themes and their relevance to specific sectors. Research limitations/implications While the data were collected from a convenient sample, our findings from multiple sectors in Australia extend our knowledge on crisis leadership by revealing differences in sectorial perspectives of crisis leadership. Further, these findings help refine the extant traditional explanations of leadership and especially offer an enhanced understanding of leadership during a crisis. Consequently, our findings support future research that could help identify specific attributes of leaders navigating organizational crises. Such future research could subsequently help develop a theory on crisis leadership based on a valid and reliable measurement for assessing crisis leadership effectiveness in diverse organizational settings. Originality/value Our study is based on multi-sector data and consequently lays a solid foundation for extending the conceptualization of leadership during crisis, and the need to reconceptualize effective leader attributes useful in crisis contexts. Theoretically, the current study extended recent research on crisis leadership, by examining the conceptualizations of crisis leadership within specific Australian sectors.

Ambulance professionals' experiences of teamwork in the context of a team training programme – a qualitative study

BackgroundTeamwork in the context of ambulance services exhibits unique characteristics, as this environment involves a small core team that must adapt to a dynamic team structure that involves health care professionals and emergency services. It is essential to acquire a deeper understanding of how ambulance teams operate. Therefore, this study aimed to explore the experiences of ambulance professionals with teamwork and how they were influenced by the implementation of a team training programme.MethodsA qualitative descriptive study was conducted involving ambulance professionals who took part in focus group interviews carried out both before and after the implementation of a team training program across seven ambulance stations within a Norwegian hospital trust. The data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis based on a deductive-inductive approach.ResultsOur analysis revealed 15 subthemes that characterised ambulance professionals’ experiences with teamwork and a team training programme, which were organised according to the five main themes of team structure, communication, leadership, situation monitoring, and mutual support. Ambulance professionals’ experiences ranged from the significance of team composition and interpersonal and professional relationships to their preferences regarding different communication styles and the necessity of team leaders within the ambulance service. The team training programme raised awareness of teamwork, while the adoption of teamwork tools was influenced by both individual and contextual factors. The Introduction/Identity, Situation, Background, Assessment and Recommendation (ISBAR) communication tool was identified as the most beneficial aspect of the programme due to its ease of use, which led to improvements in the structure and quality of consultations and information handover.ConclusionsThis study documented the diverse characteristics and preferences associated with teamwork among ambulance professionals, emphasising the particular importance of proficient partnerships in this context. Participation in a team training programme was perceived as a valuable reminder of the significance of teamwork, thus providing a foundation for the enhancement of communication skills.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov—ID: NCT05244928.

Exploring Competencies and Capabilities That High-Potential Academics Should Possess in South Africa

This study explores the competencies and capabilities that high-potential academics (HPAs) should possess to effectively handle academic responsibilities and ascend to leadership positions within higher education institutions. A qualitative research approach was employed, utilising an exploratory design owing to the lack of prior studies on this topic. The study sampled ten academic staff members from a higher education institution in South Africa and conducted face-to-face interviews to gather data. Thematic analysis was used to process the data, revealing the key talent management and leadership themes. The findings indicate that HPAs should possess various competencies, including ambition, analytical skills, adaptability, and effective communication skills. They should also demonstrate strong leadership qualities such as planning, decision-making, and emotional intelligence. This study identifies several constraints to developing HPAs, such as inadequate resources, lack of leadership capacity, and insufficient communication. The study recommends fostering a supportive environment, providing adequate funding, and recognising and rewarding high-potential academics to ensure their development and retention.

Leadership factors for cardiopulmonary resuscitation for clinicians in-hospital; behaviours, skills and strategies: A systematic review and synthesis without meta-analysis.

To identify leadership factors for clinicians during in-hospital cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Systematic review with synthesis without meta-analysis. The review was guided by SWiM, assessed for quality using CASP and reported with PRISMA. Cochrane, EMBASE, PubMed, Medline, Scopus and CINAHL (years of 2013-2023) and a manual reference list search of all included studies. A total of 60 papers were identified with three major themes of useful resuscitation leadership; 'social skills', 'cognitive skills and behaviour' and 'leadership development skills' were identified. Main factors included delegating effectively, while being situationally aware of team members' ability and progress during resuscitation, and being empathetic and supportive, yet 'controlling the room' using a hands-off style. Shared decision-making to reduce cognitive load for one leader was shown to improve effective teamwork. Findings were limited by heterogeneity of studies and inconsistently applied tools to measure leadership. Traditional authoritarian leadership styles are not wanted by team members with preference for shared leadership and collaboration. Balancing this with the need for team members to see leaders in 'control of the room' brings new challenges for leaders and trainers of resuscitation. All clinicians need effective leadership skills for cardiopulmonary resuscitation in-hospital. Nurses provide first response and ongoing leadership for cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Nurses typically display suitable skills that align with useful resuscitation leader factors. What were the main findings? Collaboration rather than an authoritarian approach to leadership is preferred by team members. Nurses are suitable to 'control the room'. Restricting resuscitation team size will manage disruptive behaviour of team members. PROSPERO Registration: CRD42022385630. No patient of public contribution.

Human resources development: Evaluating perceptions against policy

The objective of sustaining smart, sustainable and cohesive inclusive growth, framed by the European strategy, is in line with the global commitments of the Sustainable Development Goals. Thus, an analysis of people’s attitudes towards social policy and perceptions of professional development in Poland against European development policy is crucial. The nationwide representative sample included 1000 respondents aged 18–64. The study used principal component analysis (PCA), an approach for the multi-response optimisation. The results indicate that respondents’ evaluations are in line with the direction of EU labour policy, where their decisions correspond to the planned priorities oriented towards inclusion and cohesion. The PCA analysis showed that employee competencies and priorities for individual standing can be considered strongly correlated. Competencies were also found to be important for the platform to support systemic development. However, the items included in the analysis that are beyond the scope of the ESF+ , although even correlated, are of lesser importance. The research results allow to expand knowledge on the perception of the development policy facets promoted by the EU, supplemented by themes of leadership or immigrants. The study may become a starting point for inclusive and cohesive working climate research.

Effect of interventions to improve safety culture on healthcare workers in hospital settings: a systematic review of the international literature

BackgroundIn an era of safety systems, hospital interventions to build a culture of safety deliver organisational learning methodologies for staff. Their benefits to hospital staff are unknown. We examined the...

Leadership education: a content analysis of postgraduate leadership education programs for health and human service leaders in Australian universities

PurposeA systematic investigation of postgraduate leadership programs for health and/or human services offered by Australian higher education institutions was undertaken.Design/methodology/approachQuantitative analysis identified the core characteristics of the programs. A thematic analysis of the course learning outcomes was conducted and six major themes of disciplinary leadership and management knowledge; research and analytical skills; professional practice; communication and collaboration; creativity and innovation; and system knowledge are shared in this study.FindingsThe authors conclude that Australian universities have taken an evidence-based approach to leadership education.Originality/valueMore work might need to be undertaken to ensure leadership theories are incorporated into learning outcomes.

Leadership Construction in The Qur’an: Meaning and Implications

This research aims to describe the concept of leadership from an Islamic perspective, the meanings, and the implications inherent in each term based on textual references from the Qur’an. The theme of leadership in Islam has often been viewed narrowly in connection with the governance of a state, commonly referred to as "Khalifah al-Islamiah." However, each term carries its distinct meaning and implications, most appropriately applied to specific professions and moments. This study is a literature review employing an incorporative approach and descriptive, idealistic, and heuristic methods. Content analysis is used as the analytical technique to objectively and systematically uncover the characteristics of the messages contained within, addressing how the construction of leadership in the Islamic perspective and its meanings and implications truly unfolds. The results of the research reveal that the Qur’an employs several terms related to the theme of leadership in Islam, including caliph, wali, malik, sulthan, uli al-amr, and imâm, each with its unique meaning and implications, all of which are integrated within the persona of a leader. A correct understanding of leadership terms in the Qur'an will have a broad impact on life because the essence of leadership is not for oneself but for leading the world and all creatures in it.

The Intellectual Evolution of Educational Leadership Research: A Combined Bibliometric and Thematic Analysis Using SciMAT

This study aims to describe the century-long trajectory of educational leadership research (ELR), including changes over time in its main and subsidiary themes, as well as its most influential authors, papers, and journals. The study combines the bibliometric performance and science mapping analysis of 7282 articles retrieved from the Scopus and WoS databases. SciMAT software (version 1.1.04) was used to analyze changes over four sequential time periods and to exhibit the thematic evolution of the field—Period 1 (1907 to 2004), Period 2 (2005 to 2012), Period 3 (2013 to 2019), and Period 4 (2020–2023). Research during Period 1 focused on principals and included efforts to distinguish between their administrative functions and forms of ‘strong’ leadership contributing to school improvement. Period 2 included research aimed at understanding what strong principal leadership entailed, including the development and testing of more coherent models of such leadership. While instructional and transformational leadership models were prominent during Periods 1 and 2, Period 3 research invested heavily in conceptions of leadership distribution. Early research about ‘social justice leadership’ appeared during this period and eventually flourished during Period 4. While principals were an active focus through all Periods, the leadership of others gradually dominated ELR and accounted for the broader leadership theme found in all four periods. The results point to the evolutionary nature of ELR development, which eventually produced a relatively robust knowledge base. Experiences with the COVID-19 pandemic suggest that crises such as this might prompt more revolutionary orientations in the ELR field.

The Application of Health Leadership Competencies Around the World to the Canadian Midwifery Profession: A Scoping Review

Objectives: To review and map the key leadership competencies and frameworks created by health care professionals and health leaders across the globe. To use the themes that emerge to create a new leadership framework for Canadian midwifery. Background: Effective leadership has a significant impact on health care outcomes. In an effort to describe effective leadership, many health professions and organizations are creating lists of competencies within leadership frameworks. Midwifery is a relatively young profession in Canada. To date there has been no published Canadian work on leadership or leadership frameworks. Midwifery has a vital role to play within health care but needs to grow in leadership knowledge and capacity. Methods: A scoping review was conducted using both a published literature search and a grey literature search. The published literature search was conducted using CINAHL and OVID, while the grey literature search included an online review of the websites of major health professions in Canada, the UK, the US, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand. Results: Twenty-three articles met the inclusion criteria. Within the articles were 582 key competencies, organized into 133 separate themes. Thematic analysis of the competencies results in competencies falling into five major themes of leadership: self, patient/client care, team, organization, and health systems. Conclusion: A new framework was created using the emerging themes found in the scoping review: Leading Self, Leading the Team, Leading Client Care, Leading the Organization, and Leading Health Systems. This new framework was applied to the Canadian midwifery profession, using core midwifery documents. This scoping review can be used by Canadian midwifery organizations looking to create a leadership framework and by university midwifery programs as they look to incorporate leadership competencies into their curriculum. This article has been peer reviewed.

Transformational Leadership in Public Sector Innovation: A Bibliometric Analysis

People and organizations need to adapt to rapidly evolving technology and information trends, but are often faced with limited resources. Therefore, innovation is important to be applied to various sectors, including the public sector which is known for the many regulations that surround it. Innovation is seen as a source of change, growth, and organizational effectiveness, but leadership factors have a dominant impact and are fundamentally critical to success in achieving it. This study aims to see trends in scientific publications (journals) regarding transformational leadership in public sector innovation; the most influential journals and authors; as well as potential research topics in the future. This study uses bibliometric analysis taken from the database of highly reputable journals Scopus by looking at the analysis results from the Scopus web on data that has been filtered according to criteria; visualization and analysis of data using VOS viewer application as well as biblioshin application. Based on the results of the study, the research topic of Transformational Leadership in Public Sector Innovation is still little discussed in Scopus indexed journal publications. The data obtained also shows that in the middle of the last 5 years, the topic shows the significance of increasing the quantity of publications which increasingly shows the interest of the theme of transformational leadership in public sector innovation with the times.

Identity Crisis in Raja Rao’s Kanthapura

This article explores the theme of post colonialism in Raja Rao’s novel Kanthapura. By analysing the text, we examine how religion affects the Indian village of Kanthapura, its culture and its people. The narrative explores the community’s struggle to resist and adapt to the emphasizing themes of identity, struggle and cultural change. Raja Rao’s “Kanthapura” is an important work of Indian literature, depicting the impact of colonialism on a rural village in South India. The novel explores the transformation of a village in its struggle for independence through the lens of the main character, Moorthy. This summary provides insight into the rich tapestry of “Kanthapura” and invites readers to explore identity, community, and freedom at this pivotal moment in Indian history.“Kanthapura” by Raja Rao is a story set in a rural Indian village during the struggle for independence. Through the protagonist Moorthy, the novel explores the complexities of colonialism, resistance and colonialism. Lao’s lyrics describe the importance of village life, emphasizing themes of leadership, change and unity against oppression. This summary encapsulates the essence of “Kanthapura,” inviting the reader to explore the transformation of relationships and the renewal of the human spirit.