Prelims

Half Title Page

Progressive Leadership

Title Page

Progressive Leadership: Challenging the Theory of the Firm in the 21st Century

BY

GREG PARK

United Kingdom – North America – Japan – India – Malaysia – China

Copyright Page

Emerald Publishing Limited

Howard House, Wagon Lane, Bingley BD16 1WA, UK

First edition 2022

Copyright © 2022 Emerald Publishing Limited

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British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

ISBN: 978-1-83867-568-4 (Print)

ISBN: 978-1-83867-567-7 (Online)

ISBN: 978-1-83867-569-1 (Epub)

Contents

List of Figures

List of Tables

List of Boxes

Preface

Whilst outwardly exuding an air of confidence and competence I, like many others, have for long recognised that there was some deeply embedded factor, silent and hidden to many, yet not all, creating a fog of confusion within the firm, acting as a significant drag factor on operational effectiveness and the attainment of optimal firm performance. The result has been that perspiration, persistence, silent acquiescence and a determined, if often blinkered focus, rather than an understanding of and consensus on firm purpose, guiding principles and priorities, have largely been the primary determinants in achieving firm targets, objectives and career progression. Any efforts to address this drag factor by one or a number of individual leaders, whilst often instinctually and widely acknowledged as overdue, were consciously or subconsciously viewed with suspicion and fear, if not belligerence for their potentially negative career implications.

My previous books have fleetingly alluded to this apparently immovable and embedded operational leadership blindspot. However, after some decades as an operational manager and leader within a variety of national and global firms, aided by scholarly research, I have in this text sought to question and undermine the purpose, principles and perspectives which continue to support a pervasive logic which I consider to now be wholly dysfunctional within the twenty-first century business context. This dysfunction, in my view, has ultimately not only consistently created a severe negative impact on optimal firm performance and survival but also on socio-economic growth and well-being.

I therefore write this book as a means of readers achieving a short cut to relevant reflection and commitment. By this means, it is my intention to achieve a re-orientation in cognitive priority towards a more enlightened, progressive and psychologically focused leadership mindset in this dynamic twenty-first century business and socio-economic context. It is my hope that this will ensure more contextually relevant leadership insight, perspectives and priorities going forward, evident more during the front rather than the back end of future leaders’ careers.

Acknowledgements

Many individuals have contributed to the moulding and creation of this text, but a select few have been instrumental in its initiation and/or completion.

In terms of the broad multi-disciplinary content of this text I must acknowledge the disparate contributions of a number of highly distinguished scholars and practitioners whose inspiring and insightful work I utilised to weave a solid foundation for my “progressive” theory of the firm and leadership logic. In particular I must thank Sandra Waddock (Galligan Chair of Strategy, Carroll School Scholar of Corporate Responsibility, Professor of Management), Margaret Blair, (Professor of Law, Emerita, Milton R. Underwood Chair in Free Enterprise, Emerita, Vanderbilt Law School), Lorraine Talbot (Birmingham Law School, Professor of Company Law in Context), Dominic Barton ( Canadian Ambassador to China, formerly Global Managing Director, McKinsey & Co.), George Loewenstein (Herbert A. Simon Professor of Economics and Psychology in the Social and Decision Sciences Department at Carnegie Mellon University and director of the Center for Behavioral Decision Research) and George Ackerloff (university professor at the McCourt School of Public Policy at Georgetown University and Koshland Professor of Economics Emeritus at the University of California, Berkeley). These are all progressive leaders and innovators in their respective fields

In respect of those individuals and business organisations which expended the time and energy to furnish me with permission to quote from their published material, when others were more circumspect, if not mercenary, I particularly acknowledge the Harvard Business Review, Trine Kiar at Danfoss A/S, Scott Dille at Novo Nordisk A/S and Christian Mostrup at the Novo Nordisk Foundation.

I must of course thank Emerald Publishing for their professionalism, advice, guidance and kindness over the last three years. I thank Niall Kennedy, my commissioning editor, for so clearly seeing the wood for the trees and agreeing to commission the text. However, I must in particular thank Aiswarya and her predecessor Sheena for patiently and expertly responding to a constant stream of and often inane questions.

Last, but not least, I must thank Iris, my companion and wife, who has expertly dealt with the world outside of my study as I drafted and feverishly re-drafted the text what appeared to be ad infinitum.