Search results

1 – 10 of over 51000
Article
Publication date: 16 July 2020

Charles Keim and Masoud Shadnam

The authors examined the traditional leadership practiced by the Old Order Amish located in the Holmes and Wayne counties of America. Despite popular stereotypes, this community…

Abstract

Purpose

The authors examined the traditional leadership practiced by the Old Order Amish located in the Holmes and Wayne counties of America. Despite popular stereotypes, this community is remarkably innovative and resilient. Amish leadership aligns with the central tenets of humanistic leadership and provides a rich illustration of how such a leadership paradigm can foster a vibrant, inclusive and sustainable community. Unlike current leadership models that focus on instrumental values like wealth, profit and growth, Amish leadership is concerned with faith, community and living a simple life with purpose and dignity.

Design/methodology/approach

The primary data required for this paper were collected by the lead author during a six-month ethnographic study on several Amish communities located in Ohio. The authors also consulted a large set of archival data, including think tank reports, census data, biographies, magazine features and academic publications, which helped in placing the primary data in perspective and reminding of the particularities of the contexts from which the primary data were collected. For the data analysis, the authors used a thematic analysis approach to allow the salient themes of Amish humanistic leadership emerge from the data.

Findings

A total offour themes emerged from this study: (1) leadership as local identity and practice; (2) leaders without benefits, chosen by the lot; (3) leaders present matters, followers discuss and decide; (4) community welfare as the yardstick for evaluation. These themes highlighted some of the key aspects of humanistic leadership eclipsed in the mainstream theories of management and leadership. They showed how the Amish respond to the encroachment of technology, which holds critical clues for how humanistic leaders can place the needs of their people before the demands of their shareholders. By examining Amish leadership in detail, this study demonstrated the potential of humanistic leadership for creating a strong and sustainable community while also contributing to the empirical foundation of humanistic management.

Originality/value

Given the closed nature of the Amish, only few academic studies exist, which examined their leadership style. Furthermore, the traditional and conservative nature of the Amish community has prevented critics from investigating their leadership as a model for revitalizing other communities.

Details

Cross Cultural & Strategic Management, vol. 27 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2059-5794

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 6 February 2017

Ian E. Sutherland

The purpose of this paper is to explore the nature of trust in a school community related to the leadership response to crisis.

3554

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore the nature of trust in a school community related to the leadership response to crisis.

Design/methodology/approach

This study was a multiple-source qualitative study of a single case of a PreK-12 international school called The Learning School.

Findings

The findings revealed the nature of how leadership influences and is influenced by context and community. These led to a discussion about two shifts, the focus on self to focus on others and the collective community, and a shift from a focus on self-preservation and protection to learning and growing together as a community. Communication, decision making, and collaboration in the community played a significant role in the community learning and growing from the crisis.

Research limitations/implications

The study was limited by the nature of the topic, crisis in schools. The nature of crisis limits the ability to engage in inquiry before the crisis, and the inquiry was limited to the specific case that occurred in a unique context. The author proposes future cross-case research to develop an understanding of school and leader responses to crisis varies across individuals and contexts, and culture.

Originality/value

While there is a growing literature about trust, it is difficult to study schools in crisis due to the limitations of the topic and sensitivity of issues of crisis in schools. This study gives insight into the dynamics of leadership and trust in a school in crisis.

Details

Journal of Educational Administration, vol. 55 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0957-8234

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 7 December 2023

Keyhan Shams, Mehrnegar Barahouei and Kerry L. Priest

This paper introduces a conceptual lens for leading social change in slums and informal settlements. In line with this aim, the purpose of this case study is to describe the…

Abstract

Purpose

This paper introduces a conceptual lens for leading social change in slums and informal settlements. In line with this aim, the purpose of this case study is to describe the public problem-solving approach of a social change organization situated in an informal settlement through the lens of adaptive leadership, complexity theory and social change leadership (SCL).

Design/methodology/approach

This paper follows an engaged reflection tradition. First, the author-practitioners describe an informal settlement case hereafter called ISC in southeast Iran where many people have historically remained undocumented and uneducated. Using complex adaptive systems theory, adaptive leadership and SCL as the conceptual lens, the paper analyzes ISC as a complex adaptive context in which the community and the government are in tension in solving problems, particularly illiteracy. The instrumental case study draws from participant observation and document analysis to describe and examine the endeavors of a community office operating within ISC. Through this reflective analysis, the authors illustrate how a social change organization can effectively tackle public issues like illiteracy within informal settlements.

Findings

This paper applies complexity leadership theory to a social context. The study illustrates how social change organizations can support the transformation of informal spaces into adaptive spaces to enact social change.

Originality/value

This paper reflects on engagement activity near the insecure borders of Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan. By extending an organizational-level theory to the public sphere, this paper contributes theoretically to the complexity theory literature. Moreover, it provides a practical insight for community development and slum upgrading projects.

Details

International Journal of Public Leadership, vol. 20 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2056-4929

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 9 October 2020

Tali Gazit and Jenny Bronstein

Understanding leadership in newly created online social spaces, such Facebook communities, is an important new area of study within leadership research. This study explores an…

Abstract

Purpose

Understanding leadership in newly created online social spaces, such Facebook communities, is an important new area of study within leadership research. This study explores an existing leadership model in offline environments by analyzing leadership strategies used by Facebook community leaders.

Design/methodology/approach

By using both quantitative and qualitative methods, data were collected through a survey from 94 Facebook community leaders about their leadership strategies.

Findings

Findings show that the framework of leadership behavior in offline groups can also be observed in Facebook communities. The content analysis of the open-ended questions reveals new categories reflecting unique leadership strategies in online environments. Leaders that participated in the study focused on strategies of content and team management, provided their groups with relevant content and personal stories to engage their members and strived to lead both offline and online-related social spaces to build a sense of community.

Originality/value

The growing number of Facebook community leaders and their key role in social media communities raise new questions about their position in light of what is already known about traditional leadership. Since social media occupies a central place in almost every aspect in everyday life, understanding the way that leaders manage these online communities is ever more important, and it can lead to an advancement in online communications.

Peer review

The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/OIR-01-2020-0034.

Details

Online Information Review, vol. 45 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1468-4527

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 April 2004

Gail C. Furman

This article proposes the concept of an ethic of community to complement and extend other ethical frames used in education (e.g. the ethics of justice, critique, and care)…

12038

Abstract

This article proposes the concept of an ethic of community to complement and extend other ethical frames used in education (e.g. the ethics of justice, critique, and care). Proceeding from the traditional definition of ethics as the study of moral duty and obligation, ethic of community is defined as the moral responsibility to engage in communal processes as educators pursue the moral purposes of their work and address the ongoing challenges of daily life and work in schools. The ethic of community thus centers the communal over the individual as the primary locus of moral agency in schools. The usefulness of the ethic of community in regard to achieving the moral purposes of schooling is illustrated with the example of social justice. The author concludes that the ethic of community is a vehicle that can synthesize much of the current work on leadership practices related to social justice and other moral purposes of educational leadership.

Details

Journal of Educational Administration, vol. 42 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0957-8234

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 30 July 2019

Fernando Fantoni Bencke, Eric Charles Henri Dorion, Cleber Cristiano Prodanov and Pelayo Munhoz Olea

The purpose of this paper is to analyze and understand the condition that lead to a constitution’s path of Brazilian Science Parks, in the State of Rio Grande do Sul, and…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to analyze and understand the condition that lead to a constitution’s path of Brazilian Science Parks, in the State of Rio Grande do Sul, and consequently to propose a new dimension of analysis to the Triple Helix.

Design/methodology/approach

A qualitative approach was used to elaborate a descriptive and exploratory research design, where a case study method was applied on six science parks.

Findings

The use of the Triple Helix model could not explain the Brazilian Science Park development realities. A new element, related to the innovation model, was considered as a determinant in the constitution of the Brazilian parks, and is represented as the community leadership category, as the Fourth Helix.

Research limitations/implications

Since it is a qualitative study, the results obtained have a strong relation with the local, cultural and historically constructed contexts. Bias from the researchers’ subjectivity in the data collection procedures is present, although the validity and reliability measures were performed.

Practical implications

The construction of designed and implemented specific “fertile models,” which are capable of developing the necessary conditions for the constitution and the consolidation of science parks in Brazil.

Social implications

Such empirical contribution comes from data referring to spontaneous and endogenous local community development movements.

Originality/value

The identification of a new element of the Triple Helix innovation model is represented as the community leadership category and is considered as a key determinant in the constitution of the Brazilian Science Parks.

Details

Benchmarking: An International Journal, vol. 27 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1463-5771

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 January 2014

Aidan Davison, Paul Brown, Emma Pharo, Kristin Warr, Helen McGregor, Sarah Terkes, Davina Boyd and Pamela Abuodha

Interdisciplinary approaches to climate change teaching are well justified and arise from the complexity of climate change challenges and the integrated problem-solving responses…

5999

Abstract

Purpose

Interdisciplinary approaches to climate change teaching are well justified and arise from the complexity of climate change challenges and the integrated problem-solving responses they demand. These approaches require academic teachers to collaborate across disciplines. Yet, the fragmentation typical of universities impedes collaborative teaching practice. This paper aims to report on the outcomes of a distributed leadership project in four Australian universities aimed at enhancing interdisciplinary climate change teaching.

Design/methodology/approach

Communities of teaching practice were established at four Australian universities with participants drawn from a wide range of disciplines. The establishment and operation of these communities relied on a distributed leadership methodology which facilitates acts of initiative, innovation, vision and courage through group interaction rather than through designated hierarchical roles.

Findings

Each community of practice found the distributed leadership approach overcame barriers to interdisciplinary climate change teaching. Cultivating distributed leadership enabled community members to engage in peer-led professional learning, collaborative curriculum and pedagogical development, and to facilitate wider institutional change. The detailed outcomes achieved by each community were tailored to their specific institutional context. They included the transformation of climate change curriculum, professional development in interdisciplinary pedagogy, innovation in student-led learning activities, and participation in institutional decision-making related to curriculum reform.

Originality/value

Collaborative, non-traditional leadership practices have attracted little attention in research about sustainability education in university curricula. This paper demonstrates that the distributed leadership model for sustainability education reported here is effective in building capacity for interdisciplinary climate change teaching within disciplines. The model is flexible enough for a variety of institutional settings.

Details

International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, vol. 15 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1467-6370

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 2 April 2019

Dennis McCunney, C. Ervin Davis, B. Alex White and John Howard

Dental school curricula increasingly emphasize training in leadership, public health, community engagement and collaboration. Leadership may be defined as a relational process for…

Abstract

Purpose

Dental school curricula increasingly emphasize training in leadership, public health, community engagement and collaboration. Leadership may be defined as a relational process for inspiring and influencing positive change. Leadership training focused on effectively building relationships and partnerships to improve community health is particularly important with the increased emphasis on dental primary care, holistic care, rural care and health disparities. Dentists and other health care providers are encouraged to engage with communities and community partners and organizations to improve healthcare and overall health. To better educate and train dental students to meet these challenges, new and innovative methods of didactic and experiential coursework are needed. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Design/methodology/approach

The current study describes the development, delivery and preliminary evaluation of a community-engaged leadership training program for dental students. The program incorporated student-developed public health project proposals and sessions with simulated community partners based on a simulated rural community with specific oral and general health needs.

Findings

Overall, students felt the training was realistic and valuable for developing leadership skills and preparing them for challenges that could not have been learned through didactic instruction alone. Students gained a better understanding of their own leadership styles, their strengths and weaknesses and their level of developed leadership competencies.

Originality/value

This program is an innovative way to develop leadership applied to public health and community needs and should have implications for ways of teaching leadership to improve oral health outcomes.

Details

Journal of Applied Research in Higher Education, vol. 11 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2050-7003

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 12 February 2018

Miftachul Huda, Kamarul Shukri Mat Teh, Nasrul Hisyam Nor Muhamad and Badlihisham Mohd Nasir

As a fundamental notion of transmitting civic responsibility with leadership, preparing service learning into the transformative experiential education aims to link classroom and…

1267

Abstract

Purpose

As a fundamental notion of transmitting civic responsibility with leadership, preparing service learning into the transformative experiential education aims to link classroom and community as an initiative in transforming civic responsibility among students. This paper aims to examine the insights of service learning to transmit the civic responsibility-based leadership.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper builds on recent reviews on ethical engagement for service learning to underlie in performing civic responsibility. This literature review stage critically investigates service learning for contributing leadership-based civic responsibility. In-depth analysis from referred books, journals and conferences using keywords such as service learning and leadership-based civic responsibility was conducted. Meta-synthesis was conducted from findings by searching for information organized using substantive keywords.

Findings

There are three core stages to understand and provide insight into the importance of civic responsibility-based leadership: strengthening commitment to work with a strategic plan in community engagement, nurturing creative thinking and professional skills with experiential leadership and enhancing leadership awareness with rational problem-solving. This study is supposed to contribute to the theoretical construction of civic responsibility with insights from service learning.

Originality/value

Civic responsibility-based leadership is mainly seen as a comprehensive method of putting individual and societal basis in experiential learning. It aims to give insights to enhance the personal and social awareness to get involved in the community engagement by which to be the citizen with responsible essences.

Details

International Journal of Ethics and Systems, vol. 34 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0828-8666

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 23 July 2020

Mita Mehta, Harsha Sarvaiya and Arti Chandani

The purpose of this paper was to examine how community engagement can be influenced by responsible leadership during crises. It looks at the phenomenon of community engagement and…

1659

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper was to examine how community engagement can be influenced by responsible leadership during crises. It looks at the phenomenon of community engagement and responsible leadership in India during the Covid-19 pandemic, using the collective responses of community.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper uses netnography, which studies community interpretations through their online social communication. The perceptions on how engaged the Indian community felt during the pandemic were studied by collecting and analysing their postings on social media.

Findings

The findings suggest that responsible leadership – through the building of trust, open communication, collective consciousness and mindful action – is an effective way to positively engage stakeholders and influence community response during a pandemic.

Originality/value

This paper contributes to the literature of responsible leadership and community engagement during crises. It is an attempt to link public leadership with responsible leadership and its impact on community engagement in a novel way, filling a void in the literature.

Details

International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy, vol. 42 no. 3/4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0144-333X

Keywords

1 – 10 of over 51000