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This paper aims to contribute to the literature on corporate and leadership responsibility by proposing a relational business model for shared responsibility.

First, a literature review on corporate and leadership responsibility is presented and discussed. This is followed by an overview of existing public and private regulations and future perspectives that enforce and/or foster corporate and leadership responsibility. Based on the concepts of relational economics, relational leadership and proactive regulation, the theoretical foundations of a relational business model are derived. In addition, a decision model for the empirical application of the relational business model in ethical dilemma situations is developed and presented.

Theoretical elaboration of a relational business model and an associated relational decision-making approach.

This study contributes to a new way of doing business in terms of shared responsibility. Furthermore, corporate responsibility and leadership responsibility are usually researched as two distinct fields, with the former referring to the meso level and the latter to the micro level. A relational approach, which views leadership as a relational phenomenon, contributes to bridging both concepts.

Increasingly governmental policy around PhD education has resulted in greater university oversight of programs and student experience – often through creating central PhD Schools. While student experience is well researched, the experiences of Heads of these units, who are responsible for creating student experience, have been invisible. This exploratory Danish case study begins such a conversation: its purpose to examine the perceptions of five Heads of PhD Humanities Schools, each responsible for steering institutional decisions within Danish PhD policy landscapes.

A qualitative approach integrated three distinct analyses: a review of Danish PhD education policies and university procedures, each university’s job specifications for the Heads of the Schools and the Heads’ views on their responsibilities.

The Heads differentiated between their own and today’s PhD student experience. They had held prior leadership roles and fully supported institutional regulations. They cared deeply for the students under their charge and were working to achieve personal goals to enhance PhD experience. Their leadership perspective was relational: enhancing individual student learning through engaging with multiple PhD actors (e.g. program leaders) – when possible at a personal level – to improve PhD practices.

This study contributes an expanded perspective on how PhD School Heads constitute their roles by empirically linking: macro-national policies and institutional regulations and individuals’ biographies to their support of the PhD regimes – with implications for academic leadership generally. The authors argue research into PhD School leadership is essential, as it is such individuals who create the organisational settings that students experience.

The aim of this paper is to explore the stakeholder exclusion practices of responsible leaders.

An interpretive multiple case analyses of seven responsibly led organisations was employed. Twenty-two qualitative interviews were undertaken to investigate and understand perceptions and practice of responsible leaders and their approach to stakeholder inclusion and exclusion.

The findings revealed new and surprising insights where responsible leaders compromised their espoused values of inclusivity through the application of a personal bias, resulting in the exclusion of certain stakeholders. This exclusivity practice focused on the informal evaluation of potential stakeholders’ values, and where they did not align with those of the responsible leader, these stakeholders were excluded from participation with the organisation. This resulted in the creation and continuity of a culture of shared moral purpose across the organisation.

This study focussed on responsible leader-led organisations, so the next stage of the research will include mainstream organisations (i.e. without explicit responsible leadership) to examine how personal values bias affects stakeholder selection in a wider setting.

The findings suggest that reflexive practice and critically appraising management methods in normative leadership approaches may lead to improvements in diversity management.

This paper presents original empirical data challenging current perceptions of responsible leader inclusivity practices and indicates areas of leadership development that may need to be addressed.

This paper aims to elucidate responsible leadership as a construct with strong moral and ethical underpinnings, as well as a focus on multiple stakeholders and the triple bottom line. This paper also highlights the interdependence of the economic, social and environmental dimensions of a business to achieve corporate sustainability.

This conceptual paper is the outcome of analysing and synthesizing the findings of the literature review on three main constructs: responsible leadership, triple bottom line and corporate sustainability. This review enabled the development of logical associations among these constructs.

The literature revealed logical associations between responsible leadership, the triple bottom line and corporate sustainability. All three constructs embody the three dimensions of economic, social and environmental sustainability, which form the basis of the associations.

Responsible leadership, grounded in stakeholder theory, goes beyond the traditional dyadic leader–follower relationship to influence multiple stakeholders within and outside the organization and achieve positive outcomes for both the organization and society. Multiple levels of outcomes and higher levels of organizational performance for businesses are the hallmarks of responsible leadership.

This paper highlights the importance of responsible leadership and triple bottom-line performance for corporate sustainability. Responsible leadership has the potential to create significant impact on business and society, to achieve long-term corporate sustainability. A conceptual model of responsible leadership is also proposed to show the association between responsible leadership, the triple bottom line and corporate sustainability.

The current study qualitatively examined the challenges and lessons learned from Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) during the COVID-19 pandemic. The current study draws upon previous crisis leadership research to understand and classify the most important lessons learned from CEOs.

A total of 30 in-depth, structured CEO interviews were conducted with large, multi-divisional organizations across market sectors that included healthcare, automotive, steel, agriculture, logistics, distribution, banking, financial services, light manufacturing and industrial services during the COVID-19 pandemic. Three separate judges performed a content analysis, and three main themes (eleven overall lessons) emerged related to high-level leadership lessons learned through the pandemic.

The leadership lessons that emerged overwhelmingly focused on the importance of emphasizing leadership fundamentals during crisis. CEO’s shared the importance of getting “back to basics” during the pandemic. The current study presents these leadership lessons, along with insights for leadership practices and development, as well as future research. Additionally, questions for reflection are posed to stimulate current and future leaders’ growth and development.

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted leadership and organizations in an unprecedented manner. Previous research has outlined the leadership traits and behaviors needed to successfully lead through organizational crises. However, little research has examined CEO level lessons learned, focusing on learning from such crises.

In the dynamic landscape of the modern business world, the pursuit of employee well-being and satisfaction with life (SWL) has gained prominence. Yet, few studies exist on SWL among Indian working professionals. This study aims to investigate the impact of inclusive leadership (IL) on the employees’ SWL. Moreover, employing a mediation approach, the study also reveals the mediating role of workplace inclusion (WI) and career satisfaction (CS) in the relationship between IL and SWL.

The study involves a cross-sectional quantitative approach, drawing upon a sample of 279 professionals belonging to the Indian IT sector by administering standardized questionnaires. Data were analyzed using PLS through SmartPLS4.0 software.

The findings reveal a fully complementary mediating role of WI and CS in the IL–SWL relationship, supporting the hypothesized mediation model.

This finding implies that leaders, with their inclusive behavior, can significantly influence employees’ SWL when accompanied by a sense of inclusiveness and CS among employees. The study offers valuable insights for organizations and leaders seeking to enhance employee satisfaction in the IT sector, emphasizing the significance of career-focused and inclusive practices in the workplace through leadership to promote a fulfilling workplace.

This study represents a pioneering effort to integrate the relationship between IL and SWL within the Indian context, going beyond the existing literature on WI and SWL. Additionally, the research model explores the influence of WI and CS in the IL–SWL relationship, a novel approach that has not been previously investigated.

While previous research in career studies has highlighted the positive impact of several leadership behaviors on followers’ work and career success, less is known about how the emergent topic of inclusive leadership shapes followers’ task performance. Using an inclusive leadership approach and job demands-resources theory, we developed a novel sequential mediation model in which inclusive leadership indirectly facilitates followers’ performance through self-initiating behavior and work motivation. Specifically, we aimed to investigate whether inclusive leaders encourage followers to show enhanced task performance through strengths use and work engagement.

A representative sample of 278 Dutch employees from diverse organizations was surveyed at three different time points.

The results of structural equation modeling evidenced that inclusive leadership was indirectly related to follower task performance, initially through the utilization of strengths and subsequently through work engagement over time. When leaders exhibited behaviors that were inclusive in nature, they encouraged their followers to make use of their strengths at work. Such leadership actions boosted the work engagement of their followers and led to enhanced task performance.

We develop and test a novel sequential mediation model that explores how inclusive leadership fosters improved task performance among followers by promoting the utilization of strengths and subsequent work engagement. This sheds light on the mechanisms through which inclusive leadership contributes to follower performance, a crucial indicator in shaping sustainable career trajectories.

The aim of this study was to explore and understand the leadership experiences of medical consultants prior to a major hospital move. Health and care is becoming increasingly complex and there is no greater challenge than the move to a new hospital. Effective leadership has been identified as being essential for successful transition. However, there is very little evidence of how medical consultants experience effective leadership.

A qualitative methodology was utilized with one-to-one semi-structured interviews conducted with ten medical consultants. These were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using inductive thematic analysis. The research complied with the consolidated criteria for reporting qualitative research (COREQ).

Four themes were found to influence medical consultants’ experience of leadership: collaboration, patient centredness, governance and knowledge mobilization. Various factors were identified that negatively influenced their leadership effectiveness. The findings suggest that there are a number of factors that influence complexity leadership effectiveness. Addressing these areas may enhance leadership effectiveness and the experience of leadership in medical consultants.

This study provides a rich exploration of medical consultants’ experience of collective leadership prior to a transition to a new hospital and provides new understandings of the way collective leadership is experienced in the lead up to a major transition and makes recommendations for future leadership research and practice.

The findings suggest that there are a number of factors that influence complexity leadership effectiveness. Addressing these areas may enhance leadership effectiveness and the experience of leadership in medical consultants.

Clinical leadership is associated with better outcomes for patients therefore any interventions that enhance leadership capability will improve outcomes for patients and therefore benefit society.

This is the first research to explore medical consultants’ experience of collective leadership prior to a transition to a new hospital.

This study aims to endeavor to discern the predominant leadership styles used by nursing managers within the framework of Slovenian primary health centers. Using a quantitative research approach, the study was conducted through the administration of a structured questionnaire.

The investigation encompassed 67 nursing managers, representing the entire spectrum of primary health centers in Slovenia. A stratified representative subset comprising 53 top nursing managers actively participated in this study.

The prevailing leadership style among nursing managers predominantly manifests as the “integrated” style, characterized by a balanced emphasis on both interpersonal relationships and task-oriented elements. These nursing leaders exhibited a proclivity for fostering collaborative teamwork, with their leadership approach notably shaped by traits such as positive thinking, self-assuredness, comprehensive leadership knowledge and an intrinsic motivation to guide and inspire individuals. Notably, leadership knowledge emerged as the most influential factor in determining the selected leadership style. The study’s findings recognize specific areas in which leadership competencies among nurse managers may require further enhancement and development.

The study’s findings are based on a specific subset of nursing leaders in a particular region, which can add to the originality, especially as there is limited prior research in this specific context. The study’s exploration of leadership styles is original in the sense that it provides insights into the leadership behaviors and traits of nursing managers in the given context. The emphasis on factors such as positive thinking and leadership knowledge as influential elements adds originality to the study.

There is an emerging interest in Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ) inclusion among researchers and practitioners. However, the interplay of macro-, meso- and micro-level factors that influence the behavior of various agencies, systems, structures and practices in different national, cultural and social contexts still needs to be researched. This paper aims to examine how organizations meaningfully engage with the marginalized and underrepresented workforce, especially the LGBTQ community, to promote diversity and inclusion through comprehensive policies and practices, thereby developing a sustainable inclusivity culture.

Adopting a practice theory lens and using a case study design, including multilevel interviews with 28 different stakeholders, this study examines how organizations institutionalize LGBTQ inclusion practices in an emerging market context with a historically low acceptance of the LGBTQ community.

Findings indicate that macro influences, such as regulatory, societal and market pressures and adopting international standards and norms, impact meso-level structures and practices. At the organizational level, leadership evangelism and workforce allyship serve as relational mechanisms for institutionalizing LGBTQ-inclusive practices. Furthermore, collaboration, partnerships and enabling systems and processes provide the structural frameworks within which organizations build an LGBTQ-inclusive culture. Lastly, at the micro level, cisgender allyship and the LGBTQ micro work environments provide the necessary psychological safety to build trust for authentic LGBTQ self-expressions. This study also indicates that organizations evolve their LGBTQ inclusion practices along a trajectory, with multiple external and internal forces that work simultaneously and recursively to shape HRM policies and practices for building an inclusive culture.

This study addresses the significant gaps in diversity and inclusivity research on LGBTQ employees and contributes to the literature in three significant ways. First, this study examines the diversity management mechanisms at the organizational level and explicates their interplay at the micro, meso and macro levels to create congruence, both internally and externally, for engaging with LGBTQ talent. Second, this study adopts a practice theory lens to examine the behavior of various actors, their agencies, the “flow” of underlying and emerging structures and processes, the continuous interplay between structure and action and how they enable inclusive culture for the LGBTQ community as a whole. Last, it addresses the call by diversity researchers for context-specific multilevel research design, including qualitative research, focusing on national, cultural and institutional contexts, where socio-organizational and historical factors and interactions among them shape diversity practices. Much of the literature on LGBTQ inclusion has, thus far, been within the Western context. By examining the emergence of inclusion practices in emerging markets like India, this study contributes to diversity and inclusion research.