Explaining incongruities between leadership theory and practice: integrating theories of resonance, communication and systems

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Brent D. Ruben ◽  
Ralph A. Gigliotti
Keyword(s):  
Social Influence ◽  
Leadership Theory ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Traditional Values ◽  
Resonance Theory ◽  
Leadership Theories ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Single Moment ◽  
Subject Matter Expertise ◽  
Leadership Study

PurposeLeadership scholars, practitioners and educators find themselves at a very opportune time, when their subject matter-expertise is of increasing interest across sectors, settings and levels of analysis, as leadership is hailed as both a pressing problem and a promising solution. It is also a challenging time for leadership study—a point in time when incongruities between leadership theories and the observed dynamics and outcomes of leadership in practice have been difficult to ignore. In this article we identify and discuss several problematic incongruities, explore possible reasons for these gaps and outline an integrated view of theories of resonance, communication and systems to address these discontinuities and advance our understanding of leadership theory and practice.Design/methodology/approachBuilding upon the intersection of theories of resonance, communication and systems in this conceptual article, we advance a line of renewed macro-level thinking on the topic of leadership as social influence, resulting in what we describe as leadership resonance theory.FindingsThis article advances an explanation of leadership as a phenomenon that is co-constructed through the communicative connections established between leaders and followers. These connections are mutually-defining, mutually-reinforcing and mutually-causal. Resonance, activation and cultivation are central concepts in the proposed framework, introduced to help explain dynamics and outcomes that seem unpredictable or unexplainable when focusing attention solely on a leader or followers in isolation of one another at a single moment in time.Originality/valueThis framework offers an original, nuanced and integrated way of thinking about leadership in terms of communication, social influence and systems theory, and it helps to explain gaps between the guidance provided by leadership theory and observed leadership outcomes in practice. The proposed framework can help to explain observed leader–follower behaviors, dynamics and outcomes, irrespective of whether they are seen as desirable or comfortable, whether they are necessarily aligned with extant theories or guidance on preferred practices and whether or not they align with traditional values in a personal, organizational or societal context.

George Washington: a revolutionary approach to leadership

2018 ◽  
Vol 39 (8) ◽  
pp. 995-1009
Author(s):  
Todd C. Harris
Keyword(s):  
Leadership Competencies ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Academic Disciplines ◽  
Leadership Traits ◽  
Journal Articles ◽  
George Washington ◽  
Leadership Theories ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Tools And Techniques

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is twofold: first, to examine George Washington’s approach to leadership through the lens of contemporary leadership theory and practice; and second, to help modern managers further reflect upon and develop their own leadership capabilities through a historiographic examination of Washington’s leadership traits and skills.Design/methodology/approachCombining three different academic disciplines, management, psychology and history, the author utilized a historiographic and interdisciplinary research methodology, conducting a detailed exploration of the life of George Washington through an examination of a wide range of original archival materials, books, journal articles and other sources.FindingsThe present analysis reveals that Washington demonstrated a variety of well-validated leadership competencies (e.g. emotional intelligence, resilience, integrity, etc.) that are largely consistent with leader-centered theoretical conceptions of leadership.Originality/valueThis is the first historiographic study of George Washington’s approach to leadership within the management literature. Additionally, through the development of a competency model, the study demonstrates how Washington employed tools and techniques from a host of modern leadership theories to achieve critically important results.

Resilient leadership: a transformational-transactional leadership mix

2015 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 99-112 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kwasi Dartey-Baah
Keyword(s):  
Transactional Leadership ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Strategic Thinking ◽  
Leadership Theory ◽  
Learning Performance ◽  
Leadership Theories ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Performance Orientation ◽  
Resilient Leadership ◽  
Conceptual Link

Purpose – This paper aims to bring to bear the resemblance between the current resilient leadership theory and the transformational–transactional leadership theories. It does this with the view of re-focusing discussions of leadership on an effective mix of the transformational–transactional leadership theories to achieve the desired organisational performance, rather than a new look at leadership from the resilient leadership perspective – which is quite the same. Design/methodology/approach – It achieves this purpose by reviewing literature on the three leadership styles; and further goes on to draw a conceptual link among them to buttress the point that resilient leadership is a repetition of the ideas underlying the two already existing theories – transformational and transactional. Findings – A review of the three leadership theories in literature showed that qualities such as strategic thinking, emotional intelligence, adaptation/change orientation, learning, performance orientation and collective leadership as captured under the resilient leadership theory are already considered under the transformational–transactional leadership theories, and thus, constitutes a repetition not needed in the search for the best leadership approach. Originality/value – The current volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous environment calls for a new leadership thinking/approach – one that is known and empirically tested to yield best results. In this regard, the present study advocates for a consideration of the transformational–transactional approaches, which have been proven to yield best results, to focus the discussion on leadership.

scholarly journals Exploring leadership in the context of dentistry in the UK

2016 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 201-216 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen George Willcocks
Keyword(s):  
Leadership Development ◽  
Relevant Literature ◽  
Leadership Theory ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Leadership Role ◽  
Limited Attention ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Leadership Approaches ◽  
Recent Policy

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore selective leadership approaches in the context of dentistry in the UK. Design/methodology/approach This is a conceptual paper utilising published sources from relevant literature about leadership theory and practice and the policy background to dentistry in the UK. Findings This paper suggests that there is merit in identifying and applying an eclectic mix of leadership theory to the case of dentistry. It offers insight into individual aspects of the leadership role for dentists and applies this to the dental context. It also contrasts these individual approaches with shared leadership and suggests this may also be relevant to dentistry. It highlights the fact that leadership will be of growing concern for dentistry in the light of recent policy changes. Research limitations/implications This paper points out that there are developmental implications depending on the particular approach taken. It argues that leadership development will become increasingly important in dentistry in the UK. Originality/value This paper addresses a topic that has so far received limited attention in the literature.

A Discussion of Critical Leadership Issues in Higher Education

2012 ◽  
pp. 104-112
Author(s):  
Victor X. Wang ◽  
Jim Berger
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Real World ◽  
Technical Skills ◽  
Leadership Theory ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Leadership Theories ◽  
Leadership Ethics ◽  
Closing The Gaps ◽  
Critical Leadership

The authors seek to illustrate that gaps exist between leadership theory and practice. Well-reasoned theories are disseminated in various academic venues; however, they are hardly applied in practice. In higher education, these gaps seem to be compounded by the administrator’s lack of technical skills or leadership ethics. To demonstrate the true gaps between leadership theories and practice, the authors provide a real world example. While different leadership theories are briefly reviewed, the authors’ intention was to show that they need to be applied to practice in order for leaders to be effective. Closing the gaps between leadership theories and practice may take many years and much effort. By reading this chapter, the authors hope readers/researchers will clearly see the gaps that exist in higher education and work to find ways to plug those gaps.

scholarly journals Elements of perceived good physician leadership and their relation to leadership theory

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sari Huikko-Tarvainen
Keyword(s):  
Leadership Theory ◽  
Leadership Roles ◽  
Physician Leadership ◽  
Leadership Theories ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Medical Expertise ◽  
Hierarchical Levels ◽  
Physician Leaders ◽  
Interpretative Approach ◽  
Medical Leadership

Purpose This research paper aims to discover the elements of good physician leadership as perceived by physicians and to find out how the findings connect to the leadership theory. Design/methodology/approach The subjects (n = 50) of this qualitative study are physicians from four hierarchical levels (residents/specialising physicians, specialists, heads of departments and chief physicians). Content analysis with a constructivist-interpretative approach by thematisation was the chosen method, and it was also analysed how major leadership theories relate to good physician leadership. Findings Physician leaders are expected to possess the professional skills of physicians, understand how the work affects physicians’ lives and be competent in applying suitable leadership approaches following different situations and people. Trust, fairness, empathy, social skills, two-way communication skills, regular feedback, collegial respect and emotional intelligence are expected. As medical expertise connects leaders and followers, success in medical leadership comes from credibility in medical expertise, making medical leadership an inseparable part of good physician leadership. Subordinates are physician colleagues, who have their informal leadership roles on their hierarchical levels, making physician leadership a multidimensional leadership setting wherein formal leaders lead informal leaders, which blurs the traditional leader–follower boundary. In summary, good physician leadership is leadership through medical expertise combined with good manners, collegiality and traits from different kinds of leadership theories. Originality/value This study discovers elements of good physician leadership in a Finnish health-care context in which no similar prior empirical research has been carried out.

Contextually Intelligent Leadership for Improving Schools Across Different Contexts and Regions

2019 ◽  
pp. 43-58
Author(s):  
Ramodikoe Nylon Marishane ◽  
Sharon Thabo Mampane
Keyword(s):  
School Leadership ◽  
School Principals ◽  
Leadership Theory ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Review Of The Literature ◽  
Leadership Theories ◽  
Leadership And Management ◽  
The World ◽  
Current Leadership ◽  
The One

One of the main challenges facing school principals in many parts of the world today is how to create a meaningful balance between accountability and innovation. This challenge is rooted in the existing tension between managerialism and leadership theory prevailing across contexts and regions. It is manifested by two competing contextual demands put on school principals, namely, the demand for accountability for outcomes (expressed, among others, through standards-based accountability policies) on the one hand, and the demand for innovation and creativity current leadership theories postulate in view of the context of change schools are operating in. Based on the review of the literature, this chapter presents the tension between school leadership and management and how this manifests itself in both theory and practice. The chapter examines the potential for reducing the tension through contextual intelligence and concludes by outlining possible strategies to narrow the gap between the two and resolve the challenge.

Closing the Leadership Gaps Between Theory and Practice

2012 ◽  
pp. 320-330
Author(s):  
Victor X. Wang
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Technical Skills ◽  
Leadership Theory ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Leadership Theories ◽  
Leadership Ethics ◽  
Closing The Gaps ◽  
The Right

This article intends to illustrate that there exist gaps between leadership theory and practice. Well-reasoned theories run through the pages of books; they are hardly applied to practice. In higher education, these gaps seem to be compounded by the lack of technical skills or leadership ethics. To demonstrate the true gaps between leadership theories and practice, the author provides a real example. While the different leadership theories are briefly reviewed, the author’s intention was to show that they need to be applied to practice in order for leaders to guide followers in the right direction. Closing the gaps between leadership theories and practice may take many years and much effort. By reading this article, the readers/researchers will discern clearly the gaps that exist in higher education.

A review of leadership theories: identifying a lack of growth in the HRD leadership domain

2018 ◽  
Vol 42 (7/8) ◽  
pp. 470-498 ◽  
Author(s):  
John R. Turner ◽  
Rose Baker
Keyword(s):  
Human Resource Development ◽  
Human Resource ◽  
Organizational Leadership ◽  
Resource Development ◽  
Leadership Theory ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Leadership Theories ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Current Leadership ◽  
Leadership Research

Purpose This paper aims to identify the life-cycle of leadership theory from both the human resource development (HRD) and the organizational/leadership literature while providing a contrast between the two bodies of literature. The current research identifies which theories are being represented within the HRD literature, followed by a review of current directions in the leadership fields, primarily from literature in the organizational and leadership fields. By identifying these two bodies of leadership theories, the following research question will be answered: How current are the leadership theories provided in the literature of HRD compared to research that is reported from other external leadership fields? Design/methodology/approach This paper examines how leadership theories are represented in the HRD literature. Data for the current article provide a preview of leadership theories that are used to inform HRD scholars and scholar–practitioners for a period of 15 years (2000-2015) in the four Academy of Human Resource Development (AHRD) publications (Advances in Developing Human Resources; Human Resource Development International; Human Resource Development Quarterly; and Human Resource Development Review). The four journals within the AHRD were reviewed to identify which leadership theories were being researched and used to inform members of HRD. The search terms for the current study included “leadership AND theory,” “team AND leadership,” “leadership AND development” and “team AND development.” Studies that presented a leadership theory and either described or defined the theory were coded for the current study. Within this body of literature, there were a total of 74 leadership theories identified (some repeating), among those there were a total of 20 unique leadership theories. The literature external of HRD was identified using the ScienceDirect database for 10 years (2007-2017) with the topics limited to “topics–leadership.” Once the HRD and organizational/leadership literature are presented, a comparison between the two literature streams will be provided, highlighting any deficiencies within either body of literature and recommendations for future research efforts for the field of HRD. Findings This examination of leadership theory study within HRD and other fields highlights the deficiencies within either body of literature and offers recommendations for future research efforts for the field of HRD. In line with the trend in leadership research, HRD should call for more longitudinal and multi-level research efforts to be conducted as opposed to cross-sectional studies. Research limitations/implications The current study is limited in the literature that was used to collect/code data. Also, the time frame for the HRD literature ended in 2015 due to the long duration required to review articles and to code the data. Secondary data were obtained from organizational/leadership literature and are more current because they are more recent. Overall, even with an end date of 2015 for the HRD literature, the HRD field has not changed too much during this time and the authors recognize some minor changes, but the research findings are still relevant and the leadership deficits presented are still realized. Practical implications The field of HRD is behind when it comes to leadership theories. This paper identifies this in an effort to aid researchers, students and practitioners to look beyond the leadership theories presented in the HRD literature for more relevant and current leadership theories. This paper highlighted a number of newer and current leadership theories and trends for scholars and scholar-practitioners to begin to focus on; however, this list is only a snapshot and is bounded by the data collected for the current paper. Originality/value This paper is original in that it is both critical of leadership research within the HRD literature while also providing new directions for the field. The snapshot of where the field of HRD is compared to the leadership and organizational fields becomes apparent with multiple future directions for research.

Bridging the Gap Between Leadership Theory and Practice

1993 ◽  
Vol 38 (6) ◽  
pp. 597-599
Author(s):  
Robert L. Dipboye
Keyword(s):  
Leadership Theory ◽  
Theory And Practice

scholarly journals Unpacking the package

2015 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 346-376 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark Evans ◽  
Basil Phillip Tucker
Keyword(s):  
Organisational Change ◽  
Clean Energy ◽  
Management Control ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Informal Control ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Energy Company ◽  
Management Controls ◽  
Control Package

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the ways in which both formal and informal control, operating as a package, are implicated in responding to organisational change arising from the introduction of the Australian Federal Government’s Clean Energy Act (2011). Design/methodology/approach – This investigation is based on a review of archival data, and semi-structured interviews conducted with 15 staff at different hierarchical levels within an Australian renewable energy company. Findings – Although formal management control systems and informal control both played important roles in the organisation’s reorientation to organisational change, it was the latter form of control that predominated over the former. The influence of the prevailing organisational culture, however, was pivotal in orchestrating both formal and informal control efforts within this organisation. Originality/value – This study contributes to management control theory and practice in two ways: first, it provides much needed empirical evidence about the ways in which management controls act as a package; second, it offers insights into the relative importance of the components of a management control package in the context of a particular organisational change. In addition, it responds to Laughlin’s (1991) call for empirical “flesh” to be added to the skeletal framework he advocates to make this conceptualisation of organisational change, “more meaningful”.

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