Liminal leadership: leading betwixt and between

2019 ◽  
Vol 43 (7/8) ◽  
pp. 643-660
Author(s):  
Leslie Shaw-VanBuskirk ◽  
Doo Hun Lim ◽  
Shin-Hee Jeong

Purpose The purpose of this study is to review the literature on liminal leadership, present a comprehensive perspective of it compared to other types of leadership, propose a conceptual framework of liminal leadership and provide a case on how liminal leadership addresses modern workplace issues in the ever-changing and competitive global environment. Design/methodology/approach This research is conceptual in nature. For this, the authors searched literature on organizational and leadership theories of liminality within organizational settings and analyzed various leadership perspectives to develop a construct of liminal leadership. Findings The comparative analysis revealed different and/or similar characteristics of liminal leadership with other types of leadership theories. On the basis of the comparative analysis, a synthesis of liminal leadership and a proposed conceptual framework to pursue future studies of liminal leadership are provided. Research limitations/implications First, the notion of liminal leadership is emerging; few have been conducted to investigate the concept. Therefore, the authors’ approach to compose the theoretical background of liminal leadership is limited. Second, they drew a logical framework of leadership components a liminal leader might use from chosen leadership theories which had some kinship and likeness to liminal leadership. However, the comparative analysis of the relationship is limited because of the conceptually based nature of analysis. Third, the proposed model of liminal leadership is tentative and conceptual in nature. Empirical studies are needed to verify the psychometric structure and reliability of the model. Originality/value Despite its importance and a sense of urgency, almost no discussion on liminal leadership or liminality can be found in the field of HRD. The limited knowledge associated with liminal leadership places high value on the results of this study. This paper will provide a seminal base that may stimulate future human resource development (HRD) scholars. The purpose for this study is to contribute a conceptualization of liminal leadership as it applies to the field of HRD as leading and facilitating organizational changes.

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohamed-Abdullahi Mohamed ◽  
Asmat-Nizam Abdul-Talib ◽  
AfifahAlwani Ramlee

Purpose This study aims to examine the role of returning Somali diaspora entrepreneurs on firm performance and their perceived environmental obstacles. Design/methodology/approach The paper draws on a broad literature review and covers a theoretical background to develop a research framework. It presents several propositions to be empirically tested to determine the influence of returnee entrepreneurs’ success and the challenges they face in the process. Findings The paper offers an overview of how Somali diaspora returnee entrepreneurs can use their resources to succeed in their business and the possible environmental uncertainties that could hinder them. The study highlights some under-researched areas and provides future research directions. Research limitations/implications A research investigation is needed to test the proposed conceptual framework empirically. Further research is also recommended to use other predictors when investigating the perceived environmental uncertainty faced by returnee entrepreneurs. Practical implications In the diaspora entrepreneurship literature, returnee entrepreneurs in post-conflict African countries did not get enough attention. Hence, the study will contribute theoretically to the literature. Originality/value The paper provides a conceptual framework that will help understand returnee entrepreneurs in post-conflict states in Africa, paving the way for empirical studies on the topic.


2017 ◽  
Vol 40 (6) ◽  
pp. 684-697 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anshu Sharma ◽  
Tanuja Sharma

PurposeThis paper aims to explore the role of human resource (HR) analytics on employees’ willingness to improve performance. In doing so, the paper examines issues related to the performance appraisal (PA) system which affect employees’ willingness to improve performance and how HR analytics can be a potential solution to deal with such issues. Design/methodology/approachThe paper develops a conceptual framework along with propositions by integrating both academic and practitioner literatures, in the field of HR analytics and performance management. FindingsThe paper proposes that the use of HR analytics will be negatively related to subjectivity bias in the PA system, thereby positively affecting employees’ perceived accuracy and fairness. This further positively affects employees’ satisfaction with the PA system, which subsequently increases employees’ willingness to improve performance. Research limitations/implicationsThe paper provides implications for both researchers and practitioners in the performance management area for improving employees’ performance by applying HR analytics as a strategic tool in the PA system. It also provides implications for future researchers to empirically test the conceptual framework in different organizational settings. Originality/valueThe paper offers insights into how the use of HR analytics can deal with issues of subjectivity bias in the PA system and positively affects employees’ willingness to improve performance.


2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tamara K. Rostovskaya ◽  
Vera I. Skorobogatova ◽  
Elena E. Pismennaya ◽  
Vadim A. Bezverbny

PurposeThe goal of research consists in identifying trends in academic mobility in Russia and abroad, primarily that of academic staff; contributing suggestions on improving the management of academic mobility processes.Design/methodology/approachThe research uses methods of observation, comparative analysis, as well as statistical method and generalization method supported by the facts. A comparative analysis of statistical data is made; these data were taken from the publicly available reliable sources of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, Human Resource Development Department of the Asia–Pacific and others.FindingsIt was found that the level of academic mobility rises with the rising level of education. The overall mobility of tertiary students – in particular, students and postgraduate students, is growing throughout the world. Mobile postgraduate students demonstrate better research results during training. Even short-term academic internships for postgraduate students contribute to the successful implementation of research projects at their host university and the spread of new knowledge in general. In general, academic mobility contributes to the accumulation of human and cultural scientific capital that makes a connection between research communities in different countries. Based on the research findings, it was found that no statistics are collected on the foreign academic mobility of postgraduate students and young researchers in Russia. Based on the analysis, it may be deduced that the scope of academic mobility is extremely small. European countries are the main countries of prevailing academic mobility.Originality/valueGiven the importance of participation in foreign academic mobility for the development of the competitiveness of national science in Russia, it appears that there is a need to monitor the foreign academic mobility of Russian postgraduate students and young researchers. The monitoring of foreign academic mobility of Russian postgraduate students and young researchers is a systematic observation of the status and conditions of training highly qualified personnel in Russian educational establishments and scientific organizations, providing educational authorities of Russia with up-to-date information on the status of outgoing academic mobility necessary for analyzing and forecasting the development of the national education system and national labor market.


2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 185-215 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohamad Isa Abd Jalil ◽  
Sofri Yahya ◽  
Anwar Allah Pitchay

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to conceptualise the relationship between information disclosure andWaqifcommitment, taking into consideration the role of level of trust (mediator variable) and communication and type of payment (moderator variables).Design/methodology/approachThe conceptual framework is developed from the theory of social exchange (mediated philanthropy model) and selected previous literature concerning commitment.FindingsAccording to previous empirical research, a conceptual framework was developed to facilitate further analysis in the study. Nine propositions were raised in this paper where the factor of communication and payment method is proposed to no longer the factor that determined commitment but as moderator. There is five antecedent of information disclosure proposed, which is basic information, financial information, non-financial information, future information and governance information. Also, trust is offered to be the mediator variable between information disclosure andWaqfcommitment.Research limitations/implicationsBy realising many factors that may influence the commitment ofwaqfsuch as demonstrable utility, emotional utility and familial utility, this study only focusses on the effect of information disclosure.Practical implicationsThis paper provides an opportunity for further empirical studies to prove the relationship between information disclosure andWaqfcommitment. This paper also brought opportunities to investigate both conceptually and empirically, other factors that could affectWaqfcommitment.Originality/valueTo the best of the author’s knowledge, few studies have been done concerning donors commitment. While there are none yet, the research examinedWaqfcommitment. The originality value of this study is that there is a gap in knowledge regarding the analysis ofWaqfcommitment, the level of trust amongwaqifis the information thatWaqfexpected, the preferred communication between Mutawalli andWaqfand type of payment thatWaqffavoured. This study is believed to be a novel based on the framework developed.


2018 ◽  
Vol 50 (7/8) ◽  
pp. 420-431 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sunyoung Park ◽  
Jae Young Lee

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to review the existing workplace learning measures used in empirical studies in human resource development (HRD).Design/methodology/approachBy reviewing 141 studies on workplace learning published in six journals in the field of HRD, we identified nine measures for workplace learning. Tynjälä’s (2013) 3-P model of workplace learning was adopted as the framework to analyze the features of each measure in terms of presage, process and product.FindingsWorkplace Climate Questionnaire, Learning Opportunities Questionnaire, Approaches to Work Questionnaire and Self-regulated Learning in the Workplace Questionnaire belong to the presage category. Small Business Workplace Learning Survey and Workplace Learning Activities are categorized as the process dimension. The Questionnaire on Informal Workplace Learning Outcomes is in the product dimension. Informal Workplace Learning Survey and Workplace Adaptation Questionnaire are across the three categories.Research limitations/implicationsThe authors identified the issues of existing workplace learning measures to emphasize the importance of reliable and valid measures for workplace learning and to gain the attention of researchers concerning these issues.Practical implicationsThe findings can provide organizations and practitioners with insights and ideas on how to prepare employees to engage in diverse learning activities, how to support their learning activities and how to combine their learning activities with the existing job structure and work system.Originality/valueThis study is the first to review workplace learning measures in the field of HRD. The authors review the dimensions, items and reliability of each measure, and summarize the features of nine measures in terms of presage, process and product of workplace learning.


2017 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 377-393 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hyejin Kim ◽  
Taesung Kim

There is an ongoing debate between the proponents and skeptics of emotional intelligence (EI) with regard to its contribution to leadership effectiveness in organizational settings. Not aiming to address all the leadership styles exhaustively, this research looked into the relationship between EI and transformational leadership (TL) by reviewing the accumulated research assets in the existing literature. After the staged review, 20 empirical studies covering five different continents were chosen for an in-depth analysis. The results show that most studies provide empirical support of the relationship, with variances in identifying subfactors of EI and TL that further explicate the EI–TL relationship. At the same time, the remaining studies are found to be skeptical, not fundamentally denying the relationship, but commonly pointing out the problem with EI measures and emphasizing the need for more valid and reliable assessment tools. Building on these findings, the present research suggests implications for practice and research in the human resource development (HRD) field.


2018 ◽  
Vol 47 (1) ◽  
pp. 39-59 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kueh Hua Ng ◽  
Rusli Ahmad

Purpose Substantially few or no known empirical studies have explicitly focused on the higher-order construct of motivation in human resource development (HRD), namely, motivation to improve work through learning (MTIWL) as a mediator linking personality traits and social support to training transfer. Hence, the purpose of this paper is to redress the inadequacy by exploring the role of MTIWL as a mediator on such relationships. Design/methodology/approach Consistent with positivism, quantitative data based on self-rating were collected from 131 trainees attending management training programs organized by a public sector training provider in Malaysia. Findings The findings indicate that personality traits (i.e. conscientiousness, extraversion, and agreeableness) and social support (i.e. perceived organizational support and peer support) influenced training transfer via the mediating role of MTIWL. Supervisor support, nonetheless, was not a significant predictor of training transfer through MTIWL. Originality/value This study focuses on a more holistic motivational construct than simple motivation in HRD. The focus on MTIWL extends the existing understanding of the underlying motivational influences that link dispositional and situational factors to training transfer in occupational settings.


2015 ◽  
Vol 42 (6) ◽  
pp. 566-582 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samuel Adomako ◽  
Albert Danso ◽  
Ernest Ampadu

Purpose – Previous scholarly studies on institutions tend to create a sombre picture of institutions by ignoring to examine the antecedents of formal and informal institutions. The purpose of this paper is to overcome this limitation by proposing a conceptual framework of the antecedents of formal and informal institutions of entrepreneurial climate in a less developed market setting. Design/methodology/approach – This study builds on a comprehensive survey of the literature on institutions by using a synthesis thematic methodology to identified key scholarly studies which have been published in previous theoretical and empirical studies and proposes a conceptual framework of the role of formal and informal institutions in defining entrepreneurial climate in a developing economy’s context. Findings – The findings of the paper suggest that political factors and economic factors define formal institutions whilst socio-cultural factors define informal institutions. These factors rooted in political, economic and socio-cultural factors have a major influence on the rate and nature of entrepreneurial activity in a developing country setting. Practical implications – This paper contributes to the literature on entrepreneurship and intuitional theory by focusing on the antecedents of formal and informal institutional factors that shape entrepreneurial climate in Ghana. Originality/value – To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first review that explores the nature of entrepreneurial climate and proposes a conceptual framework of the role of formal and informal institutions in defining entrepreneurial climate in Ghana.


Author(s):  
Kim Loyens ◽  
Jeroen Maesschalck

Purpose – The police culture literature suggests that police officers’ attitude towards the public is characterised by suspicion and an “us-vs-them” mentality. It also refers to the moral mission of protecting the public by being tough on crime. The traditional police culture model seems to imply that these aspects are typical for the police. There is, however, a lack of empirical studies to test this proposition. The purpose of this paper is to propose a different conceptual framework, based on grid-group cultural theory (GGCT), which not only broadens the lens of the police culture model, but also allows for comparative research between different professional groups. Design/methodology/approach – The newly developed conceptual framework is tested in an ethnographic study in the Belgian police and labour inspection. The main data collection methods are observation, interview and informal conversation. Findings – The results of this study show that there are similarities in the way in which Belgian police officers and labour inspectors interact with the public, which raises interesting questions concerning the (often implicit) claim of the police culture literature concerning the specificity of police culture. Research limitations/implications – More research is needed to gain deeper insight into similarities and differences of the occupational culture in the police and comparable professional groups. GGCT offers a useful conceptual framework for such a research agenda. Originality/value – This paper addresses a number of criticisms against the classic police culture model and provides an innovative perspective to not only study aspects of police culture, but also compare the police with other professions.


2015 ◽  
Vol 39 (2) ◽  
pp. 122-142 ◽  
Author(s):  
Danielle Dimitrov

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the way leadership influences an organization to become humane through its features and behaviors; as well as the organizational circumstances in which humane leadership can be nurtured. The first empirical case study, in the fields of Human Resource Development (HRD) and hospitality management, to explore the way employees from different national cultures (as measured by their individualistic/collectivistic values), in a US-based hotel, perceive their workplace to be a humane organization (HO), as defined by Chalofsky (2008), was the one made by Dimitrov (2009, 2010). More specifically, the example set by leadership in the studied hospitality organization is the focus of the present descriptive manuscript. The importance of HRD concepts such as the HO for the academic study and practical development of leadership in organizations is significant, through the effects leadership has on employee satisfaction and engagement at the workplace. Design/methodology/approach – The exploratory research mentioned above used a single embedded case study with 17 participants, selected via purposeful convenience sampling, who represented management, supervisory and professional line-level employees from a culturally diverse full-service hotel in a major metropolitan area. The instrument of Singelis et al. (1995) for horizontal and vertical individualism (I) and collectivism (C), as well as the instrument of Triandis and Singelis (1998) for I and C, was applied to every respondent to determine their cultural belonging. One-on-one interviews, written reflections and documentary analysis, as well as observations of the social and physical aspects of the participants’ workplace, were conducted. Findings – Five leadership sub-themes were observed to the general theme “Setting the Example” of the study’s findings: company values for leadership styles and employee treatment; the legacy of one charismatic leader (the previous general manager); leader–follower communication; how the workplace feels intrinsically; and how the work environment becomes negative. The study led to the formation of two new characteristics of the HO (Dimitrov, 2009), of which one could be recommended as the main focus of leadership in an HO: being cognizant and understanding of individuals as human beings, not just as employees. The traits and behaviors of some modern leadership theories such as authentic leadership, transformational leadership and charismatic leadership were combined under the concept – humane leadership. Research limitations/implications – The research of more culturally diverse organizations in different counties, brand cultures and economic sectors, under various research methodologies, and in the context of classical and recent leadership theories, was recommended to establish further weather I and C employees’ expectations of their leadership would make a difference for the sustenance of an HO. Practical implications – Furthermore, organizations and HRD practitioners are encouraged to invest more time, efforts and resources into leadership development programs that create such humane leadership skills and prepare quality leaders who are well-perceived and trusted by their culturally diverse workforce. Originality/value – The importance of HRD concepts such as the HO for the academic study and practical development of leadership in organizations is significant, through the effects leadership has on employee satisfaction and engagement at the workplace. Humane leaders can be nurtured in a humane organizational culture.


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