Risky business: Reflections on critical performativity in practice

Organization ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
pp. 428-445 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nick Butler ◽  
Helen Delaney ◽  
Sverre Spoelstra
Keyword(s):  
Leadership Development ◽  
Business School ◽  
Ethical Dilemmas ◽  
Radical Change ◽  
Institutional Pressures ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Academic Values ◽  
Critical Leadership ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Risky Business

Critical scholars in the business school are becoming increasingly concerned about the impact of their research beyond the confines of academia. This has been articulated most prominently around the concept of ‘critical performativity’. Drawing on semi-structured interviews with critical leadership scholars, this article explores how academics engage with practitioners at the same time as they seek to maintain a critical ethos in relation to their external activities. While proponents of critical performativity tend to paint a frictionless picture of practitioner engagement—which can take the form of consulting, coaching, and leadership development—we show how critical scholars may end up compromising their academic values in corporate settings due to practitioner demands and other institutional pressures. Taken together, these pressures mean that critical scholars often need to negotiate a series of (sometimes insoluble) dilemmas in practitioner contexts. We argue that the concept of critical performativity is unable to contend meaningfully with these tensions because it replicates the myth of the ‘heroic-transformational academic’ who is single-handedly able to stimulate critical reflection among practitioners and provoke radical change in organizations. We conclude with a call for further reflection on the range of ethical dilemmas that can arise during academic–practitioner engagement.

scholarly journals Impact Of Radical And Incremental Curriculum Changes On Students

2011 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 27
Author(s):  
Vipin K Agrawal ◽  
Vijay K. Agrawal ◽  
Donald A. Carpenter
Keyword(s):  
Student Perceptions ◽  
Business School ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Radical Change ◽  
School Curriculum ◽  
Student Responses ◽  
Incremental Change ◽  
Curriculum Changes ◽  
Midwestern University ◽  
The Impact

College curricula undergo changes periodically. This case discusses the various change management strategies employed by the faculty of a midwestern university in implementing incremental and radical change in the business school curriculum. It also analyzes the impact of these changes on student perceptions of the course and of the instructor. Our analysis reveals interesting trends in student responses over a seven year span. We find that students initially resist both types of changes, although the resistance is greater in the case of radical changes. Nevertheless, they eventually view both types of changes as adding value to the curriculum. However, the perception of value addition is temporary, lasting longer for radical change (seven semesters) than for incremental change (five semesters). This suggests that updating of curricula is required on an ongoing basis.

scholarly journals The Impact of Radical Change on Leadership Development in Large Companies

2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 (2(92)) ◽  
pp. 9-23
Author(s):  
Julita Majczyk ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Leadership Development ◽  
Radical Change ◽  
Digital Culture ◽  
Development Programs ◽  
Leadership Development Programs ◽  
Leadership Management ◽  
Leadership Behaviour ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Culture Transition ◽  
Learning Interventions

Purpose: This study aims to identify and describe changes in leadership development programs caused by the spread of SARS-CoV-2. Design/methodology/approach: Participants were selected purposefully. The core part of the qualitative study involved 25 individual in-depth interviews. Findings: The data indicates that leadership development is not perceived as a core business process. In most cases, certain learning interventions were withheld but not terminated or managers ordered a digital culture transition. Data shows that given the progressing change, there is a need for further reflection on whether technology-mediated leadership behaviour would not be a standard. Research limitations/implications: Qualitative research does not permit broad generalizations. Although the data collected allows indicating how leader-nurturing process owners perceive change that impacts leadership development, there is no possibility to indicate the intensity or importance of the reactions. Originality/value: This study enriches the research on leadership management in big enterprises. It provides meaningful insights by examining the attitude and reactions of managers responsible for nurturing leaders. The findings of this study extend the understanding of the leadership development goal and its impact under specific conditions.

An evaluation of a leadership development coaching and mentoring programme

2017 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 309-329 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lyndsay Le Comte ◽  
Beverley McClelland
Keyword(s):  
Leadership Development ◽  
Distributed Leadership ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Senior Staff ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Mixed Methods Approach ◽  
Group Coaching ◽  
Supportive Culture ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The purpose of this paper was to determine the value and impact of the Leadership Development – Coaching and Mentoring Programme at Counties Manukau Health and understand how the skills gained are applied. Design/methodology/approach Mixed-methods approach including surveys of programme participants and senior staff and semi-structured interviews with programme participants. Findings The survey response rate was 24.4 per cent for programme participants and 30 per cent for senior staff. Eight programme participants participated in semi-structured interviews. Of the 70 programme participants, 69 utilised their learning from the programme; 45 of 70 changed their approach to managing staff; and 40 of 68 programme participants reported that meeting with peers for triad group coaching was the most challenging aspect of the programme. Key themes identified through interviews included: working with others; not owning others’ problems; professional support and development; coaching and mentoring; future participants. Practical implications The majority of participants changed their leadership behaviours as a result of the programme, which has resulted in improved communication, a more supportive culture and distributed leadership. These changes contribute to better patient care. Originality value There is a paucity of evidence in the literature about the impact of coaching and mentoring programme on leadership development and how the skills gained in such programmes are applied in practice in a healthcare context. This evaluation helps to address that gap.

Leader development: A pathway for social change?

Leadership ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 174271502098029
Author(s):  
Irene Ryan ◽  
Barbara Myers ◽  
Shelagh Mooney
Keyword(s):  
Leadership Development ◽  
Social Inequalities ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Structural Forces ◽  
Social Structural ◽  
Programme Design ◽  
The Status ◽  
Alternative Approaches ◽  
Critical Leadership ◽  
Good Leader

Critical leadership development scholars argue that leadership development programmes (LDPs) should be the setting where participant’s aspirations and struggle to be a good leader can be voiced and reflected upon. Integral to this prompt is the call for LDPs to offer alternative approaches to the conventional, individualistic, leader-centric modules through innovative programme design and delivery. In this article, we investigate the outcomes of one LDP where innovation, notions of good leadership and the power of the collective to create fundamental change for the betterment of society are sought by the facilitators. Through semi-structured interviews with alumni, we consider whether they, in the aftermath of the LDP, have taken steps to effect positive change across communities and society and secondly, whether they perceive that the LDP prepared them to meet this expectation. We argue existing societal power and leadership dynamics remain invisible and unchallenged. There was little acknowledgement of the wider role social structural forces play, both formal and informal, in reinforcing the status quo. Importantly, this research is a stark reminder of how, to varying degrees and levels of consciousness, advantaged groups prop up systemic processes that embed their privilege and further exacerbate social inequalities.

scholarly journals The Community College Presidency Demystified: Creating a Pipeline of Latino Leaders

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Editorial Board
Keyword(s):  
Community College ◽  
Community Colleges ◽  
Leadership Development ◽  
Development Program ◽  
Direct Result ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
College Leadership ◽  
National Network ◽  
Using Data ◽  
The Impact

Community colleges are designed to serve populations largely drawn from a local base. In an increasing number of cases, the student populations are diverse, while both the administration and faculty, particularly in positions of leadership, are overwhelmingly white. Because of changing demographics, many community colleges serve predominately Latino communities. The present article describes the impact of a national culturally tailored leadership development program for Latino administrators in community colleges. Using data from extensive, semi-structured interviews, this qualitative research study demonstrates that participants in the leadership fellows program found their experience empowering and transformational. Research findings indicate that as a direct result of their participation in a culturally relevant leadership program, participants felt increased confidence and sought out executive community college leadership positions. Additionally, participants benefitted from a national network of peers and mentors. 

Implications of a shadowing/mentoring programme for aspiring principals

2016 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 253-271 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brenda Service ◽  
Gulay Erin Dalgic ◽  
Kate Thornton
Keyword(s):  
Leadership Development ◽  
Qualitative Evaluation ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Principal's Role ◽  
Post Graduate ◽  
Data Collection Process ◽  
Aspiring Principals ◽  
The Impact

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the impact of a shadowing/mentoring component of a post-graduate programme designed to prepare deputy and assistant principals for the principalship. Design/methodology/approach – The research design is a qualitative evaluation of the shadowing/mentoring component of a principal preparation programme. The experiences of 13 individual aspiring principals who had taken part in the programme were explored using semi-structured interviews. Findings – The shadowing/mentoring component of this programme allowed the aspiring principals to gain an understanding of the complexity of a principal’s role by shadowing and being mentored by experienced principals in a range of New Zealand schools. In addition to providing them with a network of effective principals, the experience led the aspiring principals to reflect on their leadership development. Research limitations/implications – The study drew on a small sample of 27 students enroled in the programme, 13 of whom were included in the data collection process. Originality/value – This study presents the views of aspiring principals who valued the opportunity to relate theory to practice as part of a post-graduate programme.

scholarly journals Using Creative Techniques in Leadership Learning and Development

2015 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 279-288 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gareth Edwards ◽  
Carole Elliott ◽  
Marian Iszatt-White ◽  
Doris Schedlitzki
Keyword(s):  
Leadership Development ◽  
Human Resource Development ◽  
Development Programs ◽  
Learning And Development ◽  
Public And Private ◽  
Leadership Development Programs ◽  
Development Interventions ◽  
Human Resource Development Professionals ◽  
Critical Leadership ◽  
The Impact

The Problem Leadership development programs have become prolific in organizations in both the public and private sectors, with new initiatives endlessly being developed. Empirical and conceptual work that challenges some of the mainstream approaches to leadership learning and development has led to initiatives increasingly becoming complex in nature and to the use of innovative and unusual approaches. There is limited knowledge, however, regarding the impact of such techniques. The Solution This issue focuses on some core themes around enabling and enacting leadership development in organizations through creative techniques using art, poetry, symbolism, theater, drama, and film, and is rooted in experiences of delivering such interventions in a range of countries, sectors, and professions. Each article explores how these techniques can be translated into practice across a wide of variety leadership learning and development contexts and is rooted in the contemporary and critical leadership literature. The Stakeholders Human resource development professionals seeking to identify key considerations in selecting creative techniques for effective leadership learning and development interventions, and academics advising on such selections and teaching leadership themselves, will be interested in these articles, which will also set the basis for further empirical research and theoretical reflection on the topic.

Collusion with denial: leadership development and its evaluation

2015 ◽  
Vol 34 (2) ◽  
pp. 134-152 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth King ◽  
Paul Nesbit
Keyword(s):  
Leadership Development ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Development Program ◽  
Qualitative Evaluation ◽  
Development Programs ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Leadership Development Programs ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Leadership Development Program ◽  
The Impact

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate ways to gain deeper understanding of the evaluation challenge by reporting on insights about the impact of a leadership development program. It focusses on participants’ reflective post-course analysis of their learning, comparing this to a traditional evaluative analysis. Recently there has been a greater focus on programs to develop leaders who have the requisite cognitive and behavioral complexity to lead in challenging environments. However models for the evaluation of such programs often rely on methodologies that assume learning of specific skills rather than assessment of how well participants are able to cognitively and behaviorally adapt to uncertain and complex environments. Design/methodology/approach – The leadership development program was evaluated in two stages and the findings compared. Stage 1 elicited responses to the program using a traditional evaluation approach. Stage 2 involved 30 semi-structured interviews with the participants exploring the connections made between their development experience, work environment and approach to challenge. Findings – Evaluation approaches which focus on assessing reflection about personal learning provide greater detail on learning experience than traditional approaches to evaluation and can increase our understanding of the broader impact of leadership development programs. Current evaluation practices are mostly traditional despite dissatisfaction with outcomes. There are functional and financial benefits flowing from this practice suggesting collusion with denial between the suppliers and purchasers of leadership development and posing a question of causation. Originality/value – This study supports the use of qualitative evaluation techniques and in particular a focus on post-learning reflection to increase understanding of the impact of leadership development programs. The increased understanding provided by this type of evaluation can play a significant role in both the design of leader development programs and the creation of strategic alignment between business strategy, the purpose of leadership development interventions, learning objectives, program design and program evaluation.

scholarly journals Using developmental evaluation principles to build capacity for knowledge mobilisation in health and social care

Evaluation ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
pp. 330-348 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lesley M. Harper ◽  
Rumona Dickson
Keyword(s):  
Capacity Building ◽  
Social Care ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Radical Change ◽  
Practice Change ◽  
Developmental Evaluation ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Knowledge Mobilisation ◽  
Health And Social Care ◽  
The Impact

This article contributes to Developmental Evaluation practice by highlighting the impact of embedding Developmental Evaluation principles into the learning approach of a capacity building initiative named Evidence for Change. The health and social care teams participating in Evidence for Change were operating within a complex environment requiring radical change to tackle health inequalities and provide modern, cost-effective, evidence-informed, quality of care for all. A gap in the literature around capacity building models for knowledge mobilisation led the authors to explore Developmental Evaluation as a potential approach. Naturally occurring evidence was used to develop Evidence for Change. Questionnaires, focus groups and structured interviews were used to assess the impact. Results demonstrated that Evidence for Change supported evidence-informed practice change and learning for individuals, teams, organisations and local communities. The report concludes that embedding Developmental Evaluation principles into Evidence for Change was instrumental in providing an innovative capacity building model for effective knowledge mobilisation in health and social care.

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