Rethinking Leadership Development: Contributions from Theory and Research

Dear Colleagues,

Leadership and leadership development in numerous contexts (e.g., healthcare, organizations, and sport) have received a particularly large amount of interest from scholars and practitioners around the world. More recent approaches (e.g., ethical leadership, servant leadership, and empowering leadership) have continuously highlighted the critical role that leaders play in the success (or failure) of their organizations. ‘Good’ and effective leaders can enhance team members’ well-being, performance and commitment to the organization, while ‘bad’ leaders may increase members’ stress, dissatisfaction and turnover intentions. These impacts are even recognized in the field, with billions of dollars being spent annually on developing leadership across different organizational levels (cf. Training Industry, 2019).

In this Special Issue, we are seeking theoretical and empirical contributions regarding the development of leadership. This includes (but is not limited to) empirical research testing the effectiveness of intervention programs, systematic reviews involving leadership training, and theory-based guidelines for leadership interventions and leadership development. Other conceptual or qualitative research studies that explain how to develop positive and effective leadership are also within the scope of this Special Issue.

Dr. A. Rui Gomes
Dr. Catarina Morais
Guest Editors

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• promoting leadership
• leadership interventions
• development of leadership
• leadership training
• leadership efficacy
• performance

Title: Lifting Leaders and their Employees to Higher Levels of Well-being: Results from a Transformational Leadership Field Development Program
Authors: Margaret McKee; Cathy Driscoll; E. Kevin Kelloway
Affiliation: Saint Mary’s University, Halifax, NS Dalhousie University, Halifax NS
Abstract: Intervention studies have demonstrated that it is possible to enhance transformational leadership abilities; however, few longitudinal studies have explored the impact of such development programs on employee and leader well-being. In Study 1, we randomly assigned organizational leaders to either a treatment or a wait-list control group. We assessed the effects of a transformational leadership development program on the mental well-being of leaders and their direct-reports, using multilevel analyses of survey data collected from both leaders and their direct-reports prior to the start of the leadership development program, and three months post. Following the intervention, employees reported that trained leaders demonstrated enhanced transformational leadership and this, in turn, was associated with increases in the employees’ reported mental health. Separate analyses revealed leaders who were trained also reported increases over baseline in their own mental health. In Study 2, we conducted follow-up interviews with a select group of leaders whose employee survey results showed the most significant improvements in their transformational leadership ratings to explore the transfer of training. These interviews provided insights into the leaders’ training experiences and the impact on their mental well-being. Implications for practice and research from these results are discussed.

Title: Developing Servant Leadership through Experience and Practice: A Case Study in Service-Learning
Authors: Matt Robinson; Sean Dahlin; Mar Magnusen
Affiliation: Schreiner University Central Washington University Baylor University
Abstract: Characterized by altruistic calling as the core motivation, servant leadership comprises enduring qualities of genuine caring, humility, and empathy, and in recent years, has become a style of leadership recommended to be addressed in sport management classrooms because of its’ associated positive outcomes and emphasis on ethical behavior and decision-making (Robinson et al., 2018). Within the realm of interscholastic sport, servant leadership of athletic directors has been viewed as an effective style by head coaches (Robinson et al., 2020). As the relevance and popularity of servant leadership continues to grow, it gives rise to matters of how this approach to leadership can be better studied and taught to current and aspirant sport professionals. Volunteer service opportunities, for example, is one way for undergraduate students to learn about servant leadership. Indeed, the Association of American Colleges and Universities recommends service-learning and community-based learning experiences because they can enhance student engagement and retention. Accordingly, the purpose of this study is three-fold. First, explore how service-learning projects can be used to teach servant leadership in undergraduate sport management classrooms. Next, provide a qualitative evaluation of undergraduate student reflections on service projects within a servant leadership framework (i.e., genuine caring, empathy, humility). Third, discuss the impact of service-learning projects on improving students’ understanding of servant leadership and overall leadership development.

Title: It’s Leadership, but (maybe) not as you know it: Exploring the global to understand leadership in sport.
Authors: Tania Gaye Cassidy; Gary Leo Byrne
Affiliation: University of Otago
Abstract: If leadership practices are to be relevant and beneficial for our increasingly diverse communities then orthodox views of leadership, which tend to reflect ‘an Anglo-Western-male capitalistic perspective’, need to be challenged [1] (p. 323). Asking questions of the orthodox views of leadership may go some way to explain who, and what, is considered congruent with the concept of ‘leader’ and why women are underrepresented in elite sports coaching and in national and international sport governance positions. One way to challenge this leadership orthodoxy is to shift the discussion away from primarily focusing on the individual leader-member exchange towards a broader discussion that includes sociocultural, pedagogical, and indigenous orientations towards leadership as well as focus more on collectivist meaning-making rather than towards competitive unidirectional leader-centrism. Increasingly, in the literature and in practice there are examples that suggest we are on the brink of a paradigm shift in how we understand and practice leadership in sports coaching and in sports organisations. The purpose of this article is to contribute to the discussion on paradigm shifts that challenge the ethno-centric, gender-biased, leader-centric orthodoxy by advancing an expanded global and diverse leadership paradigm that is underpinned by clearly delineated dimensions of diversity and of cultural competence that can be used as a mechanism to rethink sport leadership.

Title: Growing Greener: Cultivating Organisational Sustainability Through Leadership Development
Authors: Sarah Lily Resanovich
Affiliation: School of Psychology, University of Kent
Abstract: Human-created climate change is the driver of natural disasters globally, affecting every nation (IPCC, 2021). Organisations significantly contribute to climate change through the use of resources and carbon emissions. Organisations can begin to address this by implementing policies that support pro-environmental behaviour (PEB) among employees. PEBs at work vary from reducing electricity usage to choosing sustainable suppliers and fostering collaborative sustainability efforts. Many social-psychological factors impact an employee’s likelihood of performing PEB. Among social-psychological factors influencing employee PEB, leadership stands out as unique as it is a factor that can simultaneously control or influence other factors. Leadership in the workplace is critical and makes performing PEB at work and at home different, emphasising the need for continued exploration of factors that promote PEB specifically in workplace settings. This review provides an overview of how leadership uniquely affects employee PEB. After identifying leadership as a unique factor in encouraging PEB, this review provides an account of leadership development strategies to increase leaders’ ability to increase PEB, drawing from social psychology research. Then, it offers suggestions for how leadership development can better prepare leaders to increase their employees’ PEB and create organisations that work better for the planet.