Caring Leader Identity Between Power and Powerlessness
(2022) In Organization Studies 43(6). p.953-972- Abstract
This paper investigates what happens when managers’ identity is centred on caring, an underappreciated aspect of leadership. Drawing on a case study of managers in elderly care, we distil an ideal-typical caring leader identity as well as contextualised interpretations that suggest both problematic and constructive aspects. The caring leader identity implies a self-understanding as being highly present, supportive and helpful to subordinates’ development. We find that the belief of making a decisive difference to others’ development by caring for them can be a deceptive fantasy that incites over-dependence among subordinates, particularly for ambitious managers who experience pressing situations and little power. Under better but likely... (More)
This paper investigates what happens when managers’ identity is centred on caring, an underappreciated aspect of leadership. Drawing on a case study of managers in elderly care, we distil an ideal-typical caring leader identity as well as contextualised interpretations that suggest both problematic and constructive aspects. The caring leader identity implies a self-understanding as being highly present, supportive and helpful to subordinates’ development. We find that the belief of making a decisive difference to others’ development by caring for them can be a deceptive fantasy that incites over-dependence among subordinates, particularly for ambitious managers who experience pressing situations and little power. Under better but likely less common conditions, managers can develop more modest expressions of a caring leader identity, leaving space for subordinates themselves to define problems and explore solutions.
(Less)
- author
- Levay, Charlotta LU and Andersson Bäck, Monica LU
- organization
- publishing date
- 2022
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- caring leadership, identity, leadership, managerial identity
- in
- Organization Studies
- volume
- 43
- issue
- 6
- pages
- 953 - 972
- publisher
- SAGE Publications
- external identifiers
-
- scopus:85104247022
- ISSN
- 0170-8406
- DOI
- 10.1177/01708406211006245
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- 0cb51983-a527-4b15-b341-e3f455558ab6
- date added to LUP
- 2021-04-27 08:52:51
- date last changed
- 2022-06-30 12:29:19
@article{0cb51983-a527-4b15-b341-e3f455558ab6,
abstract = {{<p>This paper investigates what happens when managers’ identity is centred on caring, an underappreciated aspect of leadership. Drawing on a case study of managers in elderly care, we distil an ideal-typical caring leader identity as well as contextualised interpretations that suggest both problematic and constructive aspects. The caring leader identity implies a self-understanding as being highly present, supportive and helpful to subordinates’ development. We find that the belief of making a decisive difference to others’ development by caring for them can be a deceptive fantasy that incites over-dependence among subordinates, particularly for ambitious managers who experience pressing situations and little power. Under better but likely less common conditions, managers can develop more modest expressions of a caring leader identity, leaving space for subordinates themselves to define problems and explore solutions.</p>}},
author = {{Levay, Charlotta and Andersson Bäck, Monica}},
issn = {{0170-8406}},
keywords = {{caring leadership; identity; leadership; managerial identity}},
language = {{eng}},
number = {{6}},
pages = {{953--972}},
publisher = {{SAGE Publications}},
series = {{Organization Studies}},
title = {{Caring Leader Identity Between Power and Powerlessness}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/01708406211006245}},
doi = {{10.1177/01708406211006245}},
volume = {{43}},
year = {{2022}},
}