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The Search for Good Leadership

Kostova, Iva LU and Zimmermann, Alec (2013) BUSN49 20131
Department of Business Administration
Abstract
Leadership is proposed by scholars and the broader societal discourses as a panacea to organizational problems. Furthermore, there has been an overly positive view of leadership presented within these discourses. We propose to examine these discourses on leadership within a specific organizational context. Additionally we look to understand the interplay between these discourses and the leadership identity work of individuals within this same context. This research is positioned from a social constructionist perspective and therefore takes on an interpretivist research paradigm. Through this methodology we have uncovered a number of significant findings. Firstly, organizational discourses on leadership are aligned with dominant discourses... (More)
Leadership is proposed by scholars and the broader societal discourses as a panacea to organizational problems. Furthermore, there has been an overly positive view of leadership presented within these discourses. We propose to examine these discourses on leadership within a specific organizational context. Additionally we look to understand the interplay between these discourses and the leadership identity work of individuals within this same context. This research is positioned from a social constructionist perspective and therefore takes on an interpretivist research paradigm. Through this methodology we have uncovered a number of significant findings. Firstly, organizational discourses on leadership are aligned with dominant discourses on leadership from the broader societal level. Secondly, we have uncovered a number of fragmentations and tensions that occur within individuals carrying out identity work in the context of these leadership discourses. Lastly there is an overarching view of leadership as ‘good’ within the organization in our research context. We theorize that there is a complex interplay between the identity work of individuals, the organizational discourses on leadership, and broader societal discourses. We propose that the way leadership is presented now at the organizational and societal level is actually a source of tension and fragmentation, rather than a solution for organizational problems. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Kostova, Iva LU and Zimmermann, Alec
supervisor
organization
alternative title
An interpretive study examining the complex interplay of leadership discourse and identity work
course
BUSN49 20131
year
type
H1 - Master's Degree (One Year)
subject
keywords
Leadership, Identity, Identity Work, Multiple Identities, Discourse, Organizational Discourse
language
English
id
3798712
date added to LUP
2013-06-17 12:42:38
date last changed
2013-06-17 12:42:38
@misc{3798712,
  abstract     = {{Leadership is proposed by scholars and the broader societal discourses as a panacea to organizational problems. Furthermore, there has been an overly positive view of leadership presented within these discourses. We propose to examine these discourses on leadership within a specific organizational context. Additionally we look to understand the interplay between these discourses and the leadership identity work of individuals within this same context. This research is positioned from a social constructionist perspective and therefore takes on an interpretivist research paradigm. Through this methodology we have uncovered a number of significant findings. Firstly, organizational discourses on leadership are aligned with dominant discourses on leadership from the broader societal level. Secondly, we have uncovered a number of fragmentations and tensions that occur within individuals carrying out identity work in the context of these leadership discourses. Lastly there is an overarching view of leadership as ‘good’ within the organization in our research context. We theorize that there is a complex interplay between the identity work of individuals, the organizational discourses on leadership, and broader societal discourses. We propose that the way leadership is presented now at the organizational and societal level is actually a source of tension and fragmentation, rather than a solution for organizational problems.}},
  author       = {{Kostova, Iva and Zimmermann, Alec}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{The Search for Good Leadership}},
  year         = {{2013}},
}