Exploration Of Leadership Through The 'Concept' Of Identitiy

Author(s):

Victoria Showunmi(presenting / submitting)

Conference:

ECER 2012

Network:

26. Educational Leadership

Format:

Paper

Session Information

26 SES 10 B, Educational Leadership

Parallel Paper Session

Time:

2012-09-20

15:30-17:00

Room:

FFL - Aula 7

Chair:

Lars Frode Frederiksen

Contribution

Leadership is one of the most debated aspects of business and contemporary organisations. Much has been said on corporate leaders and what defines them as ‘successful’ or ‘effective’. However, current leadership models are usually devised within a homogeneous, (North American) westernised, white male-oriented paradigm (Lumby, 2007). Theorists have noted the inadequacy of many leadership perspectives, urging a move from ‘colonial’ models of managing ‘otherness’, to incorporate minority ethnic voices (Gilborn, 2004; Lopez, 2003; Osler, 2008). Other significant challenges to this unitary perspective have been introduced in the ‘real world’, notably following the election of Barack Obama. These changes have implications for current discourse in leadership theory and practice such as ‘authentic leadership’ (Goffee and Jones 2005), ‘distributed leadership’ (Diamond 2007) and ‘aesthetic approach’ (Hansen et. al. 2005). For instance, what are the implications of ‘authenticity’ for non-typical leaders like Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) individuals? What are the implications for shared leadership in the context of power dynamics inherent in cross-identity group relationships? With increasing globalisation, cultural and ethnic diversity, new leadership models ought to draw upon a wider notion of leadership, potentially encompassing a wider range of leadership styles from different societies and cultures. This paper evaluates the western model/concept of leadership as part of advocating alternative models of leadership which acknowledge the multiple permutations of diversity across the world.

Method

The research used an ethnographic approach and focused on identity issues. Talking and interacting with focus groups of BME and White leaders the researcher explored the women’s concept of identity in relation to race, gender and leadership. the approach consisits of 8 focus groups and 60 semi-structured interviews the took place over 8 month period.

Expected Outcomes

• Initial key findings emerging from the telephone interviews and focus groups Some said that the climate was very much about who spoke the loudest, who knew the right people, and who had the most influence. They felt that, to survive, you needed to be an effective net-worker. • Breaking through the ‘silent wall of knowledge’ was seen as a real challenge for BAME women, who felt they were often not made aware of the ‘unwritten rules’ of an organisation. • There was an agreement amongst the women that leadership was defined by the culture of the organisation - which in most cases was the western model of leadership: white and male. • Disappointment relating to achievement came across throughout the interviews. Many of the women expected to be much further on in their career; being held back due to discrimination featured in many of the interviews. • Some BAME leaders found it was hard to make their staff respect them. • Some of the women felt that their leadership style was being questioned by others with stereotypical and prejudiced views of women leaders from BAME backgrounds.

References

Gilborn, D. ( 2004) Anti-racism: from policy to praxis. In G. Ladson-Billings and D. Gillborn (eds), The RoutledgeFalmer Reader in Multicultural Education. Abingdon. RoutledgeFalmer. Goffee, R. Jones, G (2005) Managing authenticity: the paradox of great leadership. Harvard Business Review 2005 Dec: 83(12):86-94, 153 James P. Spillane and John B. Diamond (2007) Distributed Leadership in Practice Teachers College Press, New York ISBN: 0807748064, Pages: 193, Year: 2007 Lopez, N ( 2003) Strategies for recruitment and retention of underrepresented minority students at the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine Journal of Dental Education September 1, 2003 vol. 67 no. 9 1039-1041 Lumby, J. with Coleman, M ( 2007) Leadership and Diversity; Challenging Theory and Practice in Education. SAGE Publications Ltd London Osler, A. (2008): Citizenship education and the Ajegbo report: re‐imagining a cosmopolitan nation, London Review of Education, 6:1, 11-25 Taylor, S. S. and Hansen, H. (2005), Finding Form: Looking at the Field of Organizational Aesthetics. Journal of Management Studies, 42: 1211–1231. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-6486.2005.00539.x

Author Information

Victoria Showunmi (presenting / submitting)

Institute of Education, University of London

HSS

London

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