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Sustainable Leadership: Crossing Silos in Leadership Research and Practice

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 November 2021) | Viewed by 40753

Special Issue Editor

The Said T. Khoury Chair of Leadership Studies, American University of Sharjah, Sharjah 26666, UAE
Interests: corporate governance; top management team compensation design; mergers and acquisitions; transitional economies; knowledge management
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In today’s dynamic, disruptive and constantly evolving business landscapes, corporations are confronted with the imperative of embracing new realities and successfully navigating change (Bodolica & Spraggon, 2020). Under these specific environmental conditions, challenges associated with leadership, management, and decision making abound. Scholarly interest in the examination of a plethora of antecedents, intervening effects and consequences associated with leadership phenomena in modern organizations has grown significantly over the past decades. Empirical studies have evolved from very narrow, micro-level perspectives focused on leaders’ personality traits, individual attitudes and behavioral characteristics (Spraggon & Bodolica, 2015) to the inquiry of contextual considerations, leadership processes, and macro-level initiatives that provide opportunities for a wider conceptualization of leadership and its potential outcomes (Bodolica et al., 2020b).

Nowadays, of particular interest is the diversity of forms, expressions, behaviors and practices in which leadership can manifest itself to contribute to value creation and provide sustainable results for all organizational stakeholders and wider communities. This special issue seeks to demonstrate the current heterogeneity of leadership research and practice from the perspective of contexts, implications and levels of analysis, and highlight the relevance of crossing silos for the purpose of generating beneficial knowledge spillovers across fields. In particular, we aim to reactivate the call for researchers to recognize both the dynamic and sustainable nature of leadership and keep the door wide open for the continuous transformation of leadership as a discipline and field of study.

We welcome a variety of contributions in relation to sustainable leadership, from the perspective of both theoretical frameworks and methodological approaches. To highlight the diversity of manifestations in which leadership can build long-term value for a sustainable enterprise, qualitative (Bodolica et al., 2015), quantitative (Spraggon & Bodolica, 2011), conceptual (Spraggon & Bodolica, 2018) and literature review (Bodolica & Spraggon, 2018) articles are equally relevant for achieving the objectives of this special issue. Our aim is to create a fruitful platform for the development of a context-dependent knowledge base on the theory and practice of sustainable leadership from the standpoint of decision makers in public and private businesses and institutions.

Contributing authors may shed light on macro-level leadership processes that emanate from the specificities of social reality construction and the pervasive need to pave the way toward a socially-sustainable, ethical enterprise (Bodolica & Spraggon, 2015). Very opportune are discussions of empirical findings generated in studies that examine the effects of leadership in different contexts, such as the healthcare sector (Tofan et al., 2013), family businesses (Bodolica et al., 2020a), and knowledge-intensive services firms (Spraggon & Bodolica, 2012). As far as micro-level initiatives are concerned, researchers may animate a debate on the occurrence of positive effects of leadership, through its transformational connotations, and the need to mitigate the negative leadership outcomes in the form of abusive styles and unethical behaviors. Finally, other contributions to this special issue may summarize the knowledge generated to date on the sustainable nature of leadership in today’s organizations and draw on the key lessons learned to delineate pressing priorities for future research in the field.

Sample topics of this Special Issue

The contributions to this special issue may address, but are not limited to, the following research topics: 

  • Total quality management, leadership and sustainability
  • Leading organizations toward excellence and sustainability
  • Entrepreneurial leadership, innovation and sustainable growth
  • Macro- and micro-level leadership processes in today’s organizations
  • Sustainable leadership in various industries and sectors
  • Cross-silo leadership and organizational longevity
  • Leadership, innovation and change management
  • Decision-making processes and sustainability considerations
  • Knowledge management and sustainable leadership
  • Leadership practices and social aspects of performance
  • Stewardship, leadership and corporate social responsibility
  • Sustainable practices in boards of directors and top management teams
  • Leadership, succession, rejuvenation and organizational continuity
  • Corporate governance mechanisms and sustainability implications
  • Leadership in teams, group processes and sustainability
  • Underrepresentation in leadership ranks, diversity management and inclusion
  • Leadership in times of extreme disruption and crisis management
  • Cross-disciplinary approaches to leadership

References

Bodolica, V., & Spraggon, M. (2020). Leadership in times of organizational decline: A literature review of antecedents, consequences, and moderators. International Journal of Organizational Analysis, doi 10.1108/IJOA-04-2020-2123.

Bodolica, V., Dupuis, D., & Spraggon, M. (2020a). At the intersection of corporate governance and performance in family business settings: Extant knowledge and future research. Business Ethics: A European Review, 29(1), 143–166.

Bodolica, V., Spraggon, M., & Saleh, N. (2020b). Innovative leadership in leisure and entertainment industry: The case of the UAE as a global tourism hub. International Journal of Islamic and Middle Eastern Finance and Management, 13(2), 323–337.

Bodolica, V., & Spraggon, M. (2015). An examination into the disclosure, structure and contents of ethical codes in publicly-listed acquiring firms. Journal of Business Ethics, 126(3), 459–472.

Bodolica, V., & Spraggon, M. (2018). An end-to-end process of writing and publishing influential literature review articles: Do’s and don’ts. Management Decision, 56(11), 2472–2486.

Bodolica, V., Spraggon, M., & Zaidi, S. (2015). Boundary management strategies for governing family firms: A UAE‐based case study. Journal of Business Research, 68(3), 684–693.

Spraggon, M., & Bodolica, V. (2018). A practice-based framework for understanding (informal) play as practice phenomena in organizations. Journal of Management & Organization, 24(6), 846–869.  

Spraggon, M., & Bodolica, V. (2015). Trust, authentic pride and moral reasoning: A unified framework of relational governance and emotional self-regulation. Business Ethics: A European Review, 24(3), 297–314.

Spraggon, M., & Bodolica, V. (2012). A multidimensional taxonomy of knowledge transfer processes. Journal of Business Research, 65(9), 1273–1282.

Spraggon, M., & Bodolica, V. (2011). Post-acquisition structuring of CEO pay packages: Incentives and punishments. Strategic Organization, 9(3), 187–221.

Tofan, G., Bodolica, V., & Spraggon, M. (2013). Governance mechanisms in the physician-patient relationship: A literature review and conceptual framework. Health Expectations, 16(1), 14–31.

Prof. Dr. Virginia Bodolica
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Published Papers (8 papers)

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19 pages, 657 KiB  
Article
Falling Apart and Coming Together: How Public Perceptions of Leadership Change in Response to Natural Disasters vs. Health Crises
by Melissa A. Wheeler, Timothy Bednall, Vlad Demsar and Samuel G. Wilson
Sustainability 2022, 14(2), 837; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su14020837 - 12 Jan 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2641
Abstract
Responding to disruptions and crises are challenges public leaders face as they strive to lead responsibly for the good of the community. The last two years have been especially challenging for public leaders and institutions. In Australia, the federal government battled natural disasters [...] Read more.
Responding to disruptions and crises are challenges public leaders face as they strive to lead responsibly for the good of the community. The last two years have been especially challenging for public leaders and institutions. In Australia, the federal government battled natural disasters (bushfires) and COVID-19 within the span of only a few months, beginning in late 2019. These events provided the opportunity for a natural experiment to explore public perceptions of leadership in times of crises, with both a natural disaster and health crisis in quick succession. In this study, we develop, validate, and test a scale of perceptions of leadership for the greater good, the Australian Leadership Index, throughout different crisis contexts. We hypothesize and find support for the drivers of perceptions of public leadership and shifts in these perceptions as a function of the bushfire disaster response, a negative shift, and the initial COVID-19 response, a positive shift. Comparisons of the crisis periods against a period of relative stability are made. We discuss the implications of differential media coverage, how the crises were managed, and the resulting public perceptions of leadership for the greater good. Full article
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18 pages, 569 KiB  
Article
Transformational Leadership, Achievement Motivation, and Perceived Stress in Basic Military Training: A Longitudinal Study of Swiss Armed Forces
by Sandra Sefidan, Maria Pramstaller, Roberto La Marca, Thomas Wyss, Lilian Roos, Dena Sadeghi-Bahmani, Hubert Annen and Serge Brand
Sustainability 2021, 13(24), 13949; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su132413949 - 17 Dec 2021
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 3629
Abstract
In Switzerland, military service is a civic obligation for all adult male citizens, and thus, leadership style can be particularly challenging. The present study investigated the impact of superiors’ leadership styles on recruits’ achievement motivation, organizational citizenship behavior (OCB), and perceived stress during [...] Read more.
In Switzerland, military service is a civic obligation for all adult male citizens, and thus, leadership style can be particularly challenging. The present study investigated the impact of superiors’ leadership styles on recruits’ achievement motivation, organizational citizenship behavior (OCB), and perceived stress during their Basic Military Training (BMT). To this end, a total of 525 male recruits (mean age: 20.3 years) recruits were assessed both cross-sectionally and longitudinally. At the start of BMT (baseline), at week 7, and at week 11, participants completed a series of self-rating questionnaires covering demographic information, achievement motivation, organizational citizenship behavior (OCB), perceived stress, and their superiors’ leadership styles (transformational, transactional und laissez-faire). Longitudinally, scores for achievement motivation and OCB showed no significant difference between baseline and the 11th week. In a group comparison, the group experiencing higher transformational leadership (from week 7 to week 11) had the highest scores for achievement motivation and OCB, and the lowest scores for perceived stress, all at week 11. Exploratively, achievement motivation and OCB at baseline were associated with transformational leadership and transactional leadership at week 7 and week 11. Perceived stress at baseline correlated only with transformational leadership but not with transactional leadership, both at week 7 and week 11. Transformational leadership style fostered achievement motivation and OCB in Swiss military recruits and protected them from stress, both cross-sectionally and longitudinally. Full article
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20 pages, 11059 KiB  
Article
Spotlight on Leadership Path-Goal Theory Silos in Practice to Improve and Sustain Job-Oriented Development: Evidence from Education Sector
by Atif Saleem, Ling Wu, Sarfraz Aslam and Tianxue Zhang
Sustainability 2021, 13(21), 12324; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su132112324 - 08 Nov 2021
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 5627
Abstract
Sustainable development is a process occurring on several levels, which placed the expectations on educational institutions, especially secondary schools, change radically. Schools, therefore, are gradually likely to emphasize enhanced and sustainable teaching practices under the agenda of the United Nations 2030, sustainable future. [...] Read more.
Sustainable development is a process occurring on several levels, which placed the expectations on educational institutions, especially secondary schools, change radically. Schools, therefore, are gradually likely to emphasize enhanced and sustainable teaching practices under the agenda of the United Nations 2030, sustainable future. Hence, the job-oriented development of teachers is a critical factor of the school leadership mechanism. Considering this, the present empirical research was designed to study the mechanism of path-goal theory (PGT) to sustain teachers’ job-oriented development in private secondary schools in Pakistan. The viewpoint of teachers, whose job performance is ultimately affected by the school leadership behavior and who perform the job at the front line in schools, was taken on board for the investigation. A total of 2469 secondary school teachers from 785 private secondary schools participated in the present study. Confirmatory factor analysis, t-test, Pearson correlation, and path analysis structural equation modeling analytics were mainly involved in the data analysis. Overall, the findings substantiated the constructive PGT mechanism, especially indicating that directive leadership is the most influential and effective leadership behavior in complex tasks, including when teachers are inexperienced. Moreover, the helpful role of supportive leadership and achievement-oriented leadership behaviors backs up the directive behavior. Although participative leadership behavior was problematic in the studied schools, it should be constructively adopted, as it was found to be a statistically significant predictor. Therefore, training programs for school leaders with good experience in participatory leadership functions can be productive for long-term teachers’ motivation. The literature shows that several secondary school teachers still perform poorly because of inadequate leadership, and the viewpoint of teachers on PGT was ignored in earlier studies. Hence, there was a dire need to conduct this research to address these concerns, especially in the non-Western, Asian context. In addition to pioneering academic research on leadership PGT in the secondary school context, the PGT elements were investigated, including teachers’ extrinsic and intrinsic motivation for the first time, adding new understanding about the theory. Full article
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20 pages, 986 KiB  
Article
Greta Thunberg and the Generation of Moral Authority: A Systematic Literature Review on the Characteristics of Thunberg’s Leadership
by Nessica Nässén and Komalsingh Rambaree
Sustainability 2021, 13(20), 11326; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su132011326 - 13 Oct 2021
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 7769
Abstract
Numerous efforts have been made by political leaders worldwide to prevent further climate change and develop sustainable solutions. However, due to conflicting political positions and the complex solutions required, attempts to limit climate change have proven largely ineffective. For these reasons, a new [...] Read more.
Numerous efforts have been made by political leaders worldwide to prevent further climate change and develop sustainable solutions. However, due to conflicting political positions and the complex solutions required, attempts to limit climate change have proven largely ineffective. For these reasons, a new kind of environmental change leader is needed to catalyze significant societal transformation. In recent years, Greta Thunberg has become a major spokesperson for environmental issues, mobilizing people worldwide to act against climate change. Utilizing a theoretical framework based on transformational leadership and moral authority, this article discusses, by means of a systematic literature review, the characteristics of Thunberg’s leadership. Using the PRISMA protocol, data were collected from various national and international media sources. With the assistance of ATLAS-ti.v.9 Scientific Software Development GmbH, Berlin, Germany, qualitative deductive content analysis was performed to analyze the data. In this review, we discuss how Thunberg embodies five characteristics that are typical of moral authority, thereby becoming a transformational leader who influences the possibility of preventing climate change and promotes more sustainable solutions. This article concludes that it is through the characteristics of moral authority that Greta Thunberg has become a global transformational leader for those defending the natural environment. Full article
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14 pages, 267 KiB  
Article
Safety Leadership as a Means for Safe and Sustainable Shipping
by Nermin Hasanspahić, Vlado Frančić, Srđan Vujičić and Mario Mandušić
Sustainability 2021, 13(14), 7841; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su13147841 - 13 Jul 2021
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 3844
Abstract
Safety leadership is critical in high-risk industries such as shipping since inadequate leadership can cause marine accidents, resulting in injuries, fatalities, damage to property and environmental pollution. One of the aspects of good and effective safety leadership is creating good human relations and [...] Read more.
Safety leadership is critical in high-risk industries such as shipping since inadequate leadership can cause marine accidents, resulting in injuries, fatalities, damage to property and environmental pollution. One of the aspects of good and effective safety leadership is creating good human relations and satisfaction among crewmembers, considered a precondition for effective teamwork. Officers on board ships should establish effective teamwork and implement adequate safety leadership, positively affecting safety culture, increasing safety in general and improving marine environment protection. Safety leadership onboard ships comprises several characteristics, including maintaining safe work performance, carrying out safety training, and encouraging crewmember morale. Therefore, it is essential for all stakeholders in shipping industries that officers onboard ships can identify those characteristics, adapt, and apply them adequately. This paper presents the characteristics and skills that shipboard officers need to apply in order to be excellent leaders and serve with adequate safety leadership abilities. One tool for recognizing those characteristics and skills was a survey carried out among experienced professional seafarers. Analysis of the survey data revealed latent factors, these being transformational and transactional leadership elements affecting safety leadership onboard ships. Full article
14 pages, 2424 KiB  
Article
Research on the Relationship between Shared Leadership and Individual Creativity-Qualitative Comparative Analysis on the Basis of Clear Set
by Muyun Sun, Jigan Wang and Ting Wen
Sustainability 2021, 13(10), 5445; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su13105445 - 13 May 2021
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2095
Abstract
Creativity is the key to obtaining and maintaining competitiveness of modern organizations, and it has attracted much attention from academic circles and management practices. Shared leadership is believed to effectively influence team output. However, research on the impact of individual creativity is still [...] Read more.
Creativity is the key to obtaining and maintaining competitiveness of modern organizations, and it has attracted much attention from academic circles and management practices. Shared leadership is believed to effectively influence team output. However, research on the impact of individual creativity is still in its infancy. This study adopts the qualitative comparative analysis method, taking 1584 individuals as the research objects, underpinned by a questionnaire-based survey. It investigates the influence of the team’s shared leadership network elements and organizational environmental factors on the individual creativity. We have found that there are six combination of conditions of shared leadership and organizational environmental factors constituting sufficient combination of conditions to increase or decrease individual creativity. Moreover, we have noticed that the low network density of shared leadership is a sufficient and necessary condition of reducing individual creativity. Our results also provide management suggestions for practical activities during the team management. Full article
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20 pages, 472 KiB  
Article
Sustainability of Organizations: The Contribution of Personal Values to Democratic Leadership Behavior Focused on the Sustainability of Organizations
by Zlatko Nedelko and Vojko Potocan
Sustainability 2021, 13(8), 4207; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su13084207 - 09 Apr 2021
Cited by 12 | Viewed by 5130
Abstract
The main purpose of this study was to examine the influence of leaders’ personal values on their democratic behavior from a sustainability perspective. We specified and tested the research model, drawing upon modified versions of the theory of basic values and the autocratic–democratic [...] Read more.
The main purpose of this study was to examine the influence of leaders’ personal values on their democratic behavior from a sustainability perspective. We specified and tested the research model, drawing upon modified versions of the theory of basic values and the autocratic–democratic leadership continuum. A total of 208 Slovenian and 196 Austrian leaders’ responses were used in hierarchical regression and structural equation modeling analysis. The results reveal a significant and positive influence of collectivistic values in both samples on democratic leadership behavior. A significant and negative effect of individualistic values on democratic leadership behavior is present in Austria, while in Slovenia, the effect is positive but not significant. Based on acknowledged associations between leader’s values, leaders’ democratic leadership behavior, and sustainable development, we argue that democratic leadership behavior contributes to the sustainable working and behavior of organizations. These results have theoretical implications, indicating how personal values affect leaders’ democratic behavior and contribute to the sustainable working and behavior of organizations. The practical implications relate to the strengthening of leaders’ democratic behavior in Slovenian and Austrian organizations. In addition, these findings will be helpful in increasing the sustainability of organizations via fostering democratic leadership behavior and its underlying personal values. Full article
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18 pages, 1380 KiB  
Systematic Review
Entrepreneurial Leadership and Sustainable Development—A Systematic Literature Review
by Alexandrina Maria Pauceanu, Nada Rabie, Ayman Moustafa and Daniel Constantin Jiroveanu
Sustainability 2021, 13(21), 11695; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su132111695 - 22 Oct 2021
Cited by 17 | Viewed by 8038
Abstract
The main aim of this study was to clarify the current literary inconsistencies regarding the characteristics of entrepreneurial leadership and its impact on sustainability. Additionally, another aim was to establish the framework of entrepreneurial leadership and to highlight the main gaps in the [...] Read more.
The main aim of this study was to clarify the current literary inconsistencies regarding the characteristics of entrepreneurial leadership and its impact on sustainability. Additionally, another aim was to establish the framework of entrepreneurial leadership and to highlight the main gaps in the entrepreneurial leadership literature. The entrepreneurial leadership literature started to develop recently as a new leadership style that is required to fulfill the current business changes in the fourth industrial revolution. The researchers conducted a narrative literature review to assess the status of entrepreneurial leadership in academia, literature gaps, and the impact of entrepreneurial leadership on the sustainability performance of organizations. Furthermore, the researchers main aim was to investigate the following research question: is entrepreneurial leadership a fixed or a multidimensional concept that differs based on industry, context, and firm size? Regarding the answer to this question, the current study found that entrepreneurial leadership is a multidimensional concept as it is reflected in different perspectives, which indicates the inconsistency of the characteristics of entrepreneurial leadership claimed in the literature. Research limitations—the current study focused on assessing the literature review status of entrepreneurial leadership. Based on that, this study’s limitation is represented in not focusing on testing entrepreneurial leadership’s impact on sustainability either quantitatively or qualitatively. On the contrary, it contributed by analyzing the status of the entrepreneurial leadership literature. Future studies need to further assess this relationship between both concepts and reach an agreement about the common characteristics of entrepreneurial leadership. Originality/value—the current study contributes to the entrepreneurial leadership literature as it highlighted the existing gaps and the inconsistency in the literature. Additionally, it contributed theoretically by connecting entrepreneurial leadership to the existing literature. Furthermore, empirically, it highlighted the contribution of entrepreneurial leadership by emphasizing the impact of it on organizational sustainable development performance. This study represents a call for scholars to focus more on entrepreneurial leadership given its contribution to organizational performance. Full article
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