Urban Bergsten, GIH May 6, 2008
FRONTIERS IN LEADERSHIP RESEARCH
Urban Bergsten, Visiting ProfessorThe Swedish School of Sports and Health
Sciences, GIH
Urban Bergsten, GIH May 6, 2008
Leadership as a Relationship
Leadership and Group processes
Some critical perspectives of trends in organizational and leadership development
Urban Bergsten, GIH May 6, 2008
From mass production to client centered processes
Team- and process oriented leadership, less control and daily operating
Leadership – future, innovation, change, horizontal
Management – ”here and now” operations, stability, focus on product – economy – administration, vertical
Urban Bergsten, GIH May 6, 2008
Leadership – educational, relational, emotional
People-oriented Develops in interaction Affects others´way of thinking and
perspectives concerning what is desirable, possible and necessary
Urban Bergsten, GIH May 6, 2008
A bureaucratic,hierarchical way of acting
Internal focus Information, one-
way About something
and somebody Debate, right/wrong
•A client centered, interactional way of acting and thinking
•External focus
•CommunicationCommunication
•””You and I, here You and I, here and now”and now”
•Dialogue, tell me Dialogue, tell me more..more..
Urban Bergsten, GIH May 6, 2008
Rules, manuals Earning money Adm. Control ”Do things right” Blaming others Fishes in straight
rows according to size, color, not moving
•Vision, values, ideasVision, values, ideas•Solving problemsSolving problems•Develop competenceDevelop competence•””do the right things”do the right things”
•Own responsibilityOwn responsibility
•””..lobsters in a basket ..lobsters in a basket moving all the time moving all the time within the basketwithin the basket”.”.
Urban Bergsten, GIH May 6, 2008
about nothing
about something
about somebody
YOU and I, HERE and NOW
Organizational competence IOrganizational competence ICommunication skillsCommunication skills
Urban Bergsten, GIH May 6, 2008
Organizational competence IIFeedback (give and receive)
”kill”
defend
explain
try to understand
Urban Bergsten, GIH May 6, 2008
Organizational competence IIIThe importance of handling borders
Time
Decision
Integrity
Language, focus, attention
Urban Bergsten, GIH May 6, 2008
Leadership as a concern for the leader
Leadership as a dynamic process where leaders and non-leaders interact
Traditional leadership research too quantitative, too descriptive, too a-theoretical, based mainly on empirical data and difficult to implement practically
Research concerning leadershipResearch concerning leadership
Urban Bergsten, GIH May 6, 2008
Research continued
One perspective to see the leader as a person with personality traits, assuming leadership talents from birth rather than as a consequence of training and development
Hundreds of studies show no relationship between personality traits and effective leadership performance (Yukl 1998)
New focus: from selection to training
Urban Bergsten, GIH May 6, 2008
Common characteristics of everyday leadership
New tasks continuously fall into the lap of the leader and therefore you seldom finish what you started.
Half of all assignments have a duration of less than nine minutes.
Only one tenth of the work tasks has a duration of more than one hour.
Focus upon operative action and to act upon the latest information available
Urban Bergsten, GIH May 6, 2008
Granström (2007) and Haikola (1999)
The leader is formed by the group
Leadership is a consequence of psychodynamic processes, both conscious as well as unconscious.
Authority – mandate
”The New Leadership Approach”- the management of Meaning: basic values, norms, culture, internal/external meaning.
Urban Bergsten, GIH May 6, 2008
Leadership and Gender
Support for ”the glass-ceiling” theory. Too few women leaders to describe a female
leadership style. Women leaders become ”tokens”, i.e. represent
women generally, have to perform better to show competence, but not too much better…(Kanter 1996).
The obstacles, not women's ambitions but perceived powerlessness concerning organizational structures (Wahl 1992).
Urban Bergsten, GIH May 6, 2008
ControlControlTop-bottomTop-bottom
InclusiInclusionon
In-outIn-out
OpennessOpennessclose-distantclose-distant
The FIRO Theory (Schutz 1958)
Fundamental Interpersonal Relations Orientation
Urban Bergsten, GIH May 6, 2008
Phases in a working group (Bion) ”Basic assumptions”
task task task task
A)
B)
Working phase
Dependency phase
Flight phase
Fight phase
Leader Group member
Urban Bergsten, GIH May 6, 2008
Reflections on the new trends of leadership
Doubts that the shift in leadership doctrines has taken place, really.
The message has been understood as rhetorics but not in practice.
Critical views concerning teams as the answer to most problems.
To perform leadership by visions, ideals etc. can be seen as a manipulative way to occupy the minds, values and convictions, not the actions.
Urban Bergsten, GIH May 6, 2008
Reflections continued
A risk that very tight company cultures prevent divergent and creative thinking.
A transition from external control to internal, from normative to symbolic control.
The control is performed by the employees themselves, by the team and colleagues.
Team performance and team bonuses increase the control.
Urban Bergsten, GIH May 6, 2008
Reflections continued
Electronic control more and more common.
Different types of control tend to interact with, rather than exclude each other.
The ”Best-sellers” within the field often refer to ”Best Practice”, based on few scientific studies.
Due to weak theoretical basis there is a risk that one fad follows the other. ”Old truths in new packages”.
Urban Bergsten, GIH May 6, 2008
Critical perspectives on ”The new Leadership (Alvesson 2006)
Leadership often deals with grand but empty talk and self images full of fantasies.
Ideas and recipes become quickly out of fad, so new trends can be introduced, at least new titles and terms.
Change fanatism often prevents authentic change.
The devotion of news (Faucault 1984)
Urban Bergsten, GIH May 6, 2008
Critical perspectives continued
All surveys, employee satisfaction and customer relations etc are controls.
Patience – to hold on to projects and fulfill endeavors, rarely promotes your career.
Goal setting and visions can have ceremonial character. If you accept them too seriously, you may get in trouble.
Many leaders gain legitimacy by avoiding deviation (team, coach, mentor, the PEAB-university, search, head-hunting, kick-off etc).
Urban Bergsten, GIH May 6, 2008
Toward the Future (Schein 1996)
The new culture requires collective learning. From rationality, linearity and stimuli-
response to emotions, irrationality, intrinsic and sometimes unconscious behavior.
Supply energy and motivation to learn. Willingness to involve others. Emotional strength to manage anxiety. Permit and encourage leadership to flourish
throughout the organization.
Urban Bergsten, GIH May 6, 2008
Views on future research concerning leadership
Less simple casual relationships. Less cross-sectional studies at isolated
occasions. Less questionnaires and description as an
attempt to estimate ”objective” dimensions. More qualitative and longitudinal studies
based on interviews and participatory observation. Try to follow the leadership over time and space.
More studies of ”leaders in context”.
Urban Bergsten, GIH May 6, 2008
Future research continued
Action research in collaboration with the organization with participation of researchers, students, union leaders and employees.
Striving for results and findings both scientifically and useful in practice.
Interactive methodology. Involve both subordinates and
superiors in the context.
Urban Bergsten, GIH May 6, 2008
Thank You for your interest and attention!
Time for a number of reflective teams!