Stephanie S. Pane Haden

Historical, practical, and theoretical perspectives on green management

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide a comprehensive definition of green management. In the quest to systematically develop an inclusive definition, it seeks to take an exploratory approach to investigate the existing literature on green management from three different perspectives: first, tracing the history of how this concept emerged over time; second, considering the practices in which green organizations actually engage, focusing specifically on one company that has been recognized and honored for its extraordinary efforts toward sustainability; and third, reviewing the current developments in critical theory related to environmental issues and business.Design/methodology/approach – This exploratory review of the literature uses a tripartite approach to forge a sound definition and conceptualization of the term green management. Exploration of green management from the three angles mentioned revealed some commonalities and consistencies in the terminology and concepts. Factors common to ...

History‐of‐management‐thought about social responsibility

Purpose – The aim of this paper is to examine the development of the social responsibility (SR) of business concept and related management philosophies through the history‐of‐management‐thought perspective.Design/methodology/approach – The history‐of‐management‐thought approach to social responsibility (SR) is grounded in the paradigm of continuing progress exemplified by the contributions of great management thinkers (e.g. Fayol, Taylor, Follett, Barnard). A historical evolution of the SR concept is provided, together with tracing the development of stakeholder theory in its attempt to depict the relationship between stakeholder management and SR.Findings – Three management philosophies (recognition of the external environment, a need for collaboration, and a need for a shared understanding) emerge from both classical and modern management thinkers. Recent conceptualizations have added depth by clarifying the meaning of social responsibility and in addition, detailing the nature of firm‐stakeholder relat...

Lillian McMurry of Trumpet Records: Integrity and Authenticity in the Charismatic, Constructive Narcissist Leader

Although the emerging construct of authentic leadership has received considerable attention recently, there are still diverse and competing theoretical perspectives. Common with nascent theory, many have suggested that researchers attempt to craft expanded and more nuanced conceptions of current and potential components, antecedents, and outcomes associated with the conduct and attribution of leader authenticity. Although such theoretical advancement is essential to the maturation of the paradigm, management historians recognize the important role the historical record can play in the progression of contemporary frameworks. During archival research of the business proceedings of Trumpet Records, a 1950s independent record label, we encountered the compelling story of an entrepreneurial leader whose extraordinary integrity and authenticity appeared inconsistent with certain aspects of the principal authentic leadership definitions beginning to converge in the literature. Accordingly, we examined the life and writings of Lillian McMurry, the founder of Trumpet Records, to propose a framework by which leader integrity initiates the conduct and attribution of authentic leadership to transcend charismatic and narcissistic tendencies and diminish the abuse of symbolic status.

The collective endorsement of James Meredith: Initiating a leader identity construction process

DeRue and Ashford (2010) proposed a social process of leadership identity construction, asserting that leadership identity is co-constructed by way of claims and grants of leader and follower identities. In addition, these authors suggested that the collective endorsement of the broader social context might serve as a catalyst to initiate the leader identity construction process. As a result, they called for qualitative studies to further develop this idea. During archival research of James Meredith’s historic integration of the University of Mississippi, we discovered evidence to support and extend their theoretical arguments. Accordingly, we interpret the archival evidence of support and opposition of Meredith’s defiant integration to contrast the leader identity construction processes of Meredith with his contemporary antagonist, former Mississippi Governor Ross Barnett. We use this analysis to illustrate how the distinctive social context broadly recognized the key element of defiance and collectively endorsed Meredith as a leader, thereby initiating his leader identity construction process.

Servant leadership and followership creativity: The influence of workplace spirituality and political skill

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine how servant leadership and political skill combine to impact workplace spirituality and employee creativity. Design/methodology/approach Participants were working adults recruited by graduate and undergraduate students from a US public regional comprehensive university. Data were collected across three time periods, with a final sample size of 280 participants. Findings The authors’ findings suggest that servant leaders impact employee creativity by fostering an environment that promotes workplace spirituality. Furthermore, this relationship is strengthened to the extent that the servant leader possesses high levels of political skill. Research limitations/implications This study provides a foundation for the interplay between servant leadership and political skill. Therefore, the data collection procedures undertaken in this study (i.e. from sources in multiple organizations) are beneficial. A limitation to this study is the use of a single informant to measure all of the constructs, which may cause a bias in the results. Practical implications This study provides a foundation for the interplay between servant leadership and political skill. Therefore, the data collection procedures undertaken in this study (i.e. from sources in multiple organizations) are beneficial. Originality/value Although servant leadership research continues to receive increased attention in the extant literature, researchers have tended to focus on the relational aspects of servant leadership. Curiously, the “leader” side of servant leadership has been largely neglected. As a result, some have questioned the construct as a viable leadership model. Greenleaf (1977), however, noted that servant leaders also possess conceptual skills; yet, these skills are rarely included in servant leadership measurements or empirical studies. The authors argue that political skill captures the essence of these abilities, and that including it strengthens the servant leader’s impact on workplace spirituality, ultimately influencing employee creativity.

Integrating Libertarian Paternalism Into Paternalistic Leadership The Choice Architecture of H. J. Heinz

Extant theory suggests that paternalistic leadership is not a unified construct and that benevolent paternalistic and exploitative paternalistic leader styles are independent. However, this representation ignores the emerging concept of libertarian paternalism. In order to explore this prospective style of leader paternalism, we performed a historiographically informed examination of prominent paternal capitalists from the era of industrial paternalism in the United States. We discovered that the paternalistic leadership of H. J. Heinz lacked the degree of coercion and intrusion found in other paternalistic leaders of the period, even when compared with those motivated by benevolence. As this resonated well with current notions of libertarian paternalism, we analyzed the paternalistic leadership style of Heinz alongside contemporaneous archetypical exploitative (George Pullman) and benevolent (Henry Ford) paternalistic leaders. We interpret the historical evidence to integrate the emergent idea of libertarian paternalistic choice architecture into a more comprehensive typology of paternalistic leadership.

Transcending the power of hierarchy to facilitate shared leadership

Purpose – Although communal forms of leadership are being called for to provide contemporary organizations with more responsive leadership platforms, the paper can find no compelling description as to how such leadership might develop in a world of hierarchy. The purpose of this paper is to fill this void. Design/methodology/approach – Attempting to comprehend the sharing of leadership will require contemplation of unconventional approaches in opposition to the dominant logic associated with conventional organizational leadership. One current example of such unorthodox deliberation is the emerging awareness of the Grateful Deads influence on business management and leadership. Accordingly, the paper examined and interpreted the experiences and expressed beliefs of Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead to offer a conceptualization of how shared leadership could emerge in traditional organizational settings. Findings – The analysis indicates that Jerry Garcia exhibited aspects of transformational leadership, s...

Disharmony in New Harmony: insights from the narcissistic leadership of Robert Owen

Purpose The purpose of this study is to narratively explore the influence of leader narcissism on leader/follower social exchange. Moreover, while researchers acknowledge that narcissistic personality is a dimensional construct, the preponderance of extant literature approaches the concept of narcissistic leadership categorically by focusing on the reactive or constructive narcissistic extremes. This bimodal emphasis ignores self-deceptive forms of narcissistic leadership, where vision orientation and communication could differ from leaders with more reactive or constructive narcissistic personalities. Design/methodology/approach The authors argue that they encountered a compelling example of a communal, self-deceiving narcissist during archival research of Robert Owen’s collective experiment at New Harmony, Indiana. To explore Owen’s narcissistic leadership, they utilize an analytically structured history approach to interpret his leadership, as he conveyed his vision of social reform in America. Findings Approaching data from a ‘history to theory’ perspective and via a communicative lens, the authors use insights from their abductive analysis to advance a cross-paradigm, communication-centered process model of narcissistic leadership that accounts for the full dimensional nature of leader narcissism and the relational aspects of narcissistic leadership. Research limitations/implications Scholars maintaining a positivist stance might consider this method a limitation, as historical case-based research places greater emphasis on reflexivity than replication. However, from a constructionist perspective, a focus on generalization might be considered inappropriate or premature, potentially hampering the revelation of insights. Originality/value Through a multi-paradigmatic analysis of the historical case of Robert Owen and his visionary communal experiment at New Harmony, the authors contribute to the extant literature by elaborating a comprehensive, dimensional and relational process framework of narcissistic leadership. In doing so, the authors have heeded calls to better delineate leader narcissism, embrace process and relational aspects of leadership and consider leader communication as constitutive of leadership.

Lost in translation: from B‐school to business

Purpose – The purpose of this brief article is to describe the chasm between academic research and management practitioners and to call for assistance in closing the divide.Design/methodology/approach – Using journal literature and inductive observation from our experiences we offer our conceptual understanding by way of an opinion/viewpoint piece.Findings – If we are to truly lessen the gulf between organizational researchers and practitioners, movement must occur from both directions. Not doing so will result in a continuing myopic focus on the divide itself instead of fundamental discussions of the more crucial elements that influence organizational performance and productivity.Practical implications – We outline the relevant implications of our thinking for academics and practicing managers and offer recommendations that, if implemented by all involved, could narrow this gap and enhance the effectiveness of researchers and managers.Originality/value – The distinctive contribution of this article is th...