Search Results (157)

Ethical leadership is crucial for cultivating a committed and engaged workforce, but the specific psychological processes behind this link are not fully understood. Drawing on social learning and relational identity theories, we propose a multi-stage model where ethical leadership boosts employee engagement by first increasing supervisor–employee value congruence and then strengthening organizational identification. Using data from 444 employees and 375 supervisors, we found that ethical leadership indirectly influences employee engagement through this sequential process. This study confirms that ethical leadership fosters shared values between supervisors and employees, which in turn enhances an employee’s sense of belonging to the organization. This value congruence was found to be a full mediator between ethical leadership and organizational identification. This research contributes to leadership theory by detailing the psychological path from ethical leadership to employee engagement. Our findings also offer practical insights for organizations, emphasizing the need to focus on value alignment and leadership development to create a highly engaged workforce. Full article

Ireland, historically a country of emigration, has transformed into a hub of immigration. Today, over 200 languages are spoken among its 5.25 million residents, with approximately 750,000 individuals speaking a language other than English or Irish at home. This growing linguistic diversity is increasingly reflected in Irish primary classrooms, where teachers are called upon to support students from a wide range of linguistic and cultural backgrounds). In response, Teaching English as an Additional Language (EAL) modules have expanded across initial teacher education (ITE) programs in Ireland. This study examines over two decades of teacher development initiatives, tracing a shift from an earlier bilingual model—where multilingualism was viewed primarily as second language acquisition—to a more expansive, European-informed vision of plurilingualism. Drawing on recommendations for reflexive, linguistically and culturally responsive education, this research adopts an insider/outsider discursive case study approach to explore student teachers’ preparedness to support multilingual learners in Irish primary schools. Conducted through a collaboration between an Irish teacher educator/module coordinator and an intercultural education specialist, this study employs reflexive thematic analysis) of student teachers’ self-reports from a twelve-week elective module on linguistic and cultural diversity within a Primary Bachelor of Education program. Data were drawn from surveys (n = 35) across three module iterations in 2019, 2021, and 2023. Findings indicate student teachers’ growing awareness of language teaching strategies and resources, developing positive orientations toward inclusive and plurilingual pedagogy, and emerging skills in professional collaboration. However, areas for further development include strengthening agency in navigating real-world multilingual teaching scenarios and embedding deeper reflexivity around linguistic identities, integrating students’ home language and intercultural learning. The paper concludes with recommendations to expand access to language teaching resources for diverse student profiles and support collaborative, shared EAL leadership through professional learning communities as part of teacher education reform. Full article

This article explores the papacy as a multifaceted form of cultural heritage, emphasizing the pope not only as a religious leader but also as a living symbol and institutional embodiment of Catholic heritage. Positioned at the intersection of theology, history, and heritage science, the study seeks to bridge the gap between spiritual authority and cultural memory by introducing a novel interpretive category: the pope as a living component of intangible religious heritage. The research combines a comprehensive literature review with an analysis of papal documentation, especially papal constitutions. Special attention is given to public engagement with the papacy, as reflected in internet search trends during significant ecclesiastical events such as papal deaths and conclaves. The results indicate that the pope functions as a living link in the continuity of Catholic identity, with digital indicators revealing peaks of global interest aligned with pivotal moments in Church leadership. The study also defines the roles and functions of the pope as a narrative bearer, initiator, and symbolic custodian of papal cultural heritage. Overall, the findings reinforce the papacy’s dual role as both a theological and sociocultural institution, offering new perspectives for understanding religious leadership as a medium of cultural transmission and public relevance in a digitized world. Full article

Background/Objectives: Men have historically contributed significantly to mental health nursing, particularly in inpatient settings, where their presence has supported patient recovery and safety. Despite this legacy, men remain under-represented in the nursing workforce, and addressing this imbalance is critical to workforce sustainability. This study offers a novel contribution by exploring the lived experiences, motivations, and professional identities of men in mental health nursing, an area that has received limited empirical attention. The aim of the study is to examine the characteristics, qualities, and attributes of mental health nurses who are male, which contributes to their attraction to and retention within the profession. Methods: A qualitative interpretive inquiry was conducted among nurses who were male and either currently or previously employed in mental health settings. Two focus groups were conducted using semi-structured questions to explore their career pathways, motivations, professional identities, and perceived contributions. Thematic analysis was used to identify key themes and patterns in their narratives. Results: Seven participants, with 10–30 years of experience, participated. They had entered the profession through diverse pathways, expressing strong alignment between personal values and professional roles. Five themes emerged and centred on mental health being the heart of health, personal and professional fulfillment, camaraderie and teamwork, a profound respect for individuals and compassion, and overcoming and enjoying the challenge. Conclusions: Mental health nurses who are male bring unique contributions to the profession, embodying compassion, resilience, and ethical advocacy. Their experiences challenge traditional gender norms and redefine masculinity in health care. Fostering inclusive environments, mentorship, and leadership opportunities is essential to support their growth. These insights inform strategies to strengthen recruitment, retention, and the future of mental health nursing. Full article

Today, ‘social sustainability’ is a key feature of many organisations’ environmental, social, and governance strategies, as well as underpinning sustainable development goals. The term refers to the implementation of targets such as reduced societal inequalities, the promotion of social well-being, and the practice of positive community relations. Building a meaningful, accountable, and quantifiable evidence-base from which to translate these high-level concepts into tangible and achievable goals is, however, challenging. The complexities of measuring social capital—often described as a building block of social sustainability—have been documented. The challenge lies in measuring the person, group, or collective in interaction with the context under investigation, whether that be a climate goal, an institution, or a national policy. Social identity theory is a social psychological approach that articulates the processes through which an individual internalises the values, norms, and behaviours of their contexts. Levels of social identification—a concept capturing the state of internalisation—have been shown to be predictive of outcomes as diverse as communication and cognition, trust and citizenship, leadership and compliance, and health and well-being. Applying this perspective to the articulation and measurement of social sustainability provides an opportunity to build an empirical approach with which to reliably translate this high-level concept into achievable outcomes. Full article

This study explores how Black student leaders (BSLs) at public historically white institutions (HWIs) in Florida and Georgia navigate racial battle fatigue (RBF) in the context of anti-DEI legislation. Amid rising political hostility toward diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts, this research examines the lived experiences of 11 BSLs as they respond to racialized campus climates that are increasingly ambiguous and unsupportive. Using a critical qualitative approach, data were collected through two in-depth interviews per participant and analyzed using inductive and deductive coding. Four major findings emerged: (1) BSLs experience heightened psychological, physiological, and emotional forms if stress linked to their identity and leadership roles; (2) anti-DEI policies contribute to institutional erasure and confusion; (3) students express emotional withdrawal, hypervigilance, and disillusionment with performative leadership; (4) students employ culturally grounded coping strategies centered on self-care, spirituality, and community. This study underscores that BSLs are both empowered and burdened by their leadership, especially under politically restrictive conditions. The findings call for student affairs educators to prioritize engagement and belonging and offer identity-affirming support. Further, scholars with academic freedom are urged to continue documenting racialized student experiences. These insights are critical to protecting Black student leadership and equity-centered educational transformation. Full article

Despite decades of ongoing efforts to address gender equality, female physicians, particularly women of color, continue to face significant barriers in medicine, which are exacerbated by microaggressions. In this qualitative study, 133 female physicians recalled experiences with microaggressions and the impact of these experiences on their professional identities and career progression. Thematic analysis revealed four major themes: (1) disregard for professional status; (2) undermining contributions; (3) intersectionality; (4) impact on career mobility and professional confidence. Further, there was one emerging theme: leadership and culture. The results underscore the compounding effects of microaggressions for female physicians with intersecting identities. Highlighting the application of social identity theory, intersectionality, and organizational justice, this study provides a comprehensive view of the impact of microaggressions on female physicians, offering new perspectives on the intersectional nature of discrimination and its effects on professional identity and career satisfaction. Full article

Human Resource Information Systems (HRISs) have become integral to contemporary organizational life, yet their successful adoption remains uneven and poorly understood. Existing models often focus on cognitive or technical determinants, overlooking how emotional and social factors shape user behavior in real-world settings. This study explores HRIS adoption through a psychosocial lens, centering the experiences of business line managers, key users who are often excluded from HRIS design, training, and research. Drawing on 25 qualitative interviews across five large UK-based organizations, this paper identifies six emergent themes related to interpersonal trust, role identity, leadership influence, organizational culture, emotional resistance, and the gap between expected usefulness and daily utility. Findings reveal that approaches which account for user emotions, perceived role clarity, and social context offer a more complete understanding of HRIS adoption than those based solely on intention or usability. By highlighting the role of interpersonal dynamics and subjective experience, this study challenges dominant technology adoption models and contributes to more human-centered perspectives in HRIS research and practice. This paper concludes by offering theoretical implications and practical guidance for designing HRIS strategies that reflect the psychosocial realities of implementation across diverse organizational environments. Full article

Background: Undergraduate research is vital for developing critical thinking and academic identity in medical students, yet traditional models often fail to overcome institutional and personal barriers. Peer-led approaches may offer more accessible, supportive environments that promote deeper engagement and leadership in research. Methods: This study evaluated medical students’ experiences in a peer-led research initiative from 2022 to 2024. Students were then invited to complete a qualitative questionnaire reflecting on their perceptions towards research, development in research skills, confidence, and academic identity. Results: Code saturation was achieved after 9 responses (N = 15). Participants reported intrinsic interest, peer encouragement, and opportunities to publish as motivating factors. The peer-led model made research feel more approachable, fostering technical growth and academic confidence. Peer mentorship and a gradual learning structure were especially valued. While challenges such as workload and team dynamics emerged, students reported growth in resilience and self-reflection. Conclusions: Peer-led research initiatives can effectively support academic identity formation by integrating motivation, support, and skill development. Despite obstacles, students gained competence and confidence. Full article

This qualitative study investigates how short-term international mobility—specifically Erasmus staff exchange—nurtures educational leadership in an increasingly globalized landscape. Drawing on in-depth interviews with 55 educators from European and non-European countries, the research traces the ways mobility experiences reshape professional practice, career trajectories and institutional engagement. Findings show that time abroad enhances intercultural competence, global awareness, and pedagogical innovation—capabilities central to educators who must lead learning in diverse, rapidly evolving contexts. Participants described a renewed sense of purpose and an expanded leadership identity on reentry, positioning mobility as both a personal and systemic catalyst. Nonetheless, persistent barriers—including financial constraints, language proficiency gaps, and uneven institutional support—continue to restrict mobility access. Addressing these inequities is imperative if Erasmus and similar programs are to serve as genuine engines of educational transformation rather than isolated opportunities for the already advantaged. By mapping the link between mobility, leadership growth, and institutional change, this article offers actionable insights for policy-makers and university leaders seeking to embed inclusive, innovation-oriented practices across local and international education systems. Full article

Angola’s cultural mosaic and ethnolinguistic diversity reflect the multilocational traditional customs and power, which are key to the country’s social organisation. A Soba, a traditional leader whose status is recognised by the Angolan Constitution, exerts political influence, shapes the collective life, and helps to preserve cultural identity. Customary law, entrenched after independence, became central to the political and administrative restructuring of the country, which had an impact on decentralisation efforts and legal pluralism. This study analyses the traditional leadership of Sobas in Angola in the context of placemaking and territorial co-management. Backed by the theory of Afrocentricity, a multidisciplinary approach is adopted towards setting Africans as the subjects of their own history. It is based on a literature review and critical analysis of the interaction between administrative law and customary law, which imply a hybrid model for territorial governance. The results indicate that the influence of Sobas on decision-making directly affects the use of the territory and cultural development, highlighting the importance of institutionalising traditional power. This paper suggests that recognising and strengthening such hybrid models is key to promoting territorial cohesion and fostering community engagement, whilst integrating traditional practices can result in more inclusive and effective public policies. Full article

Leaders are determinants of employee behavioral and work outcomes across industries. Notably, in the higher education sector where staff are required to perform various tasks while delivering knowledge to the younger generation, thus shaping the future of society. The current research employs social exchange and social identity theories to investigate the direct effect of supportive leadership on the wellbeing of employees. The indirect effects of organizational climate as a mediator, and perceived organizational support as a moderator are examined to better understand the underlying predictors of wellbeing in academia. Surveys were collected using a purposive and convenience sampling method and analyzed using partial least squares–structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) with Smart-PLS software, Version 3. The results show that the wellbeing of academic staff is not only influenced by the role and behavior of leaders but also the dynamics that surround it, namely, organizational climate aligned with the leadership efforts, and perceived organizational support among the staff that provides security, sense of belonging, and identity, leading to improved wellbeing. Organizational support when perceived by staff members can significantly boost the effectiveness of leadership efforts towards enhancing employees’ wellbeing. Full article

Drawing from narrative interviews with eight Protestant pastors in the U.S. and Canada, this paper explores community-building under the conditions of late modernity through the lenses of individualization and sensemaking. Exploring pastoral approaches to what Ulrich Beck calls “institutionalized individualism”, this paper argues that pastoral sensemaking manages polarities between the societal demand for self-construction and the human need to belong, between an individual’s freedom to make a life (or god) of their own and the fact that such work requires a community. Pastoral leaders manage this polarity through sensemaking strategies that strengthen and clarify the central values and practices of the congregation while also managing the boundaries of the congregation, envisioning the congregation as a retreat center in some cases and as an intentional community in others. In an age of individualization, pastoral leadership requires the dexterity to move between dynamic collective and individual identities, making processes of belonging a collaborative sensemaking effort in which boundaries are drawn, enacted, erased, and redrawn in new ways. Full article

The green behaviors of engineering project designers can improve the green performance of engineering projects. Moral factors are likely to influence designers’ behavior related to green design. Therefore, this study takes mindfulness leadership as a new antecedent of green behavior and explores how mindfulness leadership influences the green behaviors of designers. Based on social cognitive theory, this study proposes that mindfulness leadership stimulates the designers to exhibit green behaviors. Then, this study used a survey design and adopted partial least squares structural equation modeling to examine the hypotheses. The results indicate that mindfulness leadership is positively associated with green voice behavior (β = 0.313), green knowledge-sharing behavior (β = 0.281), and green helping behavior (β = 0.353). Moreover, moral identity mediates the main effect (β_a = 0.131, β_b = 0.147, β_c = 0.169). These quantitative findings substantiate that mindfulness leadership can effectively motivate designers to provide eco-conscious solutions, share sustainability knowledge, and collaborate on green improvements. The study equips project managers with evidence-based strategies to cultivate moral identity and leadership practices that systematically enhance environmental performance in engineering design contexts. Full article

Workplace inequities disproportionately affect African American professionals, with 41% reporting discrimination in hiring, salary negotiations, and promotions due to their racial or ethnic identity. These challenges are further accentuated by gender disparities, as 48% of Black men and 36% of Black women acknowledge experiencing workplace discrimination. Comparatively, smaller proportions of Asian (25%), Hispanic (20%), and White (8%) employees report similar treatment, underscoring the systemic barriers that shape the professional trajectories of marginalized workers in the United States. Addressing these pervasive inequities necessitates a transformative framework rooted in allyship, particularly among White male leaders who occupy positions of significant power and influence. Allyship, a dynamic and relational process, requires intentional advocacy, empathy, and accountability to dismantle exclusionary practices and foster inclusion. This research employs human geography as a metaphor to explore the challenges faced by minority employees in navigating workplaces that often resemble hostile terrains characterized by bias, limited representation, and a lack of psychological safety. The climb to senior leadership for minorities parallels traversing rugged landscapes, requiring resilience and access to critical pathways such as mentorship, sponsorship, and equitable opportunities. As inclusive planners, White male allies can address these systemic barriers by leveraging their privilege to create equitable and supportive environments. Aligning allyship with principles of human geography highlights its potential to address workplace inequities and contributes to broader societal cohesion. This study underscores a pivotal lacuna in the discourse on organizational equity: the insufficient exploration of allyship as a transformative paradigm, particularly when championed by White male leaders who occupy positions of substantial authority and influence. Full article