Search Results (44)

This article addresses a gap in the literature by offering the first structured reconstruction of the origins, motivations, and development of Ignatian Leadership, connecting its spiritual roots, conceptual foundations, and institutional applications within a coherent and transferable framework. The study explores the genesis, evolution, and contemporary relevance of Ignatian Leadership as a transformative model that combines organisational management principles with the spirituality of Saint Ignatius of Loyola and the Jesuit tradition. Through a qualitative methodology, we conducted an exhaustive review of 54 documents and interviews with key experts, incorporating diverse phenomenological perspectives. The findings show that this leadership model emerged to renew the apostolic mission of the Society of Jesus, modernise its educational management, and empower both laypeople and Jesuits in leadership roles. Grounded in Ignatian spirituality—particularly in the practice of discernment aimed at promoting actions inspired by the Magis, in ever deeper and greater service to the most universal good—it seeks to serve others and promote the common good. Over time, the model has expanded beyond religious contexts, offering a counter-cultural and ethically grounded leadership style applicable in educational, managerial and civic settings. This shift of focus not only paves the way for institutional change but also guides individuals towards a more authentic and meaningful life. Full article

The health and social care needs of children and adults with disabilities are often neglected in many low- and middle-income countries. International opinion favours the creation of community-based supports rather than the institutional and clinic-based care that has dominated to date. However, models of care that are reliant on community leadership have been slow to develop within and across less affluent countries. Moreover, the managerial models inherent in institutional-based care are likely to be inadequate in such settings. This descriptive study aimed to explore the leadership qualities required in initiating and sustaining community-based supports. Face-to-face interviews were conducted with a purposeful sample of 16 leaders of projects in Africa, Asia, and South America. They included people with sensorial, physical, and intellectual disabilities as well as non-disabled leaders of local and national projects plus others whose leadership was at a regional or international level. Two main questions were addressed: what are the qualities required to function as a community leader and how can these qualities be nurtured in low resourced settings? The insights gained would inform the preparation and training of community leaders. Thematic content analysis identified three core themes: first, personal qualities such as empathy with an understanding of the personal circumstances of persons in need of support; second, communicating clearly the vision and values informing their work; and thirdly, building and mobilising community support from families and neighbours. The nurturing of leadership comes through mentoring and coaching, the empowerment of others, networking opportunities, and the development of inter-personal and communication skills. These themes were commonly expressed across the 16 leaders from all the participating nations and at all levels of responsibility, which suggests a universality of approach in relation to people with disabilities. The findings are in marked contrast to current practices in health and social care that have valued professional expertise over lived experience, knowledge, and technical skills over compassion and empathy, and the provision of person-centred “treatments” over developing community and personal self-reliance. Nonetheless, the challenges involved in establishing and sustaining new styles of leadership are many and will not be quickly resolved. Full article

Since the early 21st century, wildlands have witnessed an effusion of wildfires, with climate and social changes resulting in unanticipated wildfire activity and impact. For forest fires to be prevented and suppressed effectively, forest firefighting forces have adopted a specific administrative system for organizing and managing the fighting force. Under the administrative system, a debate on desired “leadership and management qualities” arises, and hence, this study sought to identify the leadership and management traits that should distinguish individuals in the forest fire incident command system (FFICS) applied by the Department of Forests (Cyprus). The research subject was addressed using mixed method research, employing quantitative and qualitative data. Both datasets were used to distinguish the purposes of the applied triangulation, enabling the examination of differentiation between the trends/positions recorded in terms of the object of study. These findings point to ideal forms of transformational leadership and neoclassical management. The outcomes suggest that at the individual level, the leaders of each of the operating structures should develop leadership qualities related to emotional intelligence, empathy, judgment, critical thinking, and especially self-awareness of strengths and weaknesses. At the stage of pre-suppression, a democratic leadership style (or guiding style) is supported, while during the operational progress stage of the FFICS, a “hybrid” leadership style is suggested, borrowing elements from the democratic and authoritarian (or managerial) leadership styles. The administrative skills of FFICS leaders should include the moral and psychological rewards of subordinates, job satisfaction and recognition, and two-way communication. The current study illustrates the need for divergent leadership and management traits and styles among the different hierarchical structures of the FFICS. Full article

Background/Objectives: Our study investigates the primary characteristics of managerial decision-making processes in the public hospital units in Romania, particularly in the Northeast region. This research aims to delineate the decision-making model applied by managers in these units, considering the multitude of legislative, economic, technical, ethical, and organizational changes prompted by the pandemic. Methods: A mixed-method research approach was utilized, combining semi-structured interviews and autoethnography, to capture experiences, attitudes, perceptions, motivations, and ethical considerations of decision-makers within the healthcare system. Results: The findings revealed that managerial decisions in public hospitals were influenced by unique elements such as the vulnerability and support needs of patients, the absence of a clear hierarchy, the personalized nature of healthcare services, the complexity of care processes, and the use of advanced technology. External factors, notably political and economic influences, alongside internal ethical dilemmas, significantly impacted decision making. Conclusions: This study identifies the reliance on evidence-based decision making and a consultative managerial style as key to addressing these challenges. This research contributes theoretically by comparing decision-making models and practically by identifying a decision-making model that includes forms, techniques, and tools that could guide managers in decision making in Romanian public hospitals. Full article

There are numerous risk factors across various dimensions that lead to unsafe behaviors among construction workers, and the interactions between these factors are complex and intertwined. Therefore, it is crucial to comprehensively explore the mechanisms of these risk factors across all dimensions to reduce the accident rate. This paper combines cascading failure and entropy flow models to construct a cascading trigger model for identifying key nodes and paths in a risk network. First, this paper identifies the risk factors in the individual, organizational, managerial, and environmental dimensions, dividing them into deep and surface factors. Based on this, a risk network is constructed, and cascading failure is introduced to simulate the dynamic evolution of risks. Then, the entropy flow model is introduced to quantify the risk flow in risk propagation. Finally, to address the uncertainty of risk occurrence, Visual Studio Code is used for coding, and a simulation platform is built using JavaScript. After conducting simulation experiments, the results are statistically analyzed. The results show that the key nodes of deep factors are mainly concentrated in the individual dimension (herd mentality, negative emotions, physical fatigue, fluke mindset), organizational dimension (poor cohesion, poor internal communication), and managerial dimension (abusive leadership style and insufficient/low-quality safety education and training); the surface factors are mainly the poor safety climate in the organizational dimension. The findings provide theoretical support for reducing the accident rate caused by unsafe worker behaviors, aiming to reduce accident risk losses by cutting off risk propagation paths. Full article

Church governance is not often debated within a philosophical or theological sphere. This is perhaps because church governance has been part of tradition since Constantine and the initial Greek philosophical world view of sovereignty and hierarchy. Such a stance has led towards a managerial mindset that follows and conforms to the world, which plays out within the Anglican polity in the setting of an adversarial parliamentary style synod. This style encourages bounded communities of power that often refute the burgeoning inspirations of the Spirit. In changing the underlying theological basis of such a stance, by invoking the understanding of an undeniable community in the singularity of the Triune God, governance becomes more open. Engaging with, primarily, Agamben but also others from philosophy, a new viewpoint is presented to challenge the manner through which tradition is wielded as the only possibility. In seeing through a differing lens, communities can be conceived as both porous and interconnected, thus allowing the body of Christ to respond with transformative action as opposed to a continuum of conformance with secular legality. In this manner, the bishop’s role may become more centralised towards a Eucharistic one, as opposed to the managerial mindset and role, to enhance the possibilities of God’s love. This then removes the need for a hierarchy driven by a sovereign mindset that tradition bolsters, whilst maintaining loving and authoritative oversight that tradition suggests. Full article

The gig economy has led to a new management style, using algorithms to automate managerial decisions. Algorithmic management has aroused the interest of researchers, particularly regarding the prevalence of precarious working conditions and the health issues related to gig work. Despite algorithmically driven remuneration mechanisms’ influence on work conditions, few studies have focused on the compensation dimension of algorithmic management. We investigate the effects of algorithmic compensation on gig workers in relation to perceptions of procedural justice and time-based stress, two important predictors of work-related health problems. Also, this study examines the moderating effect of algorithmic transparency in these relationships. Survey data were collected from 962 gig workers via a research panel. The results of hierarchical multiple regression analysis show that the degree of exposure to algorithmic compensation is positively related to time-based stress. However, contrary to our expectations, algorithmic compensation is also positively associated with procedural justice perceptions and our results indicate that this relation is enhanced at higher levels of perceived algorithmic transparency. Furthermore, transparency does not play a role in the relationship between algorithmic compensation and time-based stress. These findings suggest that perceived algorithmic transparency makes algorithmic compensation even fairer but does not appear to make it less stressful. Full article

Occupational health and safety (OHS) is a largely technical field, still guided by a biomedical model of health that seeks to isolate factors that cause injury. Despite a growing literature on organisational and managerial factors influencing occupational health, their full integration into the OHS concept has been slow. A broader understanding is still needed to recognise the restructuring of work and the link between well-being at work and management style. In the context of a rapidly changing world of work, increasing workforce diversity, and inequality, OHS needs to take account of the social sciences and humanities to broaden its reductionist vision. Occupational illnesses, distress, and suffering, especially in relation to relational or organisational issues, have no initial cause or specific ontology; they result from a long-standing process or repetitive relational pattern that needs to be exposed and understood in greater depth, considering contextual factors and dynamics. Using the authors’ anthropological backgrounds and the basic principles of the double bind theory developed many decades ago by Gregory Bateson and his colleagues at the Palo Alto School of Communication, we propose a reflection on pragmatic paradoxes or double bind situations in the workplace (which can be briefly defined as the presence of contradictory or conflicting demands or messages), their potential impact on workers’ health and well-being, and how to resolve them. This paper sought to explore the world of pragmatic paradoxes and double binds by discussing different categories, types, or forms of paradoxes/double binds that occur in the context of occupational health and their underlying mechanisms. It also includes a discussion of the possible link to the concept of super-diversity, as it too is associated with migration channels, employment, gendered flows, and local systems. Finally, we discuss the practical implications of this understanding for health professionals, researchers, and policymakers, from a perspective of promoting more holistic and context-sensitive interactional approaches to occupational health. Full article

A rapid pace of change presents an unforeseen and perpetual competitive challenge for organizations. Despite the existence of numerous change management models, organizational change leaders often encounter obstacles during the implementation phase that limit change effectiveness. This paper seeks to make a difference in managerial actions, specifically when implementing planned change, by directing them to use specific leadership actions during the change stage. While previous research has acknowledged the potential linkage between leadership and change effectiveness, a comprehensive exploration of this relationship within the realm of strategic change management remains lacking. This study aims to address this gap by comparing transactional and transformational leadership styles through the lens of the leadership-as-practice perspective. Specifically, this paper analyzes the alignment of these leadership styles with the Kotter model for implementing organizational change and investigates which leadership components or behaviors positively impact predetermined stages of change. Using the MLQ and a developed Kotter questionnaire, data was collected from 385 Lebanese employees working in SMEs experiencing change across the five provinces of Lebanon. PLS structural equation modeling was utilized to analyze the results, and the GoF value indicated that the study model is valid to be considered as a PLS global model. Our findings shed light on the dynamic interplay between leadership efficacy and distinct change stages. Rooted in the leadership-as-practice perspective, this study contributes a nuanced understanding of effective leadership’s crucial role in navigating the multifaceted challenges of organizational change, offering insights for practitioners and scholars alike. Full article

Change and environmental trends are enormously influencing the globe. Businesses, societies, and people are all attempting to do their part to safeguard the environment. This study examines the impact of supportive leadership on organizational citizenship behavior for the environment (OCBE) and the mediating effect of psychological empowerment and affective commitment. The survey method was utilized. Data were gathered from 362 employees of the banking and pharmaceutical sectors for the present research. This research employed AMOS-SEM to analyze data and test the formulated hypotheses. The empirical results established that supportive leadership significantly influences workers’ OCBE. The results further corroborate that psychological empowerment and affective commitment mediate between supportive leadership and organizational citizenship behavior for the environment. These findings have vital implications for managers and enterprises that seek to increase their sustainability and organizational citizenship behavior for the environment. This research highlights the significant role of supportive leadership in stimulating psychological empowerment and affective commitment, which in turn affect organizational citizenship behavior for the environment. The present research broadens our understanding of leadership style and its influence on OCBE. The theoretical and managerial implications of organizational environmental sustainability and future research prospects are highlighted. Full article

(1) Background: Nursing managers as responsible personnel are required to think outside the box in order to make useful decisions using an appropriate style in a creative manner. This study aims to investigate the relationship between nursing managers’ decision-making styles and managerial creativity. (2) Methods: A multi-center cross-sectional design was used to collect data from 245 managers in five large government hospitals using self-administered questionnaires on managerial creativity and general decision-making styles. (3) Results: A significant relationship was found between rational, avoidant, and dependent styles and total managerial creativity. A positive correlation was present between the rational style and total managerial creativity and a negative correlation was found between avoidant, dependent, and spontaneous styles and total managerial creativity. According to a regression analysis, the rational style has a positive effect on managerial creativity, whereas the dependent and avoidant styles have a negative effect. (4) Conclusions: The majority of nursing managers in various hospitals throughout the kingdom are creative and almost all use rational and dependent decision-making styles, which are significantly related to managerial creativity. Thus, it is important to continue to conduct training programs on decision-making styles, especially the rational, dependent, and avoidant styles, for the top-, middle-, and low-level managers. Full article

Although the relationships between managerial practices and work-related outcomes are contingent on leadership behaviors, little scholarly attention has been paid to how leadership styles shape the impact of distributive justice and goal clarity on employees’ organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) in the field of organizational behavior and management. In this context, this study examines the direct effects of distributive justice and goal clarity on OCB based on two motivation theories, equity theory and goal-setting theory, as well as the moderating role of transactional and transformational leadership in the relationships based on social exchange theory. Using survey data from a sample of 4133 public employees drawn from Korean central and local governments and ordinary least square regression models, we found that distributive justice is negatively related to OCB, whereas goal clarity is positively related to OCB. Further analysis shows that while transactional leadership weakens the negative relationship between distributive justice and OCB, transformational leadership strengthens the positive relationship between goal clarity and OCB. Consequently, our study provides meaningful implications for public managers and organizations that should be considered in order to implement effective managerial practices based on the fitness between employee motivation processes and leadership styles to encourage employees to exhibit OCB. This will enhance organizational performance and sustainability. Full article

A new explicit form is provided for the solution of optimal stopping problems involving a multidimensional geometric Brownian motion. A free-boundary value approach is adopted and the value function is obtained via fundamental solution methods. There are many applications for the valuation of perpetual options of American style, which are of interest for finance and managerial decisions. Full article

The green leadership (GL) concept has significantly gained popularity over the last decade. Consequently, more research has been conducted on this emerging leadership concept, emphasizing leadership styles that promote the green environment so that sustainable goals can be achieved. In the present research, leaders’ emotional intelligence (EI) is positioned as a mediating variable between GL and employees’ green organizational citizenship behavior (GOCB). The data of this research comprised managerial and non-managerial staff from the manufacturing and service industries. A PLS-SEM was used to evaluate the relationship between the various factors among 422 employees. The empirical findings indicated that GL and GOCB had a favorable and robust relationship. The results of the study also suggested that a leader’s EI mediates the influence of green leadership on their employees’ green organizational citizenship behavior. Green leadership is essential in creating sustainable environmental behaviors among employees. It can strengthen leaders’ EI, which successively helps them to garner positivity and foster an environment of mutual harmony and cooperation in the workplace to support pro-environmental policies. Overall, our study contributes to and advances previous studies and shows that green leadership plays a critical role in influencing a leader’s own EI which, in turn, predicts the green OCB of their employees in the workplace. Full article

This study aimed to examine the moderating role of institutional theory in the association between participative leadership style and various outcomes, such as employee loyalty and job performance in organizations. A cross-sectional research design was employed, where data were gathered from 347 participants from all managerial levels in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The findings demonstrated how the level of complexity of the institutional theory reduces the positive relationship between participative leadership style and employee loyalty, negatively affecting job performance. The current study contributes to the existing leadership literature by showing that participatory leaders do not behave similarly across various degrees of institutional theory complexity. The findings suggest that the higher the complexity of institutionalism, the wider the gap between leaders and subordinates, so implementing the participative style may become problematic in some circumstances. Full article