Abstract
Please submit papers before 30 August 2024.
This special issue invites scholars to explore the intersection of leadership and systems, specifically interrogating leadership’s role in fundamental processes of change within structures, processes, and relationships. A focus on systems change connects the study of leadership to larger debates about how to grapple with grand challenges such as climate change and digitalization, as well as confronting pressing problems such as economic inequality and various forms of discrimination (Grint, 2023; Harrison, Kaesehage, & Leyshon, 2019). It also provides valuable insights into the intellectual evolution of leadership studies and brings into sharp relief key debates in the field.
In the initial decades following World War II, when leadership emerged as an academic discipline, it was primarily viewed as a function within the system, often associated with motivating employees. From the Ohio School studies of leadership in the 1940s and 1950s to Mintzberg's studies of management in the early 1970s, leadership was predominantly considered as one of the managerial functions within the system. In essence, leadership was a role within the larger organization, understood as a system that requires optimization.
A discursive shift occurred in the late 1970s, when the leader began to figure as the one who is capable of steering the system from the outside, from above, with the charismatic-transformational leader as its most popular archetype. While ‘the system’ remained synonymous with ‘the organization’, the leader was no longer an integral part of it (Khurana, 2002; Spoelstra, 2018). Rather, he or, less frequently, she, assumed a position above it, directing the organization. Leaders were seen as larger-than-life characters who, endowed with vision, charisma and other extraordinary qualities, could steer the organization towards a better future (see Hughes, 2016). This era, reminiscent of the 19th-century Great Man theory (Spector, 2016), is now often termed 'heroic leadership’ (Schweiger, Müller, & Güttel, 2020).
Today, a new shift has taken place. In discussing the imperative for systems change in this special issue, the prime focus is no longer on the individual organization. The systems in question encompass broader ecological, social, and societal components (Bateson, 2000). Addressing contemporary challenges of this magnitude requires engaging in collaborative efforts, as truly systemic problems cannot be tackled by individuals alone (Painter-Morland, 2008). Notably, as ‘transformation in society’ and ’transformative change’ become societal concerns from the early 2000s onwards, the allure of the transformational leader diminishes in the face of intensifying criticism (e.g. Tourish & Pinnington, 2002). Leadership, as in the post-World War II era, is once again acknowledged as part of the system. However, this time, the system is conceived as much larger and more complex, with the future of humanity at stake rather than the organization’s bottom line (Kempster, Maak, & Parry, 2019).
This issue underscores the shift toward systems thinking in leadership studies, redefining collective organizing efforts as networks of interacting dynamics that yield emergent outcomes. It reconceptualizes leadership as a complex process of relational influence fostering interconnectivity and adaptability (Clifton, Larsson, & Schnurr, 2020). A focus on systems change can revitalize the field of leadership studies, offering renewed relevance in addressing pressing systemic challenges facing communities and organizations. Recent research has expanded the field's boundaries to explore the interplay of power, collective leadership, and social change (Ospina & Foldy, 2010), the leadership dynamics of complex adaptive systems and contemporary grand challenges (Hazy & Uhl-Bien, 2015; Uhl-Bien, 2021), and the potential for post-colonial, feminist, and anti-racist theories to challenge imperialist and white, masculinist ideologies of leadership (Ashcraft, 2022; Liu, 2021; Spiller & Watson, 2021).
For this special issue, we invite both empirical and theoretical papers that contribute to a deeper understanding of leadership dynamics and systems change amid a spectrum of contemporary challenges. We encourage submissions exploring how individuals, organizations, and communities can respond to these challenges through regenerative practices, collective organizing efforts, and innovative business models aligning with broader societal values and purposes (Kempster, Maak, & Parry, 2019). Possible themes include (but are not limited to): - Leadership as a complex process of relational influence - The interplay of power and collective leadership in addressing social change - Relations between systems thinking and leaderships - Complexity leadership theory - A system perspective on leadership - Climate change and environmental degradation - Economic inequality - Technological complexity, digitalization, and surveillance systems - Race- and gender-based discrimination and violence - Leadership in forms of organizing, activism, and/or mobilizing for systems change - Leadership and the rise of extremist, populist, nationalist, and militarist movements and political systems
How to submit:
For further details on the aims, scope and submission guidelines of the journal, please visit https://uk.sagepub.com/en-gb/eur/journal/leadership.
To discuss potential submissions please liaise with a member of the editorial team. Submissions should be made through Manuscript Central, accessed from the journal website, clearly identifying that the paper is to be considered for the special issue on ‘The Leadership Dynamics of Systems Change’.
If you have any questions regarding the call or your submission, please contact the issue editors: Nicole Ferry (