‘Multi-Level Leadership for Collective Good’

Guest editors:  Ben S. Kuipers (Leiden University) & Joanne Murphy (Queens University, Belfast) 

The complexity of today’s local and global challenges requires us to look critically at the role of leadership in society, government, business, and national and international networks. To date, the study of leadership has been criticised for:

• Being too concerned with formal leaders and too little with leadership (Rost, 1993). Rather than focusing on a small and selective group of people, we are seeking to understand the leadership capabilities and behaviours of many to address the complexity of issues at hand.
• Being too focused on effectiveness as an outcome, rather than on purpose (By, 2021). To address the wicked challenges we are facing, such as pandemic threats or environmental emergencies, both economic and social goals need to be taken into account when researching leadership (e.g. Maak et al., 2021, Avolio & Gardner, 2005).
• Lacking contextual considerations (Oc, 2018; Dinh et al, 2014). Without understanding the context in which leadership acts, is shaped and vice versa shapes context we are groping in the dark about the true nature and use of leadership.
• Lacking multilevel approaches and analyses (Batistic et al, 2017; Vogel & Masal, 2015). Although we understand the issues and challenges are complex and multi-faceted in themselves, we lack a sound theoretical and empirical basis to see the leadership to address these as a multi-level phenomenon.

We are seeking papers that investigate leadership empirically and theoretically across and within societies, sectors and organisations (public and private) dealing with collective problems. We invite authors from a variety of fields and disciplines to present their empirical and theoretical contributions to allow for comparison and theory development regarding the reconceptualization’s of multi-level leadership and its potential to create purposeful change for the collective good.

Submission Process: The deadline for Symposium abstracts is 1st December 2021. Abstracts should be no more than 600 words. Please email symposium abstracts to either Joanne.Murphy@qub.ac.uk or b.s.kuipers@fgga.leidenuniv.nl 

In accordance with the Journal’s standards, the approximate length of the Special Issue manuscripts would be between 6,000 to 8,500 words. Papers should be submitted as an email attachment to both guest editors with the subject heading ‘JCM - Symposium and Special Issue – Multi-Level Leadership for Collective Good’. Submissions should follow the general guidelines of the Journal of Change Management: Reframing Leadership and Organizational Practice (http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals/rjcm), and must include a MAD statement. Refereeing and the selection of papers will be conducted according to the Journal’s normal procedures (double-blind, peer review). Submitted papers should not have been previously published nor be currently under consideration for publication elsewhere. The expected date of publication of the special issue is mid-2023.

Key dates

1st December   Deadline for symposium abstracts

1st January       Confirmation of selected abstracts

11th April         Deadline for full symposium papers

11-12 May       Special Issue Symposium at Queens Management School (Belfast, UK)

1st August        Full paper deadline for the special issue 

Find the Authors’ guidelines here

Find a line to the Special Issue call here