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This paper considers the impact of leadership on job satisfaction at an international organization with a mix of civilians and military staff, with their national and organizational cultural differences and remote work experiences. According to the sample of 12 staff members interviewed, leaders should have certain traits and values, be supportive of the organization's strategy, build trust, be inspirational, show integrity, promote team member skills and empowerment, avoid micromanagement, be consistent, and balance empathy and authority. The study focuses on military/civilian contrasts; cultural variance in leadership styles; organizational cultural differences between the staff members; their response to inconsistent leadership and to micromanagement; and the benefits and challenges staff members face in remote working. The paper concludes that there are many ways in which leadership could improve job satisfaction, related to cultural differences and conflicting needs, and highlights the contrasting perceptions of civilian and military staff working together. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The societal impact of disinformation has become more prevalent in recent years, with many events illustrating these impacts. Nascent academic research has explored these impacts on a more comprehensive, societal scale; however, its influence on the business world has remained relatively unacknowledged. This paper highlights how these impacts can affect businesses and organizations, focusing distinctly on trust between leaders and employees and overall workplace dynamics and cohesion demonstrated through broader impacts. It examines how factors such as diminished critical thinking, increased cynicism and distrust within the workplace highlight the growing issue of managing workplaces in the digital age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines Kautilya's ideas on governance and corruption as outlined in his seminal work, the Arthashastra, and explores their potential application in modern times. Kautilya, one of India's most renowned scholars and strategists, prescribed a system of statecraft grounded in ethical and practical considerations. Kautilya emphasizes the importance of conquering one's desires and weaknesses as a prerequisite for being an effective administrator. Additionally, Kautilya recognizes the pervasive nature and aspects of administrative corruption and proposes comprehensive measures to detect and mitigate it. The paper argues that by drawing on the strategic insights of the Arthashastra, Indian policymakers and administrators can evolve a more holistic approach to developing a moral framework for administration and promoting good governance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the challenges faced by leaders in culturally diverse organizations through a case study of a project management team. The authors conduct a diagnosis of organizational culture to identify the cultural norms perceived by international employees, cultural diversity and inclusion, and obstacles to performance resulting from cultural differences, and then propose an optimal approach to culture and diversity management by leaders in the company to enhance organizational effectiveness and promote efficiency in project execution. The paper includes an outline strategic plan for implementing the recommendations, looking at setting up of different team structures, self-managed work teams, discussion forums and debriefings, cultural diversity training programs, mentoring sessions, and new approaches to incentives. The paper is potentially of value to leaders and managers wanting to leverage the benefits of working with multicultural teams. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The founding assumption of this study is that the lived experiences of culture, and the impact that it has on individuals in the workplace, is neither as simple nor as linear as explained by extant literature. In light of this, the purpose of this study is to complicate culture, by exploring the extent to which the lived experiences of eight individual cultural constructs deviated from the known literature. In this first part of the twopart series, the eight cultural orientations, namely, Action, Communication, Competition, Individualism, Power, Space, Structure and Time, are briefly viewed through the lenses of established extant literature. The phenomenological qualitative approach is explained, as this is used to allow individuals' narratives to shed light on the nuances that formal theory might have missed. In the follow-up paper (Part II), we will highlight how the research data from semi-structured interviews are used to explore the extent to which these cultural orientations remain as impediments to individual effectiveness in the workplace. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An increasing number of helmsmen of organizations in different fields are issuing back-to-office mandates. The new "Inverted Office Power Pyramid" model presents the fundamental granular forces at work driving the seemingly unstoppable return-tooffice megacycle trend after an extended period of work from home (WFH). It covers the (1) organizational economic, (2) behavioral economic, (3) leadership and managerial, and (4) personal level. This paper focuses on the bottom two layers of the new analytical framework, that is, the leadership and managerial level and personal level. The dynamic impact exerted by the finely chiseled drivers at the four levels suggests that due to the presence of systemic and anthropological constants, smart meta-leaders are likely to ensure that the office will remain a pivotal gathering place--most likely in conjunction with some remote work whenever necessary. This means that the Great Reset vision proposed and promoted most forcefully by the leadership of the World Economic Forum (WEF) is not likely to materialize in full, at least in the short term. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Four facets of executive leadership are described in the paper, each of which-in excess--has the potential to derail an executive's career and damage the integrity and success of their organization. Every executive should be alert to the possibility that their organizational power, their access to elitist privileges, etc. render them vulnerable to becoming captivated by egoistic and self-oriented preoccupations, and becoming distracted from prioritizing their corporate roles and responsibilities. It is suggested that more attention be given to the selection, appointment, and postappointment monitoring of executives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The global impact of the Covid-19 pandemic was unprecedented in our generation. It represented an acute crisis that saw countries crippled economically, socially and morally. For leaders all across the world, this crisis was a challenge that they had never anticipated and were unprepared for. Within this context, this paper sets out to explore leadership in small and medium enterprise businesses across four industry sectors. Using a phenomenological approach, nine leaders across four businesses were interviewed. The questions were designed around a framework of six constructs garnered from literature that epitomized leaders' competencies during a crisis. They were: authenticity, empathy, transparency, creativity, flexibility (in business) and resilience. Transcript analysis was done using CAQDAS, NVivo. In all, 135 codes were extracted from the transcripts and distilled into 17 conceptual (second-order) categories. Further aggregation resulted in five emergent themes reflective of leading businesses in and through crises. Cross-referencing these themes with literature resulted in a theoretical model--Entrepreneurship-as-Practice. Overall, the phenomenological approach to understanding leadership in crises produced an applicable model for current and future crises preparedness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Whether a purpose-driven organization is desirable will depend upon the purpose in relation to stakeholder aspirations, concerns and requirements, and the situation, circumstances and context. This paper examines what corporate purpose and a purpose-led business might mean for corporate governance, the quality, value and growth that are sought, independent directors, ESG and sustainability, diversity and the role of future boards. It presents questions that directors could consider in relation to selected items on board agendas when balancing contending claims upon resources, establishing priorities and endeavoring to become and remain purpose-led. A corporate purpose should reflect global risks, existential threats, challenges and opportunities, be responsible, sustainable, inclusive and appropriate for the wider contexts in which a company is active and could have an impact. As situations, circumstances and contexts change and/or evolve, a purpose may need to be revisited, reviewed and redefined, flexibly interpreted and intelligently implemented if it is to be resilient and remain relevant. Where this does not happen, and interests and parties become more aware of the costs and negative consequences and implications for themselves of certain purpose-led and/or ESG initiatives, they may seek to delay their implementation and/or prevent their achievement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) is here to stay, as more AI tools are being constantly developed. Can universities help students acquire not only soft skills as future leaders but also an appreciation of value-adding applications of GenAI? Academics are divided about AI value, but employers are mostly not. It is also widely seen that the new generation of MBA graduates are not technical experts, however much they use GenAI. They must still have interpersonal, collaborative and communication skills. As GenAI frees them from routine tasks, they can take a broader view of organizational needs. Employers still need all-rounders, not just techies. There are challenges for both employers and employees here, and also for the educators who are arguably serving both markets. This paper examines the challenges on these three sides, and includes a practical example of the application of GenAI in this awareness-building process. It concludes with suggestions for employers, educators and students, noting that the demand for potential leaders has not changed--but the working environment has. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Leadership is a process through which an individual influences other members of the group, with a view to achieving organizational or group goals. This paper aims to address the theme of inspirational leadership, innovation and entrepreneurship. The paper is divided into three points: the first point deals with inspirational leadership; the second focuses on the relationship between inspirational leadership and innovation; and finally, the third point addresses the existing relationship between inspirational leadership and entrepreneurship. The paper concludes that the link between inspirational leadership, innovation and entrepreneurship is fundamental for organizational growth and development, because that way organizations will be better able to face the challenges of their environment, taking into account the competitive dynamics that they are subject to at national and international levels resulting from globalization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Continuing success as an executive cannot be guaranteed, and this paper outlines some of the challenges and traps awaiting those in positions of organizational power and inf luence. At its heart, this paper is about alerting executives to counterproductive and toxic patterns of behavior that may have come to characterize them in the positions of authority--behaviors that will become self-defeating and dysfunctional and will lead to derailment and failure. The critical importance of examining executive behavior 'in context' is stressed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on a comprehensive collection of facts, this paper conceptually outlines and graphically visualizes five powerful political-economic change drivers that are bound to shape the world in the medium term. These "megacycle trends" include: (1) Liberal democracies under attack; (2) Fight against multiethnicity and multiculturality; (3) Increase in global debt; (4) Emergence of a multicentric world; and (5) Slowing of China's rise. To succeed, it is of crucial importance for a powerful group of innovative leaders around the world to understand, shape, and leverage these inflective global supertrends together with inspired and aligned followers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Work environment became very challenging in 2023 due to the upsurge in automation, artificial intelligence applications as well as turbulent economic and political factors that corporates had to endure. This paper reflects on the experience of business leaders in the Middle East with reference to overall performance results, teams' effectiveness and applied soft skills development mechanisms in year 2023. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews with business leaders of 22 national and multinational organizations operating in 12 different business and service sectors in Egypt, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. Leaders of 19 out of 22 organizations confirmed that they lack clear soft skills development mechanisms. Soft skills development is especially needed when it comes to staff and leaders' enablement and empowerment to manage change, resolve complex business situations, collaborate effectively and fulfill assigned goals in challenging environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is based on recent research on the factors that prevent publicly traded companies in the Gulf State of Kuwait from taking an interest in Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG), and especially sustainability issues. The paper examines the practice of sustainability reporting (or lack of it) by public companies. Seen in the context of the stakeholders involved and push and pull factors, and barriers impacting this practice, the study reveals the pivotal role of each company's leaders and managers. If there was interest at the top, it was likely that ESG issues were considered, but if leaders and managers could not see the value, then the concern for sustainability was given a low priority. More transparency among the Kuwaiti publicly-listed companies is widely seen as required to support this Middle-Eastern country in achieving its national development plan which calls for the creation of a robust and vibrant private sector and fostering an environment that attracts foreign direct investments. The lack of conviction among corporate leaders has been identified as the major hurdle to adoption of sustainability reporting by companies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using the development of a business plan as an example, this paper reflects on some of the internal dynamics involved in what is generally presented as primarily a logicalrational and emotion-neutral strategic business activity. A simple descriptive framework is introduced, designed to minimize the competitive emotions which can be generated during such discussions. The paper highlights the significant and pervasive impact which an organization’s culture exerts on business decision-making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper focuses on some of the more hidden and obscure aspects of workplace interactions which profoundly affect an executive's chances of success. The importance of (i) an executive's position within the organization's hierarchy, (ii) the embedded power structure, (iii) its political infrastructure, and (iv) the psychological characteristics of the key players in determining their relative success or failure is highlighted. Eight 'Reasons to be Careful'--each of which can help facilitate executive success and guard against failure and career disappointment--are explored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While the dangers of excessively homogenous boards and the advantages of diversity have long been recognized, in recent years, the priority of legislators, other interests, and various campaigns has been to increase the number and proportion of women in senior and leadership roles. As a result of the focus upon greater gender diversity, have other forms of diversity been overlooked? Is a different perspective on diversity required when building future boards? This paper considers some questions that directors and boards and those who advise them might wish to consider when building boards that are future-ready in relation to greater fluidity, uncertainty, instability and volatility, and the need for more dramatic and radical corporate and collective action in response to common challenges and shared and interrelated existential threats such as global warming and climate change. Rather than address discrete problems, future leaders will be required to handle a succession of evolving and interrelated issues and maintain commitment and collaborative relationships during transition and transformation journeys. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Organizations throughout the world are trying to find ways to use their employees more creatively and profitably. Many are structuring themselves around the concept of High-Performing Teams (HPTs). However, fewer than 5% of teams are truly high performing. This paper looks at the concept of HPTs from a scientific and evolutionary perspective and draws practical lessons from that knowledge regarding HPT formation and leadership. The paper shows that given the right context and management, HPTs form naturally because the drive to work in small mutually supportive groups is built into our DNA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reviews two concepts that have only recently been applied to effective leadership: Agency and Communion. Agency refers to behaviors and attitudes that are authoritative, demanding and self-advocating; Communion refers to behaviors and attitudes that are caring, other-serving, and participative. Men get rewarded for being agentic, women get punished for being both agentic and communal. In this paper, examples of both agentic and communal behaviors and attitudes are described. Since effective leadership includes both agency and communion, ways of integrating and combining them are also offered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new consciousness is emerging worldwide, challenging the foundations of the neoliberal economic project and the dominance of business and political elites. This transformative shift toward stewardship, solidarity, and collective action is driven by a values-based revolution. Crises, such as the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into daily life, serve as catalysts for this values shift, motivating individuals to act to ensure freedom, equality, and justice. As societies grapple with AI's introduction, the question remains whether it will further divide or unite humanity. Technological shifts have sometimes reduced individuals and cultures to economic resources, but there is an opportunity for AI to complement human interaction, fostering collective sensemaking and rekindling interconnectivity. The challenges posed by this transformation are deeply sociological rather than purely technological, necessitating a sociological lens to navigate this new terrain effectively and foster the design of a more equitable global economic system. Given that the world of AI exhibits all the hallmarks of field theory elements, this paper proposes the adoption of field theory as a conceptual framework for envisioning and designing such a new system capable of serving a broader segment of the world's technologically-oriented population. In order to enact the precepts of field theory, Swidler's concept of culture as a toolkit is suggested for realizing a solidarity economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper highlights some of the reasons which may have prompted a need for remedial coaching for an executive. It is organized into two parts: part one focuses on precipitating organizational factors, and the second part considers more deeply embedded existential factors, which may have led to the need for an executive to receive coaching or perhaps counseling. The terms 'client' and 'coachee' are used interchangeably to refer to the person being coached. The terms 'executive' and 'leader' are also used interchangeably to refer to a person appointed to a position of power and influence across all types of organizations, whether private, public, academic, political, or governmental. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the factors contributing to the underrepresentation, marginalization, and discrimination of women and black females in senior and executive leadership positions in the South African manufacturing sector. Despite constituting 44.6% of the economically active population, women only hold 26% of the top managerial positions. Similarly, black women (encompassing black African, Colored/Camissa/mixed-race, and Indian/Asian women) make up 40.7% of the economically active population, but only occupy 12% of top management positions. Using a qualitative research approach, this study conducted 13 in-depth semistructured interviews with male and female senior and executive leaders from seven manufacturing organizations. The findings revealed that the lack of representation of women in senior roles is due to organizational and sector-specific factors like discriminatory hiring and promotion procedures, resistance to change, and the prevalence of an "old boys' club" culture. Moreover, the study highlights that black women encounter even greater discrimination in all of these areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is to understand the identity challenges related to African spirituality that black African professionals experience in the South African workplace. The norms and practices of African spirituality are physical, 'loud' and unfamiliar to the Westernized understanding of spirituality, and is therefore rejected and discouraged in the workplace. A review of literature established that historicity, culture, ancestral lineage, as well as gender, are significant constructs of black African identity, and that a deeper understanding of these is therefore fundamental to recognizing and understanding full black African humanness and spirituality. An inductive, qualitative research process, employing an interpretivist approach, with 30 semi-structured interviews, was used to analyze the lived experiences and opinions of black African professionals. The research findings highlight the fact that black African professionals who identify with African spirituality experience identity-decentering and workplace exclusion. Hence, there is a deep need to demystify the understanding of identity and the influence of embedded Western-centric narratives of black Africans, and a dire need to create platforms and outlets for constructively sharing the rich history of black Africans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper considers the leader's implicit responsibility for safeguarding and supporting their junior colleagues. In doing so, it introduces ten 'survival hints', each worthy of attention and focusing on different facets of an organization's complex and dynamic infrastructure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Assessing the performance of an organization will invariably focus on the behavior of its senior executives and managers who will attract acclaim and criticism in equal measure depending how well the organization has performed. They can be deified when things go well and demonized when they do not. But are such attributions justified and fair or are they gross misjudgments of an executive's capability to perform well? The organizational contexts in which an executive works will condition what they can and cannot do and so will profoundly influence their relative success and failure. This paper proposes that any examination of an organization's performance must include both the behavior of the key individuals involved and the culture of the organization in which they work. It is not always the fault of the executive when things go badly wrong!. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Covid-19 has bowled a googly at people, practically disrupting all walks of life. In companies, HR teams have been at the forefront, rapidly supplying employees with the organization's response to the global pandemic. They also tried to preserve employee morale and high levels of productivity throughout the time of lockdown, while spinning out new expectations for doing work and giving ecosystem and mutual motivation. To be aligned with the modern means of operation, they must look ahead and make improvements to frameworks and systems. The development and implementation of these changes involve partnership and hard work with all the organization's stakeholders. Nevertheless, their duties are far from over, as the new standard of working pitches multiple questions that need answers. The author has attempted to present the HR challenges post-Covid-19 in this paper. This paper introduces to the topic, depicts the views of HR professionals, discusses the HR challenges post-Covid, and offers the conclusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

'Leadership' conjures up for many images of Military Officers issuing orders, commanding the troops, deploying resources and 'getting things done'. Unimpeded by doubt, challenge or debate, such idealized Super-Hero military models of leadership are reinforced in the media, on film and in popular fiction. They present however a romanticized portrayal of 'the Heroic Leader' which is somewhat different to the lived experiences of most executives in the workplace. Occupying a position of executive leadership does not presume unerring wisdom and judgment and omniscience; nor does it confer unrestricted decision-making authority. Executive behavior is 'bounded', and this paper considers how executives may respond when their freedom of action is constrained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Leadership skills are critical in every kind of business as well as, generally speaking, in life. But what does this mean for leaders exactly? Will investing in more seminars and workshops be enough for individuals and corporations to develop their leaders? Eight leadership questions exist pertaining to good leadership, and these questions refer to leadership on scales as great as war heroes or famous politicians; anyone, in fact, can be a leader. This paper examines the personal reflections of various MBA students with mixed personal and professional backgrounds as well as varying degrees of formal and informal leadership experiences. Using these reflections, the argument that anyone, in fact, can be a leader if they wish to be, is made. One of the most important qualities of a good leader, however, is authenticity, and this is addressed through many examples throughout the paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores participant leader experiences of mindfulness at the workplace and presents an inductive model that highlights the potential of the mindful individuals to transform their work world in the domains of productivity, relationality and power. The model highlights the resources and capacities built through practice and considers capacities developed as antidotes to the three Buddhist poisons of greed, hatred and delusion. Using a phenomenological approach and semi-structured interviews from 53 participant leaders working in a variety of organizational contexts, this paper explores how individuals trained in mindfulness applied and understood this capacity at work. Participant leaders had trained in one of the three different Mindfulness-Based Interventions (MBIs): Executive MBA (EMBA) Mindful Leadership Program, Mindfulness Teacher Training, and an eight-week Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program. The research distinguishes some key individual meta-capacities (awareness of the wandering mind, embodiment, equanimity and kindness) and individual capacities (resilience, sense of self, multiple perspectives and possibility) that develop. These individual capacities enhanced participant leaders' abilities to work with difficult emotions. The individual changes allowed for new behaviors and experiences in the areas of productivity, power and relationality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For international enterprises, the ability to adaptively manage people from different cultural backgrounds is key to their success, even their survival. In the light of China's 'Belt and Road' strategy, this paper looked specifically at the Sino-South Africa cultural similarities and differences, underpinned by context-specific beliefs and values emerging from Southern African and East Asian philosophical societal/workplace traditions. Using survey data collected from 644 Zulu and Chinese, non-managerial employees, this paper compared Ubuntu and Confucianism cultural values with reference to the six-dimensional model established by Hofstede (2011). The findings revealed that there were important differences in five out of six of Hofstede's dimensions. Compared with the Chinese group, the Zulu group displayed less 'power distance', 'collectivism', and 'femininity', and were more 'uncertainty averse', 'shortterm- oriented', and 'restrained'. This paper contributes to the cross-cultural management and human resources literature by comparing two BRICS countries' societal cultures that have been neglected in research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper suggests that 'critical thinking' is a more perplexing notion than it may appear to be, and explores the concept in detail. It highlights the significance of organizational bias and the mindsets of executives in shaping how critical thinking will come to be defined and construed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to gain insight into the underresearched personal and lived experiences of women in management in the mining industry in South Africa, allowing them to have a voice, and to provide inputs on reforms that support their increased integration. The research questions aim to explore the various challenges faced by, and demands placed on, women executives. Using a phenomenological approach, one-on-one interviews with a diverse group of women in management positions were conducted and analyzed. Specific focus was on the term 'women in mining', and the allocated identities thereof. The differences and commonalities of the intersectional experiences of the participants pertaining to working with both men and women, as well as the experiences of both the imposter syndrome and the glass ceiling were also explored. The study found that the challenges women faced were predominantly personal and environmental, as well as divergent at different organizational levels. The findings of this study have implications for employers as to how to recruit, develop and retain women in the mining industry, as well as for practitioners as how to tailor bespoke reforms for their integration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the role of a corporate board of directors in relation to excellence and innovation, and in confronting shared challenges and existential threats. It suggests issues and questions to consider in relation to board leadership, its exercise, focus and performance. Critical thinking, diversity and digital technologies can be enablers of innovation, which may be desirable if it addresses existential threats, supports required transition and transformation journeys, and delivers positive externalities. Boards are encouraged to reflect on the purpose of innovation and the focus of excellence, their application and their limits. Opportunities to create sustainable communities, cities and societies and less stressful and resource-intensive and simpler, healthier and more fulfilling lifestyles are legion. Many boardroom teams have an unprecedented opportunity to initiate, collaborate and make a difference. Whether or not an individual board and company is excellent and/or innovative may be less important for future survival than whether a community or society is, and whether individually and collectively boards have the will and drive to question, think and act in pursuit of responsible, inclusive and sustainable activities, lifestyles and outcomes for humanity and the natural world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Creating High-Performing Teams (HPTs) can propel leaders to new career opportunities and set the tone for their future success and promotions. However, the path to achieving this level of success must be grounded in self-reflection, selfawareness, and individual personal development--prior to focusing on the skills and competencies of the team members. Too often, leaders look outward for a solution, when the path to achieving better results arguably starts with an inward view. This paper explores the techniques to develop both an inward and outward path to success in achieving the goal of creating and managing a HPT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The consequences of unsustainable growth, lifestyles and business activities represent an existential threat. Critical thinking, lifestyle changes, transition and transformation are required. This paper looks at the social and environmental responsibilities of business leaders. Aspirations, expectations, purposes, priorities, goals and objectives need to be critiqued, reviewed and reset. Visions, values, assumptions, beliefs and the social and environmental responsibilities of businesses should be challenged. Critical thinking can tackle groupthink. It should be encouraged by board chairs during and between board meetings and by CEOs throughout organizations. Asking relevant and insightful questions is an important skill for directors and executives. Confident boards welcome feedback. Responsible leadership, innovation, enterprise and capitalism should be about creating new options for stakeholders to live sustainably and in harmony with the natural world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Industrial Revolution that started in the late 18th century dramatically increased our standard of living by making high quality, low-cost manufactured goods available to the masses. Today, the global economy faces a similar turning point, but now in the service sector. Technologies have rapidly become smarter and more powerful, and at the same time, they are getting smaller, lighter, and cheaper. This service revolution has important implications for service organizations and consumers alike. This paper identifies the opportunities and challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the extent to which the 'Agile' project management methodology can be considered as a 'management fad'. Whilst this methodology has several characteristics reflective of a management fad, the intensity and rigor of the approach offers more durable and far-reaching implications than could be expected from that of a 'passing fad'. The potential for facilitating profound organizational change is significant, with implications both for executive behavior and the evolution of an organization's operational structure. The mindset expected from an 'Agile Executive' in particular places puts a strong emphasis on cross-functional, open-minded and collaborative working. Such behavioral expectations, combined with an ethical responsibility for identifying and resolving project-management as well as workplace issues, place considerable demands on the professionalism and experience of agile executives. The strong customer-centric focus emphasizes innovation, urgency, transparency, integrity, and commitment to excellence, which sets it apart from many other business-wide initiatives and 'management fads' of recent decades. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agile leadership is now a very commonly heard concept. Increasingly popular as a focus for organizations and now in hot demand, agility is especially needed in the constantly changing external environment. This paper looks at agile leaders' need to encourage self-managed and cross-functional teams and cut through layers of bureaucracy, integrate complex ideas through team-based cocreation, and deal with ambiguity. Here, the authors are concentrating on agile leadership in terms of managing teams in a changing external context-developing agile leaders in entrepreneurial businesses moving from startup to scale-up. However, many agile principles can be applied to mature organizations, especially in changing operational settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many companies and their leadership teams are intimidated by the digital world and the dark, mysterious risks from cyber threats. Many Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) do not understand the implications of increasing digital transformation and their increasing exposure to cybercrime--but they must. So, from both an academic and practical perspective, the authors of this paper have interviewed several Chief Security Officers (CSOs) and analyzed their remarks from a leadership perspective--it is only human to not understand the digital world, and to see the security function as a technical niche, but business leaders have an enormous and scary gap to bridge, and mounting pressures to do so. Arguably, the skills/abilities required for engaging in responsible leadership include the appreciation of risk--even risks such as digital issues and cyber security challenges which the typical business leader barely understands. Some companies are more responsive to global problems such as cybercrime than others--and much of this response depends on how seriously they take their digital transformation and if they listen to their cyber security experts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In an uncertain business context in which evolving stakeholder priorities may quickly change as people become more aware of the consequences of global warming and climate change, formulating a business strategy can be difficult and strategic planning problematic (Coulson-Thomas, 2021d). They can be particularly challenging for boards and business leaders seeking to embrace social and environmental responsibilities and the concerns of a wider range of stakeholders. How boards respond to certain shared existential challenges could be an indicator of whether they are thinking strategically about developments that could have far-reaching implications for those they serve and to whom they feel accountable. Boards operate within a framework of applicable laws, regulations, license conditions, norms, codes and expectations relating to them, their members and the entities for which they are responsible. This paper considers aspects of corporate governance and whether in the light of a changing context these need review to better support the strategic thinking now required. It raises questions for directors, boards and those who advise on governance arrangements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An organization cannot grow if it remains unwilling to change. The capacity to absorb change is the fuel that propels an organization forward and puts it on the path of progress. And this organizational capacity can be built by adopting the 4-stage model presented in this paper. Besides giving an overview of the said model, the paper also draws on a client case to explain how change management capabilities can be increased in the real world and how it helps an organization to reach its potential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes an emerging change in the environment of organizations. Sexual harassment, typically by men of women, exists in every country, with rates exceeding 75% of women experiencing sexual harassment in some countries. Recent events in the US have moved issues of sexual harassment to the front burner, with workplace examples now being reported in the media on an almost daily basis. The emerging #MeToo movement has fostered these changes. Women are now reporting sexual harassment experiences. Harassers are increasingly being terminated. Workplaces that ignore harassment experiences are seeing their reputations decline. More workplaces are now addressing issues of sexual harassment. However, it is too early to determine whether these initiatives will continue and have the desired effects. The paper offers suggestions for preventing workplace sexual harassment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines personal effectiveness through traits such as consistency, thankfulness, saying sorry, pleading, and taking criticisms, intuition and emotions. Consistency allows for sustained understanding. Every business is a relationship business, and civility is an important part of a relationship. Saying please, thank you and sorry conveys civility and personal dignity. Effective criticism is never personal or judgmental. Intuition, which is much deeper than a single idea, tests an idea through an experiment, which is real-life experience. Coming to emotions they are affected by thoughts which can be turned from negative to positive. In a nutshell--work hard, stay focused and move on... up. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inspirational leadership is being a positive influence, motivating others. The authors of this paper have identified seven attributes for would-be inspiration leaders. Commitment to values lies at the heart of truly effective inspirational leaders. Investment in personal development does not have to relate to education specifically, but can be learned through experience. Radiating authenticity involves showing vulnerability--we all make mistakes. Being a skillful communicator can include body language, eye contact or even a meaningful pause to make an impact. Encouraging unity suggests facilitating collaboration within the team. Being approachable and inclusive, based on listening rather than speaking, where diversity is valued, where respecting the differences in others is applauded--can be very inspirational. Finally, embracing vulnerability and risk and being willing to take steps and risks without having a guarantee of the outcomes being successful--can all add up to being an inspirational leader. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the six essential aspects of every great team: (1) Clarifying a shared meaningful goal; (2) Establishing and reinforcing trust over and over; (3) Knowing your roles and responsibilities and executing them as well as you can; (4) Challenging the myths of teams; (5) Preserving the emotional safety of other people in each moment of each gathering; and (6) Caring about each member of the team. These six essentials are necessary for building and sustaining the type of teamwork that is required to succeed in today's highly competitive marketplace. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Facilitating change within established, successful and traditional organizations is no easy matter to achieve, yet it is one of the essential skills every senior executive should have. Increasing competition, pressures on budgets, changes in key personnel, changing wider societal conditions, etc. are likely to demand that a senior executive facilitate change to the status quo in their organization. Sometimes additional support is necessary, and external specialists and consultants may be needed to help speed up the processes of change as in the case outlined in this paper. Global Commodities Inc. (GCI) was the dominant producer in a global market, but had become complacent and was coming under threat from competitor activity. The Managing Director had been unable to jolt the organization into action and invited a change management consultancy to work collaboratively in facilitating an organizational review. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Workplace toxicity is prevalent in many organizations. The paper suggests that ‘Leadership Toxicity’ can be likened to a coronavirus-like virus—‘Covid-Tox’—and that this will be present within many, if not all, business organizations. At their heart organizations are cauldrons of conflicting emotions and tensions as people go about advancing their own ambitions and objectives. As such we should expect, plan for and guard against the harmful effects of such behavior especially from those in positions of executive power and responsibility. Three key factors are outlined which, when combined, seem likely to result in a ‘toxic mix’ and thus should be examined and monitored with considerable care and attention in order to reduce the likelihood of Covid-Tox overwhelming an organization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper studies the role of intuition in the decision-making of business leaders and sports leaders with three objectives: (i) to identify the key factors that influenced intuition-based decision-making; (ii) to propose a theoretical model for intuitionbased decision-making; and (iii) to compare intuition-based decision-making skills in leaders from both business and the sports industry. The study comprised reviewing the extant literature on decision-making theories and a theoretical model was proposed, possible factors that could influence intuition-based decision-making were identified, and 12 business leaders and 12 sports leaders were interviewed to further investigate, relate and compare possible factors that could have had effects on intuition-based decision-making. Fourteen constructs/themed factors were identified: cognitive, consequence, customs, emotions, environment, experiences, extrasensory, individual, information, learning, people, supernatural, training and traits. The findings of this research indicated that the factors that influenced intuitionbased decision-making in both business leaders and sports leaders were similar. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Immediate, long-term and potentially game-changing challenges, related public and other stakeholder concerns, and government interventions require and/or demand rapid changes of behavior and transition to different models of organization, operation, business and governance. Innovation is required in the nature, characteristics, purposes, priorities and strategies of organizations and their processes, activities and relationships with stakeholders. Directors and boards have both immediate and long-term issues to address. The paper explores many questions and matters they need to consider when leading innovation if it is to result in more flexible, inclusive, resilient, responsive, responsible and supportive organizations and create a simpler, healthier and more fulfilling and sustainable future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]