Contemporary management trends often advocate for flatter organizational hierarchies, an approach characterized by a significant increase in the number of individuals reporting to a single leader, commonly referred to as the “span of supervision.” While broader spans can offer organizational benefits, such as fostering employee autonomy and improving cost-effectiveness, they simultaneously raise concerns regarding reduced […]
The contemporary business environment presents CEOs with complex, interconnected challenges, where attracting and retaining top talent and navigating slowing economic growth are the top executive concerns. According to a survey of 223 CEOs, attracting and retaining talent is the primary concern for more than half (54%), followed closely by global recession/slowing economic growth (52%). These […]
The Global Leadership Forecast 2025, representing DDI’s eleventh forecast in 24 years, synthesizes responses from 2,185 human resource professionals and 10,796 leaders across 2,014 organizations worldwide. This extensive research, spanning more than 50 countries and 24 major industry sectors, examines talent and leadership issues and best practices amidst a challenging environment. The introduction notes that […]
The paper revisits the relationship between speaking time and leadership emergence, a concept often referred to as the ‘babble hypothesis’. For any group, determining ‘who shall lead’ is critical, and since the underlying qualities of a good leader are largely unobservable, people rely on various behavioural signals to help them decide who should be granted […]
A study by a team of US and UK researchers addresses a fundamental question in leadership and management today: how common are incompetent bosses, particularly given ideas like the Peter Principle (where individuals are promoted beyond their ability) and survey data suggesting widespread negative managerial influence? Due to the potential for bad bosses to cause […]
The quality of listening in the workplace is associated with and likely a cause of a wide range of positive organizational outcomes. These benefits are substantial, including superior job performance, better leadership, increased trust, higher well-being, and reduced burnout. Surprisingly, despite these powerful effects, listening has received relatively little focus in organizational studies and is […]
A study by the University of Nottingham’s Getinet Haile examines the influence of organizational leadership quality on organizational performance and worker well-being. While early research in management and psychology identified core managerial values (such as how bosses treat employees, customers, and/or suppliers) as drivers of superior performance through flexibility and innovativeness, economists historically focused on […]
Prior studies have shown the positive outcomes of leadership competence and leadership humility. Competence not only enhances a leader’s ability to solve problems or develop a vision, for example, but it also increases follower acceptance and satisfaction. Humility improves relationships between leaders and followers, the latter feeling more respected and empowered when a leader is […]
Business leaders often articulate a corporate purpose to define strategic direction and inspire employee commitment beyond just financial gains. Examples include Veolia’s pledge for “ecological transformation” and Stanley Black & Decker’s dedication “for those who make the world”. However, the challenge lies in incorporating these holistic aspirations into day-to-day operations. Team leaders are the critical […]
There is perhaps no single nonfiction topic of research and discussion that has received more attention from thought leaders, consultants, business practitioners, academics, and indeed society at large, than the topic of leadership. Yet, according to a team of three academics hailing from Australia, Sweden, and the UK, all of this attention and activity mask […]
