Lecture 9: Community Leadership

Question 1

community

Answer 1

• A group of people living in the same place or having a particular characteristic in common
• A feeling of fellowship with others, as a result of sharing common attitudes, interests, and goals

Question 2

Sander and Putnam on Community and Social Capital

Answer 2

• A foundation of our modern society
• The theoretical or physical space that binds individuals together and is inextricably linked with the concept of social capital
• Social capital relates to “social networks and the norms of reciprocity and trust to which those networks give rise. No democracy, and indeed no society, can be healthy without at least a modicum of this resource.” (9)

Question 3

community leadership

Answer 3

• Community development is one of the most productive ways to improve the lives and livelihoods of individuals within a community (Syme and Ritterman, 2009)
• Community leaders are an effective mechanism to support and enable community development in the past (Kirk and Shutte, 2004)
• Formal authority is not always necessary; many community leaders “rely on networks and influence, with relationships developed through extensive interactions with community residents usually representing many different points of view or interests” (Pigg, 1999, p. 196)

Question 4

2 types of volunteering

Answer 4

formal & informal

Question 5

formal volunteering

Answer 5

• Undertaken through an organization
• Provides an opportunity to develop your leadership skills
• Volunteers can gain different perspectives, build relationships, and build skills

Question 6

informal volunteering

Answer 6

• Unpaid, informal neighbourly support and care (outside of one’s household)
• Activities not usually thought of as volunteering

Question 7

community leadership is a function of _________

Answer 7

input an individual can make into the community’s capacity for concerted action, into the total power of the community concerning the problems and opportunities it encounters

Question 8

Jedwab on community, identity, and leadership

Answer 8

“The strength of communal expressions of identity very often depends upon the extent to which a group can mobilize persons around shared interests and objectives. Those charged with defining and implementing a community’s agenda play a decisive role in shaping such objectives. Understanding the process by which leaders emerge can provide valuable insights into institutional life and how a community sets its agenda and establishes priorities. Leadership can thus significantly influence identity formation and the vitality of the community. Moreover, the ability to retain and recruit effective leaders can be an important source of group persistence.”

Question 9

ethnic minority leadership scholarship over the years

Answer 9

• 1960s and 1970s: focused on the settlement experience and the process of community and identity formation
• 1980s: emphasis on the democratization of community structures and the impact of multicultural policies on group identity
• 1990s: focus on issues of legitimacy of governing bodies and leadership
• By 2001, Jedwab argued discussions of leadership in ethnocultural communities focused on debates around identity politics, including a questioning of the relevance of ethnicity as a marker of identity among Canadians
• More recently, focus on diversity more broadly and racialized leaders in specific institutions and industries

Question 10

intersectionality

Answer 10

• The intersection of certain expressions of identity
• The extent to which leaders reflect the multidimensional nature of the community, as well as their ability to appeal to its various elements, can serve as important agents for mobilization

Question 11

downsides of theories of leadership

Answer 11

• Theories of leadership have neglected diversity issues
• Authors are largely silent on issues of racial and ethnic minority groups and how multiculturalism intersects with the exercise of leadership
• Theories generally have maintained a North American bias

Question 12

Jean Lau Chin on diversity

Answer 12

“…Attention to diversity is not simply about the representation of leaders from diverse groups in the ranks of leadership. Attention to diversity means paradigm shifts in our theories of leadership to make them inclusive; it means incorporating explanations of how dimensions of diversity shape our understanding of leadership.” (p.150)

Question 13

Zweigenhaft and Domhoff on diverse leaders

Answer 13

leaders from diverse groups found ways to signal they were “willing to join the game as it has always been played” by reducing signs of their racial and ethnic origins to not challenge the status quo (7)

Question 14

Chin argues that we must consider:

Answer 14

• expanding traditional leadership paradigms of traits, situations, and systems
• what leaders from diverse identity groups might bring to their styles of leadership that differ from the majority group leaders
• the congruence between diverse individuals’ perceptions and expectations regarding leadership and those of more traditional leaders
• how do different cultural experiences of leaders from diverse groups shape their exercise of leadership

Question 15

Okozi et al. on differences in leadership styles of ethnic minority groups

Answer 15

• Ethnic minorities tend to adopt a nurturing, inclusive, dynamic, engaging and inspiring leadership style that falls under the umbrella of “transformational leadership” (Ardichvili, Mitchell, & Jondle, 2009)
• A transformational leader inspires, shows respect for, and is authentic in her/his desire for the professional and personal advancement of her or his subordinates (Ayman, Korabik, & Morris, 2009) -> seen in contrast to the event and task-oriented, transactional, or White leadership styles
• Still, context is important; this finding is contradicted in studies of institutions with strong, hierarchical structures (e.g. corrective agents)

Question 16

Carl E. James

Answer 16

The Jean Augustine Chair in Education, Community & Diaspora at York University, Toronto

Question 17

Carl E. James’ research

Answer 17

His research includes the examination of how race, ethnicity, gender, class and citizenship/immigrant status intersect and influence accessible and equitable opportunities and outcomes in education, employment and the well-being of marginalized and racialized people

Question 18

Carl E. James on Black leadership

Answer 18

“Black leadership exists concerning the racial hierarchy of society and is shaped by the historical, political, economic, and cultural contexts of the time. This racial hierarchy in which whites dominate through mechanisms such as immigration, settlement, social, educational, and policing policies and practices is framed by multiculturalism, which aims to control the presence, activities, and behaviours of subordinate communities. So too is the leadership of minoritized communities subjected to the patriarchal and racial power and related logic of the white dominant group. I argue that the leadership of the African community is both structured by, and at times resistant to, a “white logic” that is deeply rooted in the politics of common sense, universalism, colonialism, patriarchy, and neoliberalism, and in the ambivalence of our presence in Canada from colonial days to today when we are constructed as foreigners or immigrants. Given that construction as “foreigners” and unlearned naïve people (unaccustomed to disciplinary practices of authority), Black leadership in the white imagination will be doubtful unless modelled on white structures and sanctioned accordingly.” (19)

Question 19

community leadership key conclusions

Answer 19

• Leadership can be demonstrated in many arenas
• Community leadership can be one of the most important ways to make change as well as an important starting point for political leadership
• Social networks, or social capital, play a critical role in creating opportunities for leadership
• Cultural, regional, and structural differences influence the type of leadership one pursues
• Leadership in ethnic and racialized minority communities comes in various forms, but some groups within the larger community are often privileged (the same can be said for Canadian society more broadly)
• Leadership styles tend towards the transformational, but context is key (cultural context influences political structures and leadership possibilities in ethnic minority communities)
• Intersectionality is important: dual or multiple identities can exist and influence leadership
• The performance of leadership is contextual, relational, and circumstantial, and while there is no one approach, “leadership depends on shared vision, communal goals, reciprocal support, and collective action” (James, 2019, p.43).