The Interpretative Perspective

Question 1

Summarize the overview of the interpretative perspective

Answer 1

Based on relativism and sociology of regulation.

The object of study is not homo oeconomicus, but rather a person driven by multiples motives and constantly making sense of reality.

Focus is on shared, intersubjective understandings, what they contain, how they are constructed, and how they influence perception and action.

Research focuses on intentions of actions, what is understood as reality and to give new perspectives.

Qualitative methods and in-depth studies are preferred.

Question 2

What does leadership context mean?

Answer 2

The place where leadership actions take place. Also includes the symbolic space: meanings and understandings different people give to the situation given their implicit leadership theories/social identity

Question 3

What is an inevitable interplay between individuals and groups?

Answer 3

Our psychological understandings (implicit leadership theories) and the group we belong to (social identity theory) constantly influence each other

Question 4

What does a relational view on leadership consider?

Answer 4

That being a good leader is not about the psychological personal properties of an individual, but rather about their relational competences. Focus is on what happens between people

Question 5

What is implicit leadership theory?

Answer 5

The cognitive schema of leadership that individuals have developed over time and hold, and that drive their evaluation and understanding of their own and others’ leadership behavior. This gives the traits and behaviours that each person classify as being those of a leader, and what they classify as good/bad and effective/ineffective leader behavior

Question 6

What do cognitive schemas do?

Answer 6

• influence what we pay attention to
• affect how we interpret incoming information
• describes how you should behave in a certain situation and what will happen if you behave in that way
• help simplify the world (don’t need to negotiate everything)
• remarkably difficult to change (due to cognitive dissonance)

Question 7

What areas have research focused on regarding implicit leadership theories?

Answer 7

• What affects the forming of implicit leadership theories?
• What aspects of leadership are defined by an implicit leadership theory?
• impact of implicit leadership theories on followers’ perceptions of specific leader
• fit between theories and actual leader behavior

Question 8

Is there a link between cultural values and implicit leadership theories?

Answer 8

Yes. Perceptions of ideal leaders tend to be shared by individuals from the same country, and differ across countries.

Question 9

What is Schyns and Schilling’s critical view on implicit leadership theories?

Answer 9

The assumption that cognitive schemas of leaders are in general positive (particularly for effective leaders). Negative and ineffective leader characteristics are also part of general implicit leadership theories of individuals, so we need to be careful when generalising across a group of people

Question 10

How can implicit leadership theories be used for leadership development?

Answer 10

Through the practice of 360-degree leader assessment and evaluation. It takes into account the views/perceptions of all individuals involved in the leadership process.

Question 11

What is social identity theory?

Answer 11

Focused on groups, concerned with how individuals self-categorise themselves into different social categories. Each social group has its own set of prototypical behaviors, attitudes, and identity, that are embodied by group members and used to actively differentiate between in- and out-group members. This also influences who becomes the leader.

Question 12

Who is the most likely leader according to social identity theory?

Answer 12

An accepted and effective leader is the most prototypical member of a group with considerable power to set the agenda, mobilize members and influence the identity of the group. Followers think more positively of their leader if their leader is able to share and create a common identity with the group. (changing over time as identity change).

Question 13

What should new leaders do according to social identity theory?

Answer 13

Focus on understanding the existing shared identity of the group they are entering and reflect on how well their actions and behaviors are congruent with the expectations on effective leadership.

Question 14

How is (self-)uncertainty linked to leader effectiveness?

Answer 14

Self-uncertainty enhances an individual’s drive to self-categorise into social groups. This also enhances an individual’s seeking of information on the shared group behaviors and identity to resolve self-uncertainty. The most prototypical leader can be seen as a reliable source of such information. When there is no established group leader, self-uncertainty can cause the group to search for a leader irrespective of prototypicality, just to reduce uncertainty (leader with grand visions emerge)

Question 15

What are Edwards and Jepson’s three dominant, interacting contextual levels?

Answer 15

1. The immediate social; job, department, organization, industry
2. The general cultural; organizational, regional, national culture.
3. The historical, institutional context; education, legal.

Question 16

What is the concept of social constructionism?

Answer 16

All knowledge is the outcome of and influenced by social interactions between individuals and their context. Knowledge is a product of culture and history, and individuals are seen to create their own reality on a daily basis via their interaction with other individuals. The reality an individual sees is subjective and fluid and it is continuously co-constructed through that individual’s interaction with the self and context.

Question 17

What constitutes a leader according to Alvesson & Sveningsson?

Answer 17

What constitutes a leader is a social construct of all individuals involved and is fluid and changing in its meaning and existence.

Question 18

What is Grint’s view on context?

Answer 18

Context, leadership situations and appropriate/effective leadership behavior are subjective and contestable. How/when/why/who of leadership is a product of the interaction of all actors involved within a physical and symbolic space, time and conversation

Question 19

How did Wood and Ladkin demonstrate the view/process of leadership as a social construct?

Answer 19

Through the leaderful moment. Space, time and symbolic context is in centre instead of the specific individuals involved

Question 20

How are some critiques of leadership as a social construction?

Answer 20

• leadership definitions are a reflection of what leadership research as a discipline in the context of western cultures has constructed as its reality, which is only one of many possible leadership realities. We have taken for granted that leadership exists and how and when we see it has been influenced by the dominant discourse on it, suppressing other possible realities.
• Leadership as an organisationally important phenomenon can be constructed from an academic/consultancy discourse rather than practice
• Leadership replaces management (downplaying notions of power and conflict)
• unrealistic expectations of leaders and their ability to save organizational futures are promoted.

Question 21

What is relational leadership?

Answer 21

A strand of leadership research focusing on the significance of relations and relational dynamics in leadership processes. Relational leadership offers a perspective and a number of concepts that redirect our attention to the emergent processes of co-creation that leadership may be argued to be about.

Question 22

What are the three main parts of “seeing” relational leadership?

Answer 22

• Framing
• Positioning
• Bridging

Question 23

What is the entity perspective’s view on relationships and leadership?

Answer 23

• Individuals are stable entities that enter relationships
• Focus: Individual properties and the quality of the relation between individuals
• Leadership is about leaders’ interpersonal relationship with followers and leading them properly

Question 24

What is the constructionist perspective’s view on relationships and leadership?

Answer 24

• Meshes of relations are fundamental, both actors and reality itself exists and are known in relations
• Focus: relations and interactions, what goes on and what is co-constructed
• Leadership is about relating, co-creation and emergence through the organization

Question 25

Are framing/positioning/bridging separate?

Answer 25

No, when they take place in conversations and relations they are intertwined

Question 26

What is framing?

Answer 26

A frame is a perspective constructing a situation.
- Hides some aspects while focusing on others
- Actively influencing the perspective to give meaning to it.
- A frame has consequences for what becomes possible to say or do.
- Exercise and negotiation of power

We can become conscious of the frames we are using as well as provide alternatives and learn to move between them, may open up for new actions.

Framing = constructing reality
Moving between frames = stretching & expanding the social reality we are co-creating

Question 27

What is positioning?

Answer 27

Positions (such as junior, senior, insider) are produced in conversations and need to be understood in relation to each other. We can work with these by becoming aware of the way the conversations we take part in (or other conversations) are positioning ourselves in ways that marginalize or empower both ourselves and others.

Brought to life in conversations, so are contested and negotiated. Joint and relational achievement.

Question 28

What is bridging/resonating?

Answer 28

Rather than being independent, people are constantly leaning on each other in organizations, like parts of a bridge. Interdependence is thus crucial for collective action.

Connecting without erasing difference, hence related to mutuality, inclusiveness and multivocality.

Striking a balance between confirming and challenging others.

We can be conscious of this by thinking of conversations as ripples in water, resonating off to one another in ways that build movement without collapsing difference.

Question 29

What are two important achievements of leadership that emerge when we take a constructionist perspective?

Answer 29

• Redirecting and supporting of collective action
• Mutual learning.

Question 30

In what way may a relational perspective encourage more democratic and empowering processes?

Answer 30

By focusing more or power to and power with, than on power over.

Question 31

What are the two ends of the understandings of relationality?

Answer 31

• relational achievement (done in relations). Relations are valued since they are what reality is made of and since it is in relational dynamics that leadership work is carried out.
• relational responsibility (ethically motivated position of relating as caring and mutual responsibility). Involves the ethical dimension of taking responsibility for the relation and for the other you are connected and co-evolving within that relation.

Question 32

What is relational achievement?

Answer 32

Leadership is about relational practices rather than individual behavior. Leadership is carried out in interaction based on dialogue and to some extent align different contributions in order to direct collective action.

Question 33

What is relational responsibility?

Answer 33

Leadership is about ethical ways of engaging with others in which we are accountable to the other. Leadership is respecting and supporting a multiplicity of voices in order to come into respectful relation with others

Question 34

What the four ways of describing how to practice leadership, given the dimensions entity-constructionist perspective and relational achievement-responsibility?

Answer 34

• Relating between people.
• Relating to people.
• Relating grows people.
• Relating transforms people.

Question 35

What is “relating between people”?

Answer 35

Entity perspective and relational achievement.

Leadership achieved in relations between the leader and followers, the quality of relations is important as means

Question 36

What is “Relating to people”?

Answer 36

Entity perspective and relational responsibility.

Leadership achieved in relations between leader and followers, the nature of relations is important in itself

Question 37

What is “relating grows people)?

Answer 37

Constructionist perspective and relational responsibility.

Leadership is accomplished in relational practices, relational competence is an ethical priority

Question 38

What is “relating transforms people”?

Answer 38

Constructionist perspective and relational achievement.

Leadership is accomplished in relational practices, relational competence is important for leadership work.

Question 39

Why may moving between frames be highly emotional?

Answer 39

Our engagement and attachment to frames and positions are forcefully revealed and possibly contested.

Question 40

What are the three main parts of “practising” relational leadership?

Answer 40

• Framing
• Positioning
• Resonating

Question 41

What are three differences between relational leadership compared to “traditional” leadership?

Answer 41

• The “who” changes, more than managers are involved in developing leadership.
• Rather than the person, the practice should be developed
• Relational dynamics should be at the centre. Help each other see and practice leadership relationally.

Question 42

What are the 4 contents of cognitive schemas?

Answer 42

1. Leaders and non-leaders
2. Different types of leaders
3. Actual leaders (persons) - positive and negative
4. Leader behaviors

Question 43

What are the key parts of chapter 6?

Answer 43

• Implicit leadership theory.
• Social identity theory.
• Social construction (Edward/jepson’s three types of context, Alvesson, Sveninsson, Grint; fluid and changing)