Current and Recent Research at CLS
Our research seeks to explore the underlying mechanisms of leadership and leadership development in a range of contexts. Broadly addressing the Research Themes of the Centre and Faculty Research Interests, we aim to conduct research and produce Publications of real relevance to leadership practitioners, policy makers and academics. The following list gives an indication of our current and recent research.
Leadership and Governance
Leading FTSE Companies: an interdisciplinary study of directors, boards and corporate governance process
Dates: October 2008 - March 2011
Principal Investigator: : Annie Pye
Description: This is the third in a unique series of inter-linked, ESRC-funded studies - the first was in 1987-1989, the second in 1998-2000 – charting changes in the responsibilities, roles and rhetoric of company leadership, focussing on directors (both executive and non-executive) of FTSE-listed companies. In this way, the latest project provides another ‘ten years on' study which continues this exploration of how directors actually ‘do directing' of large, complex organizations. While retaining the core research question and method, the project has generated comparative data across a unique, time-series dataset, exploring the nature and extent of change in corporate directing, together with a wide array of implications relating, for e.g., to regulation, director development and board practice. See the recent synopsis report of the study.
As in the previous two projects, interviews with Chairs, Chief Executives and other directors of companies such as Marks and Spencer, Prudential and Lloyds TSB, will yield qualitative data about their organisation, governance, strategy and leadership. The current project will for the first time also collate quantitative data about FSTSE companies and the economic context in which they operate to help describe the performance climate in which action is evaluated.
This research addresses a question which lies at the heart of UK economic performance and which has significant implications for future success in the global economy. Findings will contribute to practice and policy development through timely analysis of the role of directors, their conduct and performance evaluation in doing directing and adding value to organisations.
Sponsor: ESRC, £500k +
Leadership in Higher Education
Developing Collective Leadership in Higher Education
Dates: September 2005-March 2007
Lead researchers: Richard Bolden, Georgy Petrov and Jonathan Gosling
Description: A study of collective leadership and its development in 12 UK universities. The overall aim of this project was to develop recommendations on how leadership and leadership development could be enhanced, particularly in terms of encouraging collective engagement with the leadership process. In order to do this we: (a) explored what is understood by the term 'leadership' by various institutional actors; (b) investigated the processes by which leadership is distributed at different levels within universities (i.e. school, faculty, executive group, etc.); and (c) examined the way(s) in which leadership development (in its broadest sense) contributes towards improved leadership capability for individuals, groups and the wider organisation.
Sponsor: Leadership Foundation for Higher Education
Higher Level Skills Pathfinder Project: Employer Engagement with HE
Dates: March 2007-December 2009
Lead researchers: Georgy Petrov and Richard Bolden
Description: A three year research project which aims to: (1) uncover cultural, structural and other barriers to effective employer engagement with Higher Education; (2) evaluate and learn from the most effective employer engagement practice in the Region through interviews with the main stakeholders (employer and HE representatives); (3) explore the experiences of participants on a range of employer engagement programmes/initiatives delivered by HE providers in the Region; and (4) identify mechanisms for ensuring timely, effective, relevant and mutually beneficial relationships between HE and employers.
Sponsor: HEFCE via HERDA-South West
Cultural Leadership
Creating Cultural Leadership
Dates: January 2007 - March 2008
Lead researchers: Ian Sutherland
Description: What is a cultural leader? How does one become a cultural leader? When does one identify oneself as a leader in the cultural sector? What does this recognition mean for professional activity? Current research on cultural leadership is exploring these questions with reference to the Creating Cultural Leadership South West (CCLSW) programme and its delegates. The programme, designed as a cross sectoral development programme in leadership for emerging and mid-career leaders in the south west of England, affords an excellent cross-section of the cultural sector in a defined region.
Sponsor: Culture South West, Dartington Creative Enterprise, Cultural Leadership Programme, Arts Council England, Museums, Libraries and Archives, South West Screen, Tourism and Skills Network South West, English Heritage and Sport England.
High Performance Leadership
CELEX
Dates: July 2005 - December 2007
Lead researchers: Richard Bolden, Jonathan Gosling and Inmaculada Adarves-Yorno
Description: CELEX is a consortium of organisations grappling with the challenges of organisational performance and leadership development in complex and changing environments. Comprising a series of interactive seminars, facilitated by faculty from the Centre for Leadership Studies at the University of Exeter and the Lancaster University Management School, CELEX offers a forum for the sharing of research, theory, best practice and experience about the links between effective leadership development and performance management in diverse settings.
Sponsor: Participating organisations, including BAE Systems, BBC, Devon County Council, RAF, Reuters and Royal Mail.
Community Leadership
Leadership Development for Beneficial Social Change in Africa
Dates: April 2005-March 2006
Lead researchers: Richard Bolden and Phil Kirk
Description: A study into the processes and impacts of the InterAction Pan-African leadership development programme. The research took a narrative action research approach to exploring the impact of the programme both in terms of the manner in which it facilitates the emergence of new concepts of leadership in Africa and how it impacts upon the communities in which the participants engage. Data was collected through a variety of means including: participant observation, semi-structured interviews with participants and other stakeholders, an online survey and community visits. Findings were interpreted through a cyclical process of reflection and dialogue, with the intention of 'giving voice' to the perceptions and experiences of participants. Findings and conclusions can be broadly grouped under three categories: (1) meanings and connotations of African leadership, (2) programme impacts, and (3) reflections on programme structure and content.
Sponsor: British Council