Rights statement: The final, definitive version of this article has been published in the Journal, Leadership, 13 (4), 2017, © SAGE Publications Ltd, 2017 by SAGE Publications Ltd at the Leadership page:
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Final published version
Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - ‘Should I stay or should I go?’
T2 - exploring leadership-as-practice in the middle management role
AU - Kempster, Steve
AU - Gregory, Sarah
N1 - The final, definitive version of this article has been published in the Journal, Leadership, 13 (4), 2017, © SAGE Publications Ltd, 2017 by SAGE Publications Ltd at the Leadership page:
PY - 2017/9/1
Y1 - 2017/9/1
N2 - This article explores dilemmas in middle manager work through the perspective of leadership-as-practice. An autoethnographic account is outlined of how a dilemma is addressed by a middle manager. The account shows how a dilemma faced by a middle manager needs to be understood as situated within the flow of activity that is itself nested in a context of roles and relationships as well as the strategic context. The authors show how the outcome of the dilemma became accommodated within the emergent practice in the organisation with no sense of recognition of the dilemma’s impact. The notion of middle manager agency within leadership-as-practice is explored through aspects of moral disengagement. The article problematizes two aspects: firstly, that normative ethical theorizing that has been unable to cater for the complexity of middle manager work seen through the practice lens; second, that traditional notions of leadership as ’leader’ appears absent from the narrative, yet seen through the lens of leadership-as-practice, with attention to context, agency, activity and outcomes, a very different perspective can be seen. Finally, the article gives insight and structure to researching leadership-as-practice.
AB - This article explores dilemmas in middle manager work through the perspective of leadership-as-practice. An autoethnographic account is outlined of how a dilemma is addressed by a middle manager. The account shows how a dilemma faced by a middle manager needs to be understood as situated within the flow of activity that is itself nested in a context of roles and relationships as well as the strategic context. The authors show how the outcome of the dilemma became accommodated within the emergent practice in the organisation with no sense of recognition of the dilemma’s impact. The notion of middle manager agency within leadership-as-practice is explored through aspects of moral disengagement. The article problematizes two aspects: firstly, that normative ethical theorizing that has been unable to cater for the complexity of middle manager work seen through the practice lens; second, that traditional notions of leadership as ’leader’ appears absent from the narrative, yet seen through the lens of leadership-as-practice, with attention to context, agency, activity and outcomes, a very different perspective can be seen. Finally, the article gives insight and structure to researching leadership-as-practice.
KW - middle manager
KW - leadership-as-practice
KW - moral disengagement
KW - autoethnography
U2 - 10.1177/1742715015611205
DO - 10.1177/1742715015611205
M3 - Journal article
VL - 13
SP - 496
EP - 515
JO - Leadership
JF - Leadership
SN - 1742-7150
IS - 4
ER -