Impact of dual executive leadership dynamics in creative organizations

Abstract

The paradoxical co-existence of business and artistic objectives in creative organizations provides a useful background to explore the conflict dynamics of dual executive leadership. Using a social psychological lens, eight case studies of non-profit performing arts companies in Canada generated two sets of findings that highlight 1) types of conflict dissemination beyond the duo and 2) their co-occurrence with conflict types impacting on the organization's ability to function well. The study also re-confirmed types of conflict as found in the leadership duo.

Leadership in the Plural

“…Despite some authors' resistance to the idea that such a division of roles could be sustainable in the real world (Locke, 2003;Schumpeter, 2010), it remains that in many contexts, including professional organizations, the arts, education, and health care and even in entrepreneurial ventures and large enterprises, not only leadership, but authority may also sometimes be formally divided. For example, arts organizations very often have co-leaders who represent, respectively, the artistic and administrative sides of the organization (Reid & Karambayya, 2009). Healthcare organizations have been historically labeled as "three-legged stools" because of divisions of powers between community, management, and medicine (Denis et al, 2001;Johnson, 1979).…”

Stages and Pathways of Development of Nonprofit Organizations: An Integrative Model

“…Stakeholder's theory (Freeman 2010) postulates that anyone concerned by the organization's actions has the legitimacy to voice an opinion. Some of the case studies provide in-depth, detailed reports about discussions, negotiations, and fights among stakeholders (e.g., Kelley et al 2005;Reid and Karambayya 2009;Kreutzer and Jäger 2011). The orientations resulting from these confrontations are emergent in nature (Mintzberg and Waters 1985) and i.e., they occur despite or without deliberation.…”

“…Crisis is necessary for major changes (Watzlavick et al 1974), yet cannot be a permanent stage because it puts NPOs at risk of turning into a political arena threatening their survival (Mintzberg 1983;Reid and Karambayya 2009). Arbitration after arbitration, the orientation will progressively be adopted, till the next crisis.…”

“…We then parsimoniously completed this database with other sources when we felt they were bringing forgotten or untackled dimensions. For instance, Reid and Karambayya (2009), in Human Relations, originally described different forms of dual leadership. Gawell (2013), in Voluntas, was a more recent reference, but provided a renewed conception of social entrepreneurship.…”

Leadership in Malaysian Paddy Farming

“…The varying degrees of power and influence within the group decides leadership. "According to Tend (1998), leadership is the activity of influencing people to cooperate towards some goal which they come to find desirable'' (Reid and Karambayya 2009).…”