Re-Imagining Community Leadership Development in the Post-Industrial Era

Abstract

The challenges of the 21st century, post-industrial society are increasingly complex. They will not be solved by the actions of individual, "heroic" leaders; instead, they require the participation of diverse stakeholders in order to make progress. Through a discussion of the evolution of leadership theory, we demonstrate that theories emerging from a post-industrial paradigm highlight the collective dimensions of leadership in contrast to the leader-centric theories of the Industrial Era. We draw from this literature to problematize the leader-centric nature of community leadership programs in the United States by specifically examining their sponsorship, content, and structure. Finally, we offer a vision for how to re-imagine community leadership programs so that they are more responsive to the complexity of the 21st century by drawing upon collective leadership and postmodern curriculum theory.

Formation of the Leadership Position of Professionals in Higher Education Institutions

“…In modern conditions of development of society, which is caused by the transition from the industrial social formation to the formation of a new type -informational one, dynamic development of science and technology is important, which significantly increases the role of engineering activity in society. As noted by French (2016), "leadership theories have shifted from person-centered to collective in the postmodern era", as shown in the article (Kniffin & Patterson, 2019).…”

Towards equitable leadership development: active ingredients of a culturally responsive program for Black community leaders

“…Black leadership is necessary to promote a shift toward equity and social justice. Indeed, Black leaders in countries like the US have lived experience that uniquely positions them to promote a culture of anti-racism (Kniffin & Patterson, 2019;Ladkin, 2021;Nixon, 2019). Black leadership may guide organizations and institutions to more carefully examine and respond to how race (and other social identifiers) may intersect and permeate the institutional culture (L opez, 2003;Peters & Miles Nash, 2021).…”

“…It is now recognized that to address complex problems, effective leadership, humility and creativity are needed (Sowcik, Andenoro, & Council, 2017), so too is lived experience or perspective (Kniffin & Patterson, 2019). Conversations about racism and equity in leadership are not a given in leadership development programming.…”

Interrogating leadership education: Why? For what? For whom?

“…Leading in and among community affords the energy, creativity, historical knowledge, and co-created solutions to address complex issues. Kniffin and Patterson (2019) highlighted collective dimensions of leadership theory and practices that emerged during the post-industrial era of leadership education. They argued the need for communities to "exercise collective leadership to address complex social issues" (p. 205).…”