Aug 2026· Human Resource Development Quarterly· 0 citations· 28 references
Abstract
Leadership aspiration is not simply a product of ambition or capability, but a dynamic, context‐sensitive phenomenon shaped by how individuals understand leadership and whether pursuing it feels feasible, meaningful, and sustainable. Using phenomenographic analysis of semi‐structured interviews with 23 employees and drawing on Leadership Identity Development Theory and Social Cognitive Career Theory, we identified four themes shaping aspiration: leadership conceptualization, self‐efficacy and identity, outcome expectations, and contextual enablers and constraints. These themes constitute an outcome space mapping the qualitatively distinct ways leadership aspiration is experienced and structured. A central finding is that what may appear as withdrawal or career plateauing often reflects intentional recalibration—an agentic renegotiation of the scope and conditions of leadership pursuit in response to contextual realities and identity alignment. Human resource development practitioners should foster inclusive messaging, flexible development opportunities, and relational supports that accommodate the diverse ways individuals navigate leadership aspiration.
This conceptual article develops Reflective Identity Leadership Theory (RILT) as a leadership-specific extension of the Looking-Glass Self and related identity-based approaches to leadership. The theory builds on Charles Horton Cooley's proposition that individuals develop aspects of self-concept through their interpre...
A. M. Nebo· International journal of res...· 0 citations
Despite extensive research on transformational leadership, limited attention has been paid to how employees conceptualize leadership beyond theoretical prescriptions, particularly in non-Western higher education contexts. This study explores employee perspectives on future leadership within two Saudi public univers...
Mohamed Mohiya· Qualitative research in orga...· 1 citation
Inclusive leadership is most commonly conceptualized as a behavioral style, psychological climate or managerial practice that promotes participation, belongingness and recognition. While these approaches have generated important insights, they provide only limited explanation of how inclusion is communicatively sustain...
Servant leadership is increasingly recognized as a people-centered leadership paradigm that strengthens trust, ethical decision-making, and development of others. Yet organizations and educational institutions often lack practical, technology-enabled mechanisms to translate servant leadership behaviors into measurable...
Nathan Washington· Journal of Educational Pract...· 0 citations
Organizational trust is essential in private higher education because academic work depends on credible leadership, knowledge sharing, professional autonomy, and sustained cooperation across teaching, research, and service roles. Yet recent research often examines a single leadership approach or treats engagement and t...
Mohd Khairi Md Hasnudin, H. Abdullah, M. Yusof· International journal of res...· 0 citations
This autoethnographic study examined the leadership identity development of two women doctoral students engaged in a pilot triadic internship under the mentorship of a woman department chair within a large, accredited university. Grounded in a constructivist paradigm, the study drew on reflexive journals and group pr...
Ana Barend, D. B. Eddy, Stacey Lilley et al.· Journal of Leadership &...· 0 citations
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