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Article
Publication date: 23 July 2020

Afsaneh Bagheri and Christian Harrison

The purpose of this paper is to refine our understanding of entrepreneurial leadership by developing a multi-dimensional measure for the construct through a comprehensive approach…

2735

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to refine our understanding of entrepreneurial leadership by developing a multi-dimensional measure for the construct through a comprehensive approach based on the skills and competencies of entrepreneurial leaders as well as their behaviour and roles.

Design/methodology/approach

Following the evidence collected across two cultural and economic contexts namely Iran and Scotland and prior theoretical conceptualisations, this study designed an entrepreneurial leadership scale. Questionnaires were the mode of data collection, and data was triangulated via participants and literature.

Findings

From the study a detailed conceptualisation of entrepreneurial leadership was formed, which in turn provides the basis for an empirical-based construct of this phenomenon and its measurement from a cross-cultural perspective. Specifically, this study identifies the items that best describe each dimension of entrepreneurial leadership. By these findings, this study provides the skills, competencies and specific behaviour of entrepreneurial leaders.

Originality/value

The findings of this study have implications the theory and practice. By highlighting the dimensions of entrepreneurial leadership, this study assists the development of theories on how entrepreneurial leadership influence the process of innovation and opportunity recognition. This study is one of the first to examine the validity and reliability of the measure developed for the construct across two countries having different cultural and economic contexts, namely Iran and Scotland. In practice, the findings of this study serve as a useful reference for practitioners of the skills, behaviours and competencies expected of entrepreneurial leaders.

Details

Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development, vol. 27 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1462-6004

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 13 August 2018

Catherine Marie Clark and Christian Harrison

The purpose of this paper is to advance contemporary cognisance of the leadership field and its current state, through the synthesis and development of earlier contributions. A…

2817

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to advance contemporary cognisance of the leadership field and its current state, through the synthesis and development of earlier contributions. A taxonomy of evolutionary eras is tendered, from which future research opportunities can be extrapolated.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper conducts a narrative literature review of significant leadership literature. There is a focus on prominent contributions which are considered to have been highly influential within the field, while acknowledging other notable influences.

Findings

Leadership is found to be a multifaceted and evolving field, which continues to produce further research fields. This dynamism hinders the progression of leadership to achieve integration. Eleven interrelated eras of leadership, which hold varying research value, were found. While some eras superficially appear to be discredited, there is arguably scope for these to be developed in contemporary context. Currently, the leadership approaches which are replete with research opportunities include servant leadership, a skills approach and an entrepreneurial leadership.

Research limitations/implications

Leadership is a vast research area with numerous contributions to its body of work; therefore, this review has focused on prominent contributions and has not attempted to include all available literature. The dissemination of leadership literature has allowed for research gaps to emerge and future research recommendations to be drawn.

Originality/value

While there is an extensive body of leadership literature, there are few reviews of the literature. A comprehensive contemporary review facilitates an examination of the current complexities and state of the leadership field.

Details

European Business Review, vol. 30 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0955-534X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 2 May 2024

Obafemi Olekanma, Christian Harrison, Adebukola E. Oyewunmi and Oluwatomi Adedeji

This empirical study aims to explore how actors in specific human resource practices (HRPs) such as line managers (LMs) impact employee productivity measures in the context of…

Abstract

Purpose

This empirical study aims to explore how actors in specific human resource practices (HRPs) such as line managers (LMs) impact employee productivity measures in the context of financial institutions (FI) banks.

Design/methodology/approach

This cross-country study adopted a qualitative methodology. It employed semi-structured interviews to collect data from purposefully selected 12 business facing directors (BFDs) working in the top 10 banks in Nigeria and the UK. The data collected were analysed with the help of the trans-positional cognition approach (TPCA) phenomenological method.

Findings

The findings of a TPCA analytical process imply that in the UK and Nigeria’s FIs, the BFDs line managers’ human resources practices (LMHRPs) resulted in a highly regulated workplace, knowledge gap, service operations challenges and subjective quantitatively driven key performance indicators, considered service productivity paradoxical elements. Although the practices in the UK and Nigerian FIs had similar labels, their aggregates were underpinned by different contextual issues.

Practical implications

To support LMs in better understanding and managing FIs BFDs productivity measures and outcomes, we propose the Managerial Employee Productivity Operational Definition framework as part of their toolkit. This study will be helpful for banking sectors, their regulators, policymakers, other FIs’ industry stakeholders and future researchers in the field.

Originality/value

Within the context of the UK and Nigeria’s FIs, this study is the first attempt to understand how LMHRPs impact BFDs productivity in this manner. It confirms that LMHRPs result in service productivity paradoxical elements with perceived or lost productivity implications.

Details

International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1741-0401

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 25 September 2020

Katie Elizabeth Mcquade, Christian Harrison and Heather Tarbert

The purpose of this paper is to provide a comprehensive overview of the literature concerning servant leadership. The paper identifies the existing themes present within the…

4348

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to provide a comprehensive overview of the literature concerning servant leadership. The paper identifies the existing themes present within the servant leadership literature. This allows it to determine where the research concerning servant leadership lies at present and make recommendations as to further potential areas for research. It further identifies the skills necessary for servant leadership.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper follows a rigorous three-step systematic literature review (SLR) process to identify the relevant evidence to answer the research questions. The paper disseminates the results and presents them by way of a descriptive analysis. It also conducts a thematic analysis to further determine answers to the research questions.

Findings

The paper found that the most prominent themes in the servant leadership literature are values, literature reviews, behaviour, assessments, performance, characteristics and antecedents. Additionally, the paper finds that the skills necessary for servant leadership are empathy, listening, communication and trust. The review also identified gaps in the research both methodologically and empirically. It showed that more qualitative research is needed with regard to servant leadership. Furthermore, the development of empirically tested frameworks is necessary within the phenomenon.

Originality/value

Servant leadership is a phenomenon which is lacking in a reliable, validated SLR, which this paper presents. Additionally the originality of this paper lies in its recommendations for further research which are based upon the findings of a thematic analysis. As of yet, such recommendations have not yet been made within the field of servant leadership.

Details

European Business Review, vol. 33 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0955-534X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 21 December 2017

Christian Harrison, Kevin Burnard and Stuart Paul

The purpose of this paper is to examine entrepreneurial leadership and to determine the entrepreneurial leadership skills which are important for success in a developing economy…

4379

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine entrepreneurial leadership and to determine the entrepreneurial leadership skills which are important for success in a developing economy environment. Specifically, the focus of this research was on entrepreneurial leadership within the retail pharmacy sector in Nigeria.

Design/methodology/approach

This study was guided by an interpretivist-constructionist perspective. By adopting a qualitative approach, the lived experiences of the retail pharmacy entrepreneurs could be understood. In total, 51 semi-structured interviews were the mode of data collection, and data were triangulated via three sources: entrepreneurs, employees, and literature.

Findings

From the study results, a vivid picture of entrepreneurial leadership was formed, which in turn provides the basis for an empirical skill-based model of this phenomenon in a developing economy. This study identifies four distinct entrepreneurial leadership skill categories. These include technical/business skills, interpersonal skills, conceptual skills, and entrepreneurial skills. The findings of this study also show the factors and conditions necessary for entrepreneurial leadership in a developing economy.

Originality/value

The findings of this study have implications in theory and practice. Its results provide an empirical, skill-based framework on entrepreneurial leadership in a developing economy, a subject area for which there exists a lack of background literature. In practice, the findings of this study serve as a useful reference for practitioners and policy makers of the skills and other factors required for people to succeed as entrepreneurial leaders.

Details

Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development, vol. 25 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1462-6004

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 11 July 2022

Emmanuel Sawyerr and Christian Harrison

The purpose of this explorative research is to analyse the resilience of the United Kingdom's (UK) healthcare supply chains from a customer’s perspective in the light of the…

1824

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this explorative research is to analyse the resilience of the United Kingdom's (UK) healthcare supply chains from a customer’s perspective in the light of the coronavirus pandemic.

Design/methodology/approach

Using the capabilities of preparedness, robustness, recovery and adaptability as the foundational percept for supply chain resilience, 22 healthcare professionals in 17 of the UK's National Health Scheme (NHS) Trusts were interviewed to explore their personal and organisational approaches adopted relative to the provision of eye protection, gloves, gowns, aprons, masks and respirators. The Dynamic Capabilities View is mapped to the resilience capabilities and used to analyse the data from a transformational supply chain research perspective.

Findings

The supply chains were largely unprepared, which was not particularly surprising even though the availability of gloves was significantly better compared to the other personal protective equipment (PPE). Techniques adopted to ensure robustness and recovery revealed the use of unsanctioned methods such as extended use of PPE beyond recommended use, redefinition of guidelines, protocols and procedures by infection control and the use of expired PPE – all of which compromised customer well-being.

Research limitations/implications

As the paper views resilience through the lens of customers, it does not provide the perspectives of the supply chain practitioners as to the reasons for the findings and the challenges within these supply chains.

Practical implications

The compromise of the well-being of healthcare workers due to the vulnerabilities of healthcare supply chains is highlighted to managers and prescriptions for post-disruption adaptability are made.

Originality/value

This paper introduces transformative research to supply chain resilience research by uniquely looking at resilience from the customers' well-being perspective.

Details

International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management, vol. 53 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0960-0035

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 7 October 2019

Emmanuel Sawyerr and Christian Harrison

The purpose of this study is to identify the prescribed formative elements of supply chain resilience (SCR) in literature, to compare them with the unique characteristics of high…

3791

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to identify the prescribed formative elements of supply chain resilience (SCR) in literature, to compare them with the unique characteristics of high reliability organisations (HROs) and derive lessons useful for improving SCR.

Design/methodology/approach

Two systematic literature reviews are carried out as follows: one on SCR and the other on HRO, which identified 107 studies and 18 papers, respectively. The results from the review are presented, analysed and synthesised.

Findings

Findings suggest that despite significant similarities in some of the proposed formative elements for SCR and the characteristics of HROs, the strong managerial commitment exhibited in HROs is absent in SCR literature. More importantly, the most cited characteristic of HROs, which is their flexible decision making structure is pointed out as a prima lesson towards developing resilience in supply chains.

Practical implications

A decision making framework to facilitate flexible decision making for supply chains during crisis is presented. Further, practical lessons are pointed out from principles common to both streams of literature such as redundancy, human resource management, collaboration, agility, flexibility, culture and risk avoidance that can be implemented in supply chains.

Originality/value

This paper is the first study to systematically review HROs, adapt a HRO decision making framework and also apply the Cynefin framework to SCR. This, therefore, provides the basis to launch further research into the use of these theories and the role of decision-making in SCR creation.

Details

Supply Chain Management: An International Journal, vol. 25 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1359-8546

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 13 July 2020

Muzammal Khan, Abeer Hassan, Christian Harrison and Heather Tarbert

This paper aims to provide a systematic review of the published literature on corporate social responsibility reporting (CSRR). Furthermore, it assesses the main limitations…

3211

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to provide a systematic review of the published literature on corporate social responsibility reporting (CSRR). Furthermore, it assesses the main limitations reported in previous CSRR studies and offers recommendations for best practice and future research.

Design/methodology/approach

A review protocol was developed to search nine major databases over a decade (2005–2017) using specific keywords. As a result, 221 articles were identified that deal explicitly with CSRR in both developed and developing countries, and a descriptive analysis was undertaken.

Findings

Findings of the review show that scholarly work on CSRR across the globe have increased exponentially. However, there still remain quite a few countries and industries that have been underrepresented in CSRR literature. Moreover, methodological- and sampling-related limitations have been noted by a number of scholars in the area. Based on these results, the review provides directions for future research.

Originality/value

The review provides a categorised bibliography of CSRR research on developed and developing countries from 2005 to 2017, covering a range of journals and countries. The review provides state of the art of the CSRR research and highlights the major loopholes in the current literature. This is a valuable study for academics pursuing research on CSRR as it provides a comprehensive and critical discussion on academic research in the field.

Article
Publication date: 11 April 2016

Christian Harrison, Stuart Paul and Kevin Burnard

This paper aims to uncover the challenges facing entrepreneurs in a developing economy, using the retail pharmacy sector in Nigeria. Furthermore, the entrepreneurial leadership…

1438

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to uncover the challenges facing entrepreneurs in a developing economy, using the retail pharmacy sector in Nigeria. Furthermore, the entrepreneurial leadership attributes that have proved to be valuable in overcoming the challenges faced in this sector will be identified.

Design/methodology/approach

The study is exploratory. Data collection is based on semi-structured interviews with retail pharmacy entrepreneurs and their employees. Although there has been some body of literature on entrepreneurial leadership, (Fernald et al., 2005; Gupta et al., 2004), none have addressed the nexus of leadership and entrepreneurship (Cogliser and Brigham, 2004) from the retail pharmacy sector of a developing economy.

Findings

Findings show that retail pharmacy entrepreneurs in a developing economy are faced with challenges such as inadequate capital and poor infrastructural facilities. However, despite these challenges, these entrepreneurial leaders were successful because of key attributes, namely, vision, risk-taking and opportunity recognition and exploitation.

Research limitations/implications

The sample size is a limitation to the study. Future studies with a larger sampling base as well as a different sector will provide greater insight.

Originality/value

This study is the first qualitative study to explore the impact of entrepreneurial leadership in the retail pharmacy sector in Nigeria. It identified the training needs for entrepreneurs in this context. By the participants sharing their experiences, the study identified the prerequisites for success, hence motivating other retail pharmacy entrepreneurs.

Details

Journal of Workplace Learning, vol. 28 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1366-5626

Keywords

Content available
Book part
Publication date: 10 October 2022

Abstract

Details

The African Context of Business and Society
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-80117-853-2

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