Revisiting leadership in information and communication technology (ICT)-enabled activism: A study of Egypt’s grassroots human rights groups

Scholars argue that contemporary movements in the age of social media are leaderless and self-organised. However, the concept of connective leadership has been put forward to highlight the need for movements to have figures who connect entities together. This study conducts a qualitative research of 30 interviews of human rights groups in the 2011 Egyptian revolution to address the question of how leadership is performed in information and communication technology–enabled activism. The article reconceptualises connective leadership as decentred, emergent and collectively performed, and provides a broader and richer account of leaders’ roles, characteristics and challenges.

Impact of connective leadership on employees’ goal commitment during M & A integration

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the role of connective leadership in the promotion of employee goal commitment, and to determine whether conflict can mediate the relationship between connective leadership and goal commitment during the integration of mergers and acquisitions (M & A). Design/methodology/approach – The study draws on survey data (n=255) from Chinese employees who work for 12 native M & A enterprises. Structural equation modeling and regression analysis are applied to analyze the data. Findings – The results show that connective leadership is positively related to employee goal commitment (p < 0.01). In addition, relationship conflict partially mediates the relationship between connective leadership and employee goal commitment. Task conflict fully mediates the relationship between connective leadership and employee goal commitment. Originality/value – This study introduces connective leadership into M & A and may contribute to the literature related to connective leadership and M & A integration as well as the literature focussed on goal commitment, especially antecedents of goal commitment.

Connecting Leadership and Learning: Do Versatile Learners make Connective Leaders?

<p align="center"><strong>Abstract</strong></p><p>Recent failures in leadership, suggest that creating better-quality leadership development programs is critical. In moving from theory to practice, this paper examined the relationship between learning style and leadership style which may enable us to move away from one-size-fits-all leadership development programs. Utilizing Kolb’s Experiential Learning Model and Connective Leadership theory, approximately 3600 college students were analyzed to discover whether versatility in learning styles translates into versatility in leadership styles. One group of versatile learners reported using a wider range of leadership styles suggesting that learning flexibility may transfer to leadership flexibility. Surprisingly, learners of all types reported utilizing Power and Intrinsic styles of leadership above all others. Implications for leadership development include considering individual differences when crafting leadership programs, matching learning styles to leader training, and the need to move beyond one set of leadership behaviors to increase flexibility in dealing with complex situations. Using a large sample rarely seen in management studies, this paper makes key contributions to the literature. </p>