Faculty of Education - Theses
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ItemWe don't need another hero!: an action research study into effective leadership development in adults within a non-profit organisation( 1999)This research is a qualitative action research study to establish a framework for more effective development of leadership within adults in a non-profit organisation. It is focused upon a Leadership Community from a local parish within the Uniting Church in Australia. An initial Leadership Framework (developed from the previous experience of the researcher and from relevant scholarship) was established and as a guide for the development of leadership, in fieldwork amongst the Leadership Community. The insights and learnings from the fieldwork were then applied to re-conceptualise the Framework for further use within the wider Church, beyond the confines of this research. The fieldwork consisted in the Leadership Community's participation in eleven workshops over a period of four months. In the initial workshops, a variety of conceptual and informational approaches to teaching leadership, supported by interactive activities, was offered. Reflection upon the experiences within these workshops and additional scholarship led to a change in perspective in the subsequent workshops. Where the earlier sessions were teacher-centred and concept-driven, the later approach was participant-focused and practice-embedded. Concluding reflections and some further scholarship contributed to the reconceptualised Leadership Framework, where the notion of communities of practice became significant, as did the related notion of participation pathways and leadership identity pathways. The study therefore establishes the significance of the community learning approach, in which, the capacities of the participants are developed along with particular aspects of leadership, all embedded within the local practice of the participants. The once-lauded approach to leadership as the domain of the 'hero' is challenged by the exploration of the development of a density of 'participative' leadership practice, in which all members of a community can find legitimate leadership participation.