Integrative leadership, partnership working and wicked problems: a conceptual analysis

Abstract

After examining the nature and significance of ‘integrative’ leadership, a distinction is drawn between five different formal leadership roles. It is suggested that they tend to be associated with different kinds of problem (‘wicked’, ‘tame’ and ‘crisis’). The paper goes on to consider (1) the different leadership competencies required (political, strategic and operational), and evidence of a cause‐effect relationship between an engaging style of leadership and productivity, and (2) evidence of the impact of leadership behaviour on others. Finally, the paper advocates a modified version of the model of leadership development proposed by Bennington and Hartley (2009).

Citation

Alban‐Metcalfe, J. and Alimo‐Metcalfe, B. (2010), "Integrative leadership, partnership working and wicked problems: a conceptual analysis", International Journal of Leadership in Public Services, Vol. 6 No. 3, pp. 3-13. https://doi.org/10.5042/ijlps.2010.0512