Search results

Avery and Bergsteiner's updated set of 23 sustainable leadership practices derived from sustainable enterprises and five performance outcomes provides a framework to examine the business practices of Thailand's largest conglomerate, Siam Cement Group (SCG). The aim of this paper is to build on and expand Kantabutra and Avery's study based on Avery.

The analysis was conducted by grouping Avery and Bergsteiner's principles into six categories, namely taking a long‐term perspective, investing in people, adapting the organizational culture, being innovative, exhibiting social and environmental responsibility, and behaving ethically. Adopting a multi‐data collection approach, research teams supplemented case study data with non‐participant observations from visits to the conglomerate and its training sessions. Multiple stakeholders were interviewed in semi‐structured interviews. Documentation and information supplied by, or published about, the conglomerate was consulted.

All six sets of practices, which sharply contrast with the prevailing business model of short‐term maximization of profitability but are consistent with the 23 sustainable leadership practices, were found to apply in varying degrees to SCG. A total of 19 applied strongly, with three others moderately strong.

Given that sustainable leadership principles are associated with enhanced brand and reputation, customer and staff satisfaction, and financial performance, the new Sustainable Leadership Grid provides corporate leaders with a useful checklist for this purpose.

This paper reports on the first examination of Avery and Bergsteiner's 23 sustainable leadership elements in a developing economy. It shows that even a publicly‐listed company can resist pressures to conform to business‐as‐usual practices and adopt the long‐term, socially responsible principles of “honeybee” sustainable leadership.

The word “sustainability” is discussed in several ways since MDGs and SDGs have gained business attention. Sustainability is not just about something’s durability; it also looks at how to advance development projects without endangering the development of others nearby, both now and in the future (Fink, 2000). It is a drive that weaves together the different facets, including the social, economic, and environmental. World Economic Forum’s has emphasised the need for responsive and responsible leadership. It is in this context, the paper focuses on studying the transformational shift in the role and responsibility of leaders in demonstrating responsible leadership and discusses the ‘Locust and Honeybee Leadership styles’.

Literature portrays that responsible leaders are recognized by their qualities, competency and skills. One such model is “Locust and Honeybee Leadership,” where the two leadership styles are contrasted. The paper attempts to discuss the varied contexts of these leadership styles and attempts to draw a matrix on the commonalities of both set in an Indian context. A leader should always have openness of thought and integrity.

Value systems are important for a leader. The major challenge is developing globally responsible leaders and managers who can perform effectively under these conditions of enormous challenge, as they are chronically pushed beyond their capabilities into unexpected roles and unfamiliar domains. Situations compel leaders to make decisions, yet the styles determine the way the decisions are taken. The paper is unique as it discusses the commonalities and contrasting perspectives of the “Locust and Honeybee Leadership.”

The paper is limited to a small number of respondents and is set in Indian context.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, the paper is an original piece of work and expresses thoughts of the authors on establishing a sustainable leadership model.

The aim of this paper is to adopt Avery and Bergsteiner's 23 sustainable leadership practices derived from sustainable organizations as a framework to examine the leadership practices of Thailand's oldest university.

Avery and Bergsteiner's principles were grouped into six categories for analysis: long‐term perspective, staff development, organizational culture, innovation, social responsibility, and ethical behavior, providing the framework for analysis of the university. Adopting a multi‐data collection approach, research teams supplemented case study data with participant observations, and reference to documentation and information supplied by, or published about the university. Semi‐structured interviews were held with multiple stakeholders.

Six core sets of practices consistent with 21 sustainable leadership practices are identified: a focus on a long‐term perspective, staff development, a strong organizational culture, innovation, social and environmental responsibility and ethical behavior.

Since sustainable leadership principles link to enhanced brand and reputation, customer and staff satisfaction, and financial performance, the Sustainable Leadership Grid provides educational leaders with a useful checklist for this purpose.

This paper contains the first examination of sustainable leadership in the higher education sector. It shows that even a public service organization can adopt the long‐term, socially responsible principles of sustainable leadership.

This BMW case aims to show how many of the company's practices that accord with principles espoused in the authors' sustainable leadership model contributed to its recovery after the global financial crisis (GFC).

This case illustrates how BMW institutes the 23 honeybee leadership principles and practices described in the authors' 2011 article “Sustainable leadership: practices for enhancing business resilience and performance” in Strategy & Leadership.

The examples provide a glimpse into the honeybee practices that enabled one firm to emerge successfully from the GFC. Regarding the five performance outcomes on the sustainable leadership pyramid, BMW clearly exceeded expectations in 2010 on financial returns and shareholder value.

Clearly BMW provides long‐term value for all its stakeholders – suppliers, shareholders, employees and customers – as is expected of a sustainable enterprise. BMW's business model, innovative approach to problem‐solving and adherence to sustainable leadership practices underpin a capacity to survive crises such as the GFC.

This is a rare case study of corporate‐wide sustainability practices and principles in operation. Informed by the examples of best practices at BMW, managers at other companies can envision how honeybee management might be implemented at their firm.

The purpose of this paper is to present an alternative leadership model to the prevailing shareholder‐first approach that research, management experts and practice indicate can lead to higher performance and resilience of a firm.

This conceptual paper is based on published literature, empirical research, and observations conducted in firms worldwide.

Avery and Bergsteiner's 23 principles differentiate sustainable or “honeybee” practices from shareholder‐first or “locust” leadership. Sustainable practices are arranged in a pyramid with three levels of practices and five performance outcomes at the apex. A total of 14 foundation practices can be introduced immediately. At the next level in the pyramid, six higher‐level practices emerge once the foundations are in place. Finally, three practices cover the key performance drivers of innovation, quality, and staff engagement – all of which end customers' experience. Together the 23 practices influence five outcomes, namely brand and reputation, customer satisfaction, operational finances, long‐term shareholder value, and long‐term value for multiple stakeholders.

Given that research and practice show that operating on sustainable principles enhances business performance and resilience, executives are urged to adopt these practices over business‐as‐usual. If self‐interest does not motivate this change, as it appears to have already done at Wal‐Mart, then major stakeholders or legislators can be expected to force such changes in the future.

This paper provides an answer to the question of whether there is there an alternative to the shareholder‐first leadership model. Its response is: yes, a demonstrably effective alternative already operates among many successful enterprises around the world.

The United Nations Global Compact is a voluntary initiative in four areas as human rights, labor, environment, and anticorruption with 10 universal principles. This network brings corporations, nongovernmental organizations, employees, and people together. There is a need to have responsible and committed leaders to promote good corporate citizenship in the framework of Global Compact. Leaders have a unique position through which they can influence factors concerning organizations’ and employees’ behavior. According to the areas of UN Global Compact, some leadership styles seem to better suit to benefit economies, societies, markets, and people all over the world than the others. By this way, from the theoretical perspectives, the primary purpose of this chapter is to investigate the leader’s behavior and different leadership styles in organizations that are the part of Global Compact platform. There are certain leadership theories – transactional, transformational, sustainable, ethical, and servant – which are examined in Global Compact initiatives.

An extensive literature research is conducted in order to understand the different types of leadership styles while organizations are adapting and understanding the Global Compact principles.

Modern leadership styles especially ethical leadership behavior should be effective to comply with universal principles and organizations can also have commitment to disclose a report with powerful leadership.

However, this research is a theoretical study; for further studies, longitudinal studies can be conducted to understand the leadership styles from the perspective of Global Compact principles, and these different managers’ behaviors can be measured.

This study may be useful for the board of directors and managers since they should participate and adapt themselves to this initiative about how they should behave in the right way.

There is a lack of behavioral studies while analyzing Global Compact principles. Especially examining leadership theories that are complied with these principles will add a value to the literature in this area.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between empowering leadership and organizational commitment and its effect on job performance and creative work involvement within the expatriate society of the UAE.

The paper suggests a theoretical model derived from survey responses gathered from expatriates used in multinational organizations located in Dubai city in the UAE.

The results show that organizational commitment partially mediates the relationship between empowering leadership and job performance. Furthermore, the results show that organizational commitment partially mediates the relationship between empowering leadership and creative work involvement.

This research adds to the existing body of knowledge on international business by investigating the effects that organizational commitment and empowering leadership have on creative work involvement and job performance of expatriates.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the leadership and management practices that positively affect stakeholder satisfaction, an under-studied area important for both academic researchers and leaders. Relationships between 23 leadership and management practices and overall stakeholder satisfaction (OSS) were examined.

Avery and Bergsteiner ' s (2010, 2011a) sustainable leadership (SL) model provided the theoretical framework for a cross-sectional survey research design used to gather empirical data from 439 managers of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Thailand.

Results show all SL practices except financial market orientation were significantly related to OSS, and the more an organisation adopts significant SL practices, the higher the OSS is likely to be. The particular SL practices that positively predicted enhanced OSS were amicable labour relations, staff retention, strong and shared vision, strategic and systemic innovation, and high staff engagement and quality.

Future research should further examine relationships between SL practices and a range of organisational performance outcomes in different contexts, as well as the relationship between SL practices and sustainable human resource management (SHRM), and between SHRM and stakeholder satisfaction.

The findings provide guidance on which SL practices to adopt for managers of SMEs in Thailand and possibly in other countries, who wish to improve their stakeholder satisfaction and sustain their business success.

Policy makers may gain insights into practices that drive performance in SMEs, a strong force in many economies.

This study extends current knowledge of leadership and management practices that positively predict enhanced stakeholder satisfaction, an area in which empirical evidence has to date been largely lacking.

Given previous findings that employee satisfaction contributes to firm performance and sustainability, this study examined the relationships between 23 leadership/management practices on employee satisfaction. It identified specific practices with significant effects on employee satisfaction. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Using a theoretical framework and questionnaire derived from Avery and Bergsteiner's Sustainable Leadership Model, data were collected from 1,152 employees in small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Bangkok, Thailand.

Overall, adopting sustainable leadership (SL) practices was related significantly to employee satisfaction, consistent with Avery and Bergsteiner's model. Twenty of the 23 SL practices were linked to enhanced employee satisfaction, the exceptions being independence from the financial markets, self-management and environmental responsibility. Specific SL practices predicted enhanced employee satisfaction more than others, the strongest predictor being high staff engagement. Other practices associated with employee satisfaction were: valuing employees, ethical behaviour, considered organizational change, a strong and shared vision, an enabling culture, and quality in products and services.

Considerable scope exists for future research into the relationships between individual and bundles of SL practices with employee satisfaction in different national, industry and other contexts. Further limitations are discussed in the paper.

Managers of SMEs in Thailand and possibly in other contexts should consider adopting the SL practices shown to significantly enhance employee satisfaction and in doing so help sustain their business success.

This study pioneered research into a gap in the literature about the SL and management practices that positively predict enhanced employee satisfaction, an area of importance to both leadership practice and research.

The purpose of this paper is to examine literature in order to explore the reasons why performance management (PM) positively affects employee engagement (EE) as well as how PM should be conducted to achieve EE. It also provides future research suggestions.

Derived from substantial literature review, approaches describing how three PM processes (performance agreement, on-going feedback, and performance evaluation) can enhance EE are discussed.

Throughout the three PM processes, the following should be applied to foster EE: employee development facilitation and support, employee involvement, trust, and justice. In order to have a PM system achieve EE, the broad context and culture of organizations may have to change to be sustainability oriented.

Future research can test possible associations between a set of integrated PM activities and Kahn’s (1990) concept of three psychological conditions (meaningfulness, availability, and safety), leading to EE, and eventually sustainable corporate performance outcomes. Research examining associations between particular preceding sustainable contextual elements and PM, leading to engagement, also deserves attention.

One practical implication of this paper is that it may provide possible guidance to managers seeking to engage their employees when managing their performance, and increase awareness of potential constraints created by non-sustainable contextual elements.

This paper fulfills a need to explore how PM can be conducted to achieve EE, which is still scarce in current literature and research. The paper offers a holistic perspective that sustainable contexts in organizations are also needed, if PM to engage employees will flourish.