Living Leadership: A Systemic Constructionist Approach

Abstract

This article offers a practical theory of leadership grounded in systemic thinking and social constructionism. A systemic constructionist approach conceptualizes leadership as a co-created, performative, attributional, and contextual process where the ideas articulated in talk or action are recognized by others as progressing tasks that are important to them. Using a systemic constructionist framework, we argue that leadership theory and research needs to give attention to three important discursive practices: (1) sensemaking, (2) positioning, and (3) play. The implications for theory, research, and practice from a systemic constructionist perspective are highlighted.

Public leadership as public-making

“…My approach to leadership is situated in the discursive and relational turns within the social sciences. It follows authors such as Gronn (2002) in viewing leadership as distributed within a social and cultural system, and Fairhurst (2007) and Barge and Fairhurst (2008) on leadership as discursive practice. However, in this article I stretch the use of these concepts in order to focus on three crucial processes: those of summoning, mediating and mobilizing publicness and public action:…”

Phronesis Embedded Leadership and its Role in Conflict Management

“…In this case, the practical wisdom of the leadership, primarily attributed as phronesis may play an important role in enhancing the leadership capability to effectively deal with conflict as the development of phronetic leadership abilities help the leaders to make quick and righteous decisions in dealing with conflict conditions. Leaders do so because they are better able to pick-up lead from previously occurred situation(s), they look out and identify the way to connect it and through wisdom, maturity, experience they finally take subsequent action that is not only for the common good but for the resolution of the conflict as well (Barge & Fairhurst, 2008;Hamlin & Jennings, 2007).…”

“…In addition to technical knowhow (techné) and abstract reason (episteme), phronesis actually refers to the value-judgments which are central to the concept of leadership." Development of phronetic leadership abilities help the leaders to make quick and righteous decisions because leaders are able to pick-up lead from previously occurred situation(s), lookout and identify the way to connect it and through wisdom, maturity, experience and finally taking subsequent action that is for the common good (Barge & Fairhurst, 2008).…”

Leadership in Organizations

“…Cunliffe and Eriksen (2011) argue that leadership is about cultivating the practical wisdom of managing leadership conversations by creating open dialogue, noticing and being responsive to moments of difference, and creating new paths in conversations. Extending Karl Weick's concept of sensemaking and the social constructionist view we discussed in the interpretive discourse, Barge and Fairhurst (2008) offered a practical theory of leadership, known as systemic social constructionism. The theory gives direct attention to how leadership conversations help create meaning at both individual and collective levels, develop order and positions of difference, and generate energy and opportunities for change.…”