Our Research

In the context of the ongoing humanocentric paradigm shift in management, we consider it essential to explore the possibilities of developing the potential of leaders as key agents of this change.

Firstly, it is necessary to research the determinants and mechanisms of development and self-development of leaders. The developmental perspective emphasizes importance of long-term goals as well as short-term goals, consisting of achieving both relevant changes in self-concept (specifically, in the level of self-awareness, perceived personal efficacy, and in the individual’s identity as a leader) and the acquisition of competencies needed for leading people. Interventions that systematically work with leaders’ self-motivation, such as competency development training programs and coaching, have been proved to be essential for leaders’ developmental shift.

Secondly, the current business environment, influenced by pandemics and generally vulnerable to crises of this nature, also requires a systematic approach to stress management and burnout prevention. At the same time, we research the practices that lead to increasing and maintaining employee engagement and well-being. Some of our researchers thus focuse on the meaningfulness of work, the development of employees’ competencies and their potential in general. We also analyse ways of influencing and empowering employees. The topic that we explore further in this regard, is the current and future trends in values-based leadership (VBL). This includes validating the effectiveness of leadership styles (authentic, transformational, servant…) in different situational and organizational contexts and preventing toxic leadership. Since 2021 we have been involved in the Global Identity Leadership Development (GILD) project. The Global Identity Leadership Development project is currently a large-scale global research collaboration conducted in over 30 countries. Data from a sample of over 15,000 individuals (across 25 languages) around the globe show that the four dimensions of identity leadership are distinguishable and that they relate uniquely to important work-related attitudes and behaviours above and beyond other leadership constructs. From this it appears that Identity Leadership makes a unique positive contribution to employees’ (a) relationship to their team (identification and perceived team support), (b) well-being (job satisfaction and reduced burnout), and (c) performance (citizenship and innovative behaviour at work).

Thirdly, with the increasing diversity of the workforce and the global reach of leaders, it seems essential to equip leaders with the competencies that are essential for effective diversity management, so that they are able to maximise the potential of their workforce. Thus, we consider it important to examine selected determinants of leaders’ actions, including the influence of the organizational culture on the functioning of teams and individual employees.