Manifestations of leadership identity development among multicultural higher education students

This is a self-archived version of an original article. This version may differ from the original in pagination and typographic details. Author(s): Title: Year: Version: Copyright: Rights: Rights url: Please cite the original version: CC BY 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Manifestations of leadership identity development among multicultural higher education students © 2023 the Authors Published version Ramamoorthi, Bhavani; Jäppinen, Aini-Kristiina; Taajamo, Matti Ramamoorthi, B., Jäppinen, A.-K., & Taajamo, M. (2023). Manifestations of leadership identity development among multicultural higher education students. European Journal of Training and Development, 47(10), 147-162. https://doi.org/10.1108/ejtd-02-2023-0027 2023 Manifestations of leadership identity development among multicultural higher education students Bhavani Ramamoorthi and Aini-Kristiina Jäppinen Faculty of Education and Psychology, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland, and Matti Taajamo Finnish Institute of Educational Research, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland Abstract Purpose –This study aims to examine how leadership identity manifests at the individual and collective levels within a relational training context among a group of multicultural higher education students. Design/methodology/approach –This is a case study and examines the interactions among eight multicultural students through the theoretical lens of leadership identity development (LID) theory. Findings –The main findings of this study suggest that LID manifests through an open will and intensifying motivation to the collective impulse of achieving shared goals through nurturing the collective cognition to integrate diverse perspectives and a broadening view of leadership as a collective capacity for co-creation and generativity. Research limitations/implications –Although the paper builds on a case study with a limited number of participants and the ability to generalise its findings is partial, the study may provide practical applications for training leadership in other collaborative contexts and supporting it at the individual and collective levels. Originality/value –The LID theory and LID model have been applied simultaneously to a training lab to examine how LID manifests among a multicultural group of higher education students. The lab emphasises a participatory leadership-oriented pedagogy. Keywords Leadership identity development, Higher education students, Collaboration, Multiculturality Paper type Research paper Introduction Understanding leadership identity and how it develops over time is a continuous process of evolution. A world that is constantly changing requires leaders who are collaborative and socially responsible through the influence of relationships (Kezar et al., 2006; © Bhavani Ramamoorthi, Aini-Kristiina Jäppinen and Matti Taajamo. Published by Emerald Publishing Limited. This article is published under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) licence. Anyone may reproduce, distribute, translate and create derivative works of this article (for both commercial and non-commercial purposes), subject to full attribution to the original publication and authors. The full terms of this licence may be seen at http://creativecommons.org/licences/by/4.0/legalcode The authors would like to thank all the participants of the study and the technical support received from the Faculty of Education and Psychology at the University of Jyväskylä. Leadership identity development 147 Received 27 February 2023 Revised 7 July 2023 Accepted 24 July 2023 European Journal of Training and Development Vol. 47 No. 10, 2023 pp. 147-162 Emerald Publishing Limited 2046-9012 DOI 10.1108/EJTD-02-2023-0027 The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at: https://www.emerald.com/insight/2046-9012.htm Komives, 2009). Hence, developing leadership capabilities in higher education students is essential. In particular, such leadership capacities are needed to develop a leadership identity (Carroll and Levy, 2010;Venus et al., 2012). Complexities of global challenges and the need to find solutions through relations invite researchers to think beyond the traditional idea of leadership identity being invested in single leaders and focus on developing collective leadership capacities (Chrobot-Mason et al., 2016;Day and Harrison, 2007;Komives et al., 2009)suchasnetworks(Weibler and Rohn-Endres, 2011), teams (Chrobot-Mason et al., 2016) and groups (Kershaw et al., 2021;Komives et al., 2005). Based on what is known about the development of leadership identity, there is still very little understanding of how leadership identity develops in a collaborative context (McKenzie, 2018). There is some evidence of how leadership identity continues to evolve in the context of students interacting in group settings (Komives et al., 2005,2006a). This understanding led to the construction of the leadership identity development (LID) theory and an interrelated LID model (Komives et al., 2005,2006a). From now onwards, we use the acronym “LID theory”to point to the theory and LID to refer to the domain of LID. Recent studies have validated how LID is enhanced in various contexts using different tools, whereas very few have investigated how LID development takes place (McKenzie, 2018;Nagda and Roper, 2019;Owen et al.,2017). The LID theory (Komives et al., 2005) presents a framework for understanding how individual higher education students develop the social identity of being collaborative, relational leaders and has been used as the theoretical lens of this study. It comprises five key categories of leadership identity: developing self, changing view of self with others, broadening view of leadership, developmental influences and group influences. Each of these LID categories includes different attributes, and we focused on those that are most relevant to the context of this study (Figure 1). The developing self includes the attributes of deepening self-awareness and establishing interpersonal efficacy. The category of changing view of self with others includes the attributes of being independent, dependent Figure 1. Developing a leadership identity EJTD 47,10 148 and interdependent. The category of broadening view of leadership includes the attributes of being positional and non-positional. In this paper, we look at the first three categories, namely, developing self, changing view of self with others and broadening view of leadership and the specific attributes under each of these categories (Figure 1). We excluded the last two categories from this study because we were not interested in the developmental (i.e. childhood) and group (e.g. family) influences of the participants. There is an interrelated LID model (Komives et al., 2006a,2006b), which is a practical framework to apply the LID theory. The model shows that individuals go through diverse stages, such as awareness, exploration, leadership identity, leader differentiation, generativity and integration, that are experienced continually, resulting in a deeper understanding of their leadership identity (Komives et al., 2005,2006a,2006b). Each of the categories includes all these stages. However, we did not focus on the diverse stages but presumed that they were all included in a higher education training programme called Collaboratories lab and had an overlapping effect on the background. The Collaboratories lab included eight higher education students from multicultural backgrounds. The multiculturality of the group worked as a driving force in building relational bridges among the students, which is essential for leadership identity manifestation. One of the main purposes of the Collaboratories lab was to build a toolkit of collaboration for LID, particularly for future working life needs. Hence, we applied the LID model (Komives et al., 2006a,2006b) as a practical framework to apply the LID theory. The model and theory are closely interlinked; as such, we used the theory as an interpretive lens for data analysis. The LID model was simplified and applied (Table 1) as a practical tool by the trainer throughout the Collaboratories lab. Social interaction through collaborative relationships is crucial for LID (Komives et al., 2005,2006a,2006b). Denis et al. (2012, p. 214) suggest that: Producing leadership in interaction decentres the idea of leadership not being situated in individuals but rather a view of leadership as a human social construction that emanate from rich connections and interdependencies (see also, Uhl-Bien, 2006, p. 655). Thus, for LID to manifest, group influences are an important factor (Komives et al.,2005). In the Collaboratories lab, the major focus was on the group working together. However, the LID model shows that individuals go through diverse stages in their personal LID process (Komives et al., 2006a,2006b); hence, both individual and collective levels of LID are essential. Consequently, the theoretical aim of this study was to augment the knowledge of LID in the wider area of higher education training and to investigate how LID manifests at the Table 1. Leadership identity development model LID categories Leadership identity development properties (enabled through participatory pedagogy in the Collaboratories lab) Developing self Deepening self-awareness Establishing interpersonal efficacy Changing view of self with others Dependent Independent/dependent Interdependent Broadening view of leadership Positional Non-positional Source: The above table is an adaptation of Komives et al. (2006a) Leadership identity development 149 individual and collective levels. The practical aim was to implement the LID model in collaboration with higher education training. Thus, the research question was framed as follows: RQ1. How does leadership identity development manifest within a group of multicultural students at individual and collective levels? To answer the research question, we first explain the idea of LID and the related theory and model. This is followed by an introduction to the Collaboratories lab and the method used. Leadership identity development The development of leadership identity is created through purposeful acts and interactions (Karp and Helgø, 2009). The studies conducted by both Komives et al. (2005) and Gibson et al. (2018) used a grounded theory approach to LID, and both studies demonstrated that there is a shift from an earlier stage of leadership identity to a deeper understanding of self and leadership. Individual shifts in their view of leadership develop themselves and understand the influence of groups throughout this process (Day et al.,2009;Komives et al., 2005,2006a,2006b;Miscenko et al.,2017). Recent studies suggest a narrative framework for exploring the experiences and sensemaking of LID in emerging adults in higher education (McCain and Matkin, 2019). Among these exist leadership identity studies that focus on building leadership identity as a multifaceted process that encompasses expanding boundaries, recognising interdependences and discerning purpose (Zheng and Muir, 2015). Another major theme in the LID literature is the concept of the identity development spiral. The more people have an integrated identity of themselves as leaders, the more likely they are to engage in leadership experiences, which build leadership competencies and further inform their leadership identity (Day et al., 2009;Wagner, 2011). A study conducted by Wolfinbarger et al. (2021) with 14 higher education students of diverse backgrounds applied the LID model. The findings suggest an understanding of leadership as a relational process that enhances the LID of most participants. In a study of 50 student leaders of diverse backgrounds (Sessa et al.,2016), LID prefigured an understanding of leadership. There, students identified themselves as individual leaders, which is contradictory to leadership being viewed as shared, relational and collaborative (Crevani, 2007) and for which they would need support and scaffolding from mentors (Sessa et al.,2016). In sum, in the field of leadership identity studies, there is a need for more studies on “developing collective leadership identities, processes that involve participants in engaging across boundaries (functional, hierarchical, geographical)”(Day and Harrison, 2007,p.360). With scholars increasingly emphasising leadership as a relational process (Uhl-Bien, 2006), a relational perspective on leadership identity has emerged (DeRue et al., 2009;Komives et al., 2006a), but few studies exist with a relational perspective on leadership identity and a focus on LID as a multilevel phenomenon (DeRue et al.,2009;Komives et al., 2006a). Leadership identity development theory and model The LID theory (Komives et al.,2005) emerged from studies on the relational leadership model (Komives et al., 2006b) that focused on leadership being purposeful, inclusive, empowering, ethical and process-oriented. The theory emphasises leadership as “a relational and ethical process of people together attempting to accomplish positive change”(Komives et al., 2006b, p. 11). The theory has implications for the design of leadership programmes. EJTD 47,10 150 The LID theory and model have implications for developing the leadership capacity and identity of individual students and for developing the capacity of groups (Komives et al., 2006a,2006b). In 2006, based on the LID theory, Komives and colleagues developed the interrelated LID model, which describes the stages students go through in their understanding of leadership as a relational process and their identity as leaders (Komives et al., 2005,2009). The LID model has been used by several researchers to better understand students’experiences or pedagogical approaches that improve students’leadership development (Schmiederer, 2018). As mentioned above, we extracted from the LID theory (Komives et al.,2005, p. 599) three of the five major categories: developing self, changing view of self with others and broadening view of leadership. The categories are interconnected and influence each other and explain how the leadership identity develops. All the categories of the LID theory include within themselves the individual and collective levels through the various attributes that exist for each LID category. Our study aims to understand how LID manifested among a group of higher education students. We considered it from two perspectives: (1) members of a group as unique components; and (2) the members functioning as an interconnected collective. Thus, we studied each of these three leadership identity categories at the individual and collective levels. Methods Study context and participants This paper is based on data derived from a case study called Collaboratories lab, in which students built knowledge capital through collaboration. It was offered as a training programme as part of the curriculum on “Current Issues in Learning and Pedagogy”in a higher education institution in Finland. Programme details were shared in a face-to-face presentation with a new cohort of students pursuing a master’s degree at the Faculty of Education and Psychology. It was also sent as an invitation to all exchange and master’s students in the Faculty of Education. The participants voluntarily signed up for the programme via a university portal. The consent process included signing a form granting permission to use the coursework, discussions and interactions as research material. A detailed programme plan is included in Appendix. All students spoke English but with varying competencies. Consequently, English was used as a common language in the programme. The students signed a consent form for the research and were advised they could voluntarily withdraw from the study at any point. The programme aimed to introduce collaborative educational activities that involved small-group work or working as an entire class. Dialogical interactions were integral. This was followed by an online discussion with reflections based on the students’face-to-face learning experiences and their experiences of group work. There were 30 contact (in-person meeting) hours, and the students met for 11 contact sessions over three months. The students also spent approximately 30 h on group reflections and online discussions following class interactions, and the programme was worth five European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System credits, which required approximately 135 h of work. The Collaboratories lab included eight students, five of whom were exchange students and three who were pursuing a master’s degree in education. The multicultural group consisted of two men and six women (see Table 2) in the age group of 18–30 years. Their areas of specialisation (in their degrees) were multidisciplinary. We used pseudonyms to Leadership identity development 151 protect the students’anonymity. The students in the Collaboratories lab had no specific background in leadership training. One student had worked as a teacher trainer, and the rest had some exposure to teaching experiences but not necessarily any formal leadership training. The Collaboratories lab was an experimental intervention for team members to explore how collaboration works. The lab was designed based on experimental collaborative exercises, such as the marshmallow challenge (Anthony, 2018), in addition to theatre and storytelling (Boje et al.,2015). A major part of the programme involved students actively engaging in the practice of appreciative inquiry, which is a creative thinking model wellresearched in the context of collaboration and relational leadership (Sim, 2019). Data and analysis This is a case study (Flyvbjerg, 2011) with a detailed analysis of a group of students in the context of the Collaboratories lab while describing their leadership identity manifestation. The data included students’individual and group reflections on an online discussion forum written after an in-person working session. It also included face-to-face group discussions and their final learning assignment (data samples are shown in Table 3). Group discussions were audio and video recorded, and the audio recordings of the group reflections on collaboration were transcribed. Data analysis for this study follows a qualitative content analysis that is both deductive and inductive. Qualitative content analysis is one of the many ways to analyse textual data and focuses on reducing it into manageable segments through the application of inductive and/or deductive codes and reorganising data to allow for the drawing and verification of conclusions (Forman and Damschroder, 2007). It often starts with deductively developed codes but remains open to new topics suggested by the data (inductive codes). The product of this process is an interpretation of the meaning of the data in a particular context. This hybrid approach balanced the research question for the study and allowed theories of LID to be integral to the process of deductive analysis while allowing for themes to emerge directly from the data using inductive coding. The deductive analysis was guided by Table 2. Details of the study participants Demographic details Participant pseudonym Gender Country Student role Degree programme Audrey Female Taiwan Full-time student Master’s degree Cecilia Female Wales Exchange student Bachelor’s degree Diana Female Italy Exchange student Bachelor’sþmaster’s five-year degree programme Emma Female Italy Exchange student Bachelor’s degree Gina Female India Full-time student Master’s degree Samantha Female Italy Exchange student Bachelor’sþmaster’s five-year degree programme Steven Male India Full-time student Master’s degree Thomas Male Japan Exchange student Bachelor’s degree Source: Authors’own work EJTD 47,10 152 the theoretical concepts of LID theory (see Figure 1). Thus, we focused on the three major themes of LID: (1) the development of the self; (2) a changing view of the self with others; and (3) a broadening view of leadership and the related attributes of each category. Subsequently, the data were analysed inductively. The data provided evidence of the individual and collective levels for the three categories of the LID theory (as shown in Table 4). The first author was primarily responsible for the analytical process. The analysed data sets were presented to other authors who conducted debriefing processes to ensure a systematic and scientific approach to the data analysis. These authors examined the codes Table 3. Data sources and sample data extracts Data source Sample data extract Discussion forum (online) Experiencing different cultures through collaboration exercises like this one . . . enables me to re-examine my personal belied (belief) system and notice what is working for me and what is not (Audrey) Category: Developing self Group discussions (face-to-face) At a community level, individuals . . . come together with variety of opinions . . . and converge at the . . . centre which in turn leads to change in perspectives (that penetrates at an individual level) (Gina) Category: Broadening view of leadership Learning assignment The work done in groups made me reflect on how I portray myself to others . . .and the aspects I still need to work on to fully appreciate and benefit collaboration (Diana) Category: Self and others Source: Authors’own work Table 4. Data organization: examples of individual and collective levels LID categories Individual Collective Developing self I was quite critical of myself. . . but. . . inside me it’s very strong and clear the desire to collaborate in the realization of this project (Emma) I am able . . .notice the different in collaborating whilst feeling “fully involved”or discussing whilst feeling “fully alive or dedicated”(Cecilia) Changing views of the self with others That in some situations, I could get help and that I could not do it alone I realized that this has also allowed to increase relations whit [with] the people (Emma) I feel like the most important thing . . . was . . . rethink the role of others in my own knowledge convergence and in the productive outcome of the group (Diana) Broadening view of leadership The working definition I would propose for the term collaboration is the activity of learning, design and co-creation by open minded and passionate individuals (Gina) The flow was persistent and effective. . . I cannot say with certainity that there defined roles (Diana) Source: Authors’own work Leadership identity development 153 and categories developed and provided important feedback and comments. The data examples of this study were chosen by the first author, and the manuscript was checked by two other authors. The results of the analysis are shown in Table 5. Findings The findings section connects the students’narratives and reflections to the three LID categories and their related attributes. The developing self refers to how each student perceived their personal growth and their own LID. The changing self with others is connected to how their developing self was influenced by the collaborative interactions within the group. The broadening view of leadership is connected to how their changing view of self with others influenced their perception of being in collaboration and leadership. We elaborate on each of these leadership identity categories at the individual level and collective level and summarise the key findings. Category 1: developing self Attribute of deepening self-awareness: individual level. Through continual reflections, the students expressed their motivations, deepening their self-awareness and interpersonal efficacy. They observed how their behaviours and mental constructs helped them transition towards inclusivity as they evolved in their interactions. Students observed that as they built their confidence, they were willing to take steps to become more involved and build a sense of personal integrity. When they acknowledged they had the potential to contribute to the shared goals of the group, they were willing to overcome their limitations and find solutions to overcome these barriers, as Emma reflected: Table 5. Examples of individual and collective levels of leadership identity manifestation LID categories Relational context Individual level Collective level Developing self Deepening self-awareness Openness to new perspectives Expanding motivation Expanding interpersonal self-efficacy through new relational skillsCommitment to a shared goal Exercising self-leadership to overcome limitations Changing views of the self with others Accessing collective wisdom Foundation of trust Self-growth through relational bridges Creating a democratic space Critical thinking influenced by others Integrating and synthesizing the varying perspectives Moving from dependence to interdependence Knowledge construction as a collective Broadening view of leadership A positional view of leadership entails being sensitive to the individual and collective levels of desire among the group members Empowering spaces for every group member Operating from a positional leadership can also mean a shared space of authority Leadership was web-like, fluid and dynamic, moving among the group members Experiencing leadership as evolving and not located in one person Enabling spaces of co-creation and generative listening Source: Authors’own work EJTD 47,10 154 Zheng, W. and Muir, D. (2015), “Embracing leadership: a multi-faceted model of leader identity development”,Leadership and Organization Development Journal, Vol. 36 No. 6, pp. 630-656, doi: 10.1108/LODJ-10-2013-0138. Further reading Demmy, T.L., Kivlahan, C., Stone, T.T., Teague, L. and Sapienza, P. (2002), “Physicians’perceptions of institutional and leadership factors influencing their job satisfaction at one academic medical center”,Academic Medicine, Vol. 77 No. 12 Part 1, pp. 1235-1240. Leadership identity development 161 Appendix Corresponding author Bhavani Ramamoorthi can be contacted at: [email protected].fi For instructions on how to order reprints of this article, please visit our website: www.emeraldgrouppublishing.com/licensing/reprints.htm Or contact us for further details: [email protected] Table A1. Collaboratories programme Theme Content Mode of engagement Invitation to the programme Pre-task: a short write-up on the expectations from the Collaboratories lab Email Team games Collaborative games Theatre games Team games The marshmallow challenge Group games and dialogue Literature on collaboration and the marshmallow challenge Reflection questions on their group experiences Online discussion forums Leading and being led Mirroring –drama game Story mapping Group games Story landscapes Reflection questions Online discussion forum Experiencing and understanding working in groups; being part of a team Exploring diversity through experiential stories Warm-up (theme based on a recent event at the university) Collaborative poetry writing Storytelling –Beeble Bee and Beeble Boo Question prompts for reflection Active listening Dialogue Herman’s grid activity Small group discussion Online discussion forum Introduction to the AI model Introduction to appreciative inquiry (AI) Teacher-led session with an introduction to AI Exploring literature on AI Suggested resources Reading circles (literature) Sharing in small groups AI model –Session 1 Exploring the AI question together: designing a powerful question Working as a team through the discovery phase Reflection questions Online discussion AI model –Session 2 Exploring the AI question further Working as a team through the dream phase Working in groups Reflections questions Online discussion AI model –Session 3 (design phase) Group work –design phase Working as a team Reflection questions Online discussion Sharing and presenting the school change models designed by the teams Teams share their models, a visual representation experiences of being through AI Presentation Collective brainstorming Mind mapping Divergence; convergence; emergence All that we share video: https://www.youtube.com/watch? v¼jD8tjhVO1Tc Video-based discussion and reflection Divergence, emergence and convergence model A brief explanation of the model followed by question prompts Art session with instructions Reflection questions Art session: individual work time Group discussion on the art works Source: Authors’own work EJTD 47,10 162