Perspectives in AE—Towards an Arts–Based Approach to Developing Shared Leadership

• Published in: New horizons in adult education & human resource development Vol. 32; no. 1; pp. 47 - 55
• Main Authors: Wang, Jiunwen, Chia, Ivy
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Los Angeles, CA SAGE Publications 2020; John Wiley & Sons, Ltd; Wiley Periodicals, Inc; Blackwell Publishing Ltd
• Subjects: Adult education; Art Education; arts‐based pedagogy; Change Agents; Creative Activities; Educational leadership; Empowerment; Knowledge Economy; leadership; leadership development; Leadership Role; Leadership shared leadership; Leadership Training; Participatory management; Self Esteem; Social Influences; Teaching Methods; team development; Teamwork; Theater Arts; Theory Practice Relationship; Transformational Leadership; Vignettes; arts-based pedagogy; leadership development; team development; Leadership shared leadership; leadership
• DOI: 10.1002/nha3.20272
• EISSN: 1939-4225

In the leadership development sector, it is widely acknowledged that there is a gap between the theory and practice of leadership. Within the field, rapid changes in business, technology, political, and social factors have resulted in a genuine need for knowledge workers to put into practice leadership skills and to draw conclusions about the interplay between their own roles, domain, and organizational context. This article puts forward an arts–based leadership training approach that uses improvisatory theater techniques, which allows knowledge workers to engage reflexively in the concept of shared leadership. The major focus of this approach is to develop shared leadership competencies among participants, which they acquire by acting out different scenarios they are presented with. This paper argues that art–based leadership activities can be an effective means of fostering confidence, being empowered to lead and leading others through change. It argues for the need to steer away from traditional models of leadership towards a transformative model using an art–based approach. This essay also presents key features shared leadership before discussing the proposed model in greater detail.