Join Dr. Sandra Romenska for a discussion on The Dangerous Landscape of Leading Innovation - Bad Leaders, Stupid Followers and Other Organisational Monsters.
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Traditional theories of leadership and leading change often focus exclusively on the role and personality of the leader, and offer lists of characteristics which are presented as "make or break" for leaders - intelligence, self-confidence, determination, sociability, etc. These models struggle to pass the reality checks of today's leadership landscape, populated by political, business or social leaders whose rise to power cannot be readily explained using overly romanticised and glorified ideas of leaders as "chosen" or "special." Instead, a different set of ideas which examine the power of followers over leaders, the role of emotions, sense-making, and organizational life as theatre and drama, provide a better understanding of the processes which can lead to the emergence of toxic and destructive leaders, and ultimately organizational failure. This will be discussed in the context of leading innovation and change, using examples from recent leadership practice in business, politics, and social change. Participants will have an opportunity to evaluate the applicability of these different leadership perspectives for their own understanding and practice of leadership, and reflect on potential implications across a variety of organizational contexts.
Dr. Sandra Romenska is a Senior Lecturer in leadership and leadership development at the University of St Andrews School of Management in Scotland, UK. Dr. Romenska has experience in delivering leadership programs to a wide range of national and international public and private organizations. She has been an invited speaker at the Project Management Institute Global Congress, the World Universities Forum at Davos, UNESCO, and Fulbright. Dr. Romenska has managerial experience in the non-government, public, and charity sectors after working with Save the Children-UK and at various leadership posts in higher education institutions in the UK. She has an MA from the University of Warwick and a DPhil from the University of Oxford.
