Reading List for September 2023

Chapter by Dr Armand Bam, head of Social Impact & the Small Business Academy

Before you decolonize, let me into the game: Virtue, a key to unbridling the shackles of oppression in

Book: Doing Academic Careers Differently, Portraits of Academic Life

Edited By Sarah Robinson, Alexandra Bristow, Olivier Ratle

About the book:

Authors paint individual or group portraits of their academic careers, working with metaphors which challenge the dominant discourses of how academic careers should be led. From rejecting the pressure to focus on ‘one big thing’, to prioritising nurture and care, transcending disciplinary boundaries, reshaping own daily practice, connecting with communities, and being academics outside academia, the chapters in this book offer those considering, starting, or developing an academic career a treasure trove of many alternative possibilities.

Chapter co-authored by Professor Anita Bosch, Women at work Research Chair

A Predictive Model of Women’s Work Engagement in

Book: Women's Empowerment for a Sustainable Future, Transcultural and Positive Psychology Perspectives

Edited by Claude-Hélène Mayer, Elisabeth Vanderheiden, Orna Braun-Lewensohn, Gila Chen, Kiyoko Sueda, Brightness Mangolothi, Saba Safdar, Soyeon Kim

About the book:

This edited volume focuses on women’s empowerment for a sustainable future. It takes cultural and transcultural and positive psychology perspectives into consideration and explores the topic of women’s empowerment from diverse stances, across social strata, cultural divides as well as economic and political divisions. It addresses the critique of the overly Western focus of positive psychology on this topic by adopting a transnational and transcultural lens, and by taking non-WEIRD (Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, Democratic) samples into in-depth consideration. The chapters therefore focus on women from diverse socio-cultural, political, socio-economic backgrounds and discuss their ways of empowering others and being empowered.

They also discuss related positive psychology constructs, such as: coping, resilience, transformation, growth, leadership, creativity, identity development, sustainable action, as well as positive socio-economic, political and eco-sustainable thought and action. The volume as a whole looks at women's leadership as a factor of empowerment. A further fundamental assumption is that women’s empowerment is needed to create a sustainable future at micro-, meso- and macro levels, which presumes safety, peace, ecological considerations, and compassionate leadership.

Chapter by Professor Mias de Klerk, head of the Centre for Responsible Leadership Studies

Leading successful transitioning: Back to the basics of Elizabeth Kübler-Ross’ contribution in

Book: The Routledge Companion to Leadership and Change

Edited by Satinder K. Dhiman

About the book:

The unique leadership challenges organizations face throughout the world call for a renewed focus on what constitutes "authentic, inclusive, servant, transformational, principled, values-based, and mindful" leadership. Traditional approaches rarely provide a permeating or systematic framework to garner a sense of higher purpose or nurture deeper moral and spiritual dimensions of leaders. Learning to be an effective leader requires a deep personal transformation, which is not easy. This text provides guidelines in a variety of settings and contexts while presenting best practices in successfully leading the twenty-first century workforce and offering strategies and tools to lead change effectively in the present-day boundary-less work environment.

Designed to be a resource for scholars, practitioners, teachers and students seeking guidance in the art and science of leadership and change management, this will be an invaluable reference. It will present essential strategies for leading and transforming corporations, small businesses, schools, hospitals, and various nonprofit organizations. It brings the research on leadership and change management up to date, while mapping its terrain and extending the scope and boundaries of this field in an inclusive and egalitarian manner.