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***POSTED ON BEHALF OF KEN PARRY (kparry@bond.edu.au)****

***APOLOGIES FOR ANY CROSS-POSTING***

Call for Papers

Arguably the time is prescient for the development of leadership. We find ourselves in a time when global needs call for a revision of market capitalism and a move towards moral capitalism; a time in which we need to 'move from value to values, from shareholders to stakeholders, and from balance sheets to balanced development' (Kofi Annan, 14^th October, 2002). It is a time, we suggest to transition from growth to growing-well - a time for the new romantics of leadership.

In coining this phrase, it is our intention to tap into a number of resonant ideas, but also to turn away from an existing one. Miendl's seminal work on the 'romance of leadership' was an exploration of the tendency (both within the literature and in organizational settings) to overestimate the significance of leadership and its impact on organizational success. First introduced by Meindl, Ehrlich and Dukerich in 1985, the phrase itself refers to the tendency to attribute responsibility for company performance to organizational leaders and to disregard other factors which might have had a part to play in the achievement of a successful outcome, and denotes 'a strong belief – a faith – in the importance of leadership factors to the functioning and dysfunctioning of organized systems' (Meindl and Ehrlich, 1987:91). Paying tribute to Meindl's work, Bligh and Schyns (2007: 343) describe the tendency to 'overuse and glorify leadership as a causal category' as being 'due primarily to a psychological need to make sense of complex organisational phenomena': as a result, they say, 'the concept of leadership has been elevated or inflated to an unwarranted status and significance'. We have much sympathy with this view when seen through a narrow, heroic and individualistic lens. We would wish, however, to re-introduce the romanticized rhetoric to situate it within current leadership discourses regarding authentic, distributed and ethical leadership where the societal, economic and environmental challenges do require us to collectively take the lead in moving forward towards doing good and growing well. We see this as both a romantic and essential requirement.

The romantic movement of the late 18^th and early 19^th century drew away from the harshness of the industrial revolution and sought a return to benevolent forces –  in the words of William Wordsworth (1770-1850) 'This world is too much with us, late and soon: Getting and spending we lay waste our powers.' In critiquing capitalism and materialism the romantic poets and other thinkers of the time celebrated nature and the spirit of the individual, with a rich appreciation of emotion and independent thinking; an emphasis on place and creativity, on vocation and purpose.  In essence they made a passionate plea for the re-finding the individual, their creativity, their sense of purpose and contribution.

We draw on these ideas for three reasons: first the DLCC conference venue is between the Lake District (the nexus of the Romantic Movement through the poets Byron, Coleridge, Shelley and Wordsworth) and the Lancashire mills – the cradle of the industrial revolution. This juxtaposition of corporate growth and wealth with individual idealism and purpose is central to our theme.

The second reason is that the new romantics of responsible leadership seek to address such a juxtaposition though emphasis on leadership as purpose, ethics, creativity, idealism and calling. Further the new romantics of leadership draws on the legacy of narrative and the importance of storytelling as pioneered by Wordsworth and Coleridge in their influential collection of poetry 'The Lyrical Ballards'. The notion of storytelling was significant in enabling them to create powerful oral narratives from ordinary people to describe everyday human emotions. It seeks to build on authenticity and resilience and lace such notions with individual and collective responsibility.

The third reason is to anchor the new romantics of responsible leadership with our location of Lancaster. Arguably Lancashire can lay claim to being the birthplace of the anthropocene – a geological term for the period of the impact of human activities on the Earth's ecosystems. What better location, then, for the move towards a new way of thinking about responsible leadership in the modern world. 

Our call for papers is broad and not exclusive. We invite colleagues from academia and practice to help critique, provoke and shape debates towards understanding the dimension of the new romantics of responsible leadership. The dimensions could embrace such topic areas as:

Well-being and resilience

Calling and purpose

Ethics and values

Authenticity and responsibility

Creativity and individual spirit.

Broader Engagement

We recognize that our proposed theme may not chime with everyone, or align with important topic areas where leadership researchers and practitioners are already engaged. For this reason, we are also keen to welcome contributions away from the main theme and would see these as an important source of richness and diversity in what we hope will be a lively and engaging conference. As part of a 'soft start' on Monday 7^th July, the conference will also host a lunchtime PhD poster competition and colloquium, to be followed by a Wordsworth Walk in the neighbouring Lake District. As it also coincides with the celebration of Lancaster University's 50^th year, we hope to make it a truly memorable event.

Submissions

Contributions are welcome in the form of one or more full papers, symposia or PhD posters, submitted initially as an extended abstract of no more than 750 words. Each submission will be subject to a blind peer review process. All submissions should be made no later than close of play on Monday March 10^th 2014, to be submitted as a word document emailed to the conference organizers at m.iszattwhite@lancaster.ac.uk. A decision on all abstracts and proposals received will be conveyed to contributors no later than Monday 21^st April 2014. Please note that at least one author for each submission must register for the conference before 16^th June 2014 for the submission to be included in the conference programme and proceedings.

All submissions should include on the cover page:

·         Title

·         Name of author(s)

·         Organization affiliation/position(s)

·         Address

·         Email address

·         Key words

Important Dates

Extended Abstracts Due: March 10^th 2014

Notification of Acceptance:  April 21^st 2014

Final Paper and PhD Poster Presentation Submission Due: May 31^st 2014

Early Registration: No later than May 5^th 2014

(£225; Student Registration Fee £113)

Regular Registration: June 16^th 2014

(£250; Student Registration Fee £125)

Conference Dates: PhD Poster competition and colloquium and Wordsworth Walk in the Lake District – Monday 7^th July 2014. Main Conference - Tuesday 8^th and Wednesday 9^th July 2014

Lancaster University Management School

Lancaster University Management School is a triple-accredited, world-ranked management school, consistently among the UK's top five. Lancaster is among the few leading business schools to combine excellence in research with a student-centred campus, and a full spectrum of undergraduate, postgraduate, PhD and executive programmes. Leadership programmes for multinational companies and outreach provision for SMEs are of equal importance to our mission. In 2012 LUMS won the inaugural Times Higher Education Business School of the Year award. The School was commended by the judges for its "demonstrable, consistent and considerable impact locally, regionally, nationally and internationally", with the judges particularly welcoming Lancaster's innovation and commitment to social impact.

Under the auspices of the Lancaster Leadership Centre, LUMS is a world-class hub for leadership research and leadership development. We are internationally recognised for cutting-edge leadership research, and have considerable experience in designing and delivering innovative leadership development programmes that have real impact with organisations. Examples include the LEAD programme, a cutting-edge programme for SME owner-managers to drive the development and growth of their business; the Global Advanced Leadership Programme, a six-month modular programme for teams of senior-level executives from multinational companies; and the MA in Management Learning and Leadership, a two-year part-time programme that develops the management, learning and leadership practices of participants and their organisations.

Lancashire and the Lake District

Lancashire is a historic county in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster and is thought to have been founded in the 12th century. In the Doomsday Book (1086), some of its lands had been treated as part of Yorkshire, thus beginning a long rivalry which reached its height with the Wars of the Roses (1455-1485) when the two royal houses of Lancaster and York fought for the kingship of England. The rivalry continues today in a number of more peaceful arenas with, amongst other events, the two University towns holding an annual 'war of the roses' sporting competition. Lancashire emerged during the Industrial Revolution (1760-1840) as a major commercial and industrial region, with the county encompassing several hundred mill towns and collieries. By the 1830s, approximately 85% of all cotton manufactured worldwide was processed in Lancashire. Also during this period, Blackpool developed as a major centre for tourism for the inhabitants of Lancashire's mill towns, particularly during wakes week, during which the local factories, collieries and other industries closed for a week. Today, Lancashire still has significant industrial activity, but is also a popular tourist destination with attractions including the Arnside and Silverdale Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, both of which have received a gold award for green tourism.

The Lake District, is a mountainous region to the north of Lancashire. A popular holiday destination, it is famous not only for its lakes, forests and mountains (or fells), but also for its associations with the early 19th century poetry and writings of William Wordsworth and the other Lake Poets of the romantic movement. Historically shared by the counties of Cumberland, Westmorland and Lancashire, the Lake District now lies entirely within the modern county of Cumbria. All the land in England higher than three thousand feet above sea level lies within the National Park, including Scafell Pike, the highest mountain in England. It also contains the deepest and longest lakes in England, Wastwater and Windermere, respectively. For visitors, it offers everything from gentle strolls and cosy tea rooms to rugged hills and testing climbs. The Lake District was also home to children's writer Beatrix Potter who with the proceeds from the books and a legacy from an aunt, bought Hill Top Farm in Near Sawrey near Ambleside in 1905. Over the next several decades, she purchased additional farms to preserve the unique hill country landscape, and as well as being a prize-winning breeder of Herdwick sheep, was a prosperous farmer keenly interested in land preservation. On her death in 1943 she left almost all her property to the National Trust and is credited with preserving much of the land that now comprises the Lake District National Park. Hill Top Farm remains a popular visitor attraction.

A warm (but not necessarily romantic) welcome awaits you on the 7^th 8^th and 9^th July 2014.

Marian Iszatt-White, Emma Watton, Chris Saunders and Steve Kempster

Marian

Dr Marian Iszatt-White

Director, Executive MBA

Lancaster University Management School, room number B86, Lancaster, LA1 4YX 

T: +44 (0)1524 594706  | M: +44 (0) 7989 388464