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Understanding Relational Agility: Exploring Constructs of Relational Leadership Through Story

McLean, David M.I.
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=antioch1397143972

Abstract Details

2014, Ph.D., Antioch University, Leadership and Change.
Organizational storytelling was used within Tri Fit, a Canadian health promotion and fitness company, to explore relational leadership practices. Through 27 confidential one-on-one interviews and an interview of the four-person leadership team, the research attempted to examine how relational agility, a new leadership construct, exists, how it is defined, and to describe its organizational impacts. Two hundred and forty unique stories were shared through this process, out of which nine storylines emerged. The distillation of these revealed three cultural themes: a culture of relational connection; a culture of nice and a culture that values positivity. Demonstrations of transformational leadership, authentic leadership, aesthetic leadership, emotional and social intelligence, servant leadership and stewardship were frequent amongst many of its members. Four leaders were described by their colleagues as being relationally agile, as demonstrated through the application of a unique collection of relational qualities. This research has also established evidence that relational agility can be learned, and when present, confers positive benefits to the organization including enhanced loyalty, commitment and productivity. Developing relationally agile leaders will therefore likely serve organizations as they navigate change. Furthermore, this may be the first empirical description of relational leadership as a triadic experience where the relationship is personified as a unique product of leader and follower co-development that ultimately serves the higher purposes of the organization. The electronic version of this dissertation is at OhioLink ETD Center, www.ohiolink.edu/etd . This dissertation is accompanied by two mp4 video files
Elizabeth Holloway, PhD (Committee Chair)
Laurien Alexandre, PhD (Committee Member)
Ardra Cole, EdD (Committee Member)
Soosan Latham, PhD (Other)
182 p.
Business Administration; Business Education; Organization Theory; Organizational Behavior; Psychology
relational practice; leadership; relational agility TM; return on positivity; ROP TM; positive psychology; culture of leadership; triadic expressions of leadership; organizational storytelling; relational leaderhip; organizational culture; change

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • McLean, D. M.I. (2014). Understanding Relational Agility: Exploring Constructs of Relational Leadership Through Story [Doctoral dissertation, Antioch University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=antioch1397143972

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • McLean, David. Understanding Relational Agility: Exploring Constructs of Relational Leadership Through Story . 2014. Antioch University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=antioch1397143972.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • McLean, David. "Understanding Relational Agility: Exploring Constructs of Relational Leadership Through Story ." Doctoral dissertation, Antioch University, 2014. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=antioch1397143972

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

antioch1397143972
826
© 2014, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by Antioch University and OhioLINK.