LEADERSHIP RESEARCH

HUMANIFIED LEADERSHIP

Research Interest

My research focuses on advancing a paradigm shift towards "humanified leadership" - a new model that places empathy, emotional intelligence, and fundamental human needs at the core of leadership thought and practice. This represents a profound reframing of what constitutes effective leadership amidst accelerating change and interconnected crises facing the Anthropocene epoch.

I aim to examine the shortcomings of conventional leadership approaches that are critically centred on control, prediction, and profit maximisation. Studies point to rising moral decay, short-termism, dehumanisation of the workforce, erosion of public trust, and incompetence at senior levels, signalling an urgent need to redefine leadership (Riggio & Newstead, 2023; Petriglieri & Petriglieri, 2015).

Unlike leaders who enabled past prosperity, organisations now require talents at all levels empowered to make meaningful, ethical choices aligned with social responsibility and the greater good (George et al., 2007; Codreanu, 2016). My research will investigate pragmatic frameworks to inspire this "leadership becoming" across sectors.

An additional focus is exploring the exciting implications and potential of artificial intelligence (AI) on how leadership can be humanified. Through transdisciplinary approaches transcending traditional boundaries (Nicolescu, 2006), I aim to forge cohesive models facilitating coordinated efforts to humanify leadership practices. Drawing from philosophical anthropology (Ingold, 2015), I hope to advance inclusive, ethical models cherishing human dignity.

The goal is a renaissance in leadership, a transformation urgently needed to prioritise empathy, ethical conduct, and human flourishing over narrow self-interests and positively transform organisations and society. As the United Nations (2023) argues, such new paradigms embracing mindfulness and humanistic ethics are urgently required to navigate the Anthropocene sustainably.

 

Research Question

How can the disruptive paradigm of "humanified leadership," which embodies empathy, authenticity, integrity, purpose, curiosity, and a focus on fundamental human needs, be developed and implemented to transform conventional leadership models in the Anthropocene epoch fundamentally, and what revolutionary role can artificial intelligence play in amplifying this human-centred leadership transformation through a multi-method qualitative approach grounded in analytic autoethnography?


Sub-Questions

  • What fundamental shifts are needed to move away from conventional leadership models prioritising control, prediction, and profit maximisation, especially in the face of the Anthropocene's challenges?
    • How do these shifts address critical issues like moral decay, short-termism, workforce dehumanisation, erosion of public trust, and incompetence at senior levels?
    • How can empathy, authenticity, integrity, purpose, curiosity, and a focus on fundamental human needs be harnessed to redefine leadership practices and make them more human-centred and impactful?
    • What innovative strategies and best practices can be identified to operationalise these qualities in leadership?
    • What pragmatic frameworks can be developed to inspire and catalyse a revolutionary shift towards humanified leadership across various sectors?
    • How can surveys, unstructured interviews, field observations, and digital storytelling influence and potentially reveal new, disruptive leadership models?
    • How can a transdisciplinary approach, integrating diverse perspectives from various fields, create cohesive and groundbreaking models of humanified leadership?
    • How can this approach solve complex, multidimensional leadership challenges and generate bold, actionable insights?
    • How can "leadership becoming" be reimagined to foster innovative and ethical decision-making at all organisational levels?
    • What role do reflective practices, personal narratives, and ongoing self-examination play in this transformative process?
    • What revolutionary potential does artificial intelligence hold in enhancing and scaling humanified leadership practices?
    • How can AI be ethically and effectively integrated to elevate decision-making, improve efficiency, and address humanity's most pressing challenges in unprecedented ways?
    • How can humanified leadership models boldly confront and solve issues such as moral decay, short-termism, workforce dehumanisation, erosion of public trust, and senior leadership incompetence?
    • What disruptive interventions and strategies can emerge from a multi-method qualitative approach to lead this transformation?

The research aims to revolutionise our understanding of leadership and its practical implications by addressing these bold and disruptive questions. It offers visionary insights and transformative solutions for leading in the Anthropocene epoch. The methodology emphasises a dynamic, rhizomatic perspective and a transdisciplinary lens, ensuring a holistic, innovative, and interconnected approach to understanding and transforming leadership.

a silver ring with a black background

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

The methodology for my innovative research on humanified leadership in the Anthropocene is a multi-method qualitative approach grounded in analytic autoethnography. The unique framework of analytic autoethnography allows me to weave my narrative as a practitioner into the fabric of the research, ensuring transparency and integrating my presence as the researcher into the understanding of leadership dynamics.

I am adopting a rhizomatic perspective to mirror the complexity and interconnectedness of humanified leadership. I am eschewing traditional, linear approaches for a model that is as organic and sprawling as the topic I seek to understand. This lens choice is deliberate, aimed at encapsulating the myriad facets of leadership that evolved and adapted in the Anthropocene era.

Within this transdisciplinary lens, I seek to understand intricate societal matters holistically and apply scholarly learning to discover workable answers from various standpoints. The specific research methods I will employ include surveys, unstructured interviews, field observations, and digital storytelling via blogs and a dedicated web page. Each method is chosen for its potential to illuminate different angles of humanified leadership, collectively providing a holographic view of this multidimensional concept.

My data collection process involves detailed steps, including instrumentation and data analysis designed to allow themes to emerge naturally, shedding light on the essence of leadership humanification. The methodology is an active agent within the unfolding narrative of leadership in the Anthropocene rather than merely serving as an instrument for achieving ends.

My ambition is to challenge and expand the conventional structures of leadership study. I aspire to reframe the perspective of leadership into one that is as vibrantly human as it is fluidly adjustable to the diverse complexity of the world, reflective of the very textured reality it aims to steer.

The autoethnographic component involves my regular reflective practices, such as journaling, to document and scrutinise my daily leadership interactions, contributing to a comprehensive autoethnographic portrayal of corporate leadership. The synthesis of my data with theoretical frameworks aims to yield insights into applying various leadership theories in practice, deepening theoretical insights into ethical, inclusive leadership and guiding others through the Anthropocene's challenges.

My transdisciplinary exploration will interrogate the complexities of leadership, bridging disciplinary divides and integrating diverse viewpoints to generate holistic understandings of societal challenges, culminating in actionable insights that transcend traditional academic discipline constraints. The key characteristics of my transdisciplinary informed approach include a focus on complex, multidimensional problems of leadership, collaboration between academics and non-academics, integrative frameworks and theories, context-specific and solution-oriented approaches, and a reflexive critique of disciplines.

Overall, my proposed methodology combines a multi-method qualitative approach with analytic autoethnography and a transdisciplinary lens, aiming to provide a comprehensive understanding of humanified leadership in the Anthropocene and generate practical, context-dependent solutions for real-world leadership challenges. This approach offers hope for addressing the complex issues of leadership in the Anthropocene.

Take the Survey

Leadership in the Age of AI

Thank you for considering participation in my research survey. Please read the instructions carefully and provide your consent if you agree to participate.

This study involves completing a brief survey, which will take approximately 10–12 minutes of your time. Your responses will remain completely anonymous, with no identifying information collected or connected to your answers.

If you are 18 years or older and willing to participate, please click ‘Agree’ below. This will direct you to a consent form, after which you can access the survey. By agreeing, you confirm that you have read and understood the information provided.

Thank you for your valuable time and input into this important research.

Kind regards,
Sakis Tassoudis
Practitioner Researcher
Doctor of Professional Studies (Transdisciplinary)
Middlesex University, Faculty of Business and Law
Email: [email protected]

Contact Me Now

Please fill out the form to get in touch with me. I am here to answer any questions you may have on my research topic and for exchanging ideas with you and your leadership team. In case you want to participate in my survey or you are interested in being interviewed for my research, please express your interest in the message box.

Thank you. Sakis 

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