Helen Delaney | The University of Auckland (original) (raw)

Uploads

Articles by Helen Delaney

Journal of Management Inquiry, 2020

From its inception, leadership studies has embraced the positivist tradition of hypothesis testin... more From its inception, leadership studies has embraced the positivist tradition of hypothesis testing. In this tradition, psychometric instruments are meant to ward off belief from scientific practice by testing theories against empirical facts. While leadership scholars purport to conform to the standards of value-neutral science, this paper tells a different story. Drawing on qualitative interviews with 39 positivist leadership researchers, we argue that leadership studies is heavily invested with faith in two main ways: (a) faith in leadership concepts, even when their accompanying measures fall short of methodological standards and (b) faith in leadership studies as a science, even when it is tainted by commercial interests and professional rewards. Ultimately, we suggest that positivist epistemology is accepted in leadership studies as an article of faith. By exploring the interconnection between science and belief in the business school, we draw attention to the “secular religion” of scientism in leadership studies.

This article explores how postfeminist and prosperity gospel discourses intersect in an organizat... more This article explores how postfeminist and prosperity gospel discourses intersect in an organizational context to produce a particular ideal of feminine subjectivity that reproduces a neoliberal agenda. We focus on narratives written by female national vice presidents in a multinational network marketing organization headquartered in America. Network marketing tends to attract a vast number of women who are enticed by grand messages of material and spiritual riches; however, such messages are often at odds with the precarious and uncertain working conditions. We contribute to gender and organization scholarship by introducing the concept of evangelical entrepreneurial femininity to explore the tensions and demands that are placed on women in an organizational context where postfeminism and prosperity gospel discourses intersect. In doing so, we question the expectations and constraints that many working women negotiate in this neoliberal age of alleged 'freedom' and 'equality', and raise a number of concerns for feminist critique.

In 2014, leadership studies saw the retraction of a number of journal articles written by promine... more In 2014, leadership studies saw the retraction of a number of journal articles written by prominent researchers who are closely associated with popular concepts such as transformational leadership, authentic leadership, ethical leadership and spiritual leadership. In response, The Leadership Quarterly published a lengthy editorial that presented these retractions as a sign of health in a mature scientific field. For the editors of The Leadership Quarterly, there is no crisis in leadership studies. In this paper, we suggest that the editorial is a missed opportunity to reflect on positivist leadership studies. In our view, leadership ought to be in crisis because this would stimulate the community to question its guiding assumptions and reconsider its methods and objectives. We therefore hope to open up a critical discussion about the means and ends of mainstream leadership studies – not least of all its scientific pretensions.

In recent years, the awareness of academic misconduct has increased due to high-profile scandals ... more In recent years, the awareness of academic misconduct has increased due to high-profile scandals involving prominent researchers and a spike in journal retractions. But such examples of fabrication, falsification and plagiarism (FFP) serve to obscure the less flagrant, more subtle cases of possible misconduct - what some have called 'questionable research practices' (QRPs). While FFP is seen as inherently negative, QRPs fall into an ethical 'grey zone' between permissible and impermissible. In this paper, we draw on semi-structured interviews with business school scholars to explore the occurrence of QRPs. Prevalent QRPs include playing with numbers, playing with models and playing with hypotheses. Scholars explain the existence of QRPs in three ways: the inadequate training of researchers, the pressures and incentives to publish in certain outlets, and the demands and expectations of journal editors and reviewers. We argue that a paradox is at work here: in order to live up to the positivist image of 'pure science' that appears in academic journals, researchers may find themselves - ironically - transgressing this very ideal. Ultimately, this challenges the individualistic account of academic misconduct by drawing attention to the role played by institutional actors such as academic journals in encouraging forms of QRPs.

In recent years, the discourse of ‘relevance’ has risen to prominence in the university-based bus... more In recent years, the discourse of ‘relevance’ has risen to prominence in the university-based business school. At the heart of this discourse is the suggestion that management researchers should align their research practices more closely with the needs of practitioners in external organizations. One important but under-researched strand of this debate focuses on the way in which ‘relevance’ is pursued by business scholars via forms of practitioner engagement such as management consulting, corporate presentations, executive education and personal coaching. Drawing on extensive semi-structured interviews, this paper explores the motivations, rewards and tensions experienced by leadership scholars in the process of engaging with practitioners. This study suggests that the pursuit of‘relevance’ may come into conﬂict with norms of scholarly conduct, which in turn gives rise to a series of trade-offs and compromises. Ultimately, the authors argue that the prevailing discourse of relevance provides an alibi for scholars to orient themselves towards practitioners in ways that contravene their academic identity and research ethos (whether post-positivist, interpretivist or critical).

That leadership development is a contested terrain, like any organizational terrain, can scarcely... more That leadership development is a contested terrain, like any organizational terrain, can scarcely be considered a new idea, yet research into the intricacies of resistance in this context is very much in its infancy. This article takes recent critical scholarship on resistance as its starting point to explore the interdependencies of power, resistance and struggle in a leadership development environment. Drawing on extensive online interactions collected from an 18-month, cross-sector programme with emergent leaders, this article asks whether the different stakeholders in leadership development could benefit from a more open exploration of power and resistance. Such dynamics offer new insights into the relationship between participants and facilitators and raise a series of alternative questions, challenges and strategies for leadership development.

Leadership development theory and practice is increasingly turning its gaze on identity as a prim... more Leadership development theory and practice is increasingly turning its gaze on identity as a primary focus for development efforts. Most of this literature focuses on how the identities of participants are strengthened, repaired and evolved. This article focuses on identity work practices that are underdeveloped in the literature: the deconstruction, unravelling and letting go that can be experienced when working upon one’s self. We group these experiences, among others, under the conceptual term ‘identity undoing’ and, based on findings from an 18-month ethnographic study of a leadership development program, we offer five manifestations of how it can be experienced. Through foregrounding the undoing of identity, we are able to look more closely at how power relations shape the leadership development experience. In order to raise questions and propositions for leadership and its development we use a micro-sociological and interactionist approach to explore the interplay between identity and power.

Book Chapters by Helen Delaney

The main idea is that transformational leadership is believed to inspire radical transformation i... more The main idea is that transformational leadership is believed to inspire radical transformation in followers, especially through charisma. This theory of leadership has striking similarities to religious concepts like conversion, in which a follower is transformed from a lower morality to a higher one. It also echoes the concept of redemption, in which people, organizations, business and the world are being redeemed from corruption and made more ethical.

Co-authored with Brigid Carroll (University of Auckland) and published in the edited book: Ladkin... more Co-authored with Brigid Carroll (University of Auckland) and published in the edited book: Ladkin, D and Spiller, C (2013). 'Reflections on Authentic Leadership: Concepts, Coalescences and Clashes'. Edward Elgar Publishing.

Published in: Jeanes, E. and Huzzard, T. (2014) 'Critical Management Research: Reflections from t... more Published in: Jeanes, E. and Huzzard, T. (2014) 'Critical Management Research: Reflections from the Field'. London: Sage Publications

Journalism and Commentary by Helen Delaney

Editorials by Helen Delaney

ephemera, 2020

Numbers do much more than just count what exists. Numbers reveal, but they also hide; they tell u... more Numbers do much more than just count what exists. Numbers reveal, but they also hide; they tell us who we are, but also who we ought to become; they show us how happy and healthy we are, but also urge us to adjust ourselves to the norm. Numbers manage us and we, in turn, manage ourselves through numbers. At the same time, the rationale behind these metrics remains inaccessible to us, stored safely away in a locket, kept secret from all but the few who have access to these systems of enumeration and computation.

Papers by Helen Delaney

Numbers reveal, but they also hide; they tell us who we are, but also who we ought to become; the... more Numbers reveal, but they also hide; they tell us who we are, but also who we ought to become; they show us how happy and healthy we are, but also urge us to adjust ourselves to the norm. Numbers manage us and we, in turn, manage ourselves through numbers. At the same time, the rationale behind these metrics remains inaccessible to us, stored safely away in a locket, kept secret from all but the few who have access to these systems of enumeration and computation. In our special issue, we open up this locket and explore questions around measurement in relation to management, organization, and politics –namely, how do processes of quantification intervene in our lives, sideline other modes of judgement and decision, and lead us astray with a trail of numbers. The title oft he special issue, ‘Beyond measure’, signals an attempt to denaturalize measurement, to peel back the layers of commensuration to see what lies beneath

In B. Carroll, J. Ford and S. Taylor (2015). 'Leadership: Contemporary critical perspecti... more In B. Carroll, J. Ford and S. Taylor (2015). 'Leadership: Contemporary critical perspectives.' Sage Publications, pp. 69-86

Industrial Relations Journal, 2021

Employee Relations: The International Journal, 2021

PurposeThis article critically investigates a management-led experiment to institute a four-day w... more PurposeThis article critically investigates a management-led experiment to institute a four-day work week with stated intentions of improving productivity and worker wellbeing. The article analyses the framing and implementation of the reduced work hours (RWH) trial, the responses of employees and the outcomes and implications of the trial. It raises concerns regarding the managerial appropriation of employee aspirations for more autonomy over time and improved work life.Design/methodology/approachWe conducted a qualitative case study of a medium-sized company operating in the financial services sector in New Zealand. Focus groups and semi-structured interviews were conducted with 45 employees.FindingsOur study finds that the promise of a four-day week attracted employee favour and individualised benefits. However, entrenched managerialist practices of performance measurement, monitoring and productivity pressures were intensified. Pro-social and collective interests evident in labo...

Journal of Management Inquiry, 2020

ephemera, 2020

Industrial Relations Journal, 2021

Employee Relations: The International Journal, 2021

Academy of Management Learning & Education, 2016

Leadership, 2016

Critical Management Research: Reflections from the Field

Published in: Jeanes, E. and Huzzard, T. (2014) 'Critical Management Research: Reflections fr... more Published in: Jeanes, E. and Huzzard, T. (2014) 'Critical Management Research: Reflections from the Field'. London: Sage Publications

Human Relations, 2014

Human Relations, 2013

Work, Employment and Society, 2021

Employee voice in company strategic and governance decision-making in Anglophone countries common... more Employee voice in company strategic and governance decision-making in Anglophone countries commonly has few formal channels. This article’s investigation of labour’s (collective employees) interest expression in Australia and New Zealand finds that labour actors engage with company actors to craft a range of channels of expression and participation. In addition to actors’ utilisation of formal institutional provisions for adversarial collective bargaining and cooperative participation, actors utilise other ‘at the table’ arrangements that are typically of low salience. These include non-formal, inter-actor arrangements that facilitate contribution to decisions that can include matters of strategic importance. Labour actors engage with company actors in intricate micro-political relations to contribute influence in framing understandings and horizons of decisions and norm-building. Their quiet activities contribute regulatory effect in company decision-making.

There is a dizzying array of career and life advice available for women. Whether being told to ‘l... more There is a dizzying array of career and life advice available for women. Whether being told to ‘lean in’ or ‘let go of balance’ women are commonly encouraged to ‘have it all’: be devoted, glamorous, passionate wives and mothers while climbing the career ladder. In our recent study, we explored how this postfeminist call to ‘have it all’ intersects with Evangelical Christian teachings of prosperity in a network marketing organisation. The ‘prosperity gospel’ as this movement is often called assures followers that God will bless the faithful with a financially prosperous life in exchange for a positive attitude and unflappable belief.

Gender, Work & Organization, 2021

Human Relations, 2016

This article explores how postfeminist and prosperity gospel discourses intersect in an organizat... more This article explores how postfeminist and prosperity gospel discourses intersect in an organizational context to produce a particular ideal of feminine subjectivity that reproduces a neoliberal agenda. We focus on narratives written by female national vice presidents in a multi-national network marketing organization headquartered in America. Network marketing tends to attract a vast number of women who are enticed by grand messages of material and spiritual riches; however, such messages are often at odds with the precarious and uncertain working conditions. We contribute to gender and organization scholarship by introducing the concept of evangelical entrepreneurial femininity to explore the tensions and demands that are placed on women in an organizational context where postfeminism and prosperity gospel discourses intersect. In doing so, we question the expectations and constraints that many working women negotiate in this neoliberal age of alleged ‘freedom’ and ‘equality,’ and...

Universities around the world are responding to a myriad of changes, pressures and opportunities ... more Universities around the world are responding to a myriad of changes, pressures and opportunities in weird and wonderful ways, both of which require critical scrutiny and creative action. Take, for example, the University of Warwick’s recent branding strategy. In 2015, alongside a visual make-over and redesigned logo, the university issued a set of guidelines laying out the ‘Warwick tone of voice’. These guidelines instruct university staff how to communicate ‘in a tone that’s true to our brand’. The 12-page document implores employees to ‘embed the language of possibility’ into every aspect of their communication by adopting the rhetoric of ‘what if?’:

Conceptualising the Global in the Wake of the Postmodern, 2019

Elias Canetti’s 1956 play The numbered tells the story of a society in which everyone knows exact... more Elias Canetti’s 1956 play The numbered tells the story of a society in which everyone knows exactly when they will die. The people in this society are not given regular names, but instead go through life by their ‘proper name’: a number that signifies the amount of years they will live. While each character knows their own ‘moment’, i.e. their time of death, they do not know when anyone else will die because it is taboo to reveal one’s age. One’s date of birth and death are safely stored away in a locket, hung around their neck not long after they are born. This remains unopened until the day they die, at which point a mysterious character called ‘the Keeper’ opens the locket and takes it away.

Economic and Industrial Democracy

The article discusses the enactment of a strategic partnership undertaken by a large, multi-site ... more The article discusses the enactment of a strategic partnership undertaken by a large, multi-site company and several trade unions. The enterprise aimed to institute highly engaged practices of employee and management voice to create a collaborative culture throughout the organization. The study finds that five years since the inception of the project of institutional change, considerable challenges to its embedding and effectiveness remain. It also finds that particular characteristics of the partnership propose resource generation for addressing those challenges and progressing collaborative relations to mutual benefit. Substantive actor effort and organizational learning generate capacity for new relationships. That includes activation of moral capital including toleration, patience, mutual respect, reciprocity and trust.

Academy of Management Proceedings

From its inception, leadership studies has embraced the positivist tradition of hypothesis testin... more From its inception, leadership studies has embraced the positivist tradition of hypothesis testing. In this tradition, psychometric instruments are meant to ward off belief from scientific practice by testing theories against empirical facts. While leadership scholars purport to conform to the standards of value-neutral science, this paper tells a different story. Drawing on qualitative interviews with 39 positivist leadership researchers, we argue that leadership studies is heavily invested with faith in two main ways: (a) faith in leadership concepts, even when their accompanying measures fall short of methodological standards and (b) faith in leadership studies as a science, even when it is tainted by commercial interests and professional rewards. Ultimately, we suggest that positivist epistemology is accepted in leadership studies as an article of faith. By exploring the interconnection between science and belief in the business school, we draw attention to the "secular religion" of scientism in leadership studies.

Developing Positive Employment Relations, 2016