THE CHANGE MAKERS’ MANUAL
EDITION 15 | 2025
The WBS guide to leading in challenging times Turbulence Master adaptive leadership 14 | Why CEOs feel more isolated 25 How leaders should use AI 52 | Is your team telling the truth? 64
FIRST WORD
teaching that improves business and society. Therefore, our admissions team are exploring how we can support international students who have been affected by Trump’s attack on US universities. Many of those students will be future leaders like John Hung and Elham Fardad, two of our MBA alumni who feature as our Change Makers in this edition of Core . Of course, there is no ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach to leadership. You need to find a style that suits you, your organisation, and the challenges you are facing. Our innovative LeadershipPlus module was recently shortlisted for a prestigious Academic Employability Award for helping candidates on our Full-time MBA programme do just that. Module leader Dawn Eubanks shares her advice for developing your own leadership style on page 20. We also offer a portfolio of MBA and Executive Education programmes that empower leaders to navigate complex challenges like climate change and AI. The Financial Times continues to rank our Global Online MBA in the top three globally and recently ranked our open Executive Education programmes 19th in the world. Last but not least, we support business leaders and policymakers by sharing our academic expertise through Core magazine, Core Insights articles online, and our Lead Out Loud podcast. For example, Hila Lifshitz is at the forefront of exploring how leaders should implement AI in their organisation. You can read her article on harnessing the power of generative AI on page 52. I hope the insights in this edition help you to lead your organisation to continued success in these challenging times.
Core Edition 15 Editor:
Warren Manger Cover design: Mark Udall Cover image: © Getty Images
Staff contributors: Charlotte McDonald Donna Morris Mark Udall Rebecca Cutts © 2025 The University of Warwick. All rights reserved. Neither this publication nor any part of it may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the prior permission of the department of Warwick Business School at the University of Warwick. Published by Warwick Business School, The University of Warwick, Coventry, CV4 7AL. E enquiries@wbs.ac.uk T +44 (0)24 7652 4306 W wbs.ac.uk @warwickbschool warwickbschool wbs.ac.uk/go/linkedin Where opinion is expressed, it is the opinion of the author and does not necessarily coincide with the views of the publisher or the University of Warwick. All information in this magazine is verified to the best of the authors’ and the publisher’s ability. However, Warwick Business School and the warwickbschool warwickbschool TIKTOK warwickbschool University of Warwick do not accept responsibility for any loss arising from reliance on it.
D onald Trump’s return as US President has prompted many well-known brands to abandon their long- standing commitments to sustainability and inclusion. This may be one way of managing the situation, but it is not leadership. The organisational theorist Philip Selznick argued that leaders are not just managers, they are the custodians of an organisation’s core values and its sense of purpose. Those values should act as an anchor in turbulent times such as these. Executives who abandon those values and change direction like a weather vane in response to political bluster risk being blown off course. At Warwick Business School, we remain committed to our mission of conducting research and
Some say leaders are born.
We know they’re made.
Change starts here. Discover the leadership style that suits you best.
Professor Andy Lockett Dean of Warwick Business School
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IN THIS ISSUE
LEADERSHIP
FINANCE & MARKETS 55 The fairer sex? Why women CFOs are more ethical than men by Yuval Millo
FUTURE OF WORK 48: Change Maker Lead the way Elham Fardad is blazing a trail for fellow migrants 50 How to lead hybrid teams by Hossam Zeitoun & Nick Chater 52 Jagged frontier How leaders should use generative AI by Hila Lifshitz
DECISION-MAKING & ANALYTICS
08 Right turn Equip your team with a moral compass by Jacky Swan, Hari Tsoukas & Davide Nicolini
61 For richer, for surer How CEOs are influenced by their spouse by Constantinos Antoniou
58 Delivering value
Avoid making the same M&A mistakes as Just Eat by John Colley
12: Change Maker A new dawn John Hung helped broaden China’s horizons 14: Cover Story Turbulence How to use adaptive leadership in challenging times by Aikaterini Grimani
CAREERS
22 Rotten to the core
29 Master copy Is imitating innovation your strategy for success? by Stefano Li Pira 32 United we stand Three steps to open up strategy by Christian Stadler DIGITAL INNOVATION & ENTREPRENEURSHIP 34 A valuable commodity Why human relationships are vital in venture capital by Simon Barnes
40 How to practise self- leadership by Sarah Jackson HEALTHCARE & WELLBEING 42 Many happy returns
Don’t blame professional misconduct on bad apples by Graeme Currie & Dimitrios Spyridonidis
64 An Honest living? Prevent your team from decieving you by Despoina Alempaki & Daniel Read
Download past editions of Core magazine for more insights from Warwick Business School. W wbs.ac.uk/go/p5magazine
Insights into your inbox Take time to develop your career and business by digesting the latest thought leadership articles from Warwick Business School’s world-leading experts. Sign up to our Core Insights newsletter to receive the analysis you need, to absorb at your own pace. Understand the latest research, the key issues affecting business and society, and how to respond. wbs.ac.uk/go/p5newsletter W
Demonstrating the value of continuous improvement by Helen Bevan & Bernard Crump
17 In the doldrums
STRATEGY & ORGANISATIONAL CHANGE
How storm chasers can teach your team to beat boredom by Derin Kent & Nina Granqvist 20 You-nique How to develop your
25 A heavy burden
SUSTAINABILITY
37 Better way
Three lessons for CEOs who are struggling with strategy by Andrea Adams & Maja Korica
45 For good measure Ten unexpected skills to track social impact by Haley Beer
Five ways to build an entrepreneurial culture by James Hayton
leadership style by Dawn Eubanks
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CONTRIBUTORS We believe that business should be used as a power for good. Our faculty of research and teaching academics is constantly striving for excellence in everything it does, from the latest ground-breaking research impacting on society, to inspiring our students. Contributors to Core include research-active academics, who produce cutting- edge theories with real-world impact, and Professors of Practice, who bring their knowledge gained from successful senior business and industry experience.
17 SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS TO TRANSFORM OUR WORLD
Get Core Insights on the go Turn the commute or coffee shop queue into your classroom. Sanjiv Patel honed his leadership skills as a CEO and Co-chair of the award-winning WBS Global Mentoring Programme. He explores the role of a modern leader with Dimitrios Spyridonidis, Associate Professor of Leadership and Innovation. wbs.ac.uk/go/p7
CHRISTIAN STADLER Professor of Strategic Management Christian.Stadler@wbs.ac.uk
NICK CHATER Professor of Behavioural Science Nick.Chater@wbs.ac.uk
SIMON BARNES Professor of Practice Simon.Barnes@wbs.ac.uk
HILA LIFSHITZ Professor of Management Hila.Lifshitz-Assaf@wbs.ac.uk
DAWN EUBANKS Associate Professor of Behavioural Science and EI Dawn.Eubanks@wbs.ac.uk
JACKY SWAN Professor of Organisational Behaviour Jacky.Swan@wbs.ac.uk
JAMES HAYTON Professor of Entreneurship and Innovation James.Hayton@wbs.ac.uk
YUVAL MILLO Professor of Accounting Yuval.Millo@wbs.ac.uk
SARAH JACKSON Alumni and MBA Careers Manager Sarah.Jackson@wbs.ac.uk
JOHN COLLEY Professor of Practice John.Colley@wbs.ac.uk
HARI TSOUKAS Professor of Organisational Behaviour Hari.Tsoukas@wbs.ac.uk
GRAEME CURRIE Professor of Public Management Graeme.Currie@wbs.ac.uk
The 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), represented by the icons above, lie at the heart of the United Nations’ (UN’s) Agenda for Sustainable Development. They were adopted by all UN member states in 2015, creating a blueprint for a global partnership to provide peace and prosperity for all. They recognise that ending poverty and other deprivations must go hand in hand with strategies that improve health and education, reduce inequality and spur economic growth – all while tackling climate change and preserving our oceans and forests. Warwick Business School is committed to embedding the SDGs in its research, teaching and day-to-day operations. This includes striving to improve equality, diversity, and inclusion for under-represented and under-privileged groups. Alongside each article in Core , you will see one or more of the 17 SDG icons to show with which goals the associated research is aligned. We all have a role to play in building the better world we want to see.
CONSTANTINOS ANTONIOU Associate Professor of Finance and Behavioural Science Constantinos.Antoniou @wbs.ac.uk
HELEN BEVAN Professor of Practice Helen.Bevan@wbs.ac.uk
DAVIDE NICOLINI Professor of Organisation Studies Davide.Nicolini@wbs.ac.uk
DIMITRIOS SPYRIDONIDIS Associate Professor of Leadership and Innovation Dimitrios.Spyridonidis@wbs.ac.uk
HALEY BEER Associate Professor of Operations Management Haley.Beer@wbs.ac.uk
DESPOINA ALEMPAKI Associate Professor of Behavioural Science Despoina.Alempaki@wbs.ac.uk
ANDREA ADAMS Founder and Managing Director of Triumpha and WBS Alum
AIKATERINI GRIMANI Assistant Professor of Behavioural Science Aikaterini.Grimani@wbs.ac.uk
HOSSAM ZEITOUN Reader of Strategy and Behavioural Science Hossam.Zeitoun@wbs.ac.uk
DANIEL READ Professor of Behavioural Science Daniel.Read@wbs.ac.uk
DERIN KENT Associate Professor of Organisation Studies Derin.Kent@wbs.ac.uk
STEFANO LI PIRA Associate Professor of Strategy and Innovation Stefano.Li-Pira@wbs.ac.uk
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ETHICAL TEAMS
E
thics is often associated with the abstract realm of philosophers. But there’s
for expensive new drugs, such as is there an exceptional need? And does the expected benefit justify an exception? In one case study that we observed, decision-makers had to determine whether a teenage patient had exceptional needs that would unlock funding for a new drug. At first glance, the patient’s needs appeared unique. He suffered from a severe, rare genetic disorder for which the requested drug was licensed. However, upon closer examination of the available information, decision-makers sensed the patient would likely benefit more from psychological support than the requested drug. Moreover, after several careful readings of scientific reports, they noted that the quantifiable clinical benefit of the drug would be much smaller than initially thought. The lesson here is that decision-makers need to develop a nuanced narrative by iteratively interpreting and synthesising diverse sources of information. Sense-giving Sense-making is not enough when people face complex ‘right versus right’ dilemmas. We found that decision-makers address such ethical ambiguity through sense-giving. This is a process in which each person takes a position on how the guidelines apply to the case at hand and, through open debate, tries to persuade others to side with them. This is a perfect recipe for surfacing disagreements. Group members leverage collective wisdom to generate diverse viewpoints and navigate ethical ambiguity. Consider the following example involving a request for a
TO THE CORE
1. Leaders can use three tools – sense-making, sense-giving and sense-breaking – to help them apply ethical guidelines to a range of challenging scenarios. 2. Develop ethical expertise that blends analytical skills with emotional intuition and openness to other viewpoints. Set up shadowing programmes and teaching groups to share this expertise. 3. Train employees to use critical thinking and emotional intelligence rather than blindly adhering to guidelines. Hone this with simulations and case studies involving ambiguous scenarios. 4. Create an environment
nothing abstract about the
risks for business leaders. Missteps can expose companies to a host of reputational, regulatory, and legal risks. In response, companies develop ethical guidelines or codes for decision-makers and set up boards to govern guideline usage. However, a significant challenge arises when leaders need to apply abstract ethical guidelines to concrete, pressing dilemmas. This requires skill, not merely noble intentions. We spent several months observing how healthcare leaders used ethical guidelines to make life-or-death decisions in ambiguous situations with limited resources. Their experiences provide valuable lessons on how to address ethical dilemmas, which leaders in other sectors can apply to high-stakes, everyday decisions. Our research shows that three practices – sense-making, sense-giving, and sense-breaking – enable decision-makers to apply ethical guidelines skilfully across multiple complex scenarios. Sense-making Sense-making uses the language of the ethical guidelines to create a narrative of what’s going on in a specific situation. For example, the healthcare managers and doctors we studied asked pertinent questions driven by the ethical guidelines when examining patients’ requests
where staff feel safe to share their views without judgement. Ensure there is a clear escalation process for unresolved issues.
RIGHT TURN Equip your team with a moral compass
by Jacky Swan , Hari Tsoukas & Davide Nicolini
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life-saving drug. A doctor ardently argued to reject the request, based on limited evidence of the drug’s clinical effectiveness. Another doctor passionately counter-argued that “we are in the business of saving lives”. A healthcare manager respectfully disagreed with both and reminded everyone that other patients with complex health needs should be included in the fairness equation. There is a risk of entering a spiral of endless conversations and persistent differences. However, decision-makers can manage this through two tactics. First, they can build consensus by extracting evidence from authoritative sources and letting the evidence drive the deliberation process. Second, they can bring clarity to the dilemma faced by imagining plausible responses from external stakeholders. For example: “Would a person on the street find logic in this argument?” Sense-breaking In even more complex cases, the letter of the guidelines appears to contradict the spirit in which they were written. This calls for a reflective and flexible approach, whereby the rationale and the language of the guidelines are adapted to the specifics of the case. We call this process sense-breaking. Decision-makers acknowledge their emotions, revisit the purpose of the guidelines, and draw on their personal sense of what is morally right. Sense-breaking exposes the potential limitations of any generic ethical guideline in ‘outlier’ cases and provides an opportunity for further learning, including potentially modifying the guidelines.
In one example that we observed, decision-makers debated a very rare request for brain surgery. They agreed that, based on the scientific literature, the procedure would probably not work and following the ethical guidelines meant rejecting the request. However, they intuitively felt that would be wrong. One said: “We can’t be so rule- bound and just walk away!” The group eventually agreed to approve the request by adapting the guidelines and the patient successfully underwent surgery. Sense-breaking is a balancing act that comes with risks. On the one hand, it requires leaders to combine their personal moral sense with analytical insights to diverge from conventional thinking. On the other hand, decision- makers know that they must stay aligned with the core ethical principles of the framework and not be swayed by their emotions. The process is delicate, but when it is handled in the spirit of collegial, ethical deliberation, sense-breaking helps to develop novel solutions to unique ethical dilemmas. As these examples show, designing an ethical framework is not a panacea for managing “As these examples show, designing an ethical framework is not a panacea for managing ethical issues”
ethical issues. People need to master the ethical expertise required to apply such guidelines. So how can leaders develop that expertise and apply their guidelines to implement ethical business practice? Here are four ways, based on our research. 1 Prioritise ethical expertise as a skillset Ethical expertise is a form of mastery that blends analytical skills with the ability to remain open to emotions and differing ethical standpoints. Ethical experts can distinguish between the spirit and the letter of ethical guidelines. They learn to control their intuition, adopt a critical mindset and consult those who offer a different perspective. 2 Train ethical expertise, not compliance Focus not just on adherence to ethical guidelines but also on enhancing employees’ critical thinking skills and emotional intelligence. Engage decision-makers in scenario-based simulations and role-play exercises to allow them to encounter ethical situations with varying degrees of ambiguity. By working through different scenarios in a structured way, decision-makers learn to discern when additional deliberation and recourse to common sense may be necessary before making decisions. Organisations can enhance this training by compiling a repository of past ambiguous cases for reference, and by using generative AI to create new scenarios. 3 Share ethical expertise Business leaders should foster an environment where team members are motivated to develop and share their ethical expertise.
Ethical expertise tends to remain confined to parts of the organisation where people can gain the experience of applying it. This hinders widespread dissemination. Business leaders can address this by setting up structured shadowing programmes. Pairing employees with the organisation’s ethical experts allows them to learn through direct observation. Moreover, leaders can create forums or teaching groups where ethical experts can share their experiences and insights on navigating real-life ethical dilemmas. 4 Foster open debate Leaders also need to create an environment where employees feel safe expressing their opinions without fear of judgement or dismissal. This is particularly important in complex scenarios where the morally right outcome may not always derive from strictly following the organisation’s guidelines. During the debate, employees
should be encouraged to rely on their initial reactions (sympathy or antipathy towards a request, for example), then subject those reactions to rational evaluation. “Leaders need to view ethical guidelines as a compass that employees must skilfully use alongside their ethical expertise” Define and communicate clear escalation pathways for addressing unresolved issues. Leaders need to view ethical guidelines as a compass that employees must skilfully use alongside their ethical
expertise, rather than a key that effortlessly unlocks a door. In 2021, no less than 40 human content moderators at Meta reviewed a contentious post and decided it should remain on the platform. But an independent ethics board forced the company to remove the post, concluding that the moderators had applied the letter of the firm’s hate speech policy rather than the intent. If the company’s human moderators had fully developed their ethical expertise, the company might have avoided the public backlash that the post caused. That expertise needs to be nurtured throughout an organisation to bring guidelines to life and prevent unethical behaviour.
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MEET THE CHANGE MAKER
The degree convinced him to pursue a career in professional services. Upon graduation, he quit engineering and joined Deloitte’s London office, where he trained as a chartered accountant. His clients included Chinese companies in the UK as well as multinationals. In 1996, he joined Deloitte China and progressed to a string of executive roles, including Chair of Deloitte’s Global Chinese Services Group. Over the past four decades, John has witnessed China’s economic transformation and the opportunities this brought, with investment flowing both ways. He has overseen a series of overseas Initial Price Offerings (IPOs) for Chinese companies. He has also helped French mobile phone firm Alcatel, chemicals giant BASF, and car manufacturers Fiat and General Motors to operate in China. “I’ve seen China change from a low-cost labour market to a really strong economy with a rapidly growing middle class,” says John. “It’s been exciting to help multinationals invest in China, and also help a large number of Chinese companies invest overseas.” In the early days, Chinese companies expanding abroad required an insider’s view of global business rules. John’s work at Deloitte included brokering relations at home and abroad, and educating Chinese companies in business and accounting requirements overseas. If Chinese business culture errs towards a more collective approach, the West revolves more around the individual, he believes. “To make things happen, you need to find ways to ensure everyone can work well together,” he says. “At Deloitte, we have played a major part in educating Chinese companies to become successful
international businesses. “At the same time, multinationals coming to China need people to support them and understand the culture and differences in how things are done. “I believe my knowledge gained from Warwick Business School, my training in London, and my background put me in the right position. It has been my privilege to witness the transformation.” Aside from his day job, John has been a strong supporter of young careers and has been pivotal in creating opportunities for WBS students and alumni. He arranged for Deloitte to sponsor and support students, offering them research topics and work opportunities within China as part “I never knew starting a second career could be so demanding and exciting” of their degrees. He also liaised with major employers so visiting students could develop a deeper understanding of how business was done. And when graduates returned to China, he put them in touch with business networks and communities to help with job hunting. Five years ago, John became chair of the WBS China and Hong Kong Alumni Network. It has grown in reach and size, creating a vibrant community among a handful of China’s major cities. Former students from China now occupy senior roles across many sectors, offering alumni access to a well-connected network with regular events and meet-ups. “That can help them get closer
to whatever community they are interested in – financial services, for instance – and find information or share opportunities. We can really help each other,” says John. Last year, John retired from Deloitte at the age of 62, a year after receiving an Honorary Doctorate from WBS. However, he remains busy. He channelled his leadership experience to set up a business to coach executives in soft skills, which he has acquired in spades over the course of his career. “I never knew starting a second career could be so demanding and exciting,” he says. The Chinese economy has become shakier in recent years, in line with the global downturn and rising protectionism. But John believes this is all the more reason to pursue an MBA – not least because Chinese students benefit from a warm welcome at WBS and a cosmopolitan mix of students. “Warwick has a good range of nationalities, and it’s very important to gain exposure to international communities. Business will always be international, whatever the geopolitics,” he says. John believes it’s the duty of businesses to maintain a spirit of dialogue and collaboration for the benefit of younger generations. “Nowadays, the media is so one- sided that young people get a skewed picture,” he says. “Whenever our alumni get the chance, they should talk in China about their experience overseas. When they are abroad, they should share what living in Shanghai is like. We all learn from each other.”
A new dawn John Hung helped broaden China ’ s horizons
W hen working with multinational businesses in China, professional services executive John Hung quickly learned that one meeting was not enough. “For every meeting, we actually needed three – one for overseas investors, another for the Chinese owners, and the third to sit them together and ensure that each was in agreement.”
This was at a time when ownership of foreign invested companies in China was more restricted, which made for a delicate balancing act. John was working for national and global clients in a range of management roles at Deloitte China, where he became Vice Chairman. Company ownership rules might have changed since then, but the need for collaboration remains. John cut his management teeth on an MBA at Warwick Business School in 1986 and believes he was the first student from China or Hong Kong to
complete the course. “At alumni events in China, I have never come across anyone older than me,” he laughs. Before embarking upon his MBA, John was an ambitious engineer from Hong Kong who’d been working between London and his homeland for five years. WBS appealed because it was a young and vibrant business school. “It was an intense course,” he says. “I knew I needed to learn the language of business and principles of management.”
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STYLES OF LEADERSHIP
T he Roman emperor and This embodies the approach of an adaptive leader. In a complex and uncertain world, adaptive leadership offers a route to success when many traditional leadership models fall short. This was particularly evident during the COVID-19 pandemic, when healthcare organisations, governments, and businesses were constantly forced to evolve to meet new challenges. And it is equally applicable to the challenges that business leaders face today, be it Donald Trump hitting US trading partners with new tariffs and scrapping diversity and inclusion initiatives, the impact of generative AI, or environmental reporting. Adaptive leadership offers a philosopher Marcus Aurelius famously said that obstacles do not block the path; they are the path. dynamic framework to thrive in these rapidly changing environments by emphasising flexibility, collaboration, and innovation. It is more than a set of skills or processes – it is a mindset. This allows organisations to thrive in rapidly changing environments by fostering creativity and resilience, rather than simply responding to change. It also promotes a culture of experimentation that empowers teams to learn from failure, adapt, and uncover ground-breaking solutions that drive progress. Here are five steps to embrace an adaptive leadership style. 1 Encourage a collaborative approach Collaboration is a cornerstone of adaptive leadership. Leaders need to build diverse, cross-functional teams that offer unique perspectives and break down silos to encourage open communication. By fostering environments where
team members feel comfortable sharing ideas without fear of judgement, leaders leverage collective intelligence to co-create innovative and sustainable solutions. They also excel at mobilising collective action to address complex challenges. Adaptive leaders align teams and stakeholders around a shared vision, build partnerships across sectors, and encourage grassroots initiatives that empower individuals. The collaboration between governments, healthcare providers, and pharmaceutical companies during vaccine development in the COVID-19 pandemic allowed them to remove potential barriers and roll out the vaccines as quickly and safely as possible. This helped to reduce the number of casualties and lift lockdown restrictions, exemplifying the effectiveness of adaptive leadership and collective action. 2 Commit to ongoing learning and growth Japanese businesses often embrace a philosophy called kaizen, which involves employees at all levels of the company identifying small changes to drive continuous improvement. Adaptive leaders should adopt a similar approach, continuously gathering feedback from their teams and stakeholders to identify potential insights. They view both success and failure as opportunities for growth, fostering a culture of curiosity and empowering team members to explore new ideas. During the COVID-19 pandemic, successful leaders adjusted their strategies based on emerging data, demonstrating the power of adaptive thinking. A distinguishing feature of adaptive leadership is its focus on addressing root causes rather than surface-
level issues. This approach delves deeper to analyse the challenges that organisations face and create sustainable solutions and systems. By resolving those underlying problems, adaptive leaders ensure their organisations remain relevant in an ever-changing environment. 3 Build resilience Focusing on the big picture is another key strength of adaptive leaders. They balance short-term adjustments with long-term goals, ensuring their teams remain aligned with overarching objectives. This holistic perspective helps organisations stay on course, even during periods of uncertainty. Take budget airline Ryanair, for example. It continues to achieve levels of profitability that are unheard of in the industry and is the only company in the sector that has returned to pre-pandemic efficiency levels. Meanwhile, its competitors continue to contend with higher costs created by their actions at the peak of the crisis. Leaders who prioritise learning and flexibility provide the tools for their organisations to recover from setbacks and maintain sustainable operations, allowing them to thrive in turbulent times. 4 Foster trust and accountability Trust and accountability are fundamental to effective leadership. Adaptive leaders need to maintain open communication about their decisions and the rationale behind them. Those channels of communication must flow in both directions. Adaptive leaders welcome feedback and acknowledge when mistakes have been made. This transparent and inclusive approach enhances engagement, builds trust, and motivates team members.
Turbulence How to use adaptive leadership in challenging times by Aikaterini Grimani
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ENGAGED EMPLOYEES
In the doldrums
For example, the UK’s National Health Service (NHS) fostered credibility during the pandemic by conducting honest assessments and seeking input from stakeholders. That kind of trust and transparency helps to create the psychologically safe spaces that are so important for collaborative working. After all, innovation flourishes in environments that prioritise experimentation and diverse perspectives. 5 Prepare for resistance and navigate uncertainty While adaptive leadership is transformative, it can come with challenges. Building an adaptive culture requires time and resources, including investment in training, collaboration, and experimentation. Resistance to change is a common obstacle, as team members or stakeholders may hesitate to abandon traditional methods. Navigating ambiguity and uncertainty can also create discomfort and anxiety for leaders and teams alike. Overcoming these challenges requires deliberate action. Communicating the value of adaptation is crucial to help teams understand why flexibility and change are necessary for growth. Cultivating a culture of curiosity encourages exploration and reframes failures as valuable learning opportunities. Providing teams with the tools, training, and time needed to implement adaptive strategies ensures they can navigate challenges effectively. The benefits of adaptive leadership are profound. It allows leaders to navigate complexities while remaining focused on their goals. As a result, resilient organisations led by adaptive leaders are better equipped to recover from setbacks, address the root cause of the
More leadership styles you can use
of stakeholders such as employees, customers, and investors. It is important to demonstrate a clear purpose and ensure that your decisions benefit the local community and environment, as well as your organisation. Responsible leadership is perfect for non-profits, educational institutions, healthcare organisations, and companies that focus on corporate social responsibility.
Inclusive leadership This approach focuses on everyone feeling valued,
respected, and included. Inclusive leaders actively work to eliminate bias and barriers, promoting equality and fairness. They should be open-minded and culturally aware, actively listening to employees to foster an environment where all voices are heard. multinational companies and industries where innovation is a must, helping to identify new ideas and opportunities and allowing everyone to contribute. Inclusive leadership can be particularly effective in
How storm chasers can
teach your team to beat boredom
Collaborative leadership This approach focuses on partnering with others to reach shared objectives. It is particularly effective in creative industries and tech firms that prioritise innovation. It’s not just about sharing power; it’s about creating a culture of mutual accountability and empowering all team members to contribute to a common vision. Collaborative leaders encourage open communication and teamwork, building strong relationships so everyone feels comfortable sharing their ideas and skills.
by Derin Kent & Nina Granqvist
challenges they face, and adapt to changing conditions. This proactive approach can help adaptive leaders to use the challenges they face to create a pathway to sustained success in an ever-changing future. Responsible leadership This style places an emphasis on making ethical decisions, balancing issues such as sustainability and accountability with the interests
Discover the authentic leadership style that will help guide your team to success.
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this extreme context. Storm chasing involves the pursuit of severe weather. Those who have encountered a powerful tornado will attest to the exhilarating, even spiritual nature of the experience. It might seem like highly engaging work for scientists, tour operators, and those who make a living from selling their footage. Yet the opposite is often true. It frequently involves boredom and disappointment. Teams spend their days preparing for dramatic encounters with severe weather that frequently fails to live up to expectations. Storm chasing might not sound similar to your work. However, many professionals face a similar struggle to stay engaged. “We spend more time at our workplaces, but are not permitted enough time to engage with important tasks that we find desirable” This is partly due to the lack of meaningful work in many modern jobs. It can also be because staff who are enthusiastic about their work only have fleeting opportunities to engage with core tasks that provide them with a sense of purpose. Consider the firefighter who signs up to rescue people from blazes, only to spend their days attending false alarms. Or the news correspondent
who arrives on the scene to report an important story but finds nothing much happening. Such unpredictable and intermittent work demands wear down people’s enthusiasm. We spend more time at our workplaces, but are not permitted enough time to engage with important tasks that we find desirable. This has been shown to lead to a lack of productivity, accidents, and even a loss of professional identity. Meanwhile, those who feel engaged at work are like to be more creative, committed, and enjoy a greater sense of wellbeing. The good news is that our research shows that many storm chasers have learned to stay engaged at work, even in the slowest periods when nothing exciting is happening. By studying them, we identified how other professionals can remain more engaged. 1 Redefine ‘meaningful tasks’ Storm chasers broaden what they consider to be meaningful tasks. For example, they may cultivate an appreciation for commoner, more predictable weather scenarios. As one tour operator told us, “We tell clients we regularly see supercells, which can be more beautiful and photogenic than tornadoes.” Help employees to appreciate a range of everyday situations, not just extraordinary cases. This is particularly important in roles that face uncertain work demands. Employees may particularly feel let down when they see colleagues working on bigger projects. This can sap motivation and the quality of their work. You can avoid this disappointment by setting realistic expectations. Another approach is highlighting the inherent worth of an employee’s work, even in ordinary situations.
TO THE CORE
1. Many employees struggle to stay engaged because they spend little time on ‘core tasks’ that give them a sense of purpose. 2. Even storm chasers get bored at work, but they have found ways to stay engaged, set realistic expectations, and add meaning to everyday tasks by focusing on how important they are. 3. Fill downtime with more meaningful jobs to prevent idle employees feeling unproductive and stressed. 4. Embrace preparation and debriefs to prolong the sense of purpose created by core tasks that do not happen every day.
T wo vans pull over on a grassy hilltop. Inside sit a dozen meteorology students and their professor. From here, you can see in all directions across the Great Plains of North Dakota. You can also hear the rumbling from a thunderstorm overhead. This is what they have been waiting for since the weather forecast predicted the “storm of the year” and an “earth-grinding tornado.” Yet some of the students are hardly paying attention as the professor reports that the storm is producing hailstones the size of grapefruit. One is even falling asleep. Management scholars would say the team is suffering from low engagement. The problem is not that they lack passion. Rather, it’s they spent all week focusing narrowly on a tornado scenario that is now failing to happen. As management professors, we have spent three years accompanying storm chasers to understand how professionals engage with work in
2 Enrich downtime Chasers enrich their downtime by filling it with activities that make days feel productive, even if no storms occur. They may test a new forecasting technique, for example. When downtime goes on for too long it leaves employees feeling unproductive and underutilised. They may even feel stressed about about their lack of performance, like a software developer without a project or a consultant awaiting a client. Focus employees’ attention on things they can control. Encourage them to develop their professional skills for future projects, provide support to attend a conference, or arrange access for them to build connections with other departments. By giving employees something useful to do at their own discretion, managers can get employees’ minds off waiting. Instead, they feel they are using their time productively in ways that contribute to broader organisational goals.
3 Extend core tasks Chasers also extend the duration of their core tasks. The time spent preparing for a storm – and debriefing afterwards – can be more important to keep them enthused than the five minutes they get with the tornado after eight hours of driving. In most workplaces, there is an understandable desire to use time efficiently. However, stretching out the extraordinary tasks that energise employees can help them feel engaged at work. Events such as product launches or meetings with important clients may be brief. However, the days of preparation and debriefing allow time for energy to build among colleagues as they work together. Managers can magnify this excitement by showing how administrative tasks tie into the success of the larger project. Bosses can even create new tasks that let employees relive the exciting moments. For example, have them share what they have learned with
other units in the organisation. Stretching out extraordinary events helps employees to form memories that can keep them feeling enthusiastic about their work. Our research shows that we can be more engaged at work when we appreciate the broader range of tasks that come our way, enrich idle periods with meaningful activities, and stretch out the energising moments that we encounter. By applying these lessons, leaders can prevent their team growing bored between flurries of intense activity. This can help to improve productivity and employee satisfaction, creating a brighter outlook for the organisation.
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AUTHENTIC
For example, leaders need to be able to ‘hold the floor’ and influence people. But that won’t look the same for everyone. One person might ‘hold the floor’ through gravitas and charisma. Another might accomplish this by being really knowledgeable. Both can be equally effective. In LeadershipPlus, we spend time discussing the various ways to approach these important leadership activities and how they suit different personalities. Step 2 : Choose your approach After a period of self-reflection, it’s time to craft an image of yourself as a leader. There are some key questions you can ask yourself to help with this process. How can I bring my values to the leadership role? How can I lead with my strengths? What blind spots do I need to be aware of? What do I need to guard against when I’m stressed? What will my leadership look like at its best? Your answers to these questions will inform how you embrace the role of leader. On the LeadershipPlus module, we bring together academics, our careers service and employee relations team, and sports psychologists Mindflick to bring this process to life. Step 3 : Practise in safe spaces Power and influence are all around us, so there are plenty of opportunities to practise your leadership style in safe spaces. We place our LeadershipPlus students into syndicate groups, which become their Learning Lab. These are the perfect place to practise and hone their leadership skills alongside classmates from different countries. Everyone understands that this is a place to learn, so it becomes a
safe space to push your boundaries and try new ideas. The feedback you receive is like gold. If you are looking for your own safe space, consider practising your leadership skills among family, friends, or as part of a club or sports team. Be open about what you hope to achieve and ask those around you to share constructive advice that can help you strengthen your skills and refine your approach. “No matter how we find ourselves in a position of leadership, we have to make the same decision. Step 4 : Recalibrate Remember, this is a journey. As you practise your leadership in these safe spaces, reflect on what seems to work well and when you might need to try a different approach. Pay attention to the different situations and group dynamics you encounter to try to identify not only what you are doing but also when a particular approach works. This can help you hone in on a leadership style that is authentic and effective for you. Students in LeadershipPlus have the perfect opportunity to test their leadership skills in a new setting when we change up the syndicate groups halfway through What kind of leader do we want to be?”
the programme. This allows them to work closely with a new team, made up of different personalities, to apply what they have learned so far. Step 5 : Put your skills to the test Once you have recalibrated, it’s time to raise the stakes and test how your approach to leadership works in a more professional setting. But that is not the end of the learning process. Ongoing reflection is a key part of becoming a great leader. Once you have applied your leadership skills in the workplace, consider how it went and whether you need to adapt your approach. Students on our LeadershipPlus module complete a client engagement project, where they act as consultants for a real company sourced by our Employer Relations team. During this project, students have to manage multiple stakeholders – including the client company, the academic who assesses their performance and their syndicate team – to produce analysis and recommendations in a relatively short time period. This usually involves some difficult conversations, giving students the opportunity to learn how to navigate those and practise their influencing techniques. These five steps might sound simple, but as anyone who has had a leadership role will tell you, you need to have resilience. Learn to listen, accept feedback, and take time to reflect and you will be on your way.
LEADERSHIP How to develop your own leadership style by Dawn Eubanks
S ome people aspire to become leaders. career progression. No matter how we find ourselves in a position of leadership, we have to make the same decision. What kind of leader do we want to be? It is a vital question, but one that surprisingly few leaders consider. Most of us have a preconceived idea of what leadership is – or should be – and try to fit that mould. But does this ‘cookie cutter’ approach empower us to be Others find themselves in a leadership role through natural
the best leaders we can? At Warwick Business School, we think not. If you try to squeeze yourself into an image of what a successful leader looks like, you will lose your individuality. Worse still, you risk appearing inauthentic and losing the trust of your team. That’s why our Full-time MBA programme includes the LeadershipPlus module, which was recently shortlisted for curriculum design at the prestigious Academic Employability Awards, organised by the Association of Graduate Careers Advisory Services.
We believe leadership is a unique blend of the individual and the role. There are many ways to be an outstanding leader, so we guide students through a journey of self-discovery. This includes several key steps. Step 1 : Hold up a mirror It can be uncomfortable, but the leadership journey begins with self-reflection. Before you can successfully lead anyone else, you need to be clear about your values, your strengths, how others perceive you, and what you can bring to the leadership role.
Learn more about LeadershipPlus on the Full-time MBA at Warwick Business School.
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CORPORATE MISCONDUCT
ROTTEN TO THE CORE
addition to those that go undetected or unreported – suggests we are not dealing with the issue very well. Those found guilty of violating the law or the rules of their profession’s governing body face fines, losing their job, and even prison. However, we should do more to address the underlying problems that fuel professional misconduct. A useful first step is to better understand why people commit their infractions in the first place. The individuals at the centre of a corporate scandal are often portrayed as bad apples. According to popular perception, they act alone, incited by greed, narcissism, and personal ambition. That can be a part of the motive, but the reality is usually far more complicated. We explored this in a paper with Will Harvey, of Melbourne Business School, and Navdeep Arora. We interviewed 70 inmates at a US prison who were incarcerated for white collar crimes. These inmates often blamed themselves for having deviated from the standards of acceptable behaviour. That is hardly surprising; in prison, there is plenty of time for a great deal of self-reflection. But the idea of a single bad apple is rarely an adequate explanation for events. Misconduct often occurs in a wider environment that normalises, tolerates and sometimes incentivises inappropriate behaviour. In most cases, the inmates we questioned did not stand to gain personally from their actions. Instead of greed, they tended to be motivated by other factors. This included a fear of being seen as a failure, or a desire to promote a client’s interests. Alternatively, they may be unable to cope with compliance requirements or personal issues,
such as divorce or addiction. Other personal frailties can also come into play, such as ego and perceived invincibility. In this context, an organisation that encourages employees to chase profits above almost all other considerations can encourage and enable bad behaviour. It may even do so inadvertently. In a workplace where everyone else seems to be engaging in dubious conduct, many will feel pressured to do the same for fear of losing status and falling behind. “The idea of a single bad apple is rarely an adequate explanation for events” And organisations can sit in a wider ecosystem in which misguided regulation and compliance regimes create a permissive environment for misbehaviour, or do little to stop it. This all suggests that bad apples sometimes go rotten in the bad barrel of a toxic organisation or in the cellar of a poorly regulated industry. So, what should be done to prevent this? 1 Get the regulation right Regulation is part of the answer, though tighter rules do not provide a full solution on their own. There is also no ‘one size fits all’ answer. If regulations are too proscriptive, organisations can work around them; if they’re too loose, they can lose their meaning. On the national and global
TO THE CORE
1. One ‘bad apple’ is rarely the solecause of misconduct. It often occurs in an environment that tolerates or even incentivises inappropriate behaviour. 2. Regulation is not sufficient to prevent misconduct by itself and can be difficult to get right. Too proscriptive and organisations can work around it. Too loose and it loses its meaning. 3. Companies should reflect on their HR policies, promote employee development and try to relieve excessive pressure on individuals that could affect their judgement. 4. Create cross-team communities that foster an ethical culture by rewarding sound decisions and calling out poor conduct.
T he conviction of Sam Bankman- profile professional misconduct cases in years. In March 2024, he was sentenced to 25 years in jail and ordered to pay $11 billion. The scale of the malfeasance at his cryptocurrency exchange FTX and Alameda Research professional misconduct appear to be a widespread phenomenon spanning law, healthcare, finance and beyond. For example, UK regulator Fried for fraud in a US court was one of the most high- might have been unusual. However, smaller cases of the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) typically levies fines worth more than £200 million a year. The number of known cases – in
Don’t blame professional misconduct on bad apples
by Graeme Currie & Dimitrios Spyridonidis
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