The Social Development of Leadership and Knowledge A Reflexive Inquiry into Research and Practice

Leadership and knowledge should be developed together: developed as two intimately linked ideas, and developed with other people.

The authors make this surprising argument through extensive, theoretically-disciplined use of narratives from their managerial and doctoral experience. This volume is an inspiring resource for students and providers of practice-based research degrees, while offering practitioners, tired of broken promises from neat frameworks and models, unexpected opportunities to develop leadership impact and academic insight.

Ranging from complexity to sociology, and from leadership to ontology and epistemology, the central theory of this work draws on Bourdieu's logic of practice and Stacey's complex responsive processes of relating. It yields new ideas about reflexivity and essentially contested concepts. Since theory is not split from practice, nor emotions and politics from thought, full-time doctoral students will find an enlivening perspective on method as well as courage and support for the journey they are making.

Robert Warwick is Senior Visiting Fellow at Cass Business School, City University, London, UK, and works in strategic change and organisational development within organisations such as the UK's National Health Service. He is interested in complexity and how policy and strategy decisions come to affect people on the frontline.

Douglas Board is a career and leadership coach with 18 years of experience in board-level executive search and is also author of Choosing Leaders and Choosing to Lead.

Introduction
PART I: PART I: EXPERIENCING CURIOSITY
1. Two Cities – Journeying between Research and Practice
2. In Practice – Towards the Completion of Research
PART II: A VISIT TO THE LIBRARY
3. On Knowledge – Some Thoughts and Opportunities
4. On Leadership – Some Thoughts and Opportunities
5. Complexity and Power Relations
6. Reflexivity – Introductory Themes
7. Reflexivity – Engaging with Pierre Bourdieu
PART III: CREATING KNOWLEDGE
8. Immersed Reflexivity
9. Contribution to Leadership and Knowledge
PART IV: INVITING ENGAGEMENT
10. In Practice – beyond the Viva
11. In Practice – Writing this Book and Beyond
PART V: MAKING AN 'ENDING' AND OFFERING A 'BEGINNING'
12. A Practical Guide to Exploring Immersed Reflexivity
13. The Confluence of Knowledge and Leadership