Leadership and Leadership Development in the Context of the Future of Work

Ignoring how the accelerating rate and magnitude of change reframes the future of work (FoW) may contribute to leadership and leadership development (LD) that equips leaders to operate in a context that no longer exists. This myopic approach fails to deliver the impacts for organisations to thrive in the FoW. Drawing on Day, Harrison and Halpin's (2009), DeRue and Myers' (2014), and Veldsman's (2016) theorizing and models of leadership and LD, the current research addresses the gap by developing and testing a model of leadership and a contextually nuanced, processual LD model fit for the FoW through three subsequent studies: a scoping review, 22 semi-structured interviews and a leadership development program case study. By highlighting the context of the FoW, the current research extends the understanding of future-focused leadership and contextually nuanced, processual LD fit for the future of work. More practically, the models developed in this study can be employed as comprehensive roadmaps and applied to specific contexts within the organisation to assess current gaps, measure leadership effectiveness, and inform leadership assessment, development, and a selection in the organisation.