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

In an increasingly complex and interconnected world, the authors make a case rich in theory and narrative for a new reflexive approach to real life situations. This approach (immersed reflexivity) draws on Pierre Bourdieu's logic of practice and the complexity sciences.

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.