Making worlds collide : using Tolkien’s fantasy literature to create a new leadership development framework

Complex global challenges, and the need to radically reinvent processes and products, confront today’s leaders, yet the leadership development field is often criticised for being confused, disparate, and not fit for purpose for today’s organisations (Kellerman, 2012), with much criticism of its limitations and narrowness. New imaginative processes are needed to develop leaders’ skills, behaviour and thinking to create alternative futures, and find new ways to generate innovative solutions. Literature reviews reveal that leaders and leadership developers have generally not considered the possibility of using speculative fiction and fantasy literature as a source for imaginative growth and the stimulation of multiple perspectives. This research creates a new process for leader developers and coaches to use fantasy literature in this way, called Practical Applied Literature. Literary Conceptual Encounter was devised as a tool to work directly with a piece of fantasy literature, adapted for this research from De Rivera’s Conceptual Encounter technique. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy was used as a working model to demonstrate the process of Practical Applied Literature, and to create a new leadership development framework for leadership developers and coaches. This new framework was then explored with a group of senior leaders, using Conceptual Encounter interviews to produce collaborative insights for further development. The many insights generated were collated and assessed, using another new technique developed for this study called Conceptual Synthesis. The subsequent improved version of the framework showed that the structured use of fantasy literature for imaginative leadership development solutions can be useful and effective; and that this unique approach has sufficient value to merit further improvement and research. This study will contribute to the work and thinking of leadership development theorists and practitioners through the new Practical Applied Literature process, the tools it uses, and the Leadership Development framework that can form the basis of a new leadership development modular programme. This research will also contribute to Tolkien Studies because leadership and its development have generally been neglected by Tolkien commentators and academics, but can provide many imaginative insights and ideas for today’s world.

Grantor dc:publisher

Oxford Brookes University

Year dc:date

2020

Author dc:creator

• Wright, Elizabeth Anne

Contributors dc:contributor

• Cox, Elaine

Statement dc:rights

• All rights reserved

Language dc:language

en

DOI dc:identifier

https://doi.org/10.24384/t1px-c618

OAI identifier oai:identifier

tle:3f17e92a-954e-4be7-a8ac-4f1441705766:d6bd9758-527a-46cd-bfe2-c433766e8fca:1