A bibliometric review of the leadership development field: How we got here, where we are, and where we are headed

Outcomes of Art-Based Leadership Development: A Qualitative Metasummary

Art-based leadership development, grounded in experiential learning, offers a learner-centered approach to leadership training by integrating relational, aesthetic and embodied dimensions. This systematic review investigates evidence on the outcomes of art-based leadership development, addressing the critical need for empirical validation of its effectiveness. A qualitative metasummary was employed to review 31 empirical studies published between 2008 and 2023. The studies were sourced from databases including Business Source Complete, ERIC, PsycINFO, Scopus, and Web of Science. The Quality Assessment for Diverse Studies (QuADS) tool was used to assess the studies. The analysis revealed that art-based methods significantly enhance reflective and reflexive practices, higher-order cognitive skills, emotional intelligence, and interpersonal competencies. Representing leader development, art-based initiatives facilitate holistic self-discovery and transformative shifts in mindset, offering a valuable complement to conventional skill-based approaches. Despite these promising benefits, the review highlights a need for more rigorous empirical studies, particularly longitudinal and quantitative research, to substantiate the long-term effectiveness of art-based methods.

Integrating worthiness with leader identity development for college students

While leader identity development (LID) and meaning making are interwoven and essential for student development, little research has explicitly explored their intersection. In this article, we briefly summarize the work of two research projects that explored the intersection of LID and meaning making, including a review of the findings that "worthiness" is a central component of the LID process among college students. Next, we propose an Input-Process-Worthiness-Outcome model for LID that highlights the centrality of worthiness, conceptualizing inputs as developmental experiences; processes as meaning making, and outcomes as personal development. Finally, we close with a review of the scholarship behind the concept of worthiness and point out future research directions that require exploration regarding worthiness in LID, particularly among college students.

Development of a training program prototype to enhance implementation leadership competencies and behaviours of Chinese unit nurse managers: a qualitative descriptive study

BACKGROUND

Unit nurse managers hold essential positions that can facilitate implementation of evidence-based practice. Studies showed that nurse managers in China lacked competencies and behaviours necessary to lead evidence-based practice implementation. The aim of the current study was to develop a context-fit training program prototype to enhance leadership competencies and behaviours regarding evidence-based practice implementation of Chinese unit nurse managers.

METHOD

We used a descriptive qualitative study design and followed the integrated knowledge translation approach to co-develop the prototype in a tertiary hospital in Changsha, China. Seven nurse managers from the participated hospital and a researcher co-developed the prototype based on the Ottawa Model of Implementation Leadership (O-MILe). The development process encompassed four phases from November 2021 to March 2022 that involved group discussions (n = 4) and individual interviews (n = 21). All data were analysed by two independent researchers using the thematic analysis method.

RESULTS

Managers agreed that all O-MILe behaviours were important to evidence-based practice implementation, and only minor modifications were needed for clarification and adaptation. The actions managers identified that could operationalize the leadership behaviours were related to current clinical practices, evidence-based practice, nurses, patients, interprofessional staff members, incentives and resources, organization and external entities. Three types of general competencies related to evidence-based practice, professional nursing, and implementation leadership were identified. Multimodal activities such as lectures, experience sharing, group discussions, plan development and coaching were suggested to deliver the training program.

CONCLUSIONS

All O-MILe leadership behaviours were perceived as essential for unit nurse managers to lead EBP implementation in the hospital context in China. We identified the leadership actions and the competencies required for nursing managers to implement EBP in China. Further studies are required to evaluate the acceptability and impact of this prototype. Further studies with large sample sizes across various clinical settings are needed to facilitate the generalization of the findings and gain an in-depth understanding of the program.

Co-creating a continuous leadership development program in rural municipal healthcare - an action research study

BACKGROUND

An increasingly complex healthcare system entails an urgent need for competent and resilient leadership. However, there is a lack of extensive research on leadership development within healthcare. The knowledge gaps extend to various frameworks and contexts, particularly concerning municipal healthcare, knowledge leadership, and the application of knowledge in the field of practice. This study is the first in a larger action research project that aims to co-create a knowledge-based continuous leadership development program for healthcare in a rural Arctic municipality. This present study aims to explore the knowledge and experiences of the participating healthcare leaders to develop a common basis for co-creating the program.

METHODS

This hermeneutical study presents the first cycle of the larger action research project. An appreciative approach facilitated the project. Twenty-three healthcare leaders from three different leadership levels attended and evaluated two leadership development workshops and participated in four focus groups. The data were analyzed using Braun and Clarke's reflexive thematic analysis.

RESULTS

Two main themes were identified: (1) changing from striving solo players to team players, and (2) learning to handle a conflicting and complex context. These results influenced how the leadership development program based on the participants' co-creation was organized as a collective and relational process rather than an individual competence replenishment.

CONCLUSIONS

The knowledge and experiences of healthcare leaders led to the co-creation of a knowledge-based continuous leadership development program based on the facilitated interaction of four essential elements: (1) competence development, (2) structures for interaction, (3) interpersonal safety, and (4) collective values and goals. The interaction was generated through trusted reflection facilitated by appreciative inquiry. The four elements and core played a crucial role in fostering relationships and facilitating learning, driving transformative change in this leadership development program. The study's results provide a solid foundation for further co-creating the program. However, more research is needed to fully explore the practical application and overall significance.

Geriatric and Gerontology Research: A Scientometric Investigation of Open Access Journal Articles Indexed in the Scopus Database

BACKGROUND

Scientometric analyses of specific topics in geriatrics and gerontology have grown robustly in scientific literature. However, analyses using holistic and interdisciplinary approaches are scarce in this field of research. This article aimed to demonstrate research trends and provide an overview of bibliometric information on publications related to geriatrics and gerontology.

METHODS

We identified relevant articles on geriatrics and gerontology using the search terms "geriatrics," "gerontology," "older people," and "elderly." VOSviewer was used to perform bibliometric analysis.

RESULTS

A total of 858 analyzed articles were published in 340 journals. Among the 10 most contributory journals, five were in the United States, with the top journal being the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. The United States was the leading country in research, followed by Japan, Canada, and the United Kingdom. A total of 5,278 keywords were analyzed. In the analysis of research hotspots, the main global research topics in geriatrics and gerontology were older adults (n=663), education and training (n=471), and adults aged 80 years (n=461). These were gradually expanded to include areas related to caring for older adults, such as geriatric assessments (n=395).

CONCLUSION

These results provide direction for fellow researchers to conduct studies in geriatrics and gerontology. In addition, they provide government departments with guidance for formulating and implementing policies that affect older adults, not only in setting academic and professional priorities but also in understanding key topics related to them.

Multiple teams, multiple projects, multiple groups at the intersection of (multiple) research fields: A bibliometric study

Multi-teaming is a concept studied across a variety of disciplines. While using a bibliometric approach on 255 research papers extracted from Web of Science, we aimed to depict the architecture of the multi-teaming concept across academic disciplines and time. Results of citation, co-citation and bibliographic coupling analyses identified four major fields looking at the concept of multi-teaming. The fields emerged over time from fragmentation to integration and acknowledging similarities. We identify gaps and propose (multi)-disciplinary research ideas that can benefit the field of multi-teaming.

Mapping Neuroscience in the Field of Education through a Bibliometric Analysis

This study aimed to explore the core knowledge topics and future research trends in neuroscience in the field of education (NIE). In this study, we have explored the diffusion of neuroscience and different neuroscience methods (e.g., electroencephalography, functional magnetic resonance imaging, eye tracking) through and within education fields. A total of 549 existing scholarly articles and 25,886 references on neuroscience in the field of education (NIE) from the Web of Science Core Collection databases were examined during the following two periods: 1995-2013 and 2014-2022. The science mapping software Vosviewer and Bibliometrix were employed for data analysis and visualization of relevant literature. Furthermore, performance analysis, collaboration network analysis, co-citation network analysis, and strategic diagram analysis were conducted to systematically sort out the core knowledge in NIE. The results showed that children and cognitive neuroscience, students and medical education, emotion and empathy, and education and brain are the core intellectual themes of current research in NIE. Curriculum reform and children's skill development have remained central research issues in NIE, and several topics on pediatric research are emerging. The core intellectual themes of NIE revealed in this study can help scholars to better understand NIE, save research time, and explore a new research question. To the best of our knowledge, this study is one of the earliest documents to outline the NIE core intellectual themes and identify the research opportunities emerging in the field.

Authentic leader(ship) development and leaders' psychological well-being: an outcome-wide analysis

Purpose

Despite a fast-growing interest in leadership development programs, there is limited research on the impacts of leadership development and a narrow focus on professional competencies as outcomes. The authors’ aim was to test whether authentic leadership development (ALD), an identity-based leadership development approach, is associated with positive changes in leaders' psychological well-being.

Design/methodology/approach

In a large sample of leaders (N = 532) from five different ALD programs, the authors conducted a pre-registered outcome-wide analysis and tested within-person changes in key indicators of psychological well-being and explored individual differences moderating these changes.

Findings

Results showed significant increases in self-concept clarity, sense of purpose in life and personal growth about two to three weeks after the programs ended. Changes in stress and health were not consistent. These changes did not differ across socio-demographic status (gender, age), work-related factors (leadership, industry and tenure) and most personality factors (extraversion, agreeableness, openness to experience). Those with high emotional variability experienced greater improvements in some outcomes of well-being while individuals with higher income and conscientiousness (who had high baseline self-concept clarity) experienced smaller improvements. Longer follow-up assessments were associated with smaller changes.

Originality/value

As one of the most comprehensive assessments of ALD outcomes to date, this study shows the potential of ALD for improving outcomes beyond leadership skills, the well-being of leaders, highlighting the return on value in leadership development and pointing to learning and development as a workplace well-being intervention.

Global research trends in atherosclerosis: A bibliometric and visualized study

Background

Increasing evidence has spurred a considerable evolution of concepts related to atherosclerosis, prompting the need to provide a comprehensive view of the growing literature. By retrieving publications in the Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC) of Clarivate Analytics, we conducted a bibliometric analysis of the scientific literature on atherosclerosis to describe the research landscape.

Methods

A search was conducted of the WoSCC for articles and reviews serving exclusively as a source of information on atherosclerosis published between 2012 and 2022. Microsoft Excel 2019 was used to chart the annual productivity of research relevant to atherosclerosis. Through CiteSpace and VOSviewer, the most prolific countries or regions, authors, journals, and resource-, intellectual-, and knowledge-sharing in atherosclerosis research, as well as co-citation analysis of references and keywords, were analyzed.

Results

A total of 20,014 publications were retrieved. In terms of publications, the United States remains the most productive country (6,390, 31,93%). The most publications have been contributed by Johns Hopkins Univ (730, 3.65%). ALVARO ALONSO produced the most published works (171, 0.85%). With a betweenness centrality of 0.17, ERIN D MICHOS was the most influential author. The most prolific journal was identified as Atherosclerosis (893, 4.46%). Circulation received the most co-citations (14,939, 2.79%). Keywords with the ongoing strong citation bursts were “nucleotide-binding oligomerization (NOD), Leucine-rich repeat (LRR)-containing protein (NLRP3) inflammasome,” “short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs),” “exosome,” and “homeostasis,” etc.

Conclusion

The research on atherosclerosis is driven mostly by North America and Europe. Intensive research has focused on the link between inflammation and atherosclerosis, as well as its complications. Specifically, the NLRP3 inflammasome, interleukin-1β, gut microbiota and SCFAs, exosome, long non-coding RNAs, autophagy, and cellular senescence were described to be hot issues in the field.

Exploring the past, present, and future of the mindfulness field: A multitechnique bibliometric review

This paper provides an overview of the mindfulness literature up until the end of 2020 by (a) uncovering its underlying intellectual structure, (b) identifying the most influential and popular themes, and (c) presenting new directions for future research on mindfulness. To this end, a systematic quantitative review based on bibliometric methods was conducted, which is perhaps less prone to researcher bias and can complement existing meta-analyses and qualitative (narrative) structured reviews as an objective approach. Three bibliometric techniques—document co-citation analysis, co-word (co-occurrence and content) analysis, and bibliographic coupling—were applied to explore the past, present, and future of mindfulness research. The co-citation analysis showed that measurement, mechanisms, mindfulness-based interventions, and examinations of the efficacy of mindfulness interventions are among the key theoretical knowledge bases from which the field of mindfulness is derived. The content analysis demonstrated the beneficial effects of mindfulness meditation for physical and mental health conditions. The bibliographic coupling revealed novel directions in cognitive behavioral therapy, emotion regulation, the application of mindfulness practice to children and adolescents, mindfulness at work, and the role of mindfulness in positive psychology. The large sample of articles that was analyzed allowed us to provide a broader and more objective overview than possible with other forms of literature reviews. The combination of the three bibliometric techniques granted deeper insights into the complex multidisciplinary field of mindfulness, along with specific suggestions for future research.

A bibliometric analysis of circular economy in the fields of business and economics: towards more action-oriented research

In this paper, we reveal and systemize development trends in the scientific field of the circular economy (CE). Our results imply that academic research on the CE focuses heavily on theoretical conceptualizations and technological solutions. However, these advancements alone are unlikely to help prevent from ecological collapse. With this observation in mind, we explore the potential held by a more relational, action-based approach to support a faster and more efficient transition from the linear economy to the CE. A useful combination of several bibliometric techniques gave us valuable references for re-focusing this area of science to adopt action-oriented research where a group of stakeholders collaborates and co-creates solutions. An analysis of valuable action-oriented CE studies reveals that scholars focus on the techno-economic aspect, where they develop ways to create optimal circular material and energy flows and co-design processes for products/services, as well as the organizational aspect, where they study self-sustainable community networks and participatory governance. We identify three research streams that would benefit from such action-oriented research for a faster practical implementation: sustainable supply chains, waste management, and business model innovation. A practice-based agenda is proposed to stimulate the scientific community to conduct future research on a CE that better supports companies.

Fostering exploration and exploitation behavior in management teams to enhance organizational performance: the LearnOvation leadership development program

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to assess the impact and effectiveness of the LearnOvation leadership development program in the welfare services sector in Sweden.

Design/methodology/approach

LearnOvation was based on ambidexterity theory for the program content and the research study design. A mixed-method design was applied, using questionnaires among staff (n = 523) and written evaluations with the management teams (n = 60).

Findings

Quantitative analysis of the questionnaires indicated little change in managers' and staffs' innovation behaviors, though employee exploration behaviors were strongly and positively correlated with their innovation behaviors. Qualitative leader-written evaluations reported increased understanding of innovation management and the use of exploration and exploitation activities to involve staff in the implementation of creative ideas within the organization.

Practical implications

The authors argue that innovating is about creating a fertile ground for exploration and exploitation processes of learning that support staff's willingness to meet goals, as well as their capability to explore new ideas and experiment in new ways of working. Leadership development activities that engage the entire management team can build the necessary capacity and power to lead innovation processes in highly structured welfare services and free the employees' innovativeness, potentially leading to improved services and employee satisfaction.

Originality/value

With the goal of enhancing the innovation capacity in daily practice, this study adds to the scarcity of research in welfare services on how to actually support management's work on leading successful implementation of creative ideas.

A stepped-wedge randomized trial investigating the effect of the Leadership and Organizational Change for Implementation (LOCI) intervention on implementation and transformational leadership, and implementation climate

BACKGROUND

This study evaluates the Leadership and Organizational Change for Implementation (LOCI) strategy and its effect on implementation leadership, transformational leadership, and implementation climate.

METHODS

A stepped wedge cluster randomized study design enrolling 47 first-level leaders from child- and adult-specialized mental health clinics within Norwegian health trusts across three cohorts. All therapists (n = 790) received training in screening of trauma exposure and posttraumatic stress, and a subgroup of therapists (n = 248) received training in evidence-based treatment methods for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). First-level leaders and therapists completed surveys at baseline, 4, 8-, 12-, 16-, and 20-months assessing leadership and implementation climate. General linear mixed-effects models were used to investigate whether the LOCI strategy would lead to greater therapist-rated scores on implementation leadership, transformational leadership, and implementation climate.

RESULTS

After introducing the LOCI strategy, there was a significant increase in therapist-rated implementation and transformational leadership and implementation climate. The increase was sustained at all measurement time points compared to non-LOCI conditions, which demonstrated a steady decrease in scores before LOCI.

CONCLUSIONS

The LOCI strategy can develop better transformational and implementation leadership skills and contribute to a more positive implementation climate, which may enhance successful EBP implementation. Thus, LOCI can help leaders create an organizational context conducive for effective EBP implementation.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

Retrospectively registered: ClinicalTrials NCT03719651 , 25th of October 2018. The trial protocol can be accessed from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6417075/ .

Leaders' attitudes towards, and commitment to quality management of training within the military

Purpose

The successful implementation of quality management in organizations is dependent on people, particularly leaders. It seems as if leaders' affective states (attitudes and commitment) in the military were connected to their capability to inspire people and a group (corps training unit) to achieve a common goal. The research reported in this article was aimed at examining officers in corps training units' attitudes towards, and commitment to quality management in training in the South African Army.

Design/methodology/approach

Focus group interviews were conducted with a sample of 49 officers on various levels (senior, junior and warrant officers) at six South African Army corps training units.

Findings

The findings indicate that the attitudes of leaders played a significant role to ensure that quality management of training is conducted effectively. Participants experienced that leaders in the South African Army were mostly responsible for the negative attitudes of officers in corps training units. Inadequate leadership support and lack of trust contributed to a lack of transparency and poor communication that resulted in poor commitment among officers at corps training units. The investigation further revealed that a positive affective state (attitudes and commitment) of leaders is essential in ensuring effective quality management of training.

Originality/value

The potential usefulness of this research may provide insight into how leaders' affective state could be improved to ensure effective quality management. This research may also be of interest to other organizations that conduct in-house training.

Worldwide Research on Land Use and Land Cover in the Amazon Region

Land cover is an important descriptor of the earth’s terrestrial surface. It is also crucial to determine the biophysical processes in global environmental change. Land-use change showcases the management of the land while revealing what motivated the alteration of the land cover. The type of land use can represent local economic and social benefits, framed towards regional sustainable development. The Amazon stands out for being the largest tropical forest globally, with the most extraordinary biodiversity, and plays an essential role in climate regulation. The present work proposes to carry out a bibliometric analysis of 1590 articles indexed in the Scopus database. It uses both Microsoft Excel and VOSviewer software for the evaluation of author keywords, authors, and countries. The method encompasses (i) search criteria, (ii) search and document compilation, (iii) software selection and data extraction, and (iv) data analysis. The results classify the main research fields into nine main topics with increasing relevance: ‘Amazon’, ‘deforestation’, ‘remote sensing’, ‘land use and land cover change’, and ‘land use’. In conclusion, the cocitation authors’ network reveals the development of such areas and the interest they present due to their worldwide importance.

Social Finance and Banking Research as a Driver for Sustainable Development: A Bibliometric Analysis

Social finance and banking with an embedded social purpose have been on the rise in recent decades. Social entrepreneurs have repeatedly stressed the critical need for financial support from social banks. This study aims to provide a bibliometric analysis of the status of the field in social finance and banking, recognising main topics from existing research and establishing future re-search challenges. Our study used science mapping workflow and multiple research questions to investigate the broad literature about social banking and finance. With in-depth bibliometric analysis, authors examined qualitative and quantitative variables as primary research infor-mation, relevant sources, subject areas, authors data, social, thematic and intellectual structure. The data was retrieved from Web of Science (WOS) and then analysed using Bibliometrix R-package. The analysis was based on a sample of 270 articles and demonstrates a multidisciplinary vision of the research flow investigated. Our results show several insights regarding journals, authors and geographical interest of this research stream. Specifically, the literature, although dwelling on social finance and banking, includes five theoretical and practical clusters as (1) people’s well-being, combined with technological innovation, (2) governance, (3) ethical investment and sustainable development, (4) corporate social responsibility (CSR), and (5) transparency. The authors also note a line of research that observes technological solutions for the response to social and environmental problems. These results may be useful for researchers, practitioners, and policymakers to foster social finance and financial system tools.

Six ways of understanding leadership development: An exploration of increasing complexity

Leadership development is a multifaceted phenomenon with a multitude of definitions and meanings requiring closer exploration. The aim of this study was to identify and investigate qualitatively different ways of understanding leadership development and categorize them from a complexity perspective. We conducted 21 semi-structured interviews with professionals and managers. Analysis using a phenomenographic approach revealed six categories and different ways of understanding leadership development: (1) one’s own development, (2) fulfilling a leadership role, (3) personal development, (4) leader and organizational development, (5) collective leadership development, and (6) human development. The categories were arranged hierarchically according to increasing complexity. Our contribution recognizes more nuanced interpretations than previously identified and highlights underlying structures of complexity. The results help to empirically ground and elaborate current theories and distinctions within the field of leadership development research where similar patterns can be observed. They may assist researchers in making both their own and other’s assumptions on leadership development explicit, as well as informing the practice of tailoring leadership development activities to better match individuals and organizational contexts.