EXAMINING THE POTENTIAL OF DEVELOPING LEADERSHIP PRACTICE AT VFS TASHEEL (AMMAN – JORDAN)

Yousef, Ahmad (2020) EXAMINING THE POTENTIAL OF DEVELOPING LEADERSHIP PRACTICE AT VFS TASHEEL (AMMAN – JORDAN). Doctor of Business Administration thesis, University of Liverpool.

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Abstract

This thesis presents an account of the qualitative action research inquiry that I conducted to study my organisation, VFS Tasheel International (located in Jordan, Amman) as member (Coghlan & Brannick, 2014). Through interaction and collaboration with colleagues (i.e., practitioners) and a joint exploration, we propose answer to the following research question: How can VFS Tasheel International develop leadership-as-practice (L-A-P) within the organisation? The context of this study was a Jordan-based visa service centre, VFS Amman, which has experienced unidirectional communication issues and a lack of interaction among its members. The research was influenced by recent theoretical leadership studies, which have highlighted the role of modern leadership in inspiring employee engagement. Among these theories, L-A-P specifically calls for collective leadership in daily life as a means to fulfil this need. To examine the potential development of L-A-P at VFS Amman, we formed an inquiry community composed of the researcher and other practitioners (Coghlan & Brannick, 2014). The study adopted a phenomenological interpretivist approach in interviewing the 25 employees at VFS Amman. To goal of these interviews was threefold: (1) to explore current leadership at the study site; (2) to introduce the concept of L-A-P to the participants; and (3) to explore the participants’ experiences, perspectives, and feelings concerning L-A-P. In addition, the qualitative responses of the participants encouraged the employees to participate in the development of L-A-P in VFS Amman and defined the challenges that must be overcome to create an appropriate atmosphere for such a development. This thesis also proposed an L-A-P enablement plan (i.e., actionable knowledge) to support VFS Amman’s journey “on the road” to L-A-P implementation as well as to address the outcomes and impacts on VFS Amman at both organisational and individual levels. The study observed how the implementation of the L-A-P enablement plan gradually moves the organisation toward the desired state: from unidirectional to multidirectional communication; from a lack of interaction to a higher level of engagement; and, most importantly, from the traditional heroic leadership on a developmental path towards L-A-P, via the threshold concept of situational leadership.

Item Type:	Thesis (Doctor of Business Administration)
Divisions:	Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences > School of Management
Depositing User:	Symplectic Admin
Date Deposited:	08 Feb 2022 16:35
Last Modified:	18 Jan 2023 21:25
DOI:	10.17638/03141407
Supervisors:	Rigg, Clare Antonacopoulou, Elena Sambrook, Sally
URI:	https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/id/eprint/3141407