Holmes, J. (2011) Conformity and change in leadership identity construction. In: Honorary Doctorate Lecture at the Faculty of Languages, Uppsala University, Sweden, Jan 31, 2011 (Unpublished)

Abstract

Talk is always constrained by the parameters of broad societal norms and "inherited structures" of belief, power, and opportunity (Cameron, 2009: 15). The theoretical model developed by the Wellington Language in the Workplace team identifies these social constraints on interactional behaviour at different levels of generality. A range of discourse strategies and devices are used to negotiate socio-cultural norms in dynamic social interaction, conveying a range of stances indexing social meanings relevant in the construction of social identities. Focusing on "the gender order" (Connell 1987) and the norms of "ethnicised communities of practice" (Holmes, Marra and Vine 2011), I illustrate how leaders in New Zealand organisations construct their complex professional identities through skilful negotiation of the conflicting demands of such normative constraints in everyday workplace interaction. The analysis indicates that negotiating these challenges results in new conceptualisations of leadership which embrace authoritative yet feminine models as well as radical new Maori models.

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