Widespread developments in organizing affect how leadership is embedded in public organizations. The link between leadership and formal positions in the hierarchy becomes less straightforward,... Show moreWidespread developments in organizing affect how leadership is embedded in public organizations. The link between leadership and formal positions in the hierarchy becomes less straightforward, since collaboration across organizational boundaries and flexible arrangements parallel to bureaucratic structures are increasingly common. Leadership is further complicated by the typical reality of unclear or competing goals, tasks, and stakeholder interests. Since navigating in such an ambiguous and complex context often requires a variety of leadership behaviours, this dissertation introduces a comprehensive perspective on leadership as a repertoire of behavioural options. Based on four empirical studies, this dissertation examines how leadership behaviour repertoires take shape in public organizations. By adopting a repertoire perspective, this dissertation underlines that leadership behaviour takes on many forms and is used in a variety of directions in relation to multiple stakeholders – by both managers and non-managerial employees – and indicates that use of the leadership behaviour repertoire can be explained by variation in situations, organizational context, and individual attitudes and experiences. These insights contribute to contemporary challenges for leadership in public organizations in theory and practice. Show less
How do multinationals respond to political risk? Especially in non-Western countries, foreign investors are frequently confronted with political insecurity. This book takes a close look at the... Show moreHow do multinationals respond to political risk? Especially in non-Western countries, foreign investors are frequently confronted with political insecurity. This book takes a close look at the relationship between multinational corporations and political factors in early twentieth-century China, when political change in this country was highly dramatic. Revolutions and war tore apart many of the traditions of imperial China, and threatened the interests of foreign companies in one of the world's most promising markets. This study focuses on the interests of Dutch firms and their response to political risk in China before the Pacific War. This includes very large corporations that are again active in the Chinese market today, such as Shell, Philips, Unilever, and ABN-Amro. Their behaviour in China up to 1941 is analysed and explained in order to gain a better understanding of the attitude of foreign investors towards political developments during a turbulent and formative phase in Chinese history. Show less
