PAC Leadership and Organizational Studies Journal

Advances in Organizational Leadership

2026-10-14T08:38:26+03:00

Organizations today are operating in an environment that is more complex, interconnected and uncertain. Technological disruption, changing expectations of employees and stakeholders, demographic shifts, climate and sustainability pressures, public accountability, geopolitical uncertainty and the growing demand for ethical and responsible business are reshaping what organizations must accomplish and, consequently, what leadership within organizations must become (Rashed et al., 2025; Zu, 2023). The leadership question is therefore no longer simply Who is the leader? or What does the leader do? It is increasingly about how leadership is distributed, how collective action is mobilized, how organizations adapt, how decisions create value for multiple stakeholders, and how leadership remains credible and legitimate in changing contexts. This shift has significant implications for organizational leadership scholarship and practice. Most leadership approaches often concentrated attention on the individual leader: the leader's traits, behaviours, competencies, style, charisma or capacity to influence followers (Bakker et al., 2023; Meirinhos, 2023). These perspectives have generated important insights and remain relevant. Yet contemporary organizations increasingly operate as complex systems in which outcomes are rarely attributable to one individual alone. Leadership can emerge through interactions among people, teams, structures, technologies, institutions and external stakeholders. Complexity leadership scholarship, for example, conceptualizes leadership as a dynamic and interactive process capable of generating learning, innovation and adaptation within complex organizational systems (Enang et al., 2025; EspejoPereda et al., 2025). Similarly, research on organizational effectiveness demonstrates that leadership operates through multiple mechanisms, including adaptation, efficiency, human capital and coordinated organizational action, rather than through the actions of a single heroic executive (Park et al., 2025; Sott & Bender, 2025). It is within this dynamic organizational landscape that this e-book, Advances in Organizational Leadership, is situated.

The Moderating Role of Social Justice in the Relationship Between Democratic Leadership and Cultural Diversity in Public Universities in Southwest Nigeria

2026-10-13T16:57:20+03:00

This study examined the moderating role of social justice in the relationship between democratic leadership and cultural diversity in public universities in Southwest Nigeria. It addressed the concern that universities may bring together students from different ethnic, religious, linguistic, and cultural backgrounds while inclusion, fairness, participation, and belonging remain uneven. The objective was to determine whether social justice strengthens or weakens the relationship between democratic leadership and cultural diversity. The study adopted a pragmatic research philosophy and a convergent mixed-methods design. Quantitative data were collected from 592 final-year students across six selected public universities, while qualitative data were obtained through semi-structured interviews with 14 educational leaders. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, ordinal logistic regression, and thematic analysis. Findings showed that democratic leadership significantly influenced cultural diversity (χ²(3) = 18.138, p < .001, Nagelkerke R² = .038). Social justice significantly moderated the relationship (χ²(3) = 19.849, p < .001, Nagelkerke R² = .059), increasing explanatory power from 3.8% to 5.9%. The conclusion was that democratic leadership supports cultural diversity, but its influence is stronger when supported by fairness, equity, inclusion, and access.

Participative Leadership and Cultural Diversity in Southwest Nigerian Universities

2026-09-15T20:42:23+03:00

Participative leadership is a key factor in ensuring inclusive and culturally diverse university environments. This study examined the influence of participative leadership on cultural diversity in selected public universities in Southwest Nigeria using a quantitative survey design. Data were collected from 592 final-year students across six public universities, with one public university selected from each state in the Southwest geopolitical zone. Participative leadership was measured using 10 questionnaire items, while cultural diversity was measured using 15 items covering intercultural competence, curriculum inclusivity, and student participation. The instruments showed acceptable internal consistency, with Cronbach’s alpha values of .748 for participative leadership and .865 for cultural diversity. Descriptive results showed that participative leadership was moderately practised (M = 2.96, SD = .9669), while cultural diversity was perceived more positively (M = 3.16, SD = .7756). Ordinal logistic regression showed a statistically significant model, χ²(2) = 7.469, p = .024, although the effect size was small (Nagelkerke R² = .015). The moderate participative leadership category was positive and significant (B = 0.749, p = .028, 95% CI [0.080, 1.418]), so the null hypothesis was rejected. The findings indicated that participative leadership contributes to cultural diversity when consultation is linked to feedback, policy input, rule-making, curriculum inclusion, and student participation. It is recommended that universities establish structured participatory platforms, inclusive curriculum review, transparent feedback systems, and stronger student representation in university governance.