The traditional understanding of leadership almost always takes the leader's 'I' as its starting point, researcher Hans Christoffer Aargaard Terjesen writes in a new report.
In a time marked by individualisation, he points to a more modern leadership model that may help employees find meaning and motivation to remain in work for longer.
The core idea is that leaders use their role to help employees shape and represent a shared understanding of who 'we' are.
"Leadership development must not end up becoming self-development," Terjesen tells Science Norway. "What's particularly elegant about this model is that the leader’s growth happens through the employees.”
Reviewed research from the past ten years
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There will be more elderly people and fewer of working age in the years to come. At the same time, people are living longer and have more healthy years. It's therefore important that more people stay in work longer, in order to sustain the welfare state.
Leadership is one of several factors that influence whether older workers want to continue working.
In his new report, Terjesen reviews research from the past ten years that links leadership theory with ageing in working life.
He is a researcher at OsloMet and wrote the report on behalf of the Centre for Extended Working Life.
Few studies on leadership theory and ageing
Leadership theories address how leadership should be understood and how it affects people.
The new report is based on searches for relevant literature in Norway and the Nordic countries. This resulted in 2,600 publications.
"We narrowed this down to 142, then further and further, and in the end there were six studies that actually used leadership theory," says Terjesen. "Theoretical development on leadership in this area is largely absent."
Not everyone has a choice
Many factors determine whether people remain in work, Terjesen notes.
"Leadership has a remarkable ability to refine or sour any work environment," he says.
Even so, factors such as personal finances, pensions, and one’s position in the labor market often matter more when deciding whether to keep working.
Some people have to work longer for financial reasons, even if they are unhappy at work. Others continue regardless because their job is also their hobby, says Terjesen.
For those who do have a choice, leadership can be decisive.
"I hope people can think: 'I could retire, but I think this is fun. My leader brings out the best in me, I feel a sense of community, my tasks are meaningful – I'll continue'," he says.
Project yielded results
Most of the studies they found were based on well-established leadership theories.
What they have in common is a focus on the leader's personal qualities. Terjesen is sceptical about whether these theories are well-suited to age-friendly leadership.
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One theory is called transformational leadership. In an earlier study conducted in Hemsedal with colleagues, Terjesen trained managers in this leadership style.
After the project, employees reported that they wanted to stay in work longer. They also gave their managers higher ratings, and sickness absence declined.
"But this is a very leader-centred theory," says Terjesen.
He notes that society is becoming increasingly individualistic, particularly among employees.
"I believe leadership theory needs to keep pace with that development," he says.
Terjesen therefore recommends exploring an alternative model: prototypical leadership.
Building a shared community
"Put simply, prototypical leadership starts from each individuals' identity project and connects shared elements into a collective identity project at work," says Terjesen.
In this model, the leader acts as a representative and a prototype for the group.
Key features include the leader being seen as an advocate for the group, actively shaping group identity, and ensuring that the sense of 'we' is reflected in actions and plans.
"I genuinely believe that those who experience this type of leadership may feel stronger intrinsic motivation, with significant potential for staying in work longer," he says.
But this needs to be tested in practice, says Terjesen. It's also a form of leadership that places heavy demands on leaders.
"Many companies may think they have achieved this by defining a set of core values. But those values belong to the company, so it's not the same thing," he says.
Prototypical leadership has its roots in theories of political leadership.
For example, Donald Trump has been successful in creating a shared identity among his followers, even though Terjesen does not consider him a positive force in the world.
"Still, there's something to learn from organisations that manage to unite individual identity projects at the group level, even when we disagree with what they stand for," says Terjesen.
What matters to you at work?
Prototypical leadership requires leaders to truly know their employees.
"Perhaps you've had a manager who's very focused on their own project and expects others to adopt it," says Terjesen. "How often have you had a leader who's genuinely curious about your project – what matters to you, what you want the workplace community to be built around, and what's important for your career identity?"
The leader becomes the representative and champion of the group's identity, says Terjesen.
How does this model differ from traditional leadership theory?
Terjesen says that prototypical leadership puts employees at the centre, while classical leadership theory primarily focuses on the leader.
"That's the main difference. You can simply go to the bookshelf, pick any leadership book, and see how many books are about the leader rather than the employee," he says. "This turns that perspective somewhat on its head."
Calls for real-world testing
Terjesen strongly urges collaboration between researchers and Norwegian workplaces to test prototypical leadership in practice.
By training leaders in this model, they can examine whether it encourages people to remain in work longer.
"After that, I recommend that research in this field dares to spend more time and space applying leadership theory," he says.
Terjesen says there isn't just one right path, but many.
"Interesting"
Kari Østerud is the director of the Centre for Extended Working Life, the knowledge centre that commissioned and financed the report.
"As he writes in the report, we know that leadership works, and that being seen, recognised, valued, and all of that is important," says Østerud.
She finds it interesting to move away from an intense focus on leaders’ strengths and weaknesses, toward a model where leaders take their starting point in their employees.
Østerud does not claim to know whether prototypical leadership will ultimately prove effective.
"But I think it needs to be tested in organisations that want to develop in this direction. We may have enough theory now – what matters is developing strong leadership roles in practice, and this is one way of doing that," she says.
