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Why humility is vital to effective humanitarian aid leadership: a review of the literature
Author(s) -
Wang David C.,
Hall M. Elizabeth Lewis,
Shanhouse Laura R.,
Mize Mary Chase Breedlove,
Aten Jamie D.,
Davis Edward B.,
Van Tongeren Daryl R.,
Annan Kent
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
disasters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.744
H-Index - 70
eISSN - 1467-7717
pISSN - 0361-3666
DOI - 10.1111/disa.12446
Subject(s) - humility , scholarship , context (archaeology) , interdependence , public relations , normative , psychology , sociology , political science , social science , law , paleontology , biology
Organisational scientists are paying increasing attention to humility, following a larger trend in scholarship highlighting the relational and interdependent nature of leadership and business. A growing body of evidence identifies humility as vital to effective organisational leadership, facilitating positive organisational outcomes, such as lower voluntary turnover and greater follower job satisfaction. To date, research on the subject has focused on certain specific organisational contexts, including businesses, hospitals, and schools. This paper reviews the existing literature and explores why humility may be an especially important leader trait in international humanitarian aid organisations and relief work—a context that is not only uniquely challenging, but also one that would seemingly stand to benefit keenly from the quality. It argues that humility is essential for effective leadership because it is normative of good character, it is predictive of positive outcomes, and it corresponds to a genuine representation of the nature of humanitarian aid.