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100s of Free Management Dissertation Topics and Titles

Published by Grace Graffin at January 6th, 2023 , Revised On April 16, 2024

Introduction

The subject of management involves an in-depth understanding of the various aspects of business management, such as employee management, risk management, organisational behaviour, and many more.

When choosing a topic for your management dissertation, make sure to consider diverse topics that explore both the theoretical and practical aspects of management.

We understand that getting a dissertation topic approved can be extremely challenging as academic supervisors require students to research a unique case.

This is where our team of writers comes into play. Our writers can up with exciting and manageable management dissertation topics to help get the juices flowing in your head so you can write your dissertation on a unique and engaging topic.

You may also want to start your dissertation by requesting a brief research proposal from our writers on any of these topics, which includes an introduction to the topic, research question , aim and objectives , literature review along with the proposed methodology of research to be conducted. Let us know if you need any help in getting started.

Check our dissertation examples to get an idea of how to structure your dissertation .

Review the full list of dissertation topics for here.

How to Select the Best Management Dissertation Topic?

A dissertation topic must be selected based on research interests, availability of data, time limitations, and the research’s scope and significance. The following management dissertation topics are carefully shortlisted while considering all these parameters. Please review these topics and let us know if you have any queries.

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2024 Management Research Topics

Topic 1: an evaluation of organizational change management- why do people tend to oppose change.

Research Aim: The research will aim to assess the structure of organizational change management and to find the reasons why people resist or oppose the changes in an organization. There are many reasons through which change in organization’s management becomes important but some employees’ does not accept that changes. There are many reasons why people resist changes on organization. In certain circumstances, resistance to change might be beneficial. Resistance to change is, in fact, a crucial feedback mechanism that must not be neglected.

Topic 2: Investigating the effectiveness of customer relationship management in airlines

Research Aim: The research will aim to study the efficiency of CRM in airlines. Customer relationship management has evolved into a critical technique used by every corporation to better its operations and obtain a competitive advantage over competitors. Customer relationship management has evolved into a key priority for airline firms and an integral part of airline businesses’ corporate strategy to distinguish themselves from rivals in the eyes of the consumer. The goal of facility organisations, such as airlines, is to provide services that attract and maintain satisfied, loyal customers who promote the airline.

Topic 3: How does leadership affect employees’ productivity? A case of IT firms

Research Aim: This research will focus on leadership positions in IT organisations with the goal of increasing staff productivity and performance. Leadership is essential for increasing employee retention, career drive, and efficiency. Most companies’ progress is accelerated by effective leadership. As a result, it is critical to organisational success. Employee performance, on the other hand, is a critical pillar of every firm, and companies must examine the variables that contribute to great performance. Leadership is based on confidence, which is based on skill, sincerity, ethics, transparency, reactivity, empathy, and kindness.

Topic 4: The effect of organisation advancement tools on business performance

Research Aim: The research will aim to find the effect of organization advancement on business performance. Organizational tools are objects that assist you in organising your workspace, resources, and tasks in order to make your workday more effective. Physical instruments, planners, and software platforms are examples of what they can be. Organization advancement tools are a great source to improve your business performance as they help you in managing your daily tasks and workforce.

Topic 5: The importance of leadership and social skills in new entrepreneurs: An investigative study

Research Aim: The research will aim to investigate the importance of leadership and social skills in new entrepreneurs. Developing talent, introducing innovative goods and services, delivering efficiency, and gaining market share all benefit from improved leadership qualities. If you wish to stay small, you might be able to get away with not growing your leaders. Otherwise, it will restrict your progress. Social skills enable entrepreneurs to interact with customers more effectively, resulting in more agreements and more profitability.

Covid-19 Management Research Topics

Crisis management during covd-19.

Research Aim: This study will identify crisis management aspects during COVD-19, including its challenges and solutions.

Business management during COVID-19

Research Aim: This study will review business executives’ challenges in various scale industries and how they are recovering from the loss. How far did they succeed?

Hospital and medicine management during COVID-19

Research Aim: This study will highlight the role of hospital management during COVID-19, the challenges they came across, and the ways to overcome those challenges.

Educational management during COVID-19

Research Aim: This study will address the issues faced by students and educational institutes. How are they trying to overcome the challenges of imparting education during the coronavirus pandemics?

Maternal health care management during COVID-19

Research Aim: The lockdown situation has been an issue of concern for the patients, including pregnant women. This study will address the role of Maternal health care management during COVID-19.

Management Dissertation Topics for 2023

Topic 1: analyzing the traditions and trends in public administration and management in post-wwii europe.

Research Aim: The purpose of the research will be to analyze the characteristics of cultural and national communities that have influenced public administration and management in the 1970s and 1980s in Europe. The study will be carried out using a systematic literature review.

Topic 2: The Impact of Gender-inclusive Gatekeeping and Predecessors Influence on the Success of Female CEOs

Research Aim: The purpose of the research will explore how local organisational agents and contexts can help women leaders overcome barriers and achieve success at higher levels in corporate firms. The study will focus on CEO succession events and predecessor CEOS factors and their influence on women post-succession. The research design will be developed qualitatively.

Topic 3: Analysing the Impact of Daily Psychological Power on Organisational Leaders

Research Aim: The research will use quantitative techniques to analyze power-holders relational and interdependent work contexts. The study will examine the effect of daily psychological power using the factors of abusive behaviour and perceived incivility.

Topic 4: Examining the Impact of Cultural Diversity on Interaction Process and Performance

Research Aim: Using quantitative techniques, the research will analyse the interaction process and performance factors in two groups of employees in the services industry – homogenous and culturally diverse. The effectiveness in operation and arrangements will be examined.

Topic 5: Analyzing the Impact of ‘Voice’ and ‘Silence’ on Destructive Leadership

Research Aim: The research will examine the limited and biased view of silence in management literature. The study will also analyse the impact of silence in an organisation in terms of a functional value using quantitative research techniques. Furthermore, how silence in organisations can be used as a strategic response will be discussed.

Topic 6: Examining the Relationship between Productivity, Management Practices, and Employee Ability in the UK Setting

Research Aim: Using quantitative techniques, the study will analyse a relationship between productivity, management practices, and employee ability using data from management practices surveys and employees’ longitudinal earnings records.

Topic 7: Analysing the Factors that Impact International Differences in Gender Pay Gap

Research Aim: The research will use quantitative techniques to analyse microdata from various countries between 1980 and 2010. The study will use the factors of wage structures, net supply, wage compression, collective bargaining coverage, and unionised wage setting to identify the lower gender pay gap internationally.

Topic 8: The Impact of Psychosocial Hazards on Workplace Risk Management

Research Aim: The study will investigate workplace risk management practices in industry sectors with a high risk of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) and mental health disorders (MHDs) and the extent to which they may rise from psychosocial hazards. The research will be conducted using qualitative research techniques.

Strategic Management and Organisational Behavior Dissertation Topics

Strategic management and organisational behaviour can be described as the actions a firm takes to achieve its business objectives primarily derived from competitive markets’ dynamic behaviour. Following are some interesting dissertation topics under this field of study;

Topic 1: The Impact of Organisational Goals on Organisation Behavior

Research Aim: The primary focus of this research will be to combine factors from the theory of action, phases and self-determination theory to develop a motivational model that will explain the relationship between organisational goals setting process that lead to organisational behaviour. The research will be conducted using mixed methods of research techniques.

Topic 2: Integrating the Principles of Strategic Human Capital and Strategic Human Resource Management to Improve Organisational Performance

Topic 3: comparing the impact of family and non-family firm goals on strategy, family and organisational behavior.

Research Aim: This research will analyse the differences between family and non-family business goals and their impact on how businesses develop strategies. Also, the research will assess how these developed strategies would affect family and organisational behaviour. This research will use quantitative research techniques.

Topic 4: Analyzing the Effect of Strategy, Innovation, Networks and Complexity on Organisational Adaptability – The Mediating Effect of Leadership

Research Aim: The current study will use empirical analysis to examine the effects of strategy, innovation, networks, and complexity of organisational adaptability using leadership as a mediation factor.

Topic 5: Examining the Effect of Appointment of a Racial Minority Female CEO on White Male Top Manager Intrapsychic and Behavioral Responses

Research Aim: This research will examine white male managers’ behavioural responses to a female racial minority CEO’s appointment. The behaviour that the research will analyse is the amount of help that the white male top manager provides to their fellow executives. The research will be conducted using quantitative techniques.

Topic 6: Analysis of the Effectiveness of an Affect-Based Model to Portray Recipients Responses to Organisational Change Events

Research Aim: The study will use the Affect-Based Model developed by Oreg et al. (2016) to analyse if it is useful in documenting and portraying the recipient responses to organisational change events. The research will use factors of valence and activation to assess the effectiveness of the model. The study will be conducted using quantitative techniques.

Topic 7: Evaluating the Relationship between the personality of a CEO and Employee Motivation

Research Aim: This research will investigate the relationship between a CEO’s personality and employee motivation. The core of this study will be to assess whether a CEO’s character possesses the power to influence employee motivation or not. Case studies from various companies will be used in this study.

Topic 8: Assessing the Role of Managers in Bringing and Implementing Technological Change in an Organisation

Research Aim: This research will focus on how managers implement technological change in their organisations. Change management is challenging as not all employees are open to accepting change. This research will focus on various ways through which managers successfully implement technological change in their companies.

Topic 9: An Analysis of Organisational Change Management: Why Employees Resist Change?

Research Aim: This research will focus on why employees resist change in organisations, i.e., why employees dislike change. Different causes and factors will be discussed in this study, and the research will conclude why employees do not wholeheartedly accept the change.

Knowledge Management Dissertation Topics

The importance of knowledge management for organisations can’t be understated because this aspect of management enhances the workforce’s capabilities and overall productivity. It leads to a competitive advantage and provides the basis for differentiating an organisation from its competitors. Some interesting dissertation topics under this field are;

Topic 1: Examining the Impact of Enterprise Social Networking Systems (ESNS) on Knowledge Management and Organisational Learning

Research Aim: The research will investigate the effect of ESNS on knowledge management processes and organisational learning. The research will use knowledge creation and sharing to play the mediating role in analysing the proposed relationship. The proposed study will use empirical research methods.

Topic 2: A Review of Knowledge Management Research

Research Aim: The research paper will use a systematic literature review technique for the proposed study. The research will review the last twenty years of knowledge management literature to assess the presence of bias in explaining knowledge integration over research by exploring knowledge differentiation processes.

Topic 3: The Impact of the Internet of Things (IoT) on Innovation and Knowledge Management Capacity

Research Aim: The purpose of this research will be to investigate the plausible relationship between knowledge management systems, open innovation, knowledge management capacity, and innovation capacity in firms. The research will be conducted using empirical techniques to draw reliable conclusions.

Topic 4: The Impact of Strategic Knowledge Management on MNC and their Subsidiaries Performance

Research Aim: The research will develop a model to test the possibility of a relationship between strategic knowledge management (SKM) processes and organisation performance compared between multinational companies and their subsidiaries. The research will also analyse the impact of relational context on knowledge creation and transfer.

Topic 5: Analyzing the Relationship between Knowledge Management Practices and Knowledge Worker Performance - The Mediating Role of Organisational Commitment

Research Aim: The study will analyse the role of knowledge management practices to address the issues of insufficient organisational commitment and knowledge workers’ performance in the UK’s public sectors. The proposed study will use quantitative research techniques to fulfil its aim and objectives.

Topic 6: The Relationship between Knowledge Management Processes and Sustainable Competitive Advantage in Private Business Schools in the UK

Research Aim: The proposed research will explore the impact of knowledge management processes on sustainable completive advantages by using knowledge-based view (KBV) and resource-based view (RBV) as mediators in the relationship. The research will be conducted using quantitative techniques of data collection (i.e. questionnaire) and analysis (i.e. structural equation modelling).

Topic 7: The Impact of Strategic Knowledge Management on Manufacturing Firm’s Performance

Research Aim: The purpose of the study will be to empirically investigate the relationship between the availability and use of IT solutions for strategic knowledge management and a manufacturing firm’s performance, which will be measured in unit production. The research will use the resource-based view and the knowledge-based theory to develop a conceptual framework to analyze this relationship’s effect.

Topic 8: Evaluating how Knowledge Management Impacts Company Performance: A Case Study of Sainsbury

Research Aim: This research will discuss the basic concepts of knowledge management. The study will also discuss the impact knowledge management has on a company’s performance, i.e. how it helps companies achieve their goals. The main focus of this research work will be on Sainsbury’s knowledge management framework.

Topic 9: Knowledge Management as a Core Competency? Evaluating the Application and Benefits of Knowledge Management

Research Aim: This research will uncover how companies utilise knowledge management as their core competency and how it benefits their business operations. This study’s main focus will be on applying the various concepts of knowledge management and their implication for businesses.

Topic 10: Exploring the Managerial Concerns and Issues in Knowledge Management and Their Impact on Organisations

Research Aim: This research will explore the managerial concerns and issues related to knowledge management. The study will also focus on assessing the impact of these issues on businesses and how they can influence day-to-day operations. This will be an evidence-based study where evidence from different companies and various situations will be evaluated.

Leadership and Management Information System Dissertation Topics

Leadership drives the organisational agenda and is regarded as one of the most influential factors in streamlining organisations’ processes. Good leadership results in better performance of any organisation because it gives direction to the business activities under the market conditions and requirements.

Similarly, management information systems are pivotal to any organisation’s success and successfully implementing them can benefit the organisation in many ways. Following are some dissertation topics under the subject of leadership and management information systems;

Topic 1: The Role of Information Systems (IS) in Enterprise Architecture and its Impact on Business Performance

Research Aim: This study will examine the relationship between IS Enterprise Architecture and business performance using technical alignment and IS capabilities mediators. This research will be conducted using quantitative techniques to fulfil its aim.

Topic 2: Exploring The Relationship between Ethical Leadership and Employee Knowledge Sharing

Research Aim: This research will use social learning theories and self-determination to investigate the relationship between ethical learning and employee knowledge sharing. The study will be conducted using empirical research techniques.

Topic 3: Analysing the Impact of Relationship Leadership and Social Alignment on Information Security Systems Effectiveness in Private Organisations

Research Aim: This research will use social capital theory as its theoretical foundation to explore the impact of relational leadership on social alignment between business and IT executives. The relational model will study the factors of integrated knowledge, information security system effectiveness, and organisational performance. This research will use empirical techniques.

Topic 4: Examining the Relationship between Operating Room (OR) Leadership and Operating Staff Performance

Research Aim: This research will analyse the relationship between Operating Room leadership and operating staff performance. This will be done using emotional intelligence and collaboration variables to assess staff performance, using recovery numbers. The relationship will also be examined through the mediating role of leadership principles. The data will be collected and assessed using quantitative research techniques.

Topic 5: The Role of Transformational Leadership as a Mediating Variable in the DeLone and McLean Information Success Model.

Research Aim: The research will use the DeLone and McLean Information Success Model to analyse if productivity software implemented in an organisation can improve its performance. However, the research will also evaluate the model and propose modifications to include transformational leadership as a mediating factor in the information success model. The research will be quantitative in nature.

Topic 6: Assessing the Role of Leadership in an Organisation to Help Adopt Advanced Technological Systems

Research Aim: This research will assess the role of leadership in an organisation to help companies realise the importance of innovative, technologically advanced systems. Many companies today are still naive to the ever more important role of technology. Thus this research will aim to help companies adopt innovative technological systems through leadership. The research will be evidence-based in nature.

Topic 7: Evaluating How Changing Business Leadership Impacts Technological Organisational Performance

Research Aim: Changing leadership in organisations can prove a disaster if not handled properly. The transition process is extremely challenging, and companies should have the capability to handle this phase. This research will explore how their decision to change leadership impacts technological and organisational performance and how to optimise the process. This research will be quantitative in nature.

Topic 8: Can Information Systems in Organisations Be Considered a Competitive Advantage?

Research Aim: Information systems, if implemented successfully, benefit organisations immensely. The impact that an information system has and its results help companies stay ahead of their competitors. This research will assess how companies can turn their information systems into a competitive advantage, and most importantly, whether they or not information systems should be considered a competitive advantage.

Topic 9: Understanding the Leadership Challenges of Implementing and Managing an Advanced Information System in an Organisation

Research Aim: This research will help explain the challenges that managers and the entire leadership of an organisation face when implementing an advanced information system. Bringing a change in a company is challenging, and throw in a technology to implement, the process becomes even more challenging. This study will explore in detail all related challenges through quantitative research.

Topic 10: Do all Business Processes in an Organisation need Information System Management?

Research Aim: It is often argued that not all business processes require information systems. However, when talking about today’s world and the technological advancements taking place, it is recommended that business processes in organisations adopt the technology. This research will be a comparative analysis of whether companies are successful and profitable with information systems or without them.

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Organisational Culture and International Business Dissertation Topics

Organisational culture shapes the work ethics and helps in defining the professional image of organisations. Organisational culture plays a huge role in international business.

Organisations that adopt the country’s culture they are operating in are known to run their operations more successfully. The following topics are related to organisational culture and international business and help students choose an appropriate topic according to their interests.

Topic 1: The Impact of Organisational Culture of Collaborative Networks Influence on IT Governance Performance in Large Enterprises

Research Aim: This research will explore the influence of collaborative networks’ organisational culture on IT governance performance. The study will use a case study to analyse multinationals as they have a wide working network. The purpose of the research will be to determine whether or not organisational culture helps businesses effectively use IT in business operations. The research will be conducted using mixed methods research.

Topic 2: Analysing the Relationship between Supervisor’s Job insecurity and Subordinates’ Work Engagement

Research Aim: The purpose of this research is two-fold. The research will analyse the relationship between the supervisor’s job insecurity and subordinates’ work engagement using a mediator and a moderator. The research will first examine the mediating role of subordinate’s pro-social voice between supervisor job insecurity and subordinates’ work engagement. Next, the research will examine the moderating role of organisational culture between the supervisor’s job insecurity and sub-ordinates pro-social voice. The research will be conducted through quantitative techniques.

Topic 3: Analysing the Impact of Individual Perception of Organisational Culture on the Learning Transfer Environment

Research Aim: The research will be conducted empirically to assess the relationship between culture (as perceived by employees) and the work environment based learning factors (i.e. learning transfer environment [LTE]) in the organisation). LTE is measured using feedback and coaching factors that received resistance or openness to chance, personal outcomes, and supervisor and peer support.

Topic 4: The Role of Organisational Culture on the Development of Psychological Distress in the Workplace

Research Aim: The purpose of the study will be to analyse how organisational culture may cause the symptoms of psychological distress in the workforce. The study will use corporate culture and work organisation conditions as base factors to relate them to employees’ psychological distress. The research will be conducted using quantitative research techniques.

Topic 5: Analysing the Role of Leadership and Organisational Culture

Research Aim: The research will examine the relationship between organisational culture, leadership and employee outcomes. The paper will focus on the mediator of leadership processes and their impact on the relationship between culture and employee outcomes. The study will be conducted using quantitative research techniques.

Topic 6: The Role and Relationships among Strategic Orientations, Cultural Intelligence, International Diversification and Performance of Organisations

Research Aim: The research will aim to understand the drivers of the international expansion of globalised firms. The research will explore the relationship between strategic orientations and cultural intelligence as drivers and international diversification and firm performance. Strategic orientations used in the study include international market orientation (IMO) and entrepreneurial orientation (IEO). The study will be conducted using quantitative research techniques.

Topic 7: Dynamics of Corruption Culture Distance to Core Values

Research Aim: The research will examine how corporate bribery is impacted by cultural distance between multinational enterprises (MNEs) in their home and host countries. The research will also analyse the organisational distance to core value between MNE’s entry into the host country and its headquarters. The research will use empirical data collection and analysis techniques.

Topic 8: Examining Organisational Export Performance by International Business Competencies

Research Aim: The study aims to explore the relationship between international business competencies and export performance. The research will also analyse export performance by singular analysis or combined analysis of the competencies. The research will be conducted using empirical data.

Topic 9: Does Organisational Culture Influence the Leadership Type that a Company Should Adopt?

Research Aim: This research will argue whether companies should hire leaders concerning their culture or not. Organisational culture and leadership are interconnected. Thus companies that do not operate according to their culture struggle to grow exponentially. This research will aim to focus on the possible relationship between leadership and organisational culture. The research will be evidence-based.

Topic 10: Organisational Culture and International Business Competition: Are they Interrelated?

Research Aim: Organisational culture plays a huge role in making a company competitive internationally. When a business’s culture is motivating to all employees and identifies the right culture for its employees, there is every likelihood of rapid growth for both the company and the employees. The research will explore how the two concepts are interrelated.

Important Notes:

As a management student looking to get good grades, it is essential to develop new ideas and experiment with existing management theories – i.e., to add value and interest to your research topic.

The management field is vast and interrelated to many other academic disciplines like operations management , business , business administration , MBA , human resource management and more. That is why creating a management dissertation topic that is particular, sound, and actually solves a practical problem that may be rampant in the field is imperative.

We can’t stress how important it is to develop a logical research topic based on your entire research. There are several significant downfalls to getting your topic wrong; your supervisor may not be interested in working on it, the topic has no academic creditability, the research may not make logical sense, there is a possibility that the study is not viable.

This impacts your time and efforts in writing your dissertation , as you may end up in the cycle of rejection at the initial stage of the dissertation. That is why we recommend reviewing existing research to develop a topic, taking advice from your supervisor, and even asking for help in this particular stage of your dissertation.

Keeping our advice in mind while developing a research topic will allow you to pick one of the best management dissertation topics that fulfil your requirement of writing a research paper and adds to the body of knowledge.

Therefore, it is recommended that when finalizing your dissertation topic, you read recently published literature to identify gaps in the research that you may help fill.

Remember- dissertation topics need to be unique, solve an identified problem, be logical, and be practically implemented. Please look at some of our sample management dissertation topics to get an idea for your own dissertation.

How to Structure your Management Dissertation

A well-structured dissertation can help students to achieve a high overall academic grade.

A Title Page
Acknowledgements
Declaration
Abstract: A summary of the research completed
Table of Contents
Introduction : This chapter includes the project rationale, research background, key research aims and objectives, and the research problems. An outline of the structure of a dissertation can also be added to this chapter.
Literature Review : This chapter presents relevant theories and frameworks by analysing published and unpublished literature on the chosen research topic to address research questions . The purpose is to highlight and discuss the selected research area’s relative weaknesses and strengths while identifying research gaps. Break down the topic and key terms that can positively impact your dissertation and your tutor.
Methodology : The data collection and analysis methods and techniques employed by the researcher are presented in the Methodology chapter, which usually includes research design , research philosophy, research limitations, code of conduct, ethical consideration, data collection methods, and data analysis strategy .
Findings and Analysis : Findings of the research are analysed in detail under the Findings and Analysis chapter. All key findings/results are outlined in this chapter without interpreting the data or drawing any conclusions. It can be useful to include graphs, charts, and tables in this chapter to identify meaningful trends and relationships.
Discussion and Conclusion : The researcher presents his interpretation of results in this chapter and states whether the research hypothesis has been verified or not. An essential aspect of this section is establishing the link between the results and evidence from the literature. Recommendations with regards to implications of the findings and directions for the future may also be provided. Finally, a summary of the overall research, along with final judgments, opinions, and comments, must be included in the form of suggestions for improvement.
References : Make sure to complete this by your University’s requirements
Bibliography
Appendices : Any additional information, diagrams, and graphs used to complete the dissertation but not part of the dissertation should be included in the Appendices chapter. Essentially, the purpose is to expand the information/data.

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Frequently Asked Questions

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Leadership Research Paper Topics

The exploration of leadership research paper topics is a vital task for students studying management. These topics delve into the theory and practice of leadership, offering valuable insights into the dynamics of organizational success. The following guide provides a comprehensive list of leadership research paper topics categorized into ten areas, from leadership theories and styles to the role of women in leadership. This guide will also discuss the breadth and depth of leadership as a research area, advise on how to choose the right topic, and share tips on writing an excellent leadership research paper. We will then introduce the custom paper writing services offered by iResearchNet, which can provide expert, tailored assistance for any leadership research topic. The text concludes with a compelling call-to-action, encouraging students to leverage iResearchNet’s services for their research paper needs. The central aim is to facilitate students’ journey in leadership studies, fostering academic growth and development.

100 Leadership Research Paper Topics

Studying leadership calls for a comprehensive variety of topics, reflecting the broad and deep nature of this area of study. This section presents a vast array of potential topics, categorized into ten key areas, each featuring ten unique subjects for investigation. This presents a multitude of directions for students to dive deep into their leadership research papers.

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Get 10% off with 24start discount code, 1. leadership theories:.

Analysis of the evolution of leadership theories from trait to situational theories.
A comparative study of transformational and transactional leadership models.
A deep dive into the contingency theories of leadership.
A practical exploration of the path-goal theory in modern organizations.
An examination of servant leadership theory’s applicability in non-profit organizations.
Exploring the role of emotional intelligence in the framework of authentic leadership.
Evaluating the impact of charismatic leadership on employee motivation and productivity.
Adaptive leadership theory in crisis management: an exploration.
A detailed study of the correlation between leadership theories and personality traits.
Leadership theories’ applications and implications in team management and dynamics.

2. Leadership Styles:

The implications of autocratic leadership on employee satisfaction and morale.
How democratic leadership fosters innovation and creativity in the workplace.
The role and effects of laissez-faire leadership in creative industries.
An investigation of transformational leadership’s influence on organizational culture.
Evaluating the impact of transactional leadership on performance metrics.
Applicability and effectiveness of servant leadership in corporate settings.
Pros and cons of paternalistic leadership in different organizational structures.
An examination of strategic leadership in the rapidly evolving tech industry.
Analyzing the effects of adaptive leadership in the complex field of healthcare.
A correlation study of leadership styles and employee retention rates.

3. Leadership and Ethics:

Ethical leadership’s role in shaping and promoting corporate social responsibility.
Analysis of the ethical dilemmas encountered by leaders in healthcare organizations.
How ethical leadership moulds and influences organizational culture.
A study on the corporate scandals resulted from unethical leadership.
The ethical considerations in leadership decision-making processes.
The relationship between ethical leadership and employees’ moral judgments.
A sector-focused analysis of leadership ethics in the banking industry.
Measuring the impact of ethical leadership on brand reputation.
Exploring the influence of ethical leadership on corporate sustainability strategies.
Leadership ethics in political organizations: an in-depth study.

4. Leadership and Diversity:

The impact of diverse leadership on an organization’s inclusivity.
Cultural diversity’s influence on leadership styles in multinational organizations.
A study on the challenges faced by women in leadership roles.
Evaluating the role of leadership in promoting gender equity in corporate organizations.
The effect of diverse leadership on fostering innovation in multinational corporations.
An examination of racial diversity in leadership and its effect on corporate image.
Understanding the benefits and challenges of age diversity in leadership roles.
Unraveling the opportunities and difficulties faced by LGBT+ individuals in leadership positions.
Leadership strategies to effectively manage and promote diversity in the workplace.
Leadership diversity’s impact on corporate social responsibility initiatives.

5. Leadership in Different Industries:

The pivotal role of leadership in tech startups’ growth trajectory.
Leadership in the healthcare industry: navigating through challenges and seizing opportunities.
An exploration of military leadership principles and their potential application in a corporate setting.
Characteristics of effective leadership in the hospitality industry: a detailed study.
The significance of impactful leadership in the functioning of non-profit organizations.
Leadership strategies that drive success in the retail industry.
The role of leadership in driving innovation in the automotive industry.
The best practices of effective leadership in the education sector.
The influence of leadership on team performance in professional sports.
Defining the traits of successful leadership in the fast-paced entertainment industry.

6. Leadership and Change Management:

Exploring the impact of transformational leadership on change management processes.
The role of leadership in shaping and implementing successful change initiatives.
Understanding the leadership styles most effective for managing organizational change.
A detailed study on leadership’s role in overcoming resistance to change.
Leadership in driving and managing technological change in digital companies.
An examination of adaptive leadership during organizational restructuring.
The correlation between strategic leadership and successful change management.
Influence of leadership on change acceptance and adaptation among employees.
The role of leadership communication in managing change effectively.
Examining the impact of leadership in change management across different industries.

7. Leadership and Employee Motivation:

Impact of transformational leadership on employee motivation and job satisfaction.
How leadership can influence employee motivation through effective communication.
An exploration of the relationship between leadership styles and employee motivation levels.
How servant leadership enhances employee motivation and engagement.
Evaluating the role of leadership in developing effective reward systems for employee motivation.
Examining the effects of charismatic leadership on employee motivation.
The influence of leadership behavior on intrinsic and extrinsic motivation.
Leadership strategies for fostering a motivating work environment.
How leadership can use job design to enhance employee motivation.
The impact of leadership recognition on employee motivation and performance.

8. Leadership Development:

Understanding the role of mentoring in leadership development.
Examining the importance of continuous learning in leadership development.
The impact of coaching on leadership skill development.
Analyzing the effectiveness of various leadership development programs.
The role of experiential learning in the development of leadership skills.
Influence of leadership development on succession planning in organizations.
Investigating the role of self-awareness in leadership development.
Evaluating the role of feedback in the leadership development process.
The impact of leadership development initiatives on organizational performance.
Understanding the importance of emotional intelligence in leadership development.

9. Leadership and Organizational Culture:

The role of leadership in shaping and sustaining organizational culture.
Analyzing the influence of leadership style on organizational culture.
A study on how effective leadership can instill a culture of innovation.
Investigating the relationship between leadership and organizational culture in multinational corporations.
Exploring the effects of leadership communication on organizational culture.
How transformational leadership influences a culture of teamwork.
The role of leadership in promoting an ethical organizational culture.
The influence of servant leadership on organizational culture.
Leadership’s role in the creation and management of a customer-oriented culture.
The impact of leadership transition on organizational culture.

10. Leadership and Decision Making:

The role of leadership in strategic decision making.
The influence of different leadership styles on decision-making processes.
Evaluating the impact of leadership on ethical decision making in organizations.
An exploration of how leadership affects group decision-making processes.
The role of leadership intuition in decision making.
Leadership strategies for effective crisis decision making.
The influence of leadership in data-driven decision making.
The impact of transformational leadership on innovative decision making.
Leadership and decision-making under uncertainty: a comprehensive study.
How leadership influences employee involvement in decision making.

These varied topics allow students to explore different aspects of leadership, spanning theory, styles, ethics, diversity, industry specifics, change management, employee motivation, development, organizational culture, and decision making. The broad range enables students to select a topic that aligns with their personal interests and professional aspirations. This extensive list also gives students the freedom to narrow their focus and delve deep into a specialized area of leadership. Thus, creating a foundation for an insightful and meaningful research paper.

The Range of Leadership Research Paper Topics

Leadership is an inherently complex and multifaceted concept, embodying various dimensions of organizational functioning. It is a dynamic process involving influence, direction, and facilitation towards achieving a common objective. Therefore, leadership has a profound influence on the behaviors, attitudes, and overall performance of an organization, making it a fertile ground for extensive and diverse research.

The range of leadership research paper topics is vast, reflecting the wide-ranging implications of leadership in different contexts. This breadth allows students to delve into various aspects of leadership, from exploring various leadership styles such as transformational, transactional, autocratic, democratic, and servant leadership, to understanding their effects on team dynamics, employee performance, motivation, and job satisfaction.

For instance, research into the various leadership styles provides critical insights into how different approaches to leadership can influence an organization’s effectiveness. Transformational leadership, for example, emphasizes the leader’s role in inspiring and motivating followers, fostering innovation, and driving change. In contrast, transactional leadership focuses on clear role and task definitions, rewards, and punishments as motivational tools.

Moreover, the intersection of leadership and ethics is another prolific area of research. Ethical leadership explores how leaders can integrate ethical principles into their decision-making processes, cultivate ethical behaviors within their teams, and ultimately foster an ethical organizational culture. Research in this field can range from examining the influence of ethical leadership on employee behavior to investigating the strategies leaders can employ to navigate ethical dilemmas.

Diversity in leadership, a critical aspect in the current globalized business environment, offers another area of intriguing research potential. Diverse leadership promotes a plethora of viewpoints, encourages creativity and innovation, and enhances organizational adaptability. Research topics in this category can involve investigating the effect of diverse leadership on team performance, the challenges and strategies in managing a diverse leadership team, or understanding how leadership can promote diversity and inclusion within an organization.

Research on leadership in different industrial and organizational contexts also offers a wealth of research paper topics. This can include leadership in healthcare, exploring how leaders can effectively manage healthcare professionals, improve patient outcomes, and drive change in the healthcare system. Leadership in educational settings, examining how school leaders can impact educational outcomes, foster a conducive learning environment, and navigate the unique challenges in the education sector.

Leadership’s role in change management is another critical area of research. Change is a constant factor in any organization, and effective leadership is critical in navigating this change successfully. Research topics here can focus on the various leadership strategies in implementing change, the challenges leaders face in this process, and the critical role leadership plays in overcoming resistance to change.

The impact of leadership on employee motivation also provides a rich area for investigation. The influence a leader has on an employee’s motivation levels can significantly affect job satisfaction, productivity, and retention. Topics here can explore the different leadership strategies that can enhance employee motivation, the role of leadership in developing effective reward systems, or how leadership behavior affects intrinsic and extrinsic motivation.

Leadership development is another theme rich in research opportunities. The creation of effective leaders is crucial to an organization’s success. Therefore, investigating leadership development programs, the role of coaching and mentoring in leadership development, or the impact of leadership development initiatives on organizational performance are all meaningful research directions.

In conclusion, the diversity in leadership research paper topics allows students to explore and investigate various areas of leadership theory and practice. From understanding different leadership styles and their effects, to delving into leadership ethics, diversity, industry-specific leadership, change management, motivation, and leadership development, the possibilities are extensive. This breadth and depth enable students to gain a comprehensive understanding of leadership and its vital role in shaping organizational success. The explorative journey into these leadership research paper topics lays a robust foundation for future leaders, providing them with essential insights into effective leadership practices.

How to Choose Leadership Research Paper Topics

Choosing the right topic for a leadership research paper is a critical first step in the process of writing a top-notch research paper. The right topic is not just a subject you find interesting, but one that is unique, manageable, and relevant to your course of study. In this section, we provide ten comprehensive tips to guide you in choosing the best leadership research paper topic.

Identify Your Interest : Start by identifying what aspects of leadership interest you the most. Are you more drawn to the psychological aspects of leadership, such as how leaders motivate their teams, or are you more interested in the organizational aspects, such as how leadership styles impact company culture? Personal interest in a topic can make the research process more engaging and the writing process more enjoyable.
Brainstorm : Spend time brainstorming potential topics. Write down everything that comes to mind, no matter how broad or specific. This process can help you to identify potential areas of interest and narrow down your options.
Research Existing Literature : Before settling on a topic, take some time to read up on existing literature in the field of leadership. This can help you to identify gaps in knowledge that your research could fill, or controversial issues that could be the focus of your paper.
Consider the Scope : Consider the scope of your research paper. If it’s a shorter paper, you’ll need a narrower topic. Conversely, for a longer paper, you can choose a broader topic that you can explore in detail.
Consult Your Supervisor or Peers : Discuss potential topics with your supervisor or classmates. They may offer a fresh perspective or suggest areas of interest that you hadn’t considered.
Check for Resources : Ensure that there are enough resources available for your chosen topic. This can include books, peer-reviewed articles, and credible online sources. Having enough sources will make your research process smoother and more productive.
Relevance to Your Course : The topic you choose should be relevant to your course and future career. For example, if you plan to work in the non-profit sector, you might choose a topic related to leadership in non-profit organizations.
Flexibility : Be flexible with your topic. As you start your research, you may find that your initial topic is too broad, too narrow, or not as interesting as you thought. Don’t be afraid to refine and modify your topic as needed.
Uniqueness : While it’s good to align with current research trends, strive for uniqueness in your topic. Don’t just rehash old studies; instead, seek to contribute something new and meaningful to the field of leadership research.
Practical Implications : Lastly, consider the practical implications of your research. Good research not only contributes to academic knowledge but also has practical applications. Choose a topic that could potentially inform leadership practices in real-world settings.

In conclusion, choosing a topic for a leadership research paper involves careful consideration of your interests, the scope of the paper, available resources, and the potential impact of your research. While the process can be challenging, the result is a topic that you’re passionate about and invested in, which ultimately makes for a higher quality research paper. Remember, the topic you choose sets the foundation for your entire paper, so take the time to choose wisely!

How to Write a Leadership Research Paper

Writing a leadership research paper is an intricate process that requires careful planning, thorough research, and detailed writing. A well-written research paper not only demonstrates your understanding of leadership principles but also your ability to critically analyze information, formulate arguments, and present your ideas in a clear and coherent manner. Below are ten comprehensive steps to guide you in writing an outstanding leadership research paper.

Understanding the Assignment : Before you begin the actual writing process, make sure you understand the assignment requirements. What is the length of the paper? What is the deadline? Are there specific sources or citation styles you need to use? Understanding these requirements will help guide your research and writing process.
Choose a Topic : If you haven’t been assigned a specific topic, use the tips provided in the previous section to choose a suitable topic for your leadership research paper. Make sure it’s a topic you’re interested in and one that is relevant to the course.
Conduct Preliminary Research : Conduct initial research to get an overview of your chosen topic. Use this research to refine your topic and formulate a preliminary thesis statement. This statement will guide your further research and help focus your paper.
Develop a Thesis Statement : Your thesis statement should clearly express the main point or argument of your research paper. It should be concise, specific, and arguable. A good thesis statement will guide your research and provide a roadmap for your paper.
Create an Outline : An outline helps to organize your thoughts and ensure that you cover all the necessary points. It should include an introduction, body paragraphs (each with a sub-point supporting your thesis), and a conclusion. Outlining can also help you identify gaps in your research or arguments.
Conduct In-Depth Research : At this point, dive deeper into your research. Utilize various sources, including books, academic journals, reputable websites, and interviews. Remember to evaluate the credibility of your sources and to take detailed notes, including the source information for citation purposes.
Write the First Draft : Using your outline as a guide, start writing the first draft of your paper. Don’t worry about making it perfect; focus on getting your ideas down first. Start with the body paragraphs, then write the introduction and conclusion.
Revise and Edit : Review your first draft, looking for any inconsistencies, redundancies, or areas that lack clarity. Check the flow of your arguments, the strength of your thesis statement, and the organization of your paper. Also, ensure that each paragraph has a clear topic sentence and that it supports the thesis statement.
Proofread : After revising your content, proofread for grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors. You can use proofreading software, but also consider reading your paper aloud or having someone else proofread it.
Cite Your Sources : Lastly, properly cite all the sources you used in your paper. Ensure that your in-text citations and reference list comply with the citation style required for your assignment (e.g., APA, MLA, Chicago/Turabian, Harvard).

In conclusion, writing a leadership research paper is a step-by-step process that requires thorough research, careful planning, and detailed writing. It may be a challenging task, but it’s also an opportunity to deepen your understanding of leadership and hone your academic writing skills. With commitment, patience, and the right strategies, you can successfully write a high-quality leadership research paper.

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Expert Degree-Holding Writers : iResearchNet is home to a team of professional writers who hold advanced degrees in various fields, including management and leadership. These experts bring a wealth of knowledge and hands-on experience, making them perfectly suited to handle any leadership research paper.
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In-depth Research : Each research paper is built on a foundation of in-depth research. Our writers understand the significance of thorough and detailed research, and they use reliable sources to gather relevant information, ensuring your paper is comprehensive and insightful.
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leadership and management research topics

Research Topics & Ideas: Business

50+ Management Research Topic Ideas To Fast-Track Your Project

Finding and choosing a strong research topic is the critical first step when it comes to crafting a high-quality dissertation, thesis or research project. If you’ve landed on this post, chances are you’re looking for a business/management-related research topic , but aren’t sure where to start. Here, we’ll explore a variety of research ideas and topic thought-starters for management-related research degrees (MBAs/DBAs, etc.). These research topics span management strategy, HR, finance, operations, international business and leadership.

NB – This is just the start…

The topic ideation and evaluation process has multiple steps . In this post, we’ll kickstart the process by sharing some research topic ideas within the management domain. This is the starting point, but to develop a well-defined research topic, you’ll need to identify a clear and convincing research gap , along with a well-justified plan of action to fill that gap.

If you’re new to the oftentimes perplexing world of research, or if this is your first time undertaking a formal academic research project, be sure to check out our free dissertation mini-course. In it, we cover the process of writing a dissertation or thesis from start to end. Be sure to also sign up for our free webinar that explores how to find a high-quality research topic.

Overview: Business Research Topics

Business /management strategy
Human resources (HR) and industrial psychology
Finance and accounting
Operations management
International business
Actual business dissertations & theses

Strategy-Related Research Topics

An analysis of the impact of digital transformation on business strategy in consulting firms
The role of innovation in transportation practices for creating a competitive advantage within the agricultural sector
Exploring the effect of globalisation on strategic decision-making practices for multinational Fashion brands.
An evaluation of corporate social responsibility in shaping business strategy, a case study of power utilities in Nigeria
Analysing the relationship between corporate culture and business strategy in the new digital era, exploring the role of remote working.
Assessing the impact of sustainability practices on business strategy and performance in the motor vehicle manufacturing industry
An analysis of the effect of social media on strategic partnerships and alliances development in the insurance industry
Exploring the role of data-driven decision-making in business strategy developments following supply-chain disruptions in the agricultural sector
Developing a conceptual framework for assessing the influence of market orientation on business strategy and performance in the video game publishing industry
A review of strategic cost management best practices in the healthcare sector of Indonesia
Identification of key strategic considerations required for the effective implementation of Industry 4.0 to develop a circular economy
Reviewing how Globalisation has affected business model innovation strategies in the education sector
A comparison of merger and acquisition strategies’ effects on novel product development in the Pharmaceutical industry
An analysis of market strategy performance during recessions, a retrospective review of the luxury goods market in the US
Comparing the performance of digital stakeholder engagement strategies and their contribution towards meeting SDGs in the mining sector

Topics & Ideas: Human Resources (HR)

Exploring the impact of digital employee engagement practices on organizational performance in SMEs
The role of diversity and inclusion in the workplace
An evaluation of remote employee training and development programs efficacy in the e-commerce sector
Comparing the effect of flexible work arrangements on employee satisfaction and productivity across generational divides
Assessing the relationship between gender-focused employee empowerment programs and job satisfaction in the UAE
A review of the impact of technology and digitisation on human resource management practices in the construction industry
An analysis of the role of human resource management in talent acquisition and retention in response to globalisation and crisis, a case study of the South African power utility
The influence of leadership style on remote working employee motivation and performance in the education sector.
A comparison of performance appraisal systems for managing employee performance in the luxury retail fashion industry
An examination of the relationship between work-life balance and job satisfaction in blue-collar workplaces, A systematic review
Exploring HR personnel’s experiences managing digital workplace bullying in multinational corporations
Assessing the success of HR team integration following merger and acquisition on employee engagement and performance
Exploring HR green practices and their effects on retention of millennial talent in the fintech industry
Assessing the impact of human resources analytics in successfully navigating digital transformation within the healthcare sector
Exploring the role of HR staff in the development and maintenance of ethical business practices in fintech SMEs
An analysis of employee perceptions of current HRM practices in a fully remote IT workspace

Topics & Ideas: Finance & Accounting

An analysis of the effect of employee financial literacy on decision-making in manufacturing start-ups in Ghana
Assessing the impact of corporate green innovation on financial performance in listed companies in Estonia
Assessing the effect of corporate governance on financial performance in the mining industry in Papua New Guinea
An evaluation of financial risk management practices in the construction industry of Saudi Arabia
Exploring the role of leadership financial literacy in the transition from start-up to scale-up in the retail e-commerce industry.
A review of influential macroeconomic factors on the adoption of cryptocurrencies as legal tender
An examination of the use of financial derivatives in risk management
Exploring the impact of the cryptocurrency disruption on stock trading practices in the EU
An analysis of the relationship between corporate social responsibility and financial performance in academic publishing houses
A comparison of financial ratios performance in evaluating E-commerce startups in South Korea.
An evaluation of the role of government policies in facilitating manufacturing companies’ successful transitioning from start-up to scale-ups in Denmark
Assessing the financial value associated with industry 4.0 transitions in the Indian pharmaceutical industry
Exploring the role of effective e-leadership on financial performance in the Nigerian fintech industry
A review of digital disruptions in CRM practices and their associated financial impact on listed companies during the Covid-19 pandemic
Exploring the importance of Sharia-based business practices on SME financial performance in multicultural countries

Free Webinar: How To Find A Dissertation Research Topic

Ideas: Operations Management

An assessment of the impact of blockchain technology on operations management practices in the transport industry of Estonia
An evaluation of supply chain disruption management strategies and their impact on business performance in Lithuania
Exploring the role of lean manufacturing in the automotive industry of Malaysia and its effects on improving operational efficiency
A critical review of optimal operations management strategies in luxury goods manufacturing for ensuring supply chain resilience
Exploring the role of globalization on Supply chain diversification, a pre/post analysis of the COVID-19 pandemic
An analysis of the relationship between quality management and customer satisfaction in subscription-based business models
Assessing the cost of sustainable sourcing practices on operations management and supply chain resilience in the Cocao industry.
An examination of the adoption of behavioural predictive analytics in operations management practices, a case study of the
Italian automotive industry
Exploring the effect of operational complexity on business performance following digital transformation
An evaluation of barriers to the implementation of agile methods in project management within governmental institutions
Assessing how the relationship between operational processes and business strategy change as companies transition from start-ups to scale-ups
Exploring the relationship between operational management and innovative business models, lessons from the fintech industry
A review of best practices for operations management facilitating the transition towards a circular economy in the fast food industry
Exploring the viability of lean manufacturing practices in Vietnam’s plastics industry
Assessing engagement in cybersecurity considerations associated with operations management practices in industry 4.0 manufacturing

Research Topic Kickstarter - Need Help Finding A Research Topic?

Topics & Ideas: International Business

The impact of cultural differences in communication on international business relationships
An evaluation of the role of government import and export policies in shaping international business practices
The effect of global shipping conditions on international business strategies
An analysis of the challenges of managing multinational corporations: branch management
The influence of social media marketing on international business operations
The role of international trade agreements on business activities in developing countries
An examination of the impact of currency fluctuations on international business and cost competitiveness
The relationship between international business and sustainable development: perspectives and benefits
An evaluation of the challenges and opportunities of doing business in emerging markets such as the renewable energy industry
An analysis of the role of internationalisation via strategic alliances in international business
The impact of cross-cultural management on international business performance
The effect of political instability on international business operations: A case study of Russia
An analysis of the role of intellectual property rights in an international technology company’s business strategies
The relationship between corporate social responsibility and international business strategy: a comparative study of different industries
The impact of technology on international business in the fashion industry

Topics & Ideas: Leadership

A comparative study of the impact of different leadership styles on organizational performance
An evaluation of transformational leadership in today’s non-profit organizations
The role of emotional intelligence in effective leadership and productivity
An analysis of the relationship between leadership style and employee motivation
The influence of diversity and inclusion on leadership practices in South Africa
The impact of Artificial Intelligence technology on leadership in the digital age
An examination of the challenges of leadership in a rapidly changing business environment: examples from the finance industry
The relationship between leadership and corporate culture and job satisfaction
An evaluation of the role of transformational leadership in strategic decision-making
The use of leadership development programs in enhancing leadership effectiveness in multinational organisations
The impact of ethical leadership on organizational trust and reputation: an empirical study
An analysis of the relationship between various leadership styles and employee well-being in healthcare organizations
The role of leadership in promoting good work-life balance and job satisfaction in the age of remote work
The influence of leadership on knowledge sharing and innovation in the technology industry
An investigation of the impact of cultural intelligence on cross-cultural leadership effectiveness in global organizations

Business/Management Dissertation & Theses

While the ideas we’ve presented above are a decent starting point for finding a business-related research topic, they are fairly generic and non-specific. So, it helps to look at actual dissertations and theses to see how this all comes together.

Below, we’ve included a selection of research projects from various management-related degree programs (e.g., MBAs, DBAs, etc.) to help refine your thinking. These are actual dissertations and theses, written as part of Master’s and PhD-level programs, so they can provide some useful insight as to what a research topic looks like in practice.

Sustaining Microbreweries Beyond 5 Years (Yanez, 2022)
Perceived Stakeholder and Stockholder Views: A Comparison Among Accounting Students, Non-Accounting Business Students And Non-Business Students (Shajan, 2020)
Attitudes Toward Corporate Social Responsibility and the New Ecological Paradigm among Business Students in Southern California (Barullas, 2020)
Entrepreneurial opportunity alertness in small business: a narrative research study exploring established small business founders’ experience with opportunity alertness in an evolving economic landscape in the Southeastern United States (Hughes, 2019)
Work-Integrated Learning in Closing Skills Gap in Public Procurement: A Qualitative Phenomenological Study (Culver, 2021)
Analyzing the Drivers and Barriers to Green Business Practices for Small and Medium Enterprises in Ohio (Purwandani, 2020)
The Role of Executive Business Travel in a Virtual World (Gale, 2022)
Outsourcing Security and International Corporate Responsibility: A Critical Analysis of Private Military Companies (PMCs) and Human Rights Violations (Hawkins, 2022)
Lean-excellence business management for small and medium-sized manufacturing companies in Kurdistan region of Iraq (Mohammad, 2021)
Science Data Sharing: Applying a Disruptive Technology Platform Business Model (Edwards, 2022)
Impact of Hurricanes on Small Construction Business and Their Recovery (Sahu, 2022)

Looking at these titles, you can probably pick up that the research topics here are quite specific and narrowly-focused , compared to the generic ones presented earlier. This is an important thing to keep in mind as you develop your own research topic. That is to say, to create a top-notch research topic, you must be precise and target a specific context with specific variables of interest . In other words, you need to identify a clear, well-justified research gap.

Fast-Track Your Topic Ideation

If you’d like hands-on help to speed up your topic ideation process and ensure that you develop a rock-solid research topic, check our our Topic Kickstarter service below.

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Topic Kickstarter: Research topics in education

Great help. thanks

Hi, Your work is very educative, it has widened my knowledge. Thank you so much.

Thank you so much for helping me understand how to craft a research topic. I’m pursuing a PGDE. Thank you

Effect of Leadership, computerized accounting systems, risk management and monitoring on the quality of financial Reports among listed banks

May you assist on a possible PhD topic on analyzing economic behaviours within environmental, climate and energy domains, from a gender perspective. I seek to further investigate if/to which extent policies in these domains can be deemed economically unfair from a gender perspective, and whether the effectiveness of the policies can be increased while striving for inequalities not being perpetuated.

healthy work environment and employee diversity, technological innovations and their role in management practices, cultural difference affecting advertising, honesty as a company policy, an analysis of the relationships between quality management and customer satisfaction in subscription based business model,business corruption cases. That I was selected from the above topics.

Research topic accounting

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182 Hot Leadership Research Topics For You

Do you have a research paper in leadership, and you are stuck or wondering how to get good grades? The first step is selecting a good topic because it will determine how easy or challenging the rest of the process will be. However, selecting good leadership research topics is always challenging because the subject is very wide. Also, writing a high-quality leadership research paper or even business term papers is tough because it requires good research, analytical, and writing skills – a combination that is rare in many students. So, is there a way to prepare high quality papers and get top grades? The answer is “yes,” and we are here to help. This post digs deeper into leadership research papers to help you understand what they are, how to write them like a pro, and finally highlights 182 hot topics for top grades.

What Is Leadership All About?

Leadership is the art of leading a group of people or an organization. The concept is practiced everywhere you go. It is used in schools, home, politics, businesses, church, and government. Therefore, everyone is expected to develop some leadership skills because he/she will, at some point, become a leader.

To hone their focus and skills in leadership, teachers in college often ask students to prepare leadership research papers. Therefore, these papers do not just test the research and writing skills, but also prepare the student to become the next generation leaders. Note that leadership and management should not be confused. This is a common mistake made by many students. Although the two concepts overlap, they are very different. Leadership mainly relates to visions and beliefs, while management focuses on using specific tools and techniques.

How To Write A Good Leadership Research Paper

Now that you know what leadership is all about, how do you go about writing a great research paper? Here are the main steps to follow:

Step one: Understand the assignment from your teacher. For example, does your teacher want you to focus on a specific area, such as nursing? What about the writing style, the number of words, and the deadline?
Step two: Select the preferred topic. This is a very important stage because it sets the stage for the rest of the paper. Make sure to select a topic that is interesting and fun to work on. Also, check to ensure the topic has ample resources to use.
Step three: Research your topic and develop a thesis statement. Armed with the right topic and resources, it is time to carry intensive research on the topic and gather the points that you will discuss in the paper. You should also develop your thesis statement.
Step four: Create the leadership research paper outline. This is your guide, which highlights the structure of the paper. It also tells you where different points will go in the research paper. Note that the structure might be adjusted slightly to cater for more high-value points or supporting evidence that you might get along the way.
Step five: Write the first draft of the research paper, starting with the introduction, a compelling body, and finally, conclusion.
Step Six: Revise the first draft, confirming that all the points are done well, there is good flow, and the lecturer’s instructions are followed. You might want to ask a friend to help with proofreading so that errors that might have skipped your eyes are also noted.

Many students find writing a research paper challenging. Once you are through with all the six steps, your paper is ready for submission. Next, we will highlight the best leadership research topics that you should consider for your assignment.

Research Questions About Leadership

What is the most effective leadership style and how should it be applied?
How does corruption impact leadership development?
What is the importance of leadership succession in organizations?
What roles do leaders play in empowering others?
What are the main leadership style differences between America and Asia?
Leadership in East Europe and the Far East: What are the main differences?
What distinct leadership features can you identify in Bill Gates’ management style?
Why do followers listen to leaders? Analyzing the speech tactics and patterns.
What are the main differences between baby boomers and millennial leadership styles?
What leadership style is practiced in the Catholic Church?
Diversity in the auto industry leadership: Why is it so important?
Bureaucratic structure in government: What impacts does it have on leadership in government?
What skills does every leader require for success?
Accelerating growth in organizations: What leadership strategies should your organization have?
Cross-cultural leadership style: What are the main challenges?
What is the main difference between being a follower and a leader?
Who are the most influential leaders in history?
What role do ethics play in developing a good leader?
What makes a leader believable?
What are the different types of leadership styles?

Organizational Leadership Topics

How staff characteristics impact a person’s leadership style.
What are the impacts of technology in organization leadership?
Sociological factors and how they impact leadership styles.
Economic and political factors: What impacts do they have in organizational leadership?
Organization culture: Is it an obstacle to effective leadership?
Organization change: How can leadership overcome it to improve the performance of an organization?
Comparing organizational leadership in the 20th and 21st centuries.
Business leadership model: A case study of Virgin Atlantic.
Theory of organizational humanism in leadership: What are the limitations?
Comparing the leadership styles of President Barack Obama to Donald Trump.
Training: How does it impact leadership experience?
Is age an important parameter in determining leadership experience?
A review of top job markets that demand experience in leadership.
Comparing online and in-class training and their effectiveness in building good leaders.
Are leaders born or nurtured?
Can a good leader change and become a bad one?
Comparing Hitler and Clinton leadership styles?
Comparing political leadership to political leadership.
What are the main challenges to good organizational leadership?
Angel Merkel’s leadership style review.

Good Leadership Paper Topics

Organizational behavior and theory.
To what level can personality traits predict an individual’s leadership capabilities?
Leadership values and ethics application in public schools in the UK.
A review of leadership and cultural differences.
Globalization and organizational change.
Women leaders and how they are changing society.
Comparing transformational and transactional leadership.
Developing good international business leadership skills.
Leadership roles: A case study of Apple Incorporation.
Leadership programs in business.
Leadership and communication.
Changing a person’s leadership style.
What are the main challenges faced in leadership?
Clearing path to effective leadership.
Leadership and followership.
Entrepreneurial leadership and management in startups.
A review of theories of leadership development.
Principled leadership in the UK.
Emotional intelligence in organization leadership.
A review of the key functions of a leader.

Unique Leadership Topic Ideas

Should coaching and mentorship be made mandatory for all leaders?
What benefits come with using autocratic leadership in the 21st century?
Charismatic leadership can be very dangerous: Discuss with examples.
Should all leaders enforce affirmative action in their organizations?
Impact of political factors in organization leadership.
What conflict resolution skills does your most preferred world leader depict?
A leader is tested by the challenging situations he/she faced along the way: Discuss.
Strategies you can use to build trust among your followers in an organization.
Managing organizations in the 21st century: What strategies can you use to keep your staff motivated?
Is leadership coaching important in running modern organizations?
Leadership training: Does it always result in good management?
Is pursuing a course in leadership worth it?
Leadership training: How can it benefit an organization?
What qualities should make you pursue a course in leadership training?
If you do not intend to lead an organization, is learning leadership necessary?

Leadership Topics for Discussion

The theme of attractiveness in leadership.
How core competencies of leadership function in the hospitality industry.
How does charismatic leadership theory add to the leadership role in operational excellence?
Globalization impact on leadership in financial institutions.
Reviewing the current principles of leadership perspectives from a global perspective.
The practical role of managing leadership in driving performance of complex organizations.
How effective was female leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic era? A case study of New Zealand.
Reviewing leadership challenges in the management of international football: A case study of Barcelona Football Club.
Analyzing bias in education management: A comparative review of colleges in Europe.
Communication and leadership: A discussion.
Othello’s leadership skills review.
Leadership challenges in modern organizations.

Research Topics for Educational Leadership

Managing US-based universities: How does leadership quality matter?
How does institutional management shape learners as future leaders?
Comparing learning institutions with women versus those with men’s leadership.
What role does educational leadership play in society?
Education leadership and its impact in learners’ career paths.
How does education leadership promote transformation in society?
What role do women play in education leadership?
Teachers’ excellence: Evaluating methods that can be used to pass it to learners.
Analyzing the negative traits of learners and how it impacts students in college.
Fight for leadership positions in colleges: How does it impact students?
How does culture impact the running of universities? A case study of Cambridge University.
Technology impact in running education organizations.
Running educational institutions during a pandemic: A review of Harvard University management model at the height of COVID-19 pandemic.
What are the implications of social media on the management of colleges today?
Reviewing the effectiveness of interdisciplinary teams in the leadership of schools.
Should we include the community in the learning of education organizations?
Use of performance appraisals on the leadership of elementary schools in the UK.
A holistic review of gendered leadership on learning of secondary schools in Asia.
Student performance and parent expectations: The mediating role of education institutions.
Is it possible to learn leadership and management?
Standard testing educational programs: Analyzing their efficiency.

Leadership Dissertation Topics

A thematic review of leadership at Toyota Motors.
Leadership and organization change: A case study of Johnson and Johnson Company.
What is the best leadership strategy during a crisis?
Ethical behavior and leadership: What are the main challenges to law enforcement personnel?
Comparing healthcare leadership in public and private hospitals.
Rethinking organization leadership theories.
The whole-person approach to leadership in organizations.
A review of emerging leadership theories.
The application of transformational leadership in human resources management.
Reviewing the effectiveness of leadership in Early Care and Education organizations.
What leadership styles are most common in manufacturing organizations?
Correction facilities leadership: What are the main shortcomings?
Power balances in leadership structures: A case study of New York police service.
Leadership and management styles in emerging countries.
Is it possible to please everyone in leadership? A literature review.
College performance: Should it form the basis of an individual’s leadership?

Nursing Leadership Paper Topics

Leadership in the operating room: What are the best practices?
A systematic review of nursing leadership in emphasizing that all patients are handled with care and dignity: A case study of UK private hospitals.
A review of the rapidly changing approaches to nursing leadership: A case study of New York hospitals.
Reviewing the leadership role in the changing healthcare priorities in the UK healthcare system.
What is the importance of business acumen in running a healthcare facility?
Gender bias in the nursing profession: what strategies can be used to address it?
Nursing uniform code rules: Are they important in promoting better services in the healthcare industry?
What is the convergent point of the nursing theories and leadership theories?
Do nurse leaders develop their skills before starting or after commencing practice?
What are the best strategies for addressing deficiencies in nursing leadership? A case study of Ireland’s healthcare system.
How effective is the nursing unit in healthcare? A review of a healthcare facility near you.

Leadership Research Paper Topics on Women and Gender

What are the main gender issues that affect women leaders?
What are the main factors that impact women leadership at the workplace?
Why do most countries not have women leadership?
Should all leaders in organizations be required by law to nurture women leaders?
Why do women leaders matter so much in modern society?
Roles of women in their families: How do they impact them as leaders?
Can colleges help nurture more female leaders?
Few women leaders in the US organizations are an indication of inequality in society.
Emotional intelligence: Can it help build more leaders?
Comparing the performance of a women-led and man-led organization.
Germany under the leadership of Angela Merkel: What leadership lessons can we learn?
Involvement of women in political parties: Are you satisfied?
Comparing women leadership in Africa and Asia.
Where do you see women leadership in the next 20 years? Discuss.

Interesting Leadership Paper Ideas

Why should leaders be empathetic?
What qualities make a good leader?
Comparing women and men leadership in the 20th century.
Responsibility: Why it is a critical quality of any leader.
Emotional people: Do they qualify for any leadership?
Selfish leaders: Can they bring any positive change?
Confidence helps to define a true leader.
Leadership skills are needed for one to qualify as a leader.
Can a person develop leadership qualities after getting elected?
How attitude prevents women from seeking top leadership positions.
What leadership qualities do you find in yourself?
The importance of leadership diversity.
Discuss transformational leadership in an organization of your choice.
What effect do leadership styles have on employee performance?
Leadership and team building.
Contemporary issues in modern leadership and management.
A deeper look at the human side of leadership and management.

Controversial Leadership Research Topics

What are the impacts of AI adoption on organization leadership?
Leveraging a culture of transformation: Does it mean that you are supporting people to finally topple you?
Can you achieve results without being coercive at work?
Are there instances where using unethical methods to achieve results can be justified?
Women or men: Who are better leaders?
Being positive: Does it always signify good leadership?
All sectors should be led by people who are highly experienced.
All students pursuing masters should undertake leadership courses.
Public relations students: Do they need to undergo leadership training?
Why do employers insist on hiring employees with good leadership qualities?
Is teamwork important in developing one’s leadership skills?
The best solution for effective leadership.
How do you lead an organization during a crisis?
Benefits that come with leading a team in your organization.
In what situations should leaders be limited?
A review of the United Nations Leadership: What areas do you think are lacking?

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Editorial: Leadership and management in organizations: Perspectives from SMEs and MNCs

Introduction.

Leadership and management are fundamental aspects for the smooth performance, progress, and growth of any organization with respect to its nature and the way it operates (Siyal et al., 2021a ). Every multinational, national, SME, and corporate sector needs effective management and leadership. This allows them to perform smoothly and produce significant output, which leads to growth and development. It is believed that the best leadership and management make remarkable contributions to the growth of institutions and yield remarkable outcomes (Siyal and Peng, 2018 ; Kouzes and Posner, 2023 ). This is due to the increasing recognition of and demand for effective leaders and managers by the corporate sectors, MNCs, and SMEs that are aiming to lead the global market. For this, they need qualified, trained, and committed leaders and managers who can efficiently and effectively lead the team, resources, and market. It is evident that several organizations acknowledge the need for effective leadership and efficient management, but they are still uncertain about the proper management, leadership style, and behaviors that are most effective for the growth and development of the corporate sector, MNCs, and SMEs, along with the development of their human resources (Kelly and Hearld, 2020 ; Siyal et al., 2021b ). Considering all these aspects and conflicting results from the past, the role of leadership and management in the smooth operationalization, growth, and development of the corporate sector, MNC, and SMEs remains unresolved.

This Research Topic focuses on leadership and management in organizations in diverse workplace settings including MNCs and SMEs. The call for papers was published between February 2022 and August 2022, during which the COVID-19 pandemic continued to impact some regions but not others. Scholars and practitioners were invited to submit research articles and brief reports pertaining to leadership and management in organizations, including corporations and SMEs, in the field of organizational psychology to the Frontiers in Psychology journal. In response to this call for papers, a huge number of academicians and practitioners submitted their research. Out of a total of 81 submissions, 18 were accepted and published under this theme. The Research Topic includes studies from diverse cultural and industrial settings, such as academia and industries including MNCs and SMEs, from across the globe. The businesses covered in this Research Topic are enterprises, manufacturers, SMEs, MNCs, educational institutes, logistics SMEs, and government sectors. The submitting authors were from different countries, including the Republic of Korea, China, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (Abu Dhabi), Oman, Qatar, Serbia, and Poland. The authors came up with new research approaches and methodologies, contributing to the theory and practice in this important emerging research domain of leadership and management.

Xu et al. investigated whether and how differential leadership in SMEs influences subordinate knowledge hiding. They analyzed the underlying mechanisms of chain-mediator–job insecurity and territorial consciousness and the boundary condition–leadership performance expectation. The results indicated that differential leadership plays a potential role in promoting subordinate knowledge hiding through the serial intervening mechanism of job insecurity and territorial consciousness in SMEs. This study contributes to the existing academic literature by empirically analyzing the under-investigated correlation between differential leadership and subordinate knowledge hiding in SMEs and by exploring the underlying mechanisms and boundary condition.

Ding et al. examined the link between an employee's professional identity and their success via the mediating role of critical thinking. They also examined the interaction of an employee's professional commitment and a leader's motivational language by critically analyzing employee success. This study was conducted on Chinese MNCs by use of a time-lagged study design. The results show a positive relation between an employee's professional identity and their success. Furthermore, the critical analysis mediated the link between professional identity and employee success.

Jun et al. examined the impact of supervisors' authentic leadership styles on the turnover of their subordinates in multiple organizations in the Republic of Korea. Their findings generalized the effects of leadership on turnover across different research contexts. Furthermore, they proposed a new mechanism and tested the mediation and moderation of the supervisor-perceived support and organizational identification, which reduces the turnover rate and help organizations to retain their best talents.

Leadership and management in organizations are crucial elements in ensuring the success of both MNCs and SMEs. While MNCs may have more resources and a more formal structure, SMEs often have a more flexible and agile approach to leadership and management. Both MNCs and SMEs can benefit from effective leadership and management practices such as clear communication, setting achievable goals, fostering a positive work culture, and continuously adapting to changing market conditions. Ultimately, the key to success in both types of organizations is having leaders and managers who are able to inspire and motivate their teams to achieve their goals.

In this regard, this Research Topic has introduced this novel research work by scholars and researchers from around the globe, with a focus on leadership and management perspectives and their role in organizations. Thus, the selected Research Topic is very important for the business, industry, management, academic, and economic value of practitioners and academic institutions at all levels, as well as those with country-wide and international offices. This Research Topic has contributed through novel approaches and provide suggestions for the managers and leaders of corporate sectors, MNCs and SMEs, academicians, academic institutions, social scientists, students, policymakers, government and non-government agencies, and other related stakeholders. Similarly, the findings in this Research Topic have suggested that investigating the impact of leadership and management in organizations could influence future research, and further studies could compare the effectiveness of leadership and management in MNCs and SMEs.

Author contributions

The author confirms being the sole contributor of this work and has approved it for publication.

Conflict of interest

The author declares that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Publisher's note

All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article, or claim that may be made by its manufacturer, is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.

Kelly R. J., Hearld L. R. (2020). Burnout and leadership style in behavioral health care: A literature review . J. Behav. Health Serv. Res. 47 , 581–600. 10.1007/s11414-019-09679-z [ PMC free article ] [ PubMed ] [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
Kouzes J. M., Posner B. Z. (2023). The Leadership Challenge: How to Make Extraordinary Things Happen in Organizations . New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons. [ Google Scholar ]
Siyal S., Peng X. (2018). Does leadership lessen turnover? The moderated mediation effect of leader–member exchange and perspective taking on public servants . J. Public Affairs 18 , e1830. 10.1002/pa.1830 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
Siyal S., Saeed M., Pahi M. H., Solangi R., Xin C. (2021a). They can't treat you well under abusive supervision: investigating the impact of job satisfaction and extrinsic motivation on healthcare employees . Ration. Soc . 33 , 401–423. 10.1177/10434631211033660 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
Siyal S., Xin C., Umrani W. A., Fatima S., Pal D. (2021b). How do leaders influence innovation and creativity in employees? The mediating role of intrinsic motivation . Adm. Soc. 53 , 1337–1361. 10.1177/0095399721997427 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]

300+ Best Leadership Research Topics to Deal With

Table of Contents

Do you want to write an excellent leadership research paper? Are you searching for the best leadership research topics or dissertation ideas? If yes, then continue reading this blog post and get interesting leadership research topics and ideas for writing a top-scoring research paper. Also, You can find an endless list of leadership research topics, but here are some tips on choosing a good one.

Leadership Research Paper Writing

A leadership Research Paper is a kind of informative research paper that deals with topics from leadership studies. In general, leadership study is a multidisciplinary academic field that focuses on the various aspects of leadership in human life and organizational context.

If you are a student who is pursuing a course in management, psychology, or leadership studies, then you will often be asked to write assignments on leadership topics. Mainly, your instructors will assign this task to test your leadership skills.

For writing a leadership research paper, all you need is a good research topic. Particularly, when it comes to writing a leadership research paper, the students will usually give high importance to their research skills. But, more than the research and writing skills, you must give preference to the leadership approach you used to address the topic. So, be careful when you are asked to write a research paper on leadership topics.

First, identify a good leadership research paper topic of your choice. Then, prepare a clear outline and draft an excellent research paper on the topic you have chosen. When writing a leadership research paper, to make your work look professional, understand the distinction between complex and complicated case studies and format your analysis by finding sources on complicated topics. Also, use new research concepts and the latest trending ways to address the original issue.

How to Choose a Good Leadership Research Topic?

Choosing a topic for a research paper or essay is one of the challenging tasks that require a lot of time and effort. In most cases, the instructors will specify the topics for you to choose from. But if you are asked to go with the topic of your choice, then this is what you should follow to pick the best leadership research topic.

Explore and identify the leadership research area that you are passionate about.
Narrow down the subject area and consider a topic that sounds specific.
Avoid choosing a topic on management and focus only on leadership.
Then, remember your instructor’s guidelines and prefer a topic that stands in line with them because only such topics will help you earn an A+ grade
Finally, build a leadership question and make sure it is proficient.

List of Leadership Research Topics and Dissertation Ideas

For writing a leadership research paper, you can go with any leadership topics that are related to disciplines that include education, management, psychology, sociology, and politics.

Discussed below is the list of some interesting leadership research topics and dissertation ideas on various categories that you can consider for writing your leadership essay or research paper.

Educational Leadership Research Topics

Educational leadership and success path
The role of women in education leadership
Educational leadership’s role in society
How social media affects educational leadership
Can education leadership bring a new change?
The effects of the leadership culture on running educational institutions
How to include the community in education leadership
Diluting racist habits in accredited universities
Interrelation between poor School results and poor Leadership
How Educational leadership influence researchers and Literature
The effectiveness of interdisciplinary teams in the running of the middle schools
How to blend strategic teaching methods with efficient organization
How educational institutions can offer exceptional leadership by thinking outside the box
Educational leadership and social transformation
How educational leadership affects society

Additional Leadership Research Topics on Education

How leadership in mediocre schools can simulate top-performing learning institutions
The impacts of technology on educational leadership
How to evaluate negative traits of instructors teaching similar subjects
How cultural organization affects educational institutions
Do teachers have adequate training on how to be influential leaders?
How to seamlessly pass teachers’ excellence to students
What changes in training opportunities can encourage teachers to exercise leadership strategies?
How fighting for leadership positions affects schools and students
How to compassionately develop students with dyslexia
Should learning institutions evaluate teachers depending on their leadership abilities?
The Impact of Educational leadership on the student excellence
Can leadership as well as management be taught?
Review of the educational curriculum
What is the specific alternative to the standardized testing
The exploration of the bias in the educational leadership
Educational leadership in social media
Impact of education leadership on the growth and development of children
Discuss the role of educational leadership in addressing social issues
Analyze the impact of technologies on school leadership
How government organizations can contribute to education leadership?
What are the most effective leadership styles to apply in schools and colleges?
Discuss the benefits of education leadership for students
How can educational leadership be known properly using the study of culture, people, and power?
Analyze the types of educational leadership
Analyze the impact of educational leadership on students belonging to racial and LGBTQI2+ minority groups
Educational leadership drives student excellence: Explain

Leadership Development Research Topics

Can leaders act as teachers?
How organizational leaders can develop creativity
How coaching can enhance leadership development
Describe executive development
How emotional intelligence can enhance leadership development
Can leadership development enhance accountability?
Which are the best leadership development opportunities?
When is leadership coaching necessary?
Why change management coaching should be part of a leadership development program
Essential skills to acquire from a leadership development program

A Few More Research Topics on Leadership Development

How leadership development can turn leaders into negotiators and influencers
Who should provide leadership coaching?
Why strategic planning matters when it comes to leadership development
The role of leadership development in team building
How does a mentorship for leadership development work?
Abusive Supervision.
Leader-Member Exchange Theory.
Judgment and Decision-Making.
Virtual Leadership
Dealing with the change
Transformational leadership
Transactional leadership
Leadership and employee performance
Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the implicit theory of leadership
Why every company must have an employee grievance management system?
Compare and contrast the Participative Leadership Theory and the Great Man Theory of leadership
What is the most effective leadership style to apply in healthcare organizations?
How do spirituality and religious beliefs impact a person’s leadership ability?
How does coaching leadership help to improve the performance of employees?
Briefly discuss the 7 C’s of leadership development
Describe the 6 E’s of effective leadership and their importance
What are the key leadership principles to follow by every leader?
Discuss all the must-have qualities a person needs to become an effective leader

Captivating Leadership Research Ideas

How leaders can motivate and engage employees
How to measure results in leadership training
How organizational leaders can enhance productivity
How to automate corporate learning paths
How leaders can command respect without issuing commands
How to delegate and empower employees
How to design helpful leadership training modules
The role of leadership in organizational development
How company leaders can retain the best employees
How to change management and executive leadership
How leaders can support succession in their organizations
How to improve decision-making in an organization
The role of organizational leaders in conflict resolution
How to implement effective leadership styles
Importance of leadership training

Powerful Leadership Research Paper Topics

How leaders can encourage peer-to-peer training
How leaders can train employees on energy and time management
Can leadership training affect organizational success?
How leaders can deal with organizational change
What leadership training means for a business
Qualities of practical leadership training and mentorship programs
Describe different leadership styles with examples
How decision skills can streamline organizations and nurture confidence
How leaders can train employees about self-awareness
How a company employee can benefit from a leadership course
How leaders can use coaching to enhance employee performance
Practical communication skills for organizational leaders
Which leadership strategies can enhance a team’s performance?
How leaders can create a learning culture in an organization
How corporate leaders can enhance interpersonal relationships

Interesting Leadership Dissertation Topics

What is systematic leadership?
Leadership contingency theories
Why is civic leadership important?
Why is strategic leadership essential in the business environment?
Military leadership style and coaching combination
Troubled companies and their leadership
Leadership and organizational behavior- How they relate
Participative and situational leadership theories
Leadership role in an organization’s transformational change
How gender difference affects leadership styles
Classifications of different leadership theories
How negative leadership affects an organization
Supervising and leadership influence on human services
Leadership theories and effective organization change
Theoretical perspectives of organizational leadership
Human resource planning and leadership development
Governance and leadership- What’s the difference?
Benefits, roles, and limitations of leadership
Discuss various leadership style concepts
Qualities of effective leadership strategies

Organizational Leadership Research Topics

How leadership behaviors affect the corporate culture
Organizational leadership’s role in a multicultural environment
How leadership quality and training can improve organizational performance
The Impacts of leadership skills on employees’ performance
How to evaluate the effects of administration on the organizational performance
How a country can produce the organizational leaders it requires
How to examine leadership effects and vision clarity on business organizations
Why executive leadership is essential in developing countries
How corporate culture can influence the leadership decisions to try a new business strategy
How a corporate leader can devise work teams in a company
How assumption-based planning can save money for an organization
How leadership practices influence the success of an organization
How managers can provide leadership aspirations to subordinates
Essential administrative services that hospitality industry leaders should provide
How differentiating leadership from management can enhance the achievement of organizational goals

Leadership Research Topics for Managers

Why every manager should know industry-specific regulations
Body language and public speaking for managers
How a manager can build self-confidence
How a manager can train or coach others
Essential leadership Skills for managers
Why training is essential for new managers
Practical time management skills that every manager should have
How company management can manage complaints
How managers can nurture talents and ensure employee retention
Firing and hiring- What should know managers know about these responsibilities?

Management Leadership Research Paper Topics

How a manager can improve work habits
Effective ways for managers to delegate tasks
How managers can create trust and transparency in their organizations
How a manager can support change in a company
How company managers can minimize employee complaints
How managers can create an inclusive workforce
What training methods can managers use to empower employees?
Effective conflict resolution techniques for company managers
How to effectively communicate with the upper management
How managers can encourage innovation and initiative
How managers can lower stress among employees
How managers can promote effective discipline
Which skills should managers cultivate to support company employees?
How a manager can provide performance feedback
How managers can develop performance standards and goals

Women’s Leadership Research Paper Topics

How family responsibilities affect female leaders
How the personality of women leaders differ from that of men
What are the primary barriers to women’s leadership?
How powerful women leaders define work and success
How lack of sufficient household support affects women leaders
Society stereotypes that threaten women’s leadership
How great women leaders can inspire people to take action
How influential women leaders juggle between family and work
Family business success- What is the role of women?
How women can change organizational leadership
How women leaders can help in unlocking the full economic potential of a country
Do current male leaders resist female leaders?
How women’s leadership style differs from that of men
How gender stereotypes affect female leaders
How modern female leaders balance careers and family

Excellent Leadership Research Paper Topics

Leadership and service quality
How leadership and power relate
Strategic leadership- A critical examination
Discuss theorists and theories on leadership
Describe the role of leadership in a medical facility
How transformational leadership can benefit women
Effective styles for strategic leadership
Scientific methods for studying leadership
How a company’s leadership can manage change effectively
Participative approach versus autocratic leadership
Investigating leadership through a behavioral approach
Innovation and leadership in a business
Describe how contingency leadership works
Variations in ethical leadership
How to develop a leadership strategy in an organization
Why leadership models are valuable
How ethical leadership can influence decision-making
Leadership strategies as success factors
Strategy as leadership and practice
How school governance affects school leadership

Leadership Speech Topics

The power of effective leadership
How to become a leader
How to lead with inclusion and integrity
The golden rule of outstanding leadership
How effective leadership looks like
Transactional or transformational leadership- What works?
Leadership and dissent- Doing the right versus doing something right
How to be a transformative leader
How to understand and work with followers as a leader
Practicing Leadership in an inter-agency Context
How a leadership vision can propel an organization forward
How a leader can adapt and listen to changes in an organization
What makes a strategic leader?
How to make a difference using leadership
How to lead with compassion
Qualities that every great leader should exhibit
How consistent efforts make great leaders
How to practice effective leadership
Why do organizations need moral leaders
Qualities that made great leaders in history

Great Leadership Research Topics

What are the key characteristics of transformational leadership?
Ethical leadership theories and models
Characteristics and distinctions of management and leadership
An investigation into team leadership
Discuss different leadership and management styles
Explain radical leadership with examples
A case study of Bill Gates’ leadership
Which are the best leadership practices?
Investigating leadership and management across culture
Leadership concepts, according to Kentucky Fried Chicken
Moral and cultural contingencies of leadership
Socrates and organizational leadership
Othello and Machiavelli’s leadership skills
How Diversity affects the leadership effectiveness
What is ethical leadership?
Aspects of leadership and team behavior
Leadership and management in business- How they relate
Motivation and leadership- What’s the difference?
Leadership as a strategy in human resource and company policies
Discuss the hospitality industry’s leadership and management

Nursing Leadership Research Topics

What are the qualities of the best nurse leaders?
A review of ethical nursing leadership and practice
How a Nurse leader can manage Stress
What are the values of ethical nursing leadership and training?
Trends in nursing leadership
Nursing leadership fundamentals
Practice experience that every nurse leader should exhibit
Assessing nursing leadership in third-world Countries
Essential nursing leadership areas to study
How to balance nursing leadership and service quality
Strategies for developing nurse leaders
Criteria for being Considered a nurse leader’s mentor
The global status of nurse leaders
Why nursing leadership is vital in healthcare management
Vital skills for a nurse leader during an emergency

Medical Leadership Research Topics

Challenges facing nursing leaders
Nursing leadership from a patient’s perspective
How concept-based learning techniques affect nurse leaders
What leadership means to nurses
How nursing leadership differs in private and public hospitals
Nursing leadership Status in private hospitals
Disadvantages of being a nurse leader
Qualities of a practical nursing leadership program
How to apply nursing leadership in a nursing home
The role of nurse leaders in public hospitals
A comparison of nursing leadership in an adult ward and a pediatric ward
Long and short-term goals for Nurse leaders
Activities for enhancing nursing leadership
What are the inherent nurse leaders’ values?
Leadership from a nurse perspective- What does it mean?

Read more: Great Nursing Research Topics for Impressive Content

Outstanding Leadership Research Topics

The role of leadership in a multinational company
Is servant leadership effective in school administration?
Leadership principles of effective teachers
Effective leadership learning processes in an organization
Integrating different leadership styles
Evaluation of John Kennedy and Bill Clinton’s political leadership
How political leadership can affect an organization
A critical perspective on leadership and management
How managers can motivate employees by serving as their leaders
Leadership and motivation theories
Why strong leadership is crucial in a business organization
An analysis of the most influential leader in the world
Servant and followership leadership
Leadership and education role modeling
Analyzing Ciulla Joanne’s The Ethics of Leadership
Creativity and leadership revision
How effective leadership can enhance employees’ productivity
Analyzing the authoritative leadership style
Leadership role in solving organizational challenges
Effective management and leadership strategies

Hot Leadership Training Research Topics

How can executives encourage succession in their companies?
How can I empower my colleagues with authority?
Conflict resolution and the role of organizational leaders.
How can senior leadership and management be changed?
Why can’t leaders just give orders and command respect instead?
Training programs empower educators to put leadership techniques into practice.
Reducing racial misconduct in institutions of higher learning.
Transferring to the kids the greatness of the teacher.
Conflicts in leadership positions: Impact on pupils and the school.
An effective leadership development program is required.
The effectiveness of multidisciplinary teams in running a middle school.
Describe how inadequate leadership contributes to poor academic performance.
How can managers inspire and involve staff members?
How can business executives improve human relations?
How can decision-making abilities improve organizations and foster confidence?
How instructors might motivate students to take tests and exams more seriously
Do educators receive enough training to become strong leaders?
Should educational institutions grade instructors based on their capacity for leadership?
What adjustments to the training options can motivate educators to use leadership techniques?
How leadership in education affects one’s chances of success.
Leadership in education not only creates the spark but also follows the route with vigor and excitement.

Latest Research Topics on Leadership Training

Society can be transformed by leadership in education.
how educational leadership incorporates the community.
The efficiency of interdisciplinary teams in administering middle schools.
The leadership role of women in education.
The social organization’s influence on educational institutions.
Tow to lessen racism in recognized academic institutions.
How educators can aid learners in passing with ease.
How educational institutions may give great leadership by thinking in innovative ways.
How does a leader develop their staff in terms of managing their time and energy?
Examining the methods a leader uses to inspire or engage their workforce.
Examine critically the methods used by organizational leaders to increase worker productivity.
How to create training modules for leaders.
The role of a leader in supporting succession in organizations.
Explain how an international company leader affects the organizational culture as a whole.
A company’s leadership creates work teams that critically evaluate.
How does assumption-oriented planning reduce costs for the company?
A manager motivates his employees—role. management’s
women’s personalities and their importance in leadership.

Fantastic Leadership Research Paper Topics

Write about the leadership strategies of Mark Zuckerberg.
Discuss Wal-Mart’s leadership in crafting and executing strategy.
Analyze the perceptions of Women leadership in the UAE.
Write about democratic leadership style and responsibilities.
Analyze country-club leadership style in the teaching profession.
Discuss leadership and globalization in the US and Japan.
Write about sports leadership skills.
Discuss the taxonomy of leadership theories.
Compare the leadership styles of Barack Obama and Ronald Regan.
Write about Howard Schultz’s Servant leadership at Starbucks.

To write a brilliant leadership assignment, you can use any research paper topics and ideas suggested above. In case, you are not sure what topic to choose or how to write an effective leadership research paper, feel free to reach out to us .

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Leadership Dissertation Topics

Updated on
Jan 10, 2023

A dissertation is a lengthy essay that is based on the independent research of the author. In the final semester of UG , PG , and PhD courses, it is submitted. The dissertation requires a lot of research and written documentation, so it usually takes 1-2 years to finish. The purpose of a dissertation is to evaluate a student’s capacity for research. Through this, students can improve their research , problem-solving , project management , and numerical skills. Students learn how to present their evidence-based conclusions to the thesis they selected while writing a dissertation.

This Blog Includes:

Leadership dissertations, leadership and organisational culture, negative leadership and its effects on the organization, how employee productivity can lead to effective leadership, how decision making can make an influence ethical leadership, how organisational challenges can be solved through a leadership role, additional leadership dissertation topics, skills required, organize your time first, leave the introduction until the conclusion, don’t wait until the very last minute to ask your boss for feedback.

Leading and guiding subordinates for group well-being is a quality of leadership . Few people actually succeed in achieving their dream of becoming a leader. It’s because management and leadership are two very dissimilar ideas. Neither a manager nor a leader can be both at the same time. Consequently, a leader is capable of managing a team without having formal authority.

Having said that, exploring and studying the field of leadership is fascinating. If you want to write a dissertation on leadership and are in desperate need of some outstanding leadership research topics , don’t worry; we’ve got you covered. Find the most interesting and pertinent list of leadership research topics.

Below mentioned is a suitable list of leadership dissertation topics to guide you as a potential researcher.

To analyse how leaders can help in improving the culture of the organization.

To check how negative leadership can affect the organization.

To examine how the productivity of employees can turn out in leadership quality.

To analyse how effective decision-making can make ethical leadership.

To analyse how leaders can be helpful in sorting out organisational challenges.

Check out the additional leadership dissertation topics mentioned below:

How Leadership & Sustainability can lead to Climate Crisis
Transformations and leadership
How emotional intelligence can enhance leadership development
Team Behavior and Aspects of Leadership
Effective leadership learning processes in an organisation
How do your innovation strategy and leadership create a business?
A closer look at leadership in evidence-based management
How can communication skills enhance leadership development?
How do leadership and management relations build up a business?
Analysis of leadership style on the performance of employees
Exploring the link between poor leadership and organizational culture?
A critical analysis of social and leadership skills for new Entrepreneurs

No matter what kind of dissertation you write or what subject you choose, you must demonstrate the following skills:

Defining and outlining a research topic with a particular issue: determining the most significant issues.
Getting the required information: Taking its reliability and validity into account.
Considering the evidence from both sides of a debate to reach a well-informed decision
putting your study’s results into a coherent, engrossing, and persuasive presentation while adhering to all formatting requirements.

Effective Dissertation Writing Tips

Some of the main writing tips to write a dissertation are as follows:

Create a schedule for the day and specify your deadlines. Determine how long a section or chapter will take to write. Select the time and begin working on it. You’ll be able to finish this within the allotted time if you do it in this manner.

Keep in mind that the first draught of your essay is not the finished product. Verify your writing several times for errors. This will force you to be more specific when describing your augmentations.

To give yourself time to collect your thoughts, try to write the main body first. As you have been working on the introduction for a while, you will be able to present it clearly in this way.

Try to share your research work more frequently and much earlier than the deadline to give yourself plenty of time to correct any mistakes. You might be able to avoid having to rewrite several chapters and sections.

Use a reference manager to save time and make it simpler for you to cite sources.

To get a sense of how to organise your dissertation, look at our example. Here is a guide that will walk you through the process of writing a dissertation.

One challenging quality for leadership skills is “Self-Awareness”.

It represents a study of theories, approaches to its development, and styles of leadership.

Becoming an effective leader depends on the leader’s leadership style. Successful leaders have vision and charisma, also Leaders should have an ongoing personality, and be talkative, careful and self-disciplined.

These were some popular leadership dissertation topics common for recruitment and admission processes. Hopefully, this blog has given you a better insight into leadership. For further assistance on how to prepare an application to universities abroad, seek help from the Leverage Edu experts to make your dream come true. Our mentors will help you draft a perfect application and guide you with other admission-related rounds.

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IResearchNet

Leadership and Management Topics

Leadership is the process by which a leader influences another person or group and focuses the followers’ behavior on a goal or outcome. Persuading a subordinate to clean up his or her work area could be seen as a form of leadership, as could convincing hundreds of people to volunteer for disaster relief work. Influencing people and focusing that influence toward a tangible outcome are fundamental components of the leadership process. Leadership can occur in a variety of settings, either formal or informal. In formal settings, such as business organizations, individuals may receive a formal job assignment in which they are expected to lead other organizational members. This formalized leadership role is often called supervision. Although leadership and supervision are similar, there are some significant differences between the two concepts. Read more about Leadership and Management .

Leadership and Management Research Topics

Abusive Supervision
Behavioral Approach to Leadership
Charismatic Leadership Theory
Employee Grievance Systems
Implicit Theory of Leadership
Judgment and Decision-Making
Leader-Member Exchange Theory
Least Preferred Coworker Theory
Life-cycle Model of Leadership
Normative Theories
Reinforcement Theory of Motivation
Situational Approach to Leadership
Spirituality and Leadership at Work
Trait Approach to Leadership
Path-Goal Theory
Transformational and Transactional Leadership

Management, on the other hand, involves a more formal relationship: One person is formally designated to manage others, and that action is sanctioned by a formal organization. Management or supervision tends to have an administrative and rational focus, with the smooth and efficient operation of the formal organization as its defining feature. A supervisory role, once established, tends to perpetuate itself and is modified only by formal action. The leader of a group may change quickly, whereas a supervisor has a formally designated role that is fairly permanent. Part of what supervisors attempt to do is to lead people. So in actuality, leadership is a psychological process that can occur in the formalized role of supervision as well as in less formal settings. Thus, supervision occurs when someone who is formally designated and sanctioned by an organization attempts to influence (lead) others toward organizationally sanctioned goals.

Industrial-Organizational Psychology Topics

Leadership and Management Dissertation Topics

February 18, 2022

Dr Jana Martiskova

Click here to place an order for topic brief service to get instant approval from your professor.

Leadership and Management Dissertation Topics: Leadership and management are two distinct but related concepts. Leadership is the ability to inspire and guide individuals or groups to achieve a common goal. Management is the process of planning, organizing, and overseeing the work of a team to accomplish a task or goal.

Effective leadership involves setting a clear vision, communicating expectations, and providing support and guidance to team members. It also involves the ability to motivate and inspire others, build relationships, and make tough decisions.

Effective management involves organizing and allocating resources, setting goals and objectives, and measuring and evaluating progress. It also involves the ability to delegate tasks and responsibilities, solve problems, and make decisions based on data and analysis.

Both leadership and management are important for the success of any organization. While they are distinct concepts, they often overlap and are complementary skills that a successful leader or manager should possess.

Best Leadership and Management Dissertation Topics for college students

Although both leadership and management are different aspects of personality and have their own individual areas of operations.

However, when combined together, they provide a new area for students to research and check for. Dissertation topics in leadership and management focus on all those areas that provide combined results of leadership and management.

Studying these two topics separately does not provide as inclusive results as their combination can provide. Therefore, researchers always go for both these areas in a collective manner.

If you are also interested in understanding how leadership and management work together, you can take a look at our chosen list of research topics in the field that has been given below:

Leadership and management in mental health services: focusing on the role played by consumers in the field.
Governance, management and leadership in the domain of school federations: a descriptive approach.
Leadership versus management: how they are different and the same at the same time?
Teaching leadership and management to university level students through strategic planning: a qualitative analysis.
Studying the impacts of leadership and management practices on teacher engagement at university levels.
The role played by law in the domain of leadership and management in school federations: a review of the literature.
Leadership and management practices for the first-line social workers and managers: a quantitative approach.
Educational leadership and management: research methods being employed in the field.
Relationship between decision-making and leadership and management: a systematic analysis.
Relationship between leadership, management and spirituality in the healthcare domain: a correlational analysis.
Investigating the place of females in the domain of leadership and management: a historical analysis.
Cross-cultural leadership and management: the UK versus China.
Why is leadership and management training necessary for community nurses? A survey research design.
A comparative analysis of educational and organizational sectors on transformational leadership, commitment to change, and change management.
Relationship of transformational leadership and management practices and compliance with work behavior in the healthcare sector.
Women competing for leadership and management positions in organizations: potential challenges and interventions.
Factors related to the impacts of decision-making on leadership and management in organizational setups.
Leadership and management strategies in African organizations: a review of the literature.
Relationship between charismatic leadership and management in organizations: a descriptive approach.
Leadership and management in operation theaters: how the hospital industry is linked with this field?
Leadership and management in IT-centered organizations: a review of the literature.
Relationship between change management and change leadership: a historical analysis.
Impacts of leadership and management practices on organizational performance levels: a quantitative study.
Instructional leadership and organizational management in school sector: a review of the literature.
Effects of leadership on performance, knowledge sharing and efficacy in management teams: a systematic review.
Leaders versus managers: focus on the field of public administration.
Effects of leadership development programs on building managerial capacity in nonprofit organizations.
The future of educational leadership and management: a descriptive approach.

Above is the best list of Leadership and Management Dissertation Topics if you are still looking for dissertation topics in leadership and management fill out the form below and get a dissertation topic mini proposal on your requirements. Click here to place an order on Leadership at a 25% discount!

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Leadership Strategies for the Researcher helps prepare clinical and translational investigators as they face the challenges inherent in establishing a research program. This one-day, in-person course features both interactive and didactic sessions, with a focus on best practices in leading and managing a team, and navigating a career path in research.

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Emerging clinician-researchers and principal investigators interested in building their leadership and management skills.

We believe that the research community is strengthened by understanding how a number of factors including gender identity, sexual orientation, race and ethnicity, socioeconomic status, culture, religion, national origin, language, disability, and age shape the environment in which we live and work, affect each of our personal identities, and impacts all areas of human health.

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Priority will be given to individuals affiliated with Harvard schools and institutions

Free for Harvard-affiliated schools and institutions .

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Harvard Catalyst Postgraduate Education program’s policy requires full participation and the completion of all activity surveys to be eligible for CME credit; no partial credit is allowed.

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Business Management

90 Trending Business Management Research Topics in 2024

Home Blog Business Management 90 Trending Business Management Research Topics in 2024

Business management has become essential for staying competitive and profitable in today's fast-paced world. It encompasses understanding all aspects of business, from its structure to finance, marketing, and strategy. Pursuing a postgraduate course in business management, such as PGDM, requires writing a well-researched paper to kickstart one's career.

However, the biggest challenge lies in selecting a relevant and trending research topic. To help with this, we have compiled a list of ten business management research paper topics that are currently trending in 2024, covering advancements in technology and innovative leadership strategies. Enrolling in Business Management training courses can further enhance your skills and knowledge, enabling you to take your career to new heights. So, let's delve into these cutting-edge business management research topics together and gain insights for career growth.

Business Management Research Topics [Based on Different Industries]

A. business management research topics for business administration.

Data analytics’ role in company performance and decision-making.
Revolution of firm operations and strategy due to artificial intelligence.
How sustainable business practices affect a company’s financial performance.
Blockchain technology’s role in business.
Impact of fintech on traditional financial institutions.
How digital transformation affects organizational culture.
Consequences of social media marketing for customer engagement.
Impact of the gig economy on the traditional employment model.
Abuse experienced by women in the workplace.
Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on global supply chain management.

B. Business Management Research Topics for Accounting and Finance

Asset pricing and financial markets
Business history
Corporate finance
Corporate governance
Credit management
Financial accounting and auditing
Organizations: ownership, governance and performance
SME finance
Sustainable finance and ESG
Venture capital and private equity
Banking and financial intermediation
Behavioral finance

C. Business Management Research Topics for Economics

Environment, infrastructure, innovation and the circular economy
Work, labour and organisation
Financialisation and globalisation
Development and wellbeing
The macro economy and macroeconomic policy

D. Business Management Research Topics for International Business

International business policy, SDGs and “grand challenges”
International business, migration and society
Global health and international business
Cross-cultural management, diversity and inclusion
The theory of the multinational enterprise (MNE)
The governance of global value chains (GVCs)
Emerging market multinational enterprises (EMNEs)

E. Business Management Project Topics for Management

Organizational strategy
Global supply chains
Leadership and performance
Technology and innovation
Digital transformation
Sustainability
Information management and information systems
Learning and change
Human information processing
Decision making

F. Project Topics for Marketing

Corporate responsibility and sustainability
Green marketing and advertising
International marketing
Cross cultural buyer-seller relationships
Consumer buying behaviour
Analysis of consumer heterogeneous preferences and discrete choice analysis
Retailing and store choice analysis
Branding and brand equity
Formulating and implementing sustainability marketing strategies: Bridging the gap
Marketing strategy making
Emergent marketing strategy and decision making in marketing organizations
Export marketing strategy and performance
Sustainable strategies of multinational corporations
Standardizations/adaptation of international service offerings
International marketing process standardization/adaptation

G. Business Management Research Topics for Employment Relations

Labour mobility, migration and citizenship
Markets, flexibilization and social protection
Voice, representation and social movement
Digitalization, automation, platformisation, and the future of work
Between professions and precarity: the new world of work
Changing structures of governance and organisation
Employment, skills and occupations

H. Project Topics for Business ethics topics

Maintaining Compliance with Independent Contractors
The perception of tax evasion ethics
Consumer Rights to Privacy and Confidentiality

What are Some Good Business Management Research Topics in 2024?

Conflict Management in a Work Team
The Role of Women in Business Management
Issues that Affect the Management of Business Startups
Consequences of Excessive Work in Business
Why You Should Start a New Business After One Fails
Importance of Inter-organizational Leadership and Networks
How to Manage Organizational Crisis in Business
Product and Service Development in a Strategic Alliance
Innovation and Network Markets as a Business Strategy
Social Enterprise and Entrepreneurship

Every aspect of business, like strategy, finance, operations, and management, is essential. So, it’s hard to say that a particular area of research is more significant. Choosing the best research topic in business management within your area of interest or specialization is one way to decide what your business management research project will be about. It is also a learning process and an opportunity to showcase your in-depth knowledge.

But if you want to explore other options, write about trending issues and events in the business world, and learn something new, here’s a list of 10 research proposal topics in business management that can help you create an engaging and practical project. You can also take a CCBA training certification to learn more in-depth about business management.

1. Conflict Management in a Work Team

With businesses going global, team management has escalated from merely managing people to guiding, mentoring and resolving conflicts among individuals. Teams with multicultural members from different departments are fertile ground for conflicts. If you are looking for international business management research topics, conflict management in work teams is an excellent option.

This research will give you an insight into the various causes of conflict and different techniques and methods of conflict resolution within global multi-lingual and multi-cultural teams enabling you to lead teams successfully and keep disruptions minimal. Better teams translate to better productivity and, eventually, revenue. On the personal front, it means career growth, leadership roles, and higher pay scales for you.

2. The Role of Women in Business Management

In contemporary society, women have made notable strides in shattering patriarchal norms and embracing diverse opportunities and career paths, thereby demonstrating their strength and autonomy. While women encounter challenges in assuming leadership roles, often stemming from prevailing cultural attitudes, their presence in business management positions is more prevalent than commonly perceived. This prompts inquiry into the factors that contribute to the exceptional success of certain women in managerial positions and the unique value they bring to such roles. Exploring this subject through qualitative research could yield insightful findings regarding women's impact on business management.

3. Issues that Affect the Management of Business Startups

The COVID-19 pandemic drove everyone online and created a new digital startup ecosystem. However, while it may be easy to set up a digital business, sustenance, scaling, and growth are some of the challenges that follow. If you are entrepreneurial, your research title about business management should read something like “Challenges in the startup ecosystem.” Such research covers issues that affect the management of business startups. It covers the various factors that lead to success and the pitfalls and obstacles on the growth trajectory. It covers effective strategies to mitigate or work around challenges, and this is where you can get creative. Limiting your research to startups is okay, but you can also cover significant ground across other business models.

4. Consequences of Excessive Work in Business

Work-life balance is the buzzword in today’s business environment. If you choose to write your thesis on the impact of excessive work in business, it could well escalate to international levels as everyone talks about employee well-being, from corporates to SMEs and top management to HR.

The single most significant reason behind this is the instances of early burnout seen in the past. Secondly, globalization is another cause for concern since people are often required to work multiple shifts. Lastly, the recent trend of post-Covid layoffs that have driven the need for side hustle makes it even more necessary to keep track of how hectic business operations are.

5. Why You Should Start a New Business After One Fails

Failure is the steppingstone to success. Or so the saying goes. The recent outcrop of start-ups has proven this to be true. If one venture fails, do not give up. Learn from the experience and start again. Not only is that the mantra of the current generation, but it is also among the trending quantitative research topics in business management.

The main objective and outcome of this business management research topic are to explore lessons learned from failures, the advantages of starting afresh, and the strategies for overcoming the fear of failure.

6. Importance of Inter-organizational Leadership and Networks

This research focuses on managing global networks in leadership roles. It is among the hot favorite research topics for business management students considering how businesses are going global. If you are an aspiring global entrepreneur or leader, you would want to know more about local and global inter-organizational networks, how things work, how people communicate, etc. Researching inter-organizational leadership and networks can provide insights into businesses' challenges and opportunities when building and maintaining relationships. Managing these relationships is another challenging part of the process, and that is what you will learn through this research.

7. How to Manage Organizational Crisis in Business

Not only is crisis management a critical leadership skill, but today's turbulent business environment is fertile ground for an organizational crisis. Globalization, digitization, and the startup ecosystem have disrupted the environment. Barring corporates, a crisis can strike any business at any time and bailing out of that crisis is the responsibility of the business leadership. Managing an organizational crisis in business is a popular business management research paper topic, especially among MBA students, PGDM, and aspiring entrepreneurs.

8. Product and Service Development in a Strategic Alliance

When it comes to research paper topics related to business management, one area worth exploring is product bundling in a strategic alliance. The ICICI credit card offered to online customers of Amazon India is a classic example.

Development of such strategic products or services requires in-depth product knowledge, knowledge of finance, and of course, a strategic mindset. If you have a strategic mindset and interest in product management, this is one of your best business management research project topics.

9. Innovation and Network Markets as a Business Strategy

Innovation and Network marketing is an emerging and strategic business model for startups. When entrepreneurs need more resources to raise seed or venture capital for their businesses, they elect to market their products through networking. Social Media platforms like Facebook offer substantial networking opportunities. Choose this probe as your quantitative research topic for business management if you have entrepreneurial aspirations to understand every aspect of this business model and strategy in depth.

10. Social Enterprise and Entrepreneurship

Social enterprise is any business having a social objective and undertaking activities in the public interest. Writing a research paper on social enterprises and entrepreneurship will lead you to explore opportunities that can bring an innovative change in society and hold business potential. One thing to remember if you want to explore social enterprise and entrepreneurship as one of several business management research titles is that the organizational goal is primarily social impact rather than revenue generation. This research will make you more open to an inclusive idea of growth by bringing you closer to social causes, marginalized communities, and people thriving in them.

How to Find Business Management Research Topics?

This is just our list of hot and trending business research topics. To help you discover more research project topics on business management, here are some quick-follow tips:

1. Identify Your Interests

Start by making a list of the various aspects of business management that interest you. Rate them on a scale of 1-10, with one being the least liked and 10 being your most favorite. You can also narrow down your topic to a specific niche while seeking sample research topics in business management.

2. Read Academic Journals

You might want to conduct preliminary research on a few of the topics you shortlisted to see if something interesting jumps out at you. One way to do this is by reading academic journals related to your selected area of business management. Findings by earlier researchers may trigger innovative thought.

3. Attend Events

Attending business events like seminars, conferences, and webinars on topics of interest can help you narrow down your list of research topics related to business management. It is also an excellent way to gather knowledge about your area of interest as well as to grow your network.

4. Consult your supervisor or Mentor

Your thesis supervisor is a valuable resource when searching for the best research topics in business management. They can guide you about relevant research areas and help you identify potential research questions apart from guiding you on research presentation.

5. Use Online Resources

Many research journals online allow students access to research papers either free of cost or in exchange for a small fee. Explore this resource and sign up for a few that are relevant to your area of interest.

Business Management Research: Types and Methodologies

Business research, like any other research, involves the collection of data and information about your chosen topic, analysis of the information and data gathered, and exploring new possibilities in the field.

Broadly speaking, research may be of two types – Quantitative or Qualitative. Quantitative research, also called empirical research, involves the collection of data from sample groups to answer a question. Qualitative research has more to do with the impact of certain phenomena. Such research is usually an extension of previously researched topics.

The table below highlights the difference between quantitative research topics in business management and qualitative research about business management.

Criteria	Quantitative Research Methods	Qualitative Research Methods
Data Collection	Numerical data	Non-numerical data such as words, images, and observations
Purpose	Investigate cause-and-effect relationships, test hypotheses, and generate statistical models	Gain an in-depth understanding of complex phenomena, explore social processes, and generate new theories
Sample Size	quantitative research topic for business management requires a fairly large sample size	qualitative research topics in business management have a comparatively small sample size
Analysis Techniques	Statistical analysis techniques such as regression analysis or correlation analysis	Content analysis or thematic analysis
Examples of Research Topics in business management	"The impact of employee satisfaction on customer Loyalty" or "The relationship between Corporate social responsibility and financial Performance"	"The Experiences of Women in top leadership positions" or "The Impact of organizational culture on employee motivation"

The world of business management is constantly evolving and finding the right business management research topic might seem like a Herculean task. But, with a little thought, planning, and some research, it is not that hard. So, the 90 topics we've explored in this blog represent some of the most significant areas of development in the field of business management today, from the rise of women as business leaders and to the importance of innovation and network markets. As we move into 2024 and beyond, it's clear that these topics will only continue to grow in importance, shaping the way we do business and interact with the world around us. By staying informed and engaged with the latest research and trends, you can position yourself as a thought leader and innovator in the world of business management.

Also, our pointers on how to discover a business management research topic will help you identify a list of research topics in business management for your thesis. You can then narrow it down to your area of talent or interest. If you still want to know more, you can enroll in our KnowledgeHut's Business Management training , where you’ll learn more about the different aspects of business.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

An example of a business research study could be investigating the impact of social media marketing on consumer buying behavior or examining the effectiveness of a new leadership development program in a company.

The 4 types of business research include:

Exploratory
Descriptive

Business management is wide in scope, and there is a spectrum of research topics to choose from. The most prominent areas of business include finance, operations, procurement, marketing, and HR. Within each of these, you’ll find several macro and micro niches to explore.

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25 Jun 2024
Research & Ideas

Rapport: The Hidden Advantage That Women Managers Bring to Teams

Lack of communication between managers and their employees can hurt productivity and even undermine the customer experience. Female managers are more adept at building rapport among mixed-gender teams, which can improve an organization’s performance, says research by Jorge Tamayo.

18 Jun 2024
Cold Call Podcast

How Natural Winemaker Frank Cornelissen Innovated While Staying True to His Brand

In 2018, artisanal Italian vineyard Frank Cornelissen was one of the world’s leading producers of natural wine. But when weather-related conditions damaged that year’s grapes, founder Frank Cornelissen had to decide between staying true to the tenets of natural wine making or breaking with his public beliefs to save that year’s grapes by adding sulfites. Harvard Business School assistant professor Tiona Zuzul discusses the importance of staying true to your company’s principles while remaining flexible enough to welcome progress in the case, Frank Cornelissen: The Great Sulfite Debate.

21 May 2024

The Importance of Trust for Managing through a Crisis

In March 2020, Twiddy & Company, a family-owned vacation rental company known for hospitality rooted in personal interactions, needed to adjust to contactless, remote customer service. With the upcoming vacation season thrown into chaos, President Clark Twiddy had a responsibility to the company’s network of homeowners who rented their homes through the company, to guests who had booked vacations, and to employees who had been recruited by Twiddy’s reputation for treating staff well. Who, if anyone, could he afford to make whole and keep happy? Harvard Business School professor Sandra Sucher, author of the book The Power of Trust: How Companies Build It, Lose It, Regain It, discusses how Twiddy leaned into trust to weather the COVID-19 pandemic in her case, “Twiddy & Company: Trust in a Chaotic Environment.”

30 Apr 2024

When Managers Set Unrealistic Expectations, Employees Cut Ethical Corners

Corporate misconduct has grown in the past 30 years, with losses often totaling billions of dollars. What businesses may not realize is that misconduct often results from managers who set unrealistic expectations, leading decent people to take unethical shortcuts, says Lynn S. Paine.

23 Apr 2024

Amazon in Seattle: The Role of Business in Causing and Solving a Housing Crisis

In 2020, Amazon partnered with a nonprofit called Mary’s Place and used some of its own resources to build a shelter for women and families experiencing homelessness on its campus in Seattle. Yet critics argued that Amazon’s apparent charity was misplaced and that the company was actually making the problem worse. Paul Healy and Debora Spar explore the role business plays in addressing unhoused communities in the case “Hitting Home: Amazon and Mary’s Place.”

In Practice

Getting to Net Zero: The Climate Standards and Ecosystem the World Needs Now

What can companies and regulators do as climate predictions grow grimmer? They should measure impact, strengthen environmental institutions, and look to cities to lead, say Robert Kaplan, Shirley Lu, and Rosabeth Moss Kanter.

22 Apr 2024

When Does Impact Investing Make the Biggest Impact?

More investors want to back businesses that contribute to social change, but are impact funds the only approach? Research by Shawn Cole, Leslie Jeng, Josh Lerner, Natalia Rigol, and Benjamin Roth challenges long-held assumptions about impact investing and reveals where such funds make the biggest difference.

09 Apr 2024

Why Work Rituals Bring Teams Together and Create More Meaning

From weekly lunch dates with colleagues to bedtime stories with children, we often rely on rituals to relax and bond with others. While it may feel awkward to introduce teambuilding rituals in the workplace, the truth is, the practices improve performance, says Michael Norton in his book The Ritual Effect.

18 Mar 2024

When It Comes to Climate Regulation, Energy Companies Take a More Nuanced View

Many assume that major oil and gas companies adamantly oppose climate-friendly regulation, but that's not true. A study of 30 years of corporate advocacy by Jonas Meckling finds that energy companies have backed clean-energy efforts when it aligns with their business interests.

12 Mar 2024

How Used Products Can Unlock New Markets: Lessons from Apple's Refurbished iPhones

The idea of reselling old smartphones might have seemed risky for a company known for high-end devices, but refurbished products have become a major profit stream for Apple and an environmental victory. George Serafeim examines Apple's circular model in a case study, and offers insights for other industries.

16 Feb 2024

Is Your Workplace Biased Against Introverts?

Extroverts are more likely to express their passion outwardly, giving them a leg up when it comes to raises and promotions, according to research by Jon Jachimowicz. Introverts are just as motivated and excited about their work, but show it differently. How can managers challenge their assumptions?

05 Feb 2024

The Middle Manager of the Future: More Coaching, Less Commanding

Skilled middle managers foster collaboration, inspire employees, and link important functions at companies. An analysis of more than 35 million job postings by Letian Zhang paints a counterintuitive picture of today's midlevel manager. Could these roles provide an innovation edge?

17 Jan 2024

Are Companies Getting Away with 'Cheap Talk' on Climate Goals?

Many companies set emissions targets with great fanfare—and never meet them, says research by Shirley Lu and colleagues. But what if investors held businesses accountable for achieving their climate plans?

09 Jan 2024

Could Clean Hydrogen Become Affordable at Scale by 2030?

The cost to produce hydrogen could approach the $1-per-kilogram target set by US regulators by 2030, helping this cleaner energy source compete with fossil fuels, says research by Gunther Glenk and colleagues. But planned global investments in hydrogen production would need to come to fruition to reach full potential.

02 Jan 2024

Should Businesses Take a Stand on Societal Issues?

Should businesses take a stand for or against particular societal issues? And how should leaders determine when and how to engage on these sensitive matters? Harvard Business School Senior Lecturer Hubert Joly, who led the electronics retailer Best Buy for almost a decade, discusses examples of corporate leaders who had to determine whether and how to engage with humanitarian crises, geopolitical conflict, racial justice, climate change, and more in the case, “Deciding When to Engage on Societal Issues.”

10 Trends to Watch in 2024

Employees may seek new approaches to balance, even as leaders consider whether to bring more teams back to offices or make hybrid work even more flexible. These are just a few trends that Harvard Business School faculty members will be following during a year when staffing, climate, and inclusion will likely remain top of mind.

12 Dec 2023

Can Sustainability Drive Innovation at Ferrari?

When Ferrari, the Italian luxury sports car manufacturer, committed to achieving carbon neutrality and to electrifying a large part of its car fleet, investors and employees applauded the new strategy. But among the company’s suppliers, the reaction was mixed. Many were nervous about how this shift would affect their bottom lines. Professor Raffaella Sadun and Ferrari CEO Benedetto Vigna discuss how Ferrari collaborated with suppliers to work toward achieving the company’s goal. They also explore how sustainability can be a catalyst for innovation in the case, “Ferrari: Shifting to Carbon Neutrality.” This episode was recorded live December 4, 2023 in front of a remote studio audience in the Live Online Classroom at Harvard Business School.

05 Dec 2023

Tommy Hilfiger’s Adaptive Clothing Line: Making Fashion Inclusive

In 2017, Tommy Hilfiger launched its adaptive fashion line to provide fashion apparel that aims to make dressing easier. By 2020, it was still a relatively unknown line in the U.S. and the Tommy Hilfiger team was continuing to learn more about how to serve these new customers. Should the team make adaptive clothing available beyond the U.S., or is a global expansion premature? Assistant Professor Elizabeth Keenan discusses the opportunities and challenges that accompanied the introduction of a new product line that effectively serves an entirely new customer while simultaneously starting a movement to provide fashion for all in the case, “Tommy Hilfiger Adaptive: Fashion for All.”

21 Nov 2023

Cold Call: Building a More Equitable Culture at Delta Air Lines

In December 2020 Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian and his leadership team were reviewing the decision to join the OneTen coalition, where he and 36 other CEOs committed to recruiting, hiring, training, and advancing one million Black Americans over the next ten years into family-sustaining jobs. But, how do you ensure everyone has equal access to opportunity within an organization? Professor Linda Hill discusses Delta’s decision and its progress in embedding a culture of diversity, equity, and inclusion in her case, “OneTen at Delta Air Lines: Catalyzing Family-Sustaining Careers for Black Talent.”

The Beauty Industry: Products for a Healthy Glow or a Compact for Harm?

Many cosmetics and skincare companies present an image of social consciousness and transformative potential, while profiting from insecurity and excluding broad swaths of people. Geoffrey Jones examines the unsightly reality of the beauty industry.

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60+ Amazing Research Topics for Educational Leadership

dissertation topics educational leadership

A dissertation or thesis is a document presented for one to be awarded a degree or professional qualification. It involves research on a given topic.

Educational leadership, on the other hand, involves identifying and nurturing talents in a school set up to meet the objectives of education.

Now let’s merge the two and see the meaning.

A dissertation topic in educational leadership is, therefore, a thesis on how pupils, teachers, and parents will work towards achieving a common goal.

Leadership dissertation topics are common nowadays attributed to the growing number of institutions, and schools were also incorporated. Education dissertation topics are hence being researched daily due to the emerging challenges in running schools.

Dissertation topics in higher education leadership are vast because of the various tertiary institutions available; vocational training institutions, colleges, and universities. Enough of the explanations, and now let’s delve into the course meal. So sit tight and belt up, this is going to be one fantastic flight you’ve ever had.

60 Research Paper Topics in Educational Leadership

The Effects of Religion on Educational Leadership
Analyzing Long Term and Short Term Educational Leadership Goals
How to pass teacher’s excellence to students easily
The role of Leadership Summits on Educational Leadership
The Impact of leadership Training Institutions on Educational Leadership
How To Improve Education Leadership in the Society Today
How effective is the Youth than the Elderly in Educational Leadership?
Evaluating Different structures of Organizational Leadership
How Education Leadership Varies with Different Continental Settings
The Effects of Teacher-Parent-Student Ratio in Educational Leadership
How Public and Private Institutions Vary in Education Leadership
Policies in Educational Leadership and Their Impact
Analyzing Higher Education Leadership Characteristics
Leadership in Higher Education Frames Analysis
The Impact of Higher Education Programs Leadership Development
The Higher education Leadership Indigenous Perspective
Distance Education Programs and Transformational Leadership Characteristics in Higher Education
How to Plan For an American Higher Education Leadership Crisis
Preparing of Educational Leadership Personnel
Evaluating Better Schools With a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership
How is Educational Leadership in the 21st Century
Understanding What a Masters in Educational Leadership Entails
How Educational Leadership is Financed
Evaluating Differences in Educational Leadership Between Profit and Non-Profit Organizations
The Need for Effective Leadership in Education
Analyzing Globalization in Educational Leadership
Understanding the Different Education Leadership Styles
When To Start Teaching Education Leadership and The Impact
Impact of Online Courses on Educational Leadership Graduates
How Innovative Strategies Impact Educational Leadership
Evaluating Trends in Educational Leadership
How Educational Leadership Contributes to Discrimination
Analyzing Technical Terms in Educational Leadership
What is the Impact of Subordinate Staff on Educational Leadership
How Can we Merge Student Leadership with the Administration
The Need to Simplify Educational Leadership
Innovative Solutions to Educational Leadership Challenges
Ensuring Sustainable Student-Parent-Teacher Relationship
Demystifying Myths About Educational Leadership
How To Initiate a Re-Birth in Educational Leadership

Also, here are additional dissertation topics for custom dissertation writing on educational leadership:

1. Understanding The Role of Women in Educational Leadership

Ladies, first am being a gentleman here. It has been one of the most researched educational leadership topics.

2. How Cultural Organizations Influence School Institutions

A set way of life defines every Society in any part of the world. These cultural aspects also imply educational leadership.

3. The Influence of Educational Leadership on Transformation

This form of organizational leadership dissertation aims to establish the impact of educational leadership in Society. For instance, how has the Society grown or depreciated as a result of the educational leadership?

4. What Role Does Educational Leadership Serve in Society?

The values and morals set by an education institution determine how the Society will be in the future. A valuable educational leadership system will thus pass on responsible, and reliable people to Society.

5. The Role of Education Leadership on the Success of the Society

Success is critical in any undertaking. If not, why engage with it in the first place? This dissertation topic, therefore, seeks to unveil how education leadership can contribute to the success of the Society.

6. The Impact of Educational Leadership in Research and Literature

Educational leadership determines decisions such as the number of resources invested in research. Thus, it will major on how various forms of educational leadership either contribute to or against study and literature.

7. How Social Media Affects Educational Leadership

The digital era has immensely contributed to the organization of various forms of leadership. Social media can either be positively or negatively impacting educational leadership. Therefore, such a dissertation topic will bring this out.

8. How Poor Leadership and Poor Results in Schools Relate

Decisions made by the parents, teacher, or the students themselves will have an impact on their results.

9. The Role of Technology in Educational Leadership

Has it improved or depreciated the value of educational leadership?

10. The Impact of the Community on Educational Leadership

It focuses on how to incorporate the community into the educational leadership and the subsequent results.

11. How Racism Impacts Educational Leadership

This leadership dissertation topic focuses on institutions with mixed races. Does this affect the running of institutions?

12. The Impact of Interdisciplinary Teams in Running of Schools

Are they effective? And if so, to what extent?

13. The Comparison between Top and Lower Performing Schools

How are the two institutions managed? Are the educational leadership systems the same?

14. How to Intertwine Certain Teaching Methods with an Efficient Organization

Can specific strategic teaching methods be incorporated into educational leadership?

15. How Leadership Wrangles Affect Students

Teachers and parents fighting for different positions in the administration can affect student performance.

16. Analyzing Characteristics of Various Teachers Handling a Certain Subject

The traits of various instructors can either have a positive or negative impact on their mode of delivery.

17. How can Students be incorporated into the Educational Leadership

Ways in which students can adequately represent in the school leadership.

18. Government Regulations on Educational Leadership

Do Government regulations promote or inhibit educational leadership?

19. How Can Special Groups Be Represented Effectively

Persons with disabilities also have an equal right in administration.

20. Evaluating the Impact of the Politics of a Country to Educational Leadership

Do politicians have a say in the running of school institutions?

Use Our Topics And Get A+ Grade

These dissertation topics will properly groom you in writing your next thesis. Ask our professional team of writers to get help in writing more leadership dissertation topics.

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Frontiers in Public Health
Life-Course Epidemiology and Social Inequalities in Health
Research Topics

Gender Disparity in Healthcare: Leadership, Social Determinants and Interventions

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About this Research Topic

Gender disparity is common in healthcare. While women’s participation in decision-making, career advancement, leadership and management roles, and promotion opportunities has been widely acknowledged and despite increasing awareness of the importance of this topic, decision-making in healthcare continues to be dominated by men. Gender disparity within healthcare, like in many other areas, is impacted by external elements such as religion and culture. These factors can result in disparities in power and access to or control over resources and are reinforced by socially constructed gender norms, roles, and relations. Evidence has been mounting in recent years that gender balance can have wide-reaching positive results including heightened productivity, greater innovation, better decision-making, and enhanced patient care outcomes. More work is necessary to shift to a culture that embraces the principles of justice, equality, integrity, and transparency. This Research Topic aims to investigate the multifaceted aspects of gender disparity impacting those working within healthcare, particularly in the Middle East, and to propose evidence-informed, multipronged strategies to address these gaps. We seek robust research into the drivers and potential solutions to gender disparity, recognizing that gender balance can lead to enhanced productivity, innovation, impactful decision-making, and positive patient care outcomes. Areas to be covered in this research topic may include, but are not limited to: • Fundamental causes contributing to the gender gap in healthcare. • Efficacy of recent developments in addressing gender disparities. • Gender-inclusive healthcare strategies and accessibility patterns. • Gender bias training and advocacy for gender equity. • Disparities in leadership roles, promotion opportunities, and research grants, and ways to mitigate this. • Preventing burnout and empowering healthcare workers.

Keywords : gender disparity, gender equality, gender equity, healthcare, leadership, empowerment

Important Note : All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.

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An organizational system approach to internal retaliation behavior within chinese smes: the serial multiple mediation model and moderating role of workplace incivility.

1. Introduction

2. theoretical background and hypotheses, 2.1. abusive supervision, 2.2. psychological distress, 2.3. negative emotions, 2.4. workplace incivility, 2.5. retaliation behavior, 2.6. abusive supervision and psychological distress, 2.7. abusive supervision and negative emotions, 2.8. abusive supervision and retaliation behavior, 2.9. psychological distress and negative emotions, 2.10. psychological distress and retaliation behavior, 2.11. negative emotions and retaliation behavior, 2.12. the serial multiple mediation effect of psychological distress and negative emotions, 2.13. the moderating role of workplace incivility, 3.1. sample characteristics, 3.2. measurement, 3.3. statistical analysis, 4.1. confirmatory factor analysis, 4.2. reliability analysis, 4.3. descriptive statistical and correlation analysis, 4.4. hypothesis test, 5. discussion, 5.1. conclusions, 5.2. theoretical implications, 5.3. practical implication, 5.4. limitations and future research, author contributions, data availability statement, conflicts of interest.

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Click here to enlarge figure

Variables		Estimate	S.E.	C.R.	p	Standardized Regression Weights	AVE	C.R
Abusive Supervision (A)	A5	1				0.707	0.624	0.776
	A4	1.346	0.051	26.538	***	0.886
	A3	1.217	0.056	21.658	***	0.795
	A2	1.25	0.050	24.96	***	0.858
	A1	1.166	0.067	17.324	***	0.685
Psychological Distress (B)	B1	1				0.725	0.635	0.885
	B2	1.249	0.049	25.549	***	0.846
	B3	1.34	0.057	23.582	***	0.853
	B4	1.204	0.053	22.582	***	0.805
	B5	1.308	0.056	23.55	***	0.860
	B6	1.117	0.057	19.713	***	0.738
	B7	1.215	0.056	21.873	***	0.824
	B8	1.141	0.064	17.803	***	0.722
	B9	1.159	0.055	21.264	***	0.806
	B10	1.175	0.058	20.146	***	0.776
Negative Emotions (C)	C1	1				0.627	0.552	0.801
	C2	1.084	0.066	16.36	***	0.635
	C3	1.304	0.077	16.831	***	0.723
	C4	1.466	0.069	21.144	***	0.849
	C5	1.29	0.077	16.67	***	0.724
	C6	1.065	0.080	13.351	***	0.609
	C7	1.399	0.073	19.23	***	0.821
	C8	1.379	0.074	18.633	***	0.791
	C9	1.441	0.081	17.68	***	0.768
	C10	1.475	0.075	19.697	***	0.835
Workplace Incivility (D)	D7	1				0.538	0.694	0.849
	D6	1.3	0.054	24.274	***	0.853
	D5	1.326	0.054	24.35	***	0.860
	D4	1.355	0.051	26.823	***	0.898
	D3	1.403	0.049	28.549	***	0.946
	D2	1.292	0.058	22.222	***	0.813
	D1	1.392	0.056	24.786	***	0.862
Retaliation Behavior (E)	E1	1				0.773	0.532	0.879
	E2	1.119	0.037	30.506	***	0.854
	E3	1.118	0.036	30.811	***	0.845
	E4	1.135	0.060	18.997	***	0.718
	E5	1.222	0.047	26.23	***	0.865
	E6	0.944	0.079	12.023	***	0.512
	E7	1.209	0.044	27.624	***	0.886
	E8	1.105	0.051	21.47	***	0.776
	E9	1.004	0.063	15.857	***	0.636
	E10	1.058	0.064	16.546	***	0.656
	E11	1.19	0.045	26.526	***	0.871
	E12	1.154	0.056	20.652	***	0.759
	E13	1.218	0.048	25.504	***	0.855
	E14	0.942	0.071	13.206	***	0.553
	E15	0.967	0.074	13.005	***	0.546
	E16	0.986	0.070	14.158	***	0.584
	E17	0.859	0.075	11.387	***	0.502
Model Fit Index		X²(p) = 2634.492(0.000), X²/df = 2.519, RMSEA = 0.071, IFI = 0.908, CFI = 0.907, PGFI = 0.606, PNFI = 0.761

Variables	Item	Cronbach’s Alpha
Abusive Supervision (A)	1. My supervisor lies to me.	0.933
	2. My supervisor tells me I’m incompetent.
	3. My supervisor does not allow me to interact with my co-workers.
	4. My supervisor is rude to me.
	5. My supervisor reminds me of my past mistakes and failures.
Psychological Distress (B)	1. You feel depressed?	0.962
	2. You feel so depressed that nothing could cheer you up?
	3. You feel hopeless?
	4. You feel restless or fidgety?
	5. You feel so restless that you could not sit still?
	6. You feel tired out for no good reason?
	7. You feel that everything was an effort?
	8. You feel worthless?
	9. You feel nervous?
	10. You feel so nervous that nothing could calm you down?
Negative Emotions (C)	1. Distressed	0.937
	2. Upset
	3. Guilty
	4. Scared
	5. Hostile
	6. Irritable
	7. Ashamed
	8. Nervous
	9. Jittery
	10. Afraid
Workplace Incivility (D)	1. Put you down or was condescending to you?	0.951
	2. Paid little attention to your statement or showed little interest in your opinion?
	3. Made demeaning or derogatory remarks about you?
	4. Addressed you in unprofessional terms, either publicly or privately?
	5. Ignored or excluded you from professional camaraderie?
	6. Doubted your judgment on a matter over which you have responsibility?
	7. Made unwanted attempts to draw you into a discussion of personal matters?
Retaliation Behavior (E)	1. On purpose, damaged equipment or work process.	0.965
	2. Took supplies home without permission.
	3. Wasted company materials.
	4. Called in sick when not ill.
	5. Spoke poorly about the company to others.
	6. Refused to work weekends or overtime when asked.
	7. Left a mess unnecessarily (did not clean up).
	8. Disobeyed a supervisor’s instructions.
	9. “Talked back” to his or her boss.
	10. Gossiped about his or her boss.
	11. Spread rumors about coworkers.
	12. Gave a coworker a “silent treatment”.
	13. Failed to give coworker required information.
	14. Tried to look busy while wasting time.
	15. Took an extended coffee or lunch break.
	16. Intentionally worked slower.
	17. Spent time on personal matters while at work.

Variables	Mean	SD	Abusive Supervision	Psychological Distress	Negative Emotions	Workplace Incivility	Retaliation Behavior
Abusive Supervision	3.122	1.616	-
Psychological Distress	3.845	1.453	0.592 ***	-
Negative Emotions	3.637	1.467	0.523 ***	0.656 ***	-
Workplace Incivility	3.214	1.594	0.811 ***	0.601 ***	0.525 ***	-
Retaliation Behavior	2.796	1.398	0.620 ***	0.481 ***	0.504 ***	0.688 ***	-

Direct Effect	Effect	S.E.	t	p	LLCI		ULCI
Abusive Supervision → Psychological Distress	0.532	0.0417	12.753	0.000	0.450		0.614
Abusive Supervision → Negative Emotions	0.188	0.0479	3.943	0.001	0.094		0.283
Abusive Supervision → Retaliation Behavior	0.407	0.0481	8.477	0.000	0.312		0.502
Psychological Distress → Negative Emotions	0.537	0.0533	10.096	0.000	0.432		0.642
Psychological Distress → Retaliation Behavior	0.056	0.0603	0.939	0.348	−0.062		0.175
Negative Emotions → Retaliation Behavior	0.208	0.0565	3.682	0.000	0.096		0.319
Indirect Effect		Effect	Boot S.E.	Boot LLCI		Boot ULCI
Total Indirect Effect (X→M1→Y, X→M2→Y, X→M1→M2→Y)		0.1290	0.0437	0.0460		0.2180
Abusive Supervision → Psychological Distress → Retaliation Behavior (X→M1→Y)		0.0302	0.0382	−0.0523		0.1007
Abusive Supervision → Negative Emotions → Retaliation Behavior (X→M2→Y)		0.0393	0.0187	0.0099		0.0814
Abusive Supervision → Psychological Distress → Negative Emotions → Retaliation Behavior (X→M1→M2→Y)		0.0596	0.0245	0.0198		0.1164

Dependent Variable: Retaliation Behavior
	Model 1		Model 2		Model 3
	β	t	β	t	β	t	VIF
Negative Emotions (A)	0.504 ***	10.111	0.197 ***	4.102	−0.060	−0.770	1.384
Workplace Incivility (B)			0.584 ***	12.190	0.206 *	2.001	1.478
Interaction (A × B)					0.581 ***	4.122	1.081
R (Adjusted R )	0.254(0.251)		0.501(0.497)		0.528(0.523)
ΔR (ΔAdjusted R )	-		0.247(0.246)		0.027(0.026)
F	102.227 ***		150.481 ***		111.331 ***

Dependent Variable: Retaliation Behavior
	Model 1		Model 2		Model 3
	β	t	β	t	β	t	VIF
Abusive Supervision (A)	0.620 ***	13.751	0.183 *	2.575	0.187	1.674	3.040
Workplace Incivility (B)			0.540 ***	7.612	0.543 ***	5.450	2.923
Interaction (A × B)					−0.007	−0.047	1.134
R (Adjusted R )	0.385(0.383)		0.484(0.481)		0.484(0.479)
ΔR (ΔAdjusted R )	-		0.099(0.098)		0.000(−0.002)
F	188.107 ***		140.813 ***		93.564 ***

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Du, J.; Qing, C.; Hahm, S. An Organizational System Approach to Internal Retaliation Behavior within Chinese SMEs: The Serial Multiple Mediation Model and Moderating Role of Workplace Incivility. Systems 2024 , 12 , 231. https://doi.org/10.3390/systems12070231

Du J, Qing C, Hahm S. An Organizational System Approach to Internal Retaliation Behavior within Chinese SMEs: The Serial Multiple Mediation Model and Moderating Role of Workplace Incivility. Systems . 2024; 12(7):231. https://doi.org/10.3390/systems12070231

Du, Jiaxing, Chenglin Qing, and Sangwoo Hahm. 2024. "An Organizational System Approach to Internal Retaliation Behavior within Chinese SMEs: The Serial Multiple Mediation Model and Moderating Role of Workplace Incivility" Systems 12, no. 7: 231. https://doi.org/10.3390/systems12070231

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Why Project-Based Work Fails — and How to Get It Right

If your team is prioritizing project-based work, this episode is for you.

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Companies of every size across the world are basing more of their work around projects than at any time in the past. But research shows that nearly two-thirds of those efforts fail.

Antonio Nieto-Rodriguez , who has studied projects and project management for decades, argues that at least some of the blame for these failures lies with executives who misunderstand the fundamentals of projects and fail to dedicate enough of their time to those they sponsor.

In this episode, Nieto-Rodriguez explains how to get better outcomes from project-based work. He also discusses how to frame projects, structure organizations around them, and avoid common pitfalls.

Key episode topics include: strategy, project management, operations strategy, organizational change.

HBR On Strategy curates the best case studies and conversations with the world’s top business and management experts, to help you unlock new ways of doing business. New episodes every week.

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HANNAH BATES: Welcome to HBR On Strategy, case studies and conversations with the world’s top business and management experts, hand-selected to help you unlock new ways of doing business.

Companies of every size, in every industry across the world are basing more of their work around projects than any time in the past. But research shows that nearly two-thirds of those efforts fail.

Antonio Nieto-Rodriguez, who has studied projects and project management for decades, argues that at least some of the blame for these failures lies with executives – who misunderstand the fundamentals of projects and fail to dedicate enough of their time to the projects they sponsor.

In this episode, you’ll learn how to get better outcomes from project-based work. You’ll also learn how to frame projects, structure organizations around them, and avoid key pitfalls.

If your team is taking on project-based work or if you’re leading a new project, this episode is for you. It originally aired on HBR IdeaCast in November 2021. Here it is.

ALISON BEARD: Welcome to the HBR IdeaCast from Harvard Business Review. I’m Alison Beard. If the 20th century was all about operational efficiency in businesses, the 21st century is all about organizational change. And how do new initiatives, products and services, strategies or business models advance? Through project work. It’s what our guest today calls the project economy, and it’s estimated to generate $20 trillion in economic activity and employ 88 million people in project management related roles by 2027.

That’s across every industry and size of company in every part of the world, and yet research indicates that only 35% of projects are successful. At this increasingly critical business function, most of us are doing a pretty terrible job, so how do we get better at it going forward? Antonio Nieto-Rodriguez is the former chairman of the Project Management Institute, founder of Projects & Co. and the author of the HBR Project Management Handbook. He’s here to talk about emerging best practices for companies and the people in them. Antonio, welcome.

ANTONIO NIETO-RODRIGUEZ: Thank you, Alison. It’s a pleasure to be here.

ALISON BEARD: Project management seems like a clear idea, but how do you define it and think about it in a way that might be different than what people assume?

ANTONIO NIETO-RODRIGUEZ: Well, I think one of the challenges with project management that I face personally in my career is that as soon as you talk project management, senior executives and people who are not experts in project management, they think, “Oh, this is something very technical, very tactical. It’s nothing for me,” so I’ve been facing that kind of discontent or disinterest in project management for 25 years. So, for me, I want to move out from that project management term and move it up into projects, and we all do projects. And for me, the definition is anything that has to deal with change, that’s projects. You can manage them through project management, Agile methods, design thinking, product management. But I want to really, I think we need to elevate and say, “Well, all what goes around change, that’s projects,” and we need to manage them.

ALISON BEARD: And how has project work changed over the past few decades?

ANTONIO NIETO-RODRIGUEZ: Well, project work has changed in two big areas. One is on a macro level. I’ve been doing research, and of course we all talk about the Marshall Plan after the Second War and all the projects that came from U.S. funding to develop Europe, reconstruct Europe, that was about $13 billion. Then we talk about the financial crisis in 2008 and ’09, we were talking about $3 trillion of projects. And now after the pandemic, we’re talking about $15, $20 trillion of projects. I think the world will never see as many projects as what we’re going to see in the next decade. We need to reconstruct countries, healthcare systems, economies, so that’s from a macro perspective.

From a micro perspective, from the way work is organized in companies, in businesses, it has evolved significantly in the sense that so far, operations have been prime in most of the organizations over the past 80 years. That’s what I say, the world driven by efficiency, where most of the activities were around doing things cheaper, faster, more automated, more volumes. Companies have been organized for that. That’s why you have hierarchies, that’s where cultures like command and control have been in place and so on, but since a few years when artificial intelligence and robots are taking over a big chunk of operations, the type of work is shifted to project based. So, I think the biggest, biggest disruption that happens in the world of projects is what we’re experiencing now. A radical shift from operations to project based work.

ALISON BEARD: And that’s because projects are about sort of discovering the new innovating, and the pace of change is such in every industry now that every company needs to learn how to do this well?

ANTONIO NIETO-RODRIGUEZ: Absolutely, and one of the challenges I have to admit, Alison, I’m a big of course, expert in project, a big advocate of project management, but our performance, like you mentioned in introduction, has been poor or appalling. I think project management has not delivered the expected results. We need to find better ways to addressing the change. The future 10 years ago maybe was five years from now, right? So, you would have a project that would last for three years expecting to get some benefits maybe in three, four years, a digital transformation, a new M&A activity, a new business unit, but today, the future is so fast.

So, your future is tomorrow, right? So, that means the acceleration of project based work has to go faster. Let me give you a quick example. Here in Brussels, they were setting, establishing a hospital from scratch, Greenfield, start of the construction in 2016, completion of the hospital in 2020. So, four years of construction, state of the art, but to my surprise, the hospital was open in 2018 before it was co completed. So, I think there’s no company in the world can wait four years to get any benefits from the projects. The future is now, and we need to address that. That’s why you see exploding the number of projects in organizations. I come across companies where they have more projects than people.

ALISON BEARD: And I do want to get to how to do it better, but first, that failure rate is so high. What are some of the most common challenges or problems that projects run into? Why are we getting it so wrong right now?

ANTONIO NIETO-RODRIGUEZ: Let me highlight just three. First, I think senior leaders, they don’t have the competencies to be effective sponsorship. Over the years …

ALISON BEARD: They’re not going to like hearing that.

ANTONIO NIETO-RODRIGUEZ: I’m sure. I’m sure, but I’m sorry. I always am hundred percent honest on both on my thinking, but I think sponsors have not realized the role is crucial in sponsoring projects. It’s not about how many projects you sponsor, that has been the kind of, “I sponsor 20 projects. I’m the most important person in this company.” Well, now it’s about less is more, and it has been proven. When you are an executive, the CEO, the VP, and you dedicate time to your project, time means not just one hour per month, but a half a day per week. If this is the future of your business, I don’t understand why senior leaders don’t dedicate so much time. They’re all driven by operations and day to day urgency so very few leaders make the space. And second, they don’t understand the fundamentals of projects.

Most of the executives come from a path marketing, finance, operation strategy, and it requires for them to understand that projects are different. That you work in projects in a matrix, that is not so much the hierarchical approach, but this team working and collaboration. So, it’s hard to give you a number, Alison, but I would say 30% to and 40% of the success of the project is if the senior leaders is engaged and understands and drives the project. Alison, the second point, I realized that in the area of change in projects, we are always running with all methods. It happened in the past with IT projects, I started implementing big ERP systems, we were trying to apply some very traditional project management.

It didn’t work. Then Agile came and said, “Well, now we are going to use Agile for every project,” and that, we see today with digital transformations, AI implementations, that doesn’t work. The failure keeps there. The third reason, so I think the role of the project manager, the project management profession has not taken ownership of the results. It has been very focused on process, very focused on documentation. It did make a lot of sense in the sixties, in the fifties where you would do a lot of public sector projects where you want to document everything, but I think the reason that the third reason for me is that project management didn’t evolve to embrace the new reality. And second, project managers have been more a deliver type of role.

In project management, we always said, “Well, who’s accountable for delivering the projects? Who’s accountable for delivering the benefits?” Right? Well, it’s the sponsor. We project managers were responsible of delivering the project on time, on budget, on scope, and that has been the cradle for project management for the last 40 years. And we’ve missed to focus on the outcomes. We’ve missed to focus on the benefits. We’ve missed to take accountability of the results. It’s easy to make a project charter, but what companies are looking for is delivering value, either financial, either social, either sustainability. So, I’m asking my community of project managers to step up, to take ownership, to say, “No, it’s not just the plan. It’s not just delivery on time. What matters actually even more is delivering the benefits, whatever they are, and faster, please.”

ALISON BEARD: So, for an organization that does have existing operations that need to be managed, but then also wants to pursue change and innovation through project work, how does that company change its structure or culture to be able to do both well?

ANTONIO NIETO-RODRIGUEZ: Yeah. Well, great question, Alison. I’ve seen so many companies struggling because I’m not saying, “Let’s forget about what you’re doing right today. Let’s forget about that organization that you’ve built so successful for that world driven by efficiency with hierarchies, with yearly plans, with deep expertise, deep technical expertise,” but how can we address change? And change that’s going very fast and our products are just lasting less and less. In the past, we last five years, now five weeks or maybe five months. So, how can we mix that? And it’s a struggle. You cannot say, “Let’s forget my hierarchy and let’s move everything into flat teams and Agile structures and project basing.” That doesn’t work, so I think in the challenge for the leaders, the senior leaders, the executives, is finding that balance. And I always say you need to experiment.

You cannot just go and say, “Well, half of the organization is working without job descriptions. They’re all working project based.” I think my approach, my suggestion is, what are your top five projects? What are the five most important projects that your organization has to deliver? Extract those projects from your daily operations. Extract them. They should not be done by people working in operations. They should have a different structure. They should have a different culture. Put them aside, put them independent. They are own entities, and of course, strong sponsorship. Executives, you need to spend time on them. By extracting for those five top projects already, and moving out to that from that hierarchical structure, that operational activities, that you can see already, quite a lot of acceleration in the way you deliver projects.

ALISON BEARD: Often though, it seems as if particularly project leaders do have operational responsibilities as well, and then sort of, they’re expected to tack the project on top of that. So, how are companies that you work with navigating that balance? Are they giving the executives that time to take away for the project work?

ANTONIO NIETO-RODRIGUEZ: Great, great question. This is really the core. One of the core problems I always raise when I do workshops with senior leaders is, how come you cannot extract people from your day to day job and put them in a project? It’s one of the biggest challenges that I see. Even companies which have 10,000 people, they are not able to free up 50 people to carry out the project. The best projects I’ve seen in a research, one of them, of course the iPhone, the first one which I research very much in detail, at that time, they were able to take the day to day people, the senior leader, the best people of Apple at that time and extract them for two years and a half to develop.

And people who were in the operations side said, “Well, I love to join this project, but who’s going to do my day to day activities?” And we were saying, “Don’t bother. Anybody can do your day to day activity. You have a deputy when you’re gone,” said, “We’ll put those people. We’ll promote them. We’ll create more talent, but you, you are the best person in these companies. How come you’re not working in the most strategic project in the future of your work?” Right? It doesn’t make sense, but companies struggle so much and there’s nothing worse that you can do, Alison, than have half time people working in your projects. I work one hour per week, then I work two days per week, then it’s a mess. It’s not how you deliver great projects. At least try to get the best people around.

ALISON BEARD: I think that makes sense when you sort of have a clear idea of what the future’s going to look like, and you know exactly which five projects are the most important, but isn’t the issue in many cases that organizations sort of have 30 projects on the go, and aren’t really sure what’s going to pan out, and they can’t take all of those people away from their day to day activities? So, how do companies prioritize?

ANTONIO NIETO-RODRIGUEZ: I’m sure everybody that’s listening this, they can’t relate to that point. Companies have way too many projects. I think that if there’s a core skill for leaders in current times, is focused and prioritization. Knowing what is the big path, and unfortunately, it’s just very hard to see when you see more projects than employees. And like you’re saying, how can they do their day to day job plus three, four time projects? That’s where people get overwhelmed. I am sure that the big reset is linked to this, so many projects plus day to day activities. It’s just stressing everybody out, and I think that when you work with companies where the priorities are clear, where people know, these are our top three, their top five, and we know where we’re going, this is the focus, that’s where I think executives need to work on. On really making the tough decisions.

ALISON BEARD: What are some best practices for putting project teams together?

ANTONIO NIETO-RODRIGUEZ: Well, Alison, the formula for engagement is super simple. The most engaged people in a project, you know which one is it? Volunteers. Let me put you an example. Maybe in HBR, you are launching a new project. Why don’t you ask who wants to join?

ALISON BEARD: Makes sense. It’s so simple, but it makes so much sense.

ANTONIO NIETO-RODRIGUEZ: It’s so simple, because there’s different things that happen here. First, if nobody wants to volunteer in that project, that project is terrible. Don’t start it. Don’t start it because it’s just, people are going to be forced to do it, so ask for volunteers. Nobody shows up, don’t start it. You don’t need a business case of three months hiring consultants to make you, “Yes, this is …” If nobody jumps on it, terrible. Don’t even start it. It’s just a five minutes test and you save three months of work. Second, if the project talks about business case, very few people get excited, yeah? Who wants to work in a project that delivers 10% return on investment? Yes, nobody. Right? 15%, nobody. Who wants to work in a project which is going to make a more sustainable world? Who’s going to work in a project who’s going to increase the customer experience and make customers more happy, and deliver better value to a customer?

Who wants to work in a project who’s going to create our employees or make our employees more happy, and make us a top company? Lots of people. So, we have been, when we were talking about some of the issues, I think project manage has been focused on talking about things that don’t matter to most of the stakeholders, like a business case. Business case is super important. It’s the return investment, for sure, but that’s not what engages people. The purpose engages people. When you have volunteers, they will dream about your projects. They will do whatever they can to make it happen, and it can be because of the purpose, it can be because they like to work with you, they see a big opportunity to learn. Of course, as a project leader, you need to balance that. But as simple as that, Alison, “Who wants to volunteer?”

ALISON BEARD: How does the rise of project driven work relate to the gig economy? Is your sense that companies are hiring contractors and freelancers to get a lot of this done? Is it a balance or are they trying to handle most of it in-house?

ANTONIO NIETO-RODRIGUEZ: I think when we started to hear about the gig economy, I think yes, one of the reasons was, “Let’s hire external resources to work in our projects because we are so rigid internally, like I cannot free, from my 10,000 people, I cannot free 10 of them because they’re so busy in day to day operations plus other projects,” so it started like that. What I see now is that companies are finally taking the step of shifting resources to more project based work. Again, when I use the word project, I include Agile teams, self directed, so very flat project driven teams. So, that’s happening to the point that I talk about it is that companies are canceling job descriptions. We all had job descriptions like, Alison, most of the people listening, probably they had a job description, which tried to describe like, where do you fit in this box? Right? And just do those activities in this box, in that operational field.

That’s your box. If you do it right in two, three years, you just go up in the structure. But many large companies and small companies are realizing that people don’t work in boxes anymore, and job descriptions are not needed anymore. It’s a thing from that world driven by efficiency that together with the chief operating officer in this role, so I think they will not last very long. So, I think the project driven world is now being and embraced by organization where companies like Alibaba or other major players are really embracing this type of work where yeah, they’re looking for people who can have an idea, who can develop the idea, who can implement the project, and who can run the idea of the product or the business and generate value for the companies. This is what I call end-to-end players or strategy implementation professionals. We want this type of end-to-end players who can work transversely in organizations.

ALISON BEARD: Are there lessons from your project management world that might be helpful for people doing more traditional ongoing work?

ANTONIO NIETO-RODRIGUEZ: I think project managers have been a bit not very proud about their work. They’ve been seeing like, “Okay, you are not very modern. Agile teams are better, or innovation people,” so I think as a project manager, you need to believe on what you’re doing. Second, I think we need to take more ownership. I’ve been working 25 years in this space and managing large transformation M&A, and I always was waiting for the sponsor. I know the sponsor was very important for my projects, but I was kind of waiting and hoping that the sponsor will learn and follow training on how to do it or make some time for my projects. And I’ve learned the lesson is that the first thing I do in my projects is I go to the sponsor and talk frankly with the sponsor.

“Listen, are you ready to put time on this project? It’s very important. I need you, and I’m happy to coach you. I’m happy to tell you how projects work and what do we need to focus on, but I need your time, and I need a couple of hours per month. Let’s say an hour every two weeks. I need to talk to you. I need decisions from you.” So, I’m very much proactive because I know that role is very important and these people are really busy. One of the biggest lesson learned was being proactive with my project. The second maybe is I talk to many project managers and we are very technical to the point of sometimes difficult to understand, slash boring, right? Who wants to talk to a project manager? Come on. Do you have something more interesting? No, but that’s …

ALISON BEARD: You’re more interesting than I imagine, than my sort of vision of what the project manager is.

ANTONIO NIETO-RODRIGUEZ: You see? Because I don’t talk about project management, I don’t talk about Gantt charts, I don’t think that’s my kitchen. That’s what I do when I need to think about making a plan, but you are interested on the bigger picture. You are interested on how my ideas will contribute to our needs as an organization, so I do this exercise with project managers, “Tell your partner what you do without mentioning the words projects and project management,” and they say, “Oh, I’m struggling. What do I do?” And then they start talking about the value they bring, and that’s what people want to hear.

You covered this topic broadly in HBR, but talking, adapting, understanding the language of your stakeholders, using it. That’s how you get their engagement. That’s how you get their attention. That’s how they appreciate your value, and that’s the second big learning. When I did that, things changed for me. Senior leaders wanted to talk to me. When I forced them to prioritize in key projects, they were saying, “Antonio, we want another meeting with you,” was the CEO of the bank, because I force them. I force them to create value. I force them to have strategic dialogue, so I would say if you’re listening, you’re working in this space, move on into that space. Move on on the value creation, on your stakeholder, and things will change very fast.

ALISON BEARD: Well, Antonio, I learned a ton today. Thanks so much for coming on the show.

ANTONIO NIETO-RODRIGUEZ: A pleasure.

HANNAH BATES: That was project management expert Antonio Nieto-Rodriguez in conversation with Alison Beard on the HBR IdeaCast. He’s the author of the Harvard Business Review Project Management Handbook.

We’ll be back next Wednesday with another hand-picked conversation about business strategy from Harvard Business Review. If you found this episode helpful, share it with your friends and colleagues, and follow our show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. While you’re there, be sure to leave us a review. And when you’re ready for more podcasts, articles, case studies, books, and videos with the world’s top business and management experts, find it all at HBR.org.

This episode was produced by Mary Dooe, Anne Saini, and me, Hannah Bates. Ian Fox is our editor. And special thanks to Rob Eckhardt, Adam Buchholz, Maureen Hoch, Nicole Smith, Erica Truxler, Ramsey Khabbaz, Anne Bartholomew, and you – our listener. See you next week.

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List of Leadership Research Topics and Dissertation Ideas. For writing a leadership research paper, you can go with any leadership topics that are related to disciplines that include education, management, psychology, sociology, and politics. Discussed below is the list of some interesting leadership research topics and dissertation ideas on ...
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Corporate misconduct has grown in the past 30 years, with losses often totaling billions of dollars. What businesses may not realize is that misconduct often results from managers who set unrealistic expectations, leading decent people to take unethical shortcuts, says Lynn S. Paine. 23 Apr 2024. Cold Call Podcast.
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100s of Free Management Dissertation Topics and Titles

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How to Select the Best Management Dissertation Topic?

2024 Management Research Topics

Topic 2: Investigating the effectiveness of customer relationship management in airlines

Topic 3: How does leadership affect employees’ productivity? A case of IT firms

Topic 4: The effect of organisation advancement tools on business performance

Topic 5: The importance of leadership and social skills in new entrepreneurs: An investigative study

Covid-19 Management Research Topics

Business management during COVID-19

Hospital and medicine management during COVID-19

Educational management during COVID-19

Maternal health care management during COVID-19

Management Dissertation Topics for 2023

Topic 2: The Impact of Gender-inclusive Gatekeeping and Predecessors Influence on the Success of Female CEOs

Topic 3: Analysing the Impact of Daily Psychological Power on Organisational Leaders

Topic 4: Examining the Impact of Cultural Diversity on Interaction Process and Performance

Topic 5: Analyzing the Impact of ‘Voice’ and ‘Silence’ on Destructive Leadership

Topic 6: Examining the Relationship between Productivity, Management Practices, and Employee Ability in the UK Setting

Topic 7: Analysing the Factors that Impact International Differences in Gender Pay Gap

Topic 8: The Impact of Psychosocial Hazards on Workplace Risk Management

Strategic Management and Organisational Behavior Dissertation Topics

Topic 1: The Impact of Organisational Goals on Organisation Behavior

Topic 2: Integrating the Principles of Strategic Human Capital and Strategic Human Resource Management to Improve Organisational Performance

Topic 4: Analyzing the Effect of Strategy, Innovation, Networks and Complexity on Organisational Adaptability – The Mediating Effect of Leadership

Topic 5: Examining the Effect of Appointment of a Racial Minority Female CEO on White Male Top Manager Intrapsychic and Behavioral Responses

Topic 6: Analysis of the Effectiveness of an Affect-Based Model to Portray Recipients Responses to Organisational Change Events

Topic 7: Evaluating the Relationship between the personality of a CEO and Employee Motivation

Topic 8: Assessing the Role of Managers in Bringing and Implementing Technological Change in an Organisation

Topic 9: An Analysis of Organisational Change Management: Why Employees Resist Change?

Knowledge Management Dissertation Topics

Topic 1: Examining the Impact of Enterprise Social Networking Systems (ESNS) on Knowledge Management and Organisational Learning

Topic 2: A Review of Knowledge Management Research

Topic 3: The Impact of the Internet of Things (IoT) on Innovation and Knowledge Management Capacity

Topic 4: The Impact of Strategic Knowledge Management on MNC and their Subsidiaries Performance

Topic 5: Analyzing the Relationship between Knowledge Management Practices and Knowledge Worker Performance - The Mediating Role of Organisational Commitment

Topic 6: The Relationship between Knowledge Management Processes and Sustainable Competitive Advantage in Private Business Schools in the UK

Topic 7: The Impact of Strategic Knowledge Management on Manufacturing Firm’s Performance

Topic 8: Evaluating how Knowledge Management Impacts Company Performance: A Case Study of Sainsbury

Topic 9: Knowledge Management as a Core Competency? Evaluating the Application and Benefits of Knowledge Management

Topic 10: Exploring the Managerial Concerns and Issues in Knowledge Management and Their Impact on Organisations

Leadership and Management Information System Dissertation Topics

Topic 1: The Role of Information Systems (IS) in Enterprise Architecture and its Impact on Business Performance

Topic 2: Exploring The Relationship between Ethical Leadership and Employee Knowledge Sharing

Topic 3: Analysing the Impact of Relationship Leadership and Social Alignment on Information Security Systems Effectiveness in Private Organisations

Topic 4: Examining the Relationship between Operating Room (OR) Leadership and Operating Staff Performance

Topic 5: The Role of Transformational Leadership as a Mediating Variable in the DeLone and McLean Information Success Model.

Topic 6: Assessing the Role of Leadership in an Organisation to Help Adopt Advanced Technological Systems

Topic 7: Evaluating How Changing Business Leadership Impacts Technological Organisational Performance

Topic 8: Can Information Systems in Organisations Be Considered a Competitive Advantage?

Topic 9: Understanding the Leadership Challenges of Implementing and Managing an Advanced Information System in an Organisation

Topic 10: Do all Business Processes in an Organisation need Information System Management?

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Organisational Culture and International Business Dissertation Topics

Topic 1: The Impact of Organisational Culture of Collaborative Networks Influence on IT Governance Performance in Large Enterprises

Topic 2: Analysing the Relationship between Supervisor’s Job insecurity and Subordinates’ Work Engagement

Topic 3: Analysing the Impact of Individual Perception of Organisational Culture on the Learning Transfer Environment

Topic 4: The Role of Organisational Culture on the Development of Psychological Distress in the Workplace

Topic 5: Analysing the Role of Leadership and Organisational Culture

Topic 6: The Role and Relationships among Strategic Orientations, Cultural Intelligence, International Diversification and Performance of Organisations

Topic 7: Dynamics of Corruption Culture Distance to Core Values

Topic 8: Examining Organisational Export Performance by International Business Competencies

Topic 9: Does Organisational Culture Influence the Leadership Type that a Company Should Adopt?

Topic 10: Organisational Culture and International Business Competition: Are they Interrelated?

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100 Leadership Research Paper Topics

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2. Leadership Styles:

3. Leadership and Ethics:

4. Leadership and Diversity:

5. Leadership in Different Industries:

6. Leadership and Change Management:

7. Leadership and Employee Motivation: