Practice Theory, Leadership‐as‐Practice, and Social Action

Joseph A. Raelin

EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, 2026, vol. 56, issue 1, No e70029, 12 pages

Abstract: Although practice theory has significantly contributed to our understanding of the mechanisms underlying social change, it does not take a position or advocate for particular meso‐macro changes, such as responsible management, because it is a theory wedded to ontological understanding. How people choose to ‘get along’ in life and manage their goods is all part of the practices, which fall under the theorist's microscope. On other hand, the applied field of leadership‐as‐practice is tied to change as its definitive property; in fact, leadership is defined by turning points occurring in the spaces between people, which, in turn, can lead to changes in the trajectory of the flow of practice. After narrowing the definition of social change in this paper as social action and—institutionally—as responsible management, the paper turns to a comparison between how practice theory contributes to our understanding of the evolution of social action and how leadership‐as‐practice, relying on the former's erstwhile elucidation, attempts to initiate and facilitate such action. The latter discussion of leadership‐as‐practice includes an accounting of the impetus for change initiation, its diffusion and prefigured processes, and the post‐institutional applications afforded through its link with practice theory. The essay concludes by pointing out the principal contribution of the paper that social change need not rely on exclusive individual direction but on the collective capacity of the agents affiliated with the practice deriving the means to produce more just and sustainable lives.

Keywords: practice theory; leadership-as-practice; leadership theory; social change; social action; prefiguration; responsible management; social agency; deliberative democracy; collective leadership (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: J24 M10 M12 M14 M53 M54 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:zbw:espost:335544

DOI: 10.1111/jtsb.70029

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