Leadership Reluctance in the Australian Arts and Cultural Sector

Academic approaches to arts and cultural leadership have focused predominantly on established leaders in the organizational context. Taking an alternative approach, this paper considers the identity development of emerging leaders within disciplinary-based communities. It argues that leadership is both socially constructed and not universally embraced, analyzing 41 interviews with Australian arts and cultural practitioners to demonstrate that emerging arts and cultural leaders are often reluctant to identify as leaders. The paper explores reasons for this reluctance and discusses implications for the sector. The research contributes to theoretical knowledge of arts and cultural leadership and of the development of emerging leader identity.