Organizational leadership and change in the context of conflict

Conflict and violence are a reality of life throughout the world. While much is written about the impact of war and disorder, how organisations and the people within them operate and do business through conflict and its legacy is often poorly understood. This chapter explores the experience of organisational actors, in public, private and third sector environments, taking decisions and delivering services in situations of conflict and division. Organisational change is often central to peacebuilding endeavors and introduces ethical choices about the role of leaders and managers as agents of conflict transformation. Using data from studies of Bosnia, the Basque Country and Northern Ireland, it will explore the ethical challenges of leadership in the ‘grey zone’, the impact of complex and deadly political divides on organisational life and the role of leaders and managers as they navigate violence and its aftermath. The chapter will conclude with some reflections on the practices and approaches that facilitate leadership and change in these circumstances and the importance of these practices to successful conflict transformation.