O desenvolvimento de lideranças nos colégios das Missionárias Servas do Espírito Santo da Província Brasil Sul

Abstract

This research aims to understand the process of identity construction and leadership development in the Colleges of Holy Spirit Missionary Sisters (MSSpS) of the Brazilian South Province. The study was conducted through qualitative research, through 15 semi-structured interviews with employees who occupy a leadership position in MSSpS colleges, that is, teachers and leaders of sectors such as communication, secretarial and information technology. The data were analyzed through Content Analysis, using the NVivo 10 software. The theoretical reference developed is about the concept of identity construction (DERUE; ASFORD, 2010), leadership as collective property (FAGUNDES; SEMINOTTI, 2009; KOMIVES et al., 2005) and leadership as a product and producer (CABRAL, 2018). As results, five categories were identified: (1) the perception of the attributes needed by the leader, (2) the organizational culture, (3) perceptions about one's own trajectory, (4) challenges, and (5) leadership conceptions. How each of these dimensions is presented has different implications for identity building and leadership development. In general, the leader should be humble, responsible and exemplary person. In addition to prioritizing teamwork, s/he should motivate people, be proactive, and look after the values of the institution. Training courses and attention to workers' quality of life are essential for the development of the leader. Also, to be a leader, it is necessary to enforce the values of the institution, in this case, values that include respect for others, charisma, and appreciation of the human being, above all. In addition to values, practices that promote spirituality are encouraged. Hierarchical relationships present themselves as relations of closeness, trust and familiarity. Thus, these reactions enable the development of leadership insofar as they allow participation, establish a space for dialogue and integration of responsibilities, providing a conducive environment for growth of employees. Such experiences contribute to how they deal with the position they occupy today. The challenges they face in day-to-day work also contribute to the development of leadership, are mainly those related to people management, i.e. how to deal with different opinions, different needs, different skills and abilities. According to the group of interviewees leadership is achieved through engagement, relational recognition, informal leadership, external motivation, identity consolidation (self knowledge in the process of integration with the group), and self-evaluation. They suggested training of personnel and management model as the two aspects to be improved.