| The current qualitative phenomenological case study was conducted to explore leadership practices of senior executives in private Iranian engineering firms within the oil industry. Eleven in-depth interviews were conducted to explore participant leadership experiences and to identify the educational, professional, organizational, and sociological factors that are perceived to affect the practice of leadership. The interview responses were coded and analyzed using NVivo8. Research findings identified five leadership development themes: (a) training (b) perception and knowledge, (c) responsibility and collaboration, (d) culture, and (e) empowerment. Five themes essential to successful leadership also emerged: (a) communication, (b) ethics, (c) creativity and critical thinking, (d) integrity and trust, and (e) vision and strategy. The study findings have potential implications for Iranian organizational leadership and leadership development. A model for organizational communication, that incorporates all of the leadership themes identified in the study, is advanced for possible adoption by leadership practitioners, or to be explored in future research studies. |
