BUS News

New Frontiers in Leadership Explored at HKBU BUSD Symposium

28 May, 2025

HKBU School of Business co-hosted the "Leadership Research Beyond Boundaries" symposium on 20th May 2025, bringing together leading scholars to tackle real-world leadership challenges. The event, organised by the Centre for Human Resource Strategy and Development (CHRSD), showcased cutting-edge research and fostered collaboration between institutions. As the Secretariat for the Beijing-Hong Kong University Alliance (BUHA), HKBU continues its commitment to advancing impactful research.

The symposium delved into the intricate dynamics of leadership, from the initial establishment of authority to the subtle influences within complex organisational networks. Prof. Wu LIU (The Hong Kong Polytechnic University) examined how new leaders gain status over time, highlighting the distinct trajectories of status attainment based on approaches emphasising dominance, competence, or virtue. His longitudinal study revealed that leaders embracing virtue often gained more respect over time and experienced a rise in status, while those relying on dominance may see their influence decline.

Prof. Jia (Jasmine) HU (Tsinghua University) offered a fresh perspective on leadership and gender inclusion, drawing from her latest book and an empirical study on CEO humility. Her findings reveal that CEOs who demonstrate humility—by being open to new ideas, recognising others’ strengths, and acknowledging their own limitations—are significantly more likely to promote women into top management roles. This effect is especially pronounced when the CEO is female or operates in a cultural context with lower power distance. This work challenges conventional leadership models and underscores the value of inclusive, character-driven leadership in shaping more equitable organisations.

Last but not least, Prof. Erica XU, Associate Professor, Department of Management, Marketing and Information Systems, and Prof. Xu HUANG, Director of the CHRSD and Associate Dean (Research & Impact), both from the School of Business, Hong Kong Baptist University, presented two complementary studies examining how leadership influences are shaped by social hierarchy and network dynamics within organisations. The first study distinguished between leader-conferred and peer-conferred status within teams, revealing that team performance improves when both leaders and members agree on who holds high status. The second study focused on charismatic leadership, showing that such leaders often occupy central positions in organisational networks, which can enhance team performance—though this effect weakens in politically charged team environments.

Under the framework of BHUA, HKBU and Tsinghua will co-lead a transformative three-year project, revealing hidden biases in managerial selection through neuroscience, AI analysis, and longitudinal studies—reshaping fair leadership practices worldwide. BHUA was founded in April 2018, bringing together prestigious universities in Beijing and Hong Kong to advance academic and research development in higher education. The alliance’s collaborative efforts include joint research projects, strategic partnership alliances, as well as student and faculty exchange programmes.