A Scoping and Theoretical Review of Joy in Leadership in the Nonprofit Sector

Authors

  • Katie McIntyre University of the Sunshine Coast
  • Rory Mulcahy University of the Sunshine Coast
  • Wayne Graham University of the Sunshine Coast
  • Meredith Lawley University of the Sunshine Coast

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.20899/jpna.nvzhtn76

Keywords:

Leadership, Positive affect, Management, Nonprofit, Joy

Abstract

Effective leadership plays a critical role in the success of organizations, particularly in the nonprofit sector, with positive leader affect, and more recently joy, being one aspect of leadership that significantly influences followers. Whilst some studies of positive affect and joy in leadership have been undertaken in the nonprofit sector, lack of clarity and coherence, as well as theoretical divergence has impeded research integration. This article presents the first systematic literature review of positive affect, and more specifically joy and leadership in the nonprofit sector and systematically identifies the extent to which joy has been considered as a discrete emotion in the current nonprofit leadership literature. In addition, this article synthesises the existing nonprofit leadership literature to determine what employee outcomes joy has been shown to influence. Finally, the quality of current literature and any patterns considering joy and leadership in the nonprofit leadership literature is assessed. Future research opportunities are identified.

Author Biographies

  • Katie McIntyre, University of the Sunshine Coast

    Katie McIntyre is a researcher at the University of the Sunshine Coast. With a focus on leadership, she has co-authored multiple publications, including a recent book chapter exploring the conceptualisation of Joyful Leadership. Katie’s PhD research examines the concept of Joyful Leadership, investigating its impact on employee wellbeing and engagement. Her work bridges academic theory and practical application, contributing to the development of innovative leadership practices.

  • Rory Mulcahy, University of the Sunshine Coast

    Dr. Rory Mulcahy is an Associate Professor of Marketing at the University of the Sunshine Coast (UniSC). His research focuses on service marketing and the integration of digital technologies to drive behaviour change. He is also particularly interested in improving service experiences to enhance human flourishing and mitigate vulnerability.

  • Wayne Graham, University of the Sunshine Coast

    Wayne Graham is a Senior Lecturer in Management in the School of Business and Creative Industries at the University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia. Wayne has developed a suite of credit-bearing micro-credential planning courses in partnership with the Queensland Government. The courses are co-designed, co-delivered and co-evaluated with industry representatives and are offered simultaneously online and onsite at various locations throughout the state. Wayne has supervised nine PhD students to completion and has co-authored twenty published peer reviewed journal articles.

  • Meredith Lawley, University of the Sunshine Coast

    Meredith Lawley is an Emeritus Professor of the University of the Sunshine Coast (USC).  She has successfully supervised 29 doctoral candidates in a wide variety of business disciplines using a variety of methodologies, has a H-index of 29, and has published over 40 refereed journal articles.

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Published

2025-02-11

Issue

Vol. 10 No. 3 (2024)

Section

Research Articles

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