Cultural leadership as stewardship: a qualitative study on cultural leadership in the Scottish performing arts sector

Leadership is o!en defined as the ability of an individual leader to inspire, influence and make a lasting-change (Jackson & Parry 2011). Researchers and practitioners agree that a leaders’ job, regardless of any industrial/ organisational differences, is to express a clear vision, devise strategies and guide their organisations into preferred futures. While the mainstream management literature offers insights on specific motivations, qualities and attributes of leaders, life is known about who cultural leaders are and what constitutes cultural leadership. This paper aims to contribute to a debate by presenting the qualitative evidence from 21 experienced cultural leaders working in the performing arts sector in Scotland.