Loyalty, Discipline, and Legacy: Exploring Leadership Emergence in a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Academy

Carlo A. Serrano

Grace College of Divinity carlser@mail.regent.edu

Abstract

Although leadership emergence is not a new concept, there is a dearth of literature on this topic and so much room for further exploration on the topic. The current research is just beginning to make connections between personality, skill, gender, group-type, cultural context, and leadership emergence in small groups. This paper utilizes qualitative methodologies to explore how leaders emerge within a small martial arts group context. Attention is given to the role of gender and task-framing as they relate to leadership emergence.

Keywords:

emergence, gender, leadership, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, small-groups

References

Arrow, H., McGrath, J. E. & Berdahl, J. L. (2000). Small groups as complex systems: Formation, coordination, development, and adaptation. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Bergman, S. M., Small, E. E., Bergman, J. Z. & Bowling, J. J. (2014). Leadership Emergence and Group Development: A Longitudinal Examination of Project Teams. Journal Of Organizational Psychology, 14 (1), 111.
Côté, S., Lopes, P. N., Salovey, P. & Miners, C. T. (2010). Emotional intelligence and leadership emergence in small groups. The Leadership Quarterly, 21496-508.
Choi, N., Fuqua, D. R. & Newman, J. L. (2008). The Bem Sex-Role Inventory continuing theoretical problems. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 68, 881-900. [https://doi.org/10.1177/0013164408315267]
Echols, S. (2009). Transformational/servant leadership: a potential synergism for an inclusive leadership. Journal Of Religious Leadership, 8(2), 85-116.
Emery, C. (2012). Uncovering the role of emotional abilities in leadership emergence. A longitudinal analysis of leadership networks. Social Networks, 34429-437. [https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socnet.2012.02.001]
Emerich, C.G., Denmark, F. L. & D.N. Hartog (2004). Cross-Cultural Differences in Gender Egalitarianism. In R. J. House, P. J. Hanges, M. Javidan, P. W. Dorfman, & V. Gupta (Eds,), Leadership, culture, and organizations: The GLOBE study of 62 societies (pp. 343-394). Thousand Oakes, CA: Sage.
Ensari, N., Riggio, R. E., Christian, J. & Carslaw, G. (2011). Who emerges as a leader? Meta-analyses of individual differences as predictors of leadership emergence. Personality And Individual Differences, 51(Digit Ratio (2D:4D) and Individual Differences Research), 532-536. [https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2011.05.017]
Eskridge, B. E., Valle, E. & Schlupp, I. (2015).Emergence of Leadership within a Homogeneous Group. Plos ONE, 10(7), 1-17. [https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0134222]
Gillette, J. & McCollom, M. (Eds.). (1995). Groups in context: A new perspective on group dynamics. Lanham, MD: University Press of America.
Gracie Barra (n.d.). “Our method.”Retrieved from http://graciebarra.com/gracie-barra-overview/gb-bjj/method/.
Gracie, R. & Danaher, J. (2003). Mastering the art of jiujitsu. Illinois: Human Kinetics.
Ho, G. C., Shih, M., & Walters, D. J. (2012). Labels and leaders: The influence of framing on leadership emergence. The Leadership Quarterly, 23943-952. [https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2012.06.003]
Huizing, R. L. (2011). Leaders from disciples: The church's contribution to leadership development. Evangelical Review Of Theology 35 (4), 333-344.
Hyde, B. (2005). Beyond logic - entering the realm of mystery: hermeneutic phenomenology as a tool for reflecting on children's spirituality. International Journal Of Children's Spirituality, 10 (1), 31-44. [https://doi.org/10.1080/13644360500039477]
International Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Federation (n.d.).“Graduation System.”Retrieved from http://ibjjf.com/.
Kuhn, R. & Crigger, K. (2013). Fightnomics: The hidden numbers in mixed martial arts and why there’s no such thing as a fair fight. Iowa: Graybeard Publishing.
Lewis, T. G. (2013). Cognitive stigmergy: A study of emergence in small-group social networks. Cognitive Systems Research, 21 (Stigmergy in the Human Domain), 7-21. [https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cogsys.2012.06.002]
Lichtenstein, B. B. & Plowman, D. A. (2009). The leadership of emergence: A complex systems leadership theory of emergence at successive organizational levels. The Leadership Quarterly, 20 (Meso-Modeling of Leadership: Integrating Micro- and Macro-Perspectives of Leadership), 617-630. [https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2009.04.006]
Limon, M. S. & France, B. L. (2005). Communication traits and leadership emergence: Examining the Impact of Argumentativeness, Communication Apprehension, and Verbal Aggressiveness in Work Groups. Southern Communication Journal, 70 (2), 123-133. [https://doi.org/10.1080/10417940509373318]
Lisak, A. & Erez, M. (2015). Leadership emergence in multicultural teams: The power of global characteristics. Journal Of World Business, 503-14. [https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jwb.2014.01.002]
Luria, G. & Berson, Y. (2013). How do leadership motives affect informal and formal leadership emergence? .Journal Of Organizational Behavior, 34 (7), 995-1015. [https://doi.org/10.1002/job.1836]
Maher, B. S. (2010). Understanding and Regulating the Sport of Mixed Martial Arts. Hastings Communications & Entertainment Law Journal (Comm/Ent), 32 (2), 209-246.
Middleton, K. L. (2005). The Service-Learning Project as a Supportive Context for Charismatic Leadership Emergence in Nascent Leaders. Academy Of Management Learning & Education, 4 (3), 295-308. [https://doi.org/10.5465/amle.2005.18122419]
Mierzwinski, M., Velija, P. & Malcolm, D. (2014). Women's Experiences in the Mixed Martial Arts: A Quest for Excitement?. Sociology Of Sport Journal, 31 (1), 66-84. [https://doi.org/10.1123/ssj.2013-0125]
Ogunfowora, B. & Bourdage, J. S. (2014). Does Honesty–Humility influence evaluations of leadership emergence? The mediating role of moral disengagement. Personality And Individual Differences, 5695-99. [https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2013.08.026]
Oh, S. (2012). Leadership emergence in autonomous work teams: Who is more willing to lead?. Social Behavior & Personality: An International Journal, 40 (9), 1451-1464. [https://doi.org/10.2224/sbp.2012.40.9.1451]
Padgett, D. K. (2008). Qualitative methods in social work research. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Patton, M. Q. (2002). Qualitative research & evaluation methods. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Platow, M. J., Haslam, S. A., Reicher, S. D. & Steffens, N. K. (2015). There is no leadership if no-one follows: Why leadership is necessarily a group process. International Coaching Psychology Review, 10 (1), 20-37.
Reuben, E., Rey-Biel, P., Sapienza, P. & Zingales, L. (2012).The emergence of male leadership in competitive environments. Journal Of Economic Behavior And Organization, 83 (Gender Differences in Risk Aversion and Competition), 111-117. [https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jebo.2011.06.016]
Roultson, K. (2011). Reflective interviewing: A guide to theory and practice. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Saldana, J. (2013) The Coding Manual for Qualitative Researchers, Second Edition. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications
Serban, A., Yammarino, F. J., Dionne, S. D., Kahai, S. S., Hao, C., McHugh, K. A. & Peterson, D. R. (2015). Leadership emergence in face-to-face and virtual teams: A multi-level model with agent-based simulations, quasi-experimental and experimental tests. The Leadership Quarterly, 26 (Special Issue: Leader Cognition), 402-418. [https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2015.02.006]
Stone, A. G., Russell, R. F. & Patterson, K. (2004). Transformational versus servant leadership: A difference in leader focus. Leadership & Organization Development Journal, 25 (3), 349-361. [https://doi.org/10.1108/01437730410538671]
United States (2013). Quick facts. 2010 census. Retrieved from http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/47/4715160.html