Human Resource Management· 2026Q1
From Individual Advancement to Structural Conditions: Reframing Leadership Development
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- 2026year
Short summary
Leadership development operates as a classed system, disadvantaging low-wage workers by overlooking their contributions and limiting access due to economic precarity and class-based norms.
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Key points
- Low-wage workers are largely absent from leadership development research and practice despite being a significant workforce segment.
- Leadership development is framed as a classed system, shaped by economic precarity and class-based norms, which disadvantages low-wage workers.
- Existing research primarily focuses on individual readiness, neglecting how leadership systems create barriers to development.
- The proposed model integrates social class and scarcity to promote more inclusive talent management practices.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Abstract
ABSTRACT Low‐wage workers represent a significant segment of the organizational workforce, yet they remain largely absent from leadership development research and practice. These workers routinely face barriers such as limited access to development opportunities and occupational stigma. However, leadership development research has primarily emphasized individual readiness and human capital, paying too little attention to how leadership systems shape access to development. Drawing on Scarcity Theory and Pierre Bourdieu's Theory, we argue that leadership development operates as a classed system influenced by both material constraints and cultural expectations. These dynamics disadvantage low‐wage workers whose everyday leadership contributions often go unrecognized. We contribute to human resource management scholarship by integrating social class and scarcity into leadership development research by showing how economic precarity and class‐based norms jointly shape limited access to leadership development for the low‐wage worker. The proposed conceptual model reframes leadership development as a more inclusive talent management practice capable of leveraging a broader range of organizational expertise. We conclude by outlining future research directions on how HR systems can reduce structural barriers and expand leadership pathways for low‐wage workers.
The authors' abstract, as published at the source. Human Resource Management, 2026 · DOI ↗
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Field: Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management
Organizational Behavior and Human Resource ManagementBusiness, Management and Accounting