Leadership and Online Communities

Given the vast number of published studies of organizational leadership, there are relatively few studies focused on leadership in online communities (OCs). The purpose of this panel is to help establish a research agenda for leadership in online context by highlighting open areas of debate and inquiry. Compared to traditional organizations, OCs have lower barriers to participation, more diverse motivations for participation, and higher membership turnover. The over-arching meta-question for this panel is: do we need new theories to understand the unique manifestation of leadership in OCs? To focus the panel discussion and stimulate debate, we will briefly open with panelists positions and then devote the majority of the panel duration to audience engagement as active participants in exploring leadership in online communities