Julian Barling, Research Achievement Award recipient for 2016
Soon after he learned of his award, Julian Barling took out his CV and did a little math. Since establishing his academic career in Canada in 1984, after emigrating from South Africa, Julian has penned more than 150 journal articles and some 60 book chapters, and written or edited 12 books. Amongst that vast output, he found only five works that he produced as sole author, and four of those were editorials in journals he edited.
“Every other article and book chapter that I’ve written has been with a current or former student,” he says. “I’ve been blessed to work with amazing grad students who, in many cases, have become colleagues and close friends.”
Known for his research on transformational leadership, Julian is currently exploring the roots of leadership, specifically how growing up in poor socio-economic circumstances, or experiencing severe inequality, can affect the later emergence and nature of leadership.
“I’m fascinated by how poverty affects the motivation to lead during one’s school years,” he says. “If you grow up in poverty, you end up in poorer quality schools. You will have a different quality of role model. Our first study was simply about whether you become a leader or not, and we found that you’re less likely to.”
Future studies will look at the effects of stereotypes of poverty and how selection biases of hiring committees can be overcome.
In a way, Julian is coming full circle from his own days as a graduate student. “My PhD was on child psychology,” he says. “I’m going back to my psychology roots.”
