Watton, Emma Louisa and Parry, Ken and Kempster, Stephen John (2017) Total recall? : Using episodic and autobiographical memory to better understand leadership narrative identity. In: Creative Disruption : Managing in a Digital Age. UNSPECIFIED, AUS.
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Abstract
The problem we seek to address is the difficulty managers have in recalling and understanding experiences that shape their leadership narrative identity. We draw on extant theorising of memory, specifically episodic memory (EM) and autobiographic memory (AM), to frame our research question: How can EMs and AMs be recalled to enhance an understanding of leadership narrative identity? Through a complementary use of artefact story-telling and timelines in leadership development we show how EM and AM can be accessed in tandem to enable managers to explore their leadership narrative identity. We offer a conceptual framework to outline this dynamic. Total recall of experiences is problematic. By connecting EM and AM a more rounded recall of leadership narrative identity can be formed.