Alle Publikationen
2015
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(2015): Emotional and social intelligence. A study of interpersonal, intrapersonal, social awareness, and social facility skills of information technology professionals in higher education. ProQuest Information & Learning, US.
Abstract: Technology is exponentially growing at a rapid pace across all industries, including higher education. Those who support these technologies, information technology (IT) professionals, are susceptible to job pressure factors, such as stress, due to labor shortages and a need for more communication with people other than IT professionals across campuses. This raises concern about their ability to interact according to emotional intelligence (EI). Very little is known about two EI aspects of IT professionals (interpersonal and intrapersonal skills) and their relationship to professional roles. The purpose of the study was to examine the relationships between various roles of IT professionals in higher education and their interpersonal and intrapersonal skills of EI. The study employed an ex-post facto design. The independent variable consisted of IT personnel's professional roles, education, and social intelligence. The dependent variable was emotional intelligence, consisting of interpersonal and intrapersonal EI. Data were analyzed according to t-test, ANOVA, and correlation statistics. The participants were IT professionals at 20 four-year public universities in the Texas A&M and University of Texas systems. There were 94 IT professionals who participated in the study. The findings showed that IT professionals with a degree in technology had lower stress levels and lower self-esteem than IT professionals whose degree was in business. However, there were no statistical differences in IE among IT professionals as it related to job titles, number of years on the job, or highest degree earned. Further analyses revealed social intelligence was correlated to emotional intelligence, although the relationship was weak. The study showed that IT professional are socially awkward. Since results revealed that as social intelligence decreased so did their emotional intelligence, IT leaders should be cautious about which IT professionals they want to interact directly with students, staff, faculty, and administrators. Furthermore, IT departments may need to change hiring practices. Those IT professionals who have technical expertise coupled with good people skills can be called upon to interact with other campus personnel. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)
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(2015) : Fairness and Inequity Aversion In: Toga, Arthur W.: Brain mapping: An encyclopedic reference: Amsterdam, Netherlands: Elsevier, S. 3-8, zuletzt geprüft am 27.02.2018
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-397025-1.00142-1 Abstract: Brain Mapping: An Encyclopedic Reference, (2015) 3-8. doi:10.1016/B978-0-12-397025-1.00142-1 Social preferences for fairness and the avoidance of inequity affect outcome valuation and decision-making. Neuroimaging studies suggest that fair outcomes and behaviors activate brain regions associated with reward processing, such as the striatum and ventromedial prefrontal cortex, whereas neural processing of unfair behavior involves the anterior insula, the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, and the anterior cingulate cortex. The temporoparietal junction and medial prefrontal cortex are involved in processing information about others' intentions and reactions to fairness.
Keywords: Anterior cingulate cortex, Behavioral economics, Dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, entscheiden, Fairness, fMRI, INEQUALITY, Insula, Neuroeconomics, Neuroimaging, Neurowissenschaften, Reward, science direct, Social preferences, Striatum, Temporoparietal junction, Ventromedial prefrontal cortex -
(2015) : Cultural roots of values, morals, and religious orientations in adolescent development In: Jensen, Lene Arnett: The Oxford handbook of human development and culture: An interdisciplinary perspective: Oxford; New York; Auckland: Oxford University Press (Oxford library of psychology), S. 377-395
Abstract: Discusses the cultural roots of values, morals, and religious beliefs in adolescent development. Specific associations between culture, self-views, and world views in adolescent development are discussed, along with research findings from selected culture-informed studies on values, morals, and religious purpose as part of self- and world views. Finally, a cultural model consisting of relative independence and interdependence, cultural structure, respective situational strength, the adolescents' social position, socialization experience, and personality is suggested as influencing adolescents' agency and shaping their self- and world views.
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(2015): The rise of the promeneur. Walking the city in eighteenth-century Paris. In: Historical Research 88 (239), S. 67-99. DOI: 10.1111/1468-2281.12070
Abstract: This article examines the combination of circumstances which transformed the appearance, representations and social practices of the city during the course of the eighteenth century. Through these changes, it will be argued, the traditional practice of collective promenade as a sign of social visibility' developed into the new form of the individualized figure of the promeneur. Three successive time periods - and three types of evidence - are used to testify to this evolution from earlier patterns of social comportment into a new urban habit: first, the development and the transformation of the ritual of the polite promenade; second, the construction of open promenades around the city (notably, the boulevards and the Champs-Elysees); and, finally, the definition of the identity of the promeneur, as elaborated by writers such as Louis-Sebastien Mercier and Nicolas-Edme Retif de la Bretonne.
Keywords: time -
(2015) : Moral Reasoning in Psychology In: Wright, James D.: International Encyclopedia of the Social & Behavioral Sciences (Second Edition): Oxford: Elsevier, S. 803-805
Abstract: Developmental research has focused on reasoning about right and wrong in social relationships. Piaget and Kohlberg each proposed sequences in which children first develop moral judgments that are confused with nonmoral features, such as adherence to social conventions, and then judgments differentiating them from each other. However, subsequent research shows that young children form concepts in the moral domain with understandings of welfare and fairness, differing from judgments about social conventions. Moral decisions entail coordination of different concerns – moral and nonmoral – in situational contexts. Individuals critically apply moral judgments to cultural practices entailing social inequalities.
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(2015): Why not? On axiomatizing sociological action theory. In: Zeitschrift für Soziologie (44.2), S. 83-98
Abstract: This contribution demonstrates that two different approaches to decision theory, i.e. the axiomatic theories of bounded rationality (Rubinstein 1998) and the new sociological theory of action, share the common goal of developing a decision theory that describes what actually happens inside the minds of decision makers. Additionally, it is argued that sociological action theory has need of such an axiomatic method. This is illustrated by providing a partial characterization of the model of frame selection developed by Esser (2001) and Kroneberg (2005), arguably the most influential model in action theory in German sociological discourse.
Keywords: Axiomatic Theory, Bounded Rationality, CONSUMERS BEHAVIOR, COOPERATION, Decision theory, DEFINITION, Disziplin, Entscheidungsforschung, ESSER,HARTMUT, FRAME-SELECTION, model, Procedural Decision Making, PURE THEORY, RATIONAL CHOICE, Scripts, SITUATION, Soziologie, Soziologisches Handlungsmodell von Hartmut Esser, VOLUNTEERS -
Vallverdú, Jordi (2015): Handbook of research on synthesizing human emotion in intelligent systems and robotics. Hershey, PA: Information Science Reference/IGI Global (Advances in computational intelligence and robotics (ACIR) book series; ISSN: 2327-0411 (Print), 2327-042X (Electronic))
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(2015): The role of attachment style in women’s recognition of sexism. In: Personality and Individual Differences 74, S. 235-240. DOI: 10.1016/j.paid.2014.10.029
Abstract: The present research examined how differences in attachment style might impact women’s awareness of sexism. Identity threat models of stigma emphasize the role of individual differences in responding to social identity threats, however little is known about what factors lead to avoidance versus vigilance for such threats. Furthermore, research shows that insecure attachment is related to avoidant responses to blatantly threatening cues, but vigilance when such cues are ambiguous. Thus, insecurely attached women should acknowledge less sexism toward women when faced with instances of blatant sexism, whereas their awareness should be heightened by instances of ambiguous sexism. Conversely, securely attached women should acknowledge sexism when encountering blatant rather than ambiguous instances of sexism. In a test of these hypotheses, 155 women were exposed to either a male verbally rejecting a women’s opinion for blatantly sexist or ambiguously sexist reasons. The data confirm predictions. The findings suggest interventions to improve outcomes for stigmatized groups should consider impacts of attachment style, and further, that attachment style might partially explain women’s divergent responses to sexism.
Keywords: Attachment, Geschlechterforschung, PREJUDICE, science direct, Sexism, Stereotyped Attitudes, stigma -
(2015): Journal of Politeness Research. Introduction. In: Journal of Politeness Research 11 (2), S. 165-178. DOI: 10.1515/pr-2015-0007
Abstract: This issue marks the 10th year anniversary of the Journal of Politeness Research: Language, behaviour, culture. Ten years ago, founding Editor-in-Chief Christine Christie established the journal as an "international and multidisciplinary forum for research into linguistic and non-linguistic politeness phenomena" (Christie 2005: 1). Under her editorial guidance, the journal published a great number of papers which embodied this founding principle. In 2010, Derek Bousfield and Karen Grainger took over the editorship and in 2013 Karen Grainger became the sole Editor-in-Chief, and the Journal of Politeness Research has grown and matured further under the stewardship of Bousfield and Grainger. Today, with the invaluable contributions of authors and reviewers, and the continuous support of the journal's readership, editorial team and advisory board, the journal remains a flagship for and a pioneer of research into all kinds of politeness phenomena. To celebrate this 10th year anniversary, it is worth reviewing in detail what has been achieved so far, and to take a look at promising future developments of politeness research.
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(2015): How emotional expressions shape prosocial behavior. Interpersonal effects of anger and disappointment on compliance with requests. In: Motivation and Emotion 39 (1), S. 128-141. DOI: 10.1007/s11031-014-9421-6
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11031-014-9421-6 Abstract: People often express emotion to influence others, for instance when making a request. Yet, surprisingly little is known about how such emotional expressions shape compliance. We investigated the interpersonal effects of anger and disappointment on compliance with requests. In Experiments 1 and 2, participants were more willing to offer help and donate to charity when a request was accompanied by disappointment rather than anger or no emotion. In Experiment 3, which involved a behavioral paradigm, emotional expressions trumped the effect of an explicit descriptive norm: Expressions of disappointment fostered generosity despite a non-generous norm, and expressions of anger undermined generosity despite a generous norm. Mediation analyses in Experiments 2 and 3 revealed that disappointment was more effective than anger in eliciting compliance because it was perceived as more appropriate for the context. Findings are discussed in relation to theorizing on social influence and the soc ial functions of emotions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved) zitiert von 25
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VDE (2015): Proceedings of European Wireless 2015; 21th European Wireless Conference. Frankfurt am Main, Germany: VDE
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(2015): Theorie der feinen Leute. Eine ökonomische Untersuchung der Institutionen. 3. Auflage, ungekürzte Ausgabe. Frankfurt, M.: Fischer Taschenbuch Verlag (Fischer)Keywords: Oberschicht, Prestige
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(2015): The power of regression to the mean. A social norm study revisited. In: European Journal of Social Psychology 45 (4), S. 417-425. DOI: 10.1002/ejsp.2111
Abstract: Replicated and extended a study, in which the effect of a social-norm intervention on energy consumption was examined. The present studies included control groups to examine whether social-norm effects persist beyond regression to the mean. Both studies had a 2×2 design (baseline consumption: below mean versus above mean; message condition: no-message control versus norm message). Based on baseline fruit (Study 1) or unhealthy snack (Study 2) consumption, students were classified as above mean or below mean for consumption. One week later, half of the students in the above-mean and below-mean groups received normative feedback; control groups did not. Neither study showed an effect of norm messages on behavior relative to control, providing evidence for regression to the mean as an alternative explanation. It is concluded that these findings highlight the importance of control groups to distinguish social-norm intervention effects from mere regression to the mean.
Keywords: Normen, Sozialpsychologie -
(2015): Social and Cultural Features of Fashion Design in Milan. In: Fashion Theory 16 (4), S. 399-431. DOI: 10.2752/175174112X13427906403723
Abstract: The profession of fashion designer varies among the main fashion cities, and therefore has an eminently geographical rationale. Different conceptions of vestimentary creativity are usually tied to the affiliation of the creator with one of the fashion capitals. In this article, the main variables determining the specific features of how the profession is exercised in one city or another are illustrated. The case of Milan is then considered, in order to describe distinctive aspects of the profession of local fashion designers. The discussion is not based on information pertaining to the most successful designers, since it is not the most famous cases that furnish reliable information on the profession. Rather, it draws on twenty-one in-depth interviews with "ordinary" fashion designers conducted as part of an empirical research project carried out over recent years. It concludes that Milanese designers cultivate a "culture of wearability" based on an array of values including respect for the body, creative prudence, attention to the consumer's needs, conservatism, and business profit. In such a culture priority is given, not so much to radical innovation and visual aesthetic quality, as to incremental innovation and functionality with respect to the use made of garments in everyday life.
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(2015): Kooperationsnormen und vergeltende Sanktionen. Experimentelle Untersuchungen. In: Soziale Welt, Sonderband 22, S. 174-193
Abstract: Informelle soziale Normen der Kooperation, die durch Sanktionen abgestützt werden, werden oft als Bausteine für soziale Ordnung und soziales Kapital betrachtet. Solche Normen werden am Beispiel eines Zwei-Personen-Gefangenendilemmas mit Sanktionsmöglichkeit ("Normspiel") untersucht. Aus spieltheoretischer Sicht liefert die Standardannahme des rationalen Eigeninteresses die Vorhersage, dass im einmaligen Normspiel weder kooperiert noch sanktioniert wird, sofern die aktive Sanktionierung (Bestrafung) materielle Kosten auslöst. Die beschriebenen Ergebnisse von Laborexperimenten zum Normspiel stimmen mit der Standard-Vorhersage nicht überein: Es wird sowohl in einem beträchtlichen Ausmaß kooperiert als auch sanktioniert. Darüber hinaus gibt es bedingte Kooperation: Wenn Kooperation des Partners erwartet wird, ist die Kooperationsbereitschaft höher. Es zeigen sich auch Evidenzen für negative Reziprozität: Wer einseitig kooperiert hat, ist häufiger bereit, den Partner zu bestrafen. Anders als in einigen früheren Untersuchungen mit ähnlichen Spielen gibt es aber keine Hinweise darauf, dass Bestrafungsmöglichkeiten das Kooperationsniveau und die Wohlfahrt der Akteure verbessern. Insgesamt zeigen die Befunde, dass die Entscheidungen zum Teil von "sozialen Präferenzen" beeinflusst werden. (Autorenreferat)
Keywords: Interaktionsforschung, sanctions -
(2015): When status is grabbed and when status is granted. Getting ahead in dominance and prestige hierarchies. In: The British journal of social psychology 54 (3), S. 445-464. DOI: 10.1111/bjso.12093
DOI: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25370539 Abstract: What type of behaviour affords status, agentic, or communal? Research to date has yielded inconsistent answers. In particular, the conflict view holds that agentic behaviour permits the imperious to grab status through overt force, whereas the functional view holds that communal behaviour permits the talented to earn status through popular appeal. Here, we synthesize both views by taking into account the moderating role played by group hierarchy. Group hierarchy can range from being dominance based (where status is grabbed) to prestige based (where status is granted). In a field study (Study 1), and a laboratory experiment (Study 2), we demonstrate that in different groups, status can be achieved in different ways. Specifically, agentic behaviour promotes status regardless of hierarchy type, whereas the effect of communal behaviour on status is moderated by hierarchy type: it augments it in more prestige-based hierarchies but diminishes it in more dominance-based hierarchies.
Keywords: Adolescent, Female, Gesellschaft, Hierarchie, Humans, Male, Psychological Theory, Research, Social Behavior, Social Dominance, Status -
(2015): Wie kommt die Moral in den Kopf?. Von der Werteerziehung zur Persönlichkeitsförderung. Berlin: Springer Spektrum
Abstract: Ausgehend von einer skeptischen Haltung hinsichtlich der Bedeutung von Werten als steuernden Faktoren menschlichen Handelns werden andere, meist unbewusste Motive menschlichen Tuns und Lassens in den Blick genommen. Basierend auf Erkenntnissen aus Gehirnforschung, Psychologie und Soziologie werden Antworten auf folgende Fragen gegeben: Haben schon Tiere Vorformen von Moral? Was passiert im Gehirn, wenn Menschen moralische Entscheidungen treffen? Welche Rolle spielen die Gene und frühkindliche Erfahrungen? Wie werden Kinder zu moralischen Persönlichkeiten? Was tragen Eltern, Kindertagesstätten und Schulen dazu bei? Welche Persönlichkeitsaspekte, Fähigkeiten und Verhaltensneigungen von Kindern begünstigen moralisches Handeln und ein gutes Leben und Zusammenleben? Welche Kompetenzen helfen zur Verwirklichung von Werten wie Gesundheit, Gerechtigkeit, Freiheit oder Solidarität? - Inhalt: (1) Der trügerische Ruf nach Werten: Bestimmen Werte unser Verhalten? (2) Was treibt unser Verhalten wirklich an? (3) Warum lohnt sich der Blick ins Gehirn? (4) Die Persönlichkeit und ihre Werte: Gut für Überraschungen? (5) Wie kultiviert die Gesellschaft Werte und Normen? (6) Kardinaltugenden und Werte: Fälle für das Forschungslabor? (7) Die politischen Werte der Französischen Revolution: Noch aktuell? (8) Und wo bleiben die Werte? (9) Was fördert moralisches Verhalten? (10) Werte und Moral über die Kellertreppe? zitiert von: 3
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(2015): Sexism in Language and Talk-in-Interaction. In: Journal of Language and Social Psychology 34 (4), S. 410-426. DOI: 10.1177/0261927X15586574
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0261927X15586574 Abstract: Feminists have long recognised important relationships between language and a gendered social order that disadvantages women. At the establishment of gender and language as a field of academic inquiry, work documented sexism in language—the ways words were used to ignore, narrowly define, or demean women. Using feminist conversation analysis, this article further develops that early work by considering recorded instances of gender and sexism in talk. A broad notion of 'gender trouble' was used to identify 50 relevant cases from everyday interactions. Two sexist language issues that were evident in the collection are presented in this article—the derogation of women and participants’ orientations to gender inclusiveness. The analysis contributes to a better understanding of sexism in language by examining how instances of it unfold over turns of talk. The study is discussed with respect to the methodological tensions inherent in feminist conversation analysis. (PsycI NFO Data base Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)
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(2015): Techno-Anthropology. Guest Editor's Introduction. In: Techné: Research in Philosophy and Technology 19 (2), S. 117-124. DOI: 10.5840/techne20157630
Abstract: Since the twentieth century, anthropologists have explored technologies. One can think of the breakthrough research of André Leroi-Gourhan in the 1940s combining pre-history, anthropology and technology, or the field of studies of Claude Lévi-Strauss of cooking techniques that led to the birth of structuralism. It is not a coincidence that many of the names of researchers which come to mind are French. By the early 1990s most of these studies were still unknown to the English-speaking audience. One of the first researchers in this area whose work was translated into English was Pierre Lemonnier. In 1992 the Museum of Anthropology at the University of Michigan published Lemonnier's Elements for an Anthropology of Technology. In the introduction to this special issue we will draw on his work and see what parallels, projections and/or protractions can be found that lead to the contributions that will follow.
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(2015): Gender differences in experiential and facial reactivity to approval and disapproval during emotional social interactions. In: Frontiers in psychology 6
Abstract: Negative social evaluations represent social threats and elicit negative emotions such as anger or fear. Positive social evaluations, by contrast, may increase self-esteem and generate positive emotions such as happiness and pride. Gender differences are likely to shape both the perception and expression of positive and negative social evaluations. Yet, current knowledge is limited by a reliance on studies that used static images of individual expressers with limited external validity. Furthermore, only few studies considered gender differences on both the expresser and perceiver side. The present study approached these limitations by utilizing a naturalistic stimulus set displaying nine males and nine females (expressers) delivering social evaluative sentences to 32 female and 26 male participants (perceivers). Perceivers watched 30 positive, 30 negative, and 30 neutral messages while facial electromyography (EMG) was continuously recorded and subjective ratings were obtained. Results indicated that men expressing positive evaluations elicited stronger EMG responses in both perceiver genders. Arousal was rated higher when positive evaluations were expressed by the opposite gender. Thus, gender differences need to be more explicitly considered in research of social cognition and affective science using naturalistic social stimuli. zitiert von 5
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(2015): Gender differences in experiential and facial reactivity to approval and disapproval during emotional social interactions. In: Frontiers in Psychology 6 (91). DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2015.01372
Abstract: Negative social evaluations represent social threats and elicit negative emotions such as anger or fear. Positive social evaluations, by contrast, may increase self-esteem and generate positive emotions such as happiness and pride. Gender differences are likely to shape both the perception and expression of positive and negative social evaluations. Yet, current knowledge is limited by a reliance on studies that used static images of individual expressers with limited external validity. Furthermore, only few studies considered gender differences on both the expresser and perceiver side. The present study approached these limitations by utilizing a naturalistic stimulus set displaying nine males and nine females (expressers) delivering social evaluative sentences to 32 female and 26 male participants (perceivers). Perceivers watched 30 positive, 30 negative, and 30 neutral messages while facial electromyography (EMG) was continuously recorded and subjective ratings were obtained. Results indicated that men expressing positive evaluations elicited stronger EMG responses in both perceiver genders. Arousal was rated higher when positive evaluations were expressed by the opposite gender. Thus, gender differences need to be more explicitly considered in research of social cognition and affective science using naturalistic social stimuli.
Keywords: Interaktionsforschung, Soziale Anerkennung -
(2015) : A model of empathy to shape trolley problem moral judgements: 2015 International Conference on Affective Computing and Intelligent Interaction (ACII): Xian, China: IEEE, S. 112-118
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1109/ACII.2015.7344559 Abstract: Moral judgements are a complex phenomenon that have gained a renewed interest in the research community. Many have proposed explanations for moral judgements, including utilitarian accounts and the Principle of Double Effect. Some also advocate for the critical role of emotional processes like empathy. However, developing a computational model of moral judgements is rare perhaps due in part to the numerous influences on it. We present here a computational model of moral judgements based on moral expectation and the Principle of Double Effect. We then extend this model to provide a plausible explanation for the effect of empathy on these judgements. We evaluate these models using results from recent studies with human participants.
Keywords: Cognition, Complexity theory, computational model, Computational modeling, Decision Making, Decision theory, double effect principle, Empathy, empathy model, Ethics, ieee xplore, Moral & Ethik, moral expectation, Moral judgment, PSYCHOLOGY, shape trolley problem moral judgements, Trajectory, utility -
(2015): Wicked interactions. In: Techné: Research in Philosophy and Technology 19 (1), S. 26-49. DOI: 10.5840/techne201531926
Abstract: The digital computational technologies that over the past decades have come to be fully integrated into nearly all aspects of human life have varying forms, scales, interactive mechanisms, functions, configurations, and interconnections. Much of this complexity and associated implications for human experience are, however, hidden by prevalent notions of ‘the computer’ as an object. In this paper, we consider how everyday digital technologies collectively mediate human experience, arguing that these technologies are better understood as fluid assemblages that have as many similarities with the infra-structural as they have properties typical for objects. We characterize these aspects in terms of ‘wicked interactions,’ drawing on and adapting the classic theory of wicked problems in design discourse that has similarly considered the complexity of interactions with and within other types of social infrastructure. In doing this we emphasize the need and the potential for building up connections between philosophy of technology and design discourse, with the hope that this might further the shared goals of understanding digital technologies and their consequences and determining how to act in relation to them and their design.
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(2015): A prospective framework for the design of ideal artificial moral agents: Insights from the science of heroism in humans. In: Minds and Machines: Journal for Artificial Intelligence, Philosophy and Cognitive Science 25 (1), S. 57-71. DOI: 10.1007/s11023-015-9361-2
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11023-015-9361-2 Abstract: The growing field of machine morality has becoming increasingly concerned with how to develop artificial moral agents. However, there is little consensus on what constitutes an ideal moral agent let alone an artificial one. Leveraging a recent account of heroism in humans, the aim of this paper is to provide a prospective framework for conceptualizing, and in turn designing ideal artificial moral agents, namely those that would be considered heroic robots. First, an overview of what it means to be an artificial moral agent is provided. Then, an overview of a recent account of heroism that seeks to define the construct as the dynamic and interactive integration of character strengths (e.g., bravery and integrity) and situational constraints that afford the opportunity for moral behavior (i.e., moral affordances). With this as a foundation, a discussion is provided for what it might mean for a robot to be an ideal moral agent by proposing a dynamic and interactive connectionist model of robotic heroism. Given the limited accounts of robots engaging in moral behavior, a case for extending robotic moral capacities beyond just being a moral agent to the level of heroism is supported by drawing from exemplar situations where robots demonstrate heroism in popular film and fiction. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved)
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(2015): Dynamic Interactions of Agency in Leadership (DIAL). An Integrative Framework for Analysing Agency in Sustainability Leadership. In: Journal of Business Ethics 126 (4), S. 649-662. DOI: 10.1007/s10551-013-1977-7
Abstract: This article investigates agency as a way of being and acting in sustainability leadership. Our primary aim is to enhance understanding of agentic strategies that facilitate transcending systemic complexities in sustainability leadership. We make a distinction in our analytical approach by drawing from Emirbayer and Mische's (Am J Sociol 103:41, 1998) conceptualisation of agency as 'an interactive process of reflexive transformation and relational pragmatics, a temporally embedded process of social engagement, informed by the past, oriented towards the future and enacted in the present' (p. 963). We add ontological sources of agency to these dynamics which interact with habit, imagination, judgement and learning in the transformation of social systems. This approach underpins our model 'Dynamic Interactions of Agency in Leadership' (DIAL), an integrative framework for analysing agency in sustainability leadership. We examine the efficacy of our framework in higher education initiatives in which sustainability aspirations, aims and actions are envisioned, articulated and mobilised. We conclude by offering further avenues of research in sustainability leadership designed to advance this burgeoning field and contribute to bridging the gap between sustainability challenges and our abilities to solve them.