Launching the centre at a special event at the House of Commons, CLI head Stephen Perkins said: "Too much leadership research is bounded by rather dated notions of how organisations work. Century-old models of work organisation still impact on much leadership thinking.
"The new centre is designed to have a real applied cutting edge to its output, drawing on a wealth of insights from both practitioner and academic fellows, many of whom consult in, and work with, the world's leading organisations. Our aim is to develop evidence-based insights into the new disciplines of leadership, where innovation is critical."
Visiting professor Linda Holbeche, co-founder of the centre, added: "The time is right for our centre. Too much leadership research is bounded by 'old' thinking that is too locked into well-established ways of seeing the world. Our new approach to research will bridge the knowing-doing gap, so that we can bring immediate benefits to practitioners as well as add to our sum of knowledge. The key leadership actions for the future are what this centre is interested in discovering and then sharing with the world."
The launch event included a panel discussion comprising Dean Royles (director, NHS Employers), Terry Morgan (president, Chartered Management Institute and chairman, Crossrail) and Penny de Valk (chief executive, Institute for Leadership and Management).
University of Bedfordshire vice chancellor Les Ebdon said: "I am very excited that this centre is bringing together such a broad range of talented thinkers and practitioners. The UK's organisations can benefit from our academic expertise and research around what makes great leadership and especially what makes for great innovative leadership."
The CLI's first publication, the Leadership Challenges of the Next Economy, by two of its new business fellows - policy specialist Nick Isles of Corporate Agenda and Richard Sharpe of leadership consultancy Elementa Leadership - was also launched at the event.
