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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Sociol.
Sec. Race and Ethnicity
Volume 9 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fsoc.2024.1463562

Indigenous Maya-Mam Leadership Competencies: A Grounded Theory Study

Provisionally accepted
Pablo Lamino Pablo Lamino 1*Amy E Boren-Alpízar Amy E Boren-Alpízar 2Jason Headrick Jason Headrick 2Scott Burris Scott Burris 2Carlos Carpio Carlos Carpio 3
  • 1 Department of Agricultural Education and Communication, College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, Texas, United States
  • 2 Department of Agricultural Education & Communications, College of Agricultural Sciences & Natural Resources, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas, United States
  • 3 Department of Agricultural Economics and Agricultural Business, College of Agricultural, Consumer, and Environmental Sciences, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, New Mexico, United States

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    This study delves into Indigenous Maya-Mam leadership competencies, aiming to uncover specific skills and qualities valued by Maya-Mam leaders. It addresses gaps in the literature by exploring how cultural values shape leadership behaviors. Employing a constructivist grounded theory approach, the study conducted 49 interviews on two Maya-Mam departments in Guatemala and analyzed them using thematic analysis. Participants were selected based on their roles in community leadership. Key competencies include leading by example, fostering inclusive leadership, valuing bilingual proficiency, and promoting community solidarity. These competencies highlight leaders' dual roles as inspirations and facilitators of community development. Maya-Mam leadership is deeply intertwined with cultural values and community dynamics, influencing leader engagement and responsibilities. This aligns with broader research on Indigenous leadership, emphasizing shared traits and unique Maya-Mam practices. The study underscores the need for culturally informed leadership initiatives in Indigenous contexts. It suggests that future research could explore comparative studies across diverse Indigenous groups to enhance leadership understanding and strategies.

    Keywords: Indigenous leadership1, leadership competencies2, Guatemala3, indigenous studies4, resilience5

    Received: 12 Jul 2024; Accepted: 13 Dec 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Lamino, Boren-Alpízar, Headrick, Burris and Carpio. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Pablo Lamino, Department of Agricultural Education and Communication, College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, 32611, Texas, United States

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.