LEADERSHIP BEYOND PATH DEPENDENCY? Exploring the Case of Coastal Tourism in North Jutland, Denmark

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LEADERSHIP BEYONDPATH DEPENDENCY?Exploring the
Case of Coastal Tourismin North Jutland, Denmark

1. Conceptualisation Path plasticity and
   facilitating leadership
2. Case Path plasticity and leadership in coastal
   tourism
3. Leadership beyond path dependency in coastal
   tourism?

Henrik Halkier Aalborg University,
Denmark halkier_at_cgs.aau.dk
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LEADERSHIP BEYONDPATH DEPENDENCY?Exploring the
Case of Coastal Tourismin North Jutland, Denmark
Henrik Halkier Aalborg University,
Denmark halkier_at_cgs.aau.dk
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CONCEPTUALISATIONPath plasticity and
facilitating leadership

• Concept of path dependency well-established
• System of institutions maintaining direction
• Firms, regulation, actor behaviour, discourse
• Unease multiscalarity, co-existence
• Traditional way out Path creation
• Sudden change, from outside existing system
• Focus on big transformations, heroic leadership
• Alternative Path plasticity (Simone Strambach)
• Incremental change in institutions/system
• Enabled by interpretable ill-enforced
  institutions
• Actors within, knowledge combination
• Facilitating leadership

Henrik Halkier halkier_at_cgs.aau.dk
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CONCEPTUALISATIONPath plasticity and
facilitating leadership
Figure 1. Actor groups and institutions in
destination development.
Source Henrik Halkier Anette Therkelsen
Breaking out of Tourism Destination Path
Dependency? Exploring the Case of Coastal Tourism
in North Jutland, Denmark, German Journal of
Economic Geography, May 2013
Henrik Halkier halkier_at_cgs.aau.dk
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Beyond path dependency in coastal tourismTIES
THAT BIND
Families with kids, nature-based, seasonal,
neighbouring markets
Automobile, self-catering, week-based
Marketing
Civil ownership/co-use, life-style entrepreneurs,
monopolitistic rental bureaus
Multi-level sectoral policy network, uneven local
priority
National ownership, planning restrictions
Henrik Halkier halkier_at_cgs.aau.dk
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Beyond path dependency in coastal
tourismUNLOCKING TIES?
No-kid high-spenders, culture, short breaks
Re-branding
flying in
Multi-level development projects
Cross-sectoral networks, professionalisation, new
transport links?
1 More dull, reinforcing

1. Flexible planning
2. Innovation and coordination

2 Uneven local change
Henrik Halkier halkier_at_cgs.aau.dk
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CONCLUSIONLeadership beyond path dependency?

• Key leadership challenges
• Identifying central systemic institutions
• Relationship between tiers of governance
• Coalition building and organisational capacity
• Local identities and inter-local rivalries
• Need for comprehensive analytical approach
• Interdisciplinary, process-oriented, quantative,
  qualitative
• More news later
• Article in German Journal of Economic Geography,
  May 2013
• Comparative study of Danish coastal destinations
  in progress
• Meanwhile halkier_at_cgs.aau.dk

Henrik Halkier halkier_at_cgs.aau.dk