LEADERSHIP BEYOND
PATH DEPENDENCY?
Exploring the Case of Coastal Tourism
in 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@cgs.aau.dk
LEADERSHIP BEYOND
PATH DEPENDENCY?
Exploring the Case of Coastal Tourism
in North Jutland, Denmark
Henrik Halkier
Aalborg University, Denmark
halkier@cgs.aau.dk
CONCEPTUALISATION
Path 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@cgs.aau.dk
CONCEPTUALISATION
Path 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@cgs.aau.dk
Beyond path dependency in coastal tourism
TIES 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@cgs.aau.dk
Beyond path dependency in coastal tourism
UNLOCKING TIES?
No-kid high-spenders,
+culture, short breaks
+flying in
Re-branding
Multi-level
development
1: More dull, reinforcing
projects
Cross-sectoral networks,
professionalisation,
new transport links?
1. Flexible planning
2. Innovation and
coordination
Henrik Halkier – halkier@cgs.aau.dk
2: Uneven local change
CONCLUSION
Leadership 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@cgs.aau.dk

Henrik Halkier – halkier@cgs.aau.dk