What Constitutes Good Leadership in Mutual Aid Organisations? Identity Leadership Within the Men's Sheds Context

ABSTRACT Engaging older men in initiatives that promote health and well‐being is vitally important as men have distinctive health problems and often experience difficulty accessing health care and seeking help more generally. Men's Sheds are an initiative with a growing evidence base that speaks to their capacity to promote health and well‐being in this hard‐to‐reach group. Recent research also suggests that identity leadership can play a key role in helping men to access the health benefits of Men's Sheds. Nevertheless, its constituent components in this context are unclear. To help understand the nature of identity leadership in the Men's Shed context, we performed codebook thematic analysis of responses provided by 117 Men's Shed members to an open‐text box question that was part of a broader research survey. Analysis identified four overarching themes related to (a) providing good governance and public engagement, (b) promoting educational and enjoyable activities, (c) modelling positive values and behaviours, and (d) promoting supportive social networks. These themes mapped onto identity leadership constructs of advancement, impresarioship, prototypicality, and entrepreneurship. Findings provide insight into how identity leadership can be developed within volunteer mutual‐aid groups in ways that enhance group members' health and well‐being.