Knowing is half the battle

2015 ◽  
Vol 36 (5) ◽  
pp. 512-526 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher H. Thomas ◽  
Robert R Hirschfeld
Keyword(s):  
Leadership Development ◽  
Development Program ◽  
Field Studies ◽  
Leadership Roles ◽  
Leader Emergence ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Personal Coaching ◽  
Development Literature

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the idea that action makes knowledge more consequential for being deemed an emergent leader among peers. The authors hypothesized that mastery of teamwork knowledge has a stronger relationship with advancement potential when combined with a strong propensity to work toward collective success (i.e. greater action). Design/methodology/approach – The authors tested the hypothesized interaction with moderated path analysis of data from two field studies on team-based trainees in a military leadership-development program. Findings – The findings suggest that to be deemed an exceptional leader among one’s peers, an individual must have both relevant expertise and a propensity to use that expertise to the benefit of others. Either of these attributes matters more when combined with a great deal of the other, such that they are interdependent rather than independent. Practical implications – Informed by the findings, the authors discuss several ways for organizations to build a sufficient internal supply of future leaders. Such interventions include personal coaching and mentoring as means of developing possible candidates, for higher level leadership roles, who are deficient in one or both of the focal attributes (i.e. knowledge and action). Originality/value – The authors propose the role of action in relation to knowledge as one of augmentation rather than compensation. This represents a unique theoretical specification, in that few models have specified interactions among individual-level factors in explaining leader emergence. The finding that action is pivotal in shaping the extent to which knowledge is conducive to establishing oneself as a candidate for higher level roles of organizational leadership represents a unique empirical contribution to the leadership development literature.

Learning to lead from outsiders

2015 ◽  
Vol 34 (10) ◽  
pp. 1262-1271 ◽  
Author(s):  
Igor Kotlyar ◽  
Julia Richardson ◽  
Len Karakowsky
Keyword(s):  
Leadership Development ◽  
Qualitative Methodology ◽  
Peer Coaching ◽  
Development Program ◽  
Development Programs ◽  
Leadership Development Programs ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Personal Coaching ◽  
Leadership Development Program ◽  
Depth Interviews

Purpose – An increasingly popular method of facilitating employee and leadership development is via a career community (Parker et al., 2004), where individuals self-organize to obtain career support. This study was driven by the following research question: how do external peer coaching groups – which are a form of career community – impact leadership development? The purpose of this paper is to report the findings of a research study that examined one such career community focussed on providing peer coaching for managers in business organizations. The authors conducted in-depth interviews with participants who attended a leadership development program that was based on harnessing a career community for the purpose of peer coaching. The authors report the results of the study and its implications for leadership development programs. Design/methodology/approach – The authors chose a qualitative methodology to conduct this exploratory examination, where the authors conducted in-depth interviews with participants in a unique leadership development program which involved peer group coaching supplemented by one-on-one personal coaching. A key reason for adopting a qualitative methodology was that the authors were looking for a deeper understanding of interviewees’ perceptions and experiences regarding peer coaching. The first component of the leadership program involved eight peer coaching sessions over a 12-month period. Participants met in small, exclusive groups – typically in cohorts of seven to eight peers, but as many as 12 peers – every six weeks to discuss a variety of topics relevant to their jobs and stage of career and to provide each other with peer coaching and advice. Each group was comprised of people from different organizations. Sessions were led by a facilitator and lasted three hours each. The authors conducted in-depth interviews with 17 graduates of the program. The sample comprised 14 women and three men. Interviews were audio taped and transcribed verbatim and then analyzed using thematic analysis (King, 2004) to identify the key themes in interviewees’ experiences of the respective program. Findings – Thematic interpretation of participants’ responses yielded the following four major themes: first, the value of a learning community; second, the utility of a formal approach to peer coaching; third, the value of diversity and “externality”; and fourth, the value of an open learning environment (each fully described in the manuscript). The study revealed that external peer coaching and personal coaching deliver distinct types of value as part of a complete leadership development program. Research limitations/implications – This was a case study and specific to one leadership development program. Consequently, the authors cannot necessarily generalize the findings. Practical implications – The findings draw critical attention to the major contribution that learning communities can make toward leadership development. Although many leadership development programs assume that “leadership” is best learned from top leaders (e.g. Presidents and CEOs), organizations can acquire unique benefits by leveraging the concept of peer coaching, which can produce substantial results by having managers at the same organizational level learn from each other. In addition, the study underscores the potential value of external sources of peer coaching and leader development. Organizations may further maximize such benefits by sending their mid and senior-level managers to external peer coaching programs, which can deliver unique value in addition to any internal leadership development initiatives. Social implications – This study underscores the need to better bridge the gap between two literatures – careers and leadership development. Career scholars explore the activities involved in developing careers (e.g. career communities) and leadership development scholars explore activities involved in developing leaders. This study demonstrates the value of integrating knowledge from both these literatures to suggest that learning communities can impact leadership development in significant and positive ways. Originality/value – This study makes a novel contribution to the literature addressing leadership development. It draws attention to the use of career communities for leadership development – an issue which has largely been ignored. In addition, while much of the extant research has focussed on either academic or student participants, the study focussed on business professionals. Few studies have examined the use of peers from outside organizations to serve as coaches for leadership development.

Hierarchical power and personality in leader-member exchange

2016 ◽  
Vol 31 (7) ◽  
pp. 1198-1213 ◽  
Author(s):  
David J. Yoon ◽  
Joyce E. Bono
Keyword(s):  
Leadership Development ◽  
Development Program ◽  
Leader Member Exchange ◽  
High Quality ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Supervisory Relationships ◽  
Relationship Partners ◽  
Member Exchange

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the role of supervisor and subordinate personality in high quality supervisor-subordinate (leader-member exchange; LMX) relationships. Design/methodology/approach In this field study, 142 supervisors drawn from a leadership development program, and 509 of their subordinates, completed a personality survey and reported on the quality of their relationships. Findings Self and partner personality (agreeableness and extraversion), and the match between them were predictors of LMX. Consistent with approach/inhibition theory of power, personality traits of relationship partners had a stronger effect when the partner held a position of power (i.e. supervisors) than when the partner was a subordinate. Practical implications The results inform organizational selection by showing the importance of supervisory traits for the formation of high quality supervisor-subordinate relationships. They may also help organizations facilitate the development of high quality supervisory relationships. The findings also suggest that it is critical to consider the balance of power when assessing LMX, along with factors that lead to its development, or benefits that ensue from it. Originality/value To date, there is an assumption that certain traits predict the development of high quality relationships between supervisors and subordinates. The results point out the importance of considering the role of power in LMX relationships. The paper shows that the effects of supervisory traits, which are rarely examined in the context of LMX relationships, more strongly predict LMX than do the traits of subordinates.

The role of organizational and individual-level factors for the inclusion of women managers in Japan

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Elza Saitova ◽  
Carmela Di Mauro
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Leadership Development ◽  
Women Managers ◽  
Gender Diversity ◽  
Enabling Factors ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Woman Manager ◽  
True Diversity

Purpose This study aims to analyze and contrast the role of organizational and individual level factors in influencing the effective participation of women managers in decision-making in Japanese business organizations. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative study based on 21 in-depth interviews with women and men in managerial positions in Japanese organizations is adopted. Findings Results show that gender equality structures and practices are not effectively institutionalized within Japanese organizations. In particular, corporate social responsibility programs are perceived by women respondents to be formally adopted to gain legitimacy in the eyes of foreign investors. However, they lack effectiveness in giving the woman manager a “voice” in business decisions. Organizational practices such as leadership development and mentoring are generally not evident in the organizations analyzed. Conversely, the personal traits of the woman manager, such as determination, self-confidence and “being able to confront men colleagues” are the factors perceived to be crucial in influencing women’s participation in decisions. Social implications The study suggests that to increase the weight of women managers in Japanese organizations’ decision-making, action is still needed within organizations to create a true diversity-culture. Additionally, action at the educational level has to remove women’s own self-segregation. Originality/value The study offers novel evidence on the “glass ceiling” in Japanese businesses by investigating whether women’s access to management positions corresponds to effective decision power. The study also highlights the key enabling factors, therefore contributing to the analysis of how to create more effective gender “diversity” within Japanese businesses.

Assistant principal leadership development: a narrative capture study

2014 ◽  
Vol 52 (2) ◽  
pp. 173-192 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisa Petrides ◽  
Cynthia Jimes ◽  
Anastasia Karaglani
Keyword(s):  
Leadership Development ◽  
School Leadership ◽  
Principal Leadership ◽  
Assistant Principals ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Assistant Principal ◽  
Leadership Roles ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Leadership Challenges ◽  
Teacher Professional

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the knowledge base on the ways in which assistant principals view their roles, and on the potential challenges involved in a distributed leadership model. Design/methodology/approach – The study employed a narrative capture method, in which assistant principals from two large urban school districts were asked to relate and self-interpret two leadership stories through a web-based narrative capture form. A total of 90 stories were collected from 45 assistant principals. Participants rated their stories based on a set of leadership indicators (including method of decision making and type of teacher interaction present in the story, among others); the results were analyzed statistically. Findings – Overall, participants tended to view their roles in terms of instructionally focussed leadership. However, leadership challenges emerged in several areas of leadership practice, including operational management and teacher professional development (PD). Demographic factors were found to influence leadership perceptions and practices. Research limitations/implications – This study begins to fill the empirical gap on assistant principal leadership roles, practices, and perceptions. Further research, using other methods (e.g. observation), is needed to collect evidence of in situ leadership practices of assistant principals, and how those practices impact and relate to school objectives for teaching and learning. Practical implications – The study sheds light on the leadership development needs of assistant principals and on the importance of ongoing, tailored PD, based on factors including where leaders are in their careers and how they envision their roles. Originality/value – This paper contributes to nascent scholarship regarding assistant principal school leadership.

Identifying high potentials early: case study

2018 ◽  
Vol 37 (9/10) ◽  
pp. 684-696 ◽  
Author(s):  
Igor Kotlyar
Keyword(s):  
Leadership Development ◽  
University Students ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Development Program ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Leadership Potential ◽  
High Potentials ◽  
Early Case ◽  
Leadership Development Program

Purpose Driven by a shortage of leadership capacity, companies are seeking to identify leadership talent earlier. Some companies are introducing programs to identify leadership potential among university students and then hire “high potentials” directly into management designate roles. The purpose of this paper is to explore one such early-stage leadership development program. Currently, little information is available about these initiatives. Design/methodology/approach Case study based on interviews with 18 managers and director of HR and archival employee records. Findings This case study provides a detailed description of an early-stage leadership identification and development program. This program has been developed to identify leadership talent among senior university students prior to hiring and onboarding, provide support, training and development and fast-track them into leadership positions. The study provides insight into the challenges and effectiveness of an early-stage leadership program and offers some practical implications. Originality/value To the author’s knowledge, this is the first study to document a leadership development program that identifies “high potentials” among university students for the purpose of developing them into company leaders.

Effectiveness of full range leadership development among middle managers

2015 ◽  
Vol 34 (9) ◽  
pp. 1161-1180 ◽  
Author(s):  
Teerapun Chaimongkonrojna ◽  
Peter Steane
Keyword(s):  
Transformational Leadership ◽  
Leadership Development ◽  
Effective Leadership ◽  
Middle Managers ◽  
Leadership Behaviors ◽  
Full Range ◽  
Development Program ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Full Range Leadership ◽  
The Impact

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of the Full Range Leadership Development Program (FR-LDP) of middle managers of a furniture company in Thailand and explore how they experience the leadership development phenomenon. It addresses the fundamental question of how effective leadership behaviors occur and are sustained. Design/methodology/approach – In total, 31 middle managers completed a six-month multi-methods development program of three alternating training sessions and on-the-job practice. A 360-degree feedback survey of the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire 5X Short, comprising 284 questionnaires of “leaders” and “raters,” was used to measure the change in effective leadership behaviors and the overall leadership outcome. A sub-sample of 20 participants from these managers was selected for in-depth interviews at the end of the intervention. Semi-structured interviews and critical incident analysis was applied to understand the leadership experience of these managers. Findings – The study revealed that leadership behavior and overall outcome performance had improved over the course of the FR-LDP. The program did contribute positively to individual learning. Sustained effectiveness was not due solely to the development or intervention process, but also on individual objectives and action, together with supervisor interest and support. Research limitations/implications – The study provides a valid, in-depth insight into leadership in Thailand, which has practical application. However, the size of the sample may not be sufficient for broad generalizations in other cultural contexts or environments. Originality/value – The study extends the understanding of how middle managers develop transformational leadership in Thailand. The study contributes to how middle managers learn what they need to know, how they get to know it and factors that influence their practice of transformational leadership in their workplace. The findings provide to organizations options on resources, talent retention and sustaining organizational performance.

Towards understanding a multi-stakeholder approach in a youth leadership development program

2016 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 143-153
Author(s):  
Manuel J. De Vera ◽  
Jose Enrique R. Corpus ◽  
Donn David P. Ramos
Keyword(s):  
Leadership Development ◽  
Stakeholder Engagement ◽  
Development Program ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Youth Leadership ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Stakeholder Approach ◽  
Youth Leaders ◽  
Youth Leadership Development ◽  
Multi Stakeholder

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the experiences gained by participants of youth leadership development (YLD) programs that introduce multi-stakeholder processes as part of its training within the last five years. Moreover, the study delves into how participants are able to apply leadership and multi-stakeholder processes in their everyday lives and in their communities. Design/methodology/approach A perception survey of 41 respondents was conducted to examine leadership concepts identified and youth leadership practices in different social reform contexts. Findings Diverse challenges in terms of multi-stakeholder mobilization were evident in youth leaders’ engagement in communities. In spite of this, the YLD programs’ emphasis on multi-stakeholder process is very much embedded in the current youth leaders’ practice. Research limitations/implications The study contributes to the conduct of YLD programs, as well as on stakeholder engagement. Moreover, it contributes to advancing public leadership theory and practice by demonstrating how it extends to youth leadership experiences. Practical implications Multiple dimensions of YLD, especially in the realm of multi-stakeholder engagement, are discussed that may contribute to YLD programs. Originality/value To the best of knowledge, the authors provide the first study that investigates the contribution of the Bridging Leadership Framework that utilizes a multi-stakeholder approach in a YLD program using empirical data.

Fueling leadership in yourself: a leadership development program for all types of health-care workers

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nathan Houchens ◽  
Stacy L. Sivils ◽  
Elizabeth Koester ◽  
David Ratz ◽  
Jennifer Ridenour ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Leadership Development ◽  
Experiential Learning ◽  
Employee Engagement ◽  
Health Care Workers ◽  
Development Program ◽  
Learning Methods ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Daily Work ◽  
Care Workers

Purpose Leadership development may be a key strategy to enhance job satisfaction, reduce burnout and improve patient safety in health-care systems. This study aims to assess feasibility of a leadership development series in an effort to invigorate a collaborative culture, create peer networks and elevate autonomy in daily work. Design/methodology/approach The authors implemented a collectivistic leadership development series titled Fueling Leadership in Yourself. The series was designed for all types of health-care workers in the medicine service at a tertiary referral center for veterans. Two series of leadership development sessions with varied experiential learning methods were facilitated by content experts. Subjects focused on leadership approaches and attributes applicable to all roles within a health-care system. The authors collected participant perceptions using pre- and post-series surveys. Primary outcomes were understanding and applicability of leadership concepts, employee engagement in leadership, satisfaction with training and work environment and qualitative reflections. Findings A total of 26 respondents (of 38 participants) from 8 departments and several role types increased their knowledge of leadership techniques, were highly satisfied with and would recommend the series and found leadership principles applicable to their daily work. Participants continued to use skills years after the series. Practical implications Short, intermittent, collectivistic leadership development sessions appear effective in expanding knowledge, satisfaction and skills used in daily practice for a diverse group of health-care workers. Originality/value Novel programmatic aspects included inviting all types of health-care workers, practicing universally applicable content and using a variety of active, experiential learning methods.

Reflections from the field (mountain, cityscape and park): walking for management development and links to being-in-the world, belonging and “Ba”

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Arthur F. Turner ◽  
Gareth Edwards ◽  
Catherine Latham ◽  
Harriet Shortt
Keyword(s):  
Leadership Development ◽  
Management Development ◽  
Learning And Development ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Personal Story ◽  
The World ◽  
Effective Use ◽  
The Impact ◽  
First Time

PurposeThe purpose of this paper, based on reflections from practice, is to shed light on the realities of using walking as a tool for learning and development. This is done through an initial analysis of longitudinal reflective data spanning seven years and connecting these reflections to the concepts: being-in-the-world, belonging and Ba.Design/methodology/approachThis research takes a practice based phenomenological and reflective approach. The value of this approach is to seek a new understanding, through three distinct conceptual frames, of the effective use of walking within management development.FindingsThe findings connect three conceptual approaches of being-in-the-world, belonging and “Ba” to the practicalities of delivery, thus encouraging practitioners and designers to deeply reflect on the role of walking in management development.Research limitations/implicationsA limitation is that this is largely a personal story exploring the impact of an intuitively developed set of interventions. Despite this, the paper represents a unique and deep interpretation of walking as a mechanism for management development.Practical implicationsThe paper concludes with three recommendations to practitioners wanting to use walking in management development programmes. These are: facilitators need to be familiar with their surroundings; they should look for spaces and places where participants can connect and build relationships; and organisers and sponsors need to recognise how walking not only consolidates knowledge but can help create knowledge too.Originality/valueThis is a unique, seven-year longitudinal study that broadens the theoretical focus of walking as a mechanism for management and leadership development that combines the theoretical lenses of being-in-the-world, belonging and “Ba”, the authors believe, for the first time in research on management development.

How does daily family-supportive supervisor behavior relieve subordinates' job stress? The effect of ethical leadership and positive emotions

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Chongrui Liu ◽  
Cong Wang ◽  
Hongjie Wang ◽  
Donghua Xu
Keyword(s):  
Leadership Development ◽  
Job Stress ◽  
Ethical Leadership ◽  
Positive Emotions ◽  
Experience Sampling ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Mediating Role ◽  
Indirect Relationship ◽  
Family Supportive Supervisor Behaviors

PurposeRelying on a multilevel approach, this paper investigates the day-to-day variations in family-supportive supervisor behaviors influencing subordinates' job stress, as well as the mediating role of positive emotions and the moderating role of ethical leadership.Design/methodology/approachUsing the experience-sampling methodology, the study collected the data from 137 civil servants in China who responded to one daily survey for 10 working days.FindingsWith a total of 1,370 surveys, results supported the hypothesized model linking daily family-supportive supervisor behaviors to daily job stress via subordinates' daily positive emotions. In addition, the study found a moderating effect for ethical leadership positively in the indirect relationship between family-supportive supervisor behaviors and job stress.Practical implicationsThe findings in this study serve practitioners in organizational and leadership development. On the one hand, this study contributes to raising awareness about the importance of improving family-related support in the workplace, in generating subordinates' positive emotions and relieving their job stress. On other hand, the findings highlight the necessity of cultivating ethical leadership for leaders.Originality/valueThis study fulfills an identified need to clarify how and when daily family supportive supervisor behaviors influence subordinates' daily job stress. This study moves beyond previous research by adopting the experience sampling method and demonstrating important cross-level effects of ethical leadership on the within-individual relationship between family supportive supervisor behaviors and job stress.

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