Falling Apart and Coming Together: How Public Perceptions of Leadership Change in Response to Natural Disasters vs. Health Crises

Responding to disruptions and crises are challenges public leaders face as they strive to lead responsibly for the good of the community. The last two years have been especially challenging for public leaders and institutions. In Australia, the federal government battled natural disasters (bushfires) and COVID-19 within the span of only a few months, beginning in late 2019. These events provided the opportunity for a natural experiment to explore public perceptions of leadership in times of crises, with both a natural disaster and health crisis in quick succession. In this study, we develop, validate, and test a scale of perceptions of leadership for the greater good, the Australian Leadership Index, throughout different crisis contexts. We hypothesize and find support for the drivers of perceptions of public leadership and shifts in these perceptions as a function of the bushfire disaster response, a negative shift, and the initial COVID-19 response, a positive shift. Comparisons of the crisis periods against a period of relative stability are made. We discuss the implications of differential media coverage, how the crises were managed, and the resulting public perceptions of leadership for the greater good.

Analyzing cultural expatriates' attitudes toward “Englishnization” using dynamic topic modeling

Several Japanese multinational corporations (MNCs) have recently adopted an English-only policy known as “Englishnization”. This study examines the impact of this policy using computer-assisted text analysis to investigate changes in cultural expatriates’ perceptions of Japanese work practices and values over time. Cultural expatriates are a significant but underexplored outcome of globalization. Despite the recent proliferation of studies on the internationalization of Japanese MNCs, few studies have focused on cultural expatriates' perceptions of corporate language policy in social media texts. This study analyzes a corpus of 208 posts from Rakuten, a Japanese MNC, on Glassdoor from 2009 to 2020. The findings suggest that these posts can be divided into three content groups: the threat of a foreign corporate culture, embracing the Rakuten way, and perceptions of leadership and marginalized status. Further, the posts reveal how Rakuten’s corporate language policy, as an instrument of internal internationalization, impacts external internationalization. The dynamics of “Englishnization’’ reveal a pressing issue facing Rakuten: namely, how to balance multinational cohesion with monolingualism and multiculturalism. This paper aims to demonstrate that dynamic topic modeling could enhance our understanding of the manner in which cultural expatriates and the English-only policy affect the internationalization of Japanese MNCs. It contributes to the literature by examining cultural expatriates’ perceptions of Japanese work practices and values from a diachronic perspective.

An examination of authentic leadership as an individual and social factor of resilience

Resilient qualities, which derive from protective factors, enable an individual to balance exposure to vulnerabilities in military service and throughout life. Protective factors arise from within an individual, from social factors, and from an individual's environment. Research on social factors, such as strong leadership and peer relationships, continues to emerge and significantly relate to resilience. Of specific interest to organisations is how perceptions of leadership contribute to resilience as an individual and social protective factor. Knowing more about how soldiers perceive themselves on authentic leadership and resilience would better help researchers and practitioners understand the contribution of leadership on perceived resilience. The current study examined the perception of authentic leadership in self and first-line leaders with resilience in a population of 179 soldiers (N = 179; M = 26.86 years, SD = 6.42). The results noted a significant correlation between the perception of authentic leadership in oneself and resilience (r = 0.506, p < 0.001). A subsequent analysis examining the perception of authentic leadership in one's first-line leader and subordinate resilience was also significant (r = 0.394, p < 0.001), supporting previous findings. These results demonstrate that perceptions of leadership matter as an individual and social factor in military personnel.

Exploring students’ perceptions of leadership skills in higher education: An impact study of the leadership training program

Leadership skills are a prerequisite in the 21st-century workplace in all fields. However, graduates often leave universities with a wealth of knowledge but less mastery and confidence in leadership skills. The purpose of the current study was to estimate the impact of a 20-hour leadership training program (LTP), on learning. A quasi-experimental method with non-equivalent groups, namely, an experimental group (EG) and a control group (CG), were used to assess the impact of the LTP on students’ learning perceptions. The convenience sample consisted of 96 students (49 males and 47 females), and 55 students in the EG. Pre- and post-assessments were performed. In the series of t-tests, the value of the difference between the pre- and post-assessments showed a significant overall effect on the ratings, favoring the EG. The results showed that the LTP was highly effective at developing students’ leadership skills. Implications and recommendations for future research are also included.

Messages in Conflict: Examining Leadership Communication during the COVID-19 Pandemic in the U.S.

One year into the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. had lost over a half million lives to the virus. Organizations had to shift the way they operated, requiring effective communication to help employees transition. This study examines two important time periods during the pandemic: early May, just after stay-at-home orders began to be lifted, and late November, as infection rates soared. This study quantitatively examines the role of perceived severity, organizational trust, reputation, and credibility on participants employed during the pandemic expectations of leadership at the organizational, state, and federal levels. Then, participants were interviewed to understand perceptions of leadership. Results illustrate the relationship between perceived severity of the threat and trust in leadership and uncertainty about mitigation measures from state and federal levels.

Observing the Demographic Factors of Peer-Nominated Leaders in Urban Middle Schools

This study investigated the relationship between adolescent students' gender and racial/ethnic backgrounds and their likelihood of being identified by their peers as having leadership qualities. A survey designed to gauge peer perceptions of leadership qualities was administered to 1003 middle school students from three diverse public middle schools in a Northeastern US city. The survey asked students to nominate as many students as possible who possess specific leadership characteristics. Female students consistently received more nominations across all survey items at two schools. This pattern was observed for five out of the ten survey items at the third school. At a school with a Hispanic majority, Hispanic students received more nominations for most survey items than Asian, Black, and White students. Additionally, at a school with a Black majority, Asian students received more nominations for all survey items compared to Black and Hispanic students and for nine survey items compared to White students. The results indicate that students' gender and schools' racial/ethnic composition may have some influence on peer perceptions of leadership. Furthermore, significant differences in how youths perceive leadership among peers of different backgrounds may be indicative of bias. Educators and administrators can use this information to make sure that students from marginalized backgrounds have opportunities to grow as leaders.

Is Perceived Athlete Leadership Quality Related to Inside Sacrifice and Perceived Performance in Team Sports? The Mediating Role of Team Identification

The study aimed to analyze the relationship between athletes' perceptions of athlete leadership quality, team identification, inside sacrifice, and performance. A total of 299 players of collective sports (soccer, beach soccer, basketball, volleyball; Mage 19.05, SD = 5.10) participated through a cross-sectional design survey. Data were analyzed using structural equation modeling. Results highlight the positive relationships between perceived quality of athlete leaders, inside sacrifice, and perceived performance, and between inside sacrifice and perceived performance. Furthermore, inside sacrifice perceived by the athletes was a positive mediator between perceived athlete leadership quality and perceived performance. Also, team identification was a positive mediator in the association between inside sacrifice and perceived performance. These findings extend knowledge about the athlete leadership quality context. These results can also be useful for further research and implications in team sports' performance, as coaches and sports psychologists would have more information about their teams' perceptions of leadership quality to achieve positive outcomes in players' inside sacrifice and performance. The findings also highlight the importance of developing team identification to improve the relationships between perceived athlete leadership quality, inside sacrifice, and perceived performance.

Identifying leadership in medical trainees: valuation of a competency-based approach

BackgroundAs medical professional roles diversify, it is essential to understand what makes effective medical leaders. This study develops and validates a medical leadership competency framework that can be used to develop and evaluate leaders across all levels of medical organisations.MethodIn Phase One, the authors derived desired leadership traits and behaviours in the medical context from a panel of subject matter experts (SMEs). Traits and behaviours were then combined into multifaceted competencies which were ranked and further refined through evaluation with additional SMEs. In Phase Two, the final seven competencies were evaluated with 181 medical trainees and 167 supervisors between 2017 and 2018 to determine the validity of rapid-form and long-form leadership assessments of medical trainees. Self and supervisor reports of the seven competencies were compared with validated trait and leadership behaviour measures as well as clinical performance evaluations.ResultsThe final seven leadership competencies were: Ethical and Social Responsibility, Civility, Self-Leadership, Team Management, Vision and Strategy, Creativity and Innovation, and Communication and Interpersonal Influence. Results demonstrate initial validity for rapid-form and long-form leadership evaluations; however, perceptions of good leadership may differ between trainees and supervisors. Further, negative leadership behaviours (eg, incivility) are generally not punished by supervisors and some positive leadership behaviours (eg, ethical leadership) were associated with poor leadership and clinical performance evaluations by supervisors. Supervisor perceptions of leadership were significantly driven by trainee scores on social boldness (a facet of extraversion).ConclusionsA multicompetency framework effectively evaluates leadership in medicine. To more effectively reinforcepositive leadership behaviours and discourage negative leadership behaviours in medical students and resident physicians, we recommend that medical educators:: (1) Use validated frameworks to build leadership curriculum and evaluations. (2) Use short-term and long-term assessment tools. (3) Teach assessors how to evaluate leaders and encourage positive leadership behaviours early in training.

Exploring Employed Women’s Perceptions of Leadership in the Light of a Leadership Program in Saudi Arabia

The present research paper aims at exploring the expectations and perceptions of leadership among Saudi employed women who accomplished a leadership development program “Qiyadat” offered by MiSK Foundation. The author designed a questionnaire of eight domains to examine the participants’ perceptions of the leadership program content, required leadership competencies, leadership challenges, support, program success requirement, as well as understanding and implementing the Saudi Vision 2030. The sample consisted of 60 employed women who have attended a leadership development program offered by Misk Foundation in the academic year 2019/2020. Following a descriptive-analytical research design, the author administered the instrument to collect data and discuss the results. The results showed that the participants have high perceptions of leadership due to the leadership development program offered by Misk Foundation. Additionally, there was a positive correlation between the participants’ perceptions of leadership and the seven variables of the questionnaire (i.e., the leadership program content, leadership competencies, leadership challenges, sources of support, program success requirements, understanding Saudi Vision 2030, and execution of Saudi Vision 2030). There were no statistically significant differences between the participants in their perceptions of leadership in the light of the women’s leadership program offered by Misk Foundation according to the years of experience. Thus, it is highly recommended that public and private sectors support women in the development of leadership, address their needs, and overcome challenges facing their empowerment and gender equity. Received: 16 December 2020 / Accepted: 8 February 2021 / Published: 5 March 2021