Public Affairs, Public Policy and Public Administration Commons^™

Testing The Developmental Nature Of Work Motivation Using Kegan’S Constructive-Development Theory, Marilyn J. Bugenhagen, John E. Barbuto Jr.

Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education, and Communication: Faculty Publications

This article reports a field study testing the relationship between individuals’ constructive-development level and their sources of work motivation. Constructive development was assessed using the Subject–Object Interview for 53 community and educational leaders. Motivation was assessed using the Motivation Sources Inventory. Results indicated that constructive-development progression was significantly related to instrumental motivation. No other significant relationships were found, indicating that the other four sources of work motivation exist independent of individuals’ constructive development. Implications for research and practice are addressed.

Healers And Helpers, Unifying The People: A Qualitative Study Of Lakota Leadership, Kem M. Gambrell, Susan Fritz

Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education, and Communication: Faculty Publications

Previously, scholars have implied that leadership theory is “universal” enough and can be applied systematically regardless of cultural influences in subcultures. Leadership research has limited its scope of discernment to dominant society, implying that nonmainstream individuals will acquiesce and that cultural differences are inconsequential. Therefore, the intention of this study was to address the disparity between current leadership theories and a subgroup perspective. Specifically, this study explored leadership from a Lakota Sioux perspective. In this qualitative grounded theory study, six major and five minor themes surfaced: Traditional Values and Behaviors, Putting Others First, Lakota Leadership Qualities (Men, Women, and Fallen …

Using Targeting Outcomes Of Programs As A Framework To Target Photographic Events In Nonformal Educational Programs, S. Kay Rockwell

Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education, and Communication: Faculty Publications

Targeting Outcomes of Programs (TOP) is a seven-step hierarchical programming model in which the program development and performance sides are mirror images of each other. It served as a framework to identify a simple method for targeting photographic events in nonformal education programs, indicating why, when, and how photographs would be useful to inform other evaluation strategies. In two case studies, photographs enhanced the formative story of a geoscience project being developed and tested, and contributed to the outcome narrative of a 10-year partnership project between two universities. In both cases, TOP proved to be an efficient and easy-to-use framework. …

Preparing Students For After-College Life: The Context, Kelli K. Smith

Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education, and Communication: Faculty Publications

What role do colleges and universities play in preparing students for life after college? Much like parents who continually balance caring for their child versus carrying their child, colleges and universities must define their role in educating students in a way that will assist them not only during their time as students, but for the long term as well. Historical context informs the work of student affairs professionals and others in higher education in striking the right balance in helping prepare students for life after college, but significant new pressures face students, their mentors, and educational institutions today.

This chapter …

Strategic Discussions For Nebraska: Opportunities For Nebraska -- Food Scarcity, Mary Garbacz

Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education, and Communication: Faculty Publications

Strategic Discussions for Nebraska is a program in the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources that produces an annual publication called Opportunities for Nebraska, focusing on a different topic each year. The publication is produced in hard copy and also is available online at www.sdn.unl.edu.

The content for each publication is produced by UNL students enrolled in a Magazine Writing course each spring semester, taught by the SDN coordinator. Students conduct interviews with UNL researchers and write stories for inclusion in the publication. The interviews are captured on video and are edited into video montages, …

Emotional Intelligence: The Secret Of Successful Entrepreneurship?, Amy E. Boren

Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education, and Communication: Faculty Publications

An emerging, and very promising, stream of research on entrepreneurs pertains to the role of affect -- feelings and emotions -- in enhancing the potential success of entrepreneurial ventures. For example, research indicates that positive emotions may enhance entrepreneurial creativity, including opportunity recognition (Baron, 2008). Additionally, entrepreneurs who display passion -- positive, intense feelings -- about their ventures tend to be more successful than those who do not display passion (Baum & Locke, 2004). Positive emotions also influence an entrepreneur's ability to turn past experiences into present solutions through heuristic processing (Baron, 2008), and to deal effectively with the persistent …

Using The Top Model To Measure Program Performance: A Pocket Reference, Amy M. Harder

Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education, and Communication: Faculty Publications

This EDIS publication is designed to provide an overview of the Targeting Outcomes of Programs (TOP) Model (Rockwell & Bennett, 2004) of program planning and evaluation, define the levels for assessing program performance, and to identify evaluation strategies appropriate for measuring program performance at each level. Extension faculty may find this publication to be helpful when determining how to measure the performance of their educational programs.

Effects Of Gender, Education, And Age Upon Leaders' Use Of Influence Tactics And Full Range Leadership Behaviors, John E. Barbuto Jr., Susan Fritz, Gina S. Matkin, David B. Marx

Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education, and Communication: Faculty Publications

Relationships of gender, age, and education to leadership styles and leaders' influence tactics were examined with 56 leaders and 234 followers from a variety of organizations. Leadership behaviors were measured with the Multi-factor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ—rater version). Influence tactics were measured with Yukl’s Influence Behavior Questionnaire (IBQ). Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA) was used to test behavioral differences attributed to leaders' gender, age, and education groups, as well as the interaction of age and education with gender. Results show that gender produced a small direct effect on leadership behaviors. The interaction of gender and education produced consistent differences in leadership …

Outcomes From State Department Grants To Build A Stable Economy In Tajikistan, S. Kay Rockwell, Lee V. Rockwell, Julie Albrecht

Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education, and Communication: Faculty Publications

Over a 10-year period, State Department grants were awarded to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) to help build a stable economy in Tajikistan. The 2003-06 grants provided the Khujand Branch of the Technological University (KbTUT) faculty and students the opportunity to develop expertise in safe food production and viable textile/apparel production for international markets. Specific grant activities were to (a) develop an entrepreneur center at KbTUT to provide outreach programs for community members on small-scale business development, (b) develop a textile museum for University courses, and (c) train KbTUT faculty/upper level students/administrators at UNL to enhance their skills in food …

Scale Development And Construct Clarification Of Servant Leadership, John E. Barbuto, Daniel W. Wheeler

Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education, and Communication: Faculty Publications

This article presents an integrated construct of servant leadership derived from a review of the literature. Subscale items were developed to measure 11 potential dimensions of servant leadership: calling, listening, empathy, healing, awareness, persuasion, conceptualization, foresight, stewardship, growth, and community building. Data from 80 leaders and 388 raters were used to test the internal consistency, confirm factor structure, and assess convergent, divergent, and predictive validity. Results produced five servant leadership factors—altruistic calling, emotional healing, persuasive mapping, wisdom, and organizational stewardship— with significant relations to transformational leadership, leader-member exchange, extra effort, satisfaction, and organizational effectiveness. Strong factor structures and good performance …

Motivation And Transactional, Charismatic, And Transformational Leadership: A Test Of Antecedents, John E. Barbuto Jr.

Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education, and Communication: Faculty Publications

Relationships between leaders' motivation and their use of charismatic, transactional, and/or transformational leadership were examined in this study. One hundred eighty-six leaders and 759 direct reports from a variety of organizations were sampled. Leaders were administered the Motivation Sources Inventory (MSI) while followers reported leaders' full range leadership behaviors using the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ-rater version). Leaders were also administered the self-rating version of the Multi-factor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ-rater version). The Motivation Sources Inventory subscales subsequently significantly correlated with leader self-reports of inspirational motivation, idealized influence (behavior) and individualized consideration (range, r = .10 to .29), as well as with …

Cultural Constraints In The Workplace: An Experiential Exercise Utilizing Hofstede’S Dimensions, Karen Kniep Blanton, John E. Barbuto Jr.

Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education, and Communication: Faculty Publications

This article describes an original exercise developed to apply Hofstede’s cultural dimensions. The exercise creates simulated subcultures within a multinational organization. Managers are required to function in various subcultures as they work to develop an incentive plan with salespeople. Hofstede’s dimensions are reviewed, followed by the exercise. We provide purpose, preparation requirements, instructions for facilitating and processing the exercise, student reactions, and strategies for understanding and applying the concepts. The authors also assessed content retention derived from participating in the exercise. In preliminary tests, three independent studies demonstrate significant improvements in content knowledge.

Evaluation And Perceived Impacts Of The North-Central Region Sare Grants, 1988-2002, Shirley K. Trout, Charles A. Francis, John E. Barbuto Jr.

Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education, and Communication: Faculty Publications

Evaluation of government-funded programs is essential to identify ways in which initial funding makes an impact and programs can improve. The purpose of this study was to understand the value of the North Central Region's Sustainable Agricultural Research and Education (SARE) grants operated through the United States Department of Agriculture, from their inception through 2002. Using both quantitative and qualitative data, impacts were explored from the perspective of former grant recipients. Survey data were collected from 171 former SARE and 33 interviews conducted with grant recipients who represented three different grant "families"--researchers, producers and educators. Descriptive, comparative, and exploratory analyses …

Adoption Of Riparian Forest Buffers On Private Lands In Nebraska, Usa, Peter Skelton, Scott J. Josiah, James W. King, James R. Brandle, Glenn A. Helmers, Charles A. Francis

Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education, and Communication: Faculty Publications

Pesticide and nutrient runoff from agricultural fields is a socio-environmental problem in the Midwestern United States. Riparian forest buffers (RFBs) are a proven conservation practice that effectively manage this problem, though adoption rates are low. A mail survey was conducted to determine differences between adopter and nonadopter characteristics and attitudes with regard to the use of RFBs. Data were collected from 48 RFB adopters and 261 RFB nonadopters in two Nebraska watersheds. Inferential and multivaririate statistics were used to identify differences between adapter status and producer status groups. About half (50.8%) the respondents were nonproducers. Nonproducers are agricultural landowners not …

A Framework For The “Entrepreneurial” Learner Of The 21st Century, Connie I. Reimers-Hild, James W. King, John E. Foster, Susan Fritz, Steven S. Waller, Daniel W. Wheeler

Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education, and Communication: Faculty Publications

Successful distance learners and entrepreneurs may be similar in that they seek out and capitalize on opportunities and marshal resources to achieve their goals. Further, entrepreneurial behavior is a vital asset in the rapidly changing global knowledge economy of the 21 st Century. This paper presents a theoretical framework for examining the characteristics of successful distance learners through the lens of entrepreneurship. The proposed theoretical framework suggests a relationship between the entrepreneurial personality, which is the combined score of locus of control, need for achievement and risk taking propensity, with success and persistence in the academic environment. We believe that …

Becoming A Professional Engineering Educator: A New Role For A New Era, L. Dee Fink, Susan Ambrose, Daniel W. Wheeler

Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education, and Communication: Faculty Publications

Engineering education faces significant challenges as it seeks to meet the demands on the engineering profession in the twenty-first century. Engineering faculty will need to continue to learn new approaches to teaching and learning, which in turn will require effective professional development for both new and experienced instructors alike. This article explores approaches to effective professional development and provides a conceptual framework for responding to the challenge of becoming a professional engineering educator. The "cycle of professional practice" is introduced as a prelude for identifying what individual professors and their institutions can do to generate more powerful forms of engineering …

Does Sex Of Dyad Members Really Matter? A Review Of Leader-Member Exchange, Brent J. Goertzen, Susan Fritz

Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education, and Communication: Faculty Publications

Leader-member exchange (LMX) generally refers to the leadership process centered on the interactions between leaders and direct reports. The basic premise of high quality leader-member exchange relationships holds that direct reports gain tremendous benefits through these partnerships. LMX is perhaps the most commonly researched theory of leadership. However, few studies have specifically examined the role of dyad members’ sex as a predictor of quality LMX. Several studies investigating the role of dyad members’ sex and quality LMX examined the effect of sex in an aggregated variable, demographic similarity, which often included other demographic characteristics such as age, education level and …

Exploring The Bermuda Triangle: Review Of Gender, Societal, Team And Individual Leadership Theories , Andrea J. Gage, Shelly Mumma, Susan Fritz

Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education, and Communication: Faculty Publications

The relationship between an individual’s comprehension of his or her role in society, the gender expectations of society, and how these thoughts and stereotypes influence an individual’s behavior in particular settings seem to be separate, yet interrelated. It is for this reason that an analysis of four main theories of gender and leadership must be reviewed for contrasts and comparisons. This paper reviews and analyzes the research literature on Social Role Theory, Implicit Theory, Attribution Theory, and Leader Emergence Theory. Further it draws conclusions and comparisons that will provide recommendations and implications for future research and practice.

A Review Of Gender And Full-Range Leadership Research And Suggestions For Future Research, Kelli K. Smith, Gina S. Matkin, Susan Fritz

Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education, and Communication: Faculty Publications

In this paper the research on gender and Full-Range Leadership is documented and explored. Included is consideration of research that studied Full-Range Leadership directly as well as indirect study that contributed to the field of research on Full-Range Leadership. The paper culminates in a series of recommendations for future research. It is hoped that these will help to move the field from documenting the differences or similarities of leadership (or perceptions of leadership) between women and men, to studying why these differences might exist. Additional recommendations are included that will help transport the value of this research from the pages …

Editor’S Clipboard, Susan Fritz

Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education, and Communication: Faculty Publications

This issue of The Journal of Leadership Education marks another first - a special issue. The Editorial Board is to be commended for taking the bold step of dedicating an issue to gender and leadership.

Hopefully, special issues will become a regular feature for the journal. Special issues offer researchers and practitioners the opportunity to immerse themselves more fully in the work in a particular area or discipline, and sometimes are the catalyst for new work that extends the research and practices that have been reported. The articles that are reported in this issue dedicated to gender and leadership offer …

A Survey Of Gender-Related Motivation Studies: Subordinate Status, Roles, And Stereotyping , Kay Lynn Kalkowski, Susan Fritz

Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education, and Communication: Faculty Publications

Since the days when women first began entering the work force scholars have studied perceived gender differences related to motivation in organizational settings. This paper first presents a brief overview of motivation theory and then examines the literature tracing gender related motivation-to-manage as it evolves through the 1950s and 1960s to the present. Studies have produced conflicting results with some finding that men have more motivation-to-manage then women and other studies finding the opposite. Such differences appear to be small and closely related to subordinate status and role stereotyping.

Celebrating 4-H, Youth, And Technology: The Nebraska 4-H Cyber Fair, Patricia Fairchild, Diane Vigna, Jamie Fassett

Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education, and Communication: Faculty Publications

What began as a meta search for 4-H curricula available on the Internet became a phenomenon that has served more than 18,000 Nebraskans in an amazing example of creating partnerships; blending resources; and celebrating 4-H, youth, and technology. Welcome to the Nebraska 4-H Cyber Fair. When the Nebraska 4-H Office conducted an extensive review of Web-based curricula and CD-ROMs created by Cooperative Extension and 4-H nationwide, it became apparent that considerable material was available for delivery by computer. Although some of the material discovered was Nebraska-based, it was not necessarily known to Nebraskans involved in 4-H programming. Nebraska youth in …

Short And Long-Term Impacts Of Biotechnology Education On Professionals Who Communicate Science To The Public, Susan Fritz, Sarah M. Ward, Pat F. Byrne, Deana Namuth, Valerie Egger

Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education, and Communication: Faculty Publications

Consumer acceptance or rejection of biotechnology is often shaped by information prepared by communicators with varying levels of scientific knowledge, awareness, and acceptance. This study compared the prior, post-workshop, and sustained (1 year) biotechnology awareness, acceptance, and attitudes of professionals who communicate biotechnology to the public at an informational, day-long, university-sponsored workshop. Thirty-seven participants completed the three rounds of data collection. They consistently rated their scientific knowledge high. Throughout the three rounds, their primary media source of biotechnology information was newspapers, with the web being the second most frequently cited source. Participants were somewhat accepting of genetic modification of microorganisms, …

Identifying Sources Of Motivation Of Adult Rural Workers, John E. Barbuto Jr., Shirley K. Trout, Lance L. Brown

Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education, and Communication: Faculty Publications

A meta-theory of motivation is described and used to establish norms among farm cooperative employees and managers in Nebraska. One hundred eighty six farm cooperative employees and managers were administered the Motivation Sources Inventory (MSI) and the five sources of work motivation–intrinsic process, instrumental, self-concept external, self-concept internal, and goal internalization– were examined. Results demonstrate a high proportion of self-concept internal work motivation among rural workers. The other four sources were evenly distributed across the sample population. This baseline study implies that employers, supervisors and educators may engage the interest and involvement of rural workers most effectively when they incorporate …

Agricultural Biotechnology Training For Extension Educators, Susan Fritz, Sarah Ward, Patrick Byrne, Kristyn Harms, Deana Namuth

Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education, and Communication: Faculty Publications

Recent advances in plant biotechnology have led to significant changes in crop varieties and cropping systems in the United States, in particular the rapidly expanding cultivation of transgenic or genetically modified (GM) crops (Liu, 1999). Such crops, which contain artificially inserted genes, have been hailed as a major advance in agricultural technology and simultaneously condemned as a grave threat to the environment and to human health. In Europe, which represents a significant market for U.S. agricultural producers, widespread and vehement public opposition has effectively shut down importation and domestic production of GM crops, while in the U.S. public uncertainty is …

The Impact Of Character Education Curricula On Youth Educators, Kristyn Harms, Susan Fritz, S. Kay Rockwell

Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education, and Communication: Faculty Publications

The purpose of this study was to determine degrees of internalization of character traits across two groups (K-12 teachers and Extension staff) with varying years of participation in character education professional and program development activities. An online survey was developed to collect data describing the 109 respondents, the extent of their character education professional and program development activities, and their degrees of internalization and behavioral change. Post-then-pre data comparisons revealed significant levels of change in behaviors, including considering other peoples’ feelings and resolving conflict in a peaceful manner. All post-then-pre data demonstrated that respondents at least frequently lived their lives …

Targeting Outcomes Of Programs: A Hierarchy For Targeting Outcomes And Evaluating Their Achievement, Kay Rockwell, Claude Bennett

Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education, and Communication: Faculty Publications

Targeting Outcomes of Programs (TOP) focuses on outcomes in planning, implementing, and evaluating programs. TOP is based on a hierarchy that integrates program evaluation within the program development process. TOP uses this simple framework to target specific outcomes in program development and then to assess the degree to which the outcome targets are reached. Intended Audience: People who develop and administer information, education, and training programs on high priority problems or issues in today's society. TOP is based on a theoretically sound framework that has been tested, revised and refined, and widely used over the past 20 years (Bennett, 1975 …

Awareness And Acceptance Of Biotechnology Issues Among Youth, Undergraduates, And Adults, Susan Fritz, Dann E. Husmann, Gary Wingenbach, Tracy Rutherford, Valerie Egger, Preeti Wadhwa

Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education, and Communication: Faculty Publications

To be successful both domestically and internationally, biotechnology must establish an acceptable position in the sociopolitical framework. This United States (US) study assessed levels of awareness and acceptance of biotechnology issues among youth (n = 283), undergraduate students (n = 330), and adults (n = 166). The percentage of adults who were aware of how biotechnology would affect food, health, and the environment was almost three times that of youth respondents. It was concluded that consumer groups would most likely be impacted by accurate, unbiased agricultural biotechnology information delivered through the Internet and newspapers that originates from reliable, accessible, and …

Urban And Rural 4-H Adult Volunteer Leaders' Preferred Forms Of Recognition And Motivation, Susan Fritz, Deanna Karmazin, John E. Barbuto Jr., Shawn Burrow

Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education, and Communication: Faculty Publications

In order to serve rural and urban 4-H members, 4-H relies heavily on adult volunteer leaders. Dramatic rural-to-urban shifts in Nebraska's population base have resulted in 4-H becoming more heavily reliant on urban adult 4-H volunteer leaders than ever before. Assumptions about volunteer motivation, recognition, and perception of program quality should be challenged to determine if the old assumptions based on a past experience with predominately rural volunteers fit the new mix of 4-H volunteer leaders in Nebraska. The study reported here compared the motives of urban and rural 4-H volunteers and identified differences in recognition strategies by:

1. Classifying …

Agroecosystems Analysis From The Grass Roots: A Multidimensional Experiential Learning Course, Mary Wiedenhoeft, Steve Simmons, Ricardo Salvador, Gina Mcandrews, Charles A. Francis, James W. King, David Hole

Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education, and Communication: Faculty Publications

An intensive, experiential travel course in Agroecosystems Analysis was conducted in Iowa, Minnesota, and Nebraska (United States) during summers of 1998 and 1999. The intended student audience was advanced undergraduate and beginning graduate students. Pretravel readings and a week-long series of farm visits, which consisted of in-depth interviews with the farmers and their families, prepared student teams to analyze and evaluate the production, economic, environmental, and social sustainability of 10 farms. Students shared their analyses both orally and in written reports. Based on a multifaceted student evaluation process, we found that participants were highly motivated, strongly engaged with the course …