Digital Commons Network^™

Chimes: November 11, 2011, Calvin College

Chimes

CTC produces gem by Abby Zwart

Shoebox blessings gathered by Andrew Steiner

Test standards revised by Marissa Beversluis

Rhinos transported to new home by Allison Schepers

Calvin artist debuts work at local venue, talks about trial and inspiration by Samantha Wade

Swim/dive teams prevail by Mark Zylstra

Sustainability Leader Competencies: A Grounded Theory Study, Pamela G. Schwalb

Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education, and Communication: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The purpose of this critical qualitative study was to develop a theory of the competencies of a sustainability leader, grounded in research. A sustainability leader is generally described as an individual who creates profit for his/her stakeholders, while protecting the environment and improving the lives of those for whom he/she impacts as a result of his/her leadership. Nearly 60 individuals familiar with sustainability were asked to characterize an effective leader of a sustainability initiative or a sustainability organization.

The study revealed there is more than one way to be a sustainability leader—different paths can result in decisions and actions that …

Promise And Possibility For Aspiring Principals: An Emerging Leadership Identity Through Learning To Do Action Research, Stella C. Batagiannis

The Qualitative Report

This case study explored the promise and possibility of doing action research both for aspiring principals engaged in such research and for professors using it as pedagogy for teaching educational leadership. The study of a class of graduate students aspiring to be principals had a constructivist theoretical framework. The research design consisted of three tiers: tier one: a reflective self-study by the professor evaluating the pedagogy of developing action research team projects; tier two: an analysis of the self-evaluations of the aspiring principals on the pedagogy of developing action research team projects and its effect on their learning; and tier …

An Analysis Of Peer Leadership Competencies And Skills, John P. Baker

Dissertations

A significant leadership challenge exists while leading others without legitimate or formal authority. Leading without legitimate authority may require different and limited leadership skills and competencies, especially when leading peers. This quantitative study analyzed the leader competencies and skills needed for effective peer leadership.
A literature review identified four competencies cited frequently as important: (a) communication; (b) support; (c) mental/hard work ethic; and (d) reflection/feedback. Analysis of an ROTC leadership assessment database provided convergent validity for the literature review while adding one additional competency, physical. The lack of existing instruments measuring peer leadership competencies and skills necessitated the development of …

Self-Monitoring Personality At Work Revisited: A Comparative Meta-Analysis, Michael P. Wilmot

Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education, and Communication: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The validity of self-monitoring personality in work and organizational settings was reexamined. Comparative meta-analyses using both random-effects and fixed-effects models were conducted (349 total samples; N = 75,811) to test the relationship between self-monitoring personality and work-related and demographic correlates, as well as the reliability of the self-monitoring measures. Contributions were made to the literatures of self-monitoring and meta-analysis. Self-monitoring: Results indicated that self-monitoring related to a number of relevant organizational outcomes, including job effectiveness and success, leadership, and ingratiation. Some results ran contrary to the prior meta-analysis (Day, Shleicher, Unckless, & Hiller, 2002). Meaningful differences were found between the …

Shared Leadership As A Function Of Role Assignment And Task Difficulty In A Distributed Computer Game, Alexandra Proaps

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The use of computer game based architectures may help provide a safe, controlled environment in which geographically dispersed military units can develop leadership skills while rehearsing a specific task such as search and rescue. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships among task difficulty, team task performance, role assignment and emergent leadership within a shared leadership model using a modified version of the popular video game, Half Life 2 ™. The researcher assessed leadership emergence through verbal content analysis methods that have only been employed in email and message boards media formats. Across levels of task difficulty …

Nonlinear Dynamical Systems Applications To Psychology And Management, Stephen J. Guastello

Psychology Faculty Research and Publications

No abstract provided.

Exploration Of The Project Management Practitioner's Emotional Intelligence Competencies, Linda A. Hooper

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The success rate of information technology projects is on a downward trend, with reported losses in the billions of dollars. Recent studies indicate a 50--56% project success rate based on quality, budget, and on-time criteria. Building upon the conceptual framework of the emotional intelligence and knowledge management theories, the purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore how project management practitioners apply self- and cultural-awareness competencies to affect project outcomes. Using a purposeful sampling method, 24 experienced U.S.-based project management practitioners participated in a web-based questionnaire. Following Giorgi's data reduction process resulted in numeric data coding. Thematic analysis revealed themes …

Emergent Leadership In Virtual Work Teams, Natalie Learned

Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses

This dual method (quantitative and qualitative) study sought to discover the perceptions of leadership in virtual work teams. The ability to communicate among team members, in this environment, becomes increasingly difficult. Specifically, this study analyzed emergent leadership characteristics, as identified by participants, in a virtual work environment. The philosophical framework for this study is based on Boster’s (2006) concept “communication results in social influence.” This study is grounded in the theoretical work of Walther’s (1992) Social Information Processing CMC model, and Graen and Uhl-Bien’s (1995) relationship-based LMX model. The data obtained for this study was achieved through a survey of …

School Based Management In Colorado Public Schools: The Impact Of Administrative Decision Making On The Achievement Of Low-Socio Economic And Minority Students, Belinda A. Lujan

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

One of the most popular reform initiatives of the 20th century was the decentralization of administrative services and decision making in public schools. The implementation of site-based decision making (SBDM) or school-based management (SBM) was an effort to delegate decision making authority to the schools sites. The hope was that those working closest to the students would be able to make the best decision to improve student achievement. As popular as this reform effort became, over the years there has not been much research to measure its direct impact on student learning and achievement especially for minority and low-socio economic …

A Descriptive Study Of The Factors That Prevent Principal Candidates From Advancement To The Principal Position, Robyn Regina Witcher

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study examined the perceived barriers to the principalship by prepared principal candidates as a means of understanding why some candidates are unsuccessful in acquiring a principalship. The use of a questionnaire, interviews, and reflection postcards served as the data collection methods concerning their lack of success in achieving a principal position. Portraitures were used to illuminate the journey of these candidates as they completed the necessary requirements, developed the skill vital to becoming a principal, and interviewed for prospective openings.

The findings revealed that the barrier to the principalship for these candidates is their own lack of awareness …

Enough Hope To Spare: The Transformative Experience Of Birth Parents As Leaders In Child Welfare, Nicole R. Bossard

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This study explores the transformative experience from client and service recipient to collaborative leader and partner in child welfare. Rather than expanding on existing literature that examines the nature and quality of the client experience from a service or customer satisfaction perspective, this study reflects the lived experiences of "real, bonafide" birth parent leaders in child welfare systems in the State of Kansas, several counties in Washington state, and Contra Costa County, California. The goal of the study is to illuminate the journey from clienthood to leadership as experienced by the nine birth parent leaders in the study through research …

Dual Consciousness: Identity Construction Among Appalachian Professional Women In Southern Ohio, Rebecca Nicole Roades

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This study examined identity construction among a purposeful sample of professional women of Appalachian origin with particular regard to the blending of their cultural heritage in a society in which they are often marginalized. The questions guiding the research were grounded in a conceptual framework encompassing elements of culture, gender, leadership, and identity theories specifically using internal colonization, social cognitive, and social identity theories. They included the following: How do these women identify with their Appalachian heritage? How has their Appalachian heritage influenced real or perceived feelings of marginalization and how has that shaped their identity? Do they perceive themselves …

Leadership Development For Today’S Ktunaxa Youth: Command Structure Versus The Crazy Dog Society, Christopher Horsethief

International Journal of Servant-Leadership

Block (2008) opens his book on the structure of belonging with the statement, "[S]ocial fabric of community is formed from an expanding shared sense of belonging...shaped by the idea that only when we are connected and care for the well-being of the whole that a civil and democratic society is created" (p. 9). The concept of belonging has been addressed directly in servant-leadership studies, including belonging to community or organization (Ba Banutu-Gomez, 2004 ), belonging and resiliency (Wheatley & Kellner-Rogers, 1998), belonging through a sharing of humanity with followership (Birkenmeier, Carson, & Carson, 2003). It can also be argued that …

Virtual Teams Affect, Performance And Interpersonal Perception With Unexpected Leadership Change, Jeanette M. Zoeckler

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

Traditional ways of doing business and communicating in the workplace are changing. With frequent mergers, shifting operational demands and underlying economic pressure, computer-mediated communication has been increasingly employed. To achieve greater flexibility in workforce configurations, working virtually is often more the norm than the exception. With continuously improving internet technologies, frequently work-teams are formed when members are not geographically co-located. Both internal and external pressures combine, in the corporate setting, to produce an unprecedented velocity of change which seems especially related to globalization. (Held, 2007) Just exactly how does the virtual team handle abrupt change? While many researchers focus on …

Fostering Leadership Through A Three-Week Experience: Does Outdoor Education Make A Difference?, Alan Ewert, Jillisa Overholt

Research in Outdoor Education

Leadership is one of the principal goals and desired outcomes from participation for many outdoor education programs. This study examines the effectiveness of a short-term expedition-based outdoor experience on the leadership skill level of program participants. Results demonstrate a significant increase in self-reported leadership skills over time for the treatment group, p < .001, as well as a significant difference in leadership skill levels between the treatment group and the control group, p < .05. It is argued that outdoor education settings offer the types of hands-on and diverse experiential leadership development opportunities that are often lacking in other leadership development realms. Building on current leadership theory, implications for outdoor leadership training programs are discussed and several models of outdoor leadership skill development are presented.

Women's Leadership And Third-Wave Feminism, Kathleen P. Iannello

Political Science Faculty Publications

Leadership is a term that women strive to claim as their own. Whether in the halls of Congress, the corporate boardroom, or the privacy of the home, women’s leadership challenges traditional notions of the concept. Throughout the ages images of leadership feature men in uniform and men in positions of power, whether it be military, government, or market. The traditional view of leaders is imbued with male images of “heroes,” who issue orders, lead the troops—save the day. But leadership has another face. It is the face of Abigail Adams admonishing her husband to “Remember the Ladies” in the formation …

The Spirit Within: An Interview With Frances Hesselbein, Mary Mcfarland

International Journal of Servant-Leadership

Editor's note: Mary McFarland interviewed Frances Hesselbein and wanted the words of Frances to be presented in their entirety below, without the interruption of interview questions.

The Silent Witness, November-December 2009

Silent Witness, The

A newsletter published for Deaf Catholics in Washington, D.C.

The Silent Witness Finding Aid

Working In Groups And Alone: Effects Of Group Gender Composition On Cognitive Insight Problem Solving Performance, Viktoria Tidikyte

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

This study examined how working within a group versus working alone affects creative problem solving and what role gender plays in influencing problem solving performance. Previous studies yielded contradictory predictions of whether working in a group improves or impedes creative problem solving performance and whether gender has an effect on problem solving efficiency of a group. I proposed that contradictory results of the previous studies might have been due to the gender by group interaction. Two hundred and six Old Dominion University undergraduate students participated in this study. A 2 (groups vs. individual) X 3 (gender group composition) X 2 …

The Best Practices For Leadership Development In Medium-Sized Companies, Beth A. Hanzal

Theses and Graduate Projects

In the current business environment, leadership development is being recognized as an important strategic initiative for organizations faced with the challenge of filling critical leadership positions and ensuring their leaders have the capacity to lead their organizations' into the future. Most of the research on leadership development has focused on practices in large companies. The purpose of this research is to study the best practices for leadership development in medium-sized companies. Eleven leadership development professionals were interviewed. Those professionals worked for companies in a variety of industries, with annual revenues of between $300 million and $2 billion. During the interviews, …

Academic Leadership Experiences Of Foreign-Born African Immigrants In American Institutions Of Higher Education, Taiwo A. Ande

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose ofthis study was to explore the academic leadership experiences of foreign-born African immigrants who occupied mid- to senior-level positions of leadership in American colleges and universities. The study explored the cha1lenges and opportunities foreign-born African immigrants faced as they aspired and moved through various leadership positions in United States (U.S.) institutions of higher education. Detailed interviews were conducted with six foreign-born African academic leaders who currently or previously occupied academic leadership positions in the United States. Participants were from Ghana, Nigeria, and Kenya, and they occupied academic positions of directors, departmental chair, and associate provost. Seven themes emerged …

Section Abstracts: Psychology

Virginia Journal of Science

Abstracts of the Psychology Section for the 87th Annual Meeting of the Virginia Academy of Science, May 27-29, 2009, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond Virginia.

Personality And Leader Emergence In Groups, Rhett M. Smith

Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Trait-based approaches to leadership have been around for a long time. Starting out as one of the original theories of leadership, research in the area of trait- based perspectives began to slow and give way to other, different domains of predicting leadership in the 1950s. Only recently has there been a revived interest in the trait approaches to leadership. Building on this resurgence, the present study examined the relationship between leader emergence and the Five Factor Model of personality (Extraversion, Agreeableness, Openness to Experience, Neuroticism, and Conscientiousness).

Servant-Leadership: A Case Study Of The Phenomenon In A Public K-12 School Setting, Jason Anderson, Barbara N. Martin

International Journal of Servant-Leadership

As a result of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2002 (NCLB), educational accountability standards have increased (Stecher & Kirby, 2004). Educational leaders are now responsible for meeting expectations unparalleled by those of previous decades (Aldridge, 2003). Halpern (2003) affirmed, "Rapid changes ... require new kinds of leadership - leaders who have the necessary knowledge to achieve a goal and leaders who can manage amid the uncertainty of nonstop change" (p. 126). The necessity for a change in leadership is based on the need for an "ethic of caring" (Grogan, 2003, p. 25). Current literature also supports a need …

A Best Practices Service Learning Framework For The Public Relations Campaigns Course, Audrey Wilson Allison

Faculty Articles

Public relations curriculum often incorporates professional experience for progressive skill development. In the traditional public relations (PR) campaigns course, students typically research, develop, and implement a strategic campaign for a community organization as the client. Service learning is an effective pedagogical approach for the PR campaigns course with value-added learning outcomes, such as critical thinking and civic engagement. Adapting a National Society of Experiential Education (NSEE) best practices approach helps integrate service and reflection components as learning components. The instructional framework presented in this article combines service and reflection principles with course and campaign planning, implementation, and evaluation. Using the …

A Sustainable Rural Nebraska: Academic Program Review For The Nebraska Rural Initiative, Sandra K. Scofield

Rural Initiative Program: Publications and Reports

The University of Nebraska Rural Initiative focuses the knowledge, skills and creativity of the four campuses (Kearney, Lincoln, Omaha and the Medical Center) upon stabilizing and enhancing the economy and quality of life in nonmetropolitan Nebraska. We are committed to working in partnership with federal, state and local governments, communities, businesses, agriculture, non-governmental organizations and other institutions of higher education to achieve our mission.

A key role of the Rural Initiative is to provide a bridge between NU faculty, students, campuses, and centers that are or can be actively engaged in cross-disciplinary research and outreach that may lead to practices …

Deepening The Theoretical Framework Of Creative Leadership: Creative Leaders And Arts-Based Learning, Deborah C. Clifford

Creativity and Change Leadership Graduate Student Master's Projects

Current corporate and academic paradigms are in need of fresh eyes and insightful responses. Forces such as; 21st century challenges, a desire for meaningful work and emerging positive organizational scholarship are changing the way we envision leadership as well as our thinking on how it might be fostered. This project explored the artistic process from the perspective of what it contributed to emerging theories on creative leadership. It looked at leadership from a holistic perspective and arts-based learning as a crucial tool in developing leaders who demonstrate balance between cognitive and affective; linear and organic, analysis and synthesis and logic …

Romance Of Leadership As A Leader Emergence Predictor, Troy A. Cerny

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this paper is to examine whether a link between romance of leadership and leader emergence exists. To test this proposition, a sample population was drawn from a military leadership development program for senior enlisted personnel. The school's 406 students were broken into 28 separate groupings called "flights", each led by an instructor. The data for this study was obtained by administering the Romance of Leadership Scale (RLS) and observing leader emergence within the individual flights over a six-week period. The hypothesis that individuals who exhibit a high romance of leadership will be more likely to emerge as …

Maine Women Writers Collection Biennial Report 2005-2007, Une Library Services

Program Review 2008

Biennial report of the Maine Women Writers Collection of the University of New England Library Services, submitted in support of a program review.