Digital Commons Network^™

The Importance Of Being Earnest: A Librarian's Approach To Academic Leadership, Susan G. Broome

Georgia Library Quarterly

When accepting universitywide leadership roles, academic librarians bring skills in partnering, administration and sharing information that can build trust, lead to informed decisions, promote good will and strengthen the organization. Service in this capacity requires an understanding of and an appreciation for the community that resides within the institution.

Mindful Leadership, Lyn Hopper

Georgia Library Quarterly

The author proposes mindful leadership for library officers and staff. She says that such leadership may be difficult to practice amid declining budgets but it is essential for effective leadership. She adds that psychologist Ellen Langer noted that job mindfulness boosts productivity, flexibility, leadership, innovation and job satisfaction. She claims that mindfulness originated from Buddhism by Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh to reduce stress and encourage healing.

Developing Vincentian Leaders Through Service Learning, Marilynn P. Fleckenstein Ph.D.

Vincentian Studies

Niagara University has been aiding the surrounding impoverished community since 1965 with its service initiative, the Niagara University Community Action Program (NUCAP). The university also offers courses that incorporate service learning components in partnership with NUCAP. Service learning is defined and its benefits, especially to the students, are discussed. The ways in which students, faculty, and staff are made aware of and called to engage in the school’s Vincentian mission are described. The student-run NUCAP has made many students and alumni into effective leaders for service, social responsibility, and social change. Some are profiled. Staff service projects are also highlighted.

Testing The Impact Of Global Mindset On Positive Organizational Outcomes: A Multi-Level Analysis, Joana S. Story

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

This multi-level study examined the relationship between leaders’ global mindset with followers’ rating of trust in leader, quality of the leader-member relationship (LMX), and organizational commitment. Complexity of global role and leader distance were also examined as moderating variables. Data were collected from 78 leader participants and 240 raters from one Fortune 100 multinational organization. A multilevel data analysis was conducted using Hierarchical Linear Modeling. No significant relationships were found between global mindset and ratings of follower trust in leader and quality of the leader-member-relationship. A significant negative relationship was found between global mindset of leaders and follower organizational commitment. …

Learning, Changing, And Doing: A Model For Transformational Leadership Development In Religious And Non-Profit Organizations, Skip Bell

Faculty Publications

Religious and non-profit organizations seek people who continually experience learning and growth within their work. Such persons will not stop at doing their jobs well; they develop as leaders who in turn create positive transformation within their group. The purpose of this article is to define a transformational leadership development process integrating learning, changing, and doing as the preferred model in the life of a religious or non-profit organization. The outcome will be persons who grow as leaders, experience meaning in their service, and contribute significant organizational change.

Overcoming Adversity: Resilience Development Strategies For Educational Leaders, Tod Allen Farmer

Georgia Educational Researcher

School leadership has never been easy. However, some experts like Garcia (2005) wrote that current school leaders are facing a variety of difficulties that make sustaining school reform efforts exceedingly difficult. Collectively, these modern day challenges have the capacity to form the perfect storm. School leaders need effective strategies to cope with these difficult circumstances and to continue the thrust toward school reform. Effective coping mechanisms and resiliency development strategies that can be used by educational leaders to overcome adversity include a routine of exercise and healthy diet, a positive life view, a sustained focus on building bridges between stakeholders, …

Leadership Competencies For College Leaders Of Public Small, Rural, Single-Campus And Large, Urban, Multiple-Campus Colleges, Joseph M. J Kools

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This research examined how two decidedly different groups of community college presidents from across the United States viewed the competencies, characteristics, and professional skills identified by the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) (2005) as important for effective community college leadership. The two groups participating in the research were from small, single-campus colleges serving rural populations and from large, multiple-campus colleges serving urban populations. The participants were asked to identify those activities and experiences that they found helpful in developing the AACC leadership competencies. The results from this research suggest that community college presidents from both sizes of college campuses …

Doing The Right Thing: Doing Things Right, Jane Matlaw

New England Journal of Public Policy

I was privileged to be a part of the “birthing” of the Learning Exchange Networks (LENs) and am a veteran participant. I sat through many superb workshops and led a piece on social justice and advocacy. I had no idea that during year three of our endeavor, I would see how my world of work would so clearly intersect with the mutual learning that was happening with my colleagues in Boston and in Haifa. In my job as Director of Community Relations at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC), I am responsible for the community relations activities of a 560-bed …

Nonprofit Leadership. Introduction: Miracle Workers At The Helm. New Ways Of Exercising Leadership, Kristen Mccormack

New England Journal of Public Policy

Leading a nonprofit organization in today’s world requires nothing less than a miracle worker at the helm. That could be the conclusion one might draw from reading the literature on the traits, skills, and characteristics required to lead a nonprofit organization. Today’s leaders should be honest, competent, forward looking, and inspiring as well as intelligent, fair-minded, broad-minded, courageous, straightforward, and imaginative. Leaders should be of high integrity, dedicated, magnanimous, humble, open, and creative while energizing others. Able to cope with change, leaders must establish direction, align people, motivate, and inspire while effectively communicating their story. He or she must be …

The Development Of A Tactical-Level Full Range Leadership Measurement Instrument, Rebecca Thurrell

Theses and Dissertations

Since the emergence of transformational and charismatic leadership models in the mid-1980s, full range leadership theory has become established as the predominant and most widely researched theory on leadership. The most commonly used survey instrument to assess full range leadership theory is the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire, originally developed by Bass in 1985. Although much research has supported the strength of the psychometric properties of the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire, some researchers have suggested that contextual factors such as a leader’s hierarchical level can lead to conflicting results. This research effort involved an extensive review of existing literature to develop a new …

Integrated Conflict Management Systems As Cure And Cause: How Leaders Address Cultural Change And Conflict In Their Organizations, Brian S. Beck

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Organizations experience the bottom line impact of internal conflicts daily. Conflicts between employees simply drain organizational resources. The idea of Integrated Conflict Management Systems (ICMS) has been introduced to help minimize the impact of these conflicts. ICMS, through the development of policies and procedures to address conflicts, are actually attempting to change the organization's culture, and when organizations attempt cultural changes, conflicts are likely to occur. The primary component of cultural change is the organizational leader.

The study interviews organizational leaders about the conflicts that occur when organizations change cultures and the methods that leaders use to work through those …

Strategic Transformation Process: Toward Purpose, People, Process And Power, Elizabeth B. Davis, James Kee, Kathryn Newcomer

Organization Management Journal

Across the world, public and non-profit sector leaders face an extremely turbulent socio-political-economic environment. This environment creates additional risks and uncertainties for organizations and may hinder a leader’s ability to act strategically. Addressing these complex, constantly evolving conditions requires leaders to develop processes that involve the organization’s stakeholders and that create organizational conditions for self-generation, creativity, resilience and action planning. In this paper we provide an organizational-level, integrative framework for the strategic transformation of public and non-profit organizations to assist leaders who are committed to effective stewardship of their organizations. The Strategic Transformation Process involves an intense dialogue among organizational …

Growing Strategic Leaders For Future Conflict, Barak A. Salmoni, Jessica Hart, Renny Mcpherson, Aidan Kirby Winn

The US Army War College Quarterly: Parameters

No abstract provided.

White Bodies, Black Gaze: Constructions Of White Masculinity In White-Male Elite Discourses On Leadership And Diversity, Christopher Brown

Communication ETDs

This study examines white-male elite understandings of diversity and leadership to consider possibilities for exploring articulations of white masculinity. Sixteen semi-structured interviews were conducted with white-male leaders in their organizations who by virtue of their race, gender, class, and education, exercise much power and control in their organization. I used grounded theory methodology to highlight the communication strategies that white-male elites employed when talking about leadership and diversity. Techniques in grounded theory methodology yielded concepts, descriptors, and semantic moves that were articulated to intersecting discourses of race, gender, and sexuality. Through the intersectional matrix, I posited that multiple functions of …

Leaders Or Managers: Who Will Define A New Vision For Dental Education?, Fred Certosimo

General Practice Publications

Leaders and managers are vital to any organization; however, each possesses intrinsic characteristics ideally suited to produce entirely different outcomes. Modern dental education finds itself in a predicament as it assesses new ways to meet the ever-changing demands of its profession and the superimposed mega-issues and global concerns of the new millennium—all competing in an organization and curriculum imprisoned in the first two-thirds of the twentieth century. The purpose of this article is to highlight the role of leadership in dentistry and more specifically dental education. It compares and contrasts characteristics commonly found in leaders who seek long-term, outward-looking organizational …

Reframing And Reforming The Securities And Exchange Commission: Lessons From Literature On Change Leadership, Joan Macleod Heminway

Scholarly Works

As a reaction to perceived and actual regulatory failures at the Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC), from mistakes that contributed to the financial crisis to the Bernard Madoff affair, the SEC has been engaged in an operational transformation process. The growing literature on management and leadership in times of change -- change leadership literature -- offers a number of potentially valuable lenses through which we may assess reform at the SEC.

With the thought that securities regulators and others may learn valuable lessons about the SEC’s restructuring and reorganization from experts in change leadership, this Article explores a selected …

“The Practice Of Transformational Stewardship,” Review Of Transforming Public And Nonprofit Organizations, By James Kee And Kathryn Newcomer, Gary S. Marshall

Public Administration Faculty Publications

The concept of transformational stewardship as a force for change was explored in Transforming Public and Nonprofit Organizations: Stewardship for Leading Change by James Edwin Kee and Kathryn E. Newcomer. But how does a public manager become a transformational steward? How is the concept of stewardship related to public leadership?

The Evolution Of J.D. Programs--Is Non-Traditional Becoming More Traditional?: The Keynote Address Of The Southwestern Law Review Conference, David E. Van Zandt

Faculty Working Papers

Dean David Van Zandt presented the keynote address at the 2009 Southwestern Law Review symposium, "The Evolution of J.D. Programs: Is Non-Traditional Becoming MoreTraditional?" The best legal education must focus on preparing students for 21st-Century legal careers. Law schools need to know about the external market that they serve; they must continuously look for the best methods of teaching the skills this market will demand; and they must focus on outcomes. This means focusing on the competencies a law student has once he or she graduates from law school. Northwestern University School of Law recently completed a major strategic planning …

Conversion Charter School Leaders' Perceptions Of School Change: A Narrative Inquiry, Bridget Dwyer Ramsey

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Three decades of change efforts in American urban public school districts to improve educational opportunities for students have had a lackluster impact on student achievement. For students living in areas of concentrated poverty, achievement gaps and drop out rates remain unacceptably high. These gaps were brought into stark relief in the city of New Orleans following the devastating flooding in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in August, 2005.

This qualitative study is about school change from the perspective of school leaders who were hired to run the converted Orleans Parish schools. These experienced, former Orleans Parish school administrators took on …

In Pursuit Of Sustained Achievement: A Case Study Of One At-Risk School's Efforts To Change Behaviors, Carol A. Sorvig

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Sustained achievement remains out of reach for most Title I schools. While there are many programs and examples of schools touting improved performance, there are precious few that are able to maintain that improved performance over time. This case study examined the characteristics of changes made at one Colorado Title I elementary school that did see improved growth for a period of four years. Two administrators, five teachers and two classified staff members were interviewed. Two of the staff members were also parents at the school. This study utilized a qualitative methodology to examine the changes made that lead to …

A Phenomenological Study Of How Anti-Racist Leadership Training Principles Impact The Actions Of Middle School Principals, John Gregory Kennedy

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The national crisis of the academic achievement gap is one of the most impactful phenomena for the nations' public schools. This study used a phenomenological qualitative research design to capture the essence and perceptions of building principals' experiences related to principles of anti-racist leadership training. The researcher interviewed ten principals who had provided numerous questions in an interview format, to gain insight into the attitudes, beliefs, and leadership practices as they relate to the eradication of the achievement gap at their respective sites. The researcher conducted ten, in-depth, interviews with specific questions related to the achievement gap. All of the …

Spirituality And School Leadership: A Grounded Theory Study, Karen Musick

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The job of public school principal can feel overwhelming and frustrating. Principals are faced with ensuring their school is meeting the academic achievement needs of students along with the social, emotional, and physical needs of students, particularly if they are serving in high poverty, high needs schools. Most principals question, at least once in their career, whether to stay in the position. While some stay, many more leave the position especially if they are at a high needs school. This study was interested in principals serving, and staying, in difficult or diverse elementary schools. Knowing the emotional toll that the …

Leadership And Opfor Networks, Robert J. Bunker

CGU Faculty Publications and Research

This essay will address the topic of leadership and OPFOR networks. This subject area has suffered from quite a bit of neglect yet has great homeland security potentials. For law enforcement purposes, this represents an important topic because gaining an understanding of one’s opponents and their organizational and leadership approaches is the first step in achieving mastery and dominance over them. The primary reason for the neglect of this topic it is that it requires interdisciplinary knowledge concerning three distinct areas of study— leadership, OPFORs, and networks— and their subsequent analytical fusion. It is the intent of this essay to …

Impact Of Variations In Distributed Leadership Frameworks On Implementing A Professional Development Initiative, Jeffrey Pedersen, Stuart Yager, Robert Yager

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal (2003-2012)

Educators, principals, and teachers alike, are being challenged with higher demands and requirements in preparing our future generations for the 21st century. Professional development for teachers is a key focus in school transformation efforts. School transformation in today’s educational system is dependent, in part, by how well teachers work together with their principal and colleagues (Louis, Leithwood, Wahlstrom, & Anderson, 2010). Recent research has focused on the role of the school principal and other site-based leaders in the implementation of professional development initiatives (Pedersen, Yager, & Yager, 2010). Principals play a key role in supporting and encouraging teachers’ professional development …

Parental Leadership: The Mary Poppins Metaphor, Brad Van Alstyne

Collected Faculty Scholarship

Existing theories on leadership are usually based on efforts we are familiar with in which leaders are easily defined (work, war, sports, etc). Little analysis to date has been placed on the role of parents as leaders outside of the social sciences where the focus of the research is usually an offshoot of psychology or childhood development. The parent as leader is a unique focus in that there are several qualities of the parent role that are quite different from that of the typical supervisory roles we normally discuss, while at the same time it would be foolish to think …

Stem Education And Leadership: A Mathematics And Science Partnership Approach, Chris Merrill, Jenny Daugherty

Publications

The issue of attracting more young people to choose careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) has become critical for the United States. Recent studies by businesses, associations, and education have all agreed that the United States’ performance in the STEM disciplines have placed our nation in grave risk of relinquishing its competitive edge in the marketplace (e.g., Rising above the gathering storm, 2007). A Congressional Research Service (2006) report stated that, a “large majority of secondary students fail to reach proficiency in math and science, and many are taught by teachers lacking adequate subject matter knowledge” (Congressional Research …

The Relationship Between Selected Leadership Behaviors And Attitudes Toward Behavioral And Social Inclusive Practices Among Middle School Principals In North Carolina, Mary A. Houser, Genniver Bell, Virginia Dickens, Terence Hicks

Faculty Working Papers from the School of Education

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between selected leadership behaviors (transformational and transactional) and attitudes toward selectedinclusive practices (behavioral and social) for students with disabilities. Determining how transformational and transactional leadership behaviors are related to principals’ attitudes toward inclusive practices is needed because such understanding will assist administrators and other professionals in deciding what type of leader is best suited for leading inclusive schools. There are few studies related to administrators’ leadership behaviors and their attitudes toward inclusion in any form. The results of this study provide an opportunity to examine North Carolina principals’ leadership behaviors …

Presenting The Servant Leadership Model As A Panacea To Bad Leadership In Tertiary Education In West Africa, John Ekundayo

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal (2003-2012)

Tertiary education in West Africa presently is fading in value compared with the last two or three decades when graduates of universities in Nigeria and Ghana were highly rated by world ranked institutions in Europe and North America. In many West African tertiary institutions there are chronic and critical challenges impeding quality delivery of education to the citizens. Some of these lead to avoidable wastes in time, financial and human resources. In Nigeria for instance, there are many cases of students’ unrest leading to wanton and unwarranted destruction of properties and sometimes human lives. In addition, lecturers and non-academic employees …

Tao And The Lost Art Of Leadership, Scott Paynton

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal (2003-2012)

I often tell people that I am literally a lifetime student of academic leadership. I grew up watching my father navigate his career in the academy as a professor of Sociology, including serving as Department Chair. Much to his pleasure I followed suit, pursuing a fun and challenging career as a professor of Communication in the same state university system. Over the course of my journey in academe, I’ve observed, and participated in, almost every level of academic leadership. From serving as chair of too many committees to remember, Department Chair, Vice-President of the Academic Senate, University Ombudsperson, and now …

Academic Leadership In Higher Education: A “Participative” Perspective From One Institution, M.P. Koen, E.M. Bitzer

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal (2003-2012)

The purpose of this paper is not to highlight the diverse characteristics of leaders in higher education, but to focus on those united strengths that acknowledge followership. We therefore attempt a higher education leadership profile (see Table 2) encompassing the vital attributes (identified by participants in our empirical study). We regard this set of attributes as being at the heart of dealing with challenges in this millennium. Not only do leaders have to understand themselves and the higher education environment in which they operate, but the followers need to be equally aware of the superman/woman expectations demanded of leaders.