Business Commons^™

Buehler Leadership Scholars Challenge Ideas, Apply What Resonates, Usu Jon M. Huntsman School Of Business, Steve Eaton

Jon M. Huntsman School of Business News Collection

Vern Buehler has stirred up a group of thoughtful, restless students, who are tactful yet very direct, and opinionated but open-minded. It’s a group that says it regularly challenges its preconceived notions of what real leadership is all about. They insist that correct principles that are not tested and practiced are of little worth.

Leaders, Followers, And The Space Between: A Three Dimensional View Of Leader Attention And Decision-Making, Karen T. Macmillan

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

A quasi-experimental field study explores how follower voice, leader regulatory focus and leader-member exchange (LMX) affect leader attention and decision-making. The model responds to calls for more work into the interplay between leaders and followers and the effect on leadership (Avolio, 2007; Howell & Shamir, 2005), the integration of top-down and bottom-up processes that affect attention (Ocasio, 2011; Rerup, 2009); and the types, tactics, targets, and outcomes of follower voice (Morrison, 2011). Twenty-seven established leaders and their followers completed on-line instruments in a time-lagged fashion. Leaders were asked to respond to common …

Gay, Straight, Or Slightly Bent? The Interaction Of Leader Sexual Orientation And Gender On Leadership Evaluations, Fred George Macoukji

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

Existing research has shown that gender stereotypes regarding characteristics of men and women influence others' perceptions of their fit with organizational roles, including leadership roles (cf. Eagly & Karau, 2002). However, little research has examined stereotypes regarding other demographic characteristics (e.g., race, sexual orientation) and how they may interact with gender stereotypes to influence leadership evaluations. The current study examined whether leader gender and sexual orientation interact to influence subordinates' evaluations of leader effectiveness, likability, and boss desirability using an experimental design. In addition to examining whether leader gender and sexual orientation interacted to predict leader evaluations, the present …

The Awesome Responsibility Of Leadership (Chicago), C. William Pollard

C. William Pollard Papers

In this address at the University of Chicago's Booth Graduate School of Business, Pollard reflects on the need for servant leadership among corporate managers. Such leadership, he contends, will be rooted in faith and oriented to the holistic development of those the organization employs.

Gender And Corporate Sustainability: On Values, Vision, And Voice, Joan L. Slepian, Gwen E. Jones

Organization Management Journal

This article presents an exploratory empirical study of the role of gender in sustainability initiatives and practices in a sample of 925 men and women from American companies. We explore gender differences and their implications for sustainability values, priorities, and perceptions of sustainability-related activities in the workplace. Drawing from studies of sustainability, gender, and environmental values and action, our study finds that corporate women hold sustainability-related concerns and values to be significantly more important to them personally than do their male colleagues, and they view and evaluate their companies’ sustainability-related value priorities, initiatives, and activities from these foundational ethical and …

Followership, Leadership And Social Influence, Burak Oc, Michael R. Bashshur

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Traditional research in leadership has largely relegated followers to the role of passive recipients or, at best, moderators of leader influence and behaviors. However, recent work in the area of followership has begun shifting this focus and emphasizing the possibility that followers actively have an influence over leaders, in particular leader behavior. This paper revisits traditional areas of the leadership literature and builds on the emerging followership literature to reintroduce followers as part of the social context of leaders. In an attempt to build theoretical rationales for how followers influence leader behavior we draw on the social influence (e.g., Social …

Role Of Business Leaders In The Integrality Of The Working Indivual, Ms. Cristine Atienza, Prof. Maria Andreas Santiago

Center for Business Research and Development

In a world where the benefit to the common good has been overshadowed by the need to spur demand to increase profitability, one begins to wonder if business has turned a blind eye and if the workforce has grown so detached that who they are at work is different from who they are outside the workplace. Fragmentation (Alford and Naughton 2001) and compartmentalization (McIntyre as cited in Martin 2011, Rozuel 2011) at varying degrees and across different arenas have become possible traps for every worker.

Progress For Women And Leadership In Qatar, Susan R. Madsen, Linzi Kemp

Susan R. Madsen

The purpose of this study was to research the state of affairs in Qatar in terms of the presence (or absence) of women in senior business leadership positions generally, and also where they are located within organizations (e.g., board members, chief officers, vice presidents, top management, division or unit heads). It is based on data mined from a major database in the Middle East North Africa (MENA), that tracks information about public and private companies in that region.

Bridge Over Troubled Strategies, Singapore Management University

Perspectives@SMU

If strategy is the future of an organisation, implementation is its bridge. And successful implementation should be straightforward. But it isn’t. A new website has the answers...

New Perspectives In Leadership: How To Lead From The Middle With Evidence-Based Decision Making: A Conversation With A New Department Head, Leo S. Lo, Adriana Gonzalez

Libraries Faculty & Staff Publications

An interview with Adriana Gonzalez, head of the faculty and Graduate Services Department at Kansas State University (K-State) Libraries is presented. She relates how she became convinced that high value should be placed on assessment. She suggests several ways for instilling confidence in team members. She describes her approach to creating an assessment plan for her department.

Crisis Leadership For The New Reality Ahead, Barbara S. Gainey

Journal of Executive Education

It is too easy, according to business consultant Laurence Barton, Ph.D., for businesses to operate on cruise control, sure of the familiarity of the road and without the protection of a current crisis response plan that could offer some protection for the bumps and hazards to come. Numerous researchers, however, are sounding the alarm. Without the sense of urgency of a 9/11-scale crisis, the number of organizations without current crisis plans in place is slowly decreasing, according to a 2005 American Management Association study. Yet the warning signs of uncharted territory ahead are everywhere. Organizations must prepare for new crises …

Jeffrey And Bonnie Clark Provide $6 Million Leadership Gift To Help Establish The Jeffrey D. Clark Center For Entrepreneurship, Usu Jon M. Huntsman School Of Business

Jon M. Huntsman School of Business News Collection

Utah State University alumnus Jeffrey Clark and his wife, Bonnie Clark, have provided a $6 million leadership gift to help establish the Jeffrey D. Clark Center for Entrepreneurship at the Jon M. Huntsman School of Business at Utah State University.

Principles Of Governance, C. William Pollard

C. William Pollard Papers

Speaking at Romania's Emanuel University, Pollard reflects on what it takes to be a successful board of trustees. In particular, he notes that in order to effectively set the moral tone of the organization the board must understand itself as a steward of what is in fact God's property.

Cross-Generational Perspectives On Work-Life Balance And Its Impact, D. Roebuck, D. N. Smith, T. El Haddaoui

Faculty and Research Publications

This qualitative study focuses on how women of three different generations, Generation Y, Generation X and Baby Boomers, view the concept of work-life balance and what relationship these views have to their attainment of workplace leadership positions. Work-life balance was defined differently across the three generations, but the generational lines faded as most women reported struggling with finding a balance. Some women conveyed choosing not to pursue high-level leadership positions as the personal cost was too high. Those who had obtained high-level leadership positions shared what types of support were most effective in helping them juggle personal and professional obligations. …

Awesome Responsibility Of Leadership (Newport, Va), C. William Pollard

C. William Pollard Papers

Speaking at Christopher Newport University (Newport, VA), Pollard outlines his vision of leadership, arguing that the exercise of true leadership can never be divorced from questions of faith. This is because leadership is fundamentally about character development. When exercised in a servant-like manner it has the ability to create an organization that is as much a moral community as it is a profit-oriented institution.

Merideth Thompson To Serve On Editorial Board For Leadership Quarterly, Usu Jon M. Huntsman School Of Business

Jon M. Huntsman School of Business News Collection

Assistant Professor Merideth Thompson has been asked to serve on the editorial board for Leadership Quarterly, an elite academic journal that is nationally known within her field of research.

The Dialectics Of Staff Unionism And University Management; Critical Discourse For Effective Educational Service Delivery, Olukunle Saheed Oludeyi, Adebayo Olatunde Akinsanya

Olukunle Saheed, OLUDEYI

This paper was poised by the lingering lamentations about the acute fall in standard of education and rapid knowledge declination among Nigerians today. The problem has become so intense that Nigerian ivory towers are now accused of producing ill-prepared and unemployable graduates who seriously lack the skills and competencies needed to positively assist the nation in its quest for growth and development. Unfortunately apart from poor university management, suspicious and insincere, if not selfish relationship between leadership of staff unions and leadership of university management is another factor impeding adequate and effective educational service delivery in Nigeria today. With pluralist …

Closing The Leadership Gap In Asia, Singapore Management University

Perspectives@SMU

Emerging Asian markets – which are expected by the International Monetary Fund to grow by 8.5 percent in 2014 – are indispensable for any large firm with aggressive growth commitments. Although such projections may prove optimistic, companies still rely on Asia to compensate for under-performing mature markets. CEOs in Asia report that their targets for regional business units average 5 percent above the rate of regional economic growth — a target that can only be reached by capturing significant market share from the competition. Over-performing in hypercompetitive

Asian markets depends, in large part, on the quantity and quality of Asia …

Management As A Liberal Art (Seattle), C. William Pollard

C. William Pollard Papers

In these opening remarks recorded for a fall seminar at Seattle Pacific University, Pollard outlines Peter Drucker's theory of management as a liberal art and details the ways in which it was implemented in the ServiceMaster organization. He also notes why such a vision is important for contemporary management education.

2013 Applied Projects Evaluation Organizational Impact Report, Svetlana Krasynska, Jennifer A. Jones, Mary Jo Schumann

USD Evaluation of Applied Learning Model in Nonprofit Leadership and Management Master's Program

University of San Diego’s Nonprofit Leadership and Management (NLM) master’s degree program places a special focus on experiential learning, requiring students to complete multiple applied projects as part of the program’s curriculum. Applied projects give students various opportunities to work in teams to provide real-world consulting services to nonprofit and philanthropic organizations. In developing this curriculum, the NLM program serves both the students who are given these real-world consulting opportunities, as well as the client organizations who benefit from the services provided by the students.

In Fall 2010, the University of San Diego’s NLM program initiated an Applied Projects Evaluation …

How Kaizen Group Leader Selection Affects Group Participation, M. Joleen Byerline

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Organizational communication research indicates group member participation increases as the legitimate power differences among group members decreases. Lean principles and practices indicate Kaizen Event members will contribute regardless of legitimate power levels, due to member training, education, and the Lean team-oriented culture. Further study is needed to determine if Lean culture and training maximize group member contribution, or if legitimate power levels in Lean environments manipulate participation. The focus of this case study is a central Kentucky Lean manufacturing organization that practiced Lean principles for at least three years and completed a Kaizen Event within twelve months previous to the …

Interactive Empathy And Leader Effectiveness: An Evaluation Of How Sensing Emotion And Responding With Empathy Influence Corporate Leader Effectiveness, Gerald Burch

Theses and Dissertations

Empathy has been shown to be a very powerful social and work ability. This study surveyed 754 employees of a privately held eastern United States company, and incorporated annual performance evaluations to empirically link interactive empathy to leader performance of 102 leaders. Data was collected from the leader’s followers, peers, and supervisors and from self-report personality evaluations. The results of this study show that leaders that are willing to engage their followers with empathic displays are seen as better leaders from their supervisors and have more engaged employees. Other contributions of this study include validation of the interactive empathy scale …

Women As Leaders In Differing Microfinance Models, Rae M. Randleman

Journal of Interdisciplinary Feminist Thought

One of the original microfinance institutions (MFIs) is Grameen Bank in Bangladesh and the founder of the bank is Muhammad Yunus (2007). Yunus (2007) initiated a discourse that stated that microloans granted to women resulted in, among other things, increased female empowerment. Much of the global microfinance industry (MFI) has mimicked Yunus’ focus on women and thus created a global master narrative which stated that the capitalist system of credit provided to marginalized women can alleviate poverty and empower women. Other development organizations contend that by itself microfinance cannot empower women; empowerment also requires long-term efforts to influence change in …

Book Review Of: The New Entrepreneurial Leader: Developing Socially, Ethically, Economically And Environmentally Sensitive Leaders - A Literature Review Of Recent Trends From Three Leading Writers, Shahid Qureshi

Business Review

In the past few decades the words used as synonyms for leadership were confidence, strategic planning, and a focused mindset. The business schools claim to produce managers and leaders with the above mentioned qualities that are required to manage and run the present day corporations.

Engaging And Expanding Communities: Widening The Circle Of Stakeholders, Lisa Deangelis, Maureen A. Scully, Andrea Wight

Emerging Leaders Program Team Projects

The 32 fellows in the 2013 Emerging Leaders Program (ELP) worked with community partners to investigate the theme, “Engaging and Expanding Communities".

They worked with six community partners, and identified ways to help them expand beyond their core stakeholders to a wider circle of stakeholders and broader potential impact. The fellows gave their time and professional skills to understand how to reach new business partners, new participants, new advisors, and new donors. They conducted surveys, interviews, and focus groups; explored social media options; examined best practices; and considered ways to tell powerful stories about the vitally important work of the …

Narcissism And Accounting Majors, Jill C. Brown, Michael D. Akers, Don Giacomino

Accounting Faculty Research and Publications

Narcissism is a personality trait that varies in individuals much like other characteristics. Accordingly, narcissism can positively or negatively impact the leadership style and career of business leaders. While personality research has examined the level of narcissism in college-aged students over the past 30 years, only recently has limited research examined narcissism in business students. Prior research has not examined accounting students. Using the Narcissistic Personality Inventory (NPI), we assess the level of narcissism in accounting students at a public and private institution in the Midwest. Our findings show accounting students have a lower level of narcissism than other business …

A Leader's Impact On Sense Of Community In One Venue At The London 2012 Olympics, Laura Grouchy

All Theses

The importance of creating and maintaining sense of community in workplaces is becoming an increasingly essential facet to help restore bonds and develop support systems which can create happier and more efficient employees. The focus of this research will be on how leadership influences sense of community within one venue at the London Olympic Organizing Committee (LOCOG). This problem is of interest to scholars because Organizing Committees are rapidly growing, temporary and have symbolical strong cultures. In-depth interviews, participant observation and a big five-inventory questionnaire were administered to eight full-time employees at the same venue in London Olympic Organizing Committee. …

Authentic, Transformational Leadership: A Phenomenological Study Of The Experiences Of Black/White Biracial Leaders, Carmen R. Zafft

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

This phenomenological study described the racial identity and leadership experiences of eight community, education, and business Black/White biracial leaders. Four central themes emerged relating to the participants’ racial identity choices: (a) family discourse, (b) social networks, (c) appearance, and (d) identity work. Three central themes emerged relating to the participants’ leadership experiences: (a) cultural agility: “Blessed to be flexible”, (b) perceived representation: “I look like them”, and (c) transformational leadership: “I lead so others can grow.” Because the participants were conscious of their identity development experience, all demonstrated a strong sense of self which influenced how they experienced leadership. As …

Harnessing Charisma For Leadership Training, Meagan Roper

Masters Theses

Effective leadership develops followers toward objectives that focus a group's energy to engage in its task and accomplish its goals. The following study sought to understand charismatic leadership and its role in creating transformational change. Through a mixed methods case study using surveys and interviews, this researcher sought to explain the essence of charismatic leadership. Within the organization this study investigated, this meant first establishing organizational vision for a family atmosphere and guiding members on the path to achieving that vision, generating motivation and dedication to the task goals. The researcher discovered practical communicative strategies for incorporating charismatic leadership in …

Organizational Leadership In Times Of Uncertainty: Is Transformational Leadership The Answer?, Sophon Shadraconis

LUX: A Journal of Transdisciplinary Writing and Research from Claremont Graduate University

In a world that is rapidly changing, organizations are finding that they must adapt quickly to meet the needs of their changing environment. Organizations can only remain relevant and achieve long-term success and sustainability by adopting a model of leadership that addresses the needs of their fluctuating environment. However, many organizations have failed to adapt to their operating environment. Some examples of recent major organizational failures and bankruptcies include: Circuit City, Hollywood Video, and Mervyn's. To remain competitive, leaders must adopt a model that allows for rapid responses to the changing business environment. Transformational leadership can serve as this needed …