Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

A Leadership Case Study: Application Of Koestenbaum's Diamond Leadership Theory, Ann E. Paulsen

Theses and Graduate Projects

Peter Koestenbaum's Diamond Leadership Theory illustrates how a leader's greatness can be evaluated by looking at four different categories: ethics, courage, reality, and vision. According to his Diamond Leadership Theory, he stresses that all four dimensions must be equally developed and balanced, in both the personal and professional life of the leader. Koestenbaum contends that a balanced leader will show leadership skills in all aspects, not just in their professional lives.

The following research was conducted using the Diamond Leadership Theory as a foundation for studying a leader in the business world. By understanding these basic principles, the researcher was …

Developing Leaders, Teresa Ann Cook

Theses and Graduate Projects

The following study takes a snapshot of the MAL program, describing the experience of students between 1987 and 1996. Seven students were interviewed. These students were asked to describe what motivated them, what they experienced in the master's program and what they believed were the benefits of participation. "Why Leadership?" The qualities necessary for assuring leadership are nurtured by the interdisciplinary nature of this liberal arts program. Students gain self-confidence and courage to approach new situations. Students' commitment to leadership is nurtured by study in the MAL program. The history of the development of the Master of Arts in Leadership …

Leaders In A Technologically Dispersed Work Environment, Beth A. Peroutka

Theses and Graduate Projects

This study was designed to compare leaders and their employees to determine characteristics needed to successfully succeed in a virtual work environment and to compare and contrast expectations of characteristics needed in a traditional versus a virtual office environment. These characteristics were compared with Stephen Covey's Principled Centered Leadership Model to determine if deviation in the virtual office will imply a need to change his leadership model.

Although there are differences in traditional office environments versus virtual work environment, Covey's Principled Centered Leadership Model still essentially holds true. The leadership characteristics that will apply in a virtual office environment are …

Women Entrepreneurs: Bypassing The Glass Ceiling By Building Their Own Businesses, Karen Fouks

Theses and Graduate Projects

The existence of a so-called "glass ceiling" that prevents the advancement of qualified women to the top levels of corporate management continues to be a topic for debate. An examination of this issue reveals a spectrum of viewpoints ranging from strong belief that the glass ceiling is a problem to firm denial that the glass ceiling exists. On the assumption that the phenomenon cornmonly referred to as the glass ceiling provides a description of a social problem even as its causes and effects remain open to debate, the researcher explores the options available to women who find themselves in a …

A Training Model For Teaching Peer Coaching And Self Reflection, Suzanne Wescott-Roper

Theses and Graduate Projects

This project addresses the need for teachers to study their own practices and identify effective practices for making changes and implementing new learning. It also posed a need for supporting teachers in today's changing educational system. The author researched four major areas: self reflection, portfolios, peer coaching and adult learning in a quest to learn more about techniques to encourage life long learning and continued professional development. The author then enhanced the existing peer coaching training in the Eden Prairie School district by embedding some of the new learning from the research. The major changes to the training model include …

A Systems Modeling Approach To Strategic Educational Enrollment Planning, Thomas A. Larson

Theses and Graduate Projects

This research examines the challenge leaders in higher education face as they plan for future enrollment outcomes in a transforming environment marked by changing enrollment patterns. The general principles of strategic planning provide a conceptual framework from which to address the challenges inherent in preparing for an uncertain future. Within this conceptual framework of strategic planning, systems thinking and computer modeling are offered as valuable tools to help enrollment managers effectively address the challenges of enrollment planning. Based on the principles and practices of systems thinking, a computer model outlining the enrollment process is developed. This computer model is used …

Is The Vice President Of My Work Organization A Principle-Centered Leader?, S Robert Smith

Theses and Graduate Projects

This case study focuses on the leadership theory used by the Vice President (VP) of a 500 employee organization within a large multinational corporation. The problem addressed is whether this VP is a principle-centered leader. This is a leadership theory championed by Stephen R. Covey. The Covey Leadership Center works with thousands of organizations throughout the world to educate them on principle-centered leadership. Although the available literature is limited to Covey, the similarities to ethical leadership theory are addressed in the literature review. Data collected from researcher observations experience, and interviews is evaluated against principle-centered leadership criteria. This evaluation and …

Developing A Racial Consciousness In The White Leader, Elizabeth A. Campbell

Theses and Graduate Projects

This thesis addresses how racism affects the leadership practice of the white leader in the United States. The researcher did a self-analysis of her own spiritual and psychological development, as a white leader, from birth to age 35. The researcher used her own narrative as the primary source of data. Secondary resources were used to interpret this data. The researcher argues that the United States is a nation in which social life is still largely governed by the belief in the intellectual, cultural and moral superiority of whites, or the doctrine of white supremacy.

The researcher argues further that the …

Managers Are Appointed, Leaders Emerge: How New Scientific Paradigms Inform Organizationel Leadership, Lew Beccone

Theses and Graduate Projects

For most of the 20th century the mechanistic, linear world of Newtonian science has functioned both as metaphor for thinking about organizational dynamics and as the mental model around which organizations have developed. Recently, the postclassical sciences have yielded an alternate understanding of the world, one fundamentally different from that of the Newtonian model. This paper explores a world view emerging from complexity studies and quantum physics, contrasts it with the dominant image derived from classical physics, and draws implications for organizational leadership. The lens of postclassical science challenges our fundamental ontology and reframes our views of organizational life in …

The Leadership-Mentoring Connection: An Exploration, John W. Hurst

Theses and Graduate Projects

Mentoring is a process dating back to the times of the ancient Greeks. In modern times, key mentoring activities remain unchanged: mentors guide a proteges development. Today, this development encompasses many things, including leadership. This study began as an exploration of the mentoring-leadership link. This study sought to determine how mentor and leader roles overlap, and if mentoring was significant in leadership development. The study approach was two pronged: first, a limited leadership and mentoring literature review; and second, a survey of people with mentoring-leadership experiences.

Some literature sources confirmed limited mentoring-leadership links. A few reported specific mentoring benefits with …

Characteristics Of Leaders Of Effective Rehabilitation Teams In Skilled Nursing Facilities, Kirsten K. Ness

Theses and Graduate Projects

The purpose of this study was to identify characteristics of leaders who manage effective rehabilitation teams in skilled nursing facilities. The subjects were 51 rehabilitation professionals employed by a rehabilitation company in the Midwest. Subjects rated their self selected leaders on the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (Bass & Avolio, 1995), and made qualitative comments about their leader on an attached page. Data were analyzed to determine the organizational relationship between the leader and rater. Leadership characteristics were identified by the choices of the raters on the MLQ. The data show that the rehabilitation professionals in this sample population selected a leader …

Designing Organizations For Successful Corporate Brands, Kay Roberts

Theses and Graduate Projects

Organizational strategies for effective brand management programs result in an organizationrs ability to build brand equity. This study develops a conceptual model of brand and of the need for effective leadership and communication in estahlishing a clear connection between organizational effectiveness and the issue of hrand management. While brand programs have been primarily directed from the marketing and communication departments for the benefit of external audiences, this research shows that significant effort must be made to include other areas of the organization in branding efforts so as to leverage potential organizational strategies that will enhance brand-building organizational initiatives. Through strategies, …