Leadership Studies Commons^™

Women Artists And Leadership, Vicki C. Macnabb

Theses and Graduate Projects

Art is a human endeavor with complex associations to the spiritual, social, economic and political realms of societies throughout the ages. From the cave painting of ancient cultures through the artworks housed and guarded within institutional walls, the products of artists mirror the evolution of human imagination and chronicle the assignment of value and importance as determined by hegemonic interests. For centuries, the patriarchal hegemony disallowed the contributions of women artists, normalizing the point of view that their contributions were inconsequential to the history of art and to the movements that heralded each new breakthrough in vision.

The civil rights …

Exploring The Leadership Of General Pervez Musharraf Of Pakistan, Mahmood Javaid Rana

Theses and Graduate Projects

This paper is a study of the leadership style and qualities of General Pervez Musharraf, President of Pakistan who took power on October 12,1999. The research is a historical study using data from archives, autobiography, government reports, mass media, and my own expertise as a native Pakistani. While the central theme is to analyze General Musharraf's leadership style, the four questions guiding this work are:

1) What are the demonstrated characteristics of General Pervez Musharraf's leadership?

2) can General Musharraf be described as an authentic leader?

3) What is General Pervez Musharraf's role in the global war on terror?

4) …

Congregational Care And Support Of Pastors In Parish Ministry: A Social Systems Approach To The Care Of Servant Leaders, Dawn M. Nelson

Theses and Graduate Projects

Congregational care and support of pastors in parish ministry is rarely considered. While there is literature regarding clergy stress, burnout, and satisfaction; studies were not located regarding the active role of congregations in the care and support of the parish pastor.

The church is a social system and can be studied as such. Information was obtained from church communities that are members of the Presbyterian Church USA, in Minnesota. The study will explore pastoral perceptions as well as congregational perceptions to determine understanding and involvement of the congregation in the provision of pastoral care and support. The results of the …

Perceptions Of Educators And Paraprofessionals In A Collaborative K-2 Team, Kristin L. Buckner

Theses and Graduate Projects

This phenomenological analysis investigates the experiences and perceptions of paraprofessionals, special educators, and general educators working in a collaborative K-2 team. The study was conducted by researching related literature published between the years of 1998 and 2006, conducting surveys and personal interviews with paraprofessionals, special and general educators, and by examining specific state, district, and building criteria for paraprofessionals. Three objectives of the study were to: (a) clarify educators' perceptions of paraprofessionals' roles, preparation, and performance, (b) compare those perceptions to self-reports of paraprofessionals, and (c) examine the nature and characteristics of educator-paraprofessional relationships. The analysis of data revealed three …

Investigation Of Gender And Upward Mobility Within Institutions, John Stadler

Theses and Graduate Projects

This thesis explores the impact of gender on upward mobility within both nonprofit and for-profit institutions selected from the Minnesota Book of Lists. The emphasis of the study is on women and leadership, and on the factors that influence upward mobility. The study seeks to identify ways in which institutions provide methods to promote upward mobility for women and to discover the ways in which women are limited in their ability to attain leadership positions. The research conducted within this study suggests that there is no adverse connection between gender and the ability to access leadership positions. Instead, the research …

Use Of Superleadership And Talent Management By Administrator Leaders In Institutions Of Higher Education, Kelly L. Anders

Theses and Graduate Projects

Employee turnover is costly to organizations. Leadership and career development opportunities can be instrumental in retaining employees. This exploratory, qualitative study uses content analysis to explore the practices and perceptions of administrator leaders who work in public, non-profit institutions of higher education in terms of the development of the self-leadership skills and talents of their employees, and whether the theory of SuperLeadership and the practice of talent management are used by the administrator leaders in this study. After interviewing eleven administrator leaders, the following three themes emerged about their practices and perceptions of developing and retaining their staff: 1) demonstrating …

Purposeful Mentoring And Healthcare, Joyce Schmidt Dehmer

Theses and Graduate Projects

Mentoring is not a new concept to leadership. It is as old as civilization. It is a transfer of wisdom through the mentoring relationship. Healthcare organizations have recognized and supported the need for mentoring relationships. Mentors possess a combination of attributes that others are compelled to want to follow or work with. Mentors have a keen interest in sharing, guiding and helping others develop. Mentoring may take place formally or informally. A structured useful type of mentoring is purposeful mentoring. Purposeful mentoring in healthcare has an agreed upon purpose between a mentor and mentee. The goal of the relationship is …

Employee Resource Groups: A Proposed Model For Employee And Employer Success, Anna Christine Ronovde

Theses and Graduate Projects

Many Fortune 100 companies have established employee resource groups in recent years as a diversity and human resources initiative. Because these groups are designed to provide support and mentoring opportunities for women and minority employees, they are often part of an organization's diversity program. Thus, workplace diversity and mentoring programs were a main focus of my research. A deeper understanding of these groups and what potential benefits they can offer are needed in order to ensure they are as effective and successful as possible. I found that employee resource groups can be a highly beneficial addition to an organization, positively …

The Positive Effect Of Team Management In An Inbound Call Center, Nancy Bernard

Theses and Graduate Projects

The research proposes to investigate if using team management and self-directed work teams or SDWTs in an Inbound Call Center can be implemented. Would a self-directed team work in the confines of an Inbound Call Center? Could converting to a SDWT environment also foster a positive work environment? The goal of this research project is to test the positive and direct correlation of creating a SDWT environment using team management theory within the structure of an Inbound Call Center that successfully meets all quality measures while maintaining a positive work environment. Using a self-directed work team in an Inbound Call …

First Line Supervisor Training, Diane L. Lind

Theses and Graduate Projects

Review of training opportunities for newly appointed leaders in the field of Public Safety Communications revealed a gap in current training opportunities for newly appointed 9-1-1 leaders. This Leadership Application Project addresses the need for new supervisors to gain both an educational understanding of the leadership skills necessary for success well as address some of the technical knowledge which is unique to public safety dispatching. The project is designed in short blocks which can be presented in a breakfast or lunch seminar type setting . Each topic is designed to introduce the new supervisor to a specific aspect of leadership. …

What Type Of Leadership Does Africa Need To Join The First World?, Aida Ayalew

Theses and Graduate Projects

Internal conflict and lack of leadership are becoming major prohibiting agents that are hindering African countries from economic growth and prosperity. Many countries in Africa have ethnic, racial or political conflicts that are progressing and most of these conflicts are the result of negative leadership.

Resolving internal conflict in Africa requires taking responsibility for the people and for the country. Taking responsibility requires a hard study of the effects of internal conflict, the effects of war, and other contributing factors that hinder Africa from economic growth. The only way that African countries can take charge in solving the problems of …

Founder-Leader Transitions: The Role Of Succession Planning In Nonprofit Organizations, Joanne V. Kosciolek

Theses and Graduate Projects

There are both opportunities and challenges associated with executive transitions. Succession planning is becoming an increasingly significant topic for many nonprofit organizations in the Twin Cities. The retirement of the large generation of baby-boom leaders during the next decade is likely to have a direct impact on the capacity of organizations to sustain their work. This is especially critical for smaller organizations and those with founders or long-term executive directors who leave. These leaders have shaped their organizations throughout their tenure and are seen as synonymous with their organizations. Founders and long-term executives have a strong presence and vision for …

Mentoring Relationships: An Evaluation Of The Benefits That Female Mentors Receive From A Mentoring Relationship, Lori Toborg

Theses and Graduate Projects

The term "mentor" is a commonplace word that refers to a relationship in which a senior individual with certain knowledge and expertise provides guidance and psychosocial support to a less-experienced individual. In today's world, mentoring is associated with both career and personal development. As more women fill top positions, organizations must understand the benefits of female mentors in business.

Although many researchers have examined the dynamics of the mentor-protege relationship, most research focuses on the benefits received by the protege. The benefit for mentors has gained attention recently, finally recognizing that mentoring relationships are reciprocal.

The purpose of this research …

Servant Leadership And Medical Missionaries, Jayne Arvold

Theses and Graduate Projects

Medical missionaries provide benevolent medical services to underserved people internationally. This exploratory research was conducted to examine whether medical missionaries demonstrate the ten behavioral characteristics of servant leaders as outlined by Larry Spears, president and CEO of the Greenleaf Center for Servant Leadership. The characteristics are listening, empathy, healing, awareness, persuasion, conceptualization, foresight, stewardship, commitment to the growth of others, and building communities. Qualitative data from interviews with four medical missionaries supported that Spear's ten characteristics are evident among this group of people. Analysis of these characteristics highlights their importance in the leadership of medical missionary work. This study provides …

Collaborative Leadership And The Design Of A School-Based Chemical Health Service System, Susan K. Hedlund

Theses and Graduate Projects

This work-related project used strategies of collaborative leadership behavior to facilitate the design and implementation of a county-wide, comprehensive, and coordinated school-based chemical health service system. People involved in the design included representatives from school districts, county government departments, chemical dependency treatment agencies, nonprofit organizations, and a parent. The goal of this project was to create an effective, sustainable, and cohesive collaboration through the use of a facilitation process that illustrated the principles of collaborative leadership. The project demonstrated that interagency collaboration, along with effective leadership skills, can be successful in achieving meaningful system change that benefits adolescents and their …

Effective Training Workshop Design: A Focus On Improving The Effectiveness Of Teams, Joni Marti

Theses and Graduate Projects

Organizations spend billions of dollars a year training their employees, yet most of this is wasted due to poorly designed training. Inappropriate time allotments, lack of management and organizational support, and ill-suited methods for adult learners all contribute to this waste.

Knowledge transfer to the workplace is the true measure of effective training, yet many corporations measure cost or hours of training completed. Organizations can be more effective by designing their training with factors that result in the greatest impact on the adult learner. Based on current literature on adult education these key factors are a modular format, interactive delivery …

Effects Of Information Flow On People-Driven Processes Within A Remote-Based Field Staff, James M. Hennen

Theses and Graduate Projects

This study examines the potential of open information flow in leading autonomous and decentralized field staffs. Research questions focus on participant perceptions of access to useful information and whether a participant's more positive organizational outlook compared favorably to their actual process performance. A chaotic model of people-driven processes formed the framework that explored these effects. A set of perception-based questions centered on the goals, roles, processes, and relationships held within a field organization created the model's structure. An assessment tool collected participant self-reported views of their organization and compared them to the high and low participant performance groups of four …

Communicating Strategic Change In The Corporate World A Case Study Of 3m Company, Lisa H. Herzog

Theses and Graduate Projects

Working hypothesis: High-level leaders must communicate change In a manner that motivates and persuades employees. The purpose of this study is to analyze the styles of communication used by high-level leaders. This study used prior written works and one-on-one audiotaped interviews conducted with a Chief Executive Officer, a Chief Financial Officer, and an Executive Vice President of a local Fortune 500 company to determine patterns in communication practices. The implications that this work will have in the field of leadership studies will show readers that communication is crucial to the success of high-level leaders. There are favorable proven communication styles …

Military Model Of Leadership, Eddie M. Frizell

Theses and Graduate Projects

Military leadership has been tested and refined since the beginning of armed conflict. Society has entrusted its safety and welfare to a select few. These men and women of the Armed Forces have proven themselves worthy of this distinction.

A soldier has a very distinct view of his peers in the sister services. Researching the various armed services' leadership training programs, has given clear indication that they are more alike then different.

All services have based their leadership training on the same essential points: levels of leadership, values, attributes, skills, actions, human dimensions, stress, leadership styles, and consequences. These points …

The Defining Characteristics Of A Postmodern Church, Judy Niemi Johnson

Theses and Graduate Projects

Many churches are struggling to attract younger generations to their services. While the ministry changes from traditional style to contemporary style worked to draw baby-boomers back into the church, it did not have the same effect on people in their 20's and 30's. However, there are churches that draw younger generations in large numbers. Known as postmodern churches, they look significantly different in their worship style and ministry approach. Contemporary churches have attempted to incorporate the same style elements into their services, but have not seen similar results. This research goes beyond these simple style changes and discusses the shared …

Leadership For Successful Employee Learning And Development, Marilyn D. Anderson

Theses and Graduate Projects

Three issues related to workforce needs challenge the health care industry in the 21st century. Minimizing the escalation of health care costs, a generation of Baby Boomers nearing retirement and Medicare ages, and technological advances requiring new skills, all test the abilities, strategy and vision of today's health care leaders.

Four primary objectives are presented in this paper: (a) describe the current and near-future health care environment in the United States; (b) review various leadership theories and models focusing on employee learning and development; (c) review recent literature, studies, and practices related to the topic of lifelong learning and workforce …

Political Leadership In Africa: A Case Study Of Ghana's Presidents Kwame Nkrumah And Jerry John Rawlings, Johnson N. Gwaikolo

Theses and Graduate Projects

The effectiveness of a political leader depends on the leader's ability to formulate a vision, demonstrate genuine concern for the people, and create a constituency or following to translate the vision into concrete actions that produce change. In Ghana, these behavior patterns, which are characteristics of transformational leadership, have been demonstrated by Nkrumah and Rawlings, leading to independence for Ghana and later, the development of more stable and stronger institutions. Nkrumah rallied his colleagues and a majority of the Ghanaian citizens to seek independence. Unfortunately, Nkrumah could not maintain the commitment of his colleagues to remain focused on other aspects …

Organization Communication In University And College Public Relations And Marketing Capacities, Kathryn Rumpza

Theses and Graduate Projects

This paper explores communication issues in public relations and marketing capacities at institutions of higher education. The basis for this Leadership Application Project (LAP) starts with three basic assumptions: 1) Communication from leadership is critical; 2) Information sharing is important in any educational institution; and 3) Individuals working in the areas of public relations and marketing have a crucial role in communicating the goals and mission of any institution. A review of the literature explores the roles of leadership, history, and theories specific to organizational communication in this field.

Finally, a theoretical model was developed based on the research findings …

The Birth Of A Leader: Personal And Organizational Leadership, Jennifer Peterson

Theses and Graduate Projects

While some individuals believe people are born with leadership skills, others think leadership can be taught. By using Janet Hagberg's Stages of Power along with Margaret Wheatley's Chaos Theory, this paper explores a case study of an executive leader, Magdalena Romero*, and her personal and professional past and current situation as they pertain to leadership. The case study describes how Romero moved from powerlessness (Hagberg's Stage One) to where she is today.

The data will show how Romero's life changed and developed through education. Magdalena Romero tells how she had a good life. Traveling, working in many different professions and …

Charismatic Leadership And Conductors: Can Charisma Be Learned?, Douglas J. Miller

Theses and Graduate Projects

This study will use a current charismatic leadership model to determine if the unique characteristics of three famous orchestral conductors can lend insight into improving the efficacy of all musical conductors. The charismatic elements of each conductor's leadership will be examined and compared to the charismatic leadership model. The results of this comparison will be used to recommend areas for augmenting the educational curriculum for the development of greater charisma in young conductors.

A Study Of Somali Women In The Secular Work Setting, Maria R. Morland

Theses and Graduate Projects

This research study gives an overview of Somali culture and religion, and immigration to Minnesota. The study is based on quantitative research and qualitative data from interviews with five Somali Muslim women (aged 20-39) in the secular work setting. The study was conducted to learn about the experience of Somali women in the workplace relative to their religious practices. The women expressed some alienation but not discrimination in the workplace. This study provides valuable information for leaders and employers who employ Somalis. If the leadership of an organization has knowledge of the typical conflicts that might occur with Somalis in …

Beyond Ethical Leadership: Striving For Authentic Leadership In A New Corporate Context, Mark N. Langseth

Theses and Graduate Projects

Recent corporate scandals in the U.S. - at Enron, WorldCom, Arthur Andersen, and elsewhere - have prompted renewed interest in business ethics. Consistent with the vast majority of organizational leadership literature, however, this new interest in ethics is overwhelmingly focused on the internal practices of corporations. In both the modern organizational leadership literature and recent literature regarding corporate ethics, very little attention has been given to examining leadership from the perspective of the ultimate societal (external) impact of either an organization's products/services or the processes by which they are produced. This essay presents a model of "authentic leadership" in which …

Leading Progressive Women To Victory In Minnesota, 2002-2004: A Journey Back From Electoral Losses For Lawmakers, Glenda Crank Holste

Theses and Graduate Projects

Minnesota's 2002 elections were a disaster for progressive women, those who support abortion rights and believe that government has a key role in making social improvements. In 2002 no progressive woman was elected to statewide office, and three key senators and four progressive representatives lost their re-election bids.

This research asks: Where and why has leadership emerged that helps progressive women regain ground in the Minnesota House of Representatives and adds Minnesota women to Congress?

In 2004, the DFL propelled five new women to the House, four over Republican women, and congressional races featured a record number of major party …

Servant Leadership In Healthcare, Sean J. Porter

Theses and Graduate Projects

America's $1.4 trillion healthcare industry is poised to grow rapidly in volumes, revenues and expenditures. Rising healthcare expenditures signal a return of medical inflation, with double-digit premium increases for employers and consumers, and an increased threat of more government regulation and healthcare reforms. In addition, the post 9/11 economic recession and layoffs have increased the number of uninsured patients. While hospitals are investing in expansion initiatives, there is a continued workforce shortage, particularly in nursing. According to Russell Coile, Jr. (1999), healthcare is in crisis.

More focus is being placed on leadership to empower employees and create positive patient care …

Graying Population Employment: Attraction And Retention Of Future Older Knowledge Workers, Roseann Becker

Theses and Graduate Projects

In the next ten years, the so-called Baby Boomer generation will be entering traditional retirement age and could potentially leave the work force in large numbers. Implications are clear that by 2010, many Boomers will need to be replaced by middle-aged and younger workers. Indications point to a significant projected labor shortage.

Previous research reveals that few CEO's recognize future labor issues as a pending management challenge. The objective of this research was to survey the human resources personnel at some of the best companies to work for and see if they are ramping up for potential labor shortages and …