Leadership Studies Commons^™

Paradoxical Leadership: The Rise And Fall Of Richard M. Nixon, Andrew P. Langins

Theses and Graduate Projects

This case study analyzes the leadership of the 37^th president of the United States, Richard Nixon. Nixon was elected during a time of uncertainty and turmoil in America. He assumed a goal-oriented transactional/ transformational style of leadership and his first term pragmatic domestic policies had considerable success. For example, despite a congress controlled by the opposition, Nixon provided massive funding to the arts, established the Environmental Protection Agency, and expanded affirmative action. In foreign affairs he was the first U.S. president to visit communist China and the Soviet Union. The key obstacle for Nixon's presidency was the Vietnam War. …

Asian American Children's Literature: A Qualitative Study Of Cultural Authenticity, Virginia S. Loh Edd

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to systematically analyze Asian-American children's trade books in terms of their cultural authenticity and to examine the perceptions of producers (authors) and consumers (teachers) as related to the cultural authenticity of such books. I wanted to understand the role of Asian-American children's trade books in research and classroom practice and also to understand the perspectives and preconceptions of these producers and consumers. By conducting this qualitative study on the cultural authenticity of Asian-American children's trade books, I hoped to fill a gap in the current discourse knowledge which does not adequately include the Asian-American …

How Spirituality Impacts Ethical Leadership: A Cross-Case Analysis Of Eleven Corporate Chief Executive Officers, Mary Rose Johnson Edd

Dissertations

Almost weekly, there are news accounts of corporate and government leaders breaching ethical and moral standards. Indeed, in recent years, corporate corruption and misrepresentation of the truth have appeared overwhelming. At the very least, corporate and government scandals suggest that there is currently a crisis in leadership. A Spiritual Audit of Corporate America by Mitroff and Denton, a book called a “landmark contribution” by prominent leadership scholar Warren Bennis, found that individuals and organizations that have a strong sense of spirituality are “far less likely to compromise their basic beliefs and values.” Their data suggested that spirituality may serve as …

Teachers' Beliefs About The Factors That Support Successful Second Language Acquisition Of Elementary School Students, Joann M. Mcdonald Edd

Dissertations

Second language acquisition has increased in importance in elementary schools throughout the United States due, in part, to the growing numbers of English Language Learners (ELLs) as well as an economic and social demand for native English speakers to learn world languages. The purpose of this study was to investigate elementary teachers' beliefs regarding the factors that contribute to successfully learning a second language, whether students are ELLs learning English as a new language or English speakers learning a new language. More specifically, this study compared the opinions of elementary teachers of successful ELLs with teachers of English speakers successfully …

E-Coaching In Organizations: A Study Of Features, Practices, And Determinants Of Use, Rebecca Vaughan Frazee Edd

Dissertations

Employee development in organizations is moving away from classroom instruction to more individualized, flexible forms of just-in-time learning and support, such as e-coaching. E-coaching, conducted partially or entirely at a distance, offers convenience, cost-savings, efficiency, and improved access to people and resources. However, research on e-coaching for work-related purposes is limited. This descriptive and exploratory study used mixed methods to examine e-coaching extent, technologies and practices, and factors that influence deployment and success in organizations. A web-based survey gathered opinions from over two hundred workforce learning and performance professionals. Semi-structured interviews gathered critical incidents from twenty e-coaches. The researcher used …

School Web Sites Within The Educational Marketplace: A Case Study Investigating The Parents As Engaged Consumer-Users, Claudia Jane Beeman Edd

Dissertations

Schools -- like their corporate counterparts -- recognize the many advantages that the Internet affords. Today's schools vie for students, and thus use the web to market their services and showcase their management team (administrators, teachers, staff) and academic accomplishments. In a sense, then, web sites are the public face of education; those that are well-designed and multi-featured can enhance a district's public image and create the perception of excellence and competence. This case study explores how one suburban, K-8 school district approaches web site development, specifically, the process by which decisions about design, development, and maintenance are made (and …

Evaluating The Effectiveness Of Provosts In Building A Student Learning Assessment-Supportive Organizational Culture: A Multiple-Site Evaluation Within The California State University System, Chris Procello Phd

Dissertations

Although research on cultivating support for student learning assessment at the institutional level points to the necessary involvement of all campus stakeholders, researchers have commented on the particularly important role of institutional administrators. Most research on the role of administrators in building support for assessment to date has not, however, focused on provosts, even though they are critical because of their power to determine the internal allocation of institutional resources. To address this issue, this study used a 27-question, Likert-scale survey to estimate the extent to which provosts in the California State University system have been successful in building an …

Private And Public University Students' Perceptions Of Cultural Adjustment Problems In Study Abroad Programs, Walter R. Heinecke Edd

Dissertations

In a world that is increasingly integrated by economics, communications, and politics, higher education is asked to deliver graduates who can function professionally in the international arena. One way to do this is through study abroad programs, which have skyrocketed in popularity among American students over the last 15 years, increasing by 83% to more than 205,000 students in 2007. Despite the obvious benefits associated with such programs, there are challenges to living abroad as well—especially for young adults. To get some sense of these challenges, during the 2005-2006 academic year 114 study abroad students from 2 Southern California universities …

The Role Of Residential Learning Communities In The Faith Development Of First Year College Students, Dayanne Izmirian Phd

Dissertations

Although student development theories have recognized the complex processes of identity development, they have not adequately addressed the development of the spiritual self. Rather than given separate consideration, spiritual development is often discussed in the context of other aspects of development, such as the cognitive. Consequently, student affairs practitioners have not been adequately trained to address, facilitate, nor support the spiritual development of college students. One approach that has been proposed for facilitating the faith development of college students is Residential Learning Communities. Unfortunately, the assertion that Residential Learning Communities are a promising method of facilitating faith development in college …

Notes From A Herman Miller Company Board Meeting, C. William Pollard

C. William Pollard Papers

These handwritten notes -- mainly including material concerning the topic of responsible leadership -- provide Pollard's perspective on a 2008 Herman Miller Company board meeting.

The Nonprofit Ethics Survey: A Contextual Approach, Audrey Dawn Barrett Phd

Dissertations

Organizational ethics require the attention of nonprofit leaders as regulatory trends and accountability measures increase. In spite of this interest, little empirical research has been conducted on ethics assessment within the nonprofit sector and more importantly, no survey instrument currently exists exclusively designed for nonprofit organizations to assess the perceptions of ethics within their organization. This lack of tools and information prohibits comprehensive self-assessment, and forces a reactive, single-loop approach to ethical issues, rather than a feedback system based on actual data. To address this need, the Nonprofit Ethics Survey provides a practioner-friendly survey designed to assess the perceptions of …

Leadership, Bonnie M. Jennings, Joanne Disch, Laura Senn

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

No abstract provided.

The Obstacles To Advancement Of Women In The Legal Field, Diane R. Winter

Theses and Graduate Projects

This study presents an analysis of the obstacles that women lawyers face in advancing from the early stages of their careers into equity ownership or other leadership positions in law firms. It will also examine the issues that affect the advancement opportunities of women into key leadership positions in law firms. In addition, the paper will examine gender bias, societal pressures and the requirements associated with the profession and how those pressures have an especially adverse effect on women. This paper will suggest what women can do for themselves and for other women to effect change to the system. Finally, …

A System Dynamic Model Of Leader Emergence, Paul S. Wever

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this thesis is to develop a system dynamics model of leader emergence. Longitudinal social network and personality data were collected in a class of enlisted military professionals attending a 6-week leadership development course. Findings support known relationships in existing leadership research. The thesis demonstrates the applicability of system dynamics toward the complex social phenomena of leader emergence.

Organizational Culture In Health Care And Adaptive Leadership, Teresa M. Hunteman

Theses and Graduate Projects

To improve the quality and safety of health care in the United States, the Institute of Medicine identified the need for strong organizational leadership and an organizational culture that supports learning. The paper will review the application of the adaptive leadership model to support organizational culture change in health care. A review of the literature on health care organizational culture and the Adaptive Leadership model will be presented along with a case study of 10 health care organizations that have been working on culture change through the Institute of Clinical Systems Improvement. Perspectives gained in this analysis will determine if …

Evaluating Experiential Leader Development: A Programmatic Of The Effectiveness Of Us Air Force Squadron Officer School Curricula, Jeffrey G. Holland

Theses and Dissertations

Leader development programs often employ experiential learning exercises. The impact of such exercises is not clear. This research investigated experiential leader development using a quasi-experimental design to analyze the differences in two consecutive US Air Force Squadron Officer School (SOS) in-residence classes. The curriculum was altered between classes by the addition of the Combat Leadership Exercise (CLX), an experiential war-gaming activity. Experiential programs regularly use mean differences between pretest and posttest measurements to represent program impact. However, research shows that participants may change the way they evaluate themselves between test administrations due to their experiences in the programs, a phenomenon …

Project Manager Personality As A Factor For Success, John D. Bedingfield

Theses and Dissertations

Much has been written regarding project success, and one of the factors contributing to project success is the role of the project manager. Furthermore, project success can be enhanced by selecting the best project manager, and by assigning project managers whose attributes best align with project type. We investigated the role of the project manager's personality on project success using the "Big Five" personality model. We surveyed United States Department of Defense project managers to determine specific "Big Five" personality traits which were more likely to positively predict project manager success. The findings indicate conscientiousness and openness to experience were …

Branding Your Community, Milan Wall

Heartland Center for Leadership Development Materials

Connections: Using a Brand Creation Approach to Community Identity

Origins of the Branding Concept

Even far back in the middle ages when artists and artisans began to form guilds or associations together, many hallmarks or identifying symbols were used as a signatures by artisans to lay claim to the result of his or her work. Another important, and American reference, comes from the days before fences divided up the frontier and cattle owners found a way to mark and identify their own cattle by branding them with a personalized symbol. Even today, many purebred horses are carefully inspected and only …

Branding Your Community, Milan Wall

Heartland Center for Leadership Development Materials

Branding Your Community

Table of Contents:

Connections: Using a Brand Creation Approach to Community Identity

Case Study: Superior, Nebraska

Mapping Community Assets: An Overview

SOAR Analysis

About Appreciative Inquiry

The Marketing Process: Attention, Attraction and Action

Marketing Your Community

Back Home Ideas

Tips for Creating Community Brands

Workshop Evaluation

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 …

Ua3/9/5 Student Rally At The Capitol, Wku President's Office

WKU Administration Documents

Speech delivered by WKU president Gary Ransdell at student rally against budget cuts in Frankfort, Kentucky.

Ua3/9/5 Improving The Education Attainment Of Kentuckians At All Levels, Wku President's Office

WKU Administration Documents

Presentation by WKU president Gary Ransdell at the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce Summit.

Ua3/9/5 Kentucky Teacher Hall Of Fame Induction Ceremony, Wku President's Office

WKU Administration Documents

Speech delivered by WKU president Gary Ransdell at the 2008 Kentucky Teacher Hall of Fame induction ceremony honoring Jan Lanham, Patrice McCrary and Shelia Miller.

What Is Leadership? (Chapter Two Of Leadership Alive: Changing Leadership Practices Within The Emerging 21st Century Culture), Christopher P. Meade

Faculty Publications - College of Business

Excerpt: "This newly emerging culture is upon us. This change in Western culture requires a new breed of leader to emerge. There are many usable definitions concerning leadership. Leadership may appear in many forms, come from many theories, and be derived from many sources, but all are likely to guide through actions, influence, or service. 80 The new emerging leader of the 21st century will understand the relationship between the four principle leadership models: (1) Servant Leadership, (2) Situational Leadership, (3) Leadership and the New Science, and ( 4) Christian Leadership.

In Chapter Three, I will introduce and explore the …

Reflections For The Herman Miller Board, C. William Pollard

C. William Pollard Papers

In this speech -- delivered at a Herman Miller Board Meeting in Buffalo Grove, IL -- Pollard reflects on what he has learned as a board member, noting in particular how the company was founded on a holistic view of the human person and the idea that the business leader is only a steward of God's property.

Ua12/2/16 Spirit Masters Scrapbook, Wku Spirit Masters

Student Organizations

Scrapbook of WKU Spirit Masters activities in 2007-2008.

The Future Of Management [Review] / Hamel, G., & Breen, B., Erich Baumgartner

Journal of Applied Christian Leadership

No abstract provided.

Ua77/1 Wku Spirit, Wku Alumni Relations

WKU Administration Documents

WKU alumni magazine. Contents:

• Ransdell, Gary. President’s Letter
• Gift from Anthem Foundation Funds WKU Mobile Health Unit
• WKU Enrollment Increases to 19,761; Number of African-American First-time Freshmen Up 19.6%
• WKU Honors Bowling Green Family During Weekend Event – Tinius Family
• WKU Alum Harry Gray Honored as Outstanding Alumnus of Kentucky
• Alumni Association Enters Relationship with PartnersFirst
• HealthCo Corp. Opens World Headquarters in WKU Center
• Jarve Family Create Endowed Professorship in Honors
• Planned Giving Q&A on the Charitable Gift Annuity
• Private Support Enhances Capital Improvements at WKU
• Interfaith Chapel
• LaFantasie, Glenn. Why Are There No More Abraham Lincolns?
• Capitol Spotlight – …

Greenleaf On Servant-Leadership: Who Is The Servant-Leader?, Robert K. Greenleaf

International Journal of Servant-Leadership

Robert K. Greenleaf coined the term servant-leadership in his seminal 1970 essay, "The Servant as Leader." The servant-leader concept has had a deep and lasting influence over the past three decades on many modern leadership ideas and practices. Greenleaf spent his first career of 40 years at AT&T, retiring as director of management research in 1964. That same year Greenleaf founded The Center for Applied Ethics (later renamed The Greenleaf Center for Servant-Leadership). He went on to have an illustrious 25-year second career as an author, a teacher, and a consultant. Greenleaf, who died in 1990, was the author of …

The Emergence, Expansion, And Critique Of Servant-Leadership As A Leadership Philosophy, Jeffrey Mcclellan

International Journal of Servant-Leadership

Editor's note: This article is the first in a three-part series that will give a comprehensive literature review ofthe extant theory and research currently available on servant-leadership. In this first installment, scholar Jeff McClellan reveals the evocative depths of Greenleaf's thought and lifework that led to Greenleaf's subtle, profound articulation of the concept of the servant-leader.