Leadership Development Experiences Research Articles

The Leadership Portfolio Program at The University of Pittsburgh: Teaching leadership to graduate students1

The Graduate School of Public and International Affairs, University of Pittsburgh provides an extra-curricular leadership development experience called the Leadership Portfolio Program. The Leadership Portfolio Program uses both classroom and community-based experiences to develop and refine leadership skills in graduate students who are preparing for careers in public service. This article describes the Leadership Portfolio Program and, based on student feedback, offers insights on pedagogical strategies for teaching leadership to pre-service students.

Leadership Development for Academic Librarians: Maintaining the Status Quo?

Leadership development experiences within librarianship are immensely popular. The informal critiques that are leveled at these programs, however, claim that they serve only to reinforce the status quo and that they do not address the real issues affecting our profession, particularly those relating to racial and gender diversity. In order to critically determine the value of these programs, I examine them through the lens of critical race theory. Elements of critical race theory are illustrated through details solicited from the program coordinators and from available information on program websites and in professional literature. While these leadership programs frame themselves as creating transformational leaders, focusing on team-building, collaboration, and motivation, their curriculum and structure perpetuate the status quo in relation to librarianship's existing structural biases. There are steps that can be taken, however, to better develop diverse leaders with our professional values in mind.

A Longitudinal Case Study of Exceptional Leadership Talent

The development of leadership talent in a gifted individual was the focus of this 15-year longitudinal case study. Four major themes explained the development of his leadership talent. Crucial family factors and support served as a foundation for his psychosocial development and contributed significantly to his talents as a leader. Emotional intelligence evident in childhood, adolescence, and adulthood was an important asset as his leadership skills grew. In addition, strong practical intelligence applied to his everyday life enabled him to meet the goals and objectives he established for himself. Woven throughout his life story was evidence of a strong internal motivation that drove him personally and professionally. Implications of the findings are presented along with suggestions for designing effective leadership development experiences for talented students.

Collective Leadership Development: Emerging Themes From Urban, Suburban, and Rural High Schools

Purpose: Applying an analytic model to better understand collective leadership development, this study examines three high schools: one urban, one suburban, and one rural. Each school’s unique structure and context tests the model’s explanatory power. Research Methods: Using a multiple-case study design, data consisting of interviews with teachers and administrators ( n = 64), document analysis, and observations were collected from each of the three high schools to describe and explain variation in collective leadership development, practice, and student outcomes. Findings: Schools’ efforts to develop leadership are organized for cross-case analysis by model constructs. Variation between schools exists in collective leadership capacity, practice, and student outcomes. This variation is explained by antecedent factors that include principal support of teacher leadership, initial teacher capacity, school conditions, work design, and leadership development experiences. Specifically, catalytic principal support, relational trust, professional capital, and views of leadership as work enhance development. Moreover, because of the iterative nature of improvement captured by the model, improved collective leadership practice influences the antecedent constructs. Implications: This study has implications for how schools and districts understand collective leadership development efforts of administrators and teachers. The analytic model facilitates the examination of school contexts to understand the potential and relative success of development efforts.

Behavioural competencies of sustainability leaders: an empirical investigation

PurposeThe world faces greater environmental, social and governance challenges than ever before and a growing number of organisations are establishing sustainability functions, strategies and plans in an effort to address these complex issues. However, limited research exists on the critical behavioural competencies required to maximise leadership impact on sustainability initiatives. With the stakes so high and the task so complex, the purpose of this paper is to identify the key behavioural competencies of corporate sustainability leaders and set out a model for assessing these behavioural competencies.Design/methodology/approachBased on a review of the empirical literature, the study sets out five competency groupings, which informed a hypothesis. This was tested quantitatively via a self-report tool that enabled a quantitative analysis of behavioural competencies. Contributions from 97 participants were triangulated with data collected from colleagues who rated the participants on the same set of competencies.FindingsTen critical and ten prominent behaviours of sustainability leaders in five competency groupings were identified. The analysis also explored how the business sector, location, years of experience and level of qualification impacted upon the sample sustainability leaders’ perceived effectiveness.Research limitations/implicationsThe sample size means that the competency model derived from the findings should be seen as propositional and requiring further validation. Impact measures would add considerable robustness to the findings.Practical implicationsThe research offers a means to better focus and tailor leadership development experiences and as a tool for the recruitment of sustainability leaders.Originality/valueThe study is based on a robust quantitative approach, and the behavioural competency model developed as a result provides a tool for sustainability leaders to map current behaviours and monitor their progress over time.

Mapping the aesthetics of leadership development through participant perspectives

This enquiry sets out to explore leadership development as an intrinsically aesthetic experience, drawing on the reflexivity of participants from four intensive, long-term leadership development experiences to claim that the very architecture of knowing and experience in leadership development may be interpreted as shaped aesthetically. Five different aesthetic discourses are identified and named as partiality, dissipation, disruption, sensation and connectedness. The interdependence between these is then examined in one extended participant narrative. What emerges is an understanding of leadership development as a felt experience, where any leadership concepts are known and experienced through the lens of a vivid milieu of affective, visceral, sensory, embodied and relational processes, which aesthetically shape what participants come to recognise as leadership. We propose that paying attention to the aesthetics of leadership development has the potential to radically change how leadership development is researched, practiced and understood.

Leadership 2.0: The Impact of Technology on Leadership Development.

Technological innovation has become a driver of educational and leadership development practices that place students at the center of learning and leadership development experiences.

Emerging Youth Leaders in an After-School Civic Leadership Program

AbstractThis qualitative study examines the notion of youth leadership in an after-school program focused on teaching leadership skills and instilling habits of civic engagement within a long-term support program that prioritizes college readiness for low-income minority students. Through activities designed to help youth discover their passions, envision their academic and professional potential, and engage with their communities, the leadership program provides the space—physical, curricular, structural, and relational—for youth to cultivate purposeful notions of self and explore ways they can make a difference in the lives of their peers and their communities. Authentic leadership development was found to depend on relationships with program staff that are more horizontal than hierarchical in nature. Beyond centering youth experience and voice, the study also illustrates distinctive programmatic conditions conducive to supporting youth leadership development experiences that are relevant to youth and t...

The Internal Conflicts of Undergraduate Students Regarding Effective Leadership Practices

The current study explored the internal conflicts of a diverse group of undergraduate students as leadership development experiences challenge students’ pre‐existing attitudes and beliefs of what comprises effective leadership. Interviews with 23 undergraduate students uncovered two consistent conflicts within the minds of emerging leaders, often experienced unconsciously: (a) the recognition of the need to serve the group while also exhibiting command over followers and (b) the desire to adapt to changing circumstances while also remaining resolute in personal chosen courses of action. The particular internal contradictions, common to students in the study across gender and racial lines, imply a structure of predictable cognitive transition as emerging leaders work toward internalizing group‐inclusive concepts associated with contemporary leadership practices. The study's findings possess several implications for leadership educators—in higher education and external organizations—in the ways these professionals create both formal and informal developmental experiences for undergraduate students.

CITY Leaders

In 2008, United Way Toronto (UWT) launched the Creative Institute for Toronto’s Young (CITY) Leaders, a leadership development program for diverse young people working and volunteering in the community and social service sector across Toronto, Canada. The investment in leadership capacity building provided a unique opportunity to explore the short- to medium-term outcomes of the 104 youth who participated in five different program cohorts over 4 years. The UWT set out to evaluate the CITY Leaders Program by focusing primarily on its outcomes and effectiveness. This article provides a retrospective assessment of the impact of CITY Leaders, primarily through program graduates’ reflections on their learning and leadership development experience. It also documents outcomes at the personal, professional, and community levels.

Supporting the Role of Associate Dean in Universities: an Alternative Approach to Management Development

AbstractLocated between senior management and academic staff, the role of the Associate Dean in universities appears to be growing in number, complexity and importance in recent years. A role arguably fraught with complexity, it remains largely undefined and under‐researched. While little is known about the role in general, less still is known about their leadership development experiences. This paper reports on a Leadership Foundation funded UK study to explore what training and role preparation Associate Deans have had. Data was collected from 15 interviews with Associate Deans from five different institutions and a follow‐up online survey of Associate Deans (n = 172) throughout England and Wales. The study found that 60 per cent of respondents had received little or no formal management training and that 24 per cent of those who had received training reported it to be only moderately useful or of little or no use. In contrast, however, the respondents identified the establishment of informal learning and support networks with other Associate Deans as being a vital source of support. The paper argues that an alternative model of management development, based on relational and social learning theories, might be a more appropriate way to help support this group of academic middle leaders.

Leadership Development Experiences of Women Leaders in State-Owned Enterprises in Indonesia

Similar to many other countries in the world, Indonesia has been experiencing the increasing number of women workers participation both in formal and informal sectors . While in formal sector the number of female employees has increased from around 10 millions in 2008 to nearly 13 millions in 2011 ; in informal sector the figure is even doubled: more than 28 millions in 2008 to more than 30 millions in 2011 . However to date, women workers are associated with low-skilled, low-wage workers who work in precarious working environment. Women are seldom hold managerial position both in public and private sector. The proportion of women in Indonesia who sit in the board of directors is only 6% from the entire women workers. Thus, this research aims to explore the ir development experience along the way . In order to obtain initial information, interviews with nine women managers from State-Owned E nterprises (SOEs) were conducted. SOEs were chosen for convenience reason . The research indicates the low ratio number of women in SOEs management team although there is an optimism that the number would increase. Key point discovered in this research is that development experience is mainly done by the participants own in i tiatives whereas organisational supports are found very limited . This findings will be further explored and confirmed by involving more women managers from various sectors. Keywords: women leaders, ledership development, qualitative, Indonesia. Normal 0 false false false IN X-NONE X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:Table Normal; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:Calibri,sans-serif; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:Times New Roman; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:Times New Roman; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}

Educational leadership and leadership development in Africa

The literature on educational leadership and management is dominated by authors from the United States, United Kingdom and Australia. This inevitably means that researchers seeking evidence on aspects of leadership are drawn to this dominant body of literature. However, these contexts are very different from those in many other parts of the world and most readers of this journal are well aware of the dangers of ‘policy borrowing’; applying models from Western contexts to very different settings, for example in Asia or Africa. This special themed issue of EMAL provides a valuable opportunity to build the knowledge base in Africa, where resources are often very limited, teachers and principals may be inadequately trained, and classrooms usually contain large numbers of poor and disadvantaged learners (Bush and Oduro 2006, Bush and Glover 2013). Many African states are also patriarchal, making it difficult for women to access leadership positions. The first four papers in this issue explore aspects of gendered leadership. In the opening article, Pontso Moorosi discusses leadership identity construction through a leadership development programme in South Africa. She notes the gender inequity in school leadership and argues that inter-sectionality is helpful in addressing leadership diversity as it reveals the multiple identities of participants. She reports on a national leadership development programme, piloted from 2007 2010, and notes the intention of the Department of Education to enrol equal numbers of women and men on this programme. She concludes that leadership development experiences were characterised by a complex intersection of gender, race, context and background. Bhaigiavathie Naidoo and Juliet Perumal examine the role of female principals in disadvantaged schools in Johannesburg. They note the impact of redress policies in enabling women to access school leadership positions, where they were once ‘rarely seen’. In 2012, one-third of principals in the Gauteng province were women. They explore the experience of three such principals, drawing on interviews, observation and field notes. They show that these women subscribed to a leadership style which is relational, inclusive and compassionate and conclude that the social expectations of women need to change. Gauteng is a relatively advantaged province but it still has many disadvantaged schools, as the title of the paper discussed above suggests. However, socio-economic problems are far greater in Eastern Cape, South Africa’s poorest region. Nolutho Diko explores gendered leadership in one rural secondary school in this province, led by a male principal but with female representation in the School Management Team (SMT). She comments that gender equality at this school was interpreted as the ‘token inclusion’ of women in leadership structures while they remained outside the informal networks. She concludes that ‘the selective implementation of gender equality is a way of defending male authority and perpetuating past practices’. Educational Management Administration & Leadership 2014, Vol. 42(6) 787–791 a The Author(s) 2014 Reprints and permission: sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav DOI: 10.1177/1741143214549135 emal.sagepub.com

The Great Outdoors

This study compares outdoor adventure-based leader development programs with a traditional non-outdoor program to test predictions about differential effects on leader development outcomes. Participants were drawn from the population of U.S. Naval Academy midshipmen involved in experiential leader development programs as a component of their training and education. Three concurrent experiential leader development programs were compared in terms of their impact on leader development outcomes, including leader identity, leader efficacy, and organizational cynicism. Two programs were outdoor, adventure-based experiences; one was a conventional, non-outdoor experience. We found that outdoor adventure-based programs varied in their effects on leader development outcomes, whereas the non-outdoor program had no significant effects on outcomes. Implications of these varied effects on leader development are discussed in terms of the implementation of theory-driven leadership development experiences.

Principal preparation in Kenya, South Africa, and Canada

Purpose– The International Study of Principal Preparation (ISPP) informs principal preparation in relation to change in schools. The paper aims to discuss this issue.Design/methodology/approach– The three-stage ISPP study utilized a mixed-methodological approach. Data were gathered in Kenya, South Africa, and Alberta, Canada utilizing a survey instrument that contained items that focussed on: problematic leadership responsibilities, prior leadership development experiences, and perceived adequacy of leadership preparation experiences.Findings– Leadership preparation in Kenya and South Africa was relatively unstructured, compared to structured university-based leadership preparation in Alberta. The assumption in Kenya and South Africa was that classroom teaching was adequate preparation, while Alberta respondents perceived teaching and leadership as discrete knowledge sets. Content of preparation experiences in Kenya and South Africa was mainly about teaching and learning, while in Alberta it was more about instructional leadership. Kenyan principals felt prepared for the principalship. Alberta principals stated that they were ill prepared to deal with day-to-day responsibilities. Senior South African principals felt they were not prepared for school improvement while younger principals felt they were adequately prepared.Practical implications– Findings suggest that providers utilize cross-cultural partnerships that incorporate technology-mediated dialogue and action research. Cross-cultural learning should be considered co-learning. Preparation should include partnerships between western institutions and informal groups of principals in settings such as Kenya and South Africa. The study informs policymakers, researchers, and school leaders.Originality/value– The cross-cultural comparisons in this paper inform understandings of the principalship in relation to organizational change in schools.

Leadership Development 101: Mother and Daughter

Leadership Development 101: Mother and Daughter

Leadership Development Through Athletic Participation at West Point

The United States Military Academy (West Point) is one of the premier undergraduate institutions for leadership development in higher education. Participating in competitive varsity athletics is both a key entrance requirement and a prominent feature of the West Point cadet leadership development experience. The ways in which leadership development occurs in postsecondary education by participating in athletics is not well understood regardless of the institution type. Using qualitative interviews with West Point graduates, this study explores the role that participating in competitive athletics plays in the leadership development of its undergraduates. A key finding from this study indicates that participation in varsity high school athletics is a critical admissions determinant in West Point’s selection process. Furthermore, mandatory participation for all cadets in competitive athletics is viewed as essential by West Point to develop prominent future military leaders who lead by example. Implications for leadership development outcomes among students at other undergraduate institutions are discussed.

Leadership Development through Workplace Learning in Malaysia Organizations

This paper focuses on leadership development of successful leaders via informal workplace learning in several Malaysian organizations. Leadership development, which involves a life-long process of learning beginning from childhood and one’s early educational experiences, often continues with experiential learning in the workplace. Though many previous studies have explored leadership development via formal programmes in workplaces, there have been limited studies that narrate the contribution of informal learning in workplaces. Hence, we conducted in-depth interviews with five top management team members (TMT) of organizations in the Malaysian higher education, banking and service industries to understand their leadership development experiences. The results included the overarching theme that leadership development should never be separated from organizational priorities, as leaders are the ones who define an organization’s future. The three sub-themes which emerged in relation to leadership development in the context of workplace learning were: (a) the role of informal mentoring in leadership development; (b) observation and reflection during leadership development; and (c) developmental, challenging assignments in leadership development. The findings are presented along with implications for leadership development research and practices in organizations.

Identity undoing and power relations in leadership development

Leadership development theory and practice is increasingly turning its gaze on identity as a primary focus for development efforts. Most of this literature focuses on how the identities of participants are strengthened, repaired and evolved. This article focuses on identity work practices that are underdeveloped in the literature: the deconstruction, unravelling and letting go that can be experienced when working upon one’s self. We group these experiences, among others, under the conceptual term ‘identity undoing’ and, based on findings from an 18-month ethnographic study of a leadership development program, we offer five manifestations of how it can be experienced. Through foregrounding the undoing of identity, we are able to look more closely at how power relations shape the leadership development experience. In order to raise questions and propositions for leadership and its development we use a micro-sociological and interactionist approach to explore the interplay between identity and power.

College Student Leadership Development: An Examination of Pre-college Leadership Development of African Students in the United States

The number of continental African college students in U.S. colleges and universities has grown tremendously, making it imperative for their host institutions to understand their unique leadership development needs in order to serve them effectively. This qualitative study examined the pre-college leadership development of African students in U.S. colleges and universities. Four themes that describe the experiences that influenced the leadership development of the participants during their pre-college years emerged from the data: family, church, African cultures, and high school influences. The study is based on a 2006-2007 sample of African students at a mid-size, midwestern U.S. university.Keywords: college leadership development, African college students, international students, pre-college leadership developmentU.S. colleges and universities are home to over half a million international students. Of the 580,000 international students that were enrolled in U.S. universities and colleges in 2002, more than 37,724 were African students (Arthur, 2004; Blake, 2006). According to the Institute of International Education (HE), 37,062 African students were enrolled in U.S. colleges and universities in 2010 (HE, 2010), and their number continues to grow despite a slight decline in 2010.Students from Africa play a significant role in U.S. higher education. For example, they bring millions of dollars to the U.S. economy every year. They also work in various capacities such as research and teaching assistants. Moreover, their diverse perspectives contribute to the globalization of American higher education thereby helping to improve the quality of teaching, research, and cross-cultural learning on U.S. university campuses (HE, 2010).Similar to other student populations, African students in the U.S. are involved in student leadership development programs offered by their colleges. Such programs include curricular leadership programs (commonly known as leadership studies) and out-of-class experiential leadership programs such as service learning, community service, mentorship, and internships (Cress et al., 2001; Dugan, 2006; Hall, Scott, & Borzl, 2008; Manyibe, 2007). Other on campus opportunities for students to develop their leadership potential includes participation in student organizations. For example, at the anonymous M-University where the current study was conducted, there are more than 300 registered student organizations that provide great opportunities for students to be involved, build networks, meet people, have fun, and ultimately foster their leadership skills. The effort to develop the leadership of college students is supported by studies that show that college life is one of the most important stages for the psycho-social, cognitive, moral, and leadership development of college students (Cress et al., 2001; Logue, Hutchens, & Hector, 2005; Manyibe, 2007).Numerous studies have been conducted to examine the leadership development of college students in the U.S. Most of these studies (e.g., Dugan, 2006; Kimbrough & Hutcheson, 1998; Terenzini et al., 1996) have focused on White, Latino, and African American students. Unfortunately, not much work has been documented on international African students' college leadership development experiences in these colleges and universities. Moreover, a review of the literature yielded no study that focuses on the pre-college leadership development of African students. The current study, therefore, examined the pre-college leadership experiences of African college students studying at U.S. universities. The study was guided by the following two research questions: (a) What pre-college experiences influence the leadership development of African students at U.S. colleges and universities? and (b) How do these experiences impact these students' leadership development?Theoretical ModelA modified version of the college impact theoretical framework (Terenzini et al. …