Thesis (M.A.)--Rowan University, 2008. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis PlanB (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Stout, 2007. / Includes bibliographical references.

The scale and cadence of crises that demand international humanitarian response are on the rise and pose increasingly hostile and complex challenges to operational humanitarian leaders. The international responses to humanitarian crises since 2011 recognised the need for successful humanitarian leadership development that emphasises the importance of ethical and effective leadership. The under-achievement of operational humanitarian leaders in conflict-affected areas has long been a chief concern amongst humanitarian organisations and leadership scholars. Several approaches to the development of operational humanitarian leaders have been presented as possible solutions such as establishing new financing mechanisms; improving technical abilities, academic knowledge, simulation training, conflict management skills; conflict prevention training; and enhancing the capacity for collaborative networks. Despite various efforts, it is reported that ineffective and incompetent leadership is still a major constraint on the success and effectiveness of operational humanitarian response in conflict-affected areas. This research effort attempted to contribute to improving operational humanitarian leadership by considering a “human or people-centred approach”. The primary objective was to identify the factors that influence the successful development of the spiritual intelligence (SQ) of humanitarian leaders working in conflict-affected areas. The primary objective was, therefore, to improve the abilities and skills of humanitarian leaders by validating and analysing factors that should contribute to the development of spiritually intelligent leaders and, subsequently, improve humanitarian leadership performance. There is growing consensus that values, ethical behaviour, self-awareness, motivation, compassion, humility, empathy, co-ordination and the empowerment of others have a significant impact on the effectiveness of operational humanitarian leadership which emphasises the need for human or people-centred approaches in developing humanitarian leaders. The striking similarities between abilities pertaining to effective, operational, humanitarian leadership and the capabilities of a spiritually intelligent individual suggested an opportunity to investigate the development of a spiritual intelligence model for humanitarian leaders. The frequency, duration and intensity of humanitarian crises between 2004 and 2016 further emphasised the urgent need for operational leaders to develop and apply abilities based on spiritual intelligence in the humanitarian sector. Some scholars argue that the development of spiritually intelligent leaders should play an instrumental role in successfully responding to global crises.

American summer camps employ over one million individuals every summer. However, little research has been conducted evaluating the experiences and outcomes for the camp staff. In particular, research efforts have done little to examine the subset of staff members working in formal leadership positions at summer camps. Often college-aged emerging adults (ages 18-25), these individuals are entrusted with significant managerial duties and leadership responsibilities during the summer months. This qualitative study addresses the leadership skills developed by individuals in these camp leadership positions and how these acquired skills manifest in subsequent, non-camp professional endeavors. This case study focused on the American residential summer camps of the Becket-Chimney Corners YMCA organization in Western Massachusetts. Interviews with 18 former senior staff members who worked on the camp leadership teams were conducted. The findings from these interviews were then corroborated via a brief questionnaire in which 82 distinct former senior staff participated. The statements from both the interviews and questionnaire were analyzed against a well-known taxonomy of leadership skills. Ultimately, the results indicate that a variety of leadership skills are developed by emerging adults serving these camp leadership roles, particularly leadership skills related to working with people (human, communication, and interpersonal) and working with ideas (conceptual, flexible). Nineteen discrete job activities spanning four major categories were identified as experientially fomenting the development of these leadership skills. The conclusions of the study foment recommendations for camp administrators with respect to talent acquisition and retention, former senior staff members seeking to utilize and market developed skills, as well as for organizations looking to hire individuals with leadership skills which are of particular relevance in the modern workplace.

In leadership development, an established literature and a fertile praxis fall short of clarifying how individuals may develop the many and varied capabilities that contribute to leadership processes. Literature promoting personal growth tends to reduce personal development to cognitive development or rely on broadly defined and under-evidenced notions. The adult development literature offers to this research a conceptualization of personal development as systemic qualitative change in individual sensemaking. As sensemaking develops, it progresses toward greater integration (of interdependent cognitive, emotive, purposive, and conative dimensions), sophistication, and self-determination. The research aimed to examine how changes in the sensemaking of individuals may result in developmental outcomes relevant for personal and leadership development. This inquiry moves from a perspective idealist ontology and a social constructivist epistemology, selects philosophical hermeneutics as a research paradigm, and embraces exploratory qualitative longitudinal research. Purposive sampling guided the selection of research context, a leadership program focused on personal growth. Transcripts from 32 semi-structured constructivist-phenomenological interviews, collected from nine participants across fourteen months, were analyzed through constructivist grounded theory. Development was assessed ipsatively according to a literature-based framework. Contributions, in terms of substantive theory, are not generalizable beyond research context and sample. This research advances the differentiation of developmental context, process and outcomes. Context is found to transcend holding environment—to be ideally conducive to a specific type of change in virtue of a distinctive emerging quality. While vector processes facilitate development, core processes (individual sensemaking) are development. In terms of outcomes, the research supports an association between personal development and development of leadership capabilities, but questions whether self-awareness or personality adjustments per se constitute authentic personal or leadership development. This research exposes a pattern of seeking affirmation, associated with disproportionate identity salience of external image, which is potentially capable of hindering personal development by triggering maladaptive rather than adaptive self-reflection.

Intern interior designer leadership skills, expected by practitioners in Canada, were explored in this thesis to identify implications for interior designer education. Employment of a 16 question quantitative, online survey, examined National Council of Interior Design Qualification (NCIDQ) certified practitioners beliefs about intern leadership skills. A majority of the 116 participants agreed a leader skill set, that includes authentic and design leadership skills, is valuable for interns to have in practice. Six authentic leadership skills: self-improvement, self-monitoring, goal-commitment, openness, positivity, and composure alongside four design leadership skills: adaptability, professional, building-relationships and collaborative rank as the top ten skills. Respondent practitioners also hold post-secondary interior design educators, interior designers, and interns most accountable for leadership education. Recommendations for interior designer education include increasing authentic leadership development opportunities and practitioner involvement. Further, unification of leadership perceptions and consistent leadership language, along the full interior designer education path, is encouraged for programmatic success. / October 2016

Commonly, teacher evaluations function as summative appraisal mechanisms of teacher performance and effectiveness, as accountability measures and assurances of quality instruction to educational stakeholders. Recently, greater interest in the potential for evaluations to contribute to improvements in teaching and learning has emerged. The use of professional teaching standards and evaluation rubrics represents a significant advance in the design of evaluation tools and procedures. Continuing implementation challenges however, means the potential for evaluations to notably enhance teachers’ professional development is far from realized within many educational contexts. The traditional focus on the individual within evaluations also fails to recognize the collaborative work of teaching teams and to capitalize on the potential of teachers to support improvement in each other’s practice. This inquiry explored the circumstances under which evaluations might promote professional development at the individual level and within teaching teams. The study is located within an international school, which utilizes the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Program curriculum. The research question driving the inquiry was; how can teachers and principals within IB PYP schools achieve a focus on professional development and systematic learning within teacher evaluation? An Instructional Rounds protocol was employed to promote a focus on professional development within this qualitative case study. Fullan’s Change Theory guided the implementation and analysis of change in the form and function of evaluations within the school. Findings suggest viable and valuable professional learning can be incorporated into and supported during evaluations. A structured process, incorporating greater frequency of feedback, check-ins, dialogue and collaborative work between supervisors and teachers is needed to produce the monitoring mechanism and sustained gentle pressure necessary to support on-going professional learning. Redefining and broadening concepts of improvement, of involved leadership and professional development is important. Limited focus on specific goals and connecting peers with similar goals encourages commitment to improvement efforts.

Title from title page of PDF (University of Missouri--St. Louis, viewed March 1, 2010). Includes bibliographical references (p. 137-149).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2002. / Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 80-87). Also available on the Internet.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2002. / Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 80-87). Also available on the Internet.