Purpose: The purpose of this study was to describe and develop what set of skills a design leader require and if these differentiate them from the generic leader in SME organisations. Theory: The themes and concepts we have based the research on is first and foremost design leadership and skills. We have utilised studies by for example: Miller and Moultrie (2013), Joziasse (2011), Turner (2013) and Mumford et al. (2007) in order to develop an extensive theoretical framework.   Methodology: We have approached this research in a deductive and qualitative manner through a descriptive and somewhat exploratory design. We have conducted six semi-structured interviews with leaders at manufacturing SME organisations in ‘Småland’. Conclusion:  Through this research we have established a set of skills that a design leader requires in manufacturing SME organisations. In conclusion we found that the design leader requires well developed generic leadership skills in form of; learn/adapt, speak (convey information), listen (attentive), motivate, inspire, analyse, manage, problem solve, project manage, observe, plan and apprise as well as design specific skills; draw, synthesize, envision-imagine-visualise, edit, design and employ technology. We also identified the difference between the design leader and generic leader, whereby we found a slight difference, even though most generic leaders interviewed utilise aspects of design leadership due to positions interlinking. On top of this we tried to clarify what a design leader really is in these types of organisations, as this was found to be slightly vague in previous literature.

Sammanfattning Det vetenskapliga arbetet är en deltagande kvalitativ studie i en kambodjansk organisation, där jag i samverkan med chefer och medarbetare utvecklat och implementerat ett Human Resource Development (HRD). Syftet med studien är att beskriva, analysera och tolka utvecklingsarbetet i den kambodjanska organisationen utifrån empiri, teori och tidigare forskning inom kultur, interkultur, ledarskap, organisation, organisatoriskt lärande och förändring. Vidare är syftet att utforska, tolka och dra slutsatser om metoder och förhållningssätt som underlättar kulturmöten och organisations- och ledarutveckling med ett interkulturellt perspektiv. Med ett socialkonstruktionistiskt synsätt är organisationer och kulturer påverkbara. Det är möjligt att i samspel och med en interkulturell approach påverka en organisation och kultur, om hänsyn tas till den verklighet i kulturen som är bestående. Synsättet som styrt valet av metoder i HRD programmet har till stora delar varit framgångsrikt. En generell slutsats är att vald teori och tidigare forskning fungerat väl i beskrivningar, analys och tolkning av empirin Den nationella kulturen har stort inflytande på processer och relationer inom organisationen. Viktig kompetens vid utvecklingsarbete i kollektivistiska kulturer som Kambodja är förmågan att bygga relationer och skapa förtroende, liksom interkulturell kompetens, som handlar öppenhet, kommunikationsförmåga och att kunna växla och utveckla nya perspektiv. Att möta chefer i den kambodjanska organisationen utifrån ett gemensamt meningssystem, som teorier och forskning inom området ledarskaps- och organisationsutveckling, har varit en framgångsfaktor. Metoder för lärande ska ha en balans mellan etablerad och ny kunskap, för att inte bli ett hot mot rådande maktstrukturer. En process- och utvecklingsinriktad lärandepedagogik har fungerat väl. Det har gått förvånansvärt bra att föra in modeller influerade av den svenska demokratiska arbetskulturen, som karakteriseras av delaktighet, processer och förankring för att uppnå konsensus i beslut. Det har varit en balansgång att bedriva utvecklingsarbetet inom ramen för existerande institutioner. Den tröghet och tidskrävande byråkrati i den kambodjanska organisationen, som är uppbyggd i en gammal struktur i den kambodjanska statsförvaltningen, har varit det största hindret i utvecklingsarbetet. Studien har gett mig fördjupade teoretiska kunskaper, men framför allt insikten om att de metoder jag använder i min dagliga praxis som organisationskonsult har stöd i teorin. / Abstract The thesis is a participatory qualitative study in a Cambodian Organization, where I in interaction with managers developed and implemented a Human Resource Development (HRD) program. The purpose of the study is to describe, interpret and analyze the development work based on empirical data, theory and previous research in culture, inter-cultural, leadership, organization theory, organizational learning and change. An additional purpose is to explore, interpret and draw conclusions about the methods and approaches that facilitate intercultural meetings, organizational- and leadership development with an intercultural perspective. With a social constructionist perspective and an intercultural approach in mutual interaction, it is possible to influence an organization and culture, when taking into account the reality of the culture which is composed. The national culture and an old hierarchical structure have great influence on the processes and relationships within the organization. Skills to build relationships and trust are required in development work in a collectivist culture as Cambodia and also intercultural competence, which embraces openness, communication skills and ability to switch and develop new perspectives. Shared systems of meaning, like theories and research in the field of leadership and organizational development and methods for learning that have a balance between established and new knowledge are important, not being a threat to existing power structures.

This study explored the implementation of Image Theatre as a means to developing systems thinking in a co-curricular student leadership development program at the University of Victoria. The research question asked: In what ways does the implementation of an arts-based pedagogical approach, such as Image Theatre, illustrate the potentiality for undergraduate students to better understand ‘the bigger picture’ and the interconnections of their intersecting social systems? This inquiry was conducted through an arts-based methodology and used the Social Change Model of Leadership Development (Higher Education Research Institute, 1996) as a theoretical framework for designing the student leadership program. The study was conducted during a workshop in which Image Theatre and graphic recording were used in parallel to trace connections among the characters portrayed by six undergraduate students interested in environmental sustainability. The themes that emerged included the tensions of individuals ‘caught in the middle’, or system’s integrators, and the role of activism. The study’s findings suggest students’ understanding of systems as fragmented units and identifies the potentiality for further research and intentional practice emphasizing the interconnections and relationships among systems within the curriculum. / Graduate / 0745 / 0727 / 0516 / vcortes@uvic.ca

Kandidatuppsatsens syfte är att undersöka och analysera hur kommuner kan stötta och utveckla sina chefer och hur cheferna har upplevt den satsning som har gjorts. Inom ramen för syftet fokuserar jag på uppfattningar av hur formell ledarutbildning respektive informellt lärande påverkar ledarutvecklingen i kommunen. Studien är av kvalitativ karaktär med inspiration av hermeneutisk ansats då studien inriktas på att tolka och förstå en helhet genom dokumentanalys och intervjuer. Kvalitativa, semistrukturerade intervjuer har genomförts för att få en insikt i vad det är cheferna skulle vilja utveckla och hur detta skall gå till. Resultatet visar att det finns positiva erfarenheter av det ledarprogram som genomförts i en kommun och att respondenterna upplever att de fått en gemensam värdegrund att arbeta med och för att utvecklas vidare som ledare. Lärdomarna beskrivs som kunskap om arbetsuppgifter och teorier, reflektion, nätverkande, erfarenhetsutbyte med och stöd av andra deltagare. Respondenterna upplever även att programmet kan utvecklas bland annat genom personlig utveckling, återkoppling, olika forum och att avsätta mer tid för reflektion. Utifrån deltagarnas upplevelser och det utsnitt av litteratur som granskats presenteras avslutningsvis positiva aspekter med Ledarprogrammet och hur kommunen kan utveckla sitt Ledarprogram. / Thiscandidatepaperspurpose is to examine and analyze how a municipalityscan support and develop their managers and how managers have experienced the effort that has been made. Within the framework of purpose, I focus on perceptions of how formal management training and informal learning affects leadership development in the municipality. The study is qualitative in nature, inspired by the hermeneutical approach when the study focuses on interpreting and understanding a whole through document analysis and interviews. Qualitative, semi-structured interviewswere conducted to get an insight into what managers would like to develop and how this should be done. The result shows that there are positive experiences of the leadership program implemented in the municipality and that the respondents feel that they have a common set of values to work with and to develop further as leaders. The lessons described as knowledge about tasks and theories, reflection, networking, exchange of experiences with and support of other participants. Respondents also feel that theprogram can be developed including personal development, feedback, forums, and to allow more time for reflection. Based on participants' experiences and the section of the literature examined are presented in conclusion positive aspects of leadership program and how municipalities can develop their leadership programs.

This qualitative study explores the life history of four immigrants from diverse cultures, who have effectively navigated cultural differences and attained high-level leadership positions in Canada. The leaders’ life stories highlight key experiences that have influenced their identities, that is, the distinctive characteristics that are the source of their individual self definition and self-respect. The purpose of the study is to understand how social identity influences immigrants’ sense of personal agency and their capacity to shape individual potentialities into personal abilities. The study is situated in the leadership field within the multicultural Canadian context. It is grounded in my personal experiences as an Iranian-Canadian immigrant and guided by multidisciplinary literature on leadership, culture, identity, and motivation. Globalization, economic interdependence, and growing cross-national mobility have changed the face of the Canadian multicultural society. The clash of world-views, values, and life styles have become unavoidable, with arguably all Canadians experiencing the feeling of being “other” in their interactions with members of other cultures. Within the new Canadian mosaic, cultural consciousness is on the rise leading to increasing ethnic distinctiveness. It has become a factor distinguishing individuals by their differences as well as grouping them together by their similarities. Living in a multicultural environment as an immigrant has implications on issues of identity, but these implications have not yet been thoroughly explored. Much of existing cultural research is based on national orientation and contentious dualism (e.g., individualism and collectivism). But, cultures are dynamic and diverse. Understanding cultural constructs at the individual rather than the national level demonstrates the complexity and variability of individuals in the exercise of personal agency and the construction of identity. Through sharing and understanding the experience of four immigrants in leadership positions across diverse organizations, researchers may learn about immigrant challenges and ways these four individuals reconcile differences and conflicting cultural values. The resulting practical implication is (a) increased self and social awareness for immigrants with high potential for leadership, (b) enhanced multicultural knowledge for current organizational leaders, and (c) improved interpersonal relationships within a broad multicultural community.

Today’s youth are tomorrow’s leaders’, and for that reason, it is considered important by researchers and practitioners alike to understand how to develop effective leadership skills and characteristics. The purpose of this research was to explore concepts of leadership including leadership development (LD) within an international development through sport context. The Commonwealth Games Association of Canada’s (CGC) International Development through Sport (IDS) administration team created a program called the Capacity Support Program (CSP). The CSP is an internship program offered to recent university graduates to assist in various initiatives intended on building sporting capacity within partnering Commonwealth countries. Participants also known as Capacity Support Officer’s (CSO’s) were immersed within an international environment with a host sport organization (e.g., Barbados National Olympic Committee) for approximately fourteen-months. In this study, interviews were conducted with IDS administrators to clarify and provide further detailed information about the program. In addition, archival material (e.g., pre-departure training manual, website articles, DVDs), interviews with CSO’s, and a debrief focus group session with the CSO’s which discussed their experiences and the various concepts of leadership and LD within an international development through sport context was conducted. Data was recorded and transcribed verbatim. A grounded theory approach, specifically the inductive coding technique was utilized throughout the content analysis procedure. Findings showed that concepts of leadership and LD were 1) a fundamental component of the program and 2) linked to various existing literature on leadership theories (e.g., authentic leadership). Further, findings demonstrated the program design and training were significant components of LD and that the cross-cultural context accelerated LD. These findings and others will culminate in a discussion regarding future studies of leadership and LD.

Minority status stress, which is the stress Black college students experience at predominantly White institutions (PWIs) as a result of their racial minority status, has been found to negatively impact their persistence in college. Two manuscripts were developed for this dissertation. The first is a critical literature review which establishes the relationship of minority status stress, persistence, and leadership values within psychological and higher educational scholarship of Black students at PWIs. The paper seeks to clarify the connection between the aforementioned variables as it relates to the Black student experience at PWIs. As minority status stress causes a threat to Black student persistence, leadership conceptualized using the values or the Cs of the Social Change Model of Leadership Development (SCM) were introduced as coping methods Black students have used to increase their persistence and minimize the negative effects of minority status stress. The second article is a quantitative study examining the relationship of minority status stress and persistence employing the Cs of the SCM as mediators in a sample of 340 Black college students. Results indicated that none of the Cs of the SCM fully mediated the relationship between minority status stress and persistence when employed as composite scores. However, when the six individual factors of minority status stress (environmental stressors, race-related stressors, racial-identity stressors, intrapersonal and interpersonal stressors, achievement-related stressors, and minority status stressors) and the 5 factors of persistence (academic and intellectual development, faculty concerns for student development and teaching, interactions with faculty, institutional and goal commitments, and peer group interactions) were employed in a series of multiple mediation analyses with the Cs of the SCM as mediators, there were several instances of full mediation by the Consciousness of Self, Citizenship, and Change values. The findings emphasized the importance of these three values in conceptualizing Black student leadership at PWIs and in understanding the role of leadership in Black student persistence in lieu of minority status stress. Suggestions for future research, implications, and recommendations for student affairs practitioners, other student services providers, faculty, and staff are discussed.

Thesis (Ph.D.) -- Mississippi State University. Department of Instructional Systems, Leadership and Workforce Development. / Title from title screen. Includes bibliographical references.

Cornerstone is a United Methodist congregation in Coweta County, Georgia, with a desire to reach its changing community, but which has stagnated recently in doing so. This project thesis builds upon Carol Dweck’s mindset research, which emphasizes an intermediate step between the desire to reach a goal and the realization of that goal breaking the hold of a fixed mindset by introducing key aspects of a growth mindset. This thesis articulates and analyzes the design of a curriculum for lay leaders implemented at Cornerstone that develops this new mindset so that the church can reconnect more fully with its community.

The study is set out to investigate effectiveness of the leadership development programme in changing leadership practices in Markham, and also determines if the programme graduates implement the knowledge and skills learned. The research design is predominantly qualitative. Data collection was through usage of the MLQ, the unstructured questionnaire and semi-structured interviews. The leadership development intervention was reported to be excellent by most participants, and effective in developing effective leadership competencies. Though positive results were reported about the programme being able to change leadership behaviours in Markham, there are certain areas that can be improved to maximise and optimise the learning of the leaders. Additional learning methodologies may be incorporated or used in conjunction with the Markham Experience, with the purpose of continuously reinforcing the learning, application of knowledge and ensuring that the change at behaviour level is sustained for a long period of time. / Business Management / M.Tech (Human Resource Development)