Due to the fact that the environment in which companies in 'South Africa are operating is constantly changing, these companies are undergoing a process of transformation. Organisations that intend competing successfully within this changing environment will have to have the right kind of leaders in order to stay afloat and even flourish. It is expected from companies' leaders at all levels to successfully navigate these troubled waters. Much of leadership has to do with the way in which leaders motivate their subordinates. Research has shown that there are succinctly different styles of leadership, and that each type of style has a different influence on the motivation of workers. Another factor, equally important, is the concept of locus of control. Research has also shown that people perceive differently, that which controls their destiny. Does the leader feel that he/she is controlled by this constantly changing environment in which he/she has to lead, or is he/she as the leader of an organisation in control of him-herself and his/her actions, and therefore also in control of the company itself? The question that inevitably arises is the following: is there any relationship between the style of leadership and the locus of control of the leader, and if so, what is the nature of this relationship? A quantitative design (two test survey design on a large population) was used to take the measurements on the style of leadership and the locus of control of the leaders. The Locus of Control Inventory (LCI) of Schepers (1998) and the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ), form 5R of Bass and Avolio (1995), were administered. A statistical analysis was then carried out in order to determine the relationship that exists between the two measurements, as well as the nature of the relationship. There were 221 respondents from organisations in South Africa, most of whom were in a middle level of leadership. The results showed that an internal locus of control and a disposition towards autonomy were associated with a laissez-faire leadership style as well as a transformational leadership style. It also showed that an external locus of control was associated with a laissez-faire leadership style. Recommendations for organisations and for future research were made. / Thesis (M.A. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2004.

Ce mémoire a pour objet l’influence du groupe informel sur la relation entre le leadership transformationnel et le climat organisationnel. Dans un premier temps, nous examinerons la théorie sur le leadership transformationnel. Le lien entre ce style de leadership et le climat organisationnel est à l’étude, car il semble que ces deux variables sont liés aux perceptions qu’ont les employés de leur vécu en organisation. Les résultats de notre étude confirment effectivement cette première hypothèse. L’objectif central de notre recherche consiste à voir comment le groupe informel agit sur la relation entre le leadership transformationnel et le climat organisationnel. D’abord, nous nous intéresserons sur l’appartenance à un groupe informel comme variable modératrice de la relation entre nos deux autres variables. Par contre, les résultats des analyses présentés n’ont pas réussi à confirmer ce modèle. Ensuite, nous étudierons le groupe informel en tant que variable médiatrice, où le chemin entre le leadership transformationnel et le climat organisationnel serait plutôt indirecte. Nos analyses démontrent que nos trois variables sont corrélées entre-elles, mais qu’en contrôlant pour l’effet du leadership transformationnel, le groupe informel n’est plus lié au climat organisationnel. Nous sommes amenés à proposer que le leadership transformationnel contribue à un contexte organisationnel qui satisfait aux besoins des employés, de sorte que le soutien social fourni par le groupe informel ne comble pas un manque. Ceci viendrait nuancer la dynamique à l’intérieur d’un groupe informel par rapport à ce qu’il apporte à ses membres. / The purpose of this study is to examine how informal work groups influence the relationship between transformational leadership and organizational climate. First, transformational leadership theory will be presented in order to highlight its growing importance in today’s workplace. This particular leadership style and its relationship with organizational climate will be examined, as it would appear that both these concepts play a role in how employees perceive their experiences in the work environment. The results of our study confirm this hypothesis. The central objective of this study is to explore how informal work groups affect the relationship between transformational leadership and organizational climate. We are interested in whether simply belonging to an informal work group can moderate the relationship between transformational leadership and organizational climate. Our results did not succeed in confirming this model. In addition to this, we explore a more indirect pathway, where informal work groups mediate the relationship between our two other variables. We were able to establish correlations between our three variables. Interestingly, when controlling for the effect of transformational leadership, organizational climate and informal work groups are no longer linked. We thus conclude that an organizational situation where transformational leadership is present is better suited to respond to employees’ needs, and that such a situation reduces the necessity of having one’s needs met by informal work group members. If this is the case, the way that informal work groups function may need to be reexamined in regard to the extent that they benefit their members.

This investigative study focused on challenges experienced by novice principals in executing their mandated leadership and management duties. A case study was conducted on four novice principals in the Pinetown District. Two headed a rural primary and high school respectively and the other two, an urban primary and high school respectively. The study investigated challenges experienced by novice principals, how they coped with these challenges and how they enacted themselves as assets to their schools. This qualitative study was located in the interpretive paradigm. Documents review, observations and semi-structured interviews constitute the research instruments for date generation. The study was framed by the distributive theory and the asset-based approach. Local and international scholastic works, on the research topic, were interrogated to seek insights into the progress so far made and determine the agenda to the explored. The analysis and discussion of the generated and presented data led to findings that demystified the world of novice principals. Clearly, they require pre-service induction or orientation, mentoring and coaching should accompany the in-service workshops for contextualisation of the theory learnt and informal networking to glean from the experience of peers. Higher stakeholder involvement and learning should be enhanced through the adoption of distributive leadership and the asset-based approach. The findings were utilised as the basis of making conclusions. It was concluded that capacity building initiatives are key to development even if novice principals are appropriately qualified, possessed accumulated experiences in leadership position as the Head of Department or Deputy principal and prior knowledge. It was also concluded that for the effective and efficient entrenchment of thee DoE’s legislated vision and direction of the democratic system of education, leadership should be shared or distributed. Individual capabilities should be determined and employed in the asset-based approach. Recommendations, informed by the conclusions were presented to facilitate how each theoretical conclusion can be translated into a workable practice in running schools effectively and efficiently. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2013.

Title: The Full-Range Leadership enacted by Swedish Audit team managers Background: The background of this study mainly relies on Leadership theories, more precisely theories about the Full-Range leadership model (FRL) and its features. However, key facts about the audit are also displayed in this part of the report to present it to readers. Purpose: The main purpose of this paper is to add to existing theory on the universalistic feature of the Full-Range Leadership model through the case of Swedish audit team managers. Such purpose entails the definition and the explanation on how the model of Full-Range Leadership is enacted by Swedish audit team managers in their day-to-day practice of leadership. Originality/Value: This research paper is one of the few researches at puzzling out existing researches to contribute clearly to the Full-Range Leadership model -as developed by Bass and Avolio- in the audit context. Furthermore, this is the first study aiming at defining and explaining Swedish audit team managers’ leadership practice and emphasizing the non-managing audit staff for so. Practical implication: After the destruction of a great amount of money resulting from corporate financial scandals and the discovery of high level of dysfunctional behaviors occurring in the audit/accounting profession worldwide, growing number of studies investigated further financial systems and particularly audit professionals since they are supposed to be the ‘public watchdog’/‘public guardian of trust’ of worldwide markets and Economies and so, display strong values and rigor. In parallel, considerable number of studies demonstrated that leadership was the key to those issues. This study while putting the light on leadership practice in Swedish audit firms, wide opens the door for further reflections and improvement of the existing systems. Method: The featured piece of research is based on a field survey of the non-managing audit staff working in Swedish audit firms, which were asked to assess their managers through the use of the Multi-factor questionnaire X5 (short version). Findings: The study unveiled that even if the transformational leadership was the most enacted leadership by Swedish audit team managers and that so before transactional and passive/avoidant leadership, a great misalignment existed between the found-out empirical FRL model and the FRL model as defined theoretically. Accordingly, this study unveiled that the FRL model was not as universal as claimed when investigated in the Swedish audit firm context.

The military leadership is a specific type of activity, presenting motivational, emotional and intellectual chellenges to the character of a military leader. The United States Army defines leadership as 'the process of influencing people by providing purpose, direction, and motivation while operating to accomplish the mission and inproving the organization' (Department of the Army 2006, pp. 1-2).The United States Air Force (USAF) has the similar definition of leadership: 'the art and science of influencing and directing people to accomplish the assigned mission' (Department of the Air Force 2006, p.1). In these two definitions we can quite clearly highlight two important elements, which are inherent to the leadership process, it is the mission to lead people and followers who should perform delivered tasks. In our opinion, the army has achieved a big success in the development of leadership unlike other organizations, because the issue of leadeship was arising in the military sphere much earlier than in civil organizations. In proof of this position, we can recall scientific works, which were written by such great people as Sun Tzu (The Art of War, about 500-600 B.C.), Maurice (The Strategikon, 6th or 7th century A.D.) and Carl von Clausewitz (On War, published in 1832).

Due to the fact that the environment in which companies in 'South Africa are operating is constantly changing, these companies are undergoing a process of transformation. Organisations that intend competing successfully within this changing environment will have to have the right kind of leaders in order to stay afloat and even flourish. It is expected from companies' leaders at all levels to successfully navigate these troubled waters. Much of leadership has to do with the way in which leaders motivate their subordinates. Research has shown that there are succinctly different styles of leadership, and that each type of style has a different influence on the motivation of workers. Another factor, equally important, is the concept of locus of control. Research has also shown that people perceive differently, that which controls their destiny. Does the leader feel that he/she is controlled by this constantly changing environment in which he/she has to lead, or is he/she as the leader of an organisation in control of him-herself and his/her actions, and therefore also in control of the company itself? The question that inevitably arises is the following: is there any relationship between the style of leadership and the locus of control of the leader, and if so, what is the nature of this relationship? A quantitative design (two test survey design on a large population) was used to take the measurements on the style of leadership and the locus of control of the leaders. The Locus of Control Inventory (LCI) of Schepers (1998) and the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ), form 5R of Bass and Avolio (1995), were administered. A statistical analysis was then carried out in order to determine the relationship that exists between the two measurements, as well as the nature of the relationship. There were 221 respondents from organisations in South Africa, most of whom were in a middle level of leadership. The results showed that an internal locus of control and a disposition towards autonomy were associated with a laissez-faire leadership style as well as a transformational leadership style. It also showed that an external locus of control was associated with a laissez-faire leadership style. Recommendations for organisations and for future research were made. / Thesis (M.A. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2004.

This study looks at Open Innovation in Research and Development projects and explores the nature of collaboration and leadership characteristics. Thereby perspectives of both industrial and academic partners are considered, focusing primarily on the project level of the collaboration. It is based on the understanding that leadership plays a crucial role in bringing the partners successfully together, based on the prior understanding that academia and industry are potentially different in the nature, objectives and working dynamics of research and development.   This thesis begins with examining the existing literature on the concept of Open Innovation, including benefits and drawbacks of such projects. This leads to uncovering the managerial challenges that such projects encounter which can be mitigated by effective leadership. For this reason, relevant theories on leadership are explored, especially focusing on leadership in R&D contexts, as these kind of projects have special requirements from leaders that differ from traditional projects.  This research is qualitative in nature and takes an abductive approach to theory. 18 semi-structured interviews were conducted, consulting with heads of R&D departments from industrial companies, professors in charge of research labs at universities and representatives from intermediary organisations. The study is exploratory and cross-sectional in nature, as open innovation collaborations in Sweden, the UK and the Netherlands were in the centre of attention. The process of analysis implied the use of a template analysis, which provided the researchers with enough flexibility to code, categorize, and interpret necessary findings. The results show that the nature of Open Innovation collaborations differs from case to case, from mere contractual relationships to collaborative partnerships with a high level of interaction on a daily basis. The key motive for both partners is finance-based, as the universities gain access to funding and the company can save on research expenses. Additionally, companies benefit from access to academic expertise and from potential governmental funding.  Further, there is not a single leader in an industry-university collaboration, rather each entity has a leader of their own and collaborative working is fostered by them. It is deduced that no single leadership theory fits best in the operational level of R&D open innovation functioning, rather it is a mixture of a few popular theories which were predominant in collaborative relationships. The characteristics of leaders in open innovation were deduced and autonomy, communication and joint problem-solving have a prominent role in furthering the R&D collaborative relationship. As a result, a connection between leadership and Open Innovation collaborations was explored.

The initial goal of this effort is to develop a discussion on urban design process and thinking that acknowledges the needs of places with meaning in the design of the urban waterfront. The thesis addresses the fact that the problematic of the coastal formulation is intricate, comprising not only aspects related to the spatial organization and design of its domain but also shared properties originated by the presence and movement of the perceiving subject in the area. In this framework, the research attempts to provide an understanding of the main relationships that the subject cultivates inside the coastal space and to offer a broader spatial reading of its narrative function. On the hypothesis that this function is susceptible of interpretation, the thesis develops an interest in examining the effects of the psychospatial nature of meaning on the design and experience of the urban edge, for to interpret a narrative spatial construct is to specify its meaning. To explore the issue of waterfront places that speak of the subject, the research conceives the coastal space as a field of mediated parameters that pertain to three crucial operational premises: the symbolic function of the urban space near the water, the meaning behind the coastal form, and the engagement of the perceiving subject in the conscious or reflexive appropriation of the waterfront setting. These premises, traced as psychophysiological spaces, determine the intermediary, the integrative, and the expressive discourses for the development of places with meaning near the water. Through them, the thesis attempts a reading of the coastal domain based upon the material interpretation of the meanings and messages associated with the immediate experience of the onset of water‐born notions, concepts, and images. Writing about the dialectics between the psychospatial inquiry and the spatial experience of the edge, this thesis suggests that, contrary to the established preconception, the psychology of human‐edge relations submits the perceiving subject to the conception of the coastal form and shape. / QC 20110907

Executive coaching has been described as a multibillion dollar enterprise (Ennis, 2004) costing some organisations up to $15,000 (USD) a day (Berglas, 2002). Executive coaching has also been reported as the second fastest growth industry (Wasylyshyn, 2003). Despite these astounding figures, empirical executive coaching research is still limited, thus more randomised, controlled studies are required (Grant, 2005). There is a fundamental need for high quality research to demonstrate the effects of executive coaching and provide justification for the level of commitment expended. The current research program addressed this need through three studies which together provide empirical evidence as to the psychological and behavioural effects of executive coaching. In the first study, twenty-three leaders from a year long transformational leadership development program volunteered to participate in six sessions of executive coaching. The study examined the effects of executive coaching on leaders’ psychological states, specifically, their self-efficacy, developmental support, positive affect, openness to new behaviours and developmental planning. The study had an experimental design with random assignment of leaders to training and control groups which provided a rigorous basis to distinguish the effects of executive coaching from the effects of other leadership interventions in the program. Comparison of the training group (after six executive coaching sessions) with the control group (who had not received coaching) revealed that the training group reported significantly higher levels of self-efficacy, developmental support, openness to new behaviours, and developmental planning compared with the control group. No significant effects were observed for positive affect. Further analysis, however, revealed that the significant differences between the training group and the control group were due to a decrease in the control group before they commenced executive coaching, rather than because the training group increased on the psychological measures after participating in executive coaching. It was proposed that this pattern of results occurred because the pre-coaching measures were obtained at the end of a two day training workshop, when the psychological measures may have already been relatively high. Thus, the effect of executive coaching was to sustain the impact of the workshop for the training group. A longitudinal analysis was also carried out in Study One to examine whether the effects of executive coaching on the psychological variables were sustained over time. The pattern of change was examined at three time points: time one, prior to the commencement of executive coaching, time two, after the completion of six coaching sessions, and time three, six months after the completion of the six coaching sessions. This analysis was also affected by the training group’s high precoaching measures, but when the analyses were restricted to the control group (n=6) – who by this stage had received executive coaching, significant change over time was observed on all of the study measures, which was sustained up to six months after the completion of regular coaching sessions. However, because the control group sample was small, these findings were tested again in Study Two. The primary aim of Study Two though was to evaluate effects of executive coaching on transformational leadership behaviour, measured with self, supervisor and team member ratings. Twenty-seven leaders participated in this study. In the first instance, an experimental design was used to investigate whether leaders in the training group, who had been exposed to executive coaching, received higher ratings in transformational leadership behaviour compared with leaders in the control group. In the second instance this study examined whether there was change in transformational behaviour over time, observed in the area that was the focus of leaders’ developmental efforts. Both approaches yielded similar findings in that the team member feedback identified significant improvement in leaders’ transformational leadership behaviour after executive coaching. There were no significant changes in leaders’ self or supervisor ratings after executive coaching. When the psychological effects of executive coaching were re-examined in Study Two, the expected differences were observed between the training and control groups. However, once again, the data from the training group failed to show the anticipated pattern of improvement over time. This failure was attributed to the small sample size and low statistical power. Consequently, a final analysis was conducted combining the data from leaders who participated in Study One and Study Two. This analysis measured change in leaders’ psychological states from pre-to post-executive coaching and confirmed that after executive coaching leaders experienced effects in the five psychological states measured. Thus, overall, the data from the two studies supported the psychological impact of executive coaching. In Study Three a qualitative approach was employed to triangulate the quantitative results from Study One and Study Two. Eight leaders were randomly identified from the Study One and Study Two samples, and interviews were carried out with these leaders, their supervisors, two team members and their coaches (a total of 40 interviews). The interview data confirmed the effect of executive coaching on the previously investigated psychological variables and also identified coaching as providing leaders with a sense of greater control. In terms of transformational leadership behaviours, all participants in the study identified improvements in leaders’ behaviour, particularly in communication, and the transformational leadership dimensions of intellectual stimulation, inspirational motivation and individualised consideration. One further aim of Study Three was to investigate the environmental conditions to determine the impact they had on the effectiveness of executive coaching. Constant change and high work load were most frequently identified as restricting participants’ ability to benefit from executive coaching. Overall, this program of research has demonstrated leadership development through executive coaching. The studies revealed that executive coaching positively enhanced the psychological states of self-efficacy, developmental support, positive affect, openness to new behaviours, and developmental planning. Impressively, the results also showed that executive coaching had sustained effects on some of the psychological states, and on team members’ perceptions of their leader’s transformational leadership behaviour. Practically, these findings justify the use of executive coaching in organisational settings. Theoretically, these outcomes augment the limited body of knowledge in this area.

Σκοπός της παρούσας εργασίας είναι να ερευνήσει και να αποδείξει τη σχέση ανάμεσα στις προσωπικές ικανότητες (αυτοέλεγχο και αυτορρύθμιση συναισθημάτων) και τις συνιστώσες της συναισθηματικής νοημοσύνης (κοινωνικές δεξιότητες, κίνητρο και ενσυναίσθηση) και της μετασχηματιστικής ηγεσίας, όταν και όπως εκφράζονται από τους καθηγητές/τριες στα Ελληνικά σχολεία - οργανώσεις της δευτεροβάθμιας εκπαίδευσης στην περιοχή της Δυτικής Ελλάδας. Μετά από την θεωρητική θεμελίωση αποδεικνύεται μέσα από την εμπειρική έρευνα (τα αποτελέσματα πρέκυψαν από την επεξεργασία 226 ερωτηματολογίων που απαντήθηκαν από μαθητές των Λυκείων της παραπάνω περιοχής) ότι οι διαστάσεις της συναισθηματικής νοημοσύνης συνδέονται έντονα θετικά με τη μετασχηματιστική ηγεσία των καθηγητών-ηγετών στην ομάδα-τάξη που διδάσκουν-ηγούνται. / This study investigates the relationships between personal skills (self-awareness, self-regulation) and emotional intelligence components (social skills, motivation and empathy) and transformational leadership of the secondary education teachers in West Greek area. Results provided support for the model which suggests that teacher's emotional inelligence components are positively associated with transformational leadership in the classroom. Participants were 226 students. Data were collected by means of questionnaires in a series of face-to- face sructured interviews regarding their perceptions for the following: 1) Teacher's emotional intelligence and 2) teacher's transformational leadership.