Thesis (Ed.D.)--Boston University / PLEASE NOTE: Boston University Libraries did not receive an Authorization To Manage form for this thesis or dissertation. It is therefore not openly accessible, though it may be available by request. If you are the author or principal advisor of this work and would like to request open access for it, please contact us at open-help@bu.edu. Thank you. / There is a well-documented shortage of competent leaders in American corporations today due in part to the fact that leadership has been traditionally conceptualized as an individual-level skill. Accordingly, development is believed to occur primarily through training to improve individual skills and abilities (Day, 2000). These approaches have failed to see that leadership is at its essence a complex interaction between the designated leader and the social and organizational environment (Fiedler, 1996). Corporate educators need to recognize this interaction and begin to focus on holistic training and development models that address the interpersonal and social leadership behaviors required for future success. The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between a relatively new kind of leadership training based on the Health Realization/State of Mind understanding and organizational performance. It was a mixed methods design incorporating interviews with a number of leaders from a particular business area in the organization, work environment surveys, employee opinion surveys, and organizational performance measures. An analysis of the results showed that the behavior of the leaders did indeed change, but the leaders attributed those positive changes to a combination of the leadership training, the influence of a transformational leader, and a shift in the cultural norms that improved the work environment. A comparison of the employee opinion and work environment surveys showed a noticeable difference in the quality of the work environment and overall job satisfaction between the subject business area and the rest of the organization. The organizational performance indicators, sales, income, and cost of poor quality indicated improvements as well. / 2031-01-02

Senior management positions at a South African-based logistics company Logistic (Pty) Ltd (pseudonym) are predominantly occupied by males which led to the primary question: why are females not better represented at senior levels within the organisation and why do promotion into these senior managerial positions appears difficult? The objective of this study was to determine factors impacting female advancement and to develop strategies based on identified influencing factors. Based on an interpretivist paradigm, the study used a phenomenological approach which was based on an appreciative enquiry research to understand experiences perceived and interpreted by individuals within the organisation. Various findings emerged in terms of the research questions of how management perceive and support female advancement, the perception of barriers experienced by females and the perception of the potential of the organisation promoting females in terms of providing an enabling environment. Findings which were not conducive to female advancement were identified as non-supporting organisational culture due to the inherent history of the organisation, tokenism by trying to rectify the phenomenon, transparent barriers experienced by females trying to ascend the corporate ladder and the lack of a pool of suitable candidates in the junior levels of the organisation which could be caused by the industry in which the organisation does business. Conclusions surrounding organisational intentions and actions were reached, which included recommendations for progressing towards the goals as agreed by the Commission for Employment Equity (CEE) and its strategic and sectoral stakeholders.

M.Phil. / This study focuses on the unique characteristic of the human being to function as a spiritual being. It purports the individual's search for sense, meaning and purpose to live and accomplish an authentic life. The study emphasizes the influence of the individual on fellow members of its community within which it functions. Characteristics, which the human being requires to be able to make functional contributions as a spiritual leader, are emphasized. The properties of a functional community, as a contribution to its members' spiritual leadership, are discussed. The negation or ignorance of the spiritual dimension of man is an important contributing factor towards unhappy individuals. Man is ignorant of the spiritual process and denies his own unique self. In this way a community is constructed of 'unstable ' individuals resulting in a problematic community. Communities often experience retrogression with regards to norms and values. Important principles such as respect, trust and love fade. People live in envy of one another and depression become a general simptome. An important reason for this is the incomplete paradigm, where the human being is looked upon as only 'body', 'heart', and 'intellect', whilst the 'spirit' is unwittingly ignored. This study endeavours to disclose a new mental attitude by cultivating greater consciousness with regard to the relationship between spiritual leadership and a functional community. To achieve the objective of this study two questions were asked. What do spiritual leadership and a functional community mean? Is there a relationship between spiritual leadership and a functional community? In a literature study and with the aid of concept analysis t vanalysis these questions were answered. The following important findings were derived from the study. • Humans are more than merely physical, social, emotional and intellectual beings but above all they are spiritual beings. Consequently individuals yearn Navorsingsessay 7 Neiman' Oosthuysen for sense and meaning in their lives, to be of some importance, acceptance of and commitment to themselves, others and to a Superior Being. Should the abovementioned needs not be satisfied, humans are not only unhappy but their physical, intellectual, emotional and social dimensions are affected and this also affects relations with other people. It can be assumed that these unfulfilled needs will also influence the lives of other people with whom such an individual comes into contact. With reference to 'spiritual' a clear distinction is made between the spiritual and religious existence of humans. Man needs spirituality to be religious, but the reverse is not necessarily true. Unfulfilled individuals have a negative impact on the community, which consists of schools, organizations, churches etc. Organizations consist of families, which consist of individuals. These individuals interact and influence one another. In this way each individual indirectly effects the functioning of the community. A connection was found between spiritual leadership and a functional community in the corresponding comparison of characteristics of both concepts. Seven characteristics, related to spiritual leadership and a functional community were identified. The respondents described their community as disfunctional. The interviews indicated that a large majority of the respondents do not have spiritual leadership. The assumption is made that the respondents are a reasonably true representation of how the average person in the community reveals spiritual leadership. This is confirmed by a second group of respondents who associated themselves with the findings, as well as the ethnographical findings of the researcher. One can therefore deduce that there is a relation between spiritual leadership and a functional community. A functional community cannot be created from individuals without a commitment towards themselves. Spiritual leadership is essential for a functional community.

D.Ed. / Communities in any given society are made up of individuals. As individuals are different and unique, so are communities unique in character. Different leaders play different roles in communities and have obtained leadership responsibilities in a variety of ways. Leaders act as leaders because they are appointed by a structure or system like the government. Other leaders act as leaders, because the people just ‘see’ them as their leaders or they are “self-appointed” leaders. The question that arises is what is the role of leaders in a given community? To what extent are they responsible of leading towards and creating a better future? What are the expectations of the community from the leaders whom they have appointed or who act as self-appointed leaders? How does the community experience the ‘leadership’ of their leader? How do the leaders experience their leadership responsibilities? The aim of this study was the description, implementation and evaluation of a psycho-educational programme to facilitate the development of community leaders within an informal settlement (Zandspruit). From a methodological point of view a qualitative research design was utilized to make the purpose of the study a reality. Phenomenological research was conducted whereby leaders from the community of Zandspruit were interviewed by asking them an open-ended question, namely: how is it for you to be a leader xii in this community? The results and data were analysed by open coding and the themes and categories were identified. A literature control was done and a programme was designed based on the research findings. The research indicated that leaders lead with feelings of “incapable of leading” their community. The leaders are preoccupied with their lack of leadership or facilitation skills related to the complexity, expectations, perceptions and challenges of this community. In general, the research has shown that leaders don’t feel they know ‘how’ to lead their community. It also surfaced in this research that this specific community is complex. Although every community are facing challenges to overcome, it seems that in this community the leadership challenges and “stakes” are even higher. Subsequently a leadership development programme was developed. The programme was developed out of themes and categories from the research findings. The intent was to ‘invite’ leaders to embark on a lifelong journey of growth and development. Secondly the programme has the intention to equip leaders in order to become ‘leader of leaders’. The programme was implemented, evaluated and adjusted according to the recommendations and findings. xiii The research therefore puts a leadership development programme in place that will facilitate the development of community leaders within an informal settlement. The intention and hope is that the programme will enhance the personal development of leaders, as well as skills needed in this specific context, that will eventually contribute towards their mental health and wholeness.

M.A. (Leadership, Performance and Change) / In order to become leaders, we need to develop ourselves from within. Often the inner dimension of leadership is undervalued as a ‘soft’ skill and ignored by organisations intent on bottom line results. Nevertheless, a profound understanding of the need for personal leadership is evolving in the 21st century ‒ an understanding which acknowledges that, in order to be a powerful leader, one needs to win, firstly and most importantly, the battle over one’s own mind. In this study the two extremes, the worrier and the warrior, are introduced as a metaphor in terms of which to explore the contrast between a dysfunctional and a highly functional mindset. In order to gain both traction and credibility in the leadership field, the worrier and the warrior ways of thinking are explained and analysed through the dual lens of the relevant literature on leadership and the field of neuroscience with the latter offering a brain based perspective of personal development. The study was designed as a means of exploring the beliefs, thoughts, emotions, behaviours and strategies that underpin a mastery level of leadership. I chose a qualitative methodological approach, specifically reflecting the interdisciplinary and positivist postmodernistic nature of this research type. My ontology is mirrored in the narratives that the warriors shared ‒ subjective truths that are unique ‒ while acknowledging the constructionist view that we evolve continually within a social context, in other words, I believe that social reality does not exist outside people, but that it is created by individuals. I engage an interpretivist epistemological position where the researcher interprets these narratives from the warrior’s viewpoint as well as adding his or her own interpretations of their experiences and views in a social-science perspective . I also used elements of the intrinsic, as well as the instrumental, case study with the aim of gaining an insight into and knowledge of the warrior mindset. The data was described and analysed until key themes emerged which were then integrated meaningfully with the relevant literature on both leadership and neuroleadership. Drawing from this, the key themes that emerged through the process are described as the five swords of the warrior mind. These include consciousness, connection, confidence, control and choice. A further common thread that connected the warriors’ voices was the concepts of mindfulness and emotional regulation. Together with the five swords these concepts of mindfulness and emotional regulation provide the ‘what’ of the warrior experience. This provides the basis for developing a potential future intervention, which may address the ‘how’ of warrior functioning. A strong implication of what leadership mastery means, may be found in the mindset and not in the actions of the leader. In view of what is required for a master’s degree, the mini dissertation is of limited scope while its implications and applications are, at best, modest. Nevertheless, the mini dissertation did provide an opportunity to explore the principles of both neuroleadership and Personal and Professional Leadership (PPL) in order to establish whether they could be used as a means for understanding the transformation potential from worrier pathology to warrior empowerment. It appears that transformation is possible and this research may provide a framework to facilitate such transformation. In addition, it is hoped that the study has enhanced the understanding of warrior thinking through the linking of the neurological and human sciences in explaining this development. I endeavoured to enhance the principles of credibility, dependability and transferability through rigorous auditing, peer debriefing with my supervisors, intermittent reflexivity through engagement with the relevant literature and triangulation. This was further enhanced by my close relationship with the warriors and also by being able to present quite extensive realist tales. However, on reflection, I would have benefitted from an even richer understanding of the warriors’ worlds, as well as a deeper engagement with my supervisors. I believe that this study has made a modest contribution to existing scholarly knowledge and also that it provides a useful framework in terms of which to begin the conversations about the rich and open topic of leadership mastery.

The twenty first century society is characterised by a lack of certainty and an unstable economic, social, political, and technological environment. Many South African higher education institutions are facing many challenges in understanding and responding to organisational change and development and this has implications for leadership. Ensuring an adequate leadership skills base is one of the key priorities for the transforming South African higher education landscape, especially as this pertains to developing the type of leaders who can meaningfully engage staff in change and transformation processes (Herbst, 2007). Effective leadership is vital for a productive, functional organisation and it is important to cultivate leadership development initiatives that are in alignment with and contribute to the achievement of the desired strategic outcomes. There is increasing emphasis on developing executive and middle management staff to be highly competent in achieving the strategic goals and priorities of the institution. The focus of this study is to explore the leadership capacity development needs of middle managers employed by a specific higher education institution in the Eastern Cape. The study will use the well-documented scholarship from Bernard Bass‟s interpretation of transformational, transactional, and laissez-faire leadership styles to frame the understanding of the leadership styles of middle managers as well as their developmental needs with regard to leadership (Bass, 1997). This will be used as an interpretive lens to assess the leadership development needs, including leadership skills needs, and the effectiveness of leadership development programmes in addressing the needs of middle managers within the higher education institution that is the focus of this study.

No description available.

Marti Jewell discussed the realities of 21st century parish life which carry myriad hopes and challenges. The Emerging Models of Parish Leadership Project has seen these realities first-hand in conversation with parish leaders across the USA. What has been learned about the present state of parish leadership? What are the best hopes for the future of our local faith communities? / with Marti Jewell, Director, Emerging Models of Pastoral Leadership Project / Gasson Hall 100

Over the last forty years, there has been ample research examining general leadership development and the characteristics of followers and leaders (Day, 2001). However, although recognized as important for leader development and leadership effectiveness, there is still much to understand about leader identity (Epitropaki et al., 2017). The focus on identity literature has been disproportionately focused on follower identity rather than leader identity (Epitropaki et al., 2017; Johnson et al., 2012). This shortage is unfortunate due to leader identity’s capabilities in developing leaders and effective leader behaviors (Miscenko et al., 2017; Johnson et al., 2012). Due to this deficiency, I focus my dissertation on leader identity and attempt to better grasp the development of one’s leader identity. In line with recent conceptual literature, I examine the four dimensions of leader identity and patterns of development to better understand the development of leader identity. Through the two papers in this dissertation, I aim to enhance our current understanding of leader identity. / Includes bibliography. / Dissertation (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2020. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

Submitted in accordance with the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (D. Phil) In the Subject of Psychology. Faculty of Arts at the University of Zululand, 2006. / "Leaders are bom not made". This is a matter of nature versus nurture, in this case with regard to leadership development. The question therefore is whether leadership is a natural gift or an acquired skill. If leadership is an acquired skill, what then is the best way to accomplish this? These were core issues of investigation in this research. Literature review on leadership development revealed the following important issues on the topic, namely: 'r Leadership status is usually bestowed on an individual following the results or achievements, not before > The greater part of the journey towards leadership is a lonely endeavour. It requires perseverance and tenacity of the mind on the part of the leader > There is a difference between leader development and leadership development. Successful leadership result from development in both areas r Most leadership development programs focus on management tasks rather than on leader and leadership development. A pre-test, post-test, quasi-experimental design was adopted for this research. A pre-test was necessary for baseline establishment of skills that are expected of leaders. It served as a guide for change following program implementation. The post-test produced comparative data for any changes following 'treatment'. In addition to the experimental group, a control group was also introduced in order to limit, as much as possible, common threats to internal validity that are usually encountered in quasi-experimental research designs, as well as in developmental research projects; especially history and maturation. Both qualitative and quantitative data analytical methods were adopted for program evaluation. A 360-degree assessment and feedback approach was utilised for qualitative analysis of data whereas the statistical analysis of variance was the method for quantitative analysis of data. Overall results indicated a positive change in significant areas of growth that were targeted in this research; e.g. leadership conceptualisation by participants, learning to learn skill, self-management skills, communication skills as well as interpersonal skills. A major limitation in this study was the sample size, especially for statistical analysis of data. The reasons for a small sample size were that development programs such as this one are usually not highly effective when working with larger groups, and also the fact that such programs require a skilled individual who will be able to monitor progress during program implementation phase and adapt activities according to observed requirements. Closer personal attention needed in a smaller group may be impossible with a larger group. Looking at our society today, it is clearly evident that there is a dire need for skilled leaders. While it is known that anyone can occupy a leadership position, it is also acknowledged that it is not everybody that will do justice to that position. This therefore leaves us with no choice but to seek programs that will facilitate leadership development, as early as possible. Institutions of higher learning are a fertile ground for leadership development programs, as the majority of students are young adults. / The National Research Foundation (NRF)