The quantity of emerging literature on the subject of leadership testifies to the urgency that is felt in these times for understanding it. The phenomenon of leadership is a subtle one and each author is at pains to justify their particular slant on its nature. This thesis shifts away from trying to find essential qualities of leadership that are generically applicable and instead considers leadership as it is experienced. It therefore examines leadership as a personal phenomenon regardless of the position held. The phenomenon is recognised through the experience of those who are present to its influence. This includes the practitioner, in any role or job, for whom the experience of leadership is necessarily personal and its expression evolving rather than static. I have chosen the method of conversation to identify the presence of such a phenomenon. This provides an expansive format which, because it is a lived experience, provides access to people’s experience of leadership, both their own and that of others’. I have used reflexive and imaginative writing processes to express and develop theory and praxis. Through these means, I have examined leadership as an engagement and used myself as a presence in order to develop insight. The thesis draws on the philosophical tradition of Goethe, Husserl, Bohm and Varela to understand the nature of experience and change; qualitative researchers like Van Manen, Crotty and Reason to develop reflective tools of inquiring; and leadership thinkers such as Senge, Jaworski, Scharmer and Mintzberg to find more vital ways of considering the very human experience of leadership in these times of rapid change. The thesis showcases an evaluation of leadership in a medium-sized industrial organisation in Western Australia. The task of the study was to assess the change in leadership in the whole organisation as a result of management attending a leadership program. For this purpose, phenomenological research methods were used to provide an in-depth and experientially based methodology. Narrative analysis offered the ground for capturing the presence of leadership through expressing the whole spectrum of voices in the organisation. Further, first-person methods brought relational sensitivity and researcher engagement, immersion and leadership. The evaluation resulted in a confronting report that enabled new ways of hearing between management and non-management and the organisation was enabled to take its next steps forward consensually. The study is followed by three exploratory chapters that deal with: How does the ‘new’ get dreamed up? What are the big issues of leadership that challenge the establishment? What does change actually imply and why is this so important to leadership? I protest the flippancy with which organisational consultants and leaders confuse structural change with the change that people really desire. The crystallisation of my exploration into the phenomenon of leadership transpires through a synchronous event. This was a personal experience of leadership. I apply a classical philosophical phenomenological analysis to my story as a narrative. This results in a new theoretical framework which I have called confluential leadership: the interaction of the constellations of synchronicity, clarity of intention and co-creativeness. The appreciation of these influences within one����s role is a meaning-making or enhancing process. This can result in greater engagement with one’s role or perhaps the realisation that one is in the wrong job! The centrality of my own engagement, a feature of the research conducted through this thesis, has resulted in the development of a passion for the subject of leadership and an enthusiasm for the possibilities of advancing and applying many of the ideas introduced. I have found that in order to find leadership, one has to bring leadership and the quality of that intention determines what one finds. Similarly, when leadership is experienced in a workplace, others are influenced to present the best of their own leadership. There is always the possibility for each person to enhance their own experience of leadership to become more integrated, wholesome and passionate about their work. The potentiality of this excites me. Confluential is my own word and is a combination of the words consciousness and influence. It is the conscious influence of the three constellations of synchronicity, clarity of intention and co-creativeness. Each of these has been very specifically defined; their meanings are carefully discussed in the body of the thesis. / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

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published_or_final_version / Educational Psychology / Master / Master of Social Sciences

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The concepts of transformational and charismatic leadership have led to a variety of leadership behaviors and practices that seek to enhance followers' motivation to perform beyond expectations, by changing their values, goals, needs and aspirations at work. One such activity, which has gained momentum and interest in recent years, is the dissemination of a vision. This thesis is an attempt to investigate the nature of the visioning process in organizational leadership through theoretical analysis and empirical investigation. / An analysis of the visioning process yielded two important components: the visioning activity and the visioning product. Based on this analysis and a review of the existing literature, vision was defined as a product with content and the visioning activity a two-stage process involving vision formulation and vision articulation. Building on these definitions, a number of vision content characteristics and visioning behaviors were examined, leading to theoretical propositions and testable hypotheses. / The empirical test of the proposed theoretical framework was carried out in two studies. Study 1 investigated observers' perceptions of leader behaviors, vision content characteristics and related attributions of vision and visionary leadership. This study was conducted using analyses of biographical and autobiographical accounts. Study 2 sought to replicate the investigation with direct observations from followers of "real-life" organizational leaders. / The empirical test substantiated the importance of distinguishing between the various content characteristics of visions as they relate to attributions of vision and visionary leadership on the part of observers/followers. The empirical results also support the importance of distinguishing between the various components of the visioning activity of leaders as they relate to attributions of vision and visionary leadership on the part of observers/followers. Finally, the results suggest distinct relationships between the attributions of vision/visionary leadership and various effects of the visioning process on followers. / In light of these results, suggestions for future research and implications for leadership practice are discussed.

The effectiveness of Senior Management in the KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Public is essential to effective service delivery. This study addresses the area of management development. It is an attempt to improve management development by understanding the perceptions of Senior Managers of Action Learning as an approach to management development. One of the reasons cited for poor service delivery is the lack of management capacity. While management development is taking place its impact on individual and organisational performance is being questioned. The objectives of the research are to gather data on the perceptions of Senior Managers of action learning and to use the data to make recommendations on it as a management development approach. A self administered questionnaire comprising forced choice, closed and open ended questions was development and used to gather data. The population for the study comprised Senior Managers who attended the Khaedu Action Learning Programme with the sample being fifty. Non-probability sampling was used, with the sample selected using purposive sampling. Thirty of the fifty questionnaires were completed and returned. The data was analysed using the MoonStats Statistical Package to determine frequency of responses only. Themes were identified in the data and linked to the theory of action learning. Based on the themes conclusions and recommendations were made. The survey data reflected that Senior Managers have a positive perception of action learning as a management development methodology and that it contributed positively to their capacity and performance because of its practical learning by doing approach. The data also highlighted that it will have a positive impact on creating a learning organisation, teams and team learning and organisational improvement. (v) Perceptions about support and commitment to programme and whether the action learning recommendations will be implement were negative. The recommendations made seek to reinforce the positive perception and support the use of action learning as the core management development approach to revitalize management development. / Thesis (MBA)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, 2006.

The purpose of the study was to construct and test a theoretical model for measuring degrees of organizational effectiveness, efficiency, and integration. The model, the administrative grid, patterned after the quadrant scheme used by Halpin and the managerial grid by Blake and Mouton, provided a system of accommodating the effectiveness and efficiency measures established by Barnard and a visual interpretation of the administrative technique utilized by administrators in integrating the two basic elements of an organization, the goals and the people.In designing the pilot study to test the model, specific attention was given to a) establishing minimal levels of organizational accomplishment; b) the nature of the orthogonal relationship between goals and people; and c) the psychological constructs of the classroom teacher as a means of measuring administrative activity. The review of the literature included psychological theory and leadership theory as applied to the model.A general hypothesis was made at the beginning of the study that administrators in "good" schools provide leadership differently from administrators in "poor" schools, and the perceptions of teachers could distinguish the difference. A panel of 10 professional educators rated 275 Indiana high schools to facilitate separating higher quality or "good" schools from lower quality or "poor" schools. The ratings were screened for consistency, and the mean scores were placed on a continuum from one to six. Schools were selected for inclusion in the project based upon the mean scores of the ratings at extreme ends of the continuum. Administrators from schools clearly categorized as "good" or "poor" were invited to participate. Eleven randomly selected faculty members from each of 20 "good" and 20 "poor" schools completed an adaptation of the Leader Behavior Description Questionnaire-Form XII measuring the amount of structure and production emphasis provided by administrators and the tolerance of freedom and uncertainty among teachers as perceived by the teachers.Seven null hypotheses were established to determine whether differences existed between "good" and "poor" schools on 1) Initiating Structure, 2) Production Emphasis, 3) Goals dimension, 4) Tolerance of Uncertainty, 5) Tolerance of Freedom, 6) People dimension, and 7) Integration. Hypotheses 1, 3, 5, and 6 were rejected beyond the .10 level of significance while 2, 4, and 7 were held as tenable at the .10 level. The data were analyzed by using two-way analyses of variance with the second factor (School) nested. The two-way ANOVA provided the capability of testing for the unique effects associated with the quality of the school classification separately from the unique effects associated with sample schools nested within the "good" and "poor" categories respectively.Mean scores were plotted on the administrative grid and determined to be of assistance in providing school administrators graphic interpretations in how the administrative effort is perceived by teachers. The grid also provides the administrator with direction necessary for corrective action.The study was a pilot project to determine if the method of investigation and application of results warrant further study. The results indicated that perceptions of individuals inside the organization as to the "goal" and "people" orientation of the administration, may provide insight in problem situations. Further research is recommended to sharpen the instrumentation with schools, and replicating the study in various types of organizations was recommended.

This thesis evaluates the role of inquisitiveness considered as a soft management skill as a characteristic of leaders in managerial positions in the manufacturing sector in Australia. There is considerable academic focus on the leadership attributes of people. In recent years leadership has become a much-debated theme of management behaviour. Previous published research has stated that inquisitiveness is a core characteristic of global leaders, but little has been written that addresses leadership in the context of manufacturing. / The aim of this research is to test the validity of inquisitiveness as a characteristic of leaders within Australia's manufacturing sector by collecting and analysing data both theoretically and empirically. The manufacturing sector is under considerable pressure to survive and prosper in a competitive international market. This research may lead to improved techniques for the training, selection and promotion of managers in manufacturing organisations in Australia. / The outcome of the empirical research shows that inquisitiveness is a characteristic of leaders in manufacturing management in Australia. It also found that the current practices used by Human Resources Managers in manufacturing organisations, whether hiring or promoting people, do not consider inquisitiveness as a characteristic of potential leaders. This research develops a contrary view and concludes that a measurable and appropriate test for inquisitiveness in current and potential leaders should be developed by the manufacturing industry. / The recognition that inquisitiveness is a desirable characteristic of managers in Australian manufacturing industry may lead to developing leaders who can participate in creating a sustainable Australian manufacturing sector that thrives in, and does not merely survive the global competition from emerging markets. / Thesis (PhD)--University of South Australia, 2007.

Over the last decade, globalization has influenced organizations to see the world as a market as well as a source of competition. Under this view, studies by May (1997), Brake (1997), McKenna (1998), Morrison (2000), Stanek (2000) and Suutari (2002) have expressed the need to develop "global leaders" who are a new breed of managers. In order to develop "global leaders", organizations need to identify a new set of competencies for their managers. It is the role of human resource managers to develop these competencies. / This paper aims to review the literature examining how globalization has shaped organizational strategies to achieve competitive advantage, and how this presents a new challenge for their human resource practitioners to develop global leaders. As the full impact of globalization becomes a reality for developing countries in Asia, this paper draws the conclusion that more research is needed to find out the strategies needed for developing global leaders, particularly in an Asian and Malaysian context. / Thesis (DoctorateofBusinessAdministration)--University of South Australia, 2007.