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. / More and more frequently firms are finding it necessary to terminate chief executive officers (CEOs) due to poor organizational performance. This is happening despite the fact that executive development spending is increasing significantly during the same era. These simultaneous situations would suggest that there is a need for a theory to bring clarity and direction to the process of executive development while aligning it with firms' business strategies. A comprehensive review of the literature reveals that there are no well-understood theories that relate executive development strategy to business strategy. The lack of a theoretical foundation makes it necessary to derive the linkage between business strategy and executive development strategy empirically. This study was designed to determine how and to what extent the participating firms achieve alignment between executive development and business strategies. It is founded upon the premise that for a firm's success to be sustainable, its environment, its business strategies, its executive development strategies, and its executive development activities should all be aligned. This study provides both a theoretical and a practical analysis of the alignment between business strategy and executive development strategy. The theoretical analysis is grounded in a review of the twentieth-century history of organizational theory as well as the theories pertaining to business strategy and executive development strategy. The practical analysis was drawn from the experiences of senior-level managers employed by twenty-one commercial firms to design and guide executive development. This research utilized interviews of executive development specialists as the primary means of collecting data from the subject firms. The analysis revealed four key concepts: aligning executive development and business strategies, linking executive development to the business environment, integration of executive development with other corporate systems, and the utility of top-level executive support for executive development programs. The study resulted in a conceptual model of the focus firms' approaches to achieving alignment between executive development and business strategies. These findings imply opportunities for policy makers and practitioners as well as future researchers. / 2031-01-01

The Federal Executive Institute (FEI) was created in 1968 by Executive Order from President Johnson, stating the need for establishing "a center for advanced study for executives in the upper echelons of the Civil Service." It was common in the early years for FEI to provide life changing, "rocky top" experiences. Since that time, the FEI has traveled down a rocky road, through efforts to disband, attempts to privatize, and flurries of criticism. It has emerged with a "back to basics curriculum" and a mission founded on what is seen as the solid rock of the Constitution and an emphasis of each executive's role within that Constitutional system. The intellectual history of FEI, including its creation, curriculum, and leadership and how they have developed and changed over time, suggests this key question: how does FEI decide to teach what (and how) it teaches? This answer has varied; at times, the institution was shaped by strong directors; at other times, key political actors and faculty members. There were times of great environmental turbulence and threat, when the very existence of the FEI was in jeopardy. Although the intellectual streams may have diverged, the FEI community rallied to ensure survival. They have indeed survived, and while not the same institution founded in 1968, still maintain their niche for educating "the best of the best." / Ph. D.

While there is an abundance of empirically based information on the broad subject of executive leadership and executive leader development, opportunity for further research is driven by complexity of the executive’s world and the related need to function at high levels of learning agility. In fact, learning agility has been identified by Korn/ Ferry (Korn/Ferry, 2011) as the single most important predictor of executive success. This study seeks to explore non-traditional forms of executive leader development based on an integrated theoretical lens, including learning and executive development theories as they relate to learning agility. Executive Coaching is of primary interest as an executive development theory, with a diagnostic element designed to provide insight about development issues, particularly those around leadership pipeline cross points. The Competing Values Framework, as applied here for individual executive growth and development constructs, offers an additional theoretical lens as well as a structure for practical application. Using an engaged scholarship approach through Action Research, this is explored with a focus on executive development options that go beyond traditional leadership training models, and with research, insights analyzed through the CVF assessment and structured interviews. Among the findings are insights which confirm the learning agility construct claims that it is a key predictor to executive success as executives traverse career transitions. More specifically, the insights which proceed from this study also support the reasons that self-discovery learning interventions impact learning agility for senior executives. They include: The Participants in this study demonstrated Learning Agility Development as defined for this research, providing evidence that Learning Agility can be developed Executive Coaching and Related Self-Discovery Constructs contribute more to Learning Agility Executive Development when the executive coach offers a fluid approach which includes significant engagement and mutual dialog as well as inquiry. Learning Agility Development is related to one’s ability to manage Competing Values, especially Competing Values that are unique to the individual. Individual Awareness, its connection to reflexivity, and the movement of tacit knowledge to explicit knowledge is a key finding related to senior executive learning agility development. A Systems Approach to Learning Agility Executive Development which includes a systemic framework, a defined process/structure, and individual customization is indicated for senior level executives. The study offers extensions to existing theories as well as a practical theory-and-findings-based executive development methodology.

Effective leaders who can solve complex, strategic business problems are the key differentiator in the new world of work. As external environmental changes converge with internal organisational shifts, the need for a strong bench of leaders becomes critical in driving profitable growth. This study explores the relationship between personality and the ability to manage the complexity of the emerging environment. Based on the CPI and CPA assessments of 256 managers and executives, correlations and multiple regressions were performed to identify the new strategic leadership profile. Anchored in Complexity Leadership Theory (CLT), this research builds on the leadership functions of CLT to provide new insight into the role of individual characteristics in the ability to think strategically. The consolidated findings identified Dominance, Flexibility, Achievement via Independence, Psychological Mindedness and Self-Acceptance as key constructs in the ability to think strategically. These outcomes sharpen the new leadership profile and enable the development of tools that can directly improve the organisation’s ability to identify, attract, select and develop leaders who are proficient in the emergent, complex context. Further research can enhance the robustness of this leadership profile through supplementary exploration of the remaining constructs that determine the ability to think strategically. / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2013. / pagibs2014 / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / unrestricted

The majority of mentoring research has explored mentoring from the vantage point of protégé perceptions, reactions, experiences, and development (Wanberg et al. 2003; Kram, 1988). Participants in mentoring studies have commonly been employees, college students, or mid-level managers. Little is known regarding the impact of mentoring roles in relation to top executives who are, over the span of their careers, likely to participate in developmental relationships as both mentor and protégé. In fact, accessing people who are active CEOs has been extremely problematic for a majority of interested researchers (Thomas, 1995). Limited research on mentoring and especially that on CEOs is used to inform the current Human Resource Development (HRD) scholarship and practice. The current study will inform HRD and provide insight into how mentoring relationships can be used to develop individuals in organizations. Key findings from this study were reported from a qualitative study (Moustakas, 1994) involving twelve CEOs of large for-profit US corporations who detailed their experiences as both mentors and protégés. Emerging themes from the larger study overlap, in part, with key mentoring functions as identified by Kram (1988). In addition to reinforcing and informing the work of Kram (1988), key CEOs provided insight regarding their experiences in long-term (several years or more) mentoring relationships. The combined themes resulted in a framework demonstrating the development of mentoring relationships. In addition to a general discussion of a mentoring framework, I focused the study primarily on CEO perceptions regarding the impact of their mentoring related experiences on 1) how their mentors have impacted their development; 2) how they mentor others; and 3) the relational elements in mentoring relationships. Because a rarely assessed population was studied, scholars and practitioners in HRD will gain a unique understanding and greater insight into how mentoring relationships develop professionals, particularly CEOs.

Os procedimentos para desenvolvimento de competências das lideranças passam por constantes transformações de abordagens e metodologias. Muitas empresas, como forma de desenvolver seus líderes, têm implementado programas de coaching para que seus executivos, não somente se apropriem de novos modelos mentais, como também desenvolvam ou consolidem competências comportamentais essenciais ou técnicas para o trabalho atual e futuro. Este estudo tem por objetivo analisar a contribuição do programa de coaching na carreira do executivo do vale do Paraíba, sob a percepção dos profissionais de Recursos Humanos e executivos que passaram pelo processo O estudo foi desenvolvido em duas etapas. A primeira delas, com o objetivo de levantamento, classifica-se como exploratória e descritiva. A amostra teve por base a publicação do Guia Exame Melhores e Maiores, no ano de 2009, e as empresas foram contatadas por entrevista telefônica. A segunda etapa foi de natureza qualitativa, com o critério de acessibilidade a duas empresas do setor químico e petroquímico. Foram entrevistados, por meio de roteiro semiestruturado, profissionais de Recursos Humanos e executivos. Os resultados da primeira etapa demonstraram que somente 07 empresas da amostra, de um total de 22, disponibilizaram dados efetivos sobre o processo de coaching, e que, destas, 43% possuem um programa de coaching formal, dedicado, em sua maioria, para executivos e potenciais. A segunda etapa, qualitativa, evidenciou: 1) falta de homogeneidade no conceito de coaching por parte dos entrevistados; 2) processo de coaching mais voltado para manutenção da carreira atual do que para preparo futuro, sendo uma intenção total da empresa, e não do indivíduo 3) não existência de alinhamento por parte dos profissionais de RH e dos executivos quanto a todas as etapas que compõem o programa de coaching, quando relacionado com a teoria; 4) fragilidade nas duas organizações, quanto ao processo de identificação das necessidades ou propósito para o coaching, o que reflete diretamente no processo de avaliação dos resultados; 5) processo de implementação de uma cultura de Leader coach ainda está em fase inicial de implementação. / Procedures for leadership skills developing pass through constant transformations of approaches and methodologies. Many companies, as a way to develop their leaders have implemented coaching programs for their executives, not only to them have ownership of new mental models, as well as consolidate and develop behavioral skills and techniques to current and future work. This study aims to examine the contribution of the coaching program at the executives career in the Paraíba valley, by the perception of HR professionals and executives who have undergone through the coaching process The study was conducted in two phases. First one, with the goal of collecting data, it is classified as exploratory and descriptive. The sampling was based on the publication of the magazine so called Guia Exama Melhores e Maiores in 2009, and companies were contacted by telephone interview. The second phase was qualitative, with the criteria of accessibility to two companies in chemical and petrochemical sector. HR professionals and executives were interviewed through a semi-structured script. Results of the first stage have showed that only 07 companies out of 22 in the sampling provided effective data about the coaching process an within these 7, just 43% have a formal coaching program dedicated mostly to executives and prospective executives. The second phase, the qualitative one has pointed out: 1) lack of homogeneity in the concept of coaching by part of interviewee; 2) coaching process more focused on maintaining the current career than to prepare for the future, with an overall demand of the company, not directed on the person; 3) misalignment by HR professionals and executives about all the steps that make up the coaching program when connected with the theory; 4) weakness in both organizations, about the process of identifying needs or purpose to coaching, which is directly reflected in the outcome of the process; 5) implementation process of a culture of Leader coach is still in early stages of implementation.

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Sverige är andelen kvinnor på chefspositioner liten. I många organisationer arbetar man med att försöka förändra detta. En vanlig förändringsmetod är ledarutvecklingsprogram för kvinnor. Det är vad som händer inom ramen för ett sådant program - ett ledarutvecklingsprogram med syfte att öka andelen kvinnor på chefspositioner - som studeras i dennabok. Frågor som diskuteras är: Hur kan ett sådant program vara utformat?Vilka föreställningar om ledarskap, manlighet och kvinnlighet återskapas inom ramen för programmet och hur går detta till? Öppnar programmet upp för ett ifrågasättande och en förändring av mansdominerade strukturer, eller bidrar de snarare till att återskapa dessa? Vad säger detta i så fall om jämställdhetsarbete i organisationer? Boken grundar sig på en fallstudie av ett ledarutvecklingsprogram som bestod av ett tiotal 2-5 dagar långa utbildningar som handlade om ledarskap och/eller kön, samt ett mentorprogram. Beroende på könsfördelningen bland deltagarna och hur innehållet behandlar (eller inte behandlar) kön, ger de olika delarna upphov till olika föreställningar om ledarskap och kön. En del av föreställningarna innebär ett ifrågasättande, medan andra innebär ett återskapande av organisationens könsordning. Bokens titel, Stridspiloter i vida kjolar, syftar på de delvis motsägelsefulla föreställningar som återfinns inom ramen för programmet. I studien framkommer hur ledarutvecklingsprogram för kvinnor kan förstås som en kompromiss mellan traditionell ledarutveckling, med syfte att återskapa befintliga maktrelationer, och traditionellt jämställdhetsarbete, med syfte att ifrågasätta dessa. Studien visar i och med detta hur förändringsförsök som innebär att befintliga maktstrukturer ifrågasätts leder till både återskapande och förändring.   Innehåll: 1.  Problembakgrund och syfte2.  En skapad, könsmärkt verklighet3.  Organisation och kön4.  Jämställdhetsarbete i organisationer5.  Ledarutveckling i organisationer6.  Metod7.  Programmet - från början till slut8.  Programmet - deltagarnas reflektioner9.  Moduler med könsperspektiv10. Könsblinda moduler11. Ledarutveckling och jämställdhet12. Sammanfattning och slutsatserLitteraturförteckningEnglish SummaryBilaga 1Bilaga 2 / Diss. Stockholm : Handelshögsk., 2001

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