The purpose of this study was to assess the leadership practices of President Jay Kesler during his 15-year tenure at Taylor University. Practices were determined using the theoretical perspective of Kouzes and Posner (2003) by administering the Leadership Practices Inventory (LPI) and interviewing respondents regarding Kelser's practices. This research gives evidence of how often Kesler used each of the five practices of Modeling the Way, Inspiring a Shared Vision, Challenging the Process, Enabling Others to Act and Encouraging the Heart, as determined by the LPI. It also examines the depth of Kesler's usage of these practices through respondent reports.A case study methodology was used for this research. It entailed both a quantitative element in the administration of the LPI and a qualitative element in the interviews. Kesler and nine people who were associated with him during his tenure at Taylor responded to the LPI and were then interviewed. The LPI was considered a structured interview, according to the Fraenkel and Wallen (1996) method of interviewing. Retrospective interviews were then conducted with each respondent, and archival data were consulted to add support and validity to the research.Conclusions drawn as a result of this study were:Kesler did use all five practices in the Kouzes and Posner model. The order of frequency in which he used the practices is: 1) Inspiring a Shared Vision; 2) Encouraging the Heart; 3) Enabling Others to Act; 4) Modeling the Way; and 5) Challenging the Process.Kesler's avoidance of conflict and his treatment of women in leadership were leadership challenges he faced. Respondents' evaluations of Kesler did not correlate with his self-evaluation, presumably due to the fact that Kesler was opposed to formal performance evaluations.Kesler did demonstrate characteristics of humility and excellent communication that contributed to the success of Taylor University under his tenure.Results of this study were not generalized beyond studying Kesler's leadership practices. This study, however, contributes new information to the field of leadership research and could be used with a series of other case studies to make generalizations about how university presidents effect change. It also is significant to the institution by providing historical documentation of Kesler's leadership during his tenure at Taylor University. / Department of Educational Studies
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:BSU/oai:cardinalscholar.bsu.edu:handle/175920 |
| Date | January 2005 |
| Creators | Downs, Donna J. |
| Contributors | Murk, Peter J. |
| Source Sets | Ball State University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Format | x, 192 leaves : ill. ; 28 cm. |
| Source | Virtual Press |
| Coverage | n-us--- |
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