Running head: BARNETT_3300_Adequacy in a Discipline 1

BARNETT_3300_Adequacy in a Discipline

Developing Adequacy in a Discipline

John H. Barnett

Texas Tech University

BARNETT_3300_Adequacy in a Discipline 2

Abstract

The following was written as part of an interdisciplinary research project for a Perspectives on

Integrative Studies course. It addresses Step 5, Develop adequacy in each relevant discipline of

Repko’s 10-step Interdisciplinary Research Process (IRP) (Repko, 2012, p. 74). The

interdisciplines of Organizational Leadership and Mass Communication are examined, including

theories and methods of research. Synthesizing leadership and mass communication can assist in

advancing understanding of complex issues and may be applied in a variety of contexts.

Keywords: leadership, leadership studies, organizational leadership,

communication, mass communication theory.

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One of the disciplines I’ve chosen to address the topic of fracking and the challenges and

opportunities it represents for families and communities is Organizational Leadership.

Organizational leadership, leadership studies, or simply leadership finds its roots in the social

sciences and in humanities and shares many theories and perspectives, as well as methods of

research with these disciplines.

“Possibly the most researched leadership theories over the past 30 years have been . . .

transformational and transactional leadership theories. . .” (Latham, 2014, p.13).

Transformational leadership theory is described in terms of inspirational motivation –

“Inspirational motivation describes leader behavior which is based on an optimistic and

enthusiastic way of communicating a vision to the followers. The job to be done should not be

felt as an obligation but as a challenge” (Verlage, 2012, p.69). Transactional leadership “. . .

describes a more or less implicit contract between leader and follower, as, in exchange for work

done by the follower, the leader promises a reward” (Verlage, 2012, p.69).

In the article, Leadership for Quality and Innovation, Latham says, “However, while

transformational leadership has been widely successful, it appears to be incomplete for the

challenges facing current leaders and does not prevent abuses of power and allows for the ends to

justify the means. Servant leadership has emerged as an alternative, and much of the work to

synthesize the competing servant leadership concepts and validate this theory has been

accomplished over the past decade . . .” (Latham, 2014, p.13). “The end of the 20th century and

into the 21st century has introduced researchers, scholars, and practitioners to a variety of newer

concepts such as ethical leadership, servant leadership, value-added leadership, cultural

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leadership, moral leadership, and ecological leadership. The recent concepts appear to be more

of a blending of ideas and concepts interrelated between and building upon each other rather than

singular theoretical frameworks based on empirical research” (Beyer, 2012, p.2).

Methods of research in leadership studies have been primarily quantitative. “. . . 88

percent of leadership studies in the past have been quantitative. In one’s desires to be credible to

other physical scientists, many social science problems including leadership have been

investigated using positivist and post-positivist methods with quantitative measurement and

probability samples to ensure generalizability” (Latham, 2014, p.13). However, “leadership is as

much emotional and subjective as rational and objective in effect. We need to appreciate what

the non-quantitative scholars in psycho-history, sociology, and political science have to say

about charisma and transformational leadership . . .” (Bass, 1999, p.18).

References

Repko, A.F. (2012). Interdisciplinary research process and theory. (2nd ed.). SAGE

Publications Inc.

Latham, J.R. (2014). Leadership for quality and innovation: Challenges, theories, and a

Framework for future research. Quality Management Journal, 21 (1) 11-15.

Journal Homepage: http://asq.org/pub/qmj/

Verlage, H., & Rowold, J. (2012). Through different perspectives on leadership: Comparing the

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full range leadership theory to implicit leadership theories.

E Journal of Organizational Learning and Leadership, 10 (2) 68-91.

Beyer, B. (2012). Blending constructs and concepts: Development of emerging theories of

organizational leadership and their relationship to leadership to leadership practices

for social justice. International Journal of Educational Leadership Preparation, 7 (3) –12.

Full text: http://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ997470

Bass, B.M. (1999). Two decades of research and development in transformational leadership.

European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 8 (1) 9-32.

Journal Homepage: http://www.eawop.org/

A second discipline I’ve chosen to address the topic of fracking and the challenges and

opportunities it represents for families and communities is Mass Communication. Mass

communication finds its roots in the professions, in communication and media studies. Mass

communication is explained in terms of media influence or media effects and refers to theories

about mass media and its influence on the audience. Agenda setting theory hypothesizes that the

mass media influences what people think about through emphasis placed on issues thereby

setting an agenda that influences public attitude and opinion (McCombs, 1972, p.177). The

concept is further expressed through framing, a social sciences perspective that theorizes how

individuals, and groups, perceive and communicate about social phenomena. Gamson and

Modigliana (1987) describe a frame as a central idea or story line that gives perspective to a

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developing sequence of events (p. 143). Scheufele (1999) describes framing in terms of how the

media provides audiences with schemas or outlines for interpreting phenomena (p. 107).

Methods of research in mass communication are both quantitative and qualitative seeking

to determine the effect of the message on the audience. Experiment, survey, content analysis,

and secondary analysis are prominent methods for the study of mass communication (Trumbo,

2004, p.422).

References

Repko, A.F. (2012). Interdisciplinary research process and theory. (2nd ed.). SAGE

Publications Inc.

McCombs, M.E. (1972). The agenda setting function of mass media. Public Opinion Quarterly,

36 (2) 176-187.

Gamson, W.A., & Modigliani, A. (1987). The changing culture of affirmative action. In R. G.

Braungart & M. M. Braungart (Eds.). Research in Political Sociology, 3 (1) 137-177.

Scheufele, D.A. (1999). Framing as a theory of media effects. Journal of Communication,

49 (1) 103-122.

Trumbo, C.W. (2004). Research methods in mass communication research: A census of eight.

Journals 1990-2000. Journal of Mass Communication Quarterly, 81 (2) 417-436.