Leadership Education, Who Needs That? A Conversation on the

Breadth and Depth of the Field

Dr. Eric Kaufman, Virginia Tech UniversityDr. Nicole Stedman, University of Florida

Session Agenda

• Why Studying Leadership Matters– How we study leadership matters, too!

• Identifying Emerging Issues Facing Leadership Education

• How Leadership Education is Positioned to Address Issues

• Wrap Up Q&A

Caveat on Studying Leadership“The distinctive feature of leadership is that it would appear the more we learn about leadership, the more we realize we have to and want to learn.” (Jackson & Parry, 2008, p. 9)

Leadership Cartoon by Mark Hill and Russ Volckmann, published in Integral Leadership Review, October 2009

Why Studying Leadership Matters

Leadership Cartoon by Bill Bates, published in Integral Leadership Review, June 2007

What we see in our LeadersTruly Authentic LeadershipBy Bill GeorgePosted 10/22/06

If ever there was a time when America needs leaders, it's now. The litany of

problems is all too familiar—Iraq, healthcare, schools, energy, the seemingly

endless series of corporate scandals. What's nowhere to be found, however—or

almost nowhere—is the leadership needed to fix things. The problem isn't the lack

of potential leaders, however, but a wrongheaded notion of what exactly a leader

is. This misguided notion of leadership often results in the wrong people attaining

critical leadership roles. Search committees and voters alike fall into the trap of

choosing leaders for their style rather than their substance, for their image instead

of their integrity. Given this way of doing business, why should we be surprised

when our leaders come up short?

National Leadership Index 2010

• Our confidence in our leaders is at best unsteady

• Our political views still largely dictate our perceptions about leadership

• Undoubtedly we see our country in crisis– We recognize the influence of leadership on our

country’s success– We are indifferent to the effectiveness of our

country’s leaders

We have a leadership crisis in the country today (?)

Nat’l Leadership Index 2010 University of Phoenix SAS

Unless we get better leaders, the U.S. will decline as a nation (?)

Nat’l Leadership Index 2010 University of Phoenix SAS

Overall, our country’s leaders are effective and do a good job (?)

Nat’l Leadership Index 2010 University of Phoenix SAS

Across the Sectors

• The grass is always greener

• What happens when we look for leaders in each of the following sectors?– Business– Community– Educational

“Leadership to be able to think

critically and act responsibly as is the ultimate goal for all people, no matter what their desired

vocation.” (McManus, 2009)

Business

• Fine line between preparing people for management and leadership

• Growing need to ensure that business leaders can be more than orators, but also more than martinets (Doh, 2003)

• Keen attention to bringing forth concepts of ethics, decision-making, and critical thinking

Community

• Focus is on Gemeinschaft principles– In contrast to Gesellschaft (Bartle, 2007)

• Complex political scenarios play out in communities every day– History and Tradition play havoc

• Tools of facilitation, conflict resolution and co-optation are important

Educational

• Whether it is K-12 or Post-Secondary there is intense scrutiny over decisions made by educational leaders

• Students need relevant introduction to leadership in secondary school programs

• Universities need to continue to focus on programs, majors and activities which reinforce concepts and academic instruction related to leadership

How We Study Leadership Matters, Too!

• We learn what is meaningful, leadership education must be presented in ways which guide learners through experiences (Doh, 2003)

• Increased value in understanding the internationalization of leadership (Jackson and Parry, 2008)

• All leadership scholars must value the theoretical and the praxis of leadership

Emerging Issues Facing Leadership Education

Leadership Cartoon by Bill Bates, published in Integral Leadership Review, January 2008

Quest for a General Theory of Leadership (Goethals & Sorenson, 2006)

• Wide range of disciplines: Philosophy, Political Science, Anthropology, Psychology, Communications, Public Administration, History, & Leadership Studies

• Disagreements among academics regarding definitions, process, & structure

Leadership Cartoon by Mark Hill and Russ Volckmann, published in Integral Leadership

Review, March 2010

Changing Nature of Leadership (Martin, 2007)

• Challenges are becoming more complex

• Greater reliance on interdependent work

• Viewing leadership as a collective process

Growth & Prominence of the Field• Formal Education Programs

– ILA Directory of Leadership Education Programs exceeds 1,500

• Non-formal Education Programs– Companies typically spend

$2,000 per leader each year• Sustained Inter-disciplinary

Effort– Association of Leadership

Educators celebrated 20 years!

How Leadership Studies is Changing

Leadership Cartoon by Mark Hill, published in Integral Leadership Review, October 2008

Moving Beyond Traditional Questions (Hackman & Wageman, 2007)

• Not do leaders make a difference, but under what conditions does leadership matter?

• Not what are the traits of leaders, but how do leaders' personal attributes interact with situational properties to shape outcomes?

Leadership Cartoon by Mark Hill and Russ Volckmann, published in Integral Leadership

Review, June 2009

Moving Beyond Traditional Questions (Hackman & Wageman, 2007)

• Not how do leaders and followers differ, but how can leadership models be reformulated so they treat all system members as both leaders and followers?

• Not what should be taught in leadership courses, but how can leaders be helped to learn?

Leadership Cartoon by Mark Hill and Russ Volckmann, published in Integral Leadership Review, March 2009

Questions for Leadership Educators (Townsend, 2002)

• What is the true purpose for leadership education and do leadership organizations deliver what they promise?

• Is leadership different among diverse cultures?

• What are the best teaching/learning environments for leadership education?

Foundational Considerations (Middlebrooks & Allen, 2008)

• Theoretical Framework

• Curriculum

• Pedagogy or Andragogy

• Influences

• Assessment

Guiding Questions Project (Ritch & Mengel, 2009)

Program Considerations:– Context

– Conceptual Framework

– Content

– Teaching & Learning

– Outcomes & Assessment

Leadership Cartoon by Mark Hill and Russ Volckmann, published in Integral Leadership

Review, October 2010

New-Genre Leadership Theories (Avolio, Walumbwa, & Weber, 2009)

• Complexity Leadership

• Leadership that is shared, collective, or distributed

New Trans-Disciplinary Programs

Virginia Tech ExampleGraduate Certificate in Collaborative Community Leadership•“Leadership Foundations for Diverse Contexts”•“Leadership in a Global Society”•13 different academic departments represented in coursework

University of Florida Example• Interdisciplinary program

drawing from each college on campus

• 15 hours with 9 hours of dedicated leadership instruction combined with communication and ethics courses

• Preparing undergraduates for life beyond the classroom

Questions & Discussion