Rethinking a classic distinction in leadership: Implications for the assessment and development of executives.

The authors present a new way of construing the classic distinction between self-assertive, task-oriented leadership and empowering, people-oriented leadership. These twin pillars--what they call forceful and enabling, respectively--are portrayed as a duality, a pair of seemingly contradictory yet in fact complementary leadership "virtues." The authors also describe a new approach to measuring this duality. Data collected in this way reflect the clear tendency for managers to be lopsided--to overdo one side and to underdo the other. There is also a strong statistical association between lopsidedness--or, stated positively, versatility--and overall effectiveness. This linked way of formulating and measuring leadership in terms of dualities is very useful in giving feedback to executives and in guiding their development. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Developing a feminist psychology of women: Past and future accomplishments.

Afeminist approach to the psychology of women is defined. In terms of this definition four areas central to the psychology of women are examined. These areas are theory building, sex differences research, research describing women's lives, and feminist therapy. For each area past accomplishments are outlined and future directions are suggested. In conclusion, two important methodological paradoxes are presented, and their relevance to a developing feminist psychology of women is discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Early identification of international executive potential.

This research extends the traditional approach to the early identification of executives by introducing the notion of ability to learn from experience. Drawing on the literature, the researchers created a reliable measurement tool named Prospector for rating the potential of aspiring international executives in terms of both end-state competencies and the ability to learn from experience. The 14 dimensions derived from the Prospector instrument are Sensitive to Cultural Differences, Business Knowledge, Courage, Brings Out the Best in People, Integrity, Insightful, Committed, Takes Risks, Seeks Feedback, Uses Feedback, Is Culturally Adventurous, Seeks Learning Opportunities, Open to Criticism, and Flexibility. The research also began to assess the validity of the Prospector dimensions in terms of current performance, executive potential, on-the job learning, and international criteria on 838 lower, middle-, and senior-level managers from 6 international firms and 21 countries. The findings suggest that Prospector may have promise for use in the early identification of international executives. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Exploration for development: Developing leadership by making shared sense of complex challenges.

The complexities of the challenges faced by organizations call for new approaches to leadership development. In this article, the authors offer an approach called exploration for development (ED), consisting of three main aspects: navigating complex challenges, supporting competent shared sensemaking, and practicing leadership based on relational principles. They examine the practical possibilities of artistry in the face of complexity, as focused on the making and remaking of shared meaning. Sensemaking competencies supportive of this practical artistry are identified as paying attention, personalizing imaging, serious play, co-inquiry, and crafting. Examples showing tools and techniques are drawn from a series of leadership development programs at a telecommunications company. Impacts of the programs were assessed in context of a developmental curriculum that included feedback, mentoring, and coaching. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Academic achievement and future time perspective as a cognitive–motivational concept.

251 male high school students made valence and instrumentality measurements of 23 general motivational goals (e.g., status, altruism, knowledge) classified in 3 time zones: near future, distant future, and open present. Ss with high GPAs and high study persistence attached significantly higher valence to goals in the distant future and perceived studying hard as more instrumental for reaching goals in the distant future and open present than Ss with low GPAs and low study persistence. (28 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Business-linked executive development: Coaching senior executives.

Presents a model of executive coaching based on the organizational requirements that shape the leadership factors to be considered in the coaching process. Consultants must clearly shape their coaching to reflect these dimensions if they are to be effective in helping to increase the effectiveness of their individual clients. Consulting issues are described as well as a specific methodology that reflects a business-linked executive development approach to coaching executives. There are 4 stages to the approach: defining the context (i.e., organizational imperatives, role-based success factors, and success-relevant behavioral requirements), assessment of the individual, developmental planning, and implementation. The case study of a middle-aged male executive illustrates this approach. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Developing nursing's future role: a challenge for the millennium: 1

Over the past decade health care in general and nursing in particular have experienced a period of unprecedented change resulting from a variety of factors including demography, advances in technology and the introduction of differing service delivery systems. For nursing this has created a number of tensions, especially between professional aspirations and the demands of a new managerial culture. Many nurses have found themselves torn between the push towards the ideal of individualized holistic care and the reality of resource constrained environments. The new White Paper 'The New NHS: Modern, Dependable' (Secretary of State for Health, 1997) heralds a move away from the 'short termism' of the internal market towards a partnership model of integrated care. It also reaffirms the Government's commitment to further develop the role of the nurse. This article, the first of two, considers the challenges nurses face in responding to a managerial agenda while simultaneously maintaining the development of the nursing profession. The opportunities afforded by the recent White Paper are identified and the need to address a number of current tensions are highlighted. Developments at the Northern General Hospital in Sheffield are briefly described, with the results of a major survey being presented in the second article.     

Training industrial executives in reading: A methodology study.

A controlled-method study of gains achieved and retained by industrial executives as a result of reading improvement training. 4 groups consisting of 56 executives were equated on reading-ability score and related criteria. 1 group served as a control, while 3 experimental groups were trained with different methods. Each group received 16 hours of training. Progress and permanence were evaluated by equated forms of a reading test. Results were analyzed by t tests between and within groups. No significant differences were found between methods. Very significant progress and retention was found within all groups. Industrial executives can be trained to read more efficiently, and do retain that efficiency. Mechanical aids are not required for reading training of executives. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Developing nursing's future role. 2: Nurses' job satisfaction and morale

This, the second of two articles, presents the results of a recent survey of nurses' job satisfaction and morale undertaken at the Northern General Hospital NHS Trust, Sheffield. The survey was conducted in order to provide a benchmark against which to gauge progress towards creating a work environment in which nurses are able to exercise maximum autonomy within a supportive and enabling culture. The results mirror recent national reports which highlight the increasing tension between workload pressures and the desire to provide holistic patient care. A number of factors were identified which suggest the need for remedial action across a range of fronts. Such factors are briefly described, together with the action taken to date to address the issues raised.     

Leadership dynamics: Character and character structure in executives.

While the public and the mass media have continued to uphold and find relevance in the time-honored construct of character, the scientific and professional community are in the process of rediscovering a construct they had essentially relinquished for the past few decades. This paper briefly traces the recent history of character and character structure in psychology and overviews a number of promising theoretical and empirical studies of character and character structure that have particular relevance for consulting psychologists and others involved in executive coaching and consultation. Finally, it describes six commonly noted character structures in executives. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Screening for depression prevention: Identifying adolescent girls at high risk for future depression.

This study investigated a broad array of putative risk factors for the onset of major depression and examined their screening properties in a longitudinal study of 479 adolescent girls. Results indicated that the most potent predictors of major depression onset included subthreshold depressive symptoms, poor school and family functioning, low parental support, bulimic symptoms, and delinquency. Classification tree analysis revealed interactions between 4 of these predictors, suggesting qualitatively different pathways to major depression. Girls with the combination of elevated depressive symptoms and poor school functioning represented the highest risk group, with a 40% incidence of major depression during the ensuing 4-year period. Results suggest that selected and indicated prevention programs should target these high-risk populations and seek to reduce these risk factors. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Abdominal sonography in asymptomatic executives: prevalence of pathologic findings, potential benefits, and problems

Abdominal ultrasonography was performed on 1000 asymptomatic executives over a period of 6 months as part of a comprehensive health examination. The use of ultrasonography in these persons was evaluated with regard to the prevalence and variety of pathologic conditions detected as well as potential benefits, risks, and use as a screening tool. Significant sonographic diagnoses included renal cell carcinoma in four patients (0.4%) and abdominal aortic aneurysm in four patients (0.4%). Abdominal sonography performed on 7925 asymptomatic executives over a subsequent 2 1/2 year period led to detection of 23 (0.3%) additional renal cell carcinomas. The prevalence of renal cell carcinoma in this population is substantially greater than that of the general population. Abdominal sonography facilitates detection of occult renal neoplasms and aortic aneurysms. The cost effectiveness and potential use of sonography as a screening tool remains to be determined, however, given the relatively low overall prevalence of these pathologic conditions.     

Developing tomorrow's integrated community health systems: a leadership challenge for public health and primary care

As the nation's health system moves away from earlier models to one grounded in population health and market-based systems of care, new challenges arise for public health professionals, primary care practitioners, health plan and institutional managers, and community leaders. Among the challenges are the need to develop creative concepts of organization and accountability and to assure that dynamic, system-oriented structures support the new kind of leadership that is required. Developing tomorrow's integrated community health systems will challenge the leadership skills and integrative abilities of public health professionals, primary care practitioners, and managers. These leaders and their new organizations must, in turn, assume increased accountability for improving community health.     

Developing leadership: What is distinctive about what psychologists can offer?

The topic of leadership is ubiquitous in the professional literature of the field of psychology as well as in the popular press. Psychologists are among the thousands of consultants competing for the hundreds of millions of dollars being spent by organizations to develop incumbent and future leaders. Yet, what is it that psychologists can contribute to the endeavor of leadership development that is distinctive? In this article, 5 distinctive contributions that psychologists can make in the area of leadership development are identified and discussed. Implications and recommendations for research, practice, and the education of the consuming public are offered. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Diversity and leadership in a changing world.

Scholars of leadership have infrequently addressed the diversity of leaders and followers in terms of culture, gender, race and ethnicity, or sexual orientation. This omission has weakened the ability of research and theory to address some of the most provocative aspects of contemporary leadership, including (a) the limited access of individuals from diverse identity groups to leadership roles; (b) the shaping of leaders’ behavior by their dual identities as leaders and members of gender, racial, ethnic, or other identity groups; and (c) the potential of individuals from groups formerly excluded from leadership roles to provide excellent leadership because of their differences from traditional leaders. In addressing such issues, we argue that the joining of the two bodies of theory and research—one pertaining to leadership and the other to diversity—enriches both domains of knowledge and provides guidelines for optimizing leadership in contemporary organizations and nations. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The concept of supervision in psychiatric care--compared with mentorship and leadership. A review of the literature

The purpose of the paper is to describe supervision and its significance compared with mentorship and leadership in health care. In addition, supervision is compared with other forms of processes for staff training in psychotherapy and psychosocial work. Supervision can be defined as a pedagogical process, where clinical experiences are made clear and systematized in a professional context. This requires a continual and systematic review process with an emphasis on solving problems.