Leading Solutions

Leaders are in positions of power and their decisions impact others: therefore, it is imperative that their values should have strong ethical foundations and, above all, that these be aligned with external behaviors and actions that advance the common good.

This précis presents a snapshot of leadership theories and notes their shortening lifespan; it comments on why leadership theories emerge and names the most recent. Next, the précis covers organizational paradox and social neuroscience, approaches that are not conditioned by organizational boundaries and seem relevant to the quickening complexity of our times.

Personal leadership development plans are fluid documents that open up opportunities, beget more impact, and lead to greater overall satisfaction.

This précis tables a preliminary statement of a personal philosophy of leadership. The statement is informed by theoretical perspectives on leadership—themselves based on new-wave leadership literature; key leadership influences; cultural identity; trends in the development of post-bureaucratic organizations; and sundry work experiences.

This précis revisits an opening statement on a personal philosophy of leadership: that initial statement was informed by theories of leadership; formative experiences of leadership; cultural identity; trends in the development of post-bureaucratic organizations; and sundry work experiences. This revised edition offers reflections on the initial statement, drawing from scholarly readings, discussions, and other developments since the “first edition”.

The situational leadership theory holds that leaders should change their style based on the competence and commitment of followers. This précis critiques Blanchard, Zigarmi, and Nelson’s (1993) research article on the subject, which offered a 25-year retrospective of the Situational Leadership Model, one of the more widely recognized approaches to leadership.

People can hold deeply-held beliefs about why their particular moral choice is best; but, it is always essential to justify why one thinks a decision is right and another is wrong. Considering ethical predicaments from a variety of different perspectives will profit all.

Life-markers are points of inflection: some are shared (e.g., birth, baptism, graduation, our first job); others are yours alone (e.g., a book, a person). Personal life-markers hold one-of-a-kind energy that frames our values and imbues our lives with sense, coherence, and meaning.

Ethics, or moral philosophy, investigates concepts of right and wrong conduct; it is not limited to the acts of a single person but seeks also reasoned, principled, positions vis-à-vis the practices of corporations, governments, and many other groups. Using the case method, a teaching approach that uses decision-forcing role-play, this précis explores four dramatically different ethical dilemmas at individual, group, corporate, and global levels.

Groups that range from two persons to many are a very big part of social life—in all its facets—and most organizations rely on teamwork: the justification is that teams are better at solving problems and learn more rapidly and with more effect than individuals (Serrat, 2009). This précis offers reflections on personal experiences of teamwork, noting what does not work. The précis identifies a meaningful common purpose as the single highest requirement for getting work done but underscores other key ingredients of practice. The précis also notes the importance of integrating team identity for team effectiveness.

This précis offers early reflections on a personal experience of teamwork, noting what had worked as of this writing and drawing attention to important next steps in relation to performing. The précis underscores in particular the utility of team charters, designed expressly to promote a healthy and positive experience, that look to the storming–norming–performing stages of group development. The précis remarks on how the team members of the project referred to had lived up to their team charter as of this writing, and shares observations on personal growth with reference to three specific opportunities (including incidents) illustrating development. The précis concludes with a few reflections on self-growth.

Team A was formed in early September 2019 to engage in hearty, learning activities over the period September–December 2019, aiming to suggest tips for managers to implement or empower teams in their organizations. Concluding the short journey synopsized in Serrat (The self in teams [Unpublished manuscript]. The Chicago School of Professional Psychology, 2019a; The self in teams (cont’d), [Unpublished manuscript]. The Chicago School of Professional Psychology, 2019b), this précis on the self in teams considers its author’s performance as a member of Team A and ponders how the practice of self-reflection might be enriched for better team performance in general.

A personal mission statement defines who you are: it identifies your purpose, explains why it matters, and describes how you intend to pursue it. This précis reproduces one such statement. Anchored in positive psychology and positive leadership, the précis references Quinn’s (2005) fundamental state of leadership and leverages its four questions for positive change to retrospectively cast light on my past and present disposition and investigate where and how Quinn’s (2005) fundamental state of leadership might serve in future.

Yip and Wilson (2010) offered challenging insights into the well-quoted saying that “experience is the best teacher”, notably by distinguishing the main event cluster of experiential learning to be challenging assignments, not the corporate staple of coursework and training. This précis comments on the main precepts of learning from experience including Yip and Wilson’s (2010) roadmap to help organizations on the journey of experience-based learning. The précis argues that creating work environments that give everyone the opportunity to flourish in the age of volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity demands more tailored and democratic approaches.

The Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire generates a psychological inventory from propositions that aim to assess leadership styles and leadership outcomes: it is a multi-rater (or 360-degree) instrument, which means that its output—the MLQ 360 Leader’s Report—interprets and compares a leader’s self-assessment with ratings contributed across the same items by associates. This précis reflects on a Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire exercise conducted in May 2020.

Deming, Drucker, Maslow, McGregor, Schein, Senge, Taylor, Weber … This précis references influential management theories in the last hundred years: in each instance, the taxonomy flags the historical foundation, highlights basic theory and application, lists principally cited publications, and passes comment on how the theory is viewed today.

This précis contextualizes Mintzberg’s work to expose the cult of leadership and restore management to the front and center, quickly elucidates Mintzberg’s (2009) Model of Managing, and makes the supporting point that if managing is indeed a practice then wide vistas open in coaching and training for competency-buliding.

The classical view of a manager’s role has been that he/she organizes, coordinates, plans, and controls. In 1973, Mintzberg clarified that on any given day managers are very busy, frequently interrupted, and at pains to control what they do. Revisiting his observations 35 years later, Mintzberg (2009) delineated a Model of Managing that depicts managing on three planes: through information, with people, and for action. Framed by Mintzberg’s (2009) Model of Managing, this précis presents findings, analyses, and reactions from observation of a single manager.

This précis suggests that Cameron and Quinn’s (2011) competing values framework and Weisbord’s (1976) Six-Box Model can be leveraged in concert to make organizations more effective.

This précis introduces Blustein (2006) and its new perspective for career development, counseling, and public policy.

More and more, the literature recognizes that work is influenced by contextual factors: this précis traces the argument, considers of the relative importance of individual, group, and global factors in this researcher’s work experience, and sketches ways of coping with the global contextual factors of work.

Day, Harrison, and Halpin (2009) specified that leader development focuses on the three domains of expertise and expert performance, identity and self-regulation processes, and adult development; this précis explores the theoretical propositions they submitted toward developing expert leadership.

Day, Harrison and Halpin (2009) articulated five variables that frame individual differences in leader development (i.e., self-regulatory strength, goal orientation, self-efficacy, self-awareness, and implementation intentions). Referencing environmental factors, this précis locates self-regulation processes and points up the potential contribution of each to leader development.

Very few leaders are born: most need experience and the earlier one starts, the better. But, if leaders need exposure, they must seek or be presented with a wide variety of work experiences and truly learn from these. This précis discusses how effective leaders learn, distinguishes social and personal contexts of learning, and illustrates theory with a quick example.

This précis argues that leadership and ethics are inherently intertwined: for higher effectiveness, leader development needs to foster moral capacity, efficacy, courage, and resiliency.

This précis records seven short takes on personal leadership development; social identity theory; authentic leadership; relationships with careers; leader development; social barriers; and integrating adult, leader, and leadership development.

This précis outlines the Reflective Judgment model, defines its seven stages, notes the basis for their articulation as a developmental process, flags intrinsic and extrinsic limitations, and ponders a desired relationship between cognitive development, leader development, and organization-wide learning.

This précis demonstrates how one can in written form apply intellectual standards such as clarity, accuracy, precision, relevance, depth, breadth, logic, significance, and fairness to analyze and evaluate the reasoning behind an article or textbook.

Reading research articles does not come naturally. This précis reviews the contribution that critical thinking can make to discerning proof.

Leveraging the approach to critical thinking advocated by Paul and Elder (2008), this précis makes a short argument for a research topic on linking doctoral research to practice to contribute new knowledge to the field and help address a real-world issue or opportunity.

With attention to cultural dynamics, diversity, power, and privilege, this précis investigates the contribution of critical psychology to organizational performance. The précis flags the case of the United Nations system, especially the General Assembly, to identify key challenges in the twenty-first century and consider how it might advance social justice and well-being.

This précis locates critical psychology in the discourse of critical theory. The précis reflects on historical and social events that shaped decolonization, postcolonialism, and globalization and identifies a relationship between them. The précis proposes that critical psychology must now find ways to enrich policy with research if it is to better serve social justice.

This précis uses a critical psychology lens for minority population analysis. Specifically, the précis characterizes indigenous peoples and their vulnerability; researches the treatment of the Aeta, an indigenous people living in the mountainous areas of Luzon in the Philippines; and reflects on their experience of domination, marginalization, and exploitation.

This précis contends that hitherto unnoticed minority populations, subject to an even more systemic and tenuous dynamic of domination, oppression, and privilege, have appeared in the wake of globalization. The précis suggests that critical psychology can advocate justice-focused policy making better across an even larger constituency if it integrates concern for class, gender, race, and other identity categories more constitutively. The précis reasons that the existing and evolving institutional infrastructure of the United Nations System can help offset iniquities provided the binarism of realpolitik does not undercut far-sighted vision. Referencing Prilleltensky (2012) in particular, the précis flags core concepts at the intersection of critical psychology and globalization.

This précis presents a description, critical analysis, and evaluation of the quality, meaning, and significance of Interviewing as Qualitative Research: A Guide for Researchers in Education and the Social Sciences (Seidman, 2013).

This précis presents a research concept paper for Leading Organizations of the Future: it specifies the primary reasons for undertaking the proposed study, states the problem to be examined, particularizes the research question, articulates the conceptual framework for the expanded literature review while flagging one key text, and justifies what methods of data collection and analysis would underpin next steps.

Informed by trends and citing predictions about the future of evaluation, this précis lays out requirements, considerations, and steps for planning and delivering change that would support the recalibration of independent evaluation so it might better serve learning.

This précis outlines the process consulting style and notes three reactions to the exclusive division of alternatives it intuits, the assumptions of the approach, and the concept of client.

This précis chronicles five short notes on the General System Theory; the nature of a system; open and closed systems; leverage points; and the learning organization.

This précis submits a business proposal for idealized design of virtual teaming at General Electric, a multinational conglomerate that retains more than 313,000 employees around the world and so must synergize a dispersed workforce.

This précis identifies strengths and weaknesses of the idealized design approach and suggests why and how it might be used to better effect.

This précis describes how, from origins in Mintzberg (1989) and Morgan (2006) and in consideration of their assumptions and shortcomings, a personal mental model of organizations—more suited to the volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity of the 21st century—was arrived at.

The demise of the learning organization has seemingly been enacted: Google Trends chronicles the worldwide waning of the search-term “learning organization” from the high of 100 in April 2004 to 10 in June 2018. This précis means to talk down trends in management ideas whose particularized if not proprietary vocabulary largely explains why what is in vogue one day is antiquated the next.

This précis argues that in the Internet of Things organizations must embrace the digital world if they are to survive and, preferably, thrive. Irrespective of the sector or industry an organization is in, digital transformation enables fundamentally different ways for it to think about clients, audiences, and partners, and to engage with them.

Human beings have “managed” information from times immemorial but information and communication technology (ICT) surged from the mid-twentieth century and advances ever faster. Firstly, this précis points out the growing role of information in modern society. Exploring the historical context of technological revolutions but referencing in particular recent demographic patterns and globalization too, the précis then reflects on pre-eminent first-order results from enhanced use of ICT in organizations. Finally, the précis draws attention to future challenges and summons better understanding of how ICT might help deliver requisite organizational agility.