Note from the publisher

Citation

(2002), "Note from the publisher", Leadership & Organization Development Journal, Vol. 23 No. 8. https://doi.org/10.1108/lodj.2002.02223haa.002

Note from the publisher

A preview of forthcoming content

The following papers are scheduled for publication in early issues of Vol. 24 (2003) of the Leadership & Organization Development Journal.

Transformational leadership: an examination of cross-national differences and similarities

Exceptional success depends on sustaining extraordinary performance. Are there universal behaviours which are consistent around the world? Are there subtle differences of emphasis which vary across different nationalities or corporate environments? In a global petroleum company, 145 senior executives were asked to describe examples of exceptional organizational performance and to identify key leadership behaviours which they saw as accounting for the extraordinary outcomes. Content analysis of their coded responses led to a few leadership behaviours identified as key to the instances of exceptional performance. The major finding of this research study was that the main dimensions of leadership for extraordinary performance are universal. Only a few variations in emphasis existed among six different regions of the world. As expected, there were also some clear leadership differences, long established in the folklore of the company, associated with different corporate cultures in the two major divisions.

A comprehensive system for leader evaluation and development

The aim was to describe the development of a theoretical model for leader evaluation and development, an instrument based on this model, and a strategy for large scale implementation in the Swedish armed forces. The model rests on an interactional person by situation paradigm. It emphasises "developmental leadership", which is inspired by transformational and functionalistic leadership approaches. The developmental leadership questionnaire (DLQ) was operationalised from the model and refined through structural equation modelling. The model and the DLQ will be used for yearly evaluation of all personnel in the Swedish armed forces, yearly planning dialogues between each employee and supervisor, and as a tool for leadership training. The implementation strategy includes an initial course in developmental leadership for all colonels. This is followed by the selection and training of local trainers, who, in turn, initiate the comprehensive programme locally. The system should be fully implemented by 2005.

The positive impact and development of hopeful leaders

Although hope is commonly used in terms of wishful thinking, as a positive psychological concept consisting of the dimensions of both willpower (agency) and waypower (pathways), it has been found to be positively related to academic, athletic and health outcomes. The impact of hopeful leaders, however, has not been empirically analyzed. This exploratory study (n = 59) found that high- as compared to low-hope leaders had more profitable work units and had better satisfaction and retention rates among their subordinates. The implications of these preliminary findings of the positive impact that hopeful leaders may have in the workplace are discussed.

Developing a leadership knowledge architecture: a cognitive approach

Of all occupational groups, army officers are perhaps the most appropriate for studying leadership. A great deal of an officer's effort and time is spent serving in a leadership capacity. This research with New Zealand Army officers (n = 103) describes the development of an instrument that directs and facilitates the articulation of perceptions of leadership knowledge processes. The subsequent knowledge process architecture provides a credible platform for the design of leadership training and development programmes with high utility for the organisation because of increased learning transfer from the leadership programme back to the workface.

Gender and leadership? Leadership and gender? A journey through the landscape of theories

The paper seeks to examine whether women's leadership styles are different from men's, whether these styles are less effective, and whether the determination of women's effectiveness as leaders is fact-based or a perception that has become a reality. The authors consider the four main schools of thought in this area of debate. Conclusions reveal that women's leadership style is different from men's but men can learn from and adopt "women's" style; furthermore, women's styles of leadership are not likely to be less effective than men's. Finally, the authors conclude that the assessment that a woman's leadership style is less effective than a man's is not fact-based but rather driven, by socialization, to a perception that certainly persists.