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Amy DrozdiakProfessor ThompsonEffective Comm. & LeadershipFebruary 2014 Article Abstract: Analyzing a Qualitative Study in Identification of Leadership Potential – Development & Testing of a Consensus ModelThe article I chose to analyze for this assignment, How to Identify Leadership Potential: Development and Testing of a Consensus Model, detailed a qualitative research study that sought to identify what components, characteristics, and personal traits are considered to be universal indicators of “good leadership potential”. Subsequently, the identified information was to be used to create a comprehensive model that could be universally applied to assess an individual’s leadership potential. The study was split into two halves, conducted separately. The first part of the study was the development of the model (qualitative), and the second portion was the testing of the model consensus (quantitative). In this brief summary and analysis paper I will address the following: the objective of the qualitative study, the way the study was set up, its perceived limitations, its research findings, the applications of the findings, and lastly, the relevance of this particular study to our course material.The intended overall objective of the research study was to “present the results of an extensive literature review focused specifically on leadership potential” and “integrat[e] all criteria for the identification of leadership potential found in the literature into one comprehensive model” (362). The purpose of Part One of the study was to develop an effective and easily testable model for achieving consensus. As the overall objective of this research endeavor was to determine a universal construct of what it means to have “good leadership potential,” a review of relevant literature—to determine what had already been established in the field’s current research— was required to establish the subjective basis of the experiment. Because seeking out the criterion of good leadership potential is a commonly shared desire across many fields of study, the pool of available literature on the subject is quite sizeable. For the literature review, the researchers reviewed forty scholarly articles and seven full-length books to produce a set of 545 leadership potential identification criteria. To begin the study, a representative focus group was organized (chosen for their high academic achievement or status in the field of Human Resource Management/Leadership Development). This focus group had the task of reducing the data (545 plausible criteria) down to a manageable size. The product of the focus group’s stream-lining session was a set of 77 criteria; which was in turn extensively evaluated and standardized further into one comprehensive, 4-part model for leadership potential assessment. The finalization of development for the leadership potential consensus model was assisted by thirty-two “subject matter experts,” or individuals with enough training to help structure the data adequately. Half of these “experts” were practicing HR professionals, and the other half were graduate students of the Industrial & Organizational Psychology program of a large Belgian university. The end result of this data being sectioned into 4 coherent stratifications was what the researchers present as the “Model of Individual Leadership Potential Identification Criteria,” the study’s official consensus model. The model has four quadrants of categorization—Analytical Skills, Learning Agility, Drive, and Emergent Leadership. Each quadrant (composed of personal qualities/traits) is based in one or more of the following dimensions: Extrapersonal, Cognition, Conation, or Interpersonal. An individual’s personal traits and characteristics can be measured against the factors contained in each quadrant. The Analytical Skills quadrant contains the factors of intellectual curiosity, strategic insight, decision making, and problem solving. The Learning Agility quadrant contains willingness to learn, emotional intelligence, and adaptability. The Drive quadrant contains perseverance, dedication, and a results orientation. The Emergent Leadership quadrant contains motivation to lead, self-promotion, and stake-holder sensitivity. This consensus model is the evaluating tool used.4095743142615*Figure 1: Two-Dimensional Model of the Criteria Considered by Subject Matter Considered by Subject Matter Experts as Essential to the Identification of Leadership Potential00*Figure 1: Two-Dimensional Model of the Criteria Considered by Subject Matter Considered by Subject Matter Experts as Essential to the Identification of Leadership PotentialPart Two, or the testing stage of the study, was aimed to ensure than the consensus model proved to be unambiguous and all-inclusive in its criteria. While Part One of the study used a fairly small (32 participants) focus group of subject matter professionals, Part Two employed usage of an online survey. The researchers state that the survey was set up “to assess the degree of consensus about the model of leadership potential developed in Study One in a sample of real life practitioners” (368). A total of 179 respondents completed the survey, with a distribution of 52 top managers, 54 line managers, and 73 Human Resources managers. Though a difference in level of education was present among respondents, all possessed some degree of a professional leadership role. The outcome of the online survey (after statistical analysis was conducted) indicated that the consensus model produced in Part One of the study could indeed be considered “universal.” The coefficient alphas for each one of the four quadrants was as 0.60 or higher. So, represented in non-statistical terms, the consistency level of agreement over all the factors presented in the consensus model was satisfactory—meaning consistent with over half of the participants. Their data proved that the constructed consensus model can provide anywhere from a fairly accurate to a very accurate reading of an individual’s leadership potential.Not only was this research study a successful one, but it also provided a thorough reporting of its perceived limitations for consideration. The perceived limitations that the researchers presented included conflicts of interest, homosocial reproduction, and implicit leadership theories. Conflicts of interest could be considered a limitation for identifying leadership because certain levels of management (ex. Line managers) may benefit from not identifying their top performers as having “good leadership potential.” They could risk losing these high-performing individuals to other departments. Homosocial Reproduction is a limitation because people like “top” managers, who tend to have the final say in leadership positions; may also have a personal bias towards candidates who are most similar to themselves. (This can also work towards oppressing individuals top managers feel threatened by). Implicit leadership theories pose the possibility of limitation because people can possess strong preconceived notions of what a leader should look like, act like, sound like, etc. These implicit theories can be a result of cultural, generational, mediated, or any other kind of influences. The key outcome of this double-barreled research study was the practical utility of the two-dimensional, 4-quadrant model that can be used as a successful predictor of an individual’s leadership potential—by assessing their capabilities regarding Analytical Skills, Learning Agility, Drive, and Emergent Leadership. Putting this model into practice could have a number of positive implications. More accurate predictions of leadership behaviors (as a result of using this model) could lead to greater productivity, motivation, and organizational outcomes. As the researchers re-iterate in their conclusion, and I also believe to be true: “the identification of leadership potential is a strategic imperative” (376). Indeed, identifying good leaders is a strategic imperative that can lead to invaluable positive actions and endeavors. To conclude my analysis of this study, I will briefly highlight the ways I perceive it to be relevant to our course material. Primarily, I think the usage of this consensus model could be most important to help identify individuals who are highly inclined toward being transformational leaders, and those who exhibit the highest credibility. Setting the individuals apart who display these (course-related) concepts in their actions would be highly beneficial to the organizations they were a part of. Leaders who have capacity for transformational leadership, and are identified early on as such, can boost the morale and productivity of the organization and empower others to reach their highest potential; making all of their followers successful in their own right. Leaders with a capacity for demonstrating credibility (high competence, trustworthiness, dynamism) also are highly regarded and respected by their followers, and promote emphasis on competency and integrity. Using the consensus model developed in this research study, organizations could identify such positive role-models and ensure to put them in positions of leadership, for benefit of the greater good. On a personal level, individuals (especially those newly entering the workplace) could use this model for self-analysis and modification. As self-awareness is an important component of effective leadership, determining one’s personal strengths and weaknesses is an invaluable technique for transformation and improvement. This consensus model could be a very useful tool to supplement theories and applications taught in this course, because it can assist in making an individual aware of their current leadership behaviors, and how they can grow and enhance their future leadership potential. Work Cited:Dries, Nicky & Pepermans, Roland. “How to Identify Leadership Potential: Development and Testing of a Consensus Model.” Journal of Human Resource Management. Vol.5. Issue 3. 2012: pp 361-385. Online Journal. Web. (Accessed: 6 Feb 2014)*Figure 1 photograph is an enclosure within cited journal publication. ................
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