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The purpose of this research study was to obtain healthcare executives’ perspectives on diversity in executive healthcare leadership. The study focused on identifying perspectives about diversity and its potential impact on the access of healthcare services by people of color. The study also identified perspectives about factors that influence the attainment of executive healthcare roles by people of color.

A convenience sample of healthcare executives was obtained. The executives identified themselves as belonging to one of two subgroups, White healthcare executives or executives of color. Participants were interviewed telephonically in a semi-structured format. The interviews were transcribed and entered into a qualitative software application. The data were codified and important themes were identified.

The majority of the study participants perceive that diversity of the executive healthcare leadership team is important. There were differences in perspective among the subgroups as it relates to solutions to improve access to healthcare by people of color. There were also differences in perspective among the subgroups, as it relates to explaining the underrepresentation of people of color in executive healthcare leadership roles.

This research effort benefited from the subject matter expertise of 24 healthcare executives from two states. Expansion of the number of survey participants and broadening the geographical spread of where participants were located may have yielded more convergence and/or more divergence in perspectives about key topics.

The findings from this research study serve to add to the existing body of literature on diversity in executive healthcare leadership. The findings expand on the importance of key elements in contemporary literature such as diversity, cultural competency and perspectives about the need for representation of people of color in leadership roles that guide healthcare policy and access. This study connects contemporary literature to perspectives of executives in the field and offers practical solutions to improving the representation of people of color in executive healthcare leadership roles.

The recommendations offered as a result of this research effort serve to create awareness of the challenges that people of color face in career attainment. Although the process of increasing the representation of people of color in executive healthcare leadership will be a complex task that will involve a number of players over the course of several years, this study serves to provide a practical roadmap with actionable tactics that can be deployed.

This paper is an extension of the work that was done by the author during the course of completing the program requirements for the author’s doctoral program. The findings were previously discussed in the author’s dissertation. The value of these findings is significant because they validate some of the topics in contemporary literature with the perspectives of practicing healthcare executives. This study is also unique from other studies in that it offers a long-term plan to increase the representation of people of color in executive roles by creating an early disposition toward executive level roles and identifies a number of practical steps toward that end.

The paper offers an example of an approach to translating integral concepts into language that is accessible to executive leaders in business without resorting to introducing the complexity of integral theory and models.

The phase of intervention is data gathering prior to feedback of data, action planning or change interventions. The model is presented along with examples of its implementation. The methodology and implementation follows principles derived from organization development and change methodologies.

Time availability for “educational interventions”, particularly in the initial phases of an intervention with executives is usually very limited. Having an approach that is integrally informed supports the gathering and organization of quality data from interviews and lays the foundation for individual and team coaching interventions that may include introduction of integral models and concepts to support executive leadership. The approach clarifies for the individual and the executive team their views of the requisite priorities, skills and processes for effectiveness within the team and in relation to stakeholders.

The paper is suggestive of a more comprehensive approach to research on leadership and its development in organizations.

Since contracting for change is a critical element in successful interventions, an integral approach fosters more effective contracting due to the thoroughness of data identified.

Presents an application of integral theory that is unique and that has been tested in organization change interventions at the executive level.

The executives, just below the chief executive officers represent an important but rarely investigated senior executives. The purpose of this paper is to investigate their need for social acceptance and the impact of culture on the perceived use of transformational and transactional leadership behaviors.

A cross-sectional, multi-instrument design was used to investigate 439 Australian executives at the apex of their organization.

The results suggest that these executives identified a prominent need to self-deceive themselves when assessing their perceived use of transformational and transactional leadership behaviors. In addition, the cultural dimensions, such as supportiveness and performance orientation, were identified as influencing specific leadership behaviors, in order to produce competitive advantages. However, the cultural dimension of emphasis on rewards uniquely decreased the perceived use of several leadership behaviors (i.e. articulates vision, fosters the acceptance of group goals, and provides an appropriate role model).

The study provides further evidence of how the social context impacts on leadership behaviors and thinking

The development of executive requires insights into how their personal need for social acceptance and culture alter their use of leadership.

Social desirability and specific culture dimensions do not uniformly influence the perceived use of transformational and transactional leadership behaviors.

The purpose of this study is to fill the gap by investigating the relationship between age and other demographics on decision-making and leadership styles of executives in the non-profit sector.

This study is a quantitative research using correlation analysis and analysis of variance. The quantitative approach establishes facts, makes predictions and tests stated hypothesis and used the Pearson correlation coefficient, the ANOVA and the two-way analysis of variance. This study used surveys to collect data.

H1 states that there will be no significant difference in the decision-making models used among non-profit organizational leaders (rational, intuitive, dependent, spontaneous and avoidant) based on demographic variables: gender and age. H2 states that there will be no significant difference in the leadership style used among non-profit organizational executives (selling, telling, delegating and participating) and different dimensions of demographic variables: gender and age.

This study explored the relationship between the demographics, age and gender and the decision-making models (rational, intuitive, dependent, spontaneous and avoidant) and leadership styles (selling, telling, delegating and participating) of executives in non-profit organizations. The age of the executives also showed to be important factors that influenced executive’s leadership styles and decision-making models as well.

Rational decision-making as reflected to in this study has been used by older, possibly more experienced non-profit executives. This model is favorable towards making decisions on complicated issues. The final choice rational decision-makers select will maximize the outcome; it is assumed that the decision-maker will choose the alternative that rates the highest and get the maximum benefits (Robbins and Decenzo, 2003, pp. 141-142). The researcher suggests that non-profit executives, especially the younger executives, should attend management and leadership conferences that focus on rational decision-making models as concerns business strategies and making the best choices based on possible alternatives.

Rational decision-making as reflected to in this study has been used by older, possibly more experienced non-profit executives. This model is favorable towards making decisions on complicated issues. The final choice rational decision-makers select will maximize the outcome; it is assumed that the decision-maker will choose the alternative that rates the highest and get the maximum benefits (Robbins and Decenzo, 2003, pp. 141-142). The researcher suggests that non-profit executives, especially the younger executives, should attend management and leadership conferences that focus on rational decision-making models as concerns business strategies and making the best choices based on possible alternatives.

This is an original piece of research that contributes to the literature on leadership style.

In the light of the financial crisis and the radically changed conditions in the market place, international leadership development is facing new demands. The Danish-based International Leadership Institute Mannaz has researched the new conditions in collaboration with the Institute of Executive Development in the United States.

The research, conducted in 2008 and 2009, combines, in an innovative way, quantitative and qualitative inputs, from both current and future perspectives, from some 111 senior Corporate Executives, Heads of Human Resources and of Learning and Organisational Development in large international corporations headquartered in Europe and the United States; together with the thoughts of some 50 experienced practitioners involved in executive coaching as well as in designing, developing and facilitating leadership development programmes. Also we include a section summarising the key findings from recently published research from other leadership development surveys. Conclusions reveal that the crisis has propelled a long-awaited decline of the traditional classroom-based educational approach to leadership development. Instead, effective leadership development is suggested to build on experiential learning approaches rooted in real life, real time and allowing for more immediate impact and providing for considerably higher relevance and motivation. Coaching, leaders teaching leaders, stretch assignments, action learning, peer networking, customer insights and selective use of technology are seen as important contributors to the leadership development process going forward.

This paper determines and analyses criteria for top executives to use in appraisal systems to promote ambidextrous leadership, enhancing the organization's ability to identify persons who can lead ambidextrously or determining the development potential of existing top executives.

Using a theoretical-conceptual, triangulated approach, the investigation in this paper examines the requirements for top executives to lead ambidextrously. In a subsequent review and frequency analysis, the specific attributes/behaviours a top executive should possess are examined. Analysis of the application of these appraisal criteria is theoretical.

The criteria listed in this paper (e.g. ambition, courage, vision) can be used to foster ambidextrous leadership when hiring or evaluating performance. These and/or the criteria already existing in an organization should be classified in one of the two categories presented (1. one-dimensional criteria: differentiation between exploration/exploitation is not necessary; 2. multidimensional criteria: differentiation between exploration and exploitation, opening and closing leadership, and first- and second-order changes is necessary) to differentiate the criteria and thereby illuminate their application in the areas of exploration and exploitation. Thus, a corresponding assessment of applicants and/or job holders for ambidextrous leadership is possible.

This theoretical analysis contributes to the literature on top executives' recruitment, performance management, career and succession planning, focusing on ambidextrous leadership and organizational development by elucidating a differentiated concept for appraisal criteria so that the right person can be appointed to the top executive position or assigned to the necessary personnel development programme. Thus identified, a top executive may be positioned to maintain, improve or install ambidextrous leadership and practice in an organization.

The purpose of this paper is to explore leader flexibility in the manufacturing sector. The objectives are to understand the nature of uncertainties that leaders face and how their personal attributes facilitate them in responding to uncertain situations.

A total of 20 middle- and senior-level executives were interviewed, using seven semi-structured questions, from four states in India. Responses were analyzed using thematic analysis.

In this paper, two themes were identified: the need for flexibility and competencies. The need for flexibility included the factors that warrant adaptability and the performance requirements, such as changes in external environment, reconciling opposing demands, unpredictability of human resources and day-to-day contingencies. Performance requirements included monitoring the environment, anticipating changes, creating shared meanings, developing adaptability in human resources, understanding contradictions and generating alternate solutions. Competencies included balancing different values, roles, and behaviors, coaching and team building skills, planning skills, systems thinking, social skills, conflict management skills and openness to learning.

Interviews were conducted with only executives; interviewing their subordinates may have revealed different perspectives. With the accounts being retrospective, few details may have been missed or exaggerated.

The findings can be used to apprise leaders of the challenges they may face and develop competencies required for leader flexibility.

Leadership research in the manufacturing sector is mostly focused on leaders’ responses to environmental uncertainties. This research identifies the task demands associated with unpredictability of human factors and daily contingencies, and the competencies used to respond.

This research investigates developmental experiences of executive leaders that result in effective capabilities over their lifetimes.

Qualitative study with 31 C-suite, Vice President, and Director-level executives, Methods used include semi-structured, critical incident interviews, constant comparative analysis, thematic analysis, protocol coding style, inductive coding, and NVivo.

Eight of the competencies from the emotional and social competency inventory – (ESCI) and three new themes, continuous learning, environmental aesthetic, and duality of awareness are identified as key differentiators of effective executive leaders.

The sample consisted of four organizations; study participants represented small- to medium-size private organizations in both profit and non-profit spheres, and the study relied on respondent’s recollections of past lived experiences.

My analysis suggests that this unique blend of competencies, themes, and behaviors enables leadership effectiveness within the healthcare, manufacturing, and professional services industries.

Contributions to leadership development literature through empirically rigorous, scientific study with executive leaders in the field suggest that emotional intelligence competencies are differentiators of executive performance and propose that executive development opportunities include multiple dimensions of emotional intelligence.

The purpose of this paper is to differentiate the ambidextrous leadership concept into direct and indirect types to provide an alternative when the requirements of direct ambidextrous leadership cannot be met.

Desk research is used in this paper to relate the ambidextrous leadership concept to the roles of leader and manager to more comprehensively determine the requirements for being a direct/indirect ambidextrously leading executive than is possible by referring only to opening and closing leadership or exploration and exploitation.

Special requirements in the context of ambidextrous leadership can be transferred from the top executive/chief executive officer to third parties, for example, some control tasks in the area of exploitation can be distributed among the top management team, enabling the top executive to focus on tasks such as developing an organisation-wide vision and its strategic implementation. Indirect ambidextrous leadership exists if the top executive distributes exploitation tasks to third parties. Direct ambidextrous leadership exists if the top executive assumes leadership in both the exploration and exploitation areas. This means that the demands on the top executive are different in direct ambidextrous leadership and in indirect ambidextrous leadership.

The literature has not yet focused on the differentiation between direct and indirect ambidextrous leadership. This paper contributes towards closing this gap. The potential for indirect ambidextrous leadership can be essential for a company’s success because in addition to direct ambidextrous leadership, it represents the possibility of creating a sustainable organisation in a changing market.

The use of women's networks is emerging as one method of advancing women's careers within organizations. However, the value of these networks has been questioned. The purpose of this study is to examine how potential differences in the perceptions of network members and the firm's executive leadership about the purposes and anticipated outcomes of a women's network may impact women's career advancement.

The authors interviewed 21 members of an intra‐firm women's network and six members of the executive leadership team of a global organization. To examine the qualitative data, they used a process of thematic analysis to discover prevalent themes in the transcribed interviews.

Both members of the women's network and the executive leadership team placed responsibility for women's career advancement upon the individual; the firm's male‐dominated culture and organizational constraints were not emphasized. While members of the women's network recognized how the network could be used to contribute to the firm's strategic goals, the executive leadership team did not recognize the network's possible effect on the firm's bottom line.

Examines how potential differences in the perceptions of network members and the firm's executive leadership about the purposes and anticipated outcomes of a women's network may impact women's career advancement.