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Traditional leadership theory and practice in the public sector has focused on leading within bounded hierarchies. However, the demand for collaborative governance requires new approaches to leadership. The question for scholars is: what is collaborative leadership and how does it compare to traditional leadership thought? To investigate this question, personal interviews were conducted with experienced collaborators in the federal government, with special emphasis on executives in the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Interview data were analyzed alongside three public leadership models. Analysis revealed that four strengths are fundamental to collaborative leadership: (1) oral communication, (2) external awareness, (3) continual learning, and (4) interpersonal skills. In the context of collaboration, leadership contrasts significantly from traditional public sector leadership models, which emphasize directive action rather than supporting, or human relations–focused action. While there was considerable congruence among interviewees with regard to the core skills necessary for collaborative leadership, U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) respondents value creativity/innovation as a collaborative leadership attribute, which seems to be in contrast with the organization's formal command-and-control structure.

The purpose of this paper is to examine public service motivation (PSM) and the connection with collaborative attitudes among a sample of homeland security actors representing the public, private, and nonprofit sectors.

This study examines relationships between measures of PSM and collaboration using original survey data and hierarchical multiple regression.

Findings reveal strong positive relationships between PSM measures and attitudes toward collaboration at the individual and organizational level.

Survey results are cross-sectional and are from respondents participating in a single state's homeland security summit.

It is expected that results can be used to enhance collaboration at the individual and organizational levels. At the organizational level, results can be used for matching individuals with collaborative opportunities. At the individual level, results can be used for enhanced self-reflection and effectiveness purposes.

This study provides insights on the relationship between PSM measures and collaborative attitudes. The research contributes to the body of scholarly work connecting PSM and correlates of interest.

The research articles in this volume were initially presented at a conference, entitled “Cutting Edge Theories and Recent Developments in Conflict Resolution,” which celebrated the 20th anniversary of the Program on the Analysis and Resolution of Conflicts (PARC) at Syracuse University's Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs. Presenters were encouraged to submit their papers for consideration, and following a rigorous peer review and revision process, nine articles were accepted. The volume explores some of the major themes of conflict analysis, including how powerful dominant discourses can both soothe and exacerbate conflict, the roles of civic organizations in promoting peace and incubating democratic principles, the ways in which different forms of dialogue are used to heal historically dysfunctional intergroup relations, and the importance of a deeply institutional, structural understanding of ethnocentrism and racism. The authors conducted their research in several different countries – the US, Canada, Bosnia, and Northern Ireland – and used a wide range of analytical techniques including in-depth interviews, surveys, and document analysis. What holds them together is the rigorous tie they make between theory and empirical data. Some authors have built conflict theory inductively, based on their own research and/or secondary sources, while others have tested existing models with empirical data. These articles collectively make a solid contribution to theoretical development in the conflict analysis field.

This article provides a historical literature review and exploratory descriptive case study of one U.S. Federal agencyʼs efforts to design an appropriate government-wide leadership development curriculum for incumbent top or senior civil servants. The U.S. Federal Executive Institute was founded in 1968, it spans the 20th and 21st centuries, it illustrates changes in the compact that exists between government and its top civil servants over time, and it illustrates challenges this agency confronts addressing the task of interagency leadership development. The main findings are three continuities and three discontinuities between curriculum development then and now. Conclusions outline issues for future interdisciplinary research to inform the intellectual roots for 21st century curricula aligned to emerging roles and the challenges top career executives actually confront.