As we move rapidly into the 21 st century leaders face the challenge of being effective in a global knowledge environment. Now, more than ever, leaders must play the key role in helping organizations cope with the challenges they face from expanding knowledge and knowledge systems. Leaders must guide changes in a climate of increased competition to fill customer demands. This paper addresses the nature of the rapidly changing knowledge organization through an exploration of the traditional leadership paradigms, an examination of current trends in knowledge management and the learning organization, and by finally considering the role of leaders and leadership education in the emerging knowledge organization.
About the Authors: Chris Crawford (ABD, University of Kansas) currently teaches organizational and group communication at Fort Hays State University. Chris was an instrumental player in building the FHSU Leadership Studies program and teaches classes in leadership from time to time. Chris is executive director of CK Consulting Groupe, specializing in a variety of organizational and leadership related topics. Chris' current research interests focus on innovation, mediated delivery methods, technological leadership, and other organizational topics.C. Sue Strohkirch (Ph.D., University of Washington) teaches communication education classes as well as a variety of presentation and interpersonal related classes. Dr. Strohkirch is also the Basic Course Director for the department. Sue's research interests center around communication apprehension, gender studies in communication, and communication pedagogy. Executive SummaryResearch on innovation has focused on the relationship between technology and the social implications of its implementation. Further research is needed to flesh out the theoretical underpinnings of innovation theory. This paper examines the relationships between technological innovation and methods of influence. Subjects (N = 238) completed copies of the Acceptance of Technological Innovation and the Survey of Influence Behaviors. Preliminary results suggest that innovators use whatever influence means they feel are necessary including rewarding, punishing, or manipulative behaviors. Conclusions focus on the implications of these specific findings to the broader fields of innovation and influence methods in organizational contexts.
This article focuses on the empirical effects of cognitive differentiation and persuasive skills on transformational, transaction, and laissez-faire leadership. Subjects (N = 294) completed measures of independent and dependent variables. Findings confirmed prior findings, however findings some reflected differences. Cognitive differentiation was positively related to transformation leadership (r = .16, p = .038), unrelated to transactional leadership (r =-.02, ns), and negatively related to laissez-faire leadership (r =-.22, p = .002). Findings were nearly identical for the persuasive skills variable showing a positive relationship with transformational leadership (r = .19, p = .021), no relationship with transactional leadership (r =-.007, ns), and negatively related to laissez-faire leadership (r =-.27, p = .001). In a regression analysis cognitive differentiation and persuasive skills accounted for 5.4% of the unique variance of transformation leadership (F = 4.02, df = 2,139, p = .02). Implications to leadership educators were discussed.
About the Authors: Chris Crawford (ABD, University of Kansas) currently teaches organizational and group communication at Fort Hays State University. Chris was an instrumental player in building the FHSU Leadership Studies program and teaches classes in leadership from time to time. Chris is executive director of CK Consulting Groupe, specializing in a variety of organizational and leadership related topics. Chris' current research interests focus on innovation, mediated delivery methods, technological leadership, and other organizational topics.C. Sue Strohkirch (Ph.D., University of Washington) teaches communication education classes as well as a variety of presentation and interpersonal related classes. Dr. Strohkirch is also the Basic Course Director for the department. Sue's research interests center around communication apprehension, gender studies in communication, and communication pedagogy. Executive SummaryThis paper examines the relationships between cognitive differentiation and three different methods of influence. A brief summary of cognitive differentiation examined the historical formulation, the organizational applications, and the measures and methods involved. Similarly, a review of organizational influence summarizes the important of influence as well as the organizational and leadership applications of influence. Subjects (N=238) completed copies of the Role Category Questionnaire and the Assessment of Influence Behaviors. Findings suggest that people more cognitively differentiated used more charismatic and team influence, but no more reward/punishment/manipulation influence than did less differentiated subjects. Specific conclusions and implications for leadership addressed.
Lack of effective leadership leads to a world filled with "haves" and "have nots". We always feel some uneasiness when interacting with someone whose background differs from our own. The fact is that the injustice of prejudicial acts toward those different from ourselves hurts everyone. Leaders cannot afford to be complacent. Until we get out of our comfortable "shells" and explore the diversity in our surroundings, little will change in the world and social injustice will live and flourish in the workplace. We must drive out fear. The more we can dialogue with diverse groups the better off we will be. It is fear that keeps us apart. Rather than live "in fear" of someone different from us or a group from another culture, seek to learn though communication about the person or group.
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