Leadership from the File Room to the Board Room

In this qualitative study, I explored the influences of an 18-month long leadership development program offered within a large, public service organization on the professional and personal lives of graduates. Researching from a social constructionist stance, I chose to use situational analysis, a variation of grounded theory methodology, to frame the study. The resultant theorizing indicated that although the influences of the program vary widely, the Leadership Development Program created a safe space in which participants engaged in conversations that stretched and challenged their thinking and feeling about themselves, their relationships, and their performance of leadership. Research participants reported that they show up in life and at work differently as a result of the program experience, and that they have new language with which to talk about leadership in their personal and professional lives. This book shares my research story.

Autorentext

Karen Dawson is a consultant and leadership coach who works to support change initiatives and leadership development up, down, and across organizations. She is a "pracademic" - keenly interested in the intersection of leadership theory and the practical application of those theories through creative processes. She lives in Calgary, Canada.