| Leadership and Organizational
Effectiveness in a Fast-Changing World |
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Abstract:
Effective coordination of organizational activities is a major determinant
of organizational effectiveness. The need for coordination is drastically
enhanced when the pace of change in the strategic environment is high.
Visionary and responsive leadership becomes critical under such conditions.
The presentation will review the nature of effective leadership, historical
understanding of leadership, and the challenges that the modern business
environment creates for organizational leaders.
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Biography
Martin Chemers is a social psychologist with interests in leadership and team
and organizational effectiveness. Much of his work has addressed how cultural
and personality characteristics of leaders and followers affect the intrapersonal
and interpersonal processes that give rise to highly motivated and effective teams.
Also of interest are factors that influence the leadership effectiveness of "non
traditional" leaders such as women and minority group members.
Chemers' current research is focused on the construct of "mettle"
which refers to confidence in one's leadership capability and optimism about
the outcomes of one's efforts. Confident and optimistic (i.e., high mettle)
leaders are seen as highly effective by superiors, peers, and subordinates;
are able to persevere in the face of difficult and stressful circumstances;
and have a strong influence on the confidence and optimism of teammates. Recent
research on mettle includes both laboratory and field studies. For example,
a laboratory experiment found that high mettle leaders were able to maintain
feelings of self-efficacy and hopefulness in the face of negative feedback about
task performance and follower acceptance. A study of men's and women's college
basketball teams determined that the mettle of the team's on-the-floor leader
was the most powerful determinant of team success in terms of won-loss records
and conference rankings. Studies in progress are examining the effects of leader
mettle among unit managers in a large fast-food chain and officers in a military
setting. Of particular interest are the interpersonal mechanisms by which the
leader's confidence and optimism have their effects on follower motivation and
performance.
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