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º 360 feedback The Newsletter of MLQ Network
Volume 10 Issue 2 July 2008
SPECIAL FEATURES INSIDE: • Research Report: The Inner Side of Leadership! (page (page 1-2) 1-2) • Practitioner take-aways that inform leadership development (page (page 3) 3) • Features and benefits of our LDP generation system (page (page 3) 3)
From the Director’s Desk
In becoming an effective leader how one thinks is important: the vital inner side of leadership development!
This edition of 360 degree Feedback focuses on the important inner side of leadership.
Ray Elliott MAPS, FAHRI
Organisational Psychologist Director, MLQ Leadership Services
A lot of effort can go into collecting good data for feedback about effective leadership. But if this does not translate into effectively developing leader-managers to achieve optimal profiles in their influencing with others the investment of time, energy and money is wasted. In this edition we provide important stimulus on this vital issue from two fronts.
First, on pages 1 and 2 Tom Cerni reports on recent research that advances understanding of our rational system that is strongly related to transformational leadership and the pre or unconscious experiential systems that sometimes can empower such leadership but which can disable it from being realised. I then offer some practitioner take-away comments that utilize these research findings (p4). Secondly, Michael Pahoff our experienced Operations Manager provides very practical advice about how to create rationally-driven leadership development plans through easy systematic steps that build directly on MLQ360 assessment feedback (p3). Thirdly, also on page 3 we provide a schematic about how to easily establish a valid leadership development plan, based on 360MLQ feedback, through the elegant MLQ-LDP generation process to achieve a unique dedicated client plan that provides an on-going framework for coaching and indeed disclosure in the client’s organisation. Enjoy!
Ray Elliott
MLQ PL Director
[email protected]
Tom Cerni The Scots College, Sydney & The University of Western Sydney
Research Report by MLQ Network Member and Researcher Tom Cerni
This invited feature article for 360 degree Feedback summarises his recently internationally published findings about important relationships between transformational leadership (using our MLQ short scale) and a) client rational (thinking) process on the one hand, and b) experiential (including emotional) processes on the other. The term emotional intelligence has evoked much interest over the last ten years mainly due to the influence of Daniel Goleman’s bestselling book, Emotional Intelligence (EI). As valuable as Goleman’s contribution has been to our understanding about emotional intelligence it is not without limitation including a failure to appreciate the influence of preconscious, automatic thoughts on emotion. Other limitations of EI, including validity issues have been well articulated by Professor John Antonakis in the February, 2005 newsletter. Through a comprehensive research program Epstein and his colleagues have developed the Cognitive-experiential Self-theory (CEST) that addresses some of the EI limitations. According to CEST, intellect and emotions are controlled by a rational and experiential system respectively (Epstein, 1998). The rational system operates according to logical inference and is conscious, deliberate and relatively emotion-free. This system is reason oriented and attuned to logical connections (Epstein, 1998). While the experiential system learns directly from experience, is preconscious, operates * Just published: Cerni. T., Curtis, G.J., & Colmar, S.H. (2008). Information-processing and leadership style: Constructive thinking and transformational leadership. Journal of Leadership Studies. 2, 60-73.
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MLQ Pty Ltd l PO Box 199 l Hawthorn l VIC l 3122 l Australia l (61-3) 9819 3689 l
[email protected] l www.mlq.com.au
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Research Report by MLQ Network Member and Researcher Tom Cerni
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automatically, and is intimately associated with emotions. Both systems work in parallel, are bi-directional and have a range of influence varying from minimal to almost complete dominance, depending on the context, person, and emotional involvement (Denes-Raj, & Epstein, 1994; Handley, Newstead, & Wright, 2000). Our research explored the connection between the two informationprocessing systems and the Full Range Leadership Theory (Bass & Avolio, 1997) in the educational context.
operating automatically, and at the preconscious level, individuals may be unaware of its influence (Epstein, 1998). It is believed that the rational and experiential systems have several advantages and disadvantages in how they influence each other.
Study 1 examined the relationship between information-processing and leadership styles. The rational system shared a positive relationship with transformational leadership and all its subscales.
The advantage of the experiential system is that –
In particular • both Idealised Influence (attributed - new scale label Builds Trust) and Inspirational Motivation (Inspires Others) showed a positive relationship with the analytical, intentional and effortful aspects of the rational system; • the characteristics of Intellectual Stimulation (Encourages Innovative Thinking) also related well to the rational system. However, while the results showed that the rational system had these strong positive correlations with transformational leadership, the experiential system was weakly correlated with such leadership. Study 2 confirmed the strength of the relationship between the rational system and transformational leadership and extended its findings. It was found that a strong positive relationship also existed between the constructive aspects of the experiential system and transformational leadership. Specifically, global constructive thinking, emotional coping, behavioural coping and their respective subscales were all positively correlated with transformational leadership. With the exception of Idealized Influence (attributed - Builds Trust), transformational leadership focuses on the behaviour of the leaders (Elliott, 2004). Results of the second study suggest that transformational leadership may have cognitive underpinnings that are related to behaviour. • In an educational setting a transformational leader is likely to think in ways that facilitate effective action (which corresponds with behavioural coping). • The subscales of behavioural coping suggest that the leader would tend to emphasize the positive side of situations and to think in a manner that makes unpleasant tasks minimally distressing (positive thinking), take effective action when faced with problems (action orientation), and engage in planning and careful thought (conscientiousness) (Epstein, 2001). Given that the experiential system is associated with affect it seems plausible to associate positive thinking, a subscale of behavioural coping, with positive emotions. • For example, employees working with supervisors who are high on transformational leadership experienced more positive emotions throughout the workday, including interactions with coworkers and customers (Bono, Foldes, Vinson, & Muros, 2007). This appears to complement our finding of a connection between positive thinking and transformational leadership. Most people are aware of the rational system because it operates at the conscious level, however, with the experiential system
The advantage of the rational system is that – • it has the capacity to understand the experiential system when thoughts surface into consciousness. • it can influence the rational system without the rational system being aware of that influence (Epstein, 2006). However the experiential system cannot understand the rational system. A critical factor underlying leadership may be the degree to which leaders rely on, and are influenced by, each of these systems. Practitioners need to attend to these inner aspects of leadership as they seek to identify, reinforce and develop in their clients more effective leadership.
Tom Cerni
The Scots College, Sydney & The University of Western Sydney
[email protected] Main Reference: Cerni. T., Curtis, G.J., & Colmar, S.H. (2008). Information-processing and leadership style: Constructive thinking and transformational leadership. Journal of Leadership Studies. 2, 60-73. References cited in the above article: Bass, B. M., & Avolio, B.J. (1997). Full range leadership development: manual for the multifactor leadership questionnaire. Redwood City, CA: Mind Garden. Bono, J.E., Foldes, H.J., Vinson, G., & Muros, J.P. (2007). Workplace emotions: The role of supervision and leadership. Journal of Applied Psychology, 92, 1357-1367. Denes-Raj, V., & Epstein, S. (1994). Conflict between intuitive and rational processing when people behave against their better judgment. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 66, 819-829. Elliott, R. H. (2004). Ethical leadership and business culture: Transformational pathways within boards and management for enhanced integrity, trust and organizational actualization. The International Society of Business, Economics and Politics, Third World Congress, Melbourne, July. Epstein, S. (1998a). Constructive thinking: The key to emotional intelligence. Wesport, CT: Prager. Epstein, S. (2001). Constructive thinking inventory: Professional manual. Lutz, FL: Psychological Assessment Resources, Inc. Epstein, S. (2006). Intuition from the perspective of cognitive-experiential self-theory. Unpublished manuscript: University of Massachusetts at Amherst. Handley, S. J. Newstead, S. E., & Wright, H. (2000). Rational and experiential thinking: A study of the REI. In R.J. Riding & S.G. Rayner (Eds.), International perspectives on individual differences (Vol. 1.) Cognition styles, ed. (pp. 97-113). Stamford, Connecticut: Ablex Publishing Corporation.
Practice exercise: Gaining insight about the rational and experiential systems. The Linda Vignette is an exercise, first introduced by Tversky and Kahneman, that illustrates the difference between the two information-processing systems – the rational and experiential: “Linda is described a thirty-one-year-old woman who is single, outspoken, and very bright. At university she was a philosophy major who participated in antinuclear demonstrations and was concerned with issues of social justice.” Task: Rank the following possibilities by assigning “1” to the most likely and “3” to the least likely. Linda is a feminist;
Linda is a bank teller;
and Linda is both.
Now check the answer and comment provided on the back page of this edition of 360 degree Feedback.
© MLQ Pty Ltd, Melbourne. 2008
MLQ Pty Ltd l PO Box 199 l Hawthorn l VIC l 3122 l Australia l (61-3) 9819 3689 l
[email protected] l www.mlq.com.au
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The Leadership Development Plan – MLQ360’s next step! Do you think of an MLQ Leadership Development Plan when quoting on a project for a potential client?
Michael Pahoff Operations Manager MLQ Services Strongly Agree Agree Neither A or D Disagree Strongly Disagree Not Applicable Missing
I I I I I
Qn 17. I consider using the MLQ Leadership Development Plan (LDP) electronic process following an MLQ360. 10 20 17 16 9
12.2 24.4 20.7 19.5 11 11
1
1.2 Mean:
50 80 51 32 9
3.1
9
10
16 20
17
An area of concern, coming out of our 2008 Network Survey, was that only 36% of respondents considered using the MLQ Leadership Development Plan (LDP) electronic / e-mail process following an MLQ360. Since then, talking with Network Members within operations, I have attempted to understand why and the major factor tends to be a lack of awareness of its advantages. For those who have taken up the opportunity provided by our electronic LDP processes, it has become a much appreciated extension to the MLQ360 and has greatly assisted as a well structured, easy to use format for creating leadership development plans.
the delivery of the MLQ Report Worksheet and LDP Generation Worksheet. These files can be found through the Network Login section amongst the MLQ Facilitator Information Downloads in the Miscellaneous Column. The LDP Download file is also located in the Network Login section (the last file in the first column of Email Facilitation Files). It provides the opportunity for the individual client leader to select their own objectives for leadership development and the grassroot or ground level behavioural changes desired. From this a Draft LDP can be created. The reviewed Email LDP file can then be turned into a Final LDP divided into coaching cycles. The diagram below “Establishing an LDP” in this edition of 360 degree feedback outlines the simple process steps involved. It’s very easy to use compared with having to create your own leadership development plans from scratch, and you can go on to build on the final plan in a number of ways. Doing it this way is invariably more faithful to the valid implementation the Full Range Leadership Model research for an individual client application. The process also builds client commitment to their own plan so assisting the movement from expert lensing of knowledge from others and from research to internal acceptance and adoption. Finally, developing a FRLPlan using the electronic LDP process entails add-on costs less than 1/3 of the MLQ360 Report itself: only Au$50 for a Draft LDP, then Au$25 for the Final LDP, or you can go direct to Final LDP for only Au$60. (See the diagram Establishing a Valid LDP: Easy Facilitation Steps). So why would you not use this system when providing MLQ360 assessment feedback?! Details of the LDP can be found at http://www.mlq.com.au/product_ldplan.asp
Michael Pahoff
As per recommended MLQ Facilitation Workshop practice, the MLQ360 assessment client feedback session is accompanied by
Establishing a Valid LDP: Easy Facilitation Steps
MLQ Operations Manager
[email protected]
Structured feedback lensed by the FRLM (MLQ360)
Client >>>
MLQ360 Objectives Selected (Accommodation Session)
Client >>> item selection
(a)
Unique dedicated client Leadership Development Plan (Microsoft Word) based on the FRLM Profile
LDP Worksheet Self-talk scripting Overview statement
