Leadership in 20/20: Leveraging Innovative Methodologies to Broaden and Sharpen our Sight

Amidst considerable scholarly and practical interest, leadership research has made substantial theoretical advances in the past decade. In particular, scholars have highlighted the dynamic, complex nature of leadership, thereby emphasizing the merit of an interactive and contextualized view of the phenomenon. However, the research methodology most commonly adopted in leadership studies has delayed researchers from fully capitalizing on such theoretical advances. Most studies rely on time-lagged surveys, which, although they have yielded many valuable insights into the stable traits and behaviors most commonly associated with leadership effectiveness, are limited in their ability to capture the dynamism and complexity inherent in the leadership process. The goal of this symposium is to provide ideas about how scholars might broaden and sharpen their view of leadership by broadening their methodological repertoires. Four papers will be presented that adopt alternative research methodologies to advance leadership theory. Following the presentations, Gilad Chen — a distinguished scholar whose expertise lies in leadership and research methodology and who is the former editor-in-chief of Journal of Applied Psychology — will provide an overview of future research avenues and lead the audience in an interactive group discussion. Neurological Activity of “Darkside” Leaders During a Visioning Task: An Application of Neuroscience Presenter: David A. Waldman; Arizona State U. Presenter: Pierre Balthazard; California State U. Sacramento Presenter: Joohyung Kim; Arizona State U. Presenter: Brad Paul Owens; Brigham Young U. Presenter: Justin Ames; U. of Michigan - Dearborn A Dynamic Agent-Based Study of Leaders’ Political Skill Presenter: Corinne A. Coen; Case Western Reserve U. Presenter: John Rensink; Case Western Reserve U. Presenter: Bao Ho; Case Western Reserve U. Disconnected Leadership: When Informal Leaders and Followers Report Differing Leadership Networks Presenter: Alexandra Michelle Harris; Northwestern U. Presenter: Lindsay Elizabeth Larson; Northwestern U. Presenter: Leslie A. DeChurch; Northwestern U. Presenter: Stephen J. Zaccaro; George Mason U. Presenter: Dorothy R. Carter; U. of Georgia More than Skills: Leader Development as Sculpting Ideal Selves and Conditional Responses Presenter: Edward McClain Wellman; Arizona State U. Presenter: Carolyn Miller; Arizona State U. Presenter: Margaret M. Luciano; Arizona State U.