Shirley Vincent and Will Focht
This study is the first of a five‐phase research project sponsored by the Council of Environmental Deans and Directors (CEDD), an organization of environmental program managers…
Abstract
Purpose
This study is the first of a five‐phase research project sponsored by the Council of Environmental Deans and Directors (CEDD), an organization of environmental program managers operating under the umbrella of the National Council for Science and the Environment. The purpose of the project is to determine if a consensus on core competencies for environmental program graduates is achievable, and if so, to make recommendations for consideration by program managers.
Design/methodology/approach
Q methodology was used to discern the perspectives of program managers at 42 CEDD member institutions on environmental curriculum design. An online survey preceded the Q sort exercise to elicit managers' curricular views and program characteristics. Survey responses were analyzed to select statements for the Q‐sorting exercise and categorized according to emergent themes. Multiple regression analysis was used to explore the relationship between perspectives (factor loadings) and host institution Carnegie classifications.
Findings
Three distinct, but not opposing, perspectives were identified from the initial Q‐factor rotation, which suggests the possibility of agreement on core competencies. The perspectives differ in their views of: curriculum orientation (professional training versus liberal arts), curriculum breadth versus depth, and flexible versus fixed core competencies. Host institution classification (Carnegie) is a small but significant predictor for two of the three perspectives. A second Q‐factor rotation reveals a consensus perspective that accommodates most respondents and aligns well with principles of sustainability, thus suggesting that sustainability may serve as a guiding paradigm for defining areas of core competence.
Originality/value
No national study of program managers' views of curriculum design and the identification of core competencies has been conducted in the USA.
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Geoffrey Habron, Lissy Goralnik and Laurie Thorp
Michigan State University developed an undergraduate, academic specialization in sustainability based on the learning paradigm. The purpose of this paper is to share initial…
Abstract
Purpose
Michigan State University developed an undergraduate, academic specialization in sustainability based on the learning paradigm. The purpose of this paper is to share initial findings on assessment of systems thinking competency.
Design/methodology/approach
The 15‐week course served 14 mostly third and fourth‐year students. Assessment of learning arose through one short answer exam, one interactive small group dialogue exam, homework assignments, completion of an online community engagement tutorial, and completion of a final reflective project (either in a group or individual).
Findings
The range of assessments enabled the authors to provide “frequent and ongoing feedback,” “a long time horizon for learning,” and “stable communities of practice.” Students had multiple opportunities to demonstrate their learning progress in a variety of forms and contexts across multiple intelligences.
Research limitations/implications
Despite attempts to actively promote the kind of frequent and authentic assessment advocated in the literature, the authors' results suggest the need for a consistent and valid assessment measure with an agreed upon rubric and stable assessment across multiple reviewers.
Practical implications
The authors recommend that the proper activities and rubrics exist to match a program's competencies before implementing the approach.
Social implications
The examples described in the paper provide some concrete assignments and approaches linked to the pedagogy of teaching and learning amenable to many other educational institutions in support of the UN Education for Sustainable Development effort.
Originality/value
The authors' approach provides a unique attempt at implementing and assessing a competency‐based approach to implementing the learning paradigm to foster sustainability systems thinking.
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Daryl Mahon and Martha Griffin
In the previous chapters, I set out a conceptual model of trauma-informed servant leadership and discussed servant leadership supervision for working with burnout, compassion…
Abstract
In the previous chapters, I set out a conceptual model of trauma-informed servant leadership and discussed servant leadership supervision for working with burnout, compassion fatigue and secondary trauma in employees within trauma related health and social care settings. In this chapter, I further extend servant leadership to the peer support principle in trauma-informed approaches (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 2014). The first part of this chapter will examine peer support work (PSW) and report on the outcomes associated with it. Then, servant leadership will be discussed and used to operationalise the principle of peer support as set out in trauma-informed approaches. A servant leadership peer support approach is put forward with a theoretical basis. This theoretical model has been slightly changed from the previous servant leadership approaches discussed, in order to represent the PSW role more accurately. However, as discussed previously, it is not the characteristics of the Servant leadership (SL) model that define the approach, rather the philosophy and desire to serve first. In the last section of this chapter, Martha Griffin brings the characteristics of this model to life using her vast experience and discusses some of the potential challenges faced by peers in training and practice.
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Mental health services have changed significantly in the past few decades. Currently, our services are transforming from one that was biomedically led to one that encompasses a…
Abstract
Mental health services have changed significantly in the past few decades. Currently, our services are transforming from one that was biomedically led to one that encompasses a recovery orientation. Additionally, a new field of study as it related to mental health care is emerging that of trauma-informed care. In this chapter, we explore briefly what we mean by the terms trauma and trauma-informed care. This is followed by a critical examination of how co-production and servant leadership can work together to support individuals through their trauma towards recovery and well-being. From which, we suggest that peer support workers are suitable candidates to co-produce trauma-informed services as they embody the connecting principles of choice and empowerment needed for all three concepts to converge and work together to enhance recovery and well-being. While I focus on using co-production in the mental health space in this chapter, the principles and practices can equally apply to other health and social care services.
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Jeremy Lefroy and David Woollcombe
This chapter provides personal – co-autoethnographic – reflections on the journey of authenticity development and servant leadership through the lens of the relational proximity…
Abstract
This chapter provides personal – co-autoethnographic – reflections on the journey of authenticity development and servant leadership through the lens of the relational proximity framework. The authors look back on their combined 90 years of experience working in three areas: the creation of jobs and livelihoods; peace and reconciliation; and the environment and the development of a sustainable economy. Lefroy and Woollcombe maintain that young people should be introduced to the principles of servant leadership early and throughout their education as part of their empowerment and confidence-building processes and suggest three avenues for research: servant leadership in practice, innovative curriculum development and work relationship measurement.
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In the previous chapter, I introduced trauma-informed care as an approach to organisational change and a shift in culture to recognise that many employees and people attending…
Abstract
In the previous chapter, I introduced trauma-informed care as an approach to organisational change and a shift in culture to recognise that many employees and people attending services have past trauma experiences. In this chapter, I recast servant leadership (SL) as a trauma-informed leadership model that naturally operationalises some of the principles discussed in the TIA literature. The first section of this chapter addresses the societal need for a more ethical and moral leadership approach, before briefly outlining the prevalence of trauma experienced by service users and employees. The next section provides an overview and definition of SL in a general sense, before articulating a trauma-informed model of SL and its characteristics. Finally, some of the outcomes associated with SL are discussed with a key focus on how this approach operationalises the principle of psychological safety, trust and empowerment found in trauma-informed approaches, as they relate to employees.
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This study primarily aims at assessing Faculty Competences Development Components (FCDCs) that help in the development of educational leaders. The study further formulates a model…
Abstract
Purpose
This study primarily aims at assessing Faculty Competences Development Components (FCDCs) that help in the development of educational leaders. The study further formulates a model using seven latent constructs that explain the development of the mechanism of development of educational leaders and extend the benefits of their development to different stakeholders including faculty, educational institutions and society at large.
Design/methodology/approach
A systematic review of the literature was conducted to identify various FCDCs to construct a conceptual framework. Later, this conceptual framework was tested through empirical research using the structural equation modeling (SEM) technique carried out with respect to technical institutions of Punjab (India).
Findings
The study identified that organizational roles are of the highest importance for the competences development of educational leaders followed by teachers’ attributes and teachers’ roles. The study’s findings also revealed that FCDCs significantly impact beneficiaries by developing competent educational leaders as mediators between the FCDCs and beneficiaries link. The biggest beneficiaries of development are faculty members of these institutes in terms of their performance enhancements.
Originality/value
The study is unique in terms of developing a model for the competences development of educational leaders and helpful in understanding various benefits of the educational leaders to various educational stakeholders.
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Margien Bootsma and Walter Vermeulen
The purpose of this paper is to explore the labor market position of environmental science graduates and the core competencies of these environmental professionals related to…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore the labor market position of environmental science graduates and the core competencies of these environmental professionals related to their working practice.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors carried out two surveys amongst alumni of the integrated environmental science program of Utrecht University and their employers. The surveys addressed alumni's working experiences and employers' assessment of the core competencies of environmental science graduates.
Findings
The surveys indicated that environmental science graduates have a fairly strong position on the labor market. They are employed in a diverse range of functions and working sectors, including consultancy agencies, research institutions, governmental organizations and NGOs. Graduates as well as employers consider a number of generic academic skills (e.g. intellectual qualities, communication skills) as well as discipline specific professional knowledge and practical skills as important competencies for the working practice of environmental scientists.
Practical implications
These insights can be used for the improvement of environmental science curricula in order to increase the employability of their graduates.
Originality/value
This paper presents data on the labor market position of graduates of “integrated” environmental science programs and provides insights into the core competencies of these graduates.
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Roberta Toscano, Gavin Price and Caren Scheepers
The purpose of this paper is to test the effects of CEO arrogance on key attitudes of a company’s top management team (TMT).
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to test the effects of CEO arrogance on key attitudes of a company’s top management team (TMT).
Design/method/approach
An experimental design involving a business simulation is used to test the effects of a CEO’s perceived arrogance and humility on the TMT in a boardroom setting.
Findings
The study finds that, as predicted, arrogant CEOs adversely impacts TMT engagement, cohesiveness, collaboration and consensual decision-making. Thus, the higher the level of CEO arrogance, the lower the levels of positive TMT attitudes. The study intriguingly also finds that CEOs who displayed humility also negatively influenced the attitudes of the TMT.
Research limitations/implications
The study took place in South Africa, which may limit the generalizability of the findings. The use of a laboratory experiment may affect the ecological validity of the findings.
Practical implications
The results demonstrate that a “Goldilocks” area of neutrality between arrogance and humility should be sought after by CEOs and recruiters of CEOs. If this is impossible, humble CEOs are preferable to arrogant ones.
Originality/value
This paper empirically demonstrates that arrogant leaders negatively impact their TMT followers in a boardroom environment across a number of attitudes that are keys to the success of effectively managing a corporation. The study also demonstrates that moderation is desired by followers and that CEOs being perceived as overly humble is almost as bad as being perceived as arrogant.
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Agencies responsible for remediation and long-term stewardship of areas with chemical and radiological contamination are feeling the pressure to increase public participation in…
Abstract
Agencies responsible for remediation and long-term stewardship of areas with chemical and radiological contamination are feeling the pressure to increase public participation in decision-making. Much of the literature outlining advice for how best to involve the public in collaborative decision-making implicitly assumes that there is one best design for such processes.
We report on an empirical investigation into what participants in a process to establish a standard for remediation of plutonium in soil around the Rocky Flats facility near Denver, Colorado think about the most appropriate way to conduct such a decision-making process with public participation. Tapping subjective beliefs and preferences with an approach called Q methodology, we collected in-depth qualitative and quantitative data from 12 experienced participants and agency staff. Analysis of these data revealed three distinct perspectives on what would be the ideal decision-making process for this context. Two of the perspectives emphasized the need to link remediation and stewardship planning, while the third was characterized by the view that these are distinct, sequential activities.
Planners should assume that there may be multiple ideas about what is the most appropriate public participation process for a given situation. Continuing disagreement about the need to link remediation and stewardship can be reflected in disputes about process design. Success should be viewed as a function not only of the design features used but also the extent to which the design matches the needs and preferences of the participants.