Leader visioning and adaptability: Bridging the gap between research and practice on developing the ability to manage change

The construction of organizational vision and the ability to manage the change engendered by visions represent core organizational competencies that foster competitive advantage for organizations. However, while a significant body of conceptual and empirical research studies supports these as core competencies, high numbers of HR professionals are either not aware of this research or still dispute the utility of these skills. In this article, we discuss three gaps between leadership research and practice. The first refers to the value of organizational visions. The second reflects beliefs about the importance of change management skills for HR managers. The final gap concerns the utility of training and development programs that target visioning and change management skills. We discuss some reasons for these gaps between leadership research and HR practices. We also describe some components of visioning, adaptability and managing change, and provide some supportive conceptual and empirical research. We suggest the use of developmental work assignments as a leader development strategy that we believe is most appropriate for growing these core competencies. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

[1]  T. Jacobs,et al.  Military executive leadership. , 1990 .

[2]  B. Bass.  LEADERSHIP AND PERFORMANCE BEYOND EXPECTATIONS , 1985 .

[3]  Robert I. Sutton,et al.  The knowing-doing gap , 2000 .

[4]  Francis J. Yammarino,et al.  Transformational leadership and performance: A longitudinal investigation , 1993 .

[5]  Kenneth G. Brown,et al.  HR professionals' beliefs about effective human resource practices: Correspondence between research and practice. , 2002 .

[6]  B. Bass.  A New Paradigm for Leadership: An Inquiry into Transformational Leadership. , 1996 .

[7]  Jane M. Howell,et al.  Transformational leadership, transactional leadership, locus of control, and support for innovation: key predictors of consolidated-business-unit performance , 1993 .

[8]  T. Owen Jacobs,et al.  Individual differences in strategic leadership capacity: A constructive/developmental view. , 1992 .

[9]  S. Kozlowski.  Training and developing adaptive teams: Theory, principles, and research. , 1998 .

[10]  Barbara W. Keats,et al.  Navigating in the new competitive landscape: Building strategic flexibility and competitive advantage in the 21st century , 1998 .

[11]  L. Eastman,et al.  Linking management selection and development through stretch assignments , 1995 .

[12]  P. Senge.  The fifth discipline : the art and practice of the learning organization/ Peter M. Senge , 1991 .

[13]  Stephen A. Stumpf.  Work Experiences that Stretch Managers′ Capacities for Strategic Thinking , 1989 .

[14]  Dave Ulrich,et al.  Human resource competencies: An empirical assessment , 1995 .

[15]  B. Bass.  Bass & Stogdill's handbook of leadership: Theory, research, and managerial applications, 3rd ed. , 1990 .

[16]  B. Bass,et al.  Superiors' evaluations and subordinates' perceptions of transformational and transactional leadership. , 1988 .

[17]  Morgan W. McCall,et al.  Developing global executives : the lessons of international experience , 2002 .

[18]  Ann M. Morrison,et al.  The lessons of experience : how successful executives develop on the job , 1988 .

[19]  Bruce J. Avolio,et al.  Transformational leadership: A response to critiques. , 1993 .

[20]  M. Hitt,et al.  Achieving and maintaining strategic competitiveness in the 21st century: The role of strategic leadership , 1999 .

[21]  Edwin A. Locke,et al.  A longitudinal study of the relation of vision and vision communication to venture growth in entrepreneurial firms. , 1998 .

[22]  Stephen J. Zaccaro,et al.  Leadership theory and practice: Fostering an effective symbiosis , 2003 .

[23]  M. Arthur,et al.  The Motivational Effects of Charismatic Leadership: A Self-Concept Based Theory , 1993 .

[24]  Laura B. Cardinal,et al.  Strategic Planning and Firm Performance: A Synthesis of More Than Two Decades of Research , 1994 .

[25]  Edwin A. Locke,et al.  Direct and indirect effects of three core charismatic leadership components on performance and attitudes. , 1996 .

[26]  Bruce J. Avolio,et al.  Full leadership development : building the vital forces in organizations , 1999 .

[27]  Scott B. MacKenzie,et al.  Transformational leader behaviors and their effects on followers' trust in leader, satisfaction, and organizational citizenship behaviors , 1990 .

[28]  B. Bass,et al.  Transformational Leadership and the Falling Dominoes Effect , 1987 .

[29]  Differential sex responses to items of the MMPI. , 1953 .