Poverty and marginalisation : challenges to poor women's leadership in urban India

This article examines the women's quota at the local governance level in urban India, using several case studies of women municipal councillors, to question the evidently low numbers of poor and marginalised women amongst them. It examines issues of class, caste, and religion that have a direct impact on the access of poor women to quotas reserved for them at the local government level. The objective of this work is to draw attention to the specific ways in which women are constrained at the pre-election stage, resulting in an elite capture of the women's quota in India, indicating the need for further research and study on this issue.

Psychometric Properties of the Spanish Human System Audit Short-Scale of Transformational Leadership

The aim of this research is to examine the psychometric properties of a Spanish version of the Human System Audit transformational leadership short-scale (HSA-TFL-ES). It is based on the concept of Bass developed in 1985. The HSA-TFL is a part of the wider Human System Audit frame. We analyzed the HSA-TFL-ES in five different samples with a total number of 1,718 workers at five sectors. Exploratory Factor Analysis corroborated a single factor in all samples that accounted for 66% to 73% of variance. The internal consistency in all samples was good (α = .92 - .95). Evidence was found for the convergent validity of the HSA-TFL-ES and the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire. These results suggested that the HSA-TFL short-scale is a psychometrically sound measure of this construct and can be used for a combined and first overall measurement.

Flocking behaviour: Agent-based simulation and hierarchical leadership.

We have studied how leaders emerge in a group as a consequence of interactions among its members. We propose that leaders can emerge as a consequence of a self-organized process based on local rules of dyadic interactions among individuals. Flocks are an example of self-organized behaviour in a group and properties similar to those observed in flocks might also explain some of the dynamics and organization of human groups. We developed an agent-based model that generated flocks in a virtual world and implemented it in a multi-agent simulation computer program that computed indices at each time step of the simulation to quantify the degree to which a group moved in a coordinated way (index of flocking behaviour) and the degree to which specific individuals led the group (index of hierarchical leadership). We ran several series of simulations in order to test our model and determine how these indices behaved under specific agent and world conditions. We identified the agent, world property, and model parameters that made stable, compact flocks emerge, and explored possible environmental properties that predicted the probability of becoming a leader.

Empowering local democracy in Catalonia: tools and policy domains to implement a top-down solution

This article is the result of an ongoing research into a variety of features of Spanish local government. It aims, in particular, at providing a profile of the tools implemented by local authorities to improve local democracy in Catalonia. The main hypothesis of the work is that, even though the Spanish local model is constrained by a shared and unique set of legal regulations, local institutions in Catalonia have developed their own model of local participation. And the range of instruments like these is still now increasing. More specifically, the scope of this research is twofold. On the one hand, different types of instruments for public deliberation in the Catalan local administration system are identified and presented, based on the place they take in the policy cycle. On the other hand, we focus on policy domains and the quality of the decision-making processes. Researching the stability of the participation tools or whether local democracy prefers more 'ad hoc' processes allows us to analyze the boundaries/limits of local democracy in Catalonia. The main idea underlying this paper is that, despite the existence of a single legal model regulating municipalities in Catalonia, local authorities tend to use their legally granted selfmanagement capacities to design their own instruments which end up presenting perceivable distinct features, stressing democracy in different policy domains, and in diverse policy cycles. Therefore, this paper is intended to identify such models and to provide factors (variables) so that an explanatory model can be built.

Leadership in repetitively innovative mature companies

Mobiltelefonen uppfanns år 1970, den förta komerciella produkten lanserades 1983 och marknaden för mobiltelefoner tog kraftigt fart 1986. Exemplet belyser fenomenet innovation såsom ett mångårigt, ofta upptill tio år eller årtionden, vilket är forkningsansatsen i doktorsavhandlingen. Studien har betraktat fenomenet utgående från ett företagsledningsperspektiv, inte som ett innovations projekt vilket är det trditionella perspektivet. Forskningen bygger vidare på kritiken mot den allmänna uppfattningen att nystartade små och entrepreneursdrivna företag är idealomgivningen för innovation. I forskningen har studerats gamla och stora innovativa konsumentvaruföretag. De sex studerade företagen drivs inte längre av företagets grundare, hans tankar, nätverk, ledningssätt, utan är mera influerat av strukturer, system och prosesser som och iståndsatts av en annan professionell ledning. Denna ledning har i viss mån förmått att professionalisera sättet hur innovation hanteras framgångsrikt i företaget. I forskningen har den innovativa företagsledningens tankevärld och dynamiken i tänkandet definierats. Genom studien framkommer dels tre påtagliga tankemönster och dels en generell beskrivning av ledningen för ett innovativt företag. Kärnan i arbetet definierar ledningens uppmärksamhetsområde vilket är kritiskt för att det innovativa tillståndet och cykeln för innovation har fortbestått. Innovationsaktivisternas roll är avgörande, där produkten formas som en funktion av idéer som någon har och jobbar med, av beslutsfattadet i företaget, samt av tolkning och slutledningen av företagets gällande och framtida verksamhetsvilkor. Detta kritiska uppmärksamhetsområde har även testats och verifierats i avhandlingen. Ur forskningen framstår belägg och ett förslag till en teori, med vilken det är möjligt att förklarar skillnaden i ledningens tänkande vid betraktelsen av de innovativa företagen och de icke-innovativa företagen.

Indian female gurus in contemporary in Hinduism : a study of central aspects and expressions of their religious leadership

Den rikt utformade och komplexa hinduiska traditionen har hittills huvudsakligen tecknats av manliga forskare och det är främst manliga religiösa strävanden som har dokumenterats. Detta förhållande och de patriarkala synsätt som styr många auktoritativa heliga texter har bidragit till att skapa intrycket att hinduiska kvinnors religiösa erfarenheter antingen saknas eller är avsevärt begränsade. Denna studie lyfter fram det faktum att ett ökande antal indiska kvinnor inom dagens hinduism axlar publika roller som religiösa ledare. Med sitt framträdande utmanar många av dessa rådande sociala uppfattningar om kvinnors underordnade ställning och främjar därmed en förnyad medvetenhet av urgamla föreställningar om Gud som kvinna. Avhandlingen utforskar fenomenet kvinnliga guruer genom att belysa sjuttio guruers andliga karriär, med särskild fokus på fyra av dem. Några av de frågor som behandlas är följande: På vilket sätt är kvinnliga guruer del av den hinduiska traditionen? Vilka förväntningar ställs på dem? Hur legitimeras deras auktoritet som guruer? Hur handskas guruerna med sina dubbla roller som kvinnor och andliga ledare? Hur återspeglas gudinnans ställning, som i indisk religiositet ofta är central, i kvinnors faktiska verklighet? Bidrar kvinnliga guruer med sitt religiösa engagemang till att nyskapa och förändra den indiska religiösa diskursen och utövningen av religion?

Cognitively Empowering Internet-Based Patient Education for Ambulatory Orthopaedic Surgery Patients

Tiedollista voimavaraistumista tukeva internet-perustainen ohjaus päiväkirurgisille ortopedisille potilaille Tutkimuksen tarkoituksena oli kehittää tiedollista voimavaraistumista tukeva Internetperustainen potilasohjausohjelma sekä arvioida sitä. Tutkimusprosessi jaettiin kahteen vaiheeseen. Ensimmäisessä vaiheessa luotiin sisältö tiedollista voimavaraistumista tukevalle Internet-perustaiselle ohjaukselle päiväkirurgisia ortopedisia potilaita varten. Toisessa vaiheessa arvioitiin Internet-perustaisen ohjauksen (koeryhmä) hyväksyttävyyttä käyttäjien arvioimana ja ohjauksen tuloksia sekä verrattiin Internet-perustaisen ohjauksen (koeryhmä) tuloksia tiedollisesti voimavaraistumista tukevan sairaanhoitajan välittämään ohjauksen (kontrolliryhmä) tuloksiin. Tutkimuksen tavoitteena oli luoda uusi potilasohjausmuoto joka tarjoaa yksilöllisen, osallistavan ja aikaan ja paikkaan sitomattoman ohjauksen päiväkirurgiseen ortopediseen leikkaukseen tulevalle potilaalle. Tutkimuksen ensimmäisessä vaiheessa käytettiin kuvailevaa ja vertailevaa tutkimusmenetelmää (ennen ja jälkeen testaus). Tutkimukseen osallistui 120 päiväkirurgista ortopedista potilasta joiden tiedon odotuksia ja heille välitettyä tietoa tarkasteltiin. Tutkimuksen ensimmäisen vaiheen tuloksien ja aikaisemman voimavaraistumista käsittävän tiedon perusteella luotiin sisältö tiedollista voimavaraistumista tukevalle Internet-perustaiselle ohjaukselle. Sisältö rakentui voimavaraistavan tiedon kuudesta eri osa-alueesta. Tutkimuksen toisessa vaiheessa käytettiin randomoitua kokeellista tutkimusasetelmaa. Päiväkirurgiseen ortopediseen leikkaukseen tulevat potilaat randomoitiin koeryhmään (n=72) Internetperustaiseen ohjaukseen ja kontrolliryhmään (n=75) sairaanhoitajan välittämään ohjaukseen. Aineisto kerättiin strukturoitujen mittareiden avulla ja tulokset analysoitiin tilastollisesti. Tutkimuksen tulokset osoittavat, että kehitettyä tiedollisesti voimavaraistumista tukevaa Internet-perustaista potilasohjausmenetelmää voidaan suositella käytettäväksi ortopedisten päiväkirurgisten potilaiden ohjauksessa ja potilailla on hyvät mahdollisuudet voimavaraistua tiedollisesti sen avulla. Monipuolista tietoa sisältävä Internet-perustainen ohjaus osoittautui käyttäjien näkökulmasta hyväksyttäväksi. Vaikka Internet ohjauksen hyväksyttävyys koettiin osittain heikommaksi kuin sairaanhoitajan välittämän ohjauksen, potilaat käyttivät nettisivustoa ongelmitta ja arvioivat sen helppokäyttöiseksi. Ohjausmuodolla ei ollut vaikutusta hoidosta aiheutuneisiin kustannuksiin. Sen sijaan kustannuksista organisaatiolle voitiin puolittaa sairaanhoitajan ohjaukseen käyttämä aika Internet-perustaisen ohjauksen avulla. Internet-perustaiseen ohjaukseen osallistuneiden potilaiden tiedon taso ja kokemus tiedon riittävyydestä lisääntyivät ohjauksen jälkeen enemmän kuin sairaanhoitajan välittämään potilasohjaukseen osallistuneiden potilaiden tiedot. Ohjausmuodolla ei ollut vaikutusta potilaiden kokemien tunteiden ja oireiden voimakkuuteen. Yhteenvetona voidaan todeta, että tiedollisesti voimavaraistava Internet-perustaista ohjausta voidaan suositella vaihtoehtoiseksi menetelmäksi sairaanhoitajan välittämälle ohjaukselle päiväkirurgiseen ortopediseen leikkaukseen tuleville potilaille.

Making Sense of Shared Leadership. A case study of leadership processes and practices without formal leadership structure in the team context

Leadership is essential for the effectiveness of the teams and organizations they are part of. The challenges facing organizations today require an exhaustive review of the strategic role of leadership. In this context, it is necessary to explore new types of leadership capable of providing an effective response to new needs. The presentday situations, characterized by complexity and ambiguity, make it difficult for an external leader to perform all leadership functions successfully. Likewise, knowledge-based work requires providing professional groups with sufficient autonomy to perform leadership functions. This study focuses on shared leadership in the team context. Shared leadership is seen as an emergent team property resulting from the distribution of leadership influence across multiple team members. Shared leadership entails sharing power and influence broadly among the team members rather than centralizing it in the hands of a single individual who acts in the clear role of a leader. By identifying the team itself as a key source of influence, this study points to the relational nature of leadership as a social construct where leadership is seen as social process of relating processes that are co-constructed by several team members. Based on recent theoretical developments concerned with relational, practice-based and constructionist approaches to the study of leadership processes, this thesis proposes the study of leadership interactions, working processes and practices to focus on the construction of direction, alignment and commitment. During the research process, critical events, activities, working processes and practices of a case team have been examined and analyzed with the grounded theory –approach in the terms of shared leadership. There are a variety of components to this complex process and a multitude of factors that may influence the development of shared leadership. The study suggests that the development process of shared leadership is a common sense -making process and consists of four overlapping dimensions (individual, social, structural, and developmental) to work with as a team. For shared leadership to emerge, the members of the team must offer leadership services, and the team as a whole must be willing to rely on leadership by multiple team members. For these individual and collective behaviors to occur, the team members must believe that offering influence to and accepting it from fellow team members are welcome and constructive actions. Leadership emerges when people with differing world views use dialogue and collaborative learning to create spaces where a shared common purpose can be achieved while a diversity of perspectives is preserved and valued. This study also suggests that this process can be supported by different kinds of meaning-making and process tools. Leadership, then, does not reside in a person or in a role, but in the social system. The built framework integrates the different dimensions of shared leadership and describes their relationships. This way, the findings of this study can be seen as a contribution to the understanding of what constitutes essential aspects of shared leadership in the team context that can be of theoretical value in terms of advancing the adoption and development process of shared leadership. In the real world, teams and organizations can create conditions to foster and facilitate the process. We should encourage leaders and team members to approach leadership as a collective effort that the team can be prepared for, so that the response is rapid and efficient.

Socially Competent Leadership - predictors, impacts and skilling in engineering

Earlier management studies have found a relationship between managerial qualities and subordinate impacts, but the effect of managers‘ social competence on leader perceptions has not been solidly established. To fill the related research gap, the present work embarks on a quantitative empirical effort to identify predictors of successful leadership. In particular, this study investigates relationships between perceived leader behavior and three selfreport instruments used to measure managerial capability: 1) the WOPI Work Personality Inventory, 2) Raven‘s general intelligence scale, and 3) the Emotive Communication Scale (ECS). This work complements previous research by resorting to both self-reports and other-reports: the results acquired from the managerial sample are compared to subordinate perceptions as measured through the ECS other-report and the WOPI360 multi-source appraisal. The quantitative research is comprised of a sample of 8o superiors and 354 subordinates operating in eight Finnish organizations. The strongest predictive value emerged from the ECS self- and other-reports and certain personality dimensions. In contrast, supervisors‘ logical intelligence did not correlate with leadership perceived as socially competent by subordinates. 16 of the superiors rated as most socially competent by their subordinates were selected for case analysis. Their qualitative narratives evidence the role of life history and post-traumatic growth in developing managerial skills. The results contribute to leadership theory in four ways. First, the ECS self-report devised for this research offers a reliable scale for predicting socially competent leader ability. Second, the work identifies dimensions of personality and emotive skills that can be considered predictors of managerial ability and benefited from in leader recruitment and career planning. Third, the Emotive Communication Model delineated on the basis of the empirical data allows for a systematic design and planning of communication and leadership education. Fourth, this workfurthers understanding of personal growth strategies and the role of life history in leader development and training. Finally, this research advances educational leadership by conceptualizing and operationalizing effective managerial communications. The Emotive Communication Model devised directs the pedagogic attention in engineering to assertion, emotional availability and inspiration skills. The proposed methodology addresses classroom management strategies drawing from problem-based learning, student empowerment, collaborative learning, and so-called socially competent teachership founded on teacher immediacy and perceived caring, all constituting strategies moving away from student compliance and teacher modelling. The ultimate educational objective embraces the development of individual engineers and organizational leaders that not only possess traditional analytical and technical expertise and substantive knowledge but are intelligent also creatively, practically, and socially.