An evolutionary model explaining the Neolithic transition from egalitarianism to leadership and despotism.

The Neolithic was marked by a transition from small and relatively egalitarian groups to much larger groups with increased stratification. But, the dynamics of this remain poorly understood. It is hard to see how despotism can arise without coercion, yet coercion could not easily have occurred in an egalitarian setting. Using a quantitative model of evolution in a patch-structured population, we demonstrate that the interaction between demographic and ecological factors can overcome this conundrum. We model the coevolution of individual preferences for hierarchy alongside the degree of despotism of leaders, and the dispersal preferences of followers. We show that voluntary leadership without coercion can evolve in small groups, when leaders help to solve coordination problems related to resource production. An example is coordinating construction of an irrigation system. Our model predicts that the transition to larger despotic groups will then occur when: (i) surplus resources lead to demographic expansion of groups, removing the viability of an acephalous niche in the same area and so locking individuals into hierarchy; (ii) high dispersal costs limit followers' ability to escape a despot. Empirical evidence suggests that these conditions were probably met, for the first time, during the subsistence intensification of the Neolithic.

Iowa's Leadership in Research and Development, 2010

Pentagon-classified navigation systems are designed and tested. Genetically-superior, drought resistant triple-stacked corn hybrids exponentially improve corn and soybean yields. Scientists discover a simple flower, the marigold, unlocks astonishing potential as a change agent to improve the world’s health. All achieved or discovered in Iowa, the common denominator among all of these extraordinary activities is the intensive research and development efforts involved in bringing them to market. For businesses heavily dependent on research and development, one of their strategic advantages of conducting that world-changing research in Iowa is the state’s Research Activities Credit, commonly referred to as the Research and Development tax credit. Whether a company’s specific strategy is planting a stake into emerging markets, expanding its market leadership position, or paving technological inroads to gain market share, the success of those efforts is largely dependent on the company’s preceding work in research and development. Iowa recognizes how significant these resulting innovations are to long-term business growth and stability. Even though the federal research credits have fluctuated with intermittent expiration dates and reinstatement periods, Iowa has remained consistent in its support for the Research Activities Credit over theyears.

Public Employees Leadership Institute, August 2011

The mission of the Iowa Local Technical Assistance Program (LTAP) at the Institute for Transportation (InTrans) is to foster a safe, efficient, and environmentally-sound transportation system by improving skills and knowledge of local transportation providers through training, technical assistance, and technology transfer, thus improving the quality of life for Iowans.

Youth Leadership Forum for Students with Disabilities, July 10-July 15, 2011

Five day leadership training program for 10th, 11th and 12th grade high school students with disabilities. Model program sponsored by the U.S Department of Labor Office National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability and developed locally by a collaboration of state and private agencies.

Youth Leadership Forum for Students with Disabilities Responsibilities of Primary Staff Volunteers, July 2011

Adults who can facilitate small group sessions. As a team they will be assigned to one of three small groups to assist students with completion of leadership exercises, facilitate small group discussions and help students develop their personal leadership plan. Responsibilities also include providing supervision, support and guidance to student delegates.

Public Employees Leadership Institute Final Report, August 2011

Public agencies in Iowa are continually challenged with reduced staff levels, reduced budgets, and increased expectations for services provided. Responding to these demands requires a well-informed and coordinated team that includes professionals, supervisors, technicians, lead workers, and workers. Becoming a coordinated team requires the training and interaction to produce a common foundation to build upon. In 2007, a training program did not exist in the state to provide this level of training for existing or upcoming managers and leaders of public agencies. The Iowa Local Technical Assistance Program (LTAP), in conjunction with Iowa public agency representatives, set out to provide that foundation by developing the Iowa Public Employees Leadership Academy, which was renamed the Public Employees Leadership Institute in July 2011. The Institute is an on-demand, online training program designed to create better (or new) leaders and supervisors for Iowa’s public agencies. The Institute provides a curriculum to train the next generation of leaders, who will replace existing leaders when retirements occur. Through the Institute, Iowa LTAP will provide a coordinated, structured, non-credit educational program available for a modest fee. The techniques and skills offered through the Institute can apply to all who wish to develop or sharpen their leadership and management abilities. This will be true whether the participants are employed in the public or private sector. The 14 courses that were developed and are being offered are as follows: Supervisory Techniques and Skills, Team Development, Communications Skills, Leadership Skills, Community Service/Customer Orientation, Legal Understanding, Fundamentals of Government, Finance, Resource Management, Operations and Maintenance, Basic Management, Emergency Management, Project Management, and Winter Maintenance Management.

Leadership Agenda and Strategic Progress Report, 2007-2008

Early Childhood Iowa (ECI) is an alliance of stakeholders in early care, health, and education that affect children age zero to five in the State of Iowa. Its purpose is to support a comprehensive, integrated early care, health and education system for Iowa. All activities of the system are aligned around a common vision for Iowa: Every child, beginning at birth, will be healthy and successful.Membership is voluntary and open to anyone self-identifying as a “stakeholder” in Iowa’s early care, health, and education system. The process for membership will be with as few barriers or constraints as possible. Individuals seeking membership should agree to the vision for an early care, health, and education system in Iowa and to the principles and core beliefs of the ECI Stakeholders. The structure of ECI includes six system component groups that describe the necessary elements of an effective and comprehensive early care, health, and education system, as well as a State Agency Liaison group and a Co-chairs group. Membership in each component group is open to anyone with an interest in the unique responsibilities of a implementing an early care, health and education system.

Leadership at the upper echelons : three essays

"IT'S THE ECONOMY STUPID", BUT CHARISMA MATTERS TOO: A DUAL PROCESS MODEL OF PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION OUTCOMES. ABSTRACT Because charisma is assumed to be an important determinant of effective leadership, the extent to which a presidential nominee is more charismatic than his opponent should be an important determinant of voter choices. We computed a composite measure of the rhetorical richness of acceptances speeches given by U.S. presidential candidates at their national party convention. We added this marker of charisma to Ray C. Fair's presidential vote-share equation (1978; 2009). We theorized that voters decide using psychological attribution (i.e., due to macroeconomics and incumbency) as well as inferential processes (i.e., due to leader charismatic behavior) when voting. Controlling for the macro-level variables and incumbency in the Fair model, our results indicated that difference between nominees' charisma is a significant determinant of electoral success, particularly in close elections. This extended model significantly improves the precision of the Fair model and correctly predicts 23 out of the last 24 U.S. presidential elections. Paper 2: IT CEO LEADERSHIP, CORPORATE SOCIAL AND FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE. ABSTRACT We investigated whether CEO leadership predicted corporate financial performance (CFP) and corporate social performance (CSP). Using longitudinal data on 258 CEOs from 117 firms across 19 countries and 10 industry sectors, we found that determinants of CEO leadership (i.e., implicit motives) significantly predicted both CFP and CSP. As expected, the most consistent positive predictor was Responsibility Disposition when interacting with n (need for) Power. n Achievement and n Affiliation were generally negatively related or unrelated to outcomes. CSP was positively related to accounting measures of CFP. Our findings suggest that executive leader characteristics have important consequences for corporate level outcomes. Paper 3. PUNISHING THE POWERFUL: ATTRIBUTIONS OF BLAME AND LEADERSHIP ABSTRACT We propose that individuals are more lenient in attributing blame to leaders than to nonleaders. We advance a motivational explanation building on the perspective of punishment and on system justification theory. We conducted two scenario experiments which supported our proposition. In study 1, wrongdoer leader status was negatively related to blame and the perceived seriousness of the wrongdoing. In study 2, controlling for the Big-Five personality factor and individual differences in moral evaluation (i.e., moral foundations), wrongdoer leader status was negatively related with desired severity of punishment, and fair punishments were perceived as more just for non-leaders than for leaders.