The Leading the Journey to Performance Excellence: CEO Perspectives research project was a result of the 2006 Monfort Institute Summit in Bachelor Gulch, Colorado (Latham, 2008). At this summit researchers and executives worked together to develop a research agenda that was both important to leaders and of interest to the researchers. The top two topic categories from this summit were culture and leadership. The need for a better understanding of the leadership for performance excellence drove the CEO study which resulted in the development of the Leading Transformation Framework (LTPE).
CEO Leading Transformation Study
Two papers describe the results of a qualitative, multiple case study, that utilized grounded theory methods based on in-depth interviews with 14 CEOs who lead successful organization transformations resulting in recognition as a Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award recipient (Latham, 2013a and Latham, 2013b). A framework for leading the transformation to performance excellence (LTPE) from the top is described. The LTPE framework consists of 35 concepts organized into five categories: forces and facilitators of change, leadership approaches, leadership behaviors, individual leader characteristics, and organizational culture.
Papers (selected)
- Latham, J. R. (2008). Building bridges between researchers and practitioners: A collaborative approach to research in performance excellence. Quality Management Journal, 15(1), 20.
- Latham, J. R. (2013a). A framework for leading the transformation to performance excellence part I: CEO perspectives on forces, facilitators, and strategic leadership systems. Quality Management Journal, 20(2), 22.
- Latham, J. R. (2013b). A framework for leading the transformation to performance excellence part II: CEO perspectives on leadership behaviors, individual leader characteristics, and organizational culture. Quality Management Journal, 20(3), 22.
Presentations (selected)
- Framework for Leading Sustainable Transformation | Vistage CEO Forum | Ft Collins, CO | January 20, 2011 | Note: This presentation was given numerous times to a variety of groups in 2010 and 2011
- Leading the Journey to Sustainable Excellence: A Leadership System Model | Presentation | The Quest for Excellence XXII – Annual Conference |Washington D. C. | April 13, 2010
- Performance Excellence Research: The Monfort Initiative | Presentation and Panel Discussion | Decisions Sciences Institute | Annual Meeting | New Orleans | November 16, 2009
- Leadership System Model: CEO Perspectives | Research Report | Baldrige Award Recipients (BAR) Consortium | Cambridge, MA | September 30, 2009
- Leadership System Design for Sustainable Excellence: CEO Perspectives | Business as an Agent of World Benefit: Manage by Designing in an Era of Massive Innovation | Case Western University | Cleveland | June 2-5, 2009
- Leading the Journey to Performance Excellence and Beyond: The CEO Perspective | Baldrige Award Recipients (BAR) Consortium Fall Forum | New Orleans | October 1, 2008
CEO Attitudes and Motivations
The original CEO Study identified several individual leadership characteristics, behaviors, and activities that raised questions regarding the CEO’s attitudes and motivations. In short, these CEOs were not your typical senior executives. They seemed quite different than most of the senior leaders that I have worked with over the years. To investigate this further using more objective quantitative methods, to supplement the qualitative analysis, I worked with three colleagues who are experts in this area.
Papers (selected)
- Larson, M., Latham, J. R., Appleby, C. A., & Harshman, C. L. (2012). CEO attitudes and motivations: Are they different for high performing organizations? Quality Management Journal, 19(4), 15.
- Appleby, C. A., Harshman, C. L., & Latham, J. R. (2009). Baldrige CEO attitudes and motivations: Developing a model of excellence (pp. 18). Greeley, CO: Monfort Institute at the University of Northern Colorado.
Presentations (selected)
- Baldrige CEO Attitudes and Motivations: Developing a Model of Excellence | A Look “Below the Surface” – The Individual Leader | Università di Trieste | 2013
- High-Performance CEOs: What Makes Them Different? | Webinar | with Milian Larson | 2012
- Performance Excellence Research: The Monfort Initiative | Presentation and Panel Discussion | Decisions Sciences Institute | Annual Meeting | New Orleans | November 16, 2009
- Baldrige CEO Attitudes and Motivations: Developing a Model of Excellence | Research Report | Baldrige Award Recipients (BAR) Consortium | Cambridge, MA | September 30, 2009
Servant Leadership
Many of the findings in the original CEO Study were related to key concepts in servant leadership as described by Dirk van Dierendonck (2011). Servant leadership concepts were linked directly or indirectly with 22 of the 35 top-level concepts in the leading transformation framework (Latham, 2013, p. 33). This research “stream” focuses on the intersection between servant leadership and the leading transformation framework, two of the research streams that I call for being combined in Latham (2014).
The current research projects originated with Tatiana Zimmerer’s Ph.D. dissertation and investigate three key issues related to servant leadership in the United States (Zimmerer, 2013). First, validate the multi-dimensional Servant Leadership Survey (SLS), developed and previously validated by Dirk van Dierendonck and Inge Nuijten in a European context, in the United States. Second, compare the levels of servant leadership displayed by leaders in the United States with those in the UK, Netherlands, and Italy. Third, determine if there is a relationship between the level of servant leadership and follower job satisfaction and affective organization commitment in the United States.
Papers and Presentations
- Zimmerer, T. E. & Latham, J. R. (2015). Exploring what it is like to work for a servant leader: Perspectives of three generational cohorts. Paper presented at the International Leadership Association Annual Conference (October) Barcelona, Spain.
- Zimmerer, T. E., & Latham, J. R. (2014). One size fits all: Servant leadership an effective approach for all generations. Paper presented at the 74th Annual Meeting of the Academy of Management (August 3rd), Philadelphia.
Spiritual Leadership
Many of the original CEO Study findings (Latham, 2013) appear consistent with the concepts found in spiritual leadership as described by Fry (2003) and Fry & Nisiewicz (2013). Specifically, we found that spiritual leadership concepts were linked directly or indirectly with 21 of the 35 top-level concepts in the leading transformation framework (Latham, 2013, p. 33). This research project brings together leading transformation framework and spiritual leadership, two of the research “streams” that I call for being combined in Latham (2014).
Papers and Presentations
- Fry, L. W., Latham, J. R., Clinebell, S. K., & Krahnke, K. (2017). Spiritual leadership as a model for performance excellence: A study of Baldrige award recipients. Journal of Management, Spirituality & Religion, 14(1), 22–47. https://doi.org/10.1080/14766086.2016.1202130
- Fry, L. W., Latham, J. R., Clinebell, S., & Krahnke, K. (2014). Spiritual leadership as a model for implementing the Baldrige performance excellence criteria. 74th Annual Meeting of the Academy of Management, 31. Philadelphia: Academy of Management.
- 2012 | Krahnke, K., Clinebell, S., Fry, L. W., & Latham, J. R. | Professional Development Workshop (PDW) at the 72nd Annual Meeting of the Academy of Management (August 3rd) | Boston.
The Book
Become the architect of the organization you really want! Learn how to align and integrate your stakeholders, strategy, systems, scorecard, and culture to create sustainable excellence. The Leading Transformation Framework is composed of 14 components described in the 14 chapters of the [Re]Create book.
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