Leadership in Action: Sharing Leadership in an Engineering Research Center
Publication: Journal of Professional Issues in Engineering Education and Practice
Volume 144, Issue 4
Abstract
This case study employed a shared leadership framework to examine leadership in an engineering research center (ERC) during its first year. The Center for Bio-mediated and Bio-inspired Geotechnics (CBBG) was the site for this study using an ethnographic participant observation approach. The purpose of the study was to describe the leadership (1) structures, (2) understandings, and (3) practices of the Innovation, Diversity, and Education Activities (IDEA) Working Group within the CBBG. The following leadership understandings were revealed: (1) the definition of leadership varies by context, (2) leadership is an ongoing and evolving process, (3) leadership and management are intertwined, (4) leadership is gendered, and (5) communication is a core aspect of leadership. The following leadership practices were identified: (1) prioritizing collaborations and systematizing recurring processes, (2) leveraging value networks, and (3) demonstrating gratitude. Future studies investigating how leveraging social value networks is fostered in cooperative research centers are recommended. Finally, because demonstrating gratitude is significantly correlated with shared leadership practices, engineering leadership studies examining gratitude might generate useful results.
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Acknowledgments
The author acknowledges the generosity and inclusive spirit of all the CBBG IDEA Working Group members for their investment in this study. Without their commitment to applying innovative approaches and their openness to disciplines outside their own, the study would not have happened. Also supportive of the work that led to this article were Edward Kavazanjian, Jr. (CBBG Director), Regina Sanborn (CBBG Administrative Director), and Michelle Walker (CBBG Project Coordinator). The author expresses deep gratitude to the reviewers whose challenging questions improved this work. The author also appreciates Elizabeth Castillo (at Arizona State University) for her suggestions on an early draft of this manuscript.
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Published In
Journal of Professional Issues in Engineering Education and Practice
Volume 144 • Issue 4 • October 2018
Copyright
©2018 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Jan 3, 2018
Accepted: Apr 16, 2018
Published online: Jul 5, 2018
Published in print: Oct 1, 2018
Discussion open until: Dec 5, 2018
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