L Milne's Profile

Although this change process was used in a management and marketing
department, the dynamics of change are the same in any department.
A leader is needed, one who ca manage resistance and conflict so
that the department is strengthened and faculty are revitalized
rather than demoralized by the process.

Yet while it has outlasted many other higher education reforms, assessment of student learning (arguably) seems to have stalled as a vehicle for transforming higher education. Yes, data collection is happening in many places and there are pockets of excellence (e.g., Alverno College, Truman State), but assessment is hardly a mature endeavor, tied in to the planning and budgeting processes, retention and tenure expectations, or the culture of much of higher education (Wright 2002). Much assessment focuses on student satisfaction and post-college success (as opposed to actual learning), while few investigations of learning address high-level or complex cognitive skills (Peterson and Vaughan 2002).

Much assessment takes place because of accreditation expectations, conducted with a compliance mentality and doing little to transform faculty or institutional practice.

The concept of leadership has been around for centuries beginning with Plato’s belief that leaders are created based on his or her class position, whereas, current leaders are created based on his or her relationships with other individuals. In August 1994, 54 researchers from 38 countries gathered for the first GLOBE research conference, and during this conference the researchers came to a consensus on the universal definition of leadership (House, Javidan, & Dorfman, 2001): the ability of an individual to influence, motivate, and enable others to contribute toward the effectiveness and success of the organizations of which they are members. A leader’s upbringing, life experiences, and daily interactions define his or her leadership style. The difference between a
good leader and a
great leader is his or her ability to adapt to change (Collins, 2001). Good leaders tend to follow his or her leadership plans even when the leadership plan is not working, but a great leader will adjust his or her leadership plans accordingly.

This paper used the scholarship, practice, and leadership model to determine the future effectiveness of transformational, transactional, contingent, and charismatic leadership styles through knowledge management, informatics / innovations and rapid change, and ethics.