Qualitative research methods and applications

¶ … Theoretical Characteristics for Leadership as Provided by the Four Frameworks

The theoretical framework for the proposed qualitative study will provide a basis for evaluating the leadership capabilities and qualifications of the resource officers surveyed. This framework is produced by four distinct framework models. Each of these, in turn, provides a set of theoretical characteristics idealizing leadership. The questions which will be constructed for the survey of resource officers will be driven by the framework established in this discussion.

The first framework under consideration is the structural framework, which is a model centered on leadership that is dedicated to the social and strategic interests of an organization. This model of leadership promotes a theoretical construct centered on the environment in which members of the organization are expected to meet their responsibilities; on the experimentation that this type of leadership brings to the improvement of organizational goals; and on the adaptation which leadership demonstrates in overcoming challenges to achieving these goals. (Clark, 1)

This speaks to such approaches as Scientific Management Theory, manifested in Frederick Winslow Taylor's principled reconsideration of labor division. By beginning to designate tasks according to the individual strengths of laborers, by equipping the right laborers with the optimal supplies, by motivating workers with financial incentives relating to individual efficiency and by providing all workers and tasks with explicit guidelines to be induced during labor training periods, Taylor forever changed the face of industrial labor. These developments would prove remarkably effective at Bethlehem Steel where Taylor worked as a manager, and the same developments also seem to be applicable to the present research concerning resource officers. (Meyer, 3)

This differs from the Human Resources Framework of leadership which is less driven by strategic concerns than by the leadership's capacity to interact positively with personnel. According to the model offered by Bolman & Deal, the theoretical constructs provided by the Human Resources Framework require a leader that is accessible to individuals at all levels of the organization; that delegates decision-making so that other members of the organization feel that they have a stake in performance outcomes; and empowering members of the organization to produce a general tenor of shared interest in organizational goals. (Clark, 1) This is an approach which is given foundation by such theories as Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, which dictates that personnel will perform according to the manner in which certain ranked needs are met by leadership.

The Political Framework which is offered "suggests some characteristics linked to the concept of political leadership: (1) an interactive process, (2) the emphasis on individual political behavior, (3) the collective purpose, and (4) the non-routine influence over the political process." (Peral, 68) These are instructive in promoting such theoretical characteristics as coalition building which garners real support and dedication from members of the organization at every level and which balances the use of persuasion, negotiation and coercion as various instrumental ways to achieve intended organizational outcomes. (Clark, 1)