MA Leadership, Communication Concentration

Leadership and the Self

This cluster of competencies focuses on self-awareness and the personal and professional identity required when practicing leadership.

1. Philosophical foundations—Leadership functions within the context of multiple perspectives and understands how their own worldview and mindsets influences their practice.
2. Ethics, values, and spirituality—Leadership functions from a set of principles and standards that guides their work and all their relationships with others.
3. Learning and human development—Leadership understands the principles of learning and is committed to and practices continuous personal, interpersonal and organizational learning.

Leadership With Others

This cluster of competencies focuses on the interpersonal aspects of leadership. Growth and development of others is an essential function of leadership.

1. Effective communication—Leadership fosters effective communication in all internal and external interactions, to establish and maintain cooperative relationships.
2. Mentor/coach—Leadership promotes relationships that are trust-centered, providing the kind of empowerment that results in personal and performance improvement toward satisfying mutual objectives.
3. Social responsibilities—Leadership understands social systems and is accountable to others and endeavors to see that family, community, and environmental needs are met in local and, as appropriate, in global ways.

Leadership Through Organizations

This cluster of competencies focuses on the organizational aspects of leadership. Leadership sets direction in ways that facilitate achievement of organizational goals.

1. Resource development, human and financial—Leadership appropriately allocates and manages human and financial resources for healthy and strategic outcomes.
2. Legal and policy issues—Leadership applies and understands the scope of legal and policy structures appropriate for their field.
3. Organizational behavior, development, and culture—Leadership understands personal, group, and inter-group behaviors, and how they impact organizational history, needs, and goals.
4. Implementing change—Leadership involves working with others in order to collaboratively shape the vision and strategy for change, as well as being capable of facilitating the change process.
5. Evaluation and assessment—Leadership uses appropriate evaluation and assessment tools to make decisions about programs and plans.

Leadership and Research

This cluster of competencies focuses on the need to use data to communicate, persuade, and make decisions, and to contribute to the knowledge base for leadership. Competence in research needs to include both qualitative and quantitative methods. Research skills are often necessary while engaging in organizational development, assessment and evaluation, and other leadership projects.

1. Reading and evaluating research—Leadership critiques the adequacy of research reports, conducts literature reviews using electronic hardcopy sources, and relates research to the body of knowledge in their professional field.
2. Conducting research—Leadership understands the logic and processes of scientific inquiry, explains major research methodologies, formulates empirically driven research problems, selects appropriate research designs, explains standards for data collection, and conducts basic data collection and analysis.
3. Reporting and publishing research—Leadership adequately communicates research findings and implements the findings in the workplace.

Individually Chosen Options

1. PhD/EdD/EdS participants have to choose at least one optional competency.
2. MA participants may select an optional competency as part of their required eight competencies.