By Brian Chmelik ’18
From November 1st to November 5th, students and administrators from KLI attended the annual International Leadership Association Global Conference in Atlanta, Georgia. The conference’s theme was “The Dynamics of Inclusive Leadership”. With the support of KLI, staff and students presented research and competed in a leadership case competition. Attendees learned more about inclusive leadership from academics and practitioners from all over the world.
Students Courtney Chan ’17 and Pema Donyo ’17, with the support of John Dulay, Research manager at KLI, presented “Creating a Culture of Inclusive Leadership: Does Sense of Belonging Matter to Student’s Self Efficacy?” a study on the relationship between sense of belonging and leadership self-efficacy among non-white college students as compared to white students. They found that white students on average reported higher leadership self-efficacy and sense of belonging. Research showed that there was a positive correlation between sense of belonging and leadership self-efficacy. This contributes evidence that on inclusive college campuses where non-white students feel a sense of belonging, non-white students’ confidence in their own leadership increases (Dulay, Tan, and Chan, 2016). This research can inform inclusive programming on college campuses to increase the sense of belonging for students.
Dr. Sherylle Tan, Interim Director and Director of Internships and KLI Research, presented “Cultivating Global Leaders: The Lasting Impact of a Cross-Cultural Leadership Program” which displayed results for cultural intelligence trends and cross cultural interaction for students who attended the CMC-Yonsei Program, a summer academic program in Seoul, South Korea. Students who participate in the program live at Yonsei University and take classes with South Korean students from South Korean and CMC professors. Interviews found that exposure to other cultures related in greater cultural awareness and sensitivity for participating students (Tan and Duggan-Herd, 2016).
KLI was represented by Courtney Chan ’17, Brian Chmelik ’18, Pema Donyo ’17, Emily Wang ’19, and Suvena Yerneni ’18 at the ILA undergraduate Case Competition. The topic of the case was to identify a societal problem, identify its underlying causes, and recommend a solution applying leadership theory. Team KLI tackled the rise of in-group favoritism and the popularity of autocratic leaders in the United States and the United Kingdom in “The Leader, the Immigrant, and the In-group: Addressing Autocratic Leadership with Inclusivity.” Students identified fear of a changing economy and a diversifying society as underlying causes for increasing in-group favoritism, and recommended synergistic leadership theory and a more inclusive immigration model as possible solutions. While Team KLI did not win the case competition, they did receive high marks from judges and learned more about the importance of specificity.
The KLI students were also able to connect with some familiar faces from KLI’s past. The ILA conference brought together Joanna Stanberry ’05, Dr. Joleen Archibald, and Dr. Tan, three women who have all been involved with the Kravis Leadership Institute either in the past or in the present. All three women serve as Chairs for three of ILA’s member communities this year. Stanberry, a CMC alumna was involved with KLI as an undergraduate; she is in charge of the Youth Leadership Member Interest Group, which serves as a forum for those interested in next generation leadership and support and builds connections and an overall community for individuals involved in this area. Dr. Joleen Archibald, a Claremont Graduate University graduate with a doctorate in Organizational Behavior and Leadership worked at KLI as a Program Logistics Coordinator, was recently elected as the chair of the Business Leadership Member Interest Group. Dr. Archibald also founded Leadership Archways, a blog resource to helps today’s professionals better understand leadership and its application in the business world. Dr. Tan, the current Interim Director and Director of Internships and KLI research, chaired the Women and Leadership Affinity Group, which focuses on the advancement of female leaders and fostering women in leadership. As chair, Dr. Tan hosted the Women and Leadership Networking Luncheon, an event to promote the discussion of the continually growing role of women in leadership positions.
Overall, KLI staff and students learned more about diverse perspectives on leadership. Students gained exposure to an academic conference setting and met other students from all over the country. Many at KLI look forward to heading to the next ILA Conference, hosted next year in Brussels, Belgium.
Citations
Dulay, J. P., Tan, S. J., & *Chan, C. (2016, November). Creating a Culture of Inclusive Leadership: Does Sense of Belonging Matter to Student’s Leader Self-Efficacy? Presentation at the Annual Global Conference of the International Leadership Association. Atlanta, GA.
Tan, S. J. & †Duggan-Herd, T. (2016, November). Cultivating Global Leaders: The Lasting Impact of a Cross-Cultural Leadership Program. Paper presentation at the Annual Global Conference of the International Leadership Association. Atlanta, GA.