***M.Sc. Students, these seminars can count towards the six mandatory Telfer Research Seminars Series required for your program (MGT 6191/ MGT 6991 / MHS 6991) (4 seminars for MSc Project-based students).***
Leadership is one of the most comprehensively researched social influence processes in the behavioral sciences. Yet, scholars suggest that the field remains plagued by construct proliferation, tautological measures, an overreliance on leadership “types” at the expense of understanding actual leader behaviors, and generally failing to move past static cross-sectional designs. These concerns are often discussed in relation to pervasive warnings regarding endogeneity, neglect of the situational context, and a long standing disconnect between research and practice. Across a series of four studies, we take an interventionist approach and ask: can single-item measures of high-fidelity leadership constructs play a role in addressing ongoing issues in research? We consider whether streamlining measurement in leadership research may paradoxically yield higher behavioral fidelity, separate substantive action from general evaluative halo, and lower administrative burdens. If so, single-item measures may also facilitate both advanced research designs (e.g., daily-dairy) as well as research-practice partnerships.
About the speaker
Dr. Russell A. Matthews is a Miller Professor of Management at the University of Alabama's Culverhouse College of Business. An Industrial-Organizational Psychologist by training, he earned his Ph.D. from the University of Connecticut, with graduate certificates in occupational health psychology and quantitative research methods. His research examines employee well-being, workplace neurodiversity, and the work-family interface. Dr. Matthews is a Society for Industrial/Organizational Psychology Fellow and a Fulbright Canada Research Chair. Over the course of his career he has been recognized with a number of research, teaching, and service contribution awards. In addition to being a dedicated research mentor to undergraduate and graduate students, for over two decades, he has translated his research into practice, securing $3 million in external funding all while consulting for international corporations and government agencies to help organizations improve performance without sacrificing employee well-being.
