LEADERSHIP-SHAPING EXPERIENCES מאת צוות המכון

 Empirical studies on the development of "leaders in everyday life" from childhood to maturity are extremely few. We compared soldiers perceived as “leaders” with soldiers perceived as “non-leaders” for early leadership experiences, a track considered central in leader development (Avolio & Gibbons, 1988; Day & Lance, 2004; Hall, 2004). Quantitative and qualitative measures were used. The leaders proved to have had more leadership experiences in their youth. Such experiences impact on self-identity as a leader, the development of self-efficacy in leadership, and the accumulation of psychological and behavioral knowledge related to leadership. Implications of these findings for leadership-development methods are discussed.  

The Capacity to Lead: Major Psychological Differences between “Leaders” and “Non-leaders” מאת צוות המכון

Main principles and practices in leader development מאת פרופ' מיכה פופר

 The purpose of this article is to present a conceptual framework for understanding how leaders develop. The arguments are derived from the assumption that leadership, like many other human manifestations, is a function of a given potential, relevant motivation, and ongoing developmental processes. It is argued that three developmental psychological principles are essential for leaders' development: 1. experiential learning; 2. vicarious learning; 3. the suitability of certain developmental aspects to relevant critical periods. These   developmental principles, along with Schon’s modalities of learning and reflections: “follow me“, “joint investigation“ and “hall of mirrors” ( Schon,1987), serve as a conceptual framework for discussing main implications and practices related to developing leaders

Motivation to Lead: Research on the Motives for Undertaking Leadership Roles in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) מאת צוות המכון

 Psychological research on leadership has dealt mainly with the influence of leadership
as an independent variable (Bass, 1990). Only recently has a pioneer attempt
been made to develop an empirical model for the examination of motivation to lead
(MTL; Chan, 1999). This model incorporates three factors: affective MTL, social-
normative MTL, and calculative MTL. The study described here tested and expanded
Chan’s model with a sample from the Israel Defense Forces (IDF; n = 402). It
confirms the existence of the three motivational factors located by Chan. Two additional
motivational factors were found: ideological and patriotic. Also, leaders differed from
non-leaders in theirMTLfactors. The theoretical and practical significance of these findings
is discussed.