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For years, significant attention has been given to the topic of leader effectiveness across a variety of situations. In a managerial context, most research almost exclusively focuses on the individual leader and leadership processes in a typical organization with paid employees. Similarly, mainstream leadership education and training programs focus on preparing leaders for roles in typical organizations, both public and private. Yet, leading and leadership processes are contextual (Doh, 2O03; Schruijer & Vansina, 2002) and thus, to be effective, require unique leadership characteristics and behaviors to match the contextual situation (Fiedler, 1996; Schaeffer, 2OO2). Given this contextual nature of leadership, valuable insights into leader effectiveness can be developed through research in varied contexts. One such context is economic development (ED). Although ample anecdotal evidence and published research identify characteristics and behaviors associated with effective leadership in typical organizations, little research related to effective leadership in the context of the ED sector has been published.
Clearly, though, ED organizations and ED leaders and leadership processes may have characteristics that differ from those studied in mainstream organizational research. For example, ED organizations frequently are hybrids that may include quasi-governmental elements combined with volunteer members who, themselves, are leaders in other organizations. An ED initiative may be local, regional, or statewide. Leaders of ED organizations may be volunteers, or they may be selected through a political process. They may be "outsiders" hired for their general reputations as being skilled in public relations or, perhaps, for having succeeded in an ED initiative in another geographic region or in a specific organization. Finally, these leaders may be individuals formally educated in ED but with little actual ED experience.
All of these elements illustrate the unique context of ED leaders and ED leadership processes. Existing research has provided scant insights and guidance for organizations with missions and environments differing from those of the typical mainstream organization (Hooijberg & Choi, 2001; Van Wart, 2O03). In addition, little research has addressed training needs and outcomes for ED leaders.
A curriculum evaluation of the Leadership Southeast Georgia (SEGA) training program resulted in the pursuit of this study. Like many ED training programs, Leadership SEGA focused more on "issue awareness" rather than actual leadership skills. For example, recent topics in the Leadership SEGA program...