http://www.kaplandevries.com/ Through customized solutions for individual leaders and management teams, Kaplan DeVries helps leaders, however effective, take their play to the next level. en 2010-02-19T21:49:00-08:00 http://www.kaplandevries.com/index.php/research/research-development/ 2004-10-18T21:08:00-08:00 http://www.kaplandevries.com/index.php/publications/publications-resources/ 1999-12-31T21:03:00-08:00 http://www.kaplandevries.com/index.php/publications/next-generation-360-aligning-what-we-know-and-how-we-assess/ When it comes to 360-degree feedback, is there nothing new under sun? In fact, there is. There are serious limitations to the standard approach, where raters are asked to use five-point scales to evaluate a manager against a list of generic competencies. This method is rife with disconnects between what we know about leadership and how we assess leaders. But there is a better way. 360 assessment can be greatly improved by building on such truisms as “strengths can become weaknesses,” tensions and trade-offs make management a balancing act, and how so much depends on context. This presentation will deconstruct the standard 360 methodology and demonstrate innovative alternatives that are supported by empirical data, including enhanced linkages between 360 ratings, personality assessment, and leadership effectiveness. 2010-02-19T21:49:00-08:00 http://www.kaplandevries.com/index.php/publications/executive-assessment-and-the-bottom-line-thinking-clearly-about-leadership/ What does it mean for a leader to be effective? A critical examination of psychological research and consultation suggests a major disconnect between our espoused theories and our theories in use. In this interactive session, we will articulate implicit ideas about leadership effectiveness and carefully evaluate how we assess the effectiveness of our clients. In particular, we will explore the possibility that management psychologists, like most everyday people, have fallen prey to romantic individualistic notions of leadership at the expense of the ultimate functions of leadership as a resource for collective performance. A conceptual model for understanding how leaders influence organizational success or failure will be proposed, along with specific tools and techniques for making executive assessment more relevant to the fate of organizations. Learning Goals Get explicit about implicit assumptions in executive assessment concerning what it means to be an “effective” leader. Critically evaluate the state of research and practice concerning leadership effectiveness. Learn new models, tools, and techniques for gauging the effectiveness of managers for development and selection. 2010-02-19T21:34:00-08:00 http://www.kaplandevries.com/index.php/news/kdi-leads-session-on-developing-adaptable-leaders/ KDI leads session on “Developing Adaptable Leaders for an Age of Uncertainty” 2010-02-06T03:51:00-08:00 http://www.kaplandevries.com/index.php/publications/assessing-and-developing-adaptable-leaders/ This session considers three distinct perspectives for assessing how adaptable leaders are, and how leaders can become more adaptable. Topics include dealing with ambiguity, learning agility, and mastering paradox and opposing forces. Chaired by Rob Kaiser of Kaplan DeVries at the Society for Consulting Psychology midwinter conference, 2010. Today’s hyper-competitive, fast-paced, and rapidly changing global economy puts a premium on adaptable organizations and flexible leaders. Even advertising campaigns celebrate the “agile enterprise” and channel the spirit of “constant self-reinvention.” But how can consulting psychologists help managers become more nimble, fleet-footed, and flexible leaders? This session features three distinct, but related, perspectives that explore the role of dealing with ambiguity, the mastery of opposing but complementary leadership approaches, and learning agility. Download Presentations by Clicking on Titles Randall P. White., Executive Development Group, Relax, It’s Only Uncertainty Kenneth P. De Meuse, Guangrong Dai, & George S. Hallenbeck, Lominger Ltd. - a Korn/Ferry Company, The Many Faces of Learning Agility Robert B. Kaiser & Darren V. Overfield, Kaplan DeVries Inc., Assessing Flexible Leadership as a Mastery of Opposites 2010-02-06T03:18:00-08:00 http://www.kaplandevries.com/index.php/publications/leadership-lessons-from-the-past/ Rob Kaiser was invited to deliver his presentation to the London Business School’s “Darwin’s Medicine” series of seminars in honor of the 200th anniversary of the birth of the creator of the theory of evolution by means of natural selection. Kaiser’s talk explored the evolution of leadership from lower animals through human history, and focused on how leadership was a solution to the problem of collective effort: getting selfish individuals to cooperate in the context of harsh elements and violent tribal warfare. The talk concludes with the six core things would-be leader must do and the four attributes humans are hardwired to expect from their leaders. 2010-01-15T00:22:00-08:00 http://www.kaplandevries.com/index.php/publications/next-generation-360-beyond-competencies-and-the-five-point-scale/ When it comes to 360-degree feedback, is there nothing new under sun? In fact, there is. There are serious limitations to the standard approach, where raters are asked to use five-point scales to evaluate a manager against a list of generic competencies. However, a critical analysis reveals important disconnects between what we know about leadership and how we assess leaders, and points to a better way. 360 assessment can be greatly improved by building on such truisms as “strengths can become weaknesses,” tensions and trade-offs make management a balancing act, and so much depends on context. This presentation will deconstruct the standard approach to 360 methodology and demonstrate innovative alternatives that are supported by empirical data, including enhanced linkages between 360 ratings, personality assessment, and leadership effectiveness. 2010-01-09T00:10:01-08:00 http://www.kaplandevries.com/index.php/news/rob-kaiser-explains-leadership-lessons-from-the-past-at-lbs/ Rob Kaiser explains “Leadership Lessons from the Past” at LBS 2010-01-08T23:54:00-08:00 http://www.kaplandevries.com/index.php/news/leadership-versatility-index-voted-most-useful-360/ Leadership Versatility Index voted the most useful 360 for executive development 2009-10-16T21:58:00-08:00 http://www.kaplandevries.com/index.php/publications/towards-a-positive-psychology-for-leaders/ For the past fifteen years we have practiced a positive psychology for leaders—without calling it that. We have learned that the work of positive psychology is not just to affirm leaders for their strengths but to call out which of those strengths they overplay; that therefore a leaders’ strengths cannot easily be separated from their weaknesses; that frequently leaders overuse their strengths because they worry that they aren’t strong enough; that a good way to allay that anxiety is to administer a potent dose of positive feedback; and, finally, that the work of positive psychology is to deal with their resistance to that feedback. 2009-06-20T00:30:00-08:00 http://www.kaplandevries.com/index.php/publications/management-derailment/ It is estimated that half of all executive careers end in failure. This chapter summarizes nearly 30 years of research on why executives fail, and integrates the findings into compact and practically oriented frameworks. At the root, managers fail due to troubled relationships caused by the dark side of their personalities and an inability to adapt to change. We discuss how failure can be prevented through assessment and development targeted at the roots of failure and a more systematic approach to helping managers make significant transitions, such as a promotion to a new and larger job. 2009-06-20T00:11:00-08:00 http://www.kaplandevries.com/index.php/publications/testing-the-leadership-pipeline/ There is an extensive literature on how the requirements of managerial jobs differ across organizational levels. But past research has largely been descriptive; no previously published study has directly tested whether the behaviors that predict effectiveness are different at different levels. We tested whether organizational level moderated the relationships between subordinate ratings on seven dimensions of managerial behavior and superior evaluations of overall effectiveness using a set of identical measures in a sample of 2,175 supervisors, middle managers, and executives representing 15 different industries and dozens of organizations based in the U.S. Multivariate analyses revealed significant differences in the pattern of behaviors associated with effectiveness across levels. Many differences were discontinuous (e.g., positive predictors of effectiveness at one level were negative predictors at another) and generally consistent with the dominant themes in the literature characterizing the unique requirements of managerial jobs at different levels. 2009-06-19T23:46:00-08:00 http://www.kaplandevries.com/index.php/publications/the-perils-of-accentuating-the-positive/ This groundbreaking work assembles a dream team of thought leaders to critically evaluate advice from “gurus” to stop fixing weaknesses and instead focus on strengths. The book was edited and compiled by Rob Kaiser and includes ten chapters from leading thinkers like Morgan McCall, Bob Eichinger, Bob Kaplan, Bob Hogan, Steven Berglas, Randy White, and the Center for Creative Leadership. Backed by years of research, filtered through years of experience, and loaded with practical advice, it provides the rest of what you need to know about the fad known as “strengths-based development.” 2009-06-19T00:25:00-08:00 http://www.kaplandevries.com/index.php/publications/too-good-to-be-true/ Human beings are easily deceived by the lure of quick fixes and easy money. The current economic crisis is but the latest example. So is the latest fad in management development, “strengths-based development,” a seductively feel-good focus on maximizing strengths and ignoring weaknesses. But this dangerous philosophy also ignores the science of how managers develop and become great leaders. It may also be partially to blame for the go-go, ga-ga mentality that spun the global economy out of control. 2009-06-19T00:03:00-08:00