Historical Analysis of Leadership Theory in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and Its Educational System
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Utah State University DigitalCommons@USU All Graduate Theses and Dissertations Graduate Studies 8-2018 Historical Analysis of Leadership Theory in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and Its Educational System Kevin D. Whitehead Utah State University Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/etd Part of the Educational Leadership Commons, Educational Methods Commons, and the Mormon Studies Commons Recommended Citation Whitehead, Kevin D., "Historical Analysis of Leadership Theory in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and Its Educational System" (2018). All Graduate Theses and Dissertations. 7186. https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/etd/7186 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate Studies at DigitalCommons@USU. It has been accepted for inclusion in All Graduate Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@USU. For more information, please contact [email protected]. HISTORICAL ANALYSIS OF LEADERSHIP THEORY IN THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS AND ITS EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM by Kevin D. Whitehead A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY in Education Approved: Michael K. Freeman, Ph.D. Matthew L. Sanders, Ph.D. Major Professor Committee Member Susan A. Turner, Ph.D. Max L. Longhurst, Ph.D. Committee Member Committee Member Steven O. Laing, Ed.D. Mark R. McLellan, Ph.D. Committee Member Vice President for Research and Dean of the School of Graduate Studies UTAH STATE UNIVERSITY Logan, Utah 2018 ii Copyright © Kevin D. Whitehead 2018 All Rights Reserved iii ABSTRACT Historical Analysis of Leadership Theory in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its Educational System by Kevin D. Whitehead, Doctor of Philosophy Utah State University, 2018 Major Professor: Michael K. Freeman, Ph.D. Department: School of Teacher Education and Leadership An organization’s leadership theory acts as a collection of primary guiding characteristics which influence corporate identity and destiny. Developing leaders has always been important for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Historically, the Church has promoted leadership ideals for all its members through various aspects of its doctrine and organization. This study provides a content analysis of multiple leadership texts pertaining to the ecclesiastical and educational wings of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints with the intent of revealing how Latter-day Saint leadership theory has developed over time. This study considers the unfolding of Latter- day Saint leadership theory from 1900 to 2017. The content analysis also provides greater understanding of how ecclesiastic leadership theory relates to leadership theory provided for the Church’s religious educators. To facilitate these kinds of insights the study utilized a contextual historical framework to enrich analysis. This approach considers iv how themes in Latter-day Saint leadership theory developed in relationship to other contemporary historical and theoretical trends. In addition to providing a broad view of essential Latter-day Saint leadership constructs, this study will provide invaluable insight into how the Church develops leaders, how it learns, and how it has remained vital through global expansion. Data derived from this analysis are used to answer the following three questions: (1) How has the idea of leadership changed over time in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and in its educational system? (2) What are the enduring themes and distinctive concepts of Latter-day Saint leadership theory? (3) What differences exist between the leadership constructs provided for ecclesiastical leaders in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and those of its educational system? (308 pages) v PUBLIC ABSTRACT Historical Analysis of Leadership Theory in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its Educational System Kevin D. Whitehead An organization’s leadership theory acts as a collection of primary guiding characteristics which influence its identity and direction. Developing leaders has always been important for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Historically, the Church has promoted leadership ideals for all its members through various aspects of its doctrine and organization. This study provides an analysis of multiple leadership texts produced by the ecclesiastical and educational wings of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The study helps to reveal how Latter-day Saint leadership theory has developed over time. This study considers the unfolding of Latter-day Saint leadership theory from 1900 to 2017. The analysis provides greater understanding of how ecclesiastic leadership theory relates to leadership theory provided for the Church’s religious educators. Additionally, this study considers how themes in Latter-day leadership theory developed in relationship to other contemporary historical and theoretical trends. Data derived from this analysis are used to answer the following three questions: (1) How has the idea of leadership changed over time in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and in its educational system? (2) What are the enduring themes and distinctive concepts of Latter-day Saint leadership theory? (3) What differences exist between the leadership constructs provided for ecclesiastical leaders in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and those of its educational system? vi ACKNOWLEDGMENTS To my dear wife for her tireless and loving support. For my children, who I hope will get all the education they can. Kevin D. Whitehead vii CONTENTS Page ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................... iii PUBLIC ABSTRACT ................................................................................................... v ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ............................................................................................. vi LIST OF TABLES ......................................................................................................... ix LIST OF FIGURES ....................................................................................................... x CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................ 1 Leadership in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ....................... 3 Characteristics of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ................. 4 Significance of the Study ................................................................................. 20 Problem and Questions ..................................................................................... 22 Scope of Study .................................................................................................. 23 Definitions ........................................................................................................ 25 Summary .......................................................................................................... 32 II. REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE .................................................................. 33 Chapter Overview ............................................................................................. 33 Research Paradigm(s) ....................................................................................... 33 Organizational Context ..................................................................................... 37 Unofficial Latter-Day Saint Leadership Literature .......................................... 57 The Need for a Historical Analysis in Latter-Day Saint Leadership Literature ................................................................................................ 68 Summary of Chapter II ..................................................................................... 69 III. METHODOLOGY ........................................................................................... 70 Qualitative Research Methodology .................................................................. 70 Implications of the Study ................................................................................. 79 Summary .......................................................................................................... 79 viii Page IV. DEVELOPMENT OF LATTER-DAY SAINT LEADERSHIP THEORY ..... 81 Introduction ...................................................................................................... 81 Ecclesiastical Theory ........................................................................................ 81 Leadership Theory in Seminaries and Institutes of Religion ........................... 165 Summary .......................................................................................................... 193 V. ANALYSIS, DISCUSSION, AND CONCLUSIONS ..................................... 194 Introduction ...................................................................................................... 194 Summary of Findings and Conclusions ............................................................ 194 Discussion ........................................................................................................ 237 Limitations ........................................................................................................ 243 Recommendations for Future Research ..........................................................