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Bridgewater Review Volume 24 | Issue 1 Article 6 Jun-2005 The mpI ortance of Leadership Dorothy J. Mulcahy Bridgewater State College Recommended Citation Mulcahy, Dorothy J. (2005). The mporI tance of Leadership. Bridgewater Review, 24(1), 7-10. Available at: http://vc.bridgew.edu/br_rev/vol24/iss1/6 This item is available as part of Virtual Commons, the open-access institutional repository of Bridgewater State University, Bridgewater, Massachusetts. In the second study (which consisted of some partici- our findings. Specifically, they are interested in learning pants from the first study plus a few new ones) data ways in which they can change contrast in the environ- were collected over seven consecutive 10-day periods, ment in order to maintain or improve functional abili- which I will refer to as the seven phases of the study. ties in individuals with AD. The following suggestions Once again food and liquid intake were measured for are adapted from a book chapter written by Dr. Tracy both lunch and supper. The colors of the plates and Dunne appearing in Vision in Alzheimer’s Disease edited cups used for each of the seven phases were as follows: by Cronin-Golomb and Hof. Ideas for enhancing con- The Importance of Leadership Phase 1: white plates and cups; Phase 2: bright (high trast in the bathroom and kitchen are briefly discussed. by Dorothy J. Mulcahy contrast) blue plates and cups; Phase 3: white plates One of the major challenges in caring for individuals and cups; Phase 4: pastel (low contrast) red plates and with AD is getting them to bathe. Because of deficien- cups; Phase 5: white plates and cups; Phase 6: pastel cies in depth and contrast perception, individuals with (low contrast) blue plates and cups; Phase 7: white AD may have difficulty transitioning into the bathtub. plates and cups. Why is the topic of leadership important? History is ate leadership style based on the leader, followers, and Placing a non-skid bath mat inside the tub that is a con- rich with stories of leaders who have shaped the course the situation. Contemporary approaches tend to have a Group results revealed that when bright (high contrast) trasting color to the tub should help alleviate this diffi- of nations, the economy, and society. It is well recog- more integrative view that combines the trait, behav- blue plates and cups were used, there was a significant culty. Moreover, using different colored knobs for hot nized that effectively run organizations are more pro- ioral, and contingency theories to explain successful 25.1% mean increase in food intake and a 29.8% mean and cold faucets (for e.g., red for hot and blue for cold) ductive and successful while poorly run organizations leader-follower relationships. increase in liquid intake. Increases were noted for both and using grab rails that contrast to the walls should suffer at the hands of ineffective leaders. Compounding lunch and supper. Once again, intake values dropped also provide some assistance. Contrast can also be used Research has also focused on the attributes of leaders, the need for effective leadership is the unethical and ille- back down again when the white plates and white cups to aid with toileting behaviors, which pose a major con- that is, the inner or personal qualities that constitute gal behavior of numerous business and public sector were re-introduced. The use of the pastel (low contrast) cern for caregivers. As the disease progresses, it is not effective leadership. Terms used to describe attributes leaders that has led to the failure of many organiza- red plates and cups and the pastel (low contrast) blue uncommon for individuals with AD to mistakenly use include traits, competencies, style, motives, skills and tions. The scandals at Enron, WorldCom, HealthSouth, plates and cups did not reveal any significant increases plants, hampers, and wastebaskets as toilets. By provid- character. Some researchers claim that leadership attrib- OfficeMax, Tyco, Marsh & McLennan, Putnam, and in either food or liquid intake across conditions. Group ing contrast around the toilet area, either by using col- utes fall into three broad categories: who leaders are Boeing, to name just a few, have focused on the impor- results of food intake collapsed across lunch and supper, ored toilet water and/or by placing a contrasting toilet (values, motives, personal traits, and character), what tance of strong, effective, and ethical leadership. along with the collapsed group results from the first mat around the base of the toilet, it will help to provide leaders know (skills and abilities), and what leaders do Dissatisfaction on the part of stockholders and boards experiment for comparison, are given below. a cue as to where the individual should sit or stand. (behaviors, habits, styles, and competencies). Using of directors has increasingly led to the termination of Moreover, placing a light this leadership attribute model, leaders can be seen as high-profile CEOs. The recent termination of Hewlett- inside the toilet bowl or setting direction (creating a vision, developing strate- Packard’s CEO Carleton (Carly) Fiorina has focused right above the toilet using gies, defining the future), mobilizing individual com- considerable attention on the qualities a leader needs to commercially made products mitment (engaging others, sharing power), and en- have in order to achieve the organization’s goals. that use a light-emitting gendering organizational capability (building teams diode may also be beneficial. Employees have suffered at the hands of ineffective and managing change). Finally, installing safety rails leaders. Job satisfaction has declined over the last of a contrasting color is decade, with the biggest decline in on-the-job happiness another way to draw atten- among workers earning $25,000 to $35,000 and among tion to the toilet itself. workers between the ages of 35 to 44. The biggest rea- son for people leaving their organizations is that they To encourage independent are being treated poorly by their bosses. Hundreds of functioning in the kitchen, studies support the fact that leadership makes a pro- use light switches and elec- found difference in followers’ performance and satisfac- trical outlets that contrast tion. However, often a chasm exists between what is with the walls, and provide expected of leaders and what they produce. high-contrast knobs and These results suggest that high contrast tableware (in handles on cabinets. If, however, use of switches, out- The discussion of leadership begs for definitions. Several this case bright red and bright blue plates and cups) sig- lets, and cabinets poses a safety hazard, use plate covers definitions suggest that leadership is a process used by nificantly increases food and liquid intake in severely and handles that are the same color as the walls and an individual to influence group members toward the demented individuals with AD. Low contrast tableware cabinets to discourage use. Keep in mind that caregivers achievement of group goals through change. Early stud- (pastel red and pastel blue plates and cups) is ineffectu- can easily enhance or minimize contrast depending on ies of leadership focused on an examination of traits of al. These data disprove the novelty effect and support whether they want to encourage or discourage particu- leaders, those characteristics accounting for leadership the idea that the saliency of the color of the tableware is lar behaviors. Other ideas for the kitchen include the use effectiveness, such as high energy, aggressiveness, and a crucial factor, thereby demonstrating that the of large, multicolored buttons on appliances and the use persuasiveness. The belief was that leaders were born, enhancement of contrast is a simple yet effective inter- of open shelving or glass cabinet doors to aid in finding not made. Such assumptions were replaced by an exam- vention for increasing food and liquid intake in individ- items used on a daily basis such as bread or cereal. ination of leaders’ behavior, those distinctive styles used uals with AD. by effective leaders. This evolved into contingency lead- In conclusion, by visually manipulating the environ- ership theories that attempted to explain the appropri- PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS ment we can begin to compensate for brain-based visual When we present our research findings at various con- deficits, such as those noted in contrast sensitivity, and ferences or even AD care facilities, the audience is often thereby ultimately improve the quality of life for both interested in knowing the more practical application of individuals with AD and their caregivers. Sandra Neargarder is Associate Professor of Psychology. BRIDGEWATER REVIEW JUNE 2005 7 Leaders typically exhibit behavioral patterns to influ- Even more pronounced in analyzing President Summers Charismatic leadership is not always the formula for ence their followers and perform several roles. The can be a leadership attitude developed by theorist success. Some researchers have found that the most interpersonal role consists of the figurehead, leader and Douglas McGregor who classified attitudes as assump- effective leaders lacked charisma. In his book Good to liaison. They assume the figurehead roles when they tions he refers to as Theory X and Theory Y. His theory Great, Jim Collins presents his theory of Level 5 represent their organizations at ceremonies and symbol- attempts to explain and predict leadership behavior and Leadership. Based on a five-year research study of all the ic activities, such as commencements and official sign- performance based on the leaderís attitude about fol- companies that were on the Fortune 500 list from 1965 ings or openings. In the informational role, they will be lowers. Theory X leaders have the attitude that employ- to 1995, Collins discovered that the best examples of seen as the spokesperson for the organization. Terry ees dislike work and must be closely supervised in order leaders turning a merely good company into a truly Lundgren, CEO of Federated Department Stores, aptly to do their work.

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