CEP 815  Technology and Leadership

The course Technology and Leadership applied leadership theory to the advocacy for and use of technology. Through analysis of various leadership theories, we applied these to the work of fostering leadership in technology use in schools. Much of the work centered around the concept of TPACK or technological pedagogical content knowledge and its application in designing digital tools for education. The following work samples are a prezi presentation on an article about the theory of the incomplete leader and a satirical insprirational poster for leadership based on the leadership theories of Jim Collins.

The leaders of the banking industry in the poster are exemplars of Level 5 leadership as described by Jim Collins in his article “Level 5 Leadership: The Triumph of Humility and Fierce Resolve.” Let us first consider humility. You probably cannot name any of the men in the photo, yet they are responsible for one of the greatest economic transformations in recent U.S. history. If you witnessed their testimony before Congress, it was easy to see that they manifested the characteristics of being “shy, awkward, and shunning attention” that Collins notes in his description of Darwin Smith. In fact, none of them would take credit for the recent great economic transformation. They had the humility to credit others for this economic transformation citing such luck factors as the whims of investors, mortgage-holders, and the economic climate. Moreover, none of these financial leaders have been boastful about creating ingenious financial algorithms that have allowed them to profit from the failure of others and even afford bonuses for their workers during an economic recession. Lastly, in an act of selfless humility, they knew when it was the proper time to ask for and receive assistance from the U.S. taxpayers, the very people they have been profiting from. But along with humility, Collins couples “stoic resolve” as the force behind Level 5 leaders. The determination needed to create the new complex financial products like derivatives required years of working with government regulators, mortgage bankers, and financial investors. The single-mindedness of this incredibly sophisticated profit-producing system reveals truly inspired resolve over the last ten years as the derivatives market was created and grew to astronomical profits. Furthermore, Collins notes that “Level 5 leaders want to see their companies become even more successful in the next generation.” This concern can be seen in the history of many of these executives who have made the sacrifice of moving on to government positions to further allow the growth of the company. Frank Paulsen and Tim Geitner come to mind as financial leaders who had the humility to move on to government posts after leaving Goldman Sachs to help the company “become even more successful in the next generation.” So the financial leaders who brought about an economic transformation that has truly changed the world would not admit that they are the ones responsible, but such “transformations don’t happen without Level 5 leaders at the helm. They just don’t.” And we don’t even remember their names.