Collective leadership behaviors : evaluating the leader, team network, and problem situation characteristics that influence their use

The focus on non-hierarchical, collectivistic, leadership has been steadily increasing with several different theories emerging (Yammarino, Salas, Serban, Shirreffs, & Shuffler, 2012). While most take the view that collectivistic approaches to leadership (e.g., shared and distributed leadership) are emergent properties of the team, a recent, integrative framework by Friedrich, Vessey, Schuelke, Ruark and Mumford (2009) proposed that collective leadership, defined as the selective utilization of expertise within the network, does not eliminate the role of the focal leader. In the present study, three dimensions of collective leadership behaviors from the Friedrich et al. (2009) framework — Communication, Network Development, and Leader–Team Exchange were tested with regard to how individual differences of leaders (intelligence, experience, and personality), the team's network (size, interconnectedness, and embeddedness), the given problem domain (strategic change or innovation), and problem focus (task or relationship focused) influenced the use of each collective leadership dimension

Leader decision making capacity : an information processing perspective

Leaders’ decision making capacity and abilities directly impact their decision quality and performance. Decision making processes involve information collection, problem framing, and option evaluation. Moreover, multilevel performance and social information have an impact on the subsequent steps and outcomes of decision making. Following this logic, the leader’s ability to manage the decision making process is deemed to be critical to their role. In this chapter, we explore the relationship between decision making capacity and three relevant antecedent abilities: problem solving, social judgment and emotion management. However, because decision making is highly sensitive to the context, the impact of contextual factors such as time pressure and cultural differences are also discussed

Criticism and outstanding leadership : an evaluation of leader reactions and critical outcomes

Outstanding political leaders are frequently called upon to make high-stakes decisions. Because of the controversial and highly visible nature of these issues, they often face intense criticism. Leaders' responses to criticisms not only affect follower reactions, but also the successful resolution of the contested issue. The present study examines leader and follower reactions to different types of criticisms. A historiometric approach was used to examine biographies containing criticisms of 120 world leaders and to explore leader behaviors in response to criticisms. Specifically, leader response strategies and their success in terms of follower reactions and resolution of the criticism were examined. The results indicated that collaborative or confrontational leader response strategies proved most effective in terms of the leader's ability to continue forward with a particular agenda item and to gather support of those around him or her. Conversely, avoidant, diverting attention, and persuasive response strategies proved less effective

Insights into the Genetic Architecture of Early Stage Age-Related Macular Degeneration: A Genome-Wide Association Study Meta-Analysis

10.1371/journal.pone.0053830PLoS ONE81

Genome-wide association study identifies six new loci influencing pulse pressure and mean arterial pressure.

Numerous genetic loci have been associated with systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) in Europeans. We now report genome-wide association studies of pulse pressure (PP) and mean arterial pressure (MAP). In discovery (N = 74,064) and follow-up studies (N = 48,607), we identified at genome-wide significance (P = 2.7 × 10(-8) to P = 2.3 × 10(-13)) four new PP loci (at 4q12 near CHIC2, 7q22.3 near PIK3CG, 8q24.12 in NOV and 11q24.3 near ADAMTS8), two new MAP loci (3p21.31 in MAP4 and 10q25.3 near ADRB1) and one locus associated with both of these traits (2q24.3 near FIGN) that has also recently been associated with SBP in east Asians. For three of the new PP loci, the estimated effect for SBP was opposite of that for DBP, in contrast to the majority of common SBP- and DBP-associated variants, which show concordant effects on both traits. These findings suggest new genetic pathways underlying blood pressure variation, some of which may differentially influence SBP and DBP

Genetic variants in novel pathways influence blood pressure and cardiovascular disease risk.

Blood pressure is a heritable trait influenced by several biological pathways and responsive to environmental stimuli. Over one billion people worldwide have hypertension (≥140 mm Hg systolic blood pressure or  ≥90 mm Hg diastolic blood pressure). Even small increments in blood pressure are associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular events. This genome-wide association study of systolic and diastolic blood pressure, which used a multi-stage design in 200,000 individuals of European descent, identified sixteen novel loci: six of these loci contain genes previously known or suspected to regulate blood pressure (GUCY1A3-GUCY1B3, NPR3-C5orf23, ADM, FURIN-FES, GOSR2, GNAS-EDN3); the other ten provide new clues to blood pressure physiology. A genetic risk score based on 29 genome-wide significant variants was associated with hypertension, left ventricular wall thickness, stroke and coronary artery disease, but not kidney disease or kidney function. We also observed associations with blood pressure in East Asian, South Asian and African ancestry individuals. Our findings provide new insights into the genetics and biology of blood pressure, and suggest potential novel therapeutic pathways for cardiovascular disease prevention