theory critique example for research

1. LEADER EXPERIENCES AND LEADERSHIP
DEVELOPMENT
Analysis of a Theoretical Framework
Poonam Lutchman
Student Number: 0406047h
25 April 2022

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CONTENTS
1. INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................................................................2
2. BACKGROUND INFORMATION ................................................................................................................2
2.1 RESEARCH TOPIC .........................................................................................................................2
3. THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK DEVELOPMENT .............................................................................................3
3.1 EXISTING THEORIES AND FRAMEWORKS ..........................................................................................3
3.2 THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK...........................................................................................................7
3.3 CHALLENGES AND LIMITATIONS......................................................................................................9
4. CONCLUSION ......................................................................................................................................9
REFERENCES .............................................................................................................................................10

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1. Introduction
This document presents an analysis and critique of the proposed theoretical framework that will be
used in the study of research development in. The aim of the study is to determine how leaders use
their life experiences to develop their leadership skills. The study will also investigate if there is a
correlation between age and leadership development. The study will focus on experienced leaders in
the South African large scale renewable energy industry.
The document first discusses background information and motivation for the study. The research
questions will then be presented together with existing related theories. Finally, the proposed
theoretical framework is presented and analysed according to the guideline developed by Professor
Christopher Weible.
2. Background Information
2.1 Research Topic
The proposed research topic focuses on a lifespan understanding of leadership development.
Currently the world is changing at a rapid rate, the speed of change has never been so rapid in the
history of the world (Schwab, 2017). This coupled with the COVID 19 pandemic makes the task of
leaders difficult as the industry is coupled with even greater uncertainty (Hosseini, 2020). Leaders are
often criticized by ordinary people how they respond to these challenges.
Although the demand for Renewable Energy (RE) is increasing at a rapid rate, there are still various
challenges associated with it, globally and in South Africa. Some of the issues include political
volatility, different energy strategies between utilities and government resulting in prolonged
resistance to the projects. There is also the challenge of grid infrastructure availability and stability,
skills shortages, access to finance, logistics, inadequate government support and variability with
forecasting among others (Baker, 2017; Gabriel, 2016; Jain & Jain, 2017). This makes it difficult for
companies to develop successful strategies. The RE industry in South Africa faced various challenges
with the electric state utility Eskom that is responsible for generating 95% of the country’s electricity
and owns majority of the transmission and distribution infrastructure. Eskom opposed a number of
RE projects the preferred bidders for Round 4 were announced in June 2015 with the planned financial
close in April 2016, the utility stalled the process by refusing to sign the Power Purchase Agreements,
which were eventually signed around March 2018 (Renaud, Tyler, Roff, & Steyn, 2020)
Problem: Leaders are required to continuously develop to function effectively in the complex ever
changing business environment.
Purpose: The aim of this research is to determine how are experiences linked to leadership
development and if leaders develop more effectively with age.
Research Questions
How do experienced leaders use their experiences to ensure they remain effective throughout their
careers and life. How do they process these experiences in order to develop from them? Is there a
correlation between the leaders’ views on leadership and leadership development and their individual
development experiences?

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Sub Questions
 How do leaders view leadership and leadership development?
 What is the relationship between age and leader development? Do leaders develop more
effectively with age?
 How are leaders affected by the aging process?
 How do leaders use past experiences to further develop their leadership skills?
 What type of experiences influence their development?
 How does their definition of leader and leadership development impact their leadership
journey?
 Are experiences and learning more valuable than leadership courses?
Significance of this Study
This study is expected to contribute to leadership development theory by expanding on the body of
work on the life long journey of leadership development. The study also contributes to the research
on the implications of age and leadership. Currently the literature suggests that the field has
conflicting results as well as a lack of structure (Thrasher, Biermeier-Hanson, & Dickson, 2020).
3. Theoretical Framework Development
3.1 Existing Theories and Frameworks
There have been various studies on leadership and leadership development throughout the years
along with various theories on how leaders develop. According to Kerns (2018a), leader development
is a lifelong process and a starting point is to better understand and integrate their experience in a
positive way for development.
His strong belief in experience management and leader development lead to the creation of “The
Leader Experience Life Span Management Cycle” framework. The aim is to focus the leaders’
experiences in an operational way in order to support their development (Kerns, 2018b). This
framework is based on four phases in order to manage experiences in chronological order:
 Phase 1 – Index and Prioritise experiences. Leaders will develop a structured view of their
experiences and will prioritise memorable ones.
 Phase 2 – Understanding. In order to understand the impact, leaders need to reflect, while
doing so, they will enhance their self-knowledge.
 Phase 3 – Develop and document the leader story. Leaders need to organise information in a
coherent way that aids in their story telling of their leadership journey. This process involves
critical reflection.
 Phase 4 – Communicate and Update. Leaders need to communicate their stories and
experiences whilst always updating it. This will assist in their tracking of self-awareness.
The Leader Experience Life Span Management Cycle is illustrated in Figure 1. Note all four phases are
inter-related and dynamic.

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Figure 1: Leader Experience Lifespan Management Cycle, adapted from (Kerns, 2018b)
A leader who has low self-awareness will have difficulty with this technique and may not see the
complete value at first. After a few iterations the leader may see some value in the process and how
to reflect and advance on experiences.
This theory framework has since been adapted by the author using a seven-step approach in order to
assist the leader to focus on their experiences as illustrated in Figure 2.
Figure 2: Seven-step approach, adaption of Leader Experience Lifestyle Management Cycle
(adapted from (Kerns, 2018b))
A critique of this framework is that it may only be beneficial to leaders who sees development as a
lifelong process and are hence willing to use this framework to develop further. It may be possible
that additional tools will be required for leaders to fully understand and integrate their experiences
to enhance their leadership skills.
Bennis and Thomas (2002) developed a leadership model of how leaders integrate new experiences
into their lives and make meaning of it for their betterment. They found that leaders share the
following traits: adaptive capacity, ability to thrive in adversity was more important than IQ, they are
optimists and learn from experiences. Other common traits also include “neoteny” which they define
as having a zest for knowledge.
Ultimately Bennis and Thomas emphasize that for lifetime leaders, learning is like breathing. They are
continuously learning and developing. This is in line with the theory that leadership is a lifelong
process (Ohnstad, 2019).
Phase 1 - Indexing,
Prioritising
•Structured
interview of
experiences
•Gather and
clarify
experience for
impact
•Prioritise for
lifespan
experiences
Phase 2 -
Understanding
•Interperate
information
•Reflection and
self-awareness
•Ehnance self-
knowledge
Phase 3 - Develop &
document leader
story
•Organise
information
•Develop an
experience
profile or a
leader story
•Use leadership
story protpcol
developed by
Kerns
•Critical
reflection
Phase 4 - Comunicate
and Update
•Communicate
leadership story
•Update
experience and
story
•Track self-
awareness
Position Experience
Management
Clarify and
Prioritise
Experience
Understand
and Integrate
Develop and
document
leader profile
Formulate a
leadership
story
Communicate
story
optimise and
update

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Another way for leaders to develop from experiences is to reflect on their crucibles. In his book,
Crucibles of Leadership (Bennis & Thomas, 2020); Thomas (2008), defined that a crucible is a harsh
test or trial that a person can experience, which for a leader can be a defining moment. It can also be
a transformational experience or life triggering moment. They also raised the question if it is possible
for anyone to use the power of experience to develop and if crucible experiences can be used by
organisations to accelerate leadership development (Calvin, 2012).
Although life experiences can play a role in leader development, not all experiences result in
developing a leader. Leader development is a result of the consequence of the experience and change
felt by the individual (Sahgal & Pathak, 2007).
Kelly and Hashemi (2022) have embarked on qualitative research to explore the impact of crucibles
on authentic leaders. They interviewed leaders with at least 5 years leadership experience, about 22
leaders were interviewed. The questions were centred around certain themes:
 Early life experience and parental influence
 Adverse or trigger moments
 Leader values and if any experienced contributed to these values
The results indicated that the parent dynamic and crucibles resonate with Erikson’s stages of
development, more especially on purposeful leadership withing the 45-64 age group. The study also
indicated that authentic leaders are open to explore and reflect on their experiences and as such have
a deep level of sense awareness.
It should be noted that researchers used certain questions to direct the respondents to think in a
certain way, they emphasized the role of parents, instead of having semi-structured or open-ended
questions so that the respondents could reflect on other expectations.
The aptitude for learning is critical when using crucibles as well as resilience. Leaders need to
understand that situations are dynamic and will change (Bennis & Thomas, 2020).
In terms of adult development and learning, Jay Conger developed four categories of leadership
development and their link to adult learning (Allen, 2007). The categories are based on Merriam
(2018) adult learning theory.
Table 1: Adult Learning Theory
ITEM DESCRIPTION COMMENTS
COGNITIVIST Inner world of mental processing,
memory, insight, meaning and perception.
Concept of learning how to learn which
involves processing knowledge effectively
in any given situation (Tusting & Barton,
2003)
BEHAVIOURALIST The main concern is on behavioural
change according to the external
environment
A disadvantage is that learners
may have a lack of theory to
understand why certain
behaviours are required.

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ITEM DESCRIPTION COMMENTS
HUMANIST Each individual finds their purpose, grow,
and mature to become self-actualized.
They have a personalised self-directed
path. This is a lifelong process where the
purpose of learning is more focused as
individuals age.
As the level of self-awareness
increases so does the level of
development
SOCIAL
COGNITIVE
Learning occurs when interacting in a
social context.
CONSTRUCTIVIST Learner construct meaning from their
experience
The learner would need to have
sufficient experience and learn
how to interpret and reflect to
gain an understanding of the
particular experience.
The above theory is inline with the study that leaders learn from experience. The adult learning theory
encompasses all the aspects in which learning can occur. Application of this theory cannot be done
on an individual category basis. It requires an integrated method.
Table 2 summarises other theories and frameworks that are related to this research topic. These
theories were not considered for the theoretical framework on the following basis:
 They are similar to the theories considered
 They do not fully relate and correlate with the proposed research questions
 It is challenging to use in a qualitative study
Table 2: Summary of Other Relevant Theories
AUTHOR THEORY COMMENTS
BANDURA (1982) Self-efficacy Theory
The belief that one has the
personal capabilities and resources
to meet the requirements to
accomplish a certain task.
Individuals with greater self-efficacy
are more likely to be in leadership
positions as they have stronger
beliefs in their leadership ability.
Can hinder development process as
individuals believe they are capable
leaders.
ERIK ERIKSON Stages of psychological
development
People advance through the stages
of development based on how
they adjust to social crises
throughout their live and how they
react to the world.
Benefit: fact that it provides a holistic
view of development throughout the
entire lifespan.
Each stage happens in a certain
period of life, and it features a vital
psychosocial “crisis” each human
faces in that part of life. And the

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AUTHOR THEORY COMMENTS
8 stages of life
Infancy: Trust vs Mistrust.
Toddlerhood: Autonomy vs Shame
and doubt.
Preschool years: Initiative vs Guilt.
Early school years: Industry vs
Inferiority.
Adolescence: Identity vs Role
confusion.
Young adulthood: Intimacy vs
Isolation.
Middle adulthood: Generativity vs
Stagnation/Self-absorption.
outcome crisis determines your path
of development and your behaviour
(Douvan, 1997; McLeod, 2013).
(HASLAM ET AL.,
2017)
5R Programme for Leader
Development
Challenges – power struggles can
occur if one is forced to change
their identity as opposed to
natural change through a process
of reflection. This can result in
identity undoing (Nicholson &
Carroll, 2013)
Leaders lean to be champions of
identity and behave to advance the
interests of the group they lead.
Five Stage Process:
Readying Reflecting
Representing
Realising
Reporting
(AVOLIO & BASS,
1995)
Theory on developing
transformational leadership skills
Family circumstances, childhood and
cultural experiences are areas that
contribute to illuminating the process
of transformational leader
behaviours.
3.2 Theoretical Framework
The theoretical framework for my study is based on the following definitions:
Leadership – There are currently a number of different definitions of leadership (Day & Zaccaro, 2007).
This is because researchers often define leadership according to their own preferences (Macit, 2003).
For this study, leadership is defined as the ability to set and achieve goals in risky uncertain situations
(Dash, 2005). This is more so vital in today’s every changing world, where the speed of change has
been faster than it has ever been in the history of the world.
Leadership Development – leadership development is a lifelong process and as such leaders are more
likely to develop from experiences (Ohnstad, 2019).
The proposed theoretical framework is based on the following assumptions:
 Leaders are made, not born
 Leaders will provide a truthful account of their leadership journey

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 Since the study focuses on experienced leaders, it isthus assumed that the leaders are capable
of creating their own coherent narratives that is linked to the life story and leadership journey
The theoretical framework for the study is illustrated in Figure 3.
Figure 3: Model of Leader Development through Lifelong Experiences developed by Author, adapted from
(Bennis & Thomas, 2002; Kerns, 2018b)
It is my belief that leaders are not born, but can be developed. They do have certain inherent qualities
that allows them to adapt to change.
Leadership Development is a Dynamic System, that is influenced by internal and external factors.
Since leader development is a lifelong process, the entire process is circular. That means it is ongoing
and leaders are expected to adapt accordling to the given situation.
Leader experiences are dependent on their age, and the external environment they are exposed to.
Experience will be measured by how intense leaders experience these. This will be measured by
consulting with the leaders to determine the level of intensity as well as the type of experience.
Essentially leaders are shaped by their internal and external environments. This can change over time,
as they reflect and further develop.
The methodology for this research is that of qualitative research. Purposeful sampling will be used to
select experienced leaders. They will be interviewed using semi-structured interviews to understand
their life stories and how it impacted their leadership capabilities and development process.
Leader
Development
Experience
Reflection
Ability to
Learn
Narrate
Adapt/
Flexibility
Age
Formative
Later years
Crucibles – positive and
negative
External
Environment
Motivation
How leaders
process and
interpret
experiences
Internal environment
External
Environment
Role of curiosity
Cognitive process
f curiosity
Self-Directed path

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The theoretical framework has been developed using the the proposed research questions. There is a
complementary relationship between the two (Osanloo & Grant, 2016). For this study the theoretical
framework complements the research questions by providing an expected outcome of the research
in the form of a hypothesis.
Hypothesis
 Leaders are expected to have more experiences as they age and older experienced leaders
are expected to be more effective and developed than younger leaders.
 Leaders are shaped by their internal and external environments.
 Experienced leaders that used their experiences, were more focused on a personalised self-
directed path compared to technical and theoretical learning.
The theory aims to address the phenomena of how leaders develop from their life experiences.
The research has the potential to influence how leaders are developed within the renewable energy
sector in South Africa. The results of this study may provide insight on developing a more practical
approach to leadership development by stimulating certain experiences.
3.3 Challenges and Limitations
Although the proposed framework is developed using existing theories; there are still certain
challenges and limitations which need to be overcome:
 It is expected that the leaders interviewed will be truthful in their accounts of experiences.
However, as a researcher I recognise that the accounts would be subjective and taken from
the leader’s perspective. This is actually an opportunity and not a limitation as it would
provide insight of how leaders choose to narrate and see experiences in order to develop
further.
 The framework is also depended on leaders remembering key events in their lives. This may
not always be the case as with time we choose what to remember. This could be seen as that
the forgotten experiences were not impactful or leaders chose to supress these memories
which could have a major impact on their behaviours
 Another consideration is that the leaders view of leader and leader development would also
impact their individual development process
I see the above as an opportunity to add further to the current body of research on leadership
development as a lifelong journey where their individual experiences play a major role in how they
develop. I do recognise due to the nature of the methodology it would be difficult to generalise across
all sectors, the results however can contribute practically to how organisations develop leaders.
4. Conclusion
This document presented a brief overview of the dissertation topic of Leader Experiences and Leader
Development. The research questions were proposed. From the aim of the study, a theoretical
framework has been developed for this research. The framework was analysed according to
Professor Chris Weible’s guideline. Ultimately it was found that there were some limitations which
the research could translate to additional opportunities for the study.

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