The Experience of Responsibility-Based Management in Decision Making: A Grounded Theory Study

OBJECTIVE
This qualitative descriptive research study focused on the issue of responsibility in management decision making at it affects credibility in a leadership role.

METHODOLOGY
The data were gathered and derived from 18 study participants draws from personal interviews with CEOs and other top-level executives in the Southern California region using a triangulated method of data collection.

KEY FINDINGS
Participants tended to “usually” (response #8 on the LPI scale) engage in the leadership practices of Inspire, Challenge and Encourage, and “very frequently” (response # 9) engage in Enable and Model. Twelve leadership behaviors were identified as core components of the researcher’s “responsibility-based management theory.”

The participants’ written responses “indicated that executive leaders utilize all five practices of exemplary leadership identified in the LPI instrument. The leadership inventory results were further substantiated in personal interviews” (pp. 225-226).