Call for Papers

Below is the call for papers for the upcoming Cutter IT Journal issue Is Leadership a Science? guest edited by Lynne Ellyn

Is Leadership a Science?

In today's challenging business climate, technical teams are being asked to be more productive, more efficient, more creative, more collaborative, more customer focused and more business savvy. More, more, MORE! Challenged to produce technical innovation that moves the business forward and do it on time and on budget, CIOs and their management teams are facing a leadership crises.

The CIO or technical leader who aspires to being truly effective is undoubtedly searching for leadership approaches that will produce the best results. Turning to the advice of famous management gurus might sound like this:

"Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things."
-- Peter Drucker

"The key to successful leadership today is influence, not authority."
-- Ken Blanchard

"Management is about arranging and telling. Leadership is about nurturing and enhancing."
-- Tom Peters

The signs of outstanding leadership appear primarily among the followers. Are the followers reaching their potential? Are they learning? Serving? Do they achieve the required results? Do they change with grace? Manage conflict? "Ultimately, effective leadership is about results."-- Max de Pree.

While all of this advice is interesting and possibly helpful, is any of it based on rigorous study? Is there any science that can help CIOs motivate their teams to be more productive, collaborative, innovative, etc? The big question is can we determine, in a scientific way, how people collaborate, innovate, learn, solve problems and perform complex tasks?

Fortunately, in the last 10-15 years, advances in neuroscience have been revealing important insights into human cognitive processing that have exciting applications to leadership. Dr. David Rock coined the term "neuroleadership" to describe leadership principles that are based on scientific research in neuroscience. Dr. Rock developed a leadership model that is based on the scientifically demonstrated needs of the human brain; status, certainty, autonomy, relatedness and fairness. This model, known as SCARF, provides a framework for creating a work environment that is highly conducive to optimal human performance.

The March 2012 issue of the Cutter IT Journal will explore the concept of leadership and the strategies, skills, and practices associated with being an effective leader. It will also explore the neuroscience of leadership and how its insight can be applied to achieve higher performance among technical leaders and teams.

Topics of interest include but are not limited to the following:

  1. Effective IT leadership practices and how to introduce them into an organization.

    • Are technical professionals different from others and do they require a different type of leader?

    • What leadership models work for IT?

    • Which ones support innovation?

    • What is the role of leadership in creating effective teamwork and technical excellence?

  2. Neuroleadership and the SCARF model

    • What research in Neuroscience is useful to IT leaders?

    • How can neuroleadership create more effective leaders?

    • What leadership practices are brain-friendly?

    • How does FUD (fear, uncertainty and doubt) affect human performance?

    • How can the SCARF model be applied to make for more successful teams?

    • Can a scientific approach to leadership inspire innovation?

TO SUBMIT AN ARTICLE IDEA

Please respond to the Guest Editor, Lynne Ellyn at ms[dot]lynneellyn[at]gmail[dot]com with a copy to itjournal[at]cutter[dot]com by 28 December 2011. Please include an extended abstract and short outline showing the major discussion points.

ARTICLE DEADLINE

Accepted articles are due by 3 February 2012.

EDITORIAL GUIDELINES

Most Cutter IT Journal articles are approximately 2,500-3,500 words long, plus whatever graphics are appropriate. If you have any other questions, please do not hesitate to contact CITJ's Group Publisher, Christine Generali at cgenerali[at]cutter[dot]com or the Guest Editor, Lynne Ellyn at ms[dot]lynneellyn[at]gmail[dot]com. Editorial guidelines are available online.

Important Note: When you submit an article to Cutter Consortium, you warrant that you (or your employer) are the sole owner of the article and that you have full power and authority to copyright it and publish it. Also, the article you submit to Cutter must be an original; not previously published elsewhere.

AUDIENCE

Typical readers of Cutter IT Journal range from CIOs and vice presidents of software organizations to IT managers, directors, project leaders, and very senior technical staff. Most work in fairly large organizations: Fortune 500 IT shops, large computer vendors (IBM, HP, etc.), and government agencies. 48% of our readership is outside of the US (15% from Canada, 14% Europe, 5% Australia/NZ, 14% elsewhere). Please avoid introductory-level, tutorial coverage of a topic. Assume you're writing for someone who has been in the industry for 10 to 20 years, is very busy, and very impatient. Assume he or she will be asking, "What's the point? What do I do with this information?" Apply the "So what?" test to everything you write.

PROMOTIONAL OPPORTUNITIES

We are pleased to offer Journal authors a year's complimentary subscription and five copies of the issue in which they are published. In addition, we occasionally pull excerpts, along with the author's bio, to include in our weekly Cutter Edge e-mail bulletin, which reaches another 8,000 readers. We'd also be pleased to quote you, or passages from your article, in Cutter press releases. If you plan to be speaking at industry conferences, we can arrange to make copies of your article or the entire issue available for attendees of those speaking engagements -- furthering your own promotional efforts.

ABOUT CUTTER IT JOURNAL

No other journal brings together so many cutting-edge thinkers, and lets them speak so bluntly and frankly. We strive to maintain the Journal's reputation as the "Harvard Business Review of IT." Our goal is to present well-grounded opinion (based on real, accountable experiences), research, and animated debate about each topic the Journal explores.

PLEASE FORWARD THIS CALL FOR PAPERS TO ANYONE WHO MIGHT HAVE AN APPROPRIATE SUBMISSION.

Call for Papers: Is Leadership a Science?