Gerard Seijts

• Seijts, G. H.; Milani, K. Y., 2024, "The character imperative: Creating a more just, prosperous, and sustainable future", Organizational Dynamics, August 53(3): 101012 - 101012.
  Abstract: Executive Summary We believe that no level of competence or commitment will matter without the foundational leadership element of strong, well-developed character. Our conversations with global leaders reinforced our conviction that character development must be included in leadership conversations and development if we are going to help create leaders who are willing and able to tackle the grand challenges of our time and work towards a more prosperous, just, and inclusive society. The ultimate objective our paper is to encourage the reader to consider how each of us can raise the bar in our respective selves, teams, organizations, and communities by recognizing, measuring, fostering, and being leaders with good character. In short, we hope the reader comes to appreciate that character is not a niche topic or a nice-to-have. Simply put, character is utterly essential to good leadership and to individual and societal well-being.

  Link(s) to publication:

  https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0090261623000566

  http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.orgdyn.2023.101012

• Seijts, G. H.; Mohan, G.; Sosik, J. J.; Ruiz Pardo, A.; Barath, I., 2024, "The Effect of Character on Stress Coping Responses Through Motivation to Lead", Journal of Character and Leadership Development, August 11: 302 - 302.
  Abstract: There have been calls to elevate character alongside competencies and commitment in leadership research. Given the potential importance of character in leadership, it is surprising that the construct has not been more fully integrated into the nuanced nomological network of leadership processes. We built out the nomological network and, specifically, examined the relationship between character and stress coping responses in two field studies involving law enforcement officers. The results of our structural equation models revealed that character had both direct and indirect effects on coping responses through motivation to lead. Furthermore, our results indicated that character was discriminably different from related, empirically validated constructs of personality traits and psychological capital. The correlation between character and psychological capital was positive and significant, and they both predicted stress coping responses.

  Link(s) to publication:

  http://dx.doi.org/10.58315/jcld.v11.302

• Wright, T. A.; Emich, K.; Pearce, J. L.; Ramoglou, S.; Ashkanasy, N.; Bartunek, J. M.; Kunisch, S.; Denyer, D.; Foss, N. J.; Klein, P. G., et al., 2024, "Advocacy and the Search for Truth in Management Scholarship: Can the Twain Ever Meet?", Journal of Management Inquiry, January 33(1): 11 - 25.
  Abstract: Scholars have long debated the merits of advocacy-based research versus research considered from the quest for objective truth. Building upon reflections from multiple sources, a set of 11 brief reflections on three posed questions are presented. Tsang concludes our discussion with additional insights on how moving beyond the ?interestingness? advocacy will be beneficial to the continued professional development of the management discipline.

  Link(s) to publication:

  https://doi.org/10.1177/10564926231203522

  http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/10564926231203522

• Mohan, G.; Seijts, G. H.; Miller, R., 2023, "Does Leader Character Have a Gender?", Journal of Business Ethics, November 188: 169 - 186.
  Abstract: Virtues and character strengths are often assumed to be universal, considered equally important to individuals across cultures, religions, racial-ethnic groups, and genders. The results of our surveys and laboratory studies, however, bring to light subtle yet consistent gender differences in the importance attributed to character in leadership: women considered character to be more important to successful leadership in business than did men, and women had higher expectations that individuals should demonstrate character in a new leadership role. Further, the gender of the research participant affected character ratings such that male respondents viewed a female leader who exhibited agentic behaviors in a professionally challenging situation less positively than a male leader who displayed the same agentic behaviors. The data also showed that male participants rated almost every dimension of character displayed by the female leader lower than did female participants. Our findings suggest that the question as to what extent gender differences may bias the assessment of virtues and character strengths is an important one, and one for which the practical implications for individuals in organizations need to be studied in more detail.

  Link(s) to publication:

  https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10551-022-05313-9

  http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10551-022-05313-9

• Seijts, G. H.; de Clercy, C.; Miller, R., 2023, "Character and Trust in Crisis Leadership: Probing the Relationships Among Character, Identification-Based Trust, and Perceptions of Effectiveness in Political Leadership During the COVID-19 Pandemic", Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, March 59(1): 127 - 154.
  Abstract: The COVID-19 pandemic provided an opportunity to explore the relationships among character, identification-based trust, and perceptions of leadership effectiveness in the context of crisis leadership. Focusing on the leadership of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, we first explore whether Canadians of voting age believe character is important in political leadership during the pandemic. Second, we examine voter perceptions of the importance of the dimensions of character identified by Crossan et al. (2017) and to what extent voters perceive Trudeau demonstrates the behaviors associated with these dimensions. Third, we explore the role of identification-based trust in the relationship between character and perceptions of leadership effectiveness. Fourth, we study the relationships between character, trust, and effectiveness during dynamic conditions where the stakes for citizens with respect to health and social well-being are high. The results of our study connect character to trust and perceived effectiveness of a political leader during a crisis.

  Link(s) to publication:

  http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/00218863221110627

• Seijts, G. H.; Young Milani, K., 2022, "The application of leader character to building cultures of equity, diversity, and inclusion", Business Horizons, September 65: 573 - 590.
  Abstract: Many organizations in the public, private, and not-for-profit sectors have begun to take action to address the systemic racism entrenched in their processes, systems, and structures. This has included commitments to elevate initiatives for equity, diversity, and inclusion. Data indicates that such good faith efforts are often not as successful as leaders and organizations had envisioned. Our assertion is that if we really want to address systemic racism in organizations, we must first attend to the people who work there. This is because their individual and collective character, revealed through behavior, drives and determines organizational processes, systems, structures, and culture. The purpose of this paper is to connect character to the creation and sustainment of organizational cultures of equity, diversity, and inclusion with a specific focus on anti-Black racism. Character is not a subjective, amorphous entity but manifests as a set of observable behaviors. We explain that character equips people with consciousness and the conduct to embrace and cultivate equity, diversity, and inclusion in their organizations and their lives. We provide concrete examples of the dimensions of character in action using brief illustrations.

  Link(s) to publication:

  https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0007681321001300

  http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.bushor.2021.07.007

• Seijts, G. H.; Monzani, L.; Woodley, H. J. R.; Mohan, G., 2022, "The Effects of Character on the Perceived Stressfulness of Life Events and Subjective Well-Being of Undergraduate Business Students", Journal of Management Education, February 46(1): 106 - 139.
  Abstract: Stress and the associated correlates, such as depression, alcohol abuse, and suicidal ideation, are a global issue among college and university students. We assert that character is a personal resource that students have at their disposal to address personal, social, and environmental challenges they may encounter in their personal and academic lives. The results of a field study involving undergraduate business students show that character, operationalized as a higher-order construct consisting of 11 inter-related dimensions, has a direct effect on the subjective well-being of students and an indirect effect through the perceived stressfulness of life events. Our results imply that it is essential for faculty and students at management education institutions to fully appreciate the importance of character for effective functioning and to develop the various character dimensions to address adverse personal, social, and environmental situations in a positive fashion.

  Link(s) to publication:

  https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1052562920980108#:~:text=The%20results%20of%20a%20field,perceived%20stressfulness%20of%20life%20events.

  http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1052562920980108

• Monzani, L.; Seijts, G. H.; Crossan, M. M., 2021, "Character matters: The network structure of leader character and its relation to follower positive outcomes", PLOS One, September 16(9): e0255940 - e0255940.
  Abstract: We investigated the relationship between self-ratings of leader character and follower positive outcomes – namely, subjective well-being, resilience, organizational commitment, and work engagement – in a public-sector organization using a time-lagged cross-sectional design involving 188 leader – follower dyads and 22 offices. Our study is an important step forward in the conceptual development of leader character and the application of character to enhance workplace practices. We combined confirmatory factor analysis and network-based analysis to determine the factorial and network structure of leader character. The findings revealed that a model of 11 inter-correlated leader character dimensions fit the data better than a single-factor model. Further, judgment appeared as the most central dimension in a network comprising the 11 character dimensions. Moreover, in a larger network of partial correlations, two ties acted as bridges that link leader character to follower positive outcomes: judgment and drive. Implications for theory and practice are discussed.

  Link(s) to publication:

  http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0255940

• Seijts, G. H.; Wright, T. A., 2021, "Why Character Matters", Organizational Dynamics, August 50(3): 100754 - 100754.
  Abstract: The articles that follow, written by leading character scholars and practitioners, focus on aspects of the application of leader character in organizations to facilitate sustained excellence. The authors address several recurring questions that executives have about character; they include but are not limited to: 1. What exactly is leader character? For example, how is character different from personality traits and values? This is an important question because it helps current and future leaders to better understand and appreciate the role of character in individual, team and organizational success. 2. What are the dimensions of leader character and its associated behaviours? It is essential to unpack character and its behavioural manifestations because character is a “loaded” word and has different meanings to different people. Once unpacked, how can character be assessed? 3. How does character affect decision-making and subsequent action? How do organizational design elements shape character in individuals? 4. Can character be developed in current and future leaders? What are the processes by which individuals can develop character in themselves and others? How can our schools, colleges and universities help in this process? 5. How can organizations elevate character alongside competence in their recruitment and selection processes? How can we select people based on character? How can organizations embed character in their human resource management and leadership development processes? 6. How does character play out at the highest echelons in the organization, namely, the boardroom? There are too many examples that show that the absence of leader character in the boardroom can lead to spectacular business failures. 7. Can an individual of strong character survive and do good in a corrupt organization? How is this accomplished?

  Link(s) to publication:

  http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.orgdyn.2020.100754

• Bhardwaj, R.; Seijts, G. H., 2021, "Leader character in the boardroom", Organizational Dynamics, August 50(3): 100751 - 100751.
  Abstract: Increasingly, we are seeing demands for boards to take greater responsibility for the outcomes of their organizations’ activities. Interpretations of governance have extended beyond procedural tasks, such as oversight of financial reporting, to include strategic considerations that frequently intersect with societal issues that matter to the public. For example, boards today are talking about the environment and carbon taxes, corporate culture and harassment, populism and shifting international relations. These terms were not even a part of the director’s vernacular just a decade ago.

  Link(s) to publication:

  http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.orgdyn.2020.100751

• Seijts, G. H.; Young-Milani, K., 2021, "The myriad ways in which COVID-19 revealed character", Organizational Dynamics, August 50(3): 100765 - 100765.
  Abstract: Leaders need to be prepared for today's unpredictable, transformative world, and possess the ability to make sound decisions and take effective subsequent action often amid volatile conditions. To do so, scholars have emphasized the importance of character. The COVID-19 outbreak presented leaders of public, private and not-for-profit organizations, as well as every day citizens, with enormous challenges; worldwide, individuals' character was tested. The purpose of this paper is to illustrate how character was revealed – in both positive and negative ways – in the actions that leaders and citizens alike displayed during the fight to overcome this pandemic.

  Link(s) to publication:

  https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0090261620300176

  http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.orgdyn.2020.100765

• Seijts, G. H.; de Clercy, C.; Mohan, G., 2021, "Trust as a Mediator of the Relationship Between Character and Perceptions of Leader Effectiveness During the COVID-19 Crisis", Canadian Journal Of Behavioural Science-Revue Canadienne Des Sciences Du Comportement, July 53(3): 358 - 364.
  Abstract: Character is a leadership quality that is often scrutinized yet poorly understood. Our research focuses on several questions relating to character and perceived leader effectiveness during the COVID-19 crisis. First, does the character of the prime minister matter to voters during major crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic? Second, are all dimensions that comprise the leader character framework we examined considered essential for political leadership in times of crisis? Third, is character related to perceptions of leadership effectiveness? Fourth, what role does identification-based trust play in the relationship between character and perceptions of leadership effectiveness in times of crisis? The results of our survey taken during the early weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic reveal that character is considered among Canadians of voting age as an important ingredient of political leadership. We also found that there is a significant gap between the perceived importance of the dimensions that comprise character and the belief that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau lives up to the expectations. The congruence between the perceived importance of the character dimensions and the belief that Trudeau demonstrated these dimensions predicted leadership effectiveness, and this relationship was mediated by trust. Our results are based on perceptions of leadership effectiveness; that is, we do not have objective measures of performance.

  Link(s) to publication:

  http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/cbs0000214

• Seijts, G. H.; Watson, T., 2021, "Enough. It’s time to hire (and develop) better judgment", Ivey Business Journal
• de Clercy, C.; Seijts, G. H.; Nguyen, B., 2020, "Do Canadian and American Voters Evaluate Leader Character Similarly? Comparing Voters’ Perceptions of Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton, and Justin Trudeau", American Review of Canadian Studies, December 50(4): 498 - 521.
  Abstract: We investigate whether a framework drawn from the field of organizational management can be used by citizens of two countries with different political history and culture to assess character. Drawing on a survey administered two weeks before the 2016 US presidential election, we report that Canadians and Americans are the same in how they evaluate eleven dimensions of character: both considered all dimensions as essential in political leaders. The results also showed an appreciable gap between the perceived importance of the character dimensions and whether respondents believe three national leaders – Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton and Justin Trudeau – live up to these expectations. However, the two groups differ in their evaluation of the specific dimensions of character among these political leaders. Canadians are less supportive of Trump’s character array than that of Clinton or Trudeau. Also, Canadian Conservatives are less supportive of Trump’s character than are American Republicans.

  Link(s) to publication:

  http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02722011.2020.1849328

• Seijts, G. H.; Espinoza, J.; Carswell, J., 2020, "Utility Analysis of Character Assessment in Employee Placement", Leadership and Organization Development Journal, September 41(5): 703 - 720.
  Abstract: Utility Analysis of Character Assessment in Employee Placement Abstract There has been a surge of interest in leader character and a push to bring character into mainstream management theory and practice. Research has shown that CEOs and board members have many questions about the construct of leader character. For example, they like to see data indicating to what extent character contributes financially to organizational performance. Human resource management professionals are often confronted with the need to discuss and demonstrate the value of training and development initiatives. The question as to whether such interventions have a dollars-and-cents return on the investment is an important one to consider for any organizational decision maker, especially given the demand for increased accountability, the push for transparency, and tightening budgets in organizations. We investigated the potential dollar impact associated with the placement of managers based on the assessment of leader character, and we used utility analysis to estimate the dollar value associated with the use of one instrument – the Leader Character Insight Assessment – to measure leader character. The data revealed an ROI of at least 900% for our most conservative utility estimate, thus supporting the assessment of leader character in placement for managers.

  Link(s) to publication:

  http://10.0.4.84/LODJ-07-2019-0314

  http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/LODJ-07-2019-0314

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