Read this book: From Manager to Visionary

Kent J. Kille’s new work From Manager to Visionary: The Secretary-General of the United Nations is an insightful look at character and leadership among the seven past Secretaries-General of the United Nations. His study fills a critical gap in the existing literature by addressing the impact of each office holder’s leadership style apart from the international politics of their day.

In introducing the goal behind his study, Kille suggests a division that marks previous works on the Secretaries General. Many scholars overlook the specific character of the individual office holders, the vast majority suggesting the political conditions overwhelmed any significant differences. Others suffer from what Kille describes as the “super Secretary-General syndrome,” praising all seven past Secretaries-General equally. Though calls for a study of leadership styles appear in the literature, none offer the type of analysis which Kille provides. Kille’s quantitative analysis offers a predictive framework within which an office holder is likely to respond to the constraints placed on them by the Charter, member states or events. At the same time, he offers his assessment without making the subject overly academic or inaccessible to the layman.

Drawing on leadership metrics developed by Margaret Hermann, Kille codes for six personal characteristics (responsivity, belief in personal influence, need for relationships, need for recognition, supranationalism and problem-solving emphasis) revealed by Secretaries-General in their remarks at unscripted press conferences. He weighs these against three proposed leadership styles – managerial, strategic and visionary. In Kille’s view, managers will be “constraint respecters,” strategists will be “constraint accommodators,” and visionary Secretaries-General will tend to be “constraint challengers.”

The UN Secretary-General operates through numerous avenues to manage or influence the work of the organization. Broadly speaking, these include shaping the organization’s agenda through his strategic political position and by making political statements, involvement in the peaceful settlement of disputes, and in the administration of UN peacekeeping missions. For comparative study, Kille reviews in detailed case studies the ways in which the higher scoring Secretaries-General within each leadership style used these opportunities for influence. In Kille’s assessment, Kurt Waldheim represents the more managerial Secretary-General, Dag Hammarskjöld the more visionary, and Kofi Annan the more “strategic” in their respective approaches.

The case studies show a significant if not perfect match between Kille’s predictive framework and Hammarskjöld, Waldheim and Annan’s actual behavior while in office. The slight deviations suggest some necessary refinements to the leadership metrics and styles which Kille initially proposed. Nonetheless, even when the observed behavior occurred did not match entirely with the Kille’s predicted behavior, the officeholders never shifted far from their predicted preferred style. Given that Kille only provides for three leadership styles and given the human nature of the seven office holders, this would not be unexpected. But Kille’s proposed continuum, from manager to visionary, holds true very well. Managerial Waldheim may have occasionally acted, according to Kille, as a strategist, but never as a visionary. Likewise, Hammarskjöld never acted as a manager in facing contraints to his leadership. Though he does not provide case studies for them, Kille suggests that Trygve Lie, Javier Perez de Cuellar and Boutros Boutros-Ghali would likewise never deviate far from their respective predicted styles. (U Thant is an exception that Kille acknowledges and describes in further detail.)

No one leadership style, Kille concludes, should be preferred for the post of Secretary Generalship. A rotation of managers, strategists and visionaries would maintain member states’ confidence in the United Nations as an organization and in turn allow it to evolve in the governance of international relations.

Further research could refine the leadership styles Kille has proposed and more accurately explain the approach each Secretary-General took to the office in relation to the events of his day. At a minimal, Kille and others should attempt to refine the metrics in ways that describe Secretaries-General’s style so as to address Thant’s “outlier” characteristics, perhaps by proposing additional leadership styles that allow for more refined predictions. More revealing would be studies that successfully relate the styles of individual Secretaries-General within the political environments in which they find themselves. Such might employ counterhistoricals to the extent possible, if only as an intellectual indulgence. How might the managerial Thant have addressed the U.S. action in Iraq? How would Annan have responded to Khruschev’s shoe-banging? Would Boutros-Ghali have been as visionary during the 1973 oil embargo?

From Manager to Visionary is a new seminal work in the literature and clearly earns Kille a place in the company of Erskine Childers, Sir Brian Urquhart and Edward Luck as an authority on the Secretaries-General. His contribution will influence how other scholars describe the impact of past Secretaries-General and, for many of us today, will undoubtedly be a key resource that we turn to in assessing the words and actions of Secretary Ban Ki-moon over the next decade.

2 Responses to “Read this book: From Manager to Visionary

  1. orthodontics and pedodontics department

    […]just beneath, are numerous absolutely not connected sites to ours, even so, they may be certainly worth going over[…]

  2. Future University

    […]very couple of internet websites that take place to be comprehensive beneath, from our point of view are undoubtedly very well worth checking out[…]

  3. اقسام كلية طب الاسنان جامعة المستقبل

    […]The info talked about within the article are some of the very best obtainable […]

  4. Oral cancer prevention

    […]we came across a cool web page that you just may possibly love. Take a appear if you want[…]

  5. Advanced Preventive Measures

    […]that is the finish of this write-up. Right here you’ll find some web sites that we assume you will enjoy, just click the hyperlinks over[…]

  6. ما هي تخصصات كلية الهندسة

    […]below you will locate the link to some internet sites that we think it is best to visit[…]

  7. نظام الامتحانات

    […]that could be the finish of this article. Right here you will discover some web sites that we feel you will appreciate, just click the links over[…]

  8. scientific research

    […]just beneath, are numerous absolutely not related websites to ours, nevertheless, they may be certainly worth going over[…]

  9. هندسة البترول

    […]the time to study or check out the content or web sites we have linked to beneath the[…]

  10. canadian prescriptions online https://pastelink.net/ii18z6qf

    Wow plenty of terrific data!

  11. ventolin side effects: Inhaled Corticosteroids Can Cause Bone Loss, Study Shows

    Study Finds Increased Risk of Adrenal Suppression in Patients Using Certain Inhalers | albuterol inhaler

  12. Faculty of Computers and Information

    […]we like to honor lots of other online internet sites around the net, even though they aren’t linked to us, by linking to them. Below are some webpages worth checking out[…]

  13. Computer Engineering Careers

    […]we prefer to honor quite a few other online web-sites on the net, even if they aren’t linked to us, by linking to them. Underneath are some webpages really worth checking out[…]

  14. Credit Hours System computer science

    […]usually posts some pretty exciting stuff like this. If you are new to this site[…]

  15. Prof. Mostafa El-Feki

    […]the time to read or check out the content material or web sites we have linked to beneath the[…]

  16. pandemic says:

    pandemic

    […]just beneath, are a lot of completely not associated web sites to ours, on the other hand, they are surely worth going over[…]

  17. The National Authority

    […]that will be the finish of this post. Here you’ll find some web pages that we feel you’ll value, just click the links over[…]

  18. best university in egypt

    […]we came across a cool web-site that you might get pleasure from. Take a look when you want[…]

  19. Spring 2021 registration

    […]Every as soon as inside a although we pick blogs that we study. Listed below are the most up-to-date sites that we opt for […]

  20. الصيدلانيات والتكنولوجيا الصيدلانية

    […]Sites of interest we’ve a link to[…]

  21. the best postgrad study in Egypt

    […]one of our visitors recently suggested the following website[…]

  22. Advanced Dental Training

    […]we prefer to honor numerous other web sites on the net, even if they aren’t linked to us, by linking to them. Under are some webpages really worth checking out[…]

  23. كلية طب الأسنان

    […]The info mentioned in the write-up are several of the very best accessible […]

  24. Dental Implant Courses

    […]below you will locate the link to some internet sites that we believe you need to visit[…]

  25. Periodontal Continuing Education

    […]below you will find the link to some internet sites that we feel it is best to visit[…]

  26. دراسة ادارة الاعمال بجامعة المستقبل

    […]please go to the sites we follow, like this 1, because it represents our picks through the web[…]

  27. Letters of recommendation for future university

    […]just beneath, are many entirely not associated web pages to ours, nevertheless, they are surely really worth going over[…]

  28. Personal statement for future university

    […]always a large fan of linking to bloggers that I enjoy but do not get quite a bit of link adore from[…]

  29. استمارة طلب التقديم بجامعة المستقبل

    […]we like to honor numerous other internet sites around the web, even though they aren’t linked to us, by linking to them. Below are some webpages worth checking out[…]

  30. متطلبات القبول لجامعة المستقبل

    […]usually posts some very intriguing stuff like this. If you are new to this site[…]

  31. Entrance exams for future university

    […]one of our visitors a short while ago proposed the following website[…]

  32. Quel est l’instrument le plus aigu viagra 50 mg

    Quelles sont les consequences de ne pas faire l’amour achat viagra

  33. Comment savoir si l’on est impuissant Qu’est-ce qu’il ne faut pas accepter dans un couple | acheter cialis

    Comment savoir si elle a couche avec un autre | cialis online

  34. Does slow speech affect the individual’s ability to learn new languages: levothyroxine 50 mcg tablet

    Fatigue and lack of energy can contribute to a sedentary lifestyle and weight gain in individuals with an underactive thyroid | levothyroxine price goodrx

  35. Can managing chronic conditions like arthritis and autoimmune diseases lower the risk of heart disease | cheapest generic lipitor

    Does cholesterol affect the health of the lungs | cost of atorvastatin 20 mg without insurance

  36. What is stroke level blood pressure?

    What do parasites feed on?

  37. Can I drink the same day I took antibiotics?

    Why do antibiotics make you tired?

  38. Are parasitic infections contagious?

    How can I tell if antibiotics are working?

Leave a Reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.