Lamm Kevan W
Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education & Communication, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30606, USA.
Foods. 2023 Oct 12;12(20):3746. doi: 10.3390/foods12203746.
The food system represents a complex, interrelated, and interdependent network of individuals and organizations. Despite the unique characteristics of the food system domain, there has never been a comprehensive analysis of leadership capacity amongst food system professionals. The present study provides an empirical assessment of food system leadership capacity using many leadership instruments. The study included pilot ( = 125) and primary ( = 4185) data collection across 27 food system-related leadership development programs. The results validate the Issue Leadership scale, which comprises seven capacity areas: action, change, communication, critical thinking, strategic planning and visioning, interpersonal traits and characteristics, leadership process, and leadership skills. The Issue Leadership scale captures both perception of importance and current skill level. The study results indicate that food system professionals perceived communication and critical thinking, strategic planning and visioning as the most important leadership capacity areas. Furthermore, respondents indicated the highest level of self-perceived skill in critical thinking, strategic planning and visioning, and interpersonal traits and characteristics. Overall, respondents had higher perceived importance levels ( = 4.17) than skill ( = 3.44), indicating the need for additional leadership capacity development amongst food system professionals. Respondents also indicated similar levels of opinion leadership ( = 3.92), servant leadership ( = 3.82), transformational leadership ( = 3.78), and transactional leadership ( = 3.70), providing an additional empirical assessment of food system professional leadership capacity.
食品系统代表了一个由个人和组织构成的复杂、相互关联且相互依存的网络。尽管食品系统领域具有独特特征，但从未有过对食品系统专业人员领导能力的全面分析。本研究使用多种领导力工具对食品系统领导能力进行了实证评估。该研究包括在27个与食品系统相关的领导力发展项目中进行的试点数据收集（(n = 125)）和主要数据收集（(n = 4185)）。研究结果验证了问题领导力量表，该量表包括七个能力领域：行动、变革、沟通、批判性思维、战略规划与愿景、人际特质与特征、领导过程和领导技能。问题领导力量表既体现了对重要性的认知，也反映了当前的技能水平。研究结果表明，食品系统专业人员认为沟通、批判性思维、战略规划与愿景是最重要的领导能力领域。此外，受访者表示在批判性思维、战略规划与愿景以及人际特质与特征方面的自我认知技能水平最高。总体而言，受访者对重要性的认知水平（(M = 4.17)）高于技能水平（(M = 3.44)），这表明食品系统专业人员需要进一步发展领导能力。受访者还表示在意见领导力（(M = 3.92)）、服务型领导力（(M = 3.82)）、变革型领导力（(M = 3.78)）和交易型领导力（(M = 3.70)）方面的水平相似，这为食品系统专业人员的领导能力提供了额外的实证评估。
