Preferred Name
Rebeca S. Barge
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
ORCID
https://orcid.org/0009-0000-6269-873X
Date of Graduation
5-15-2026
Semester of Graduation
Spring
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Department
School of Strategic Leadership Studies
First Advisor
Dr. Benjamin Selznick
Abstract
Adaptive leadership (AL) education strengthens students’ capacity to navigate complexity, yet little is known about how different instructional formats influence competency development. AL involves mobilizing people to engage with disequilibrium, clarify priorities and values, and incorporate multiple perspectives to advance long-term, systemic change (Heifetz et al., 2009). The increasingly tumultuous landscape of the United States underscores the need for leaders who are adaptive and responsive to diverse viewpoints (Bridges Patrick & Lyons, 2021; Zinyemba, 2021). This study examined the extent to which undergraduate students exposed to AL curriculum developed AL competencies, comparing the impact of a full-course intervention, a single-session workshop, and a no-intervention control condition on AL scores. The conceptual framework integrated AL, Intentional Emergence, and Emergent Strategy to shape how students diagnose adaptive challenges, intervene skillfully, and cultivate self-understanding. Using a quasi-experimental, quantitative design, students (N = 132) demonstrated significant gains in AL competency. Paired samples t-tests showed that full-course participants improved significantly from pretest to posttest. A one-way ANOVA revealed significant differences in posttest scores across the groups, and Tukey HSD comparisons indicated that both the full-course and single-session groups scored significantly higher than the control group, while the difference between the two intervention groups was not significant. Hierarchical linear regression showed that pretest scores and intervention exposure were the strongest predictors of posttest competency, with both intervention formats contributing unique variance. Gender also emerged as a significant predictor. Interaction terms were nonsignificant, suggesting that students benefited similarly regardless of initial competency levels. Overall, findings highlight the effectiveness of AL education across multiple formats and suggest that even brief interventions can produce meaningful gains. These results inform the development of more collaborative and equity-minded leaders equipped to navigate complexity.
