Describes a project that studied seven successful community development projects in order to find basic patterns in leadership, community organization, and action processes. Process patterns were found in several areas, and an awareness of these will be useful to community leaders and developers. (NRJ)

Community surveys in rural Pennsylvania (393 responses) investigated how residents view women in their local community. Results suggest that women are as involved as men and perceive similar characteristics as important to being influential, but their underrepresentation as leaders has resulted in perceptions that women are not very influential.…

Attempts to synthesize a view of community leadership arising from community relationships with an interactional or field theory perspective. Suggests a change in focus from what leaders do to the quality of relationships between leaders and followers, requiring a different kind of leadership development. (SK)

Examined the network density, size, and organizational memberships of identified community leaders and other residents in two rural Missouri communities. Leaders had larger, more dense, and diffuse networks and more organizational memberships than others. (Author)

Posits that increased communication of community leaders involving relatively short communications paths should lead to program success. However, measures of connectivity and average distance in the communications structure reveal no significant relationships. Suggests other factors which may be more important to rural community development…

A reputational leadership survey conducted in a large metropolitan area identified 6 black leaders among 28 general leaders. Findings indicate that minority population leadership represents more of a subcommunity than part of the overall, integrated leadership structure. (JOW)

Data from nearly 50 community leaders in 4 nonmetropolitan Pennsylvania counties show that both positive and negative impacts from tourism development were expected; local support was essential. Some feared that tourism was a threat to the rural atmosphere. (SK)

The Dakota Leadership Education and Development program was implemented in North and South Dakota rural communities. The model emphasizes empowerment of community leadership, enhancing horizontal and vertical linkages, developing local participation, and establishing external collaborations in six sectors: education, religion, medicine, politics,…

A literature review identified three perspectives on empowerment: self-efficacy derived from individual action and psychology; mutual empowerment through interpersonal relationships; and social empowerment, the removal of social, economic, and legal obstacles to individual influence. However, many community leadership education programs fall short…

Surveys of 76 community leadership programs in 1990 and 130 in 1993, participant observation, and 25 interviews found community members involved in leadership after program participation because of feelings of responsibility. They suggested better participant selection and attention to program length and design and noted that willingness to become…

A case study analysis of four communities, in which reputation, decision, and position measures of leadership were used, found that there was a high degree of overlap among the three methods in each of the four communities. (LRA)

A survey of 67 professionals who design and implement leadership programs identified who they considered to be ideal partners. Results indicate that institutions of higher education should work with community-based organizations to plan and deliver these programs. (Contains 13 references.) (JOW)

Argues that while past analyses of local decision-making processes have been valuable, methods used may not have been appropriate to obtain valid data on subjective impressions of community leadership structure. Suggests a methodological strategy using a cognitive mapping procedure. (Author/JOW)

Knowledge and skills needed by lay participants in community development (CD) were proposed by 14 consultants around 10 topical areas. One hundred knowledge and skills statements resulted. The importance of these statements was judged by CD youth leaders and adult specialists. Judgments were factor analyzed, and nine factors emerged. (Author/SSH)