Leadership in the Information Age

The purpose of the Virginia Tech Center for Public Administration and Policy (CPAP) Roundtable Series for Leadership and Administration is to bring together the leading scholars, practitioners, students, and others for a stimulating conversation focusing on the exchange of ideas that will advance the knowledge and understanding of leadership in public administration through the sharing of research and experiences. For this particular roundtable session, Dr. Colleen Woodard moderated a panel discussion with Lieutenant General Walter Ulmer and Dr. Owen Jacob on the subject “Leadership in the Information Age.” Dr. Jacobs named the three dimensions of leadership that characterize leadership in the information age: (1) the scope and scale of organizational and environmental complexity; (2) the nature of leadership and how it differs depending on the position held in an organization; and (3) how an individual’s leadership abilities and their understanding of leadership both mature over time and develop into leadership capacity. General Ulmer discussed how one can develop the capacities to lead.