Stuart Allen

Navigating the Study of Executive Leaders’ Spirituality André Delbecq’s Journey

This Meet the Person article presents a synthesis of two interviews with André Delbecq, senior fellow at the Ignatian Center for Jesuit Education and professor of management at the Leavey School of Business at Santa Clara University. André was a pioneering researcher in a number of areas of management scholarship such as group decision-making (e.g., the Nominal Group Technique) and managing innovation and change, with a career extending over 58 years. He experienced a shift in his late career toward the study of executive leaders’ spirituality. In the interviews, André talked of that shift, providing an inspiring example of a successful career transition, as well as his personal insight on venturing into new areas of research. André’s career is an example of engaged scholarship, academic researcher development, and the decentered academic product.

Parental Perspectives on Parent–Child Conflict and Acculturation in Iranian Immigrants in California:

Iranians have settled in a number of areas in the United States, especially Southern California and Texas, and experience substantial prejudice as a result of perceptions of their religion and national origin. This study explored the relationship between Iranian immigrant parents’ acculturation and the level of conflict they experience with their U.S.-born children. A survey was used to collect data from a sample of 100 first-generation Iranian immigrant parents living in Orange County, CA, with children aged 11–22 years. Parent-acculturation levels were expected to predict parent–child conflicts (PCCs) resulting from potential acculturation gaps between children and parents. Results demonstrated a moderate positive relationship between Iranian cultural involvement and PCC and a weak negative relationship between American cultural involvement and PCC. The effects of various demographic variables were also considered. Results show higher PCC levels among lower income families, suggesting a need for support from schools, counselors, or other institutions.