Open AccessThe Watershed Leader as a Catalyst for Change
Author(s) -
Bonnell Joseph E.,
Hettinger Dallas Z.,
Baird Anne M.
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
journal of contemporary water research and education
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1936-704X
pISSN - 1936-7031
DOI - 10.1111/j.1936-704x.2019.03309.x
Subject(s) - watershed , perception , watershed management , nonpoint source pollution , business , environmental resource management , psychology , public relations , knowledge management , environmental planning , political science , process management , computer science , geography , environmental science , agriculture , archaeology , neuroscience , machine learning
This paper describes a research project that collected information about the leadership characteristics of successful watershed coordinators in Ohio. We interviewed a total of twenty watershed coordinators who had successfully completed nonpoint source (NPS) management projects and asked them to discuss their perceptions of what made them and others like them successful. We organized the attributes identified into three themes (social, technical and administrative). Of these, social attributes like strong communication skills were considered to be the most critical for getting NPS projects completed, though technical and administrative attributes were also important. We discuss how these findings might be applied in evaluating and training watershed coordinators, and consider possible avenues for further research.