Iterative Nodes

Conceptual Overview and Discussion

Hezekiah Orji introduced the idea of the iterative nodes in his initial study of the role and impact of U.S. presidential leadership on global security. In this quest, Orji used NVivo software to organize and categorize archival data obtained from books, electronic databases, and contemporary narratives on policy decisions pertaining to U.S. presidents Jimmy Carter and George W. Bush for content analysis. Numerous themes emerged in the process that were categorized into five major themes for reasonableness of manageability and study significance. Analysis of these major themes yielded results that were identified with the presidents' emerging leadership approaches (transactional and transformational), which were then evaluated to identify the presidents' levels of effectiveness.

Application

Because many leadership decisions have resulted in discords that have often deteriorated to levels of unwanted or unnecessary wars and/or conflicts, a qualitative research tool that would facilitate intense scholarship on case studies toward ideas on limiting the probabilities of errors in decisions becomes increasingly crucial. The triangulation approach used in Orji's study developed into a qualitative research methodology—the Zekoist iterative triangulation concept (ZIT-c), in which iterative nodes (see Figure 1) are conceptualized as major components. The iterative nodes are defined in the study as integrated sets of elemental components that, if properly applied, would limit the chances for errors in judgment. The ZIT-c illustrates the interactivities that occur between identified systems elements and the iterations within the systems that are studied. The study evaluates a leader's ability on the basis of data, as is done in similar qualitative studies.

The ZIT-c was motivated through generalizations obtained from triangulating theories and prior concepts of systems theory, hierarchy of [Page 506]needs, and organizations' team learning. Orji's study explored presidential leadership consortia, focusing on the iterations that occurred between the leadership systems elements, for impact on global security. For instance, Orji used the iterative nodes as a tool to identify some of the challenges in the George W. Bush administration as follows:

• Flawed intelligence use as the basis for a major conflict–the Iraq war
• Distractions from focused campaign on Afghanistan to capture Al-Qaeda's chief, Osama bin Laden
• Limiting the power of diplomacy by restricting talks with “rogue states”—nations of threat to world peace, such as the administration's Iraq–Iran–North Korea “axis of evil” in the context of the “Bush Doctrine” and its principle of preemptive strikes
• Unlawful associations with corrupt political lobbyists, such as Jack Abramoff;
• Political wars against ideological rivals, such as Ambassador Joseph Wilson, whose wife Valerie Plame's CIA operative status was uncovered in the wake of Mr. Wilson's dissent with the administration's allegation of an Iraq–Niger connection for uranium acquisition; and,
• Appointing and supporting incompetent and unqualified persons to manage important positions, such as former Federal Emergency Management Administration chief Michael Brown, who subsequently resigned after allegations of incompetent handling of issues in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

Orji's study used the ZIT-c methodology to elucidate, among many other things, the importance of communication skills in leadership. The study also observed that respect of sovereignties and due consideration to opposing views are among the few attributes of a successful leader. A recent example of application of the iterative nodes concept in governance can be found in Washington State Governor's Executive Order 08–01, through which Governor Christine Gregoire constituted an apolitical council (the Washington's New American's Policy Council) in early January 2008 to augment support for her leadership in policies of resettling “new immigrants” in the State of Washington. As in the case of Washington state, the iterative nodes concept could also be applied to a range of other dealings where communication and decision making are involved. The focus of the study is on analyzing systems interactivities while evaluating for synergism in the decisions that leaders make. In triangulating for the systems concept, Orji considered seriously the approaches the presidents he studied had used in policy decisions when placing hierarchies on the security needs of the United States.

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