Lakeland Student Publishes Research on Justice-Oriented Leadership
Kaitlyn Boscaljon, a student in Lakeland University’s Master of Science in Leadership and Organizational Development (MSLOD) program, has turned questions from her professional work into published research.
Her paper, “Beyond Aid And Neutrality: Justice-Oriented Leadership In A World Of Poverty, Power, And Social Exclusion,” was published in the International Journal of Business & Management Studies. The research examines the limits of traditional approaches to humanitarian aid and explores how leaders can address the systems and power structures that contribute to poverty and social exclusion.
Boscaljon said her experience in Lakeland’s MSLOD program shaped how she approached the research.
“The program has taught me to look beneath the surface of organizational challenges and think in terms of systems, power, culture, ethics and long-term change,” she said.
The paper grew from the intersection of her academic work and her professional experience in nonprofit and human rights work.
“It allowed me to examine questions I encounter in nonprofit and human rights work through a much broader leadership lens,” Boscaljon said.
Lorinda Lewis, Ph.D., a faculty member in the MSLOD program, encouraged Boscaljon to pursue publication after recognizing the depth of her work.
“Kaitlyn demonstrated high-quality writing, critical thinking, and an exceptional ability to synthesize a wide range of scholarly sources,” Lewis said. “She uniquely applied theories from multiple disciplines to the complex topics of justice-oriented leadership, poverty, power and social exclusion, bringing fresh insight and depth to the research.”
For Boscaljon, the encouragement helped her see her coursework as something that could contribute beyond the classroom.
“I initially saw the paper as coursework, so having a professor recognize that it might contribute to a larger conversation changed the way I saw my own work,” she said.
The experience also reinforced one of the lessons she has taken from the MSLOD program: leadership theory can have a direct connection to the challenges leaders face every day.
“I also learned that research doesn’t have to be disconnected from practice — it can actually change the way we lead,” Boscaljon said.
