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On Wednesday 17 April 2024, FAR organized a Masterclass with Jere Francis on: Partner & Manager Leadership Behaviors, and their Effects on Audit Team Functioning and Performance.
What was this Masterclass about?
Recent research has documented systematic inter-partner differences in the quality of audit outcomes (Cameran, Campa & Francis, 2022). These differences may be explained, at least in part, by differences in the personality traits of the partners and managers who lead audit teams, and this research was discussed in Jere's previous Masterclass (see also Pieper, Barrick, Bik, Francis & Vanstraelen, 2023).
This follow-up Masterclass looks more closely at audit teams, and explores the effectiveness of different partner and manager leadership behaviors on audit teams and their performance. The focus is on the top-level leadership dyad of an audit team, engagement partners and managers, and draws on Jere's research supported by FAR.
Leadership has been studied in the organizational behavior literature, and draws on multiple theories of leadership effectiveness. These studies have typically been done in corporate settings for “single-leader” teams. As a consequence, this research does not translate well to professional service teams (like audits) in which two senior leaders, rather than the one partner, are important in leading the team. In this Masterclass, we apply these theories to explore many facets of the dual leadership structure of audits. For example, are partner and manager leadership skills / styles similar, or do they complement one another? How well do the two leaders work together? How are leadership behaviors divided between the two leaders? Which leadership skills achieve good audit team outcomes? What are some bad leadership behaviors to be avoided? Are leadership styles fixed, or can partners and managers adapt to team-specific leadership needs?
The Masterclass draws on three FAR Practice Notes (see links below):
Part 1. Audit Partner-Manager Fit and Audit Team Functioning
Part 2. “Individualized Consideration” and “Initiating Structure” Leadership Behaviors by Partners and Managers, and Their Effects on Team Performance
Part 3. “Voice” Modeling Behavior by Partners and Managers, and the Effects on Team Psychological Safety, Voice Climate, and Team Effectiveness
Part 4: The Negative Impact of “Quality Reduction Acts” on Leadership Effectiveness
Links to the FAR Practice Notes as background for the Masterclass:
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Date:
Jere Francis -
Location:
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📅 Wednesday, 17 April
⏰ 15.30 - 17.00 (CEST)
💰 Free
📍 Online event
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About the speakers
Prof. dr. Jere R. Francis
Professor Jere Francis is ranked among the top ten academics to publish in leading scientific journals in the field of accountancy research. He won two awards from the American Accounting Association (AAA) for his substantial contribution to auditing research. He was also named Outstanding Audit Educator in 2013 by the AAA. Professor Francis served on the editorial boards of several leading scientific journals, including Abacus, Accounting Organizations & Society, Accounting & Finance, Auditing: A Journal of Practice & Theory, Contemporary Accounting Research, Journal of Accounting & Economics, Review of Accounting Studies, and The Accounting Review. In addition to being of scientific import, his research has been of practical significance to accountants and regulatory authorities and he has presented his research to leading international accountancy firms, the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the World Bank and the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board in the United States. As FAR Research Chair, Professor Francis conducts scientific research on the quality of audits. He will also boost auditing education in the Netherlands with the help of several PhD students as part of this chair position.