Third Floor Research

Third Floor Research is an applied research partnership between the Kansas Leadership Center and the Staley School of Leadership. It is an international research initiative that fosters innovation in the exercise and development of leadership in a rapidly changing world. Third Floor Research contributes to a global understanding of leadership, adaptation and change management.

Partnering with organizations and institutes such as Claremont Graduate University, Cleveland Leadership Center, Kauffmann Foundation, and New York University, the purposeof these studies has been to better understand the impact of leadership development.

What we do

• Studying the impact of leadership development programs at the individual, organizational, challenge, and cultural level.
• Demonstrating the impact of community engagement efforts

Third Floor Research shows KLC’s Kansas Beats the Virus campaign improved public health

Third Floor Research shows the impact of leadership development programs on individuals’ leader behavior

Third Floor Research shows leadership development contributes to a more engaged workforce

Who we are

Core Team

• Tim Steffensmeier, Ph.D., director of Third Floor Research
• RJ Youngblood, consultant
• Carlie Snethen, graduate research assistant
  • Contributions: Cleveland Leadership Center Alumni Study, Heartland Together Community Development Grant
• Keyhan Shams, graduate research assistant
  • • Contributions: Your Leadership Edge Study, Signature Research Project (Forthcoming)

Staley School Research Contributors

• Kerry Priest, Ph.D., Staley School of Leadership
• Brandon Kliewer, Ph.D., Staley School of Leadership
• Andy Wefald, Ph.D., Staley School of Leadership
• Anisah Ari, Kansas Leadership Center
• Roberta Maldonado Franzen, Ph.D., (K-State alumni), Duke University
• Tamas Kowalik, Ph.D., (K-State alumni), UFM Community Learning Center