Daniel J. Smith, PhD

Research Associate

Current Role

Dan Smith is a Research Associate on our Applied Research Services team. In this role, he publishes original empirical research and innovative thought leadership, performs client evaluation to quantify and advance the impact of our programming, and works directly with clients to bring research insights into the foreground of their developmental experiences. His research is published in numerous academic journals and conferences, and in various formats throughout the CCL ecosystem.

Experience

Dan has broad experience as a leadership researcher and consultant. He has numerous publications spanning topics related to leadership development, organizational behavior, and public health. His current research focus is on succession planning, psychological capital, and understanding the developmental impact of executive coaching.

He also applies his deep expertise in bibliometric methods to support several other research projects and to more efficiently bring forward field-level understanding to clients. As a consultant, he has created, administered, and managed various types of leadership assessments and developmental tools.

Education

Dan has both a PhD and an MA in Organizational Psychology from Claremont Graduate University, and a BA in Psychology from Loyola Marymount University.

Areas of Expertise

Leadership Development Coaching & Mentoring Leadership Research Evaluation & Impact

Bibliometric Methods
Research Design & Analysis Methods
Succession Planning

More About Daniel J.

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Insights From Daniel J.

Guide

Coaching for Talent Development

Coaching is a key tool to drive effective talent development. Learn the top coaching challenges for organizations, plus how our research-based approach to leadership coaching can help both individuals and organizations succeed.

Article

Windows for Transformation: Seizing Opportunity in Polycrisis 

Our research shows how polycrisis creates transformation windows across interconnected systems. We offer guidance to help organizations recognize, capture, and sustain change.

Webinar

Leadership Succession: Planning Transitions in an Era of Uncertainty

Watch this webinar to learn about our research on how to prepare and plan for leadership succession transitions, especially during uncertainty.

Research From Daniel J.

Research Paper

Succession Planning Reimagined: Research for Navigating Leadership Transitions

A unique convergence of 1,000 scholarly articles, 190 industry cases, and 161 TV shows defines the Succession-Centric Era, offering the ICG Framework (Immediacy, Continuity, Generativity) to transform leadership transition into a strategic, anticipatory action.