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The purpose of the Transmission of Excellence Study has been to learn (1) what directs the
attention and energies of leading practitioners who their peers view as "good workers" and
(2) whether — and, if so, how — their values, practices, and goals are passed down through
time. What are the essential values of good workers in different domains? How are they
transmitted from one generation to the next? How, in short, is good work perpetuated
across generations, through training practices in a profession?
Over 100 individuals, in fields including genetics, journalism, dance, and martial arts, have
been interviewed (1998-2002). To study the transmission of excellence, we first identified
individuals widely recognized within their fields as uniting excellence at the forefront of their
field, responsible practice, and influence on students who continued in the field. Two
subsequent generations within the same tradition were then identified: the individual’s
students and those students’ students. Interviews with members of each generation
addressed their values and practices as a professional; formative influences, in particular the
impact of mentors; and training practices as a mentor. Currently, a book based on the study
is being written by Jeanne Nakamura, David Shernoff, and Charles Hooker.
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Hooker, C., Nakamura, J., & Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2003). The group as mentor: Social capital
and the systems model of creativity. In P. Paulus & B. Nijstad (Eds.), Group creativity
(pp. 225-244). New York: Oxford University Press.
Keinänen, M., & Gardner, H. (2004). Vertical and horizontal mentoring for creativity. In
R.J. Sternberg, E. L. Grigorenko, & J. L. Singer (Eds.), Creativity: From Potential to Realization.
Washington, D. C.: American Psychological Association.
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None at this time.
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The Transmission of Excellence study was funded by the Spencer Foundation.
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