Digital Commons Network^™

Navigating The Bow Wave Of Change: The Felt Experience Of Belonging To The United States Naval Academy's First Gender-Integrated Class, Peter Shaner

Dissertations

On July 6, 1976 the United States Naval Academy (USNA) admitted its first-ever gender-integrated class. I was a member of that class, along with 81 female classmates who entered USNA with the class of 1980 (USNA ‘80). Those classmates were pioneers, though few of them realized at the time just how long and how hard their journey would be. The numerous challenges faced by USNA ‘80 on their journey through the Academy have been well documented (Gelfand, 2008). But there has been far less research on the lived experience of that pioneering class. This study fills a gap between historical …

Understanding Ethical Leadership In Intelligence: Themes In Accountability, Self-Development, And Communication Among Cia Leaders, Caroline Walsh

Dissertations

This dissertation elucidates the concept of ethical leadership within the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). Based on interviews with ten former senior-level officers from across different departments, the study analyzes how these leaders understand issues of accountability, self-development, and communication. The research also provides insights into their processes of sense-making and their methodologies for fostering ethical conduct amidst the complexities of intelligence operations.

Against the backdrop of the CIA's mission, structure, and norms, the study sheds light on the challenges and tensions inherent in the organization's operations. Through a thematic analysis of participant narratives, themes of moral cognition, personal values, and …

Vital Voices From The Digital Divide: Testimonies Of African American Women Leadership Across Tech, Vinsche' Gray

Dissertations

Many organizations seek to highlight diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts, but African American women are still significantly underrepresented in leadership roles within the workplace (McKinsey, 2023). Within the technology (i.e., tech) space, there is concern regarding the inclusivity of African American women in leadership positions. A hostile and unsupportive environment raises concern for the future of African American women being able to attain key leadership roles. (McGee, 2018).

This study explored multifaceted experiences of eight African American women leaders in for-profit tech organizations. Black feminist thought and organizational culture and belonging were conceptual frameworks that shed light on the persistent …

Intercultural Perspectives On Managing Organizational Change In Response To Government Policy Reform: A Case Study On The Leadership Of New Oriental Education, Yihe Yang

Dissertations

In 2021, a policy aimed at addressing educational inequality triggered a significant upheaval in the private tutoring sector of China by fundamentally transforming prevailing business models and financial viability within the industry. New Oriental Education & Technology Group Inc. (New Oriental Education), one of the preeminent private tutoring enterprises in China, attracted considerable attention for its subsequent organizational change. This study explored the leadership dynamics and organizational change efforts implemented by New Oriental after the policy enactment.

The theoretical framework synthesized organizational change theory, organizational culture, and transformative leadership approaches from both Western and Chinese perspectives. It elucidated effective practices …

Millennial Latina Non-Profit Leaders: Exploring Self-Sabotaging Behaviors And Their Journey To Reclaiming Their Power, Tatiana Mendoza-Larreynaga

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this mixed method study was to identify and describe self-sabotaging behaviors experienced by Millennial Latina nonprofit C-Suite leaders and explore the impact of these behaviors on their career development. A secondary purpose of this study was to identify strategies employed by Millennial Latina nonprofit leaders to overcome self-sabotaging behaviors.

Methodology: Employing a mixed method sequential explanatory design, the research involved eight Millennial Latina nonprofit leaders, utilizing convenience and snowball sampling. Data collection included electronic Likert scales to quantify self-sabotaging behaviors and interviews to explore lived experiences. Analysis sought to identify prevalent behaviors and strategies for overcoming …

"There Is Power In Being Out": A Three Article Approach Celebrating The Experiences Of Queer University Leaders, Andrew R. E. Lorenzana

Dissertations

Institutions of higher education were historically built to serve a wealthy, White, straight male student population and the leaders of these institutions still largely reflect these demographics. This project specifically aims to celebrate and amplify the life and career of university administrators who identify within the LGBTQ community. Mainly through the use of a portraiture methodology, this three-article study attempts to examine the ways in which LGBTQ identity and career influence one another.

Worldmaking and narrative will be used as a theoretical frame to help analyze the ways in which the telling of a queer individual’s story makes the world …

Aren't Only Girls Secretaries…?”: Leadership Lessons From Women U.S. Secretaries Of State, Lindsay Allen

Dissertations

American political systems, predominantly steered by White males, often conform to masculine leadership paradigms derived from traditionally male-dominated domains like the U.S. government. Thus, it is vital to explore women’s roles in political leadership to foster a more comprehensive understanding of effective leadership.

The purpose of this study was to examine how women who have served as U.S. secretary of state exhibited leadership. Of the 71 people to have served as secretary of state, just three have been women: Madeleine Albright, Condoleezza Rice, and Hillary Rodham Clinton. Due to the complexity of gendered experiences, and the challenges of having direct …

Islamophobia In Public Schools: A Mixed Methods Look At The Effectiveness Of Parental Ethnic-Racial Strategies In Promoting Resilience Among Muslim Children, Lallia Allali

Dissertations

The ongoing Islamophobic ideology in the United States has magnified discriminatory practices, exclusion, and increased violence toward Muslims (Esposito & Kalin, 2011; Trudo, 2021), and Islamophobia has further disadvantaged Muslim American adolescents through various forms of discrimination against them in schools. In fact, Muslim American students report the highest rate of discrimination across all religious groups, and researchers have found that active family ethnic-racial socialization can often mitigate the negative impacts of discrimination (Hughes et al., 2006; Hughly et al., 2019).

To test this hypothesis, this study was designed to focus on Muslim families’ ethnic-racial socialization practices and the implications …

A Qualitative Case Study Of An Ultra-Brief Trait Emotional Intelligence Intervention For University Student Leaders, Britne K. Bacca-Haupt, Melinda R. Dilley, Fletcher J. Ferguson, Lisa C. Gillis-Davis, Jacqueline M. Schneller

Dissertations

Emotional intelligence gained interest in the early 1990s from researchers in hopes of assessing how understanding and developing emotions can help individuals be “healthy, rich, successful, loved, and happy” (Mayer et al., 2001, p. xi). Because of the expanded interest, increasing implications began occurring at the postsecondary level of education (Petrides et al., 2018). Trait emotional intelligence focuses on perceptions of oneself and others, illustrating how we regulate our emotions and recognize them in others. This qualitative study aimed to explore the impact of an ultra-brief intervention on the trait emotional intelligence development of university student leaders and how they …

Developing An Instrument To Measure Group Dynamics Awareness: A Mixed Methods Study, John Weng

Dissertations

In a world that is increasingly volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous, adaptive leaders are needed more than ever. Based on group relations programs developed by the Tavistock Institute, a pedagogy known as case-in-point has recently been brought to prominence and incorporated into leadership development programs. These methods claim to develop systems thinking and individuals’ leadership capacity with little prior empirical research.

This mixed methods exploratory study explored individual awareness of group dynamics, a key outcome in case-in-point programs, and adaptive leadership theory. The goal was to create an instrument to measure awareness of group dynamics: the Group Dynamics Awareness Questionnaire …

Pastoral Leadership Of Seventh-Day Adventist Pastors In Sub-Saharan Africa And Congregational Giving During 2020-2021: A Grounded Theory Study, Eric Jean-Bruno Aniel Barbe

Dissertations

Problem

The purpose of this study was to develop a theoretical model that describes how the behavioral strategies of Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) pastors in Sub-Saharan Africa may have positively influenced congregational giving during the years 2020-2021 of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Method

A qualitative grounded theory research design was used (Corbin & Strauss, 2015). In-depth interviews were conducted to collect data from a purposive sample of SDA pastoral leaders in Sub-Saharan Africa. The collected data were analyzed using an iterative process consisting of open, axial, and selective coding, thereby facilitating the construction of subcategories and a core category. This analytical process …