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Leadership And Employee Engagement, Kevin O'Brien Grant Jan 2019

Leadership And Employee Engagement, Kevin O'Brien Grant

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Business leaders often encounter difficulties in achieving sustainable employee engagement in the work environment, yet employee engagement is critical to an organization's financial success. The purpose of this qualitative single case study was to explore strategies business leaders use to overcome or mitigate the challenges of employee disengagement. A purposeful sample of 6 leaders employed at an insurance company participated in the study based on their knowledge and experience in implementing successful employee engagement strategies. The conceptual framework for the study was Kahn's personal engagement theory. Data were collected using semistructured interviews, company documents, and archival information. Data were analyzed …


Senior-Level African American Women, Underrepresentation, And Career Decision-Making, Marquita Barron Jan 2019

Senior-Level African American Women, Underrepresentation, And Career Decision-Making, Marquita Barron

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In 2015, 0.2% of African American women were in chief executive officer (CEO) roles and 1.2% were in executive or senior-level roles within a 500 Standard & Poor's (S&P) organization. African American women's lived experiences are underutilized by organizational and human resources (HR) leaders in the development and implementation of recruitment, talent development, diversity and inclusion, and succession planning strategies. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to understand lived experiences regarding career advancement decision-making strategies for senior-level African American women. The conceptual framework used was social cognitive career theory (SCCT), which addresses the 'what' and 'how' of career …


Involving Patient/Family Advisors And Advisory Councils With Patient And Family Engagement, Cortney D. Forward Jan 2019

Involving Patient/Family Advisors And Advisory Councils With Patient And Family Engagement, Cortney D. Forward

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Health care consumers are under-represented in literature when defining patient and family engagement. The proportion of people living longer is rapidly growing. Future research is needed to evaluate which strategies of patient and family engagement are most useful in real-world health care settings for patient and families. The purpose of this study was to describe the lived experiences of patient/family advisors working within patient family advisory councils at an academic medical center in the Midwestern United States. The conceptual framework is based on Greenleaf's servant leadership and Bass's transformational leadership. The research questions examined how patient/family advisors describe patient and …


Strategies To Improve Employee Ethical Conduct In Health Care Organizations, Shannon La'vone Hill Jan 2019

Strategies To Improve Employee Ethical Conduct In Health Care Organizations, Shannon La'vone Hill

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Organizational leaders face challenges related to implementing ethical standards, which influence performance, organization sustainability, and culture. The purpose of this single case study was to explore ethics strategies that health care business leaders used to improve employees' ethical conduct. Data were collected through face-to-face, semistructured interviews with a purposive sample of 7 business leaders of a health care organization located in central Georgia and a review of organization documents. The conceptual framework was Brady's Janus-headed model of ethical theory. Using a priori coding during the data analysis process provided 3 thematic categories: policy strategies for the improvement of employee ethical …


Exploring Public Sector Leadership Through Appreciative Inquiry, Wendy L. Morton Jan 2019

Exploring Public Sector Leadership Through Appreciative Inquiry, Wendy L. Morton

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Leadership is an important part of creating effective public organizations. Effective leaders have the potential to produce social change through positive follower and organizational outcomes, the development of important policies, and efficiently implementing public policy. The scholarly literature lacks research concerning how leadership styles translate to the public sector. The theoretical framework used to guide and support this study was Cooperrider and Whitney's appreciative inquiry. The research question explored in what ways public sector leaders affect how followers perceive themselves as social change agents in a local city-county health department. For this phenomenological study, 10 followers employed by a local …


Frontline Managers' Perceptions And Lived Experiences In The Execution Of Diversity Management Programs, James O. Rodgers Jan 2019

Frontline Managers' Perceptions And Lived Experiences In The Execution Of Diversity Management Programs, James O. Rodgers

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

For over 30 years, organizations have engaged in programs to address the growing presence of diverse populations in their ranks, and researchers have attempted to identify and quantify a link between diversity and enterprise performance. The problem was a lack of understanding of how organizations benefit from increased diversity and the role of frontline managers in that process. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to address the research question aimed at the perceptions and lived experiences of frontline managers and to gain insights about how they are navigating the challenges of increased diversity to enhance their ability to produce …


Strategies To Improve Employee Engagement In The Hospitality Industry, Carolyn Yvette Taylor Jan 2019

Strategies To Improve Employee Engagement In The Hospitality Industry, Carolyn Yvette Taylor

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

More than 50% of the workforce in the United States is disengaged, costing U.S. organizations almost $355 billion annually. Engaged employees improve customer satisfaction, perform effectively, and are committed to organizational goals. Guided by Kahn's personal engagement theory, the purpose of this multiple case study was to explore strategies business leaders in the hospitality industry used to improve employee engagement for increased productivity. A purposive sample of 1 business leader each from 6 organizations in South Korea shared their experiences with the phenomenon of employee engagement. Data were collected through face-to-face semi structured interviews and by reviewing company position descriptions …


Strategies To Reduce Hospital-Acquired Conditions, Steven G. Littleson Jan 2019

Strategies To Reduce Hospital-Acquired Conditions, Steven G. Littleson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Hospital-acquired conditions cause harm to patients and increase mortality. In addition to lowering the quality of patient care, hospital-acquired conditions also negatively affect financial performance, which makes them a business problem for hospital administrators. The purpose of this single case study, which was grounded in the theory of high reliability, was to explore strategies used to reduce the number of hospital-acquired conditions. The sample consisted of 13 senior leaders of a large academic medical center in the southeastern United States, who shared successful strategies used to reduce hospital-acquired conditions. Data collection took place through semistructured interviews and a review of …


Building Workforce Capability In Nonprofit Organizations, Catherine Byrnes Smoyer Jan 2019

Building Workforce Capability In Nonprofit Organizations, Catherine Byrnes Smoyer

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Leaders of nonprofit organizations in the United States must build workforce capabilities to meet increasing demands for services. This single-case study explored strategies nonprofit leaders used to build workforce capability to address increasing service demands. The conceptual lens for this study was the full-range leadership theory. Data were collected through semistructured interviews from a purposeful sample of 3 senior executives of a single nonprofit organization located in the midwestern region of the United States. Information from internal and external documents and publicly available documents also provided data. Information and data sources included internal organizational and workforce performance data, strategy plans …


Leadership Styles And Their Impact On Church Growth In Alexandria And Springfield, Virginia, Yera Keita Jan 2019

Leadership Styles And Their Impact On Church Growth In Alexandria And Springfield, Virginia, Yera Keita

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Even though millions of Americans attend church, church worship practices have declined in recent years. Also, church leaders lack understanding of transformational, transactional, laissez-faire, and servant leadership styles and their potential to promote the growth of church membership. Gaps exist in the literature regarding the connection between development and efficacy, organizations and outcomes, and church leaders' styles and church membership growth. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore the perception of church leaders (pastors, deacons, ministers) and members of congregations regarding leadership styles and how the implementation of those styles influences the growth of church membership. The …


Strategies Retail Managers Use To Reduce Employee Turnover, Sharon Belinda Love Jan 2019

Strategies Retail Managers Use To Reduce Employee Turnover, Sharon Belinda Love

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Retailers lost 5.1 million employees in 2016, which resulted in a loss of profitability. The purpose of this single case study was to explore strategies retail managers used to reduce turnover at one retail company in the southeastern United States. The conceptual framework for the study was transformational leadership. The target population consisted of 6 store managers who reduced employee turnover in the retail industry. Data collection methods included face-€to-€face, semistructured interviews and a review of the company documents. Yin's 5-step analysis was used to analyze data. Three themes emerged from data analysis: supportive management leadership style, competitive compensations, and …


Career Pathways Of African-American Women Senior Executives At Predominantly White Institutions, Etheldria Amayah Bonnie Moulds-Greene Jan 2019

Career Pathways Of African-American Women Senior Executives At Predominantly White Institutions, Etheldria Amayah Bonnie Moulds-Greene

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Research studies have revealed that African-American women are disproportionately underrepresented in senior and executive leadership positions compared to European-American female and male counterparts at public and private predominantly White institutions, despite their increased representation in university senior leadership positions. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to discover the meaning and understanding of African-American women's career pathway experiences ascending to executive positions at these institutions. Critical race theory and Black feminist thought lenses were used as frameworks to understand participants' career pathways, barriers, and facilitating factors advancing toward leadership. LinkedIn recruitment and snowball sampling led to 9 participants who …


The Role Of Strategic Leadership In The Profitability Of Large Organizations, Bernard Yaw Owusu-Boadi Jan 2019

The Role Of Strategic Leadership In The Profitability Of Large Organizations, Bernard Yaw Owusu-Boadi

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Large organizations in the United States endure a 30%-50% failure to achieve profitability. Senior executives' lack of strategies to ensure profitability diminish performance and economic growth. The purpose of this qualitative single case study was to explore strategies senior executives use to ensure profitability in large tax preparation organizations. The conceptual framework for this study was the resource-based view theory. The sample consisted of 2 board members and 3 senior leaders from a large tax preparation organization located in the United States. Study site participants had at least 15 years of experience in enhancing organizational profitability and 5 years of …


Technology And Organizational Decision-Making: A Qualitative Case Study Approach, Brad Marcus Mcrae Jan 2019

Technology And Organizational Decision-Making: A Qualitative Case Study Approach, Brad Marcus Mcrae

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Technology and communication skills simultaneously increase organizational productivity and decision-making. However, excessive use of technology to make decisions can diminish the added benefits that nonverbal communication can bring. The interpersonal sensitivity effects on perception of service quality model, face-to-face communication versus teleconferencing, the technology acceptance model, and decision-making were the conceptual framework of the study. The research questions examined how excessive use of technology to make decisions can diminish the added benefits that nonverbal communication can bring to organizational leadership decision-making. Employing an exploratory multiple case study design, organizational leaders from the Southern California region, ranging in seniority from team-leader …


Sustainability Strategies For Nonprofit Organizations During General Economic Downturns, Lakesha T. Brown Jan 2019

Sustainability Strategies For Nonprofit Organizations During General Economic Downturns, Lakesha T. Brown

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Many leaders of nonprofit organizations (NPOs) lack strategies to build and maintain a financially sustainable organization to continue providing vital social services. The purpose of this single case study was to explore the financial strategies some NPO leaders used to maintain financial sustainability during general economic downturns. Five purposively selected leaders of an NPO in northwestern Indiana participated in the study. The resource dependency theory and the change management theory were the conceptual frameworks that guided the study. Data were collected from face-to-face and telephone interviews and a review of company documentation. Member checking was conducted with participants and data …


Factors Leading To Successful Asian American Women Leaders, Vishakha S. Naresh Jan 2019

Factors Leading To Successful Asian American Women Leaders, Vishakha S. Naresh

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Although women have been progressing in the U.S labor force into supervisory and management positions, the number of Asian American women in leadership roles continues to be limited. There is support in the literature for research on factors associated with the leadership development of Asian American women. The purpose of this phenomenological qualitative study was to explore the racial and gender experiences and perspectives of 7 Asian American women in U.S. health care organizations and how they developed into leaders. Feminist and sociocultural theories were applied to gain insight. Interviews were carried out to comprehend the manner in which gender …


Exploring Financial Management Practices Of Small And Medium-Sized Enterprises In Nigeria, Alero Theodora Obazee Jan 2019

Exploring Financial Management Practices Of Small And Medium-Sized Enterprises In Nigeria, Alero Theodora Obazee

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Most owners of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Nigeria are inadequately prepared to perform the financial management tasks required for business sustainability. This case study, guided by institutional theory, was conducted to explore how SME owners can be prepared to implement financial management effectively for business sustainability in Edo state, Nigeria. The research question addressed the understanding of experienced SME owners regarding how they can develop necessary financial management skills for sustaining a business in Edo state. Data were collected using semistructured interview, and field notes from 15 SME owners in Edo state who had prior knowledge of, experience …


The Role Of Strategic Leadership In Healthcare Profitability, Joyce Collette Conner-Boyd Jan 2019

The Role Of Strategic Leadership In Healthcare Profitability, Joyce Collette Conner-Boyd

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The failure rate of leadership achieving profitability targets is estimated to be as high as 60%. Many organizations fail to meet profitability targets due to a lack of expertise and insight into strategic leadership skills. The objective of this single case study was to explore the role of strategic leadership in healthcare organization profitability in the United States. Five senior healthcare executives from Georgia with at least 15 years of expertise in the healthcare sector and 10 years in senior leadership were chosen to participate in the study. Purposeful sampling was used to identify the participants. The resource-based view framed …


Effective Strategies To Increase Employee Commitment And Reduce Employee Turnover, Jonathan Paz Jan 2019

Effective Strategies To Increase Employee Commitment And Reduce Employee Turnover, Jonathan Paz

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Organizational leaders know that employee turnover negatively impacts an organization's finances and can be a result of a lack of employee commitment. Guided by Yukl's flexible leadership theory, this single case study was used to explore strategies that senior leaders have used to increase employee commitment and reduce employee turnover. Vice presidents and directors from a U.S. Fortune 500 financial firm in New Jersey participated in semistructured interviews. The 5 participants have implemented effective strategies to increase employee commitment and reduce employee turnover. Data collection comprised face-to-face interviews, review of company documentation, external website content, and member checking to explore …


Leadership Strategies To Sustain Small Fitness Businesses, Jacqueline Renee Robertson Jan 2019

Leadership Strategies To Sustain Small Fitness Businesses, Jacqueline Renee Robertson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The development and sustainability of small businesses impact the U.S. economy. Owners of small businesses created 65.9% of new jobs between 2000 and 2017. Over 99.9% of known U.S. firms were small businesses. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore the leadership strategies small fitness business owners implemented to sustain their businesses for longer than 5 years. The conceptual framework for this study was the servant leadership theory. The population for the study included 5 owners of small fitness businesses in the southeastern region of the U.S. who used leadership strategies to sustain their businesses for longer …


Communication Strategies To Motivate Virtual Team Members In The Banking Industry, Kristina Nicole Wade Jan 2019

Communication Strategies To Motivate Virtual Team Members In The Banking Industry, Kristina Nicole Wade

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Frontline managers in the banking industry support geographically dispersed employees and face significant obstacles in communicating effectively to motivate their virtual team members. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore communication strategies frontline managers in the banking industry used to motivate virtual team members. Vroom's expectancy theory was the conceptual framework for the study. Participants consisted of 5 frontline banking managers in Michigan who had successfully implemented communication strategies to motivate virtual team members. Data were collected using face-to-face semistructured interviews, a review of company documents, and a review of company websites. Data were analyzed using thematic …


Leadership Values And Acculturation Among The Oglala Lakota Leadership, Richard Gerald Iron Cloud Jan 2019

Leadership Values And Acculturation Among The Oglala Lakota Leadership, Richard Gerald Iron Cloud

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

There are currently no research studies that investigate the relationship between acculturation and leadership values and practices among the Indigenous Tribes on the Northern Plains of the United States. The study was initiated because Native American Elders on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation were concerned that traditional altruistic leadership style was being lost in today's Native American leadership practice. Accordingly, acculturation and servant leadership theories were used to guide the study. A sequential explanatory mixed methods design incorporated the use of quantitative data based on the Servant Leadership Profile (SLP) and the Native American Acculturation Scale. (NAAS). The study included …


Management Of Virtual Offices, Cheryl Donaldson Howard Jan 2019

Management Of Virtual Offices, Cheryl Donaldson Howard

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Many organizational leaders manage virtual employees without the specific training and experience required for leading a virtual organization, which can lead to billions of dollars in lost productivity. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore strategies managers used to manage a virtual office. The target population consisted of 4 managers located in the mid-Atlantic region of the United States who had a minimum of 2 years of experience managing virtual offices. The conceptual framework for this study was social exchange theory. Data were collected using semistructured interviews and a review of company documents. Data were analyzed using …


Midwestern Artists' Responses To The Demands Of Entrepreneurial Management, Carolyn Melissa Nelson-Kavajecz Jan 2019

Midwestern Artists' Responses To The Demands Of Entrepreneurial Management, Carolyn Melissa Nelson-Kavajecz

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Artists have the potential to achieve higher levels of success in business management, leadership roles, and entrepreneurial endeavors if equipped with the proper knowledge. Although artists may have a creative perspective and could possess many of the attributes sought after by organizations and communities in need of innovative leaders, their approaches to entrepreneurial management differ from traditional business managers or community leaders. The problem was poor understanding of how artists in Midwestern regions of the United States respond to the demands of entrepreneurial management. The purpose of this qualitative multiple-case study was to understand how 20 individuals who self-identified as …


Principals’ Experiences Leading Strategic Planning In High-Performing Primary Schools In Trinidad And Tobago, Adesh Reitoo Ramlal Jan 2019

Principals’ Experiences Leading Strategic Planning In High-Performing Primary Schools In Trinidad And Tobago, Adesh Reitoo Ramlal

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In the education system in Trinidad and Tobago, only 60% of students are achieving mastery in literacy and numeracy as documented by national tests. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore principals’ experiences leading strategic planning designed to increase achievement in literacy and numeracy in 8 high-performing primary schools in Trinidad and Tobago. Fullan’s change process theory provided the framework for the study. Data were collected from interviews with 8 principals. Data analysis included coding, categorizing, and identifying themes. Findings indicated that principals plan, implement, and monitor the facilitation of change processes through in-depth strategies in teaching …


Leadership Strategies To Improve Nurse Retention, Floyd Jordan Colwell Jan 2019

Leadership Strategies To Improve Nurse Retention, Floyd Jordan Colwell

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The nursing shortage and high turnover rates are a problem in the United States. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore leadership strategies that hospital senior nurse managers in the Rocky Mountain states use to improve nurse retention. Participants were 6 hospital senior nurse managers including 3 chief nursing officers, 1 assistant chief nursing officer, and 2 directors who had demonstrated effective leadership strategies in retention of nurses. The leadership-motivated excellence theory was the conceptual framework. Semistructured interviews with open-ended interview questions were used to collect data; organization websites and documents were used to help corroborate evidence …


Education Policy Adoption In A Child Welfare Agency: Frontline Perspectives On Leadership, Jennifer Lea Williams Jan 2019

Education Policy Adoption In A Child Welfare Agency: Frontline Perspectives On Leadership, Jennifer Lea Williams

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This study focused on a policy that promotes educational stability for foster children in a southern state in the US. At the time of this study, this policy had not been fully adopted across the state which resulted in foster children not routinely receiving the interventions necessary for improving academic outcomes. Using the diffusion of innovation theory as a framework, the purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore how local-level leaders impacted the successful adoption of education policy in one county office of a statewide child welfare agency. Data were collected from a sample of 5 case managers …


Exploring Leader Development Experiences To Inform Department Of Defense Leader Development Policy, Glenn J. Butler Jan 2019

Exploring Leader Development Experiences To Inform Department Of Defense Leader Development Policy, Glenn J. Butler

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Although there are several robust leader development programs in the U.S. Army, no standardized access to leader development is provided to all service members at the start of their career. Forty-four percent of the Department of Defense (DoD) active duty personnel are 25 years of age or less. Despite this known experience gap, there is a shortfall in policy that ensures standardized access to leader development during this foundational period. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the experiences of service members who participated in the United States Army Pacific's Regional Leader Development Program-Pacific (RLDP-P) to inform DoD …


The Role Of Strategic Leadership In The Profitability Of Large Organizations, Bernard Yaw Owusu-Boadi Jan 2019

The Role Of Strategic Leadership In The Profitability Of Large Organizations, Bernard Yaw Owusu-Boadi

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Large organizations in the United States endure a 30%-50% failure to achieve profitability. Senior executives' lack of strategies to ensure profitability diminish performance and economic growth. The purpose of this qualitative single case study was to explore strategies senior executives use to ensure profitability in large tax preparation organizations. The conceptual framework for this study was the resource-based view theory. The sample consisted of 2 board members and 3 senior leaders from a large tax preparation organization located in the United States. Study site participants had at least 15 years of experience in enhancing organizational profitability and 5 years of …


Strategies For Mitigating Employee Turnover In The Nigerian Financial Services Industry, Oluwabukunmi Fapohunda Jan 2019

Strategies For Mitigating Employee Turnover In The Nigerian Financial Services Industry, Oluwabukunmi Fapohunda

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Business owners and leaders have committed resources, time, and funding to understand and mitigate the phenomenon of employee turnover. The purpose of this study was to explore the strategies that managers used to mitigate employee turnover in the financial services industry in Nigeria. The transformational leadership model was the conceptual framework for this single case study. Semistructured face-to-face interviews were conducted with 10 middle-level managers who had experience and knowledge of employee turnover at an organization in the financial services industry in Nigeria. The company's policy documents and audited financial statements were also reviewed. Thematic coding was used for data …