Digital Commons Network^™

Multicultural Awareness And Understanding: A Corporate Leadership Perspective, Michelle L. Jones

Theses and Graduate Projects

In the 1980s and 1990s there has been a focus in corporate training programs on the subjects of diversity and multiculturalism. There have been a variety of studies conducted to address the effectiveness of corporate diversity training programs, and suggestions have been made in the studies to make corporate diversity training programs worthwhile. This paper will analyze some of the elements that have been suggested for effective corporate diversity training and distill the most beneficial of these. The role of leaders in corporate multicultural awareness and understanding will be discussed. From these considerations is developed a guide for a corporate …

An Historical Perspective Of Mental Health And Criminal Justice Policies: Current Policies In An Urban County For Offenders With Mental Illness, Carol Cochran

Theses and Graduate Projects

This descriptive study investigates whether offenders with mental illness are diverted from the criminal justice system to the mental health system in an urban county. Interviews were conducted with key decision makers to determine policy and procedures. Admissions to the county medical center psychiatric unit were correlated with arrests and in-custody county jail data for years 1985-87 and 1995-97.

Interviews reveal offenders with mental illness are detained in jail while awaiting mental health screening and court dispositions. If competent, offenders with mental illness can be sentenced to a corrections facility to serve their sentences with the general population. If incompetent …

Mind Shift: From A Total Institution To The White Collar World, Carol J. Seiler

Theses and Graduate Projects

This paper examines the obstacles that released inmates face in gaining employment and being successfully employed, how these obstacles might be overcome, studies and recommendations in the area of correctional education, and the role education and prison employment play in reducing recidivism. It further relates these topics to the leadership and training and employment focus of Stillwater Systems, Inc. (SSI), a non-profit, self-sustaining, company that operates inside the confines of the Lino Lakes Correctional Facility, Lino Lakes, Minnesota. Effective and visionary leadership in this complex and unique business setting is crucial to the survival of Stillwater Systems. The style and …

Factors Influencing Attitudes Of Social Workers Toward Spirituality In Practice, Dena M. Wheeler

Theses and Graduate Projects

Recently, there has been growing interest in the role of spirituality in social work practice. Many practitioners support the inclusion of spirituality in social work practice, but there is a lack of understanding of how this can be accomplished. This exploratory qualitative study was undertaken to expand the understanding of social worker attitudes toward spirituality in practice. Five hospital social workers were interviewed using a structured interview schedule. The interviews focused on practitioners' definitions of spirituality, the factors that had influenced their definition, and the factors that influence how they respond to spirituality in practice. Themes of childhood experiences, academic …

An Exploratory Study Of Minneapolis Truant Adolescents And School And County Interventions, Lois E. Lewis

Theses and Graduate Projects

Truancy is one of the most alarming social problems schools and educators face daily. Because of the complex conditions that contribute to truancy, the etiology and development of the problem are unclear. In this study, fifty subjects ages 12-14 were described by using two measures. An intake form was used to abstract information, at the county level, on the variables gender, age, race, grade, education, number of people in the home, living situation, chemical use, mental health, prior court involvement, and other factors pertinent to this study for the 1997-98 school year. The second measure was used, at the school …

Jesus Christ As Leadership Model: Servant, Charismatic, Transformational, Johnnie B. Williams

Theses and Graduate Projects

While reading Servant Leadership by Robert GreenLeaf and other studies on servant leadership, the idea of comparing Jesus' life to servant leadership became an area of interest. The leadership style of Jesus seemed to be a good area for my research given my interest in religion and my course work in leadership education. Having thought of Jesus only in terms of a religious figure, it was exciting for me to explore his life and message from a different perspective. This paper is written not as the ultimate treatise on religion, because I doubt that will ever be written, but rather …

Conflict In The Workplace: Fundamentals Of Identification, Manngement, And Resolution For Leadership, Lois J. Larson

Theses and Graduate Projects

Conflict is an attribute of the human condition and it will always be present. Leaders must understand the conflict process and learn when to intervene to reduce stress for employees and promote a healthy exchange of ideas. The purpose of this independent project was to fill a need for training in the area of conflict resolution in the workplace. This document is written as a primer for leadership to learn about conflict origins and to teach skills of resolution of workplace disagreements.