Business Administration, Management, and Operations Commons^™

A Phenomenological Study On The Perceived Impact Of Bass's Four I'S Of Transformational Leadership, Yarissa Marn

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this phenomenological study was to identify and describe World of Warcraft game leaders’ perceptions of the impact on their guilds regarding Bass’s 4 I’s of transformational leadership.

Methodology: This qualitative study interviewed 13 World of Warcraft game leaders who have led their guild members for at least one year. The main source of data collection was semi-structured open-ended interview questions with other resources to include artifacts. The researcher coded and analyzed data for themes and patterns.

Findings: Several domains of Bass’s Four I’s Transformational Leadership framework were found to have an impact on World of Warcraft …

What Makes Us "Good" Leaders?, Dante Rossini

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

What makes us good leaders? It’s a question that philosophers, politicians and business strategists alike have been asking for centuries. Generations of scholars have sought to pinpoint the various attributes and characteristics that define leadership beyond a formal organizational role. Going a step beyond, extensive research has also been devoted to deciphering what abilities make certain individuals successful as leaders in comparison to their peers, along with how aspiring leaders can practice these abilities to hone their own leadership performance. All of this research culminates in an intimidating amount of literature, riddled with a broad array of theories and conclusions …

"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 …

Nonprofit Leader Experiences In Sector-Bending After Lean Six Sigma Training: Tension, Concepts, And Changed Behaviors, Beverly Codallos

Dissertations

Government, business, and nonprofit represent three distinct types of organizations governed by different legal frameworks designed to facilitate collective action (DiMaggio & Anheier, 1990). The emergence of hybrid forms and increasing isomorphic pressures in the nonprofit sector (Bromley & Meyer, 2017; McCambridge, 2014) have challenged the traditional separation of organizational forms. This study explored the phenomenon popularized as sector-bending, “a wide variety of approaches, activities, and relationships that are blurring the distinctions between nonprofit and for-profit organizations, either because they are behaving more similarly, operating in the same realms, or both” (Dees & Anderson, 2003, pg. 16). This qualitative study …

Women In Leadership: How Far Have We Come And Where Do We Go?, Alexandra Hill

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Corporate leadership has evolved throughout the decades due to societal and organizational changes. With a shift towards a more equitable workplace, women have taken on higher executive roles. While there has been progress, women are still outnumbered in leadership positions. Where do we go from here? What can organizations and society do to advance the idea of leadership as a gender-neutral concept? This paper researches the evolution of leadership theory, the gender differences in women’s leadership styles, and the challenges women encounter in their positions of power. Through analysis of the internal and external barriers facing women’s advancement into and …

Leadership Behaviors, Practices, And Sytles In Mergers And Acquisitions In The U.S. Technology-Based Organizations: A Qualitative Study, Susan E. Glover

Human Resource Development Theses and Dissertations

Leaders guide and shape the success of mergers and acquisitions (M&A) to meet an organization’s goals and objectives. In this study, I explored the role of leadership during M&A and the effect of different leadership behaviors, practices, and styles (BPS) on different organizational cultures during M&A. This study explored the contribution of leadership BPS on M&A outcomes within an organization with a robust and innovative culture. I focused on the human capital investment strategies of M&A integration concerning different leadership BPS utilized to improve the success rate of M&A goals and objectives. I concentrated on technology-based organizations because they are …

Exploring The Application Of Compassionate Leadership Behaviors In The Workplace, Tracy L. Laurie

Doctor of Education (Ed.D)

This qualitative case study answers the central research question “How are compassionate leadership behaviors encouraged and/or discouraged in the workplace?” Interviews with five individuals from one work team in an Am Law 100 law firm revealed how the compassionate leadership behaviors of integrity, accountability, presence, empathy, authenticity, and dignity (Shuck et al., 2019) were applied at work. This research explored four themes: leadership courage, growth mindset, empowerment, and coaching performance. Each theme has four subthemes further describing the data: Leadership courage: managing consistently and fairly, being transparent, communicating honestly, and taking risks; Growth mindset: working intentionally, developing others, learning continuously, …

The Evolution Of Leadership During The Covid-19 Pandemic: An Analysis Of The Research, Luca Patrick Thierry Gregston

University Honors Theses

A crisis, however terrible in its consequences, is also a great opportunity to study and create new models of leadership, to discover how the concept of leadership has evolved over the pandemic. Hence this paper's research question, "How has the COVID-19 pandemic changed the concept and practice of leadership? In the end much of the empirical evidence for what COVID 19 did or didn't change in leadership practices is still relatively ambiguous. So it is too early to say that "business as usual" is gone for good. And COVID furthered and deepened long term trends, accelerating the great resignation and …

Diversity, Equity, And Inclusion Post George Floyd And Covid-19: Reflections From Global Business Leaders On A Changing Paradigm, Charles Edward Bray Jr.

Theses and Dissertations

This global study of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), encompassing the lenses of sixteen corporate executives with multi-country influence, examines efforts to address marginalization in the workplace based on identity characteristics such as race, gender, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or ability. Othering is a global phenomenon. Corporations were awakened to the magnitude of othering, shocked into reality by the murder of George Floyd and other acts of political and social violence, including femicide, globally. The COVID-19 global pandemic further exposed the impact of marginalization seen through wide health disparities across communities. The Russian invasion of Ukraine further augmented the corporate …

An Examination Of Leading Through Change Using Snyder’S Hope Theory And Lewin’S 3-Step Model, Scott E. Sorensen

Theses and Dissertations

Never has the world experienced such rapid change, and the environment in which organizations operate necessitates increased change capability and organizational agility (Argyris, 1991). Strebel (1996) found success rates for change initiatives in Fortune 1000 companies ranged from a low of 20% to a high of 50%. Later studies would substantiate Strebel’s (1996) findings, claiming that, on average, failure rates of transformational change initiatives approach 70% (Beer & Nohria, 2000; Sirkin et al., 2005). Suppose this is so, and companies wish to thrive in such a dynamic environment. A fundamental understanding of why change efforts fail and how to drive …

A Correlational Analysis Of A Leadership Development Model And Church Growth, Thomas D. Mullins

PhD in Organizational Leadership

Organizational growth and vision can outpace leadership development, which ultimately creates frustration and decline in leadership, followership, and teamwork. To counter regression, organizations must determine the factors that hinder leadership development while creating pathways towards organizational success. Research indicates that church attendance in America is in decline, but there are exceptions to this national trend. A case study of one of the fastest growing churches in America reveals a correlation between intentionally fostering a culture of leadership development and one’s ability to continue seizing available growth opportunities. This parallel hypothesized by the researcher in this study was validated through the …

The Development Of An Instrument To Measure Fourteen Theoretical Factors For The Attribution Of Charisma, Tyler J. Bach, Michael J. Labosky

Theses and Dissertations

This study attempted to validate Hicks' (1991) findings of 11 factors which could be used to measure the attribution of charisma. Three new factors were added and their validity measured. The instrument measured whether followers differentiated between charismatic and non-charismatic leaders in terms of these factors. We tested if the subjects responded differently to the attribution of charisma based on gender or whether or not they had someone in mind as they completed the instrument. Cronbach's Alpha was used to measure the validity of the 14 factors land to compare them to previous findings. All 14 factors were validated, some …