Digital Commons Network^™

The Importance Of Leader-Member Exchange And Psychological Contracts In Highly Qualified Researchers, Robin L. Ingerick Dba

Theses & Dissertations

This study examined the significance of the relationship between leader-member exchange (LMX) and psychological contracts in United States-based research organizations. When the organization-manager-employee relationship deteriorates, psychological contract breaches can occur, negatively affecting employee outcomes and the organization's financial success and stability. Existing knowledge highlights several factors that influence relationships, including reciprocated treatment, work behaviors and reactions, trust, professional respect, affect, mutual interaction, work autonomy, communication, job satisfaction, and fulfillment. The study sought to determine to what extent is there a predictive relationship between LMX and psychological contracts (employee obligations, employer obligations, fulfillment, and contract transitions) of highly qualified United States-based …

Self-Effficacy And Emotional Intelligence In Young Females; Filling The Leadership Pipeline Through Youth Development Programs, Annette Cherie Vargason

Doctor of Business Administration (DBA)

The persistent underrepresentation of women in leadership positions remains a significant global concern, stemming from systemic barriers and lower self-efficacy reported by women in leadership contexts. Current trends suggest it could take another 50 years to achieve gender parity in leadership roles. This disparity highlights a need for effective early interventions to nurture leadership skills and confidence in young women. This study examined the relationship between self-efficacy (SE), emotional intelligence (EI), and leadership aspirations among young women participating in the Courageous Girls program, relying on maternal proxy reports using General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSE) and the Brief Emotional Intelligence Scale (BEIS-10). …

Perceptions Of Leader Emotional Intelligence During Change: A Qualitative Study Of Middle Managers In Higher Education, Kirk Bennett

Doctor of Business Administration (DBA)

In a world where change is constant, organizations often struggle to adapt. Whether implementing change proactively or responding to external realities, organizational change leaders must navigate the landscape of change with awareness of the potential for follower resistance to derail their efforts. Change and emotion are not easily separated, and change leaders who ignore the emotional realities of change do so at the risk of failure. Leaders who demonstrate emotional intelligence are better equipped to understand and manage the emotions of change in themselves and others. How followers perceive the emotional intelligence of their leaders is crucial to their own …

The Influence Mechanism Of Chief Sustainability Officers On Firm Sustainability Performance, Taiwo Abraham

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examines how Chief Sustainability Officer (CSO) human capital configurations influence organizational sustainability performance through a configurational approach. Drawing on Upper Echelons and Human Capital theories, the study conceptualizes CSO human capital as encompassing both general (GHC) and sustainability-specific (SHC) dimensions that interact with job functions and governance mechanisms to shape outcomes. The theoretical framework proposes that SHC primarily influences non-financial sustainability performance (nfSP), while GHC drives financial sustainability performance (fSP). Champion functions moderate the SHC-nfSP relationship, while Ambassador functions moderate the GHC-fSP relationship. Firm sustainability governance further enhances these relationships and creates pathways for SHC to influence financial …

The Impact Of Top Management Team Heterogeneity On Corporate Green Innovation, Xueyan Luo

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

At present, green innovation has become a key path for enterprises to achieve sustainable competitive advantage. However, existing research pays limited attention to how internal governance factors—especially top management team (TMT) heterogeneity—affect green innovation. Based on Upper Echelons Theory, managerial cognition theory, and institutional theory, this paper constructs a framework of “TMT heterogeneity–green strategic orientation–green innovation,” and explores the impact of different types of heterogeneity and the moderating role of regional innovation environments. Heterogeneity is categorized into conflict-type (gender, age, financial background) and complementary-type (educational, professional, overseas background) to better explain its mechanisms.

Using a sample of Chinese A-share listed …

The Impact Of Organisational Culture On Innovative Work Behavior: Empirical Study On Egyptian Universities, Roqaya Negm

Business Administration

This study investigates the impact of organisational culture on Innovative Work Behaviour (IWB) among academic staff in Egyptian universities. It aims to clarify the inconsistent findings in existing literature by examining how diverse cultural dimensions influence IWB. Employing a positivist paradigm with quantitative methods, the research utilises the Competing Values Framework (CVF). Data were collected from academic staff in five public and private universities in Egypt, with analysis using regression analysis, T-tests, and ANOVA to differentiate between these institutional types. The study analyses the effects of various organisational cultural dimensions—adhocracy, clan, market, and hierarchy on IWB. The findings indicate that …

It’S Different: Examining The Effect Of Hrm Investments On Employee Downsizing Following Mergers And Acquisitions, Pingshu Li, Mengwei Li, Hyesook Chung, Clint Chadwick

Management Faculty Publications

Although some scholars in strategic human resource management (SHRM) research have suggested that HRM investments can be effective in reducing the negative repercussions of employee downsizing, other scholars have argued that such HRM investments could convey contradictory messages to employees, resulting in more negative employee reactions and decreased firm performance. In this research, we addressed this unsettled question by looking into the mergers and acquisitions (M&A) context, where we theorized that the acquiring firm’s HRM investments can positively moderate the negative effect of employee downsizing on firm performance by invoking positive sensemaking processes from remaining acquired firm employees. Moreover, the …

Evolution Of A New Strategic Orientation In The Ai Era: Exploring The Determinants Of Ai Orientation, Sreelakshmy Geethakumari

Dissertations

The field of AI has undergone significant evolution over the past few decades. While AI is heralded as one of the most transformative technologies, scholars caution that its strategic impact may still not be fully realized. Given the strategic importance of AI in today's firms, it is essential to consider AI as a strategic orientation and understand its determinants in detail. Our study examines AI Orientation, defined as a firm's deliberate application of AI technologies to achieve its strategic objectives. Drawing on multiple theoretical perspectives, this study investigates the determinants that shape a firm’s AI orientation. This study employs a …

Exploring Employee Profiles’ Adaptation To A Return-To-Office Policy: An Eadr Study In Higher Education Administrative Departments, Laura Cecilia Ferraz

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Flexible work arrangements (FWAs) became a central feature of the post-pandemic workplace, offering autonomy and balance. In higher education administrative departments, hybrid models were widely adopted; however, managers struggled with accountability, equity, and effective communication. At the University of South Florida (USF), a mid-study return-to-office mandate required all employees to resume full-time on-site work, creating an opportunity to examine how employees adapted to the loss of flexibility and whether previously developed employee profiles remained relevant.

This qualitative study employed the Elaborated Action Design Research (eADR) methodology to investigate the experiences of employees and managers across three diagnostic phases. Cycle 1, …

Breaking The Barriers: Mediating Effects Of Agile Hr Practices And Challenging Organizational Members’ Comfort Zones On The Link Between Digital And Agile Transformation And Organizational Performance, Bora Coşar

European Management Studies

Purpose: Building on organizational change management (OCM), this study examines how digital and agile transformations influence organizational performance through people-centred mechanisms. Using socio-technical systems theory, the study investigates how aligning technical workflows and social roles can turn transformation initiatives into measurable performance gains.

Design/methodology/approach: The research analyses data from 402 employees in Turkey’s connector manufacturing sector through structural equation modelling (SEM). Agile HR practices and employees’ behaviours that challenge their comfort zones are tested as parallel mediators connecting digital and agile transformations to organizational performance.

Findings: The findings demonstrate that digital and agile transformations have a positive impact …

Research On The Influencing Factors Of Bim Technology Adoption In Construction Enterprises, Meng Zhao

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

The construction industry plays a pivotal role in national economic development, yet it faces significant challenges, including inefficiencies, limited informatization, and fragmented management. Building Information Modeling (BIM) has emerged as a transformative digital technology, offering the potential to revolutionize construction enterprises by enhancing collaboration, reducing costs, and improving project lifecycle management. Despite increasing government support and global advancements, BIM adoption in China, particularly during the construction phase, remains inconsistent and insufficiently explored. This dissertation adopts a mixed-methods approach, combining both qualitative and quantitative research. The qualitative component, through interviews, identifies the primary barriers to BIM adoption during the construction phase, …

Sustainable Enterprise Architecture: Embedding Circular Economy And Lifecycle Thinking In It Strategy, Sai Chandrahas Kaveripakam, Frank Lin

Communications of the IIMA

This paper explores the integration of sustainability into traditional Enterprise Architecture (EA), proposing a novel Sustainable Enterprise Architecture (SEA) model, and uses the fashion industry to illustrate the efficacy of the proposed model. The SEA framework systematically embeds environmental, social, and economic sustainability principles into corporate strategy and operational practices. This research also addresses the significant intention-action gaps among consumers and organizations in sustainability practice. Through vivid case examples, such as MUD Jeans' leasing model and Pact's affordable circular apparel, this research highlights practical pathways for operationalizing sustainability. By leveraging Circular Economy (CE) and Product Life Cycle (PLC) concepts, SEA …

Project Scope And Market Share Of Selected Telecommunication Firms In Nigeria, Sunday Olufemi Akintelu

International Journal of Applied Management and Technology

To maintain market share, telecommunication operators in Nigeria invest in complex, innovative projects with large budgets and tight timelines. Managing the project scope of these endeavors is a challenge, although crucial to ensuring that viable products are released and guaranteeing market share among these firms. This study examined the project scope and market share of selected telecommunication firms in Nigeria through the quantitative method and survey research. The study employed a validated adapted questionnaire, which used a six-point Likert-type scale and was administered to the study participants to collect primary data. The reliability test of the questionnaire was achieved with …

Barriers To Machine Learning Adoption In Regulated Electric Utilities, Donald R. Shiflet Jr.

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Machine learning (ML) technologies have the potential to revolutionize regulated electric utilities by improving operational efficiency, enabling predictive maintenance, and optimizing energy management. Despite these advantages, the adoption of ML in this sector lags other industries due to technical, organizational, and regulatory barriers. This research, grounded in the Technology-Organization-Environment (TOE) framework, explores these barriers to uncover actionable solutions for integration. The study identifies key challenges, including explainability, cybersecurity, workforce resistance, and regulatory ambiguity to ML adoption in electric utilities. Utilizing an exploratory qualitative methodology, this approach integrates insights from the literature and industry interviews to rank barriers by frequency, severity, …

Beyond Compliance: Investigating The Motivational Power Of Equality, Diversity And Inclusion (Edi) In European Hospitality, Alessandro Ferrazza Dr

ICHRIE Research Reports

The base concept of this study is to explore the interrelationship between Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) practices, employee motivation and performance within the European Hospitality Industry. The research aims to identify the barriers and facilitators that shape motivational synergies stimulating performance outcomes, particularly for underrepresented employee groups. The researcher employed a mixed-methods approach underpinned by a pragmatic interpretivist framework. The findings revealed that there is wide use of discriminatory practices, limited career progression and poor work-life balance which act as significant demotivators (Siu et al., 1997). The study also reconceptualises EDI not merely as a compliance requirement, but as …

Exploring The Role Of Transformational Leadership In The Health And Growth Of Nazarene Churches In The Africa East Field, Warren W. Rogers Iii

PhD in Organizational Leadership

The transformational leadership model is associated with positive outcomes in the follower experience, as well as in educational, healthcare, and business sectors. There is limited research on the impact of transformational leadership on church health and growth (George & Sreedharan, 2023; Kouni et al., 2018; Rahmatulloh et al., 2023; Tian & Guo, 2024). The purpose of this general qualitative study was to explore how transformational leadership contributes to the health and growth of Nazarene churches in the Africa East Field (comprising Burundi, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda). Eight pastoral leaders were interviewed to share their thoughts, perspectives, …

Followership Theory In The Age Of Artificial Intelligence: A Phenomenological Study Of How The Integration Of Ai Into An Ai-Human Hybrid Cancer Research Team Affects Followership Characteristics, John F. Carrera

PhD in Organizational Leadership

Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly becoming part of cancer research teams, helping with data analysis, pattern recognition, and decision support. Although AI changes how work is completed, little is known about how AI changes how followers adapt when AI becomes part of the team. This study examined how AI influences followership characteristics within AIhuman hybrid cancer research teams. A qualitative phenomenological research design was used to explore the lived experiences of nine cancer research professionals who interacted with AI as part of their routine work. Semi-structured interviews were conducted, transcribed, and analyzed through multiple rounds of qualitative coding to find …

Understanding Career Advancement Challenges Of Mid-Level African American Leaders: A Phenomenological Case Study, Adrienne N. Long

PhD in Organizational Leadership

As workplace demographics become increasingly more diverse globally, the curation of organizational inclusion is becoming more dire (Shore et al., 2018). One workforce dynamic, however, has fundamentally remained unchanged: the underrepresentation of African Americans in executive or senior leadership roles (Beckwith et al., 2016). Despite tremendous legislative progress in gender and racial equality, a pervasive gap persists in organizational cultures that fail to intentionally and consistently provide equitable career advancement opportunities for African Americans to attain senior leadership roles. This study employed a phenomenological qualitative research methodology to examine the career advancement challenges faced by mid-level African American leaders and …

Stress Management Strategies In An Investment Firm: A Managerial Perspective, Cheri C. Nelson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study examined how client relationship managers and market supervision managers in the investment industry experienced, interpreted, and managed workplace stress within the context of organizational culture, leadership practices, and available resources. Guided by the job-demands resources (JD-R) model, semistructured interviews were conducted with participants across multiple markets to investigate the interplay between high job demands, leadership behaviors, and employee well-being. Findings indicated that while trusted colleagues and positive leadership behaviors served as protective resources that reduced strain and fostered resilience, negative attitudes, favoritism, and lack of collaboration among colleagues amplified stress. Communication breakdowns, poorly managed organizational change, and …

Navigating Succession: Exploring Succession Planning Strategies In Polish Family Businesses, Jan M. Klaczak, Theresa M. Neal, Yvonne Doll

International Journal of Applied Management and Technology

Family businesses are the foundation of modern economies and societies, yet many encounter continuity challenges during succession. The purpose of this qualitative, multiple-case study grounded in Rothwell’s seven-step model for succession planning was to explore succession planning strategies Polish family business leaders used for ownership and leadership transfer to the next generation. Three family business leaders who executed succession planning in their firms participated in the study. Data were collected via semistructured interviews, researcher notes, and company document reviews. Using methodological triangulation and Yin’s five-step data analysis, four themes emerged: systematic succession, grooming the successor, communication with nonfamily stakeholders, and …

The Impact Of Media Convergence On Accounting Information System Effectiveness: A Contingency Conditions Perspective, Haetham H. Kasem Alkhaffaf, Alaa A. D. Taha, Arsalan Ibraheem Alafandi

Muthanna Journal of Administrative and Economics Sciences

This research investigates the effect of media convergence on AIS in SMEs in Iraq during emergencies. The adopted research methodology was quantitative in nature in which 301 accountants participated in the study, and the phenomenon was measured using partial least squares structural equation modelling (SEM-PLS). The findings reveal the net benefits of decision-making and demonstrate how useful they are for Iraqi SMEs to consider while making decisions based on the factors like civil strife and the COVID-19 outbreak. This research contributes to the literature by analysing the MCI according to the hypothetical model in the context of Iraqi SMEs and …

Generation Z And Entrepreneurship: Community Banking’S Next Challenge, Arturo Rodriguez

Journal of Business & Entrepreneurship

Generation Z (Gen Z), is currently graduating from college and joining the workforce in the United States. Gen Z is distinctly unique from other generations and has been identified as highly entrepreneurial. Gen Z has also been recognized as being highly reliant on technology, which is something that the banking industry, but specifically, smaller community banks have not yet fully embraced. This paper explores strategies that community banks’ executives and board of directors can utilize to attract Gen Z entrepreneurs who, in general, despise or do not have knowledge of the way in which banks conduct business lending.

An Exploration Of The Evolving Boundary-Spanning Leadership Role Of Architects, Rory Concannon, Roisin Murphy, Oluwasegun Seriki

Articles

Architects form part of multidisciplinary teams in the construction of the built environment. Traditionally they have played a leading role within the construction process, often managing entire projects to completion. In recent years the composition of construction teams have evolved, leading to a perception that the architects leadership role has been diminished. Little is known about the boundary-spanning leadership required by architects, particularly in the light of the evolving roles. Through in-depth, semi-structured interviews, this research reduces this gap by exploring architect’s leadership practices in the context of changing boundaries within the construction team. Our findings reveal six specific competencies …

Decreasing Organizational Knowledge Loss With Collaborative Learning Teams, Sandy Laurence Lembree

JWU Dissertations & Theses

Knowledge in organizations continues to be lost during attrition (Cox & Overbay, 2023). The Baby Boomers are retiring (Cox & Overbay, 2023), younger generations move (Brown, 2023), and self-interested employees hide knowledge (Ahmad & Karim, 2019; Anand et al., 2022) Collaborative learning teams (CLTs) increase knowledge transfer, which retains organizational knowledge (Ahmad & Karim, 2019). This mixed methods research was undertaken to investigate what contributors made a group in an organization into a CLT. Autonomy, competence development, group relatedness, psychological safety, shared goals and objectives, and leadership collaboration encouragement were explored for their relationships with being a CLT. Experiences were …

From Pencil To Pixel: How Leadership Shapes Organizational Responses To Competence-Destroying Technological Change, Jennifer Underwood

All Dissertations

This dissertation examines how managerial leadership enables organizations to overcome inertia during competence-destroying technological change through a historical comparative case analysis of the animation industry's transition from hand-drawn to computer-generated imagery (CGI) between 1980-2000. Drawing on archival data from Disney, Pixar, and Don Bluth Studios, I identify three distinct leadership approaches—pioneering, bridging, and preserving—that differently influenced how workforces adjusted their views of identity, process, and change. These adjustments led to three different outcomes: transformative integration, constrained adoption, and entrenched resistance. This research makes three theoretical contributions and develops a novel framework that explains how leadership can constrain or enable transformation, …

Organizational Metamorphosis: When Artificial Intelligence Transforms Companies Into New Economic Life Forms, Allan M. Glass

All Dissertations

Traditional theories of organizational change fall short in explaining how artificial intelligence (AI) transforms organizations. This grounded theory study, based on interviews with 34 organizational leaders, identifies a novel phenomenon: organizational metamorphosis - the irreversible transformation of organizations into fundamentally new entities through deep integration with AI as a cognitive partner.

The metamorphosis process unfolds in three phases. Individual Awakening occurs when leaders experience powerful interactions with AI, prompting a rapid shift from skepticism to advocacy. Once a critical mass of leaders undergo this shift, it initiates Organizational Restructuring, characterized by reimagined work design, boundary dissolution, and altered temporal rhythms. …

Ingenious Impulsiveness Of Environmentally Motivated Female Entrepreneurship For Sustainable Development, Saranya Senthilnathan, Chandrasekar Kaliyaperumal

Management Dynamics

Women's roles are crucial to the economic prosperity of any nation, with their participation in entrepreneurship being a key driver of sustainable development. This study focuses on the contributions of women entrepreneurs in India, highlighting their potential to advance economic, social, and environmental sustainability. The purpose is to examine the role of female entrepreneurs in promoting sustainable practices within the economy, society, and ecology. The study employs a descriptive research design to assess how integrating environmental factors into female entrepreneurship impacts the growth and sustainability of the Indian economy. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect primary data from 355 …

A Dynamic Leadership Approach In Different Situations And Contexts, Francois Kammoe

The Journal of Values-Based Leadership

This paper is one of the first to provide empirical evidence supporting the conceptualization of a dynamic leadership approach in which employee maturity and organizational dynamism help leaders make the right choice of leadership styles to improve employee job satisfaction. As business environments change and employee maturity differs in this dynamic business era, and as there is a chaos characterized by numerous leadership styles in the leadership literature, adopting a dynamic leadership approach has become important to identify the most effective leadership styles suitable for employees. A quantitative study using conditional process analysis was conducted to examine a dynamic leadership …

Crafting Ethical Problem-Solving Cultures: A Leader’S Role In Complex Adaptive Systems, Elizabeth A. Luckman

The Journal of Values-Based Leadership

In today’s complex and interconnected world, leaders play a critical role in fostering ethical problem-solving cultures within organizations. To enable leaders to succeed in this evolving landscape, this paper advocates for a necessary paradigm shift: a transition in mental models about how organizations function. Historically, organizations have been viewed as mechanistic systems, but there is a substantial opportunity to improve our work by viewing organizations as complex adaptive systems. This shift alters fundamental assumptions about organizational operations and redefines leadership as the creation of conditions for effective and ethical problem-solving. In this paper, I examine the changing mental models that …

Empowering Hispanic Managers In The Us Through Authentic Leadership, Emotional Intelligence, Resilience, And Mindfulness, Louise Kelly, Ehsan Danesh, Patricia Denise Lopez, James Okrah, Eissa Hashemi

The Journal of Values-Based Leadership

This research investigates the relationship between authentic leadership, Emotional Intelligence (EI), resiliency, and mindfulness among Hispanic Managers in the US, contributing to the understanding of authentic leadership and its antecedents, particularly in the context of Latinx leaders in the United States. The study suggests that emotional intelligence, resiliency, and mindfulness play key roles in the formation of authentic leadership, especially in the Latinx community, where cultural values such as familismo, personalismo, and collectivism may influence leadership styles. It highlights the potential benefits of these factors, including improved self-awareness, empathy, and the ability to overcome adversity, while also acknowledging challenges and …