Digital Commons Network^™

Internal Strategies For Assessing Organizational Communication Channel Effectiveness, Melvin Murphy Murphy

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Evolving communication technology, the increased volume of information needed by businesses, and the intensified competitive environment have made internal company communication more critical to business success. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore strategies used by managers and leaders of 3 law firms in the Commonwealth of Virginia for assessing the effectiveness of their organization's internal communication channels. The participating firms were recognized by their peers as being exceptionally well-managed. Data from interviews and company documents were analyzed through the conceptual lens of the channel expansion theory and the use of software coding to identify patterns and …

Qualitative Examination Of Strategies To Overcome Resistance To Change In Lean Manufacturing, Elizabeth Burmester

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Approximately 80% of lean manufacturing program initiatives are abandoned in the first year of implementation. Only 2% of organizations that embark on the lean journey complete it with the results and the sustainability they expected. There is a gap in past research regarding, the leadership strategies organizations can use to overcome resistance to change during lean manufacturing program implementations. The problem in this study was that leaders have limited information to overcome resistance to change when implementing these programs. The purpose of this study was to explore how leaders within manufacturing organizations may overcome resistance to change through leadership strategy. …

Examining The Relationship Between Communication Apprehension And Individual Innovativeness In Managers, Michelle Campagnola

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Communicative challenges that hinder managerial engagement in social networks can impede innovation adoption and thereby damage the financial performance and competitiveness of a firm. The purpose of this correlational study was to examine the relationship between communication apprehension (CA) and individual innovativeness in managers. The focus of the research questions was determining if a relationship exists between these variables before and after controlling for demographic characteristics. With diffusion of innovation theory as the theoretical framework, this research involved an attempt to address how adoption categories relate to varying degrees of CA. One hundred and five American-based owner-executives, senior managers, and …

Mass Shootings As Issue Management Exigencies And Focusing Events For Public Policy Debates, Melvin Gupton

Wayne State University Dissertations

This content analysis of multiple mass shooting cases examines a crisis genre that is not as frequently studied as other crises such as natural disasters or organizational exigencies. Though just as rich with stakeholders’ communicative exchanges and neatly traversing the three crisis stages, mass shootings have yet to be fully elaborated. To further the examination of these crises, this dissertation identifies those actors who hold the principal stakes in the aftermath of a mass shooting incident, and explores what these stakeholders are saying. By applying focusing events and issue management theories, it uncovers the prominent public policy issues reported in …

How Progressive Communication Methods And Impactful Leadership Styles Led To Success And Growth In Emu's Honors College Student Fellow Program, Lauren Renou

Senior Honors Theses and Projects

This research explored the communication methods and leadership styles that had emerged from participants in Eastern Michigan University's Honors College Student Fellow Program. Through a quantitative study, the researcher investigated current and past program participant's impressions of the communication methods and leadership styles that were developed within the Honors College Student Fellow Program. A literature review of other Honors College "Student Fellow" programs provided context for this study.

Communication Strategies Used During Organizational Change In A Health Care Organization, Amber Rose Smith

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

More than 4.9 million businesses exist in the United States, and leaders within these businesses have to acclimate to change. Clear and effective communication is vital to the success of an organization. According to scholars and health care leaders focusing on strategies to communicate change during organizational change is a critical aspect of sustainability and profitability. The conceptual framework of this study was communication theory. The purpose of this single case study was to explore successful strategies that some health care leaders used to communicate during organizational change in a health care organization in El Paso, Texas. The data collection …

Ethical Leadership: Not Everyone Responds Equally, W. Randy Evans, Richard S. Allen, Russell W. Clayton

Organization Management Journal

Theoretical frameworks associated with ethical leadership have not fully considered the nature of the leader–follower exchange, and, in addition, few studies have considered the impact of follower individual differences in reactions to ethical leadership. Our research extends the customary social exchange perspective of transactional and relational resources by accounting for the ideological resources (i.e., value-oriented principles) that can also imbue the leader–subordinate relationship. Second, differences in equity sensitivity are hypothesized to moderate the influence of ethical leadership on employee attachment to the organization. We predicted that the impact of ethical leadership on organizational commitment, job satisfaction, and organizational identification is …

A Predictor For Ple Management: Impacts Of Self-Regulated Online Learning On Student's Learning Skills, Cherng-Jyh Yen, Chih-Hsiung Tu, Laura Sujo-Montes, Karen Sealander

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Faculty Publications

Web 2.0 integration requires a high level of learner-centered skills to create a personal learning environment (PLE). The pedagogical capability of Web 2.0 could support and promote self-regulated learning (SRL) by enabling the constructions of PLEs. This study investigated how will each of the six aspects of self-regulated online learning (i.e., environment structuring, goal setting, time management, task strategies, help seeking, & self-evaluation) respectively predict the level of initiative, the sense of control, and the level of self-reflection in personal learning environment (PLE) management. The study concluded that all six aspects of SRL could predict three types of PLE management …

The Guardian, August 31, 2016, Wright State University Student Body

The Guardian Student Newspaper

Ten page issue of The Guardian, the official student-run newspaper for Wright State University. The Guardian has been published regularly since March of 1965.

Hybrid Agile Approach: Efficiently Blending Traditional And Agile Methodologies, Rashmi Wankhede

Dissertations and Theses

Agile development, in its simplest form, offers a lightweight framework for helping teams, given a constantly evolving functional and technical landscape, maintain a focus on the rapid delivery of business value. Traditional project management focuses more on distinct and predefined sequential phases. It assumes that once requirements are fixed there won’t be any changes or additions in future. In today’s world however this is not true and development teams have to incorporate changes at later stages to be competitive. This is where agile methodologies have an edge over traditional methods. Agile can handle more complex and highly adaptable projects. However, …

An Empirical Investigation On Ceo Turnover In It Firms And Firm Performance, Peiqin Zhang, David Wierschem, Francis A. Mendez Mediavilla, Keejae P. Hong

Journal of International Technology and Information Management

Drawn upon upper echelon theory and organizational theory, this research proposes to examine the impact of CEO turnover in IT firms on firm performance in terms of both sustainable accounting performance and market performance. We find that CEO turnover is a significant determinant of firm performance, especially in IT firms. This paper contributes to the IS literature by investigating the CEO turnover impact in IT firms compared to other industries. This study also has practical implications by providing the guideline for IT firms on the CEO turnover policy. Such firms should place additional emphasis on their succession planning efforts.

Exploring The Role Of Networks And Proximity For Communication Satisfaction In An Academic Library, Jennifer A. Keach

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

Researchers tie communication satisfaction within organizations to job satisfaction, productivity, and commitment, and yet supporting communication satisfaction remains a challenge for workplaces. This study proposes that network centrality and proximity both are related to communication satisfaction. Further, this study proposes that proximity actions—voluntary actions which increase proximity with co-workers—relate to network centrality. As employees increasingly work at a geographic distance from their co-workers, they increasingly experience proximity barriers to the already difficult task of staying informed through informal communication channels. This study is a mixed methods case study within an academic library.

Findings include the value of mixed methods studies …

Web Statistics For 2015 Reflect A Truly International Journal Once Again, William P. Ferris

Organization Management Journal

No abstract provided.

A Nonprofit Model In A For-Profit World: A Closer Look At Sheltered Workshops And Sustainability As An Employee Run Business, Bing Jang, Mitchell Perry, Nikolin Vangjeli, Laura Ducharme

School of Professional Studies

Historically, society has tended to isolate and segregate individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Despite improvements such forms of discrimination continue to be a serious social problem. On October 11, 2011, the Department of Justice began an investigation into several state’s systems of providing vocational services to individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. This action came about due to several states being out of compliance around Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Title II of the ADA prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability for all services, programs and activities provided to the public by state and …

Innovation As Everyday Action: A Case Study Of Organizational Discourse And The Local Meaning Of Innovation, Jennifer C. Batra

Open Access Theses

This study describes and explicates the nuanced nature of commonly adopted buzzwords such as innovation by analyzing how innovation is defined and embedded structurally within a single organization. Working to uncover how the individual construction of a local definition of innovation within the global context of a quasi-academic organization changes as organizational priorities and practices evolve over time, I present the varied framings of innovation at the micro, meso, and macro levels, through two research phases (a) the definition phase and (b) the practice phase over the course of one year.

This thesis project is situated within a single Mid-Western …

Relational Leading: Practices For Dialogically Based Collaboration. By Lone Hersted & Kenneth J. Gergen., Stanley E. Patterson Phd

Journal of Applied Christian Leadership

RELATIONAL LEADING: PRACTICES FOR DIALOGICALLY BASED COLLABORATION By Lone Hersted & Kenneth J. Gergen. Chagrin Falls, OH: Taos Institute Publications (2013). Kindle edition, 197 pages.

The Taos Institute and the authors have made a valuable contribution to the leadership community by providing not only a theoretical base for relational leadership but also a description of a practical application of the concept. The model is explored primarily in the corporate management context where “new and highly complex problems require linking many different kinds of knowledge; cooperation across cultural borders is increasingly necessary; work teams are needed to supply continuous innovation. Successful …

Understanding Millennial, Generation X, And Baby Boomer Preferred Leadership Characteristics: Informing Today’S Leaders And Followers, Lee-Volker Cox

Dissertations

Purpose. This quantitative study’s purpose was to describe and determine the degree of difference and importance of leadership characteristics as perceived by Baby Boom, Generation X, and Millennial generational cohort followers in STEM-related U.S.-based or headquartered aerospace and computer organizations as measured by the Multigenerational Leadership Characteristics Questionnaire (MLCQ).

Methodology. This was a cross-sectional, nonexperimental, comparative and correlational quantitative, ex post facto study. A web-based MLCQ was developed after conducting an academic literature review. Participants used a 6-point Likert scale identifying the importance of 30 characteristics with 2 aggregation questions identifying the most and least important characteristics; 408 members of …

Complete Issue 48(2)

Speaker & Gavel

Complete digitized issue (volume 48, issue 2) of Speaker & Gavel.

Organizational Identification Strategies Of A Low Face-To-Face Member-Contact Organization, Deepa Oommen

Speaker & Gavel

This study looked at the identification seeking strategies of a low face-to-face member-contact organization, The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi. I used thematic analysis to identify the strategies that the organization used to seek the identification of its members. Findings of the study showed that by emphasizing membership as an exclusive privilege, recognizing the individual as a symbol of excellence, celebrating member achievements, inviting member contributions, emphasizing commitment to diversity, emphasizing organizational symbolism and highlighting testimonials of appreciation, the organization tried to seek the identification of its members. In many of the above-mentioned strategies, the overarching theme of elitism …

Research Of Note: Book Review The Power Of Habit: Why We Do What We Do In Life And Business, By Charles Duhigg, Joanne L. Tritsch

Organization Management Journal

No abstract provided.

Interpersonal Mistreatment, Organizational Attitudes And Well-Being: The Impact Of Instigator’S Hierarchical Position And Demographic Characteristics, Nurul Ain Hidayah Binti Abas, Kathleen Otto

Organization Management Journal

Identifying the consequences of interpersonal mistreatment on the targets' organizational attitudes and well-being is key to promoting a healthy organizational culture. Across two experiments, we explored the impact of an instigator’s hierarchical position and demographic characteristic on the targets’ organizational attitudes and situational well-being. In the first experiment, respondents were presented with a vignette describing an interpersonal mistreatment scenario in which an instigator’s hierarchical position and gender had been manipulated. As hypothesized, interpersonal mistreatment conducted by a supervisor significantly decreased the targets’ organizational commitment and increased turnover intentions. Also, higher turnover intentions and more positive emotions were experienced by those …

Connecting Political Communication With Urban Politics: A Bourdieusian Framework, Yongjun Shin

Communication Studies Faculty Publications

In this article, I connect political communication with urban politics by conceptualizing an interdisciplinary urban politics research framework. Drawing on Pierre Bourdieu’s theories of practice and communication, I offer an urban politics research model that simultaneously addresses the dimensions of power struggle and symbolic struggle in urban politics. The theoretical modeling is discussed from an interdisciplinary approach to social studies and constructed with a methodological suggestion of tripartite social network analysis.

Globalization, Mobile Technology, And Social Media's Influence On Leadership Communication Involving Millennials, Rasheedah Dunston

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Current research identifies effective leadership communication, which includes frequent direct conversational communication from company leaders, influences worker performance during organizational change. Social media, mobile technology, and the Millennial workforce have shifted leader communication style from purely top-down, town hall style communication to incorporate more collaborative and engaging forums. The case study addressed how globalization, social media, and mobile technology affects leadership communication and then subsequently effects worker performance as Millennials join the workforce. Qualitative data were collected from observations and interviews from a purposeful selection of 9 Millennial employees, including 2 Millennial leaders, and 8 non-Millennial leaders of a Fortune …

A Study Of The Success Of Group Formation In Virtual Teams Using Computer-Mediated Communications, Eliel Melón-Ramos

CCAC Theses and Dissertations

In the digital domain, virtual teams within organizations and corporations are becoming common. Restructuring an organization or corporation is vital because competition and globalization are increasing. In this era of globalization, distributed working groups need to develop a competitive advantage in these ever-changing environments. Historically, teams had experienced problems stemming from geographical and temporal limitations. With the increase of technology in telecommunications, organizations are increasingly forming virtual teams, which have become critical to the survival of nearly any corporate entity.

Virtual teams have some of the same problems that regular teams have. One of the key challenges is the method …

African Americans And The Communication Of Religious Exit, William P. Cooper

Wayne State University Theses

This exploratory study investigates Christian disaffiliation, or deconversion, in a sample of African American ex-Christians living in the metro-Detroit area. The data obtained from 15 interviews were used to address the following research questions: (1) How do participants recall the religious socialization process? (2) What are some catalysts for African Americans disaffiliating from their former Christian denominations? (3) How does the Christian disaffiliation process unfold communicatively for African-Americans? Specifically, did participants utilize any strategies of SMC in their communication of exit? Jablin’s (2001) Model of Organizational Exit and Meisenbach’s (2010) Stigma Management Communication Strategy Typology were used as theoretical frameworks. …

Buy Local Brands Rising: The Secret Ingredient To Sustaining An Enduring Cleveland Bakery’S Legacy, Rebecca C. Wrenn

Masters Essays

This creative project explores the subject of brand sustainability for local businesses. Evaluating bodies of literature in place branding and brand management, the project aims to investigate the trendy philosophy known as buy local, how small businesses can harness the power of their local community to both develop and sustain the company’s brand. With success from buy local campaigns, small businesses in return strengthen the community’s economy and the city’s brand. This essay uses Davis Bakery and Delicatessen, a 76-year-old Cleveland business, as a case study to illustrate the creation and maintenance of a buy local brand. The case study …

Exploring Strategies To Gain Frontline Employee Buy-In During Change Initiatives In Manufacturing, Charles James Iv

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The high failure rates of change initiatives threaten the sustainability of commercial printing operations. The focus of this qualitative multicase study was to research the strategies commercial printing managers use to succeed in gaining frontline employee buy-in during change initiatives to improve productivity and profitability in a manufacturing environment. The participants included four commercial printing managers from the Midwestern United States. Each manager had implemented successful change initiatives in the past 2 years and maintained profitability of the business for 12 months before the study. McGregor's (1960) Theory Y served as the basis for the conceptual framework. Data collection included …

Embracing Discursive Paradox: Consultants Navigating The Constitutive Tensions Of Diversity Work, Jennifer Mease (Also Peeksmease)

Department of Communication Studies: Faculty Publications

This article addresses how diversity consultants manage the dual demands of social justice and organizational goals or priorities. I suggest that navigating this “discursive paradox” is one of—if not the—defining feature of diversity work. To investigate this discursive paradox, I analyze diversity work as a process (rather than a collection of products) as evidenced in interviews with 19 diversity consultants. The results offer two derivative discursive paradoxes that emerged in consultants’ talk about diversity work: the tension between broad and narrow constructions of human differences and the tension between emphasizing change at the organizational and individual levels. Rather than …

Exploring The Use Of Texting Within San Antonio Texas Police Emergency Reporting, Deborah Lee Almendarez

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The introduction of wireless device text messaging, as an alternative to a citizen placing a telephone call for police help, generates the need for new polices and processes relevant to police call-taker, police dispatcher, and police officer response to reported emergencies. Little scholarly research explores the policy issues around the use of text 9-1-1 within public safety answering point operations. Using systems theory as the foundation, the purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore the potential use of written communication via a wireless device text message for reporting a police emergency. Research questions focused on the reciprocal relationships …

Knowledge Sharing In Multicultural Organizations, Stephen Joseph Mcgrane

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Knowledge management is critical to achieving competitive advantage in the marketplace. The prominence of multicultural organizations also requires an understanding of knowledge-sharing behavior in multicultural teams. In spite of the need to accommodate these new conditions, a gap exists in the research on knowledge sharing in multicultural organizations. The purpose of this study was to examine factors that affect knowledge sharing in a multicultural context. In the research questions I examined the role that culture, monetary rewards, social units, and diversity play in knowledge sharing in a multicultural environment. This study used Hofstede's cultural dimension theory, Sveiby's knowledge-based theory, and …