Digital Commons Network^™

Congregational Care And Support Of Pastors In Parish Ministry: A Social Systems Approach To The Care Of Servant Leaders, Dawn M. Nelson

Theses and Graduate Projects

Congregational care and support of pastors in parish ministry is rarely considered. While there is literature regarding clergy stress, burnout, and satisfaction; studies were not located regarding the active role of congregations in the care and support of the parish pastor.

The church is a social system and can be studied as such. Information was obtained from church communities that are members of the Presbyterian Church USA, in Minnesota. The study will explore pastoral perceptions as well as congregational perceptions to determine understanding and involvement of the congregation in the provision of pastoral care and support. The results of the …

The Positive Effect Of Team Management In An Inbound Call Center, Nancy Bernard

Theses and Graduate Projects

The research proposes to investigate if using team management and self-directed work teams or SDWTs in an Inbound Call Center can be implemented. Would a self-directed team work in the confines of an Inbound Call Center? Could converting to a SDWT environment also foster a positive work environment? The goal of this research project is to test the positive and direct correlation of creating a SDWT environment using team management theory within the structure of an Inbound Call Center that successfully meets all quality measures while maintaining a positive work environment. Using a self-directed work team in an Inbound Call …

A Mixed Methods Study On Cbam And The Adoption Of Thin Client Computers By Adolescents, Cynthia Sistek-Chandler Edd

Dissertations

Although stages of change and adoption of innovation dynamics have been examined for adult populations, comparable research for adolescents is limited. Applying a change instrument grounded in Concerns-Based Adoption Model (CBAM) to an adolescent population, this study investigates perceptions of 45 middle school students who used thin client portable computers in a one-to-one program at home and at school for 3 years. A mixed methodology design identified which of the 7 stages of concern students passed through and why some students adopted the innovation more readily than others. The Change Facilitator Stages of Concern Questionnaire, a modified version of CBAM, …

Integrating Total Disability Management In A Climate Of Change: A Case Study, Mary E. Jesko Edd

Dissertations

Integrated disability management (IDM) is a cost-containment strategy increasingly being employed by human resources and risk management departments to address occupational and non-occupational illness and injury in a consistent manner. The goal is to both reduce on-the-job injury and minimize the loss of work time due to injury or illness. Although a large number of organizations have embraced the IDM concept, implementing IDM often is difficult because of the complex array of contracts, policies, procedures, corporate cultures and structures. Although extensive research has examined leaders' influence on change in various types of businesses, to date, research has not specifically explored …

Building Management Bench Strength: A Qualitative Look At A Job Rotation Program, Paige Litton Creager Phd

Dissertations

Job rotation programs are known in the organizational development field as one of the primary components used in a successful employee development program. To date little research has gone beyond the quantifiable reporting of practices. The view of program participants has been unaccounted for, and consequently the organizational development field has lacked a holistic understanding of how employees succeed and fail in these programs. This research offers a current perspective on job rotation: A means of accelerating the development of high potential employees in order to build a strong management bench. A qualitative grounded theory approach was used to investigate …

Celebrating Paradoxes In Christian Leadership, Michael E. Cafferky

Journal of Applied Christian Leadership

No abstract provided.

Relationship Among Supervisors' Transformational And Transactional Leadership Styles, And Teachers' Job Satisfaction In Taiwan Higher Education, Chi-Ling Sung

Graduate Student Dissertations, Theses, Capstones, and Portfolios

This study examined the influence of supervisors' transformational and transactional leadership styles on job satisfaction of college and university in Taiwan. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between supervisors' transformational and transactional leadership styles, and the satisfaction of Taiwan's higher education instructors. The number of teachers at the university level in Taiwan rose 36.8% from 1951 to 2004; therefore faculty job satisfaction is an important issue. Schools want to keep their faculty and reputation to maintain a competitive edge. This non-experimental, quantitative, explanatory correlation and explanatory comparative survey research explores the relationship between supervisors' transformational and …

Inside Outsourcing: A Grounded Theory Of Relationship Formation Within A Nascent Service System, Lisa Dell Kreeger

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

The theory of relationship formation developed in this study tells a coherent story about the relational work of service initiation in technology outsourcing. The study is focused on the contractually defined period of time at the beginning of outsourcing service delivery. As with a play-within-a-play, this work goes on primarily behind the scenes, away from the concurrent task of launching the inter-firm relationship between the client and the provider that will extend for the term of the full contract. This grounded theory study was completed over an eight-month period. The findings are grounded in interviews with 25 individuals who were …

A Community-Based Social Marketing Campaign To Green The Offices At Pacific University: Recycling, Paper Reduction, And Environmentally Preferable Purchasing, Elaine Janet Cole

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This study describes a community-based social marketing (CBSM) research project to bring awareness and behavior change around paper reduction, recycling, and purchasing of environmentally preferred products (EPP) at a small liberal arts university in the Pacific Northwest. A university-wide green office campaign was designed and implemented over a semester. Components of the multiple methods research study were pre-post surveys, purchasing reports, a recycling study, and a waste audit. The results provide examples and insights into specific community-based social marketing tools that helped foster environmental behavior change. The paper also presents suggestions for future CBSM sustainability efforts at other universities. The …

Politics And The Glass Ceiling In American Law Enforcement: Why Not More Women Chiefs Of Police?, Madeline G. Meistrich Edd

Dissertations

Law enforcement is one of the last male-dominated occupations. Out of 18,000 police departments in the United States, only 200 to 250 have women chiefs. Such under-representation reflects the "glass ceiling" effect of a gender-based metaphorical barrier that prevents women from rising to the top of an organization, regardless of qualifications. The research examined three questions: what are the issues and problems articulated by women officers attempting to move upwards; what strategies were employed as they attempted to advance; and what strategies could help other women reach the top? Nine female primary participants in law enforcement leadership were interviewed, as …

Complexity Leadership Theory: An Interactive Perspective On Leading In Complex Adaptive Systems, Benyamin B. Lichtenstein, Mary Uhl-Bien, Russ Marion, Anson Seers, James Douglas Orton, Craig Schreiber

Department of Management: Faculty Publications

Traditional, hierarchical views of leadership are less and less useful given the complexities of our modern world. Leadership theory must transition to new perspectives that account for the complex adaptive needs of organizations. In this paper, we propose that leadership (as opposed to leaders) can be seen as a complex dynamic process that emerges in the interactive “spaces between” people and ideas. That is, leadership is a dynamic that transcends the capabilities of individuals alone; it is the product of interaction, tension, and exchange rules governing changes in perceptions and understanding. We label this a dynamic of adaptive leadership, and …

Reconsidering Academic Dishonesty: A Critical Examination Of A Complex Organizational Problem, Tricia Bertram Gallant Phd

Dissertations

Academic dishonesty, traditionally framed as a problem of student agency, plagues higher education institutions. In order to facilitate leadership toward the resolution of the problem, this study reconsiders academic dishonesty as a symptom of the complex interplay among agency, structure, and culture. The theoretical framework utilized, which I call Systemic Interactionism, builds on existing sociological, leadership, and organizational theories to provide a more robust explanation of academic dishonesty and other complex organizational problems. This reconsideration of academic dishonesty occurs in the context of three American higher education institutions. I employed a variety of field methods (interviews, observations, and document analysis) …

Mentoring Of Special Education Administrators, Deborah Mcdonald Toups Edd

Dissertations

Mentoring powerfully develops human potential but little has been known about mentoring in special education administration. Because mentoring has a centuries-long record of success, because of the importance of special education administrators, and because of the paucity of empirical knowledge on mentoring in special education administration, this study examines mentoring in the special education administration community. The population for the study was approximately 1,465 practicing special education administrators in the state of California identified by the Center of Personnel Studies in Special Education (COPSSE). Electronic mail was used to introduce the on-line survey, Mentoring for Special Education Administrators. The instrument …

So You Think It's Inclusion…Think Again: A Quantitative Analysis Of Stakeholder Perceptions In Community Youth Organizations, Mary Mcallister Shea Edd

Dissertations

Over the last thirty years, a cultural transformation has occurred in public schools as students with disabilities have slowly moved from segregated sites and special day classes to more inclusive classroom environments. Although this change has largely been driven by legislative mandate, including the requirement that students be supported in the least restrictive environment possible, the benefits of inclusion have been exceedingly well documented in the literature. Unfortunately, the inclusiveness seen within schools has not extended to the provision of out-of-school programs, and as a result, sixteen years after the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act, children with disabilities …

2006 Report On Nonprofit Executive Transition, Laura Deitrick, Paige Creager

Nonprofit Leadership and Capacity Building

Recent national studies of executives in the nonprofit field have indicated that the sector will soon be facing a massive transition in leadership. In this study, the Center sought to define and understand the challenges posed by executive transition, and how it pertains specifically to San Diego nonprofit sector. Particular focus was placed on the number of San Diego nonprofit executives who plan to retire or leave their positions in the next 5 years.

2006 Executive Transition In The San Diego Nonprofit Sector Executive Summary, Laura Deitrick, Paige Creager

Nonprofit Leadership and Capacity Building

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: Recent national studies of executives in the nonprofit field have indicated that the sector will soon be facing a massive transition in leadership. In this study, the Center sought to define and understand the challenges posed by executive transition, and how it pertains specifically to San Diego nonprofit sector. Particular focus was placed on the number of San Diego nonprofit executives who plan to retire or leave their positions in the next 5 years.

Principle-Based Dialogue: A Model Of Consulting That Applies The Insights Of Robert K. Greenleaf To Organizational Development And Transcendent Leadership, Paul M. Nakai

International Journal of Servant-Leadership

In the early 1980s one of my clients, Harry Bubb [past Chairman and CEO of Pacific Financial Companies], gave me a copy of Robert Greenleaf's book, Servant-Leadership. Harry and I would subsequently have long conversations about his view of corporate responsibility and leadership development; Greenleaf's words had struck a resonant chord with both of us. Harry felt that leadership was a fundamental state of mind-as important as any attitude, trait, displayed behavior or result achieved. Back then, I must admit, I did not fully understand his thinking, although I was mesmerized by his enthusiasm and his many ideas. In addition …

The Nature Of Leadership [Review] / Anthonakis, J., Cianciolo, A. T., Sternberg, Robert J., Eds., John Grys

Journal of Applied Christian Leadership

No abstract provided.

The Critical Factors Of Coaching Practice Leading To Successful Coaching Outcomes, Margaret K. Marshall

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

The purpose of this study was to identify the critical aspects in coaching outcomes as perceived by experienced coaches in the United States in both business and life coaching settings. Nineteen coaches provided a total of 109 critical incidents that led the client to the coaching process. Six dimensions of coaching emerged from the coding process; personal philosophies of coaching, coach functions, the coaching process, breakdown and success factors, precipitating factors and outcomes of coaching. A model was constructed to depict the relationship of the dimensions to one another. The personal philosophy of the coach influenced every other dimension. The …

Value Creation And Value Capture In Non-Profit Partnerships, Beth Birmingham

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

The purpose of this research is to study how non-profit organizations create value from partnerships, specifically, partnerships between academic institutions and international non-governmental organizations (NGOs). Apart from the goals of the partnership per se, how do they create long term value for their respective organizations separate from the partnership outcomes? Educational partnerships between academic institutions and other sectors have become common and somewhat necessary in the past decade. The NGOs examined in this study benefited from partnership with an academic institution in the areas of staff development and organizational capacity building. The universities in this study benefited from direct involvement …

Portrait Of An Urban Elementary School: Place-Based Education, School Culture, And Leadership, Michael Thomas Duffin

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This study explored the interaction between place-based education, school culture, and leadership at one elementary school in an inner city section of Boston, MA. The centerpiece is a stand alone research portrait that tells a story about how an external program, a willing and ready school community, and a skillful school leader reinforced each other to achieve a shared vision under challenging conditions. From an under-subscribed school in chaos and lacking focus, the subject school transformed into a vibrant, highly sought school with a pervasive, environmentally-oriented culture and curriculum. Portraiture methods were adapted to a utilization-focused evaluation purpose, drawing on …

Servant-Leadership: A Brief Look At Love And The Organizational Perspective, Kathleen Patterson

International Journal of Servant-Leadership

According to Robert K. Greenleaf, Love is an indefinable term, and its manifestations are both subtle and infinite. But it begins, I believe, with one absolute condition: unlimited liability! As soon as one's liability for another is qualified to any degree, love is diminished by that much. Institutions, as we know them, are designed to limit liability for those who serve through them. (2002, p. 52)

Magis Leadership: Toward An Active Ontology Of The Heart Through Appreciative Inquiry And Servant-Leadership, Karen Norum

International Journal of Servant-Leadership

There are many emerging models of leadership. Transactional, transformational, command and control, facilitative, situational, contingency, charismatic, servant, relational, strengths-based, values-based, and principled are but a few of them. Many of these models focus on the person who is the leader: the one who is in charge, whom others follow, who holds a certain position in a hierarchy, or who has some sort of influence. The models tend to outline characteristics, behaviors, and attributes of leaders with the focus on individualistic and positional aspects of leadership (Heifetz, 1994; Schall, Ospina, Godsoe, & Dodge, 2004). While this is useful, the focus on …

Communicating Strategic Change In The Corporate World A Case Study Of 3m Company, Lisa H. Herzog

Theses and Graduate Projects

Working hypothesis: High-level leaders must communicate change In a manner that motivates and persuades employees. The purpose of this study is to analyze the styles of communication used by high-level leaders. This study used prior written works and one-on-one audiotaped interviews conducted with a Chief Executive Officer, a Chief Financial Officer, and an Executive Vice President of a local Fortune 500 company to determine patterns in communication practices. The implications that this work will have in the field of leadership studies will show readers that communication is crucial to the success of high-level leaders. There are favorable proven communication styles …

Military Model Of Leadership, Eddie M. Frizell

Theses and Graduate Projects

Military leadership has been tested and refined since the beginning of armed conflict. Society has entrusted its safety and welfare to a select few. These men and women of the Armed Forces have proven themselves worthy of this distinction.

A soldier has a very distinct view of his peers in the sister services. Researching the various armed services' leadership training programs, has given clear indication that they are more alike then different.

All services have based their leadership training on the same essential points: levels of leadership, values, attributes, skills, actions, human dimensions, stress, leadership styles, and consequences. These points …

Essential Features Of Cultural Proficiency In American International Schools In Latin America: A Delphi Study, Rebecca Mcbride Bustamante Edd

Dissertations

American international schools in Latin America can play a vital role in preparing future leaders to effectively interact with people of diverse cultures. These schools provide ideal settings for exploring how policies, programs, and practices that reflect diverse perspectives and encourage intercultural learning might enhance global leadership development. Multidisciplinary reviews of the literature reveal a dearth of studies examining culture and leadership development in American international schools in Latin America. The model of cultural proficiency provides a comprehensive framework for exploring how these schools might proactively and effectively respond to diversity in a cross-cultural environment and develop globally competent leaders. …

Organization Communication In University And College Public Relations And Marketing Capacities, Kathryn Rumpza

Theses and Graduate Projects

This paper explores communication issues in public relations and marketing capacities at institutions of higher education. The basis for this Leadership Application Project (LAP) starts with three basic assumptions: 1) Communication from leadership is critical; 2) Information sharing is important in any educational institution; and 3) Individuals working in the areas of public relations and marketing have a crucial role in communicating the goals and mission of any institution. A review of the literature explores the roles of leadership, history, and theories specific to organizational communication in this field.

Finally, a theoretical model was developed based on the research findings …

How School Counselors Gain Support To Implement Comprehensive Guidance And Counseling Programs, Jo Ann Grant Edd

Dissertations

The school counseling field is evolving from a focus on ancillary activities to a commitment to comprehensive guidance and counseling programs. Understanding strategies school counselors have used in gaining support from key stakeholders to implement comprehensive guidance and counseling programs can be a valuable addition to the literature of school counseling. The present study investigated how elementary and secondary school counselors gained support when implementing comprehensive guidance and counseling programs based on the National Standards for School Counseling Programs. A qualitative methodology was used in the study. The findings revealed that: (a) counselors studied believed their role in gaining support …

How Leaders Use The Construct Of Culture To Influence Change Resistance: A Study Of A Planned Change Initiative In A Combined Government And Military Organization, Derek R. Noether Edd

Dissertations

The construct of organizational culture has been used to interpret various aspects of organizational life, including organizational leadership and organizational change. The literature indicates that leaders can influence organizational change by attending to and modifying an organization's cultural dimensions. Much of this literature, however, is theoretical and speculative, and the empirical work that does exist has focused mostly on business. The purpose of this case study was to develop an understanding of how leaders in a combined government and military organization used the notion of culture during a two-and-a-half year planned change initiative. The study explored the strategies and mental …

The Courage To Change: Striving For Magnet Hospital Recognition, Janet M. Jones Edd

Dissertations

In the ever-changing environment of health care, good leaders are of utmost importance to the effective functioning of the hospital. Leadership in the hospital setting requires innovativeness and courage. This means the passion to discover, create and experience the unknown. Until recently why some hospitals attract and retain good nurses while others do not was unknown. The magnet hospital concept identified attributes that supported the professional practice of nursing which, in turn increased nurse recruitment and retention. The objective of this study was to compare Chief Nursing Officer (CNO) and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) perceptions of their innovativeness and leadership …