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A Business Case For Return On Investment: Understanding Organizational Change, Rya S. Henderson-Carter

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Since 2010, 2,000 U. S. leaders spent {dollar}150 billion on return on investment (ROI) training, yet questions still exist on how to measure the benefits of organizational change. The purpose of this embedded single-case study was to explore how business leaders could use ROI to characterize the benefit of intervention strategies for organizational change. Stakeholder theory and Maslow's hierarchy of needs theory formed the conceptual framework for this study. A purposive sample of 20 civilian personnel managers located at a medical facility for veterans in central Texas participated in semistructured interviews. The 5 primary themes that emerged using thematic analysis …

Management Of Change To Ensure Is Success: A Longitudinal Study, Pauline Ash Ray, Wenli Wang, Jerry Cha-Jan Chang, Geoffrey Hubona

Management, Entrepreneurship and Technology Faculty Research

This paper aims to understand the effect of management of change on the success of information system (IS) implementation. Drawing on change management research and self-determination theory, a research model is developed. Data collected from a longitudinal field survey before, during, and after an enterprise-wide IS implementation are analyzed to test the proposed hypotheses. The results indicate that management of change can be used to increase readiness for change and end-user computing satisfaction during and after the implementation. Readiness for change positively impacts satisfaction during an implementation but not after. Contrary to the literature, No significant relationship exists between resistance …

Exploring Increased Productivity Through Employee Engagement, Wayne K. Richards Jr.

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Disengaged employees cost U.S. companies billions of dollars annually in lowered productivity, a cost which has been compounded by the difficult economic situations in the country. The potential for increasing productivity through increased employee engagement was examined in this study. Using personal engagement theory and the theory of planned behavior, the purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore how the experiences of salaried aerospace employees affected productivity and the financial performance of an organization. Interviews were conducted with a purposive sample of 20 aerospace employees whose responses were codified and analyzed to identify themes. The analysis indicated that (a) …

Leadership Styles And Faculty Satisfaction In The State University System Of Florida, Justin Ted Bateh

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Universities must retain satisfied employees to enhance productivity and reduce turnover. Leadership represents one of the fundamental factors in job satisfaction. The purpose of this correlational study was to examine the relationship between perceived academic administrator leadership styles and the satisfaction of faculty members. The independent variables were the transformational, transactional, and passive/avoidant leadership styles of academic administrators as evaluated by faculty members. The dependent variable was job satisfaction of full-time faculty members. The Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire was used to identify the leadership style of an administrator as perceived by faculty members. Spector's Job Satisfaction Survey was used to assess …

The Myth Of Endless Accumulation: A Feminist Inquiry Into Globalization, Growth, And Social Change, Martha Freymann Miser

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This theoretical dissertation examines the concept of growth and its core assumption—that the continual accumulation of wealth is both socially wise and ecologically sustainable. The study challenges and offers alternatives to the myth of endless accumulation, suggesting new directions for leadership and social change. The central question posed in this inquiry: Can we craft a more ethical form of capitalism? To answer this question, the study examines conventional and critical globalization studies; feminist scholarship on standpoint, political economy, and power; and the Enlightenment notions of progress and modernism, drawing on a number of works, including Aristotle on the three intelligences, …

The Shift In Coaching Dynamics During Long-Term Business Coaching Relationships, Axel Meierhoefer

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

The focus of this dissertation was on the changes in long-term external business coaching relationships (defined as more than 4 months). The current study intended to answer two questions: (a) how does the relationship between a coach and a coachee change in long-term coaching engagements? and (b) how do these changes impact the coaching process dynamics and results? The phenomenon that was discovered through this research is called the shift moment. It exemplifies the transition from skill or problem oriented issues, which often represent the original cause of the coaching relationship, to the holistic transformation of the coachee. A qualitative …

Urban League Of Central Carolinas – Civil Rights Organizations In A New Era: An Action Research Study Of One Organization’S Pursuit Of New Strategies, Harry L. Alston

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

What leadership approaches and operational strategies should traditional civil rights organizations, like the Urban League, undertake to in this post-civil rights era? Specifically at the local level, what expectations must the Urban League of Central Carolinas satisfy to reassert its leadership in Charlotte? In recent years, an increasing array of social enterprises across different sectors has emerged to address failures in civil society. Civil rights organizations have long served a niche in the battle for an equitable society. However, the role of civil rights organizations in community revitalization has been diffuse and subject to fundraising constraints. I undertook this action …

The Effects Of Leadership Style On Employee’S Perception Of Justice: The Role Of Employee’S Participation, Wai Kwan (Elaine) Lau

Accounting Faculty Research

The present research examines the effect of leadership style (classical, transactional, transformational, and dynamic) and employee’s participation on employee’s perception of justice (distributive, procedural, and interactional justice). It is proposed that different leadership styles are expected to display different effects on employee’s participation and perceptions of justice. Moreover, employee’s participation in decision making process is predicated to positively influence his/her perception of justice.

The Effects Of Leadership Style And Employee’S Participation On Perceived Justice, Wai Kwan (Elaine) Lau

Management Faculty Research

The present study proposes and tests a model that examines the relationship between leadership style, employee’s participation, and justice perceptions. Results indicate that transactional, transformational, and dynamic leadership have positive impact on distributive, procedural, and interactional justice. Moreover, the effect of leadership style on organizational justice was indirect through employee’s participation. There are also some interesting differences across different types of leadership style and justice.

How To Improve Project Management For Agile Federation Development, Priyanka Kotikalpudi

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Developing a simulation federation out of a variety of heterogeneous simulation solutions is a complex task requiring very effective project management support in order to accomplish the common objectives and goals of this M&S federation. This thesis study conducts a detailed survey of available literature to identify the project management methods that can be extended to be applied to manage the development of simulation systems. The literature review led to the following two main results: (a) in general, there is insufficient literature dealing with M&S challenges for project management, (b) in particular, the two challenges of often changing requirements leading …

Impact Of Positive Psychological Capital On Employee Well-Being Over Time, James B. Avey, Fred Luthans, Ronda M. Smith, Noel F. Palmer

Department of Management: Faculty Publications

The recently recognized core construct of psychological capital or PsyCap (consisting of the positive psychological resources of efficacy, hope, optimism, and resilience) has been demonstrated to be related to various employee attitudinal, behavioral, and performance outcomes. However, to date, the impact of this positive core construct over time and on important employee well-being outcomes has not been tested. This study meets this need by analyzing the relationship between a broad cross-section of employees’ (N = 280) level of PsyCap and two measures of psychological well-being over time. The results indicated that employees’ PsyCap was related to both measures of well-being …

Everyday Sensegiving: A Closer Look At Successful Plant Managers, Anne D. Smith, Donde Ashmos Plowman, Dennis Duchon

Department of Management: Faculty Publications

The authors conducted in-depth interviews and on-site visits with successful plant managers to understand similarities in their management approaches. Across 11 different plants, representing nine different industries, the authors found each plant manager actively engaged in shaping how employees viewed the organization and its values through what the authors call “everyday sensegiving.” From themes inductively identified from the interviews and on-site visits, four central values—”Here, we value people, we value openness, we value being positive, and we value being part of a larger community”— were identified. In this article, the authors link everyday sensegiving of these middle managers and extend …

A Correlational Study Of Telework Frequency, Information Communication Technology, And Job Satisfaction Of Home-Based Teleworkers, Shana P. Webster-Trotman

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In 2008, 33.7 million Americans teleworked from home. The Telework Enhancement Act (S. 707) and the Telework Improvements Act (H.R. 1722) of 2009 were designed to increase the number of teleworkers. The research problem addressed was the lack of understanding of factors that influence home-based teleworkers' job satisfaction. Job dissatisfaction has been found to have a significant impact on voluntary turnover. The purpose of the study was to assess the relationship among telework frequency, information communication technology (ICT), and job satisfaction. The research questions were designed to answer whether correlational relationships exist among telework frequency, ICT, and job satisfaction and …

Team Identification, Trust, And Conflict: A Mediation Model, Guohong (Helen) Han, Peter D. Harms

Leadership Institute: Faculty Publications

Purpose — The current study aims to address the relationship between trust, team identification, and team conflict. Specifically, it aims to examine whether trust in peers mediates the relationship between team identification and team conflict.
Design/methodology/approach — This is an empirical paper based on two field studies. In Study 1, 241 employees in a US Fortune 500 company distributed in various and mostly R&D teams were surveyed. In Study 2,205 employees in a health care organization in the Midwest were surveyed.
Findings — Team identification was related to lower levels of both task conflict and relationship conflict. This relationship, however, …

Emotional Intelligence And Transformational And Transactional Leadership: A Meta-Analysis, Peter D. Harms, Marcus Credé

Leadership Institute: Faculty Publications

The purpose of this study is to evaluate claims that emotional intelligence is significantly related to transformational and other leadership behaviors. Results (based on 62 independent samples) indicated a validity estimate of .59 when ratings of both emotional intelligence and leadership behaviors were provided by the same source (self, subordinates, peers, or superiors). However, when ratings of the constructs were derived from different sources, the validity estimate was .12. Lower validity estimates were found for transactional and laissez-faire leadership behaviors. Separate analyses were performed for each measure of emotional intelligence. Trait measures of emotional intelligence tended to show higher validities …

Regulation And Mindful Resident Care In Nursing Homes, Cathleen S. Colón-Emeric, Donde Ashmos Plowman, Donald Bailey, Kirsten Corazzini, Queen Utley-Smith, Natalie Ammarell, Mark Toles, Ruth Anderson

Department of Management: Faculty Publications

Regulatory oversight is intended to improve the health outcomes of nursing home residents, yet evidence suggests that regulations can inhibit mindful staff behaviors that are associated with effective care. We explored the influence of regulations on mindful staff behavior as it relates to resident health outcomes, and offer a theoretical explanation of why regulations sometimes enhance mindfulness and other times inhibit it. We analyzed data from an in-depth, multiple-case study including field notes, interviews, and documents collected in eight nursing homes. We completed a conceptual/thematic description using the concept of mindfulness to reframe the observations. Shared facility mission strongly impacted …

Relationship Between Positive Psychological Capital And Creative Performance, David S. Sweetman, Fred Luthans, James B. Avey, Brett C. Luthans

Department of Management: Faculty Publications

Despite considerable attention to the creative process and its relationship with personal characteristics, there is no published study focused directly on the relationship between the recently recognized core construct of psychological capital (PsyCap) and creative performance. Drawing from a large (N = 899) and heterogeneous sample of working adults, this study investigates PsyCap and its components (i.e., efficacy, hope, optimism, and resilience) as predictors of creative performance. Overall PsyCap predicted creative performance over and above each of the four PsyCap components. Theoretical and practical implications of these findings are considered.

Malgré la grande attention accordée à la démarche créatrice et …

An Analysis Of Factors That Influence The Success Of Women Engineering Leaders In Corporate America, Letha Joye Jepson

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

"One in 4 women entering the engineering profession leaves after age 30, while only 1 in 10 of their male counterparts does" (Perusek, 2008, p. 20). I was interested in analyzing the factors supporting women engineers’ leadership development and success. My particular focus was on women engineers in corporate environments—the personal characteristics needed for a successful career and the impacts of social support, career development, and the corporate culture on their career progression. The aspects of social support included the factors of family, friends, and significant others and the levels of supports during the woman’s career. The features of corporation …

Strategic Asymmetric Multicultural Alliances In Business, Anthony James Scriffignano

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Global economics and other factors make it increasingly difficult for organizations to operate within the boundaries of one country in a rational way (e.g., leveraging best practices, profitable, achieving goals). In this study, I looked at strategic business alliances, transcending simple quid pro quo relationships to deliver ongoing partner value. I refined my study to multicultural relationships, having differing cultural identities (i.e., ideas, heritage, language, or demographics from differing geographies). Finally, I considered asymmetry (i.e., inequity in working relationship). Using a mixed-methodology design, I surveyed alliance participants and interviewed participants from selected alliances. A multi-case study addresses emergent themes of …

The Role Of Is Project Critical Success Factors: A Revelatory Case, Cecil Eng Huang Chua, Wee-Kiat Lim

CCX Research

Research in Critical Success Factors (CSFs) of Enterprise Systems (ES) projects has identified numerous practitioner governance mechanisms for ensuring project success. However, such research has not developed a theory of why certain critical success factors encourage project success. Our research develops such theory on a case study where even though the levels of several critical success factors were weak, the project nevertheless succeeded. Specifically, the logistics ES project succeeded even though there was (1) only marginal top management support, (2) low key user commitment, and (3) change management, training and other critical aspects of user management and communication were not …

Measuring Workplace Spirituality In An Asian Context, Pawinee Petchsawanga, Dennis Duchon

Department of Management: Faculty Publications

This paper presents the development of a measure for workplace spirituality. Workplace spirituality is initially proposed to consists of five components, but confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) applied to data collected from employees from a large Thai company suggests a four-factor model: compassion, meaningful work, mindfulness and transcendence.

Experiencing Rare And Unusual Events Richly: The Role Of Middle Managers In Animating And Guiding Organizational Interpretation, Tammy E. Beck, Donde Ashmos Plowman

Department of Management: Faculty Publications

Organizations have difficulty learning from rare and unusual events because of their inability to interpret these events. Because organizations develop habitual ways of interpreting events—often top down—they can easily miss the novelty of rare and unusual events, which prevents them from experiencing events “richly.” We propose a multilevel, multistaged model of organizational interpretation that highlights the important, but generally unacknowledged, role middle managers can play in helping organizations experience rare and unusual events richly. Our model accounts for the effect of cognitive biases and hierarchical context on organizational interpretation. Because of their proximity to the interpretations of both strategic and …

The Leadership Of Emergence: A Complex Systems Leadership Theory Of Emergence At Successive Organizational Levels, Benyamin B. Lichtenstein, Donde Ashmos Plowman

Department of Management: Faculty Publications

Complexity science reframes leadership by focusing on the dynamic interactions between all individuals, explaining how those interactions can, under certain conditions, produce emergent outcomes. We develop a Leadership of Emergence using this approach, through an analysis of three empirical studies which document emergence in distinct contexts. Each of these studies identifies the same four “conditions” for emergence: the presence of a Dis-equilibrium state, Amplifying actions, Recombination/“Self-organization”, and Stabilizing feedback. From these studies we also show how these conditions can be generated through nine specific behaviors which leaders can enact, including: Disrupt existing patterns through embracing uncertainty and creating controversy, Encourage …

Complexity Leadership In Bureaucratic Forms Of Organizing: A Meso Model, Mary Uhl-Bien, Russ Marion

Department of Management: Faculty Publications

We consider Complexity Leadership Theory in contexts of bureaucratic forms of organizing to describe how adaptive dynamics can work in combination with administrative functions to generate emergence and change in organizations. Complexity leadership approaches are consistent with the central assertion of the meso argument that leadership is multi-level, processual, contextual, and interactive. In this paper we focus on the adaptive function, an interactive process between adaptive leadership (an agentic behavior) and complexity dynamics (non-agentic social dynamics) that generates emergent outcomes (e.g., innovation, learning, adaptability) for the firm. Propositions regarding the actions of complexity leadership in bureaucratic forms of organizing are …

Classification Of Schedule Management Barriers Through Concept Mapping, Gregory W. Voth

Theses and Dissertations

Barriers to adoption of schedule management processes are a matter of serious concern to the acquisition community. Schedule management has been widely accepted to contribute to the successful execution of complicated system development processes since the 1950s. However, studies of recent acquisition failures illustrate that over the last 15 years, there has been significant internal resistance to the adoption of schedule management processes. This exploratory effort used concept mapping to identify and classify the types of barriers existing in the Aeronautical Systems Center (ASC). A series of open-ended questions were posed to four experienced program managers in ASC. Units of …

Mentoring – A Review Of The Science And The State Of The Art, Terri A. Scandura Phd

Management Faculty Articles and Papers

Mentoring is a relationship between a senior person and a junior person that enhances the junior person’s personal learning on the job and career development. Research on mentoring in organizations dates back to the late seventies to early eighties. In 1985, Kathy Kram at Boston University published a book entitled, “Mentoring at work: Developmental relationships in organizational life” that proved to be a catalyst for much research on mentoring in the management literature. In recent years, the emphasis on mentoring relationships at work has shifted to what mentee’s learn on the job – both jobrelated skills as well as political …

Total Quality Management And Hoshin Kanri For Construction Organizations, Low Sui Pheng, Liu Jun Ying, Amos Cheong

Business Review

Quality trends in construction projects have advanced from quality assurance to quality management under the ISO 9000 standards. Having achieved ISO 9000 certification and established a systematic approach to operations, the journey towards Total Quality Management (TQM) seems to weigh significantly on the ability of an organization to translate, integrate and institutionalize TQM behaviour into its business culture. More importantly, there is a need for organizational-wide management and a need to provide alignment of processes and people in the TQM environment. The Japanese concept of Hoshin Kanri, a form of policy management which prescribes a participative way of quality management, …

Implementing A Functional Iso 9001 Quality Management System In Small And Medium-Sized Enterprises, Andres Sousa-Poza, Mert Altinkilinc, Cory Searcy

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Faculty Publications

This conceptual paper provides guidance for the implementation of a functional ISO 9001 quality management system (QMS) in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). To help a SME understand its starting point, four initial states for QMS implementation are defined. Five paths for moving the QMS from the initial state to the desired state are described. To support the transition from the initial to the desired state, some key considerations in implementing a QMS in SMEs are discussed. The paper is based on site visits and implementation assistance the authors have provided to several SMEs. It is anticipated the paper will …

Exploring Knowledge Loss In The Contact Center: Key Loss Areas, Contributing Factors, And Performance Metric Implications, Elizabeth M. Herman

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Knowledge loss, or organizational forgetting, is often overlooked in knowledge management frameworks, yet it costs organizations money, personnel, efficiency, and customer service. The purpose of this mixed model case study was to understand, using a model of forgetting as the conceptual framework, where and why loss occurred and to examine performance implications. An inbound telephone contact center was studied because of prolific changes in that industry regarding knowledge complexity and performance. The researcher interviewed 20 participants, observed 63 calls, and reviewed 3 months of performance data including average handle time, first call resolution percentages, and time spent on after call …

Leadership As Role And Relationship In Social Dynamics: An Exploratory Study Seeking A Leadership Archetype, Brian W. Bridgeforth

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Previous research on leadership as archetype considered archetype as metaphor and not as it is understood in other literatures as a collectively accepted and defined role within and across cultures. Archetypical theories are posited as useful because they help us understand universal aspects of human behavior; however, empirical research demonstrating archetypical thinking and behavior remains rare. Accordingly, this phenomenological study investigated whether a leadership archetype exists as a shared cognitive template and if so, what characteristics define it. The theoretical framework used to examine the phenomenon of leadership combined leadership theory, philosophy of the mind, Jungian psychology, social constructionist theory, …