Digital Commons Network^™

Transitions Of Faith: Navigating Pastoral Changes In Small African American Churches, Joshua O. Dixon

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This phenomenological study explored the lived experiences of African American pastors aged 65 and older as they navigate leadership transitions within small churches in Florida. These churches, characterized by the absence of formal succession planning support from a parent organization, serve as critical pillars in their communities. Guided by Bridges' Transition Theory, this research investigated the emotional, psychological, and spiritual dimensions of pastoral transitions, focusing on the stages of 'Ending, Losing, and Letting Go,' 'Neutral Zone,' and 'New Beginning' (Bridges, 1980). Data collection methods included a pre-qualifying survey, individual interviews, and focus group discussions, analyzed through thematic analysis supported by …

Women Leaders In Healthcare: Emotional Intelligence, Job Satisfaction, And Organizational Citizenship Behavior, Kuan-Yin T. Timothee

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this nonexperimental quantitative correlational study was to explore the relationship between emotional intelligence (EI), organizational citizenship behavior (OCB), and job satisfaction among women in nonclinical leadership roles within the U.S. healthcare sector. As healthcare organizations adapt to technological, social, and economic transformations, they must increase their focus on cultivating EI and promoting OCB, especially in leadership roles (Bowling & Sessa, 2021; Herr et al., 2022; Marstand et al., 2021). Additionally, research has shown that EI facilitates business development and diminishes obstacles to organizational sustenance. Although prior research has established a link between EI and OCB, there is …

A Qualitative Study: Patients' Expectation Of Private Hospitals, Sarah Jada, Jessy Jacob, Ahmad Nasrallah

Patient Experience Journal

Objectives: This study was conducted to explore patients' expectations and perceptions of private healthcare facilities, understand the key factors influencing their choice of such facilities, also identify elements that enhance patient satisfaction and loyalty, enabling the development of actionable recommendations to improve patient-centered care in private healthcare settings. Method: A qualitative study using thematic analysis was conducted with 29 patients from various nationalities and backgrounds who received services in private hospitals in Kuwait, including Dar Al Shifa Hospital. Insights were gathered through semi-structured interviews. Results: The study delved into the significant correlation between patients' experience of their healthcare encounters and …

Transformational Leadership And Its Impact On Team Success: A Detailed Chronicle Of Bellarmine University Men's Lacrosse, Ella Beames

Undergraduate Theses

This thesis uses a journalistic approach to explore the intersection between leadership, transformational leadership, in particular, and forms of success through the lens of Kentucky's only NCAA Division 1 Men's Lacrosse program. Interviews, written survey, and observation were utilized to gauge a community-wide perspective about the team and the holistic nature of the student-athlete experience within Bellarmine University Men's Lacrosse. Observation followed the team for three years and engaged players and coaching staff in telling the story of the team's shifting culture and the management process of the team's newfound success. Methods aimed to draw a connection between the change …

Unleashing Excellence: Strengthening It Leaders Through Executive Coaching, Tonya S. Rivers

Dissertations

This paper explores the impact of executive coaching on Information Technology (IT) leaders. Many organizations across different industries lack strong leadership, as exposed by COVID-19. Companies aim to keep exceptional leaders and establish upbeat workplaces to achieve success. Although previous research has examined leadership effectiveness, it is still unclear how best to manage employees' perceptions of effective leadership. The goal of this research is to provide new insights into what can improve perceptions of leadership effectiveness. I explored the role executive leadership coaching has on managers working in the Information Technology (IT) field. Current literature often mentions the need for …

Rhetorical Nation-Building: A Close Textual Analysis Of Macarthur, Heuss, And Karzai As Agents Of Renewal, Josiah J. Mork

Masters Theses

Warfare has largely shifted from means of domination into a method of peacemaking. Nations increasingly utilize war to dismantle hostile nations and rebuild them with compatible political identities, which potentially creates more lasting peace than treaties or annexation. However, U.S. attempts at nation-building have varied success and, at times, prolong hostility. This study frames the nation-building process as an act of crisis communication and examines the role of rhetoric in this nation-building process. A close textual analysis was performed to examine discourse of renewal in two successful examples in Japan and West Germany, and in an example of failure in …

Examination Of Supervisor Support Of Worker Mental Health: A Quantitative Survey Of Workplace Attitudes, Interventions, Values, And Support, Myra Hernandez

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The aim of this study was to help understand mental health in the workplace. The research aimed to examine how supervisor attitudes (stigma) toward mental health, staff care values, and organizational mental health intervention and prevention training predicted supervisor confidence in supporting workers experiencing mental health issues and supportive behavior of worker mental health. This quantitative, relational, cross-sectional research design used regression and moderation analyses to examine and measure the variables. Quantitative data from a closed-question survey was analyzed. The G*Power analysis determined that a minimum of 77 participants were needed for the study. Target participants were supervisors 18 years …

Exploring Effective Leadership Styles In Adolescent Substance Abuse Treatment Programs: A Qualitative Study, Tony Terrel Curtis

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to examine the perceptions of adolescent addiction treatment counselors regarding effective leadership styles in addressing organizational, employee, and clientele needs. The study focused on leadership in substance abuse treatment programs, particularly the roles that various leadership styles, such as situational, servant, and transformational leadership, play in improving communication, organizational cohesion, and client care. Participants were 15 adolescent addiction treatment program counselors who had worked for at least 1 year and were currently residing in the southwest United States. Drawing from the contingency theory of leadership, the research revealed that different leadership styles …

The Leadership Barrier: How Organizational Support, Culture, And Stigma Influence Mental Health Utilization In The Nypd, Ian Demodna

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This study examined systematic barriers that affect NYPD officers' utilization of mental health resources. Despite efforts to provide mental health resources, deep-rooted stigma, rigid organizational culture, and inconsistent leadership support continue to impede officers' utilization. A survey was distributed to two groups of police officers: officers with 5 years or less of active service (n = 548) and 15 years or more of active service (n = 880). The survey questions focused on leadership support, organizational culture, and stigma to assess the differences in mental health utilization. The results showed no significant differences between groups in utilization (p = .437), …

The Psychological Effects Of Ice Conditions In Long-Term Space Travel, Jamen W. Barker

Student Works

The psychological effects of long durations spent in space remain largely unexplored, as do potential treatments for these effects. This review compiled data from 19 articles found via searches on the APAPsychInfo and Google Scholar databases, as well as a few ancillary sources. These studies are relevant to the study of the psychological effects of space travel and isolated, confined, or extreme (ICE) environments, and research into means of addressing them, as well as limitations in current literature on the topic. Studies found sleep deprivation, largely due to microgravity, to be a contributing factor to increased stress in space. Social …

Building A Professional Learning Community To Improve Technical Services Librarians’ Teaching Preparedness: Assess, Act And Reflect, Junli Diao

Publications and Research

This action research was conducted to address the gap between having all librarians prepared to teach and technical services librarians’ unpreparedness to teach in a university library system. The implemented intervention was developing a professional learning community among technical services librarians with a variety of teaching experiences to improve teaching preparedness by sharing, discussing, and reflecting. The learning topics covered library teaching basics, motivating students, self-assessment, planning to teach, using Wikipedia for critical thinking, embedded librarianship and credit-bearing courses, teaching and research, and building a teaching portfolio and librarianship portfolio. A qualitative approach, including the implementation journal, reflective writing, and …

Facilitating The Use Of Sbar By Nursing Staff For Handoff Communication, Amarillis L. Tompkins

Student Scholarly Projects

Practice Problem: Clear communication during shift handoffs is crucial to minimize errors and ensure patient safety in intensive care. The current SBAR framework used in the MICU is constrained by limited documentation space, which led to communication inefficiencies and heightened risks for patient care.

PICOT: The PICOT question that guided this project was: In the NFSG VA MICU, will staff nurses (P) using a revised SBAR communication tool with a checklist (I), compared to the current outdated SBAR tool without a checklist (C), improve the accuracy and completeness of patient handoff communication (O) over eight weeks (T)?

Evidence: The project …

Book Review: Unit X: How The Pentagon And Silicon Valley Are Transforming The Future Of War, Robert D. Bradford Iii

Parameters Bookshelf – Online Book Reviews

Author: Raj M. Shah and Christopher Kirchoff

Reviewed by Robert D. Bradford III, associate professor of defense and Joint processes, US Army War College

Bureaucracy versus technology. The Pentagon versus Silicon Valley. Is cooperation possible? If you have ever wondered how the US military and civilian technological institutions can work together to America’s advantage, Robert D. Bradford III’s review of Unit X: How the Pentagon and Silicon Valley Are Transforming the Future of War explores the story of the Defense Innovation Unit Experimental and its connection to the Department of Defense and Silicon Valley.

Sources Of Tensions In Ai Adoption For Organ Procurement Organizations, Amaneh Babaee, Grace Hall, Daniel Burton Shank, Casey I. Canfield

Miners Solving for Tomorrow Research Conference

No abstract provided.

A Learning Framework To Inspire Change: The Kotter Model And The Continuum Of Change In Academic Libraries, Colleen Boff, Catherine Cardwell

University Libraries Faculty Publications

Invited presentation at the ACRL 2025 Conference in Minneapolis, MN.

In 2018, we distributed a call for proposals to academic librarians at public and private community colleges and universities to seek potential ideas for chapters to include in our upcoming publication, Leading Change in Academic Libraries. We solicited proposals from potential authors to describe and reflect on “a recent change in their academic library in which they worked with others in the organization to reorganize, reengineer, innovate, or initiate a service, program, function or structure in [their] library.” In total, we received 115 proposals on various issues, which coalesced …

Variation And Selection During Pandemic: Toward A Multiplex Framework For Understanding Nonprofit Community Network Evolution In Crisis Time, Yiqi Li, Aimei Yang, Wenlin Liu, Jingyi Sun, Michigan State University, Lichen Chen

iSchool - All Scholarship

This study examines how the communication network structure of a community of U.S. nonprofits evolves in response to the COVID-19

pandemic by examining their multiplex strategic communication network- building on Twitter/X. This study identifies two types of networks:

representational ties (for third-party audiences) and substantial ties (for direct resource exchange). Our findings suggest that organizations remain consistent with network strategies through different crisis stages, and the crisis provides opportunities for nonprofits to maintain existing substantial networks while building more extensive substantial networks. Representational ties, even the ones formed pre-crisis, hold the potential to turn into substantial relationships. Theoretically, this research …

Artificial Intelligence In Collegiate Athletic Communications: Revolutionizing Communications And Collegiate Athletics, Jared T. Gerke

Leadership Education Capstones

As artificial intelligence (AI) continues to evolve, its influence across professional fields, including athletic communications, demands closer examination. Despite extensive research in journalism and public relations, scholars have largely overlooked AI’s role in collegiate athletic communications. To address this gap, this study surveyed professionals from the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) to explore current use of AI and aspirations for its integration in the workplace. The results of this study show that NSIC professionals generally view AI as a beneficial tool. However, adoptions remain low within both the NSIC and the broader field. Most respondents expressed little concern about AI …

Mapping Organizational Theory With Scripts, Jose Eos R. Trinidad

Interdisciplinary Studies Faculty Publications

Organizational theory has developed in numerous directions that have been difficult to integrate. This review synthesizes them into seven perspectives, with theories focused within and beyond the organization (i.e., intra- and extra-organizational dynamics). It proposes the acronym SCRIPTS: structure, culture, relations, institutions, professions, transformation, and social conflict. Within organizations, structure focuses on theories of bureaucracy, management, routines, and decision-making while culture focuses on shared values, identity, climate, and sensemaking. Relations involve studies of interpersonal and interorganizational networks. Institutions focus on the macro-dynamics of fields and isomorphism, and micro-dynamics of entrepreneurship and inhabited institutions. Professions refer to psychological factors shaping individual …

Understanding The Experiences Of Nonprofit Leaders In Psychotherapy, Anna Bramlett

Dissertations (1934 -)

Nonprofit leaders are at the helm of organizations that contribute significantly and meaningfully to society. Nonprofit organizations provide a range of services across sectors that include healthcare, education, mental health, civic engagement, and many others. Existing literature attends to the challenges nonprofit leaders face in their work roles, with managing boards and fundraising frequently cited as stressors. Little is known about the mental health experiences of nonprofit leaders, including common mental health diagnoses they experience, prevalence of mental health symptoms, or effective interventions for mental health concerns. The present study sought to explore the experiences of nonprofit leaders who attend …

Navigating Challenges: Public Community College Leadership In The Face Of Existential Crisis, Sarah Lynne Lupton-Houston

School of Public Service Theses & Dissertations

This study answers the question: "When faced with an existential crisis, indicated by declines in key performance indicators, how do public leaders make decisions?" The research uses the Garbage Can Model and Incrementalism combined theoretical framework to explore how public administrators navigate crises in complex, hierarchical, and bureaucratic structures where unpredictable challenges often demand adaptive responses. This study offers insights into decision-making processes that blend reactive, opportunistic choices with measured, gradual adjustments.

The findings from this research contribute to the field of public administration by examining the decision-making strategies used by leaders at public community colleges in Virginia during a …

Healing Histories: Implementing Trauma-Informed Care Practices In Libraries To Support Resilience And Recovery, Cearra Harris

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation investigated the impact of public library closure on the Edgewood community in Columbia, South Carolina, an area with a rich history and significant ties to the two nearby historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Benedict College and Allen University. It explored the intergenerational effects of historical trauma through the lens of collective memory, as documented in oral histories from community members and public library staff. The research aimed to understand the implications of the library's absence in a marginalized community context, emphasizing how such closures can exacerbate existing vulnerabilities. Through oral histories, questionnaires, and interviews, the findings reveal …

The Library As A Hospitable Place: Hospitality And Welcoming Volunteers, Geesje Duursma, Erwin Losekoot, Gjalt De Jong

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Libraries use volunteers. Research indicates various barriers to volunteering. After these barriers have been overcome, it is of great importance that the volunteer is welcomed into the organization. Therefore, hospitality is not just about receiving patrons but also receiving (new) volunteers. For this study, concepts from volunteering were synthesized with hospitality concepts. This case study took place at a library in the northern part of the Netherlands. Data was collected from interviews with management and volunteers in a focus group discussion. The findings were triangulated with official documents from the library. A matrix of hospitality practices is proposed to help …

Book Review: Justice Batted Last, Darlene A. Kluka, Aaron Livingston

Global Sport Business Journal

Book Review of Don Zminda's (2025) Justice Batted Last: Ernie Banks, Minnie Miñoso, and the Unheralded Players Who Integrated Chicago's Major League Teams

Adaptivity And Ethics In Educational Leadership: Improving Essa Subgroup Outcomes, Priscilla A. Green

Doctor of Strategic Leadership (DSL) Capstone Abstracts

Project Type

Educational Leadership

Project Overview

The project is a workshop/seminar with four components or sections: ESSA subgroups and factors of ethics and adaptivity, Ethical leadership and its applications in education, adaptive leadership and its applications in education, and combining ethical and adaptive leadership strategies to improve and increase ESSA Subgroup data outcomes. The project will include a workshop with educational leaders to help them understand and define strategies to support teacher training and practice in schools. The seminar encompasses both the initial and closing sections, featuring engaging self-assessments, data, and a focus on the organizational change in education. A …

Cost Modeling For State Longitudinal Data Systems, Benjamin Boer

Practitioner Toolkits and Resources

A tool to support the development and scaling of longitudinal data supports in state policymaking.

The Impact Of Educators’ Perceptions Of Neurodivegence On Their Self-Efficacy In Teaching Middle And High School Students With Adhd And Autism In Rural Minnesota, Nicolle D. Bettcher Erickson

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this phenomenological qualitative study was to explore how we can best support our teachers in matching our ever-changing educational landscape, specifically our neurodivergent learners. When educating neurodivergent students (students with autism or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder), we must understand how to teach these creative, sometimes misunderstood individuals and unleash their full potential. To do so, we need educational practitioners who have healthy perceptions of what it means to be neurodivergent and educators who understand both the talents and hurdles that being neurodivergent may entail. This study examined how non-special education teachers' perceptions of neurodivergence correlated with …

Leadership Strategies For Navigating The Integration Of Physical And Behavioral Healthcare, Seán David Mclawhorn

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The separation of physical and behavioral healthcare and a dominant medical model have left a void in practice and research, especially pertaining to the leadership strategies necessary to integrate the two forms of care in college campus healthcare clinics. This is especially important given the rise of mental health concerns on and off college campuses. Without integration, there are missed opportunities for care delivery, in general, and a missed opportunity for the provision of care to individuals who historically have not accessed physical and behavioral healthcare at equivalent rates as other populations. The subject of care integration is addressed in …

Empowering Educators, Transforming Futures: An Explanatory Multiple Case Study Of The Smou Schools In Saudi Arabia, Hana Ali Alzandi Alghamdi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 emphasizes educational reform as a critical pathway for national development, highlighting the role of educators in fostering student success. The Smou program, a professional development initiative, seeks to enhance the instructional and leadership capacities of school leaders and teachers in elementary public schools. This study explores how school leaders navigate their role in supporting teachers’ application of Smou program strategies and how teachers perceive their preparation for implementing these strategies in their instructional practices. Using an explanatory multiple case study approach, the research explores two elementary schools in the Mecca region—one high-performing and one low-performing—selected based …

A Qualitative Analysis Of Job Satisfaction: Perspectives Of Private School Employees, Wede Lorraine Wallace

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The educational marketplace is highly competitive, and schools and higher learning institutions incessantly strive for sustainable education and strategies to adjust to environmental and economic changes. This scenario was especially experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic when schools had to change from the traditional learning style to the virtual approach, thereby imposing a string of financial downturns from a reduction in tuition while still maintaining overhead costs. The change forced leaders to make organizational changes to remain financially stable. The general problem addressed by this case study was the challenges leaders faced in gaining employee support for changes to administrative work …

State-Based Law Enforcement Accreditation Outcomes: A Multiple Case Study In Texas, Thomas L. Sanders

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The 21st century has brought new challenges to the nation’s law enforcement organizations, with agencies having to achieve a higher service standard to meet society’s demand for transparency, responsiveness, and justice. Prompted by presidential task force recommendations in 2015 and 2020, law enforcement agencies have sought methods to raise their organizational standards to build trust and legitimacy of policing in their communities. Based on federal guidelines, the accreditation of law enforcement agencies and implementation of the best practices in law enforcement throughout the nation have taken root in American policing. On a national level, the Commission on Accreditation for Law …