Digital Commons Network^™

Did The Covid-19 Pandemic Reshape Nonprofit Service Delivery?, Gregory A. Smith

Faculty Publications and Presentations

This study employed mixed methods (explanatory sequential design) to assess and describe service delivery changes that emerged among public charities in the Virginia piedmont region due to the COVID-19 pandemic. An online survey was administered to 175 nonprofit leaders (mostly chief executives and service/program officers). Survey data were analyzed via descriptive statistics to identify the incidence and persistence of 14 specific changes. Such changes were grouped into 8 dependent variables that denoted patterns of service delivery change. Inferential statistics revealed significant differences or predictive relationships for several independent variables, including organizational and respondent attributes. In the second phase of the …

Best Strategies To Address Burnout Among Healthcare Professionals: An Integrative Review, Kimberly Ann Delbo

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this integrative literature review (ILR) is to provide a comprehensive summary and analysis of past empirical and theoretical literature related to the phenomenon of burnout while sharing a synthesis of literature. This ILR explores, critiques, summarizes, and analyzes best practices and interventions to address burnout and promote engagement and well-being among health care workers within acute care hospitals. The scientific basis for this ILR was the premise that a relationship exists between burnout interventions and organizational cultures which can be positively influenced by relational and social leadership styles that reduce work-related stressors and create positive, professional, healthy …

The Influence On American Post-Secondary Education By United States Military And Veteran Programs Resulting From Changing Technology, Reform-Minded Leaders, And Large Military Operations, Scot Douglas Cates

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Scholars have explored the United States military from the lens of battles, campaigns, operations, and leaders with depth and zeal. When discussing the influence of the Army on education in America, the G.I. Bill is consistently the main topic of conversation. However, the contributions of the Army to American higher education are much more complicated than simply the passage of the Servicemen’s Readjustment Act of 1944. A wide variety of programs and efforts championed by the Army during the first half of the twentieth century lack in-depth research and analysis. This study examined the American military transformation from the American …

Implementation Of A Medical Emergency Chain Of Command Protocol In The School Setting, Vikki Shannon Brannon

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Medical emergencies occur every day in school settings across America. School nurses have a vital role in providing care for individuals experiencing a medical emergency and leading a multidisciplinary team during a medical emergency event. Since incidences of medical emergencies are commonplace, it is standard to have protocols and guidelines for these events. To address this concern, an evidence-based practice project was implemented in a rural school district in North Georgia. The pilot project was developed and implemented to assess the effectiveness of implementing a “Medical Emergency Chain of Command Protocol.” The protocol was developed to improve the effectiveness and …

A Case Study Of Transformational Leadership Practices Utilized To Increase National Rankings Of An Hbcu Through Strategic Planning, Titilayo B. Evans

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this single instrument case study was to explore the transformational leadership practices utilized by university leaders in the implementation of a strategic plan first executed in 2011 at Pride University, a pseudonym used for the setting of the study, a Historically Black College or University (HBCU). The central research question of this study was, “How were transformational leadership strategies utilized in the execution of the strategic plan implemented at Pride University?” Over the years, transformational leadership has been commonly embraced by organizations and has worked well for leaders and followers alike. Although there has been much research …

Organizational Factors Influencing Campus Law Enforcement Agencies Belonging To Professional Accrediting Bodies, Jamie Adam Gauthier

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Accreditation in campus law enforcement agencies is considered a modality of professionalism in the industry. The use of accreditation requires a voluntary approach to implement industry standards, policies, procedures, and best practices, while being scrutinized by an accreditation team. Law enforcement leaders frequently review a management strategy to professionalize the policing industry, although, without accreditation in place, the methodology is based on prior trial and errors of the past. Using a quantitative nonexperimental research design, this study aims to examine the implementation of accreditation within campus law enforcement agencies. With a nationally representative sample, a research question addressing the factors …

Mental Health Implications Of Isolation During Hospitalization For Covid-19: Self-Perceived Variations In Emotion, Rebekah Ruth Jones

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Forced isolation due to the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in numerous mental health consequences. Individuals who have required hospitalization due to contracting the illness are at an increased risk of developing potentially harmful mental health concerns resulting from the emotional distress of forced isolation. Families separated from one another experience anxiety and fear due to helplessness fostered by the separation. Furthermore, medical caretakers are placed in the position to make life-altering decisions for their patients, increasing their stress and anxiety levels. Therefore, it is imperative that hospitals provide adequate mental health support for patients and their family members. Furthermore, communities …

Leadership Curriculum In Physical Therapy Education: A Case Study, Christina M. Kalata

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Physical therapists must demonstrate leadership skills to provide quality patient care and to facilitate healthcare reform. The purpose of this qualitative collective case study was to understand core physical therapy faculty’s implementation of leadership development curriculum in entry-level physical therapy programs at graduate colleges and universities. The theory guiding this study was transformational leadership theory, proposed by Burns (1978), as it informs leadership skills and attributes, which may cultivate the change necessary for health care reform. The central research question for this study explores how physical therapy faculty incorporate leadership development into their graduate physical therapy programs to prepare students …

Vicarious Healing: Integration Of Faith And Practice, Yolanda R. Montgomery

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Several studies have evaluated the emotional burden added to therapists who are treating traumatized individuals. However, little research has been done to determine how to mitigate the secondary trauma in clinicians within the therapeutic environment during counseling sessions. An exploration of change theory can be applied to understand why secular therapists experience resilience and growth at different times or not at all. However, this intersection lacks a spiritual component that is present for Christian therapists to heal from this trauma during in-person sessions. The present study aims to explore this intersection of change theory with posttraumatic growth and vicarious resilience. …

Organizational Change In The Workplace During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Takeisha Shante Miles

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Failed change initiatives continuously plagued organizations throughout time, mainly because of the complexities involving the response to change. Researchers studied to understand the cause and effect of failed change efforts. The type of change often notes as a precursor to the kind of response, while the resistance to change was a catalyst to the 70% rate of failed change initiatives (Burnes & Jackson, 2011; Maheshwari & Vohra, 2015). Organizational change initiatives become further complicated, involving a crisis. This qualitative multiple case study included the phenomenon of unsuccessful change proposals during a crisis, its implications on job satisfaction and employee resistance, …

Bidirectional Leader-Member Exchange And The Impact On Middle Manager Job Satisfaction, Brian A. Collera

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Leader-member exchange (LMX) theory focuses on the quality of the relationship between a leader and member. LMX is associated with a number of positive member outcomes, but LMX research has largely neglected what, if any, positive benefits leaders attain from high quality relationships beyond better team performance. The purpose of this study was to apply the LMX theory to middle managers in organizations. Middle managers inherently balance the competing interests of multidirectional relationships, acting as both a leader and a member in the organizational hierarchy. This study explored how middle manager’s self-rating of LMX (relationship with their subordinates), leader-leader exchange …

Grant Us Wisdom, Grant Us Courage For The Facing Of Change Leadership: A Case Study Of The Change Leadership Of J. Gresham Machen, Peter Raymond Sniffin

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Ministry leaders are ill-prepared to execute the inevitable requirement of change leadership. As a result of this leadership shortcoming, necessary change efforts are either avoided or fail. During the Fundamentalist and Modernist Controversy of the early 20th Century, J. Gresham Machen provided change leadership in response to doctrinal error in the church that transformed his ministry context and Presbyterianism in the United States as it was then structured. In Paul’s Epistle to the Galatians, Paul also exercised leadership to drive change away from doctrinal error in the church. A case study examining Machen’s change leadership in light of Paul’s example …

Examining Associations Between Servant Leadership, Job Burnout, And Job Satisfaction In The Iowa Probation And Parole Job Profession, Alfredo Rodriguez Ordaz

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The following research paper investigated the associations between servant leadership, job burnout, and job satisfaction in the Iowa probation and parole profession. There is extensive literature examining job burnout and job satisfaction in many disciplines, including the field of corrections. Leadership literature examining the servant leadership model remains limited. The leadership literature suggests that probation and parole agencies operate through a traditional paramilitary command and control hierarchy of strict adherence to rules, policies, and procedures. The importance and significance of this study are that it examined the extent to which probation and parole leaders practiced and engaged in servant leadership …

A Phenomenological Study Of Administrators' Perceptions Of College Mergers, Abigail Carter

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to describe the experience of administrators who participated in mergers of technical colleges in a Southern state in the United States. The theory guiding this study was Lewin’s (1997) change theory. Lewin (1997) suggested that the critical factor of an organization’s tone lies in leadership before, during, and after a change. Therefore, the success of any significant organizational transition, such as a merger, relies on the skills of leaders. A central research question and three sub-questions were used to understand the lived experiences that impact administrators during a college merger. A qualitative …

Managing Risk: A Hermeneutic Phenomenology On The Experiences Of Corporate Instructors When Planning And Developing Disaster Driven Training Content, Seeke Diana Hughes

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This phenomenological study aimed to understand and interpret corporate trainers' perspectives when developing disaster or pandemic-driven training content for remote situations and suggest a baseline response to identified deficits. Using the disaster risk management theory by Kim and Sohn (2018), with specific emphasis on Petak's (1985) and McLoughlin's (1985) framework, data from the participants was collected using semi-structured individual interviews, document analysis, and observations. While corporate trainers have used years of experience and seasoned pedagogy to enhance learning for their participants to achieve corporate objectives, almost no content exists regarding the process. Due to increased remote learning resulting from the …

A Quantitative Study Examining Individual Employee Experiences Of Change Initiatives And The Impact On Employee Perceptions Of Change And Attitudes, Adrienne Marie Read

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Current organizational change management models focus on information sharing as the primary mechanism for involving employees in change initiatives, but most change initiatives fail due to limited attention given to organizational members impacted by change. The current study provides empirical evidence for more tangible methods of employee involvement by examining individual experiences of organizational change and the influence of involvement factors (leadership communication and work contribution) on employee perception of change and job attitudes (organizational commitment and turnover intentions). A causal-comparative design was implemented using a 39-item survey administered to 344 participants who have experienced an organizational change. The nonparametric …

The Spiritual And Emotional Dynamics Of Pastoral Transitions: A Phenomenological Study, Carl Michael Mclaughlin

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore the central phenomenon of how the spiritual and emotional dynamics of outgoing and incoming pastoral leadership impacted the pastoral transition and to discover common patterns in successful transitions. The central question addressed in this phenomenological research was, “How do pastoral teams consisting of the outgoing pastor and spouse and the incoming pastor and spouse process the spiritual and emotional dynamics of a pastoral transition?” The church is described as a family (Eph 3:15) with spiritual and emotional needs. The pastor should possess personal competence and social competence to lead the …

Distribution Center Erp Utilization, Andrew B. Davidson

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Globalization has forced the supply chain industry into becoming more reliant on technology. Organizations invest large amounts of resources in remaining competitive in today's market. The primary tool distribution centers leverage in their general business practice is an enterprise resources planning (ERP) system. Unfortunately, this system is often underutilized after the initial implementation. This qualitative case study aimed to explore the benefits of advanced ERP training and knowledge management policies in order to provide recommendations to increase distribution centers ERP utilization. The recommendations, if implemented, will maximize corporate capabilities by influencing ERP efficiency. A manufacturing organization with distribution centers throughout …

Leadership Competencies For Christian Directors At International Schools In Saudi Arabia, Ayanna Saran Jones

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

As Christian leaders expand their influence into the Middle East, it is important for both leaders and institutions to know what competencies are essential for these leaders. Educational leadership in Saudi Arabia is under reformation as expats and nationals work in collaboration to lead international schools towards Vision 2030. To compile a list of essential competencies, this exploratory qualitative research explored which skills, behaviors, and knowledge were recommended by recruiters and Saudi principals for international directors. The exploratory research included interviews with three Saudi principals and three recruiters who shed light on the essential competencies for expatriate directors. Based on …

Interactive Textbooks: A Study On The Effects On Learning Gains And Course Grades Among Community College Minority Students, Victoria C. Brower

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this quantitative quasi-experimental study is to examine whether the use of interactive e-textbooks by community college minority students makes a difference in academic outcomes (as measured by final course test grades) and if the use of interactive textbooks could lead to course completion and terminal degrees. This study adds to the existing literature insight into alternative methods of increasing learning and developing positive attitudes among minorities in the community college setting. The sample population included minority students enrolled in a government class attending a community college in an urban area in South Florida. There were N = …

Leadership Strategies And Behaviors That Support Career Advancement For Teleworkers, Glory Ann Sanders

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Research in telework has primarily focused on the study of teleworkers or on the comparison between teleworkers and non-teleworkers. For this reason, leader behaviors in the telework context has been a relatively neglected area of study. This study emphasizes the lack of career advancement within the telework arena that has contributed to higher turnover intentions and a reluctancy to participate in telework programs. This research specifically explores leader behaviors and strategies that support career advancement for teleworkers within Denver, Colorado. The findings indicate that leaders are more intentional about communication with teleworkers than with non-teleworkers. Physical distance creates many challenges …

Government Contract Re-Compete Impacts On Employees, John James Bergmann

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative, case study research project was to examine the impacts of recurring contract re-competes on the defense contractor workforce. The primary focus was on how these every 5-year events affected morale, job satisfaction, productivity, and retention. The initial research effort explored factors which motivate and de-motivate employees, described common attributes of defense contractors, and discussed the vagaries of the contract re-compete process specifically and government contracting in general. This led to development of a conceptual framework, identification of several theories to assist in explaining and predicting employee behavior, and the design of semi-structured research questions to …

Leadership Qualities Needed For A School-Based Police Chief, Tridung Tran

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Although it has evolved over the years, school-based law enforcement remains vital in a school setting for safety and security. The dynamic of school-based law enforcement has been heavily researched through the popular crime prevention program called School Resource Officer. The introduction of police officers in schools’ thrusts law enforcement’s reputation, abilities, and authority into the spotlight. Limited studies have shown the unique leadership qualities needed to lead a school-based law enforcement agency. Police chief qualification is dependent on the law enforcement agency’s requirements and expectations and often requires years of experience and education. Further, there are excellent police chief …

Higher Education Student Perceptions And Experiences Of Creativity: A Case Study, Nancy Valeur Ellis

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative single instrumental case study was to describe the perceptions and experiences of creativity by university students at a mid-size public university located in the Mid-Atlantic States of the U.S. The theory guiding this study was Amabile’s componential theory of creativity which views creativity as a complex interrelationship of creative disposition, process, product, and social environment. The question, “How do U.S. higher education students perceive and experience creativity within the university environment?”, was explored. Student interviews, documentation, and focus group responses were analyzed using member checks, linguistic and affective coding, and key quotes and themes. Findings …

Implementing And Sustaining A Lean Management System, Derek Albert Vandersteur

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Lean healthcare is a field of research that studies the use of effective goal setting and scientific thinking to drive improvements in the healthcare industry. Lean has been effectively applied in healthcare settings to improve efficiency, patient satisfaction, clinical outcomes, and safety. There have been, however, varying degrees of success achieved in healthcare organizations effectively implementing a lean management system. The problem addressed in this research is that many healthcare organizations in the United States that seek to improve quality and reduce costs by implementing a lean management system are unable to sustain the lean management system thereby missing out …

Leadership Failures That Lead To Poor Organizational Performance, Brahaspattie Annie Singh

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Our world continues to change rapidly because of globalization and internationalism thus has become more multicultural and diverse that strong and effective leadership was needed in the workforce. The real estate industry has changed as well and continues to change because of multiculturalism. The effects of COVID-19 placed burdensome restrictions and regulations both from the state and city levels that firms must follow in order to function internally and externally to market properties. The effects of COVID-19 will forever change the way business is done as usual, where the general business practice must include a constant of new critical change …

Police Education And Its Influence On Traffic Enforcement Performance, Shatavia Monique Kennedy

Masters Theses

In demanding occupations, the preference for formal education is presumptive when improving competency and workmanship. This study assesses the correlation between college education and traffic enforcement performance within a local police department in Aberdeen, North Carolina. In this study, performance strictly refers to issued traffic citations and traffic enforcement. The research consisted of a secondary analysis (public records) using qualitative data. Data were collected to determine which officers issued the most traffic citations from the highway patrol unit from January to June 2021. Second, qualitative data were collected via an interview with one of the department officers to obtain demographic …

Going Virtual: Addressing The Challenges Faced By Organizational Leaders When Employees Transition To Virtual Environments In Times Of Crisis, Mary Susan Johnson

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, colleges and universities across the world moved their operations online. While a great deal of focus was placed on the value of teaching and learning during a crisis period, very little attention was paid to the other side of higher education institutions—the business side. Suddenly these institutions and their operational staff were forced to discover new ways to perform tasks that had always been completed in person. The leaders of these organizations faced the added challenge of ensuring that their workforce remained engaged and motivated while working in the midst of stressful, even chaotic …

The Organizational Leadership Framework, John Robert Sparks

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The field of leadership has evolved quite drastically over the years. Douglas McGregor showed us the evolution from a Theory X style belief that employees are unmotivated and dislike their work to his Theory Y style belief that employees are motivated and receive a sense of enjoyment from their work. Abraham Maslow expanded on this work with his Theory Z belief that optimal employee performance would prevail with the proper leadership approach. For years now, leadership has focused on various approaches or styles that produce the best performance resulting from the relationship between the leader and their follower. Organizations, research, …

The Impact Of Disability Inclusion Programs On Organizational Culture And Strategy, Bianca Kristal Sofia Contreras Lopez

Liberty University Research Week

Graduate

Textual or Investigative