Digital Commons Network^™

Understanding Self-Managed Teams Using Biomimicking, Mohammad Nozari

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractThe potential high performance of self-managed teams can only materialize with implementing such teams properly and differently from traditional manager-led teams. This qualitative descriptive multiple case study presents biomimicking as a unique and untapped resource to achieve that potential by applying a biomimicking lens to help understand successful decision-making patterns for self-managed teams. The study population included team members of self-managed teams working in information technology companies in Toronto, Ontario, as the technology hub of Canada with a tendency to apply the latest approaches for teamwork performance and output. The conceptual framework of the study included teamwork, self-management, social choice, …

Self-Care Practices, Work Experience, Educational Setting, And Burnout Among School Counselors, Paul Sylvester-Nwosu

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractSchool counselors should be well-adjusted in their personal and professional lives and possess a keen, accurate perception of their self-care practices. However, people drawn to careers in school counseling are often at risk of developing burnout due to high professional demands and limited resources supporting their self-care and well-being. The purpose of this quantitative correlational study was to investigate the relationship between the independent variables of self-care practices, years of work experience, and educational settings and the dependent variable of levels of burnout among practicing school counselors in K-12 suburban educational settings in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. …

Knowledge Transfer Strategies And Retaining Business Critical Information, Silvia Dimma

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

American business leaders are challenged to replace 70 million knowledgeable and experienced workers. Some leaders of organizations have no formalized knowledge transfer strategies in place to reduce lost productivity and negative financial effects of retiring and resigning employees. Seventy-five million baby boomers are leaving organizations, taking knowledge and skills with them, and leaving organizations with the challenge of training new employees. Grounded by Nonaka and Takeuchi’s socialization, externalization, combination, and internalization model for knowledge creation, the purpose of this qualitative single case study was to explore knowledge transfer strategies used by credit union leaders to retain critical business information. Participants …

Talent Retention Strategies For Service Industry Managers Within Rust Belts, Tunisha Foley

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Human capital flight jeopardizes the future of rust belt organizations. Service industry managers within rust belt cities are at high risk of failure. Framed by the talent management model, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore strategies rust belt managers used to reduce human capital flight. Participants were 1 health care manager and 1 social assistance manager from Detroit, Michigan, and Flint, Michigan, respectively, who successfully implemented strategies to reduce human capital flight. Data were collected from semistructured interviews and business documents. Data were analyzed with inductive content analysis, word frequency searches, and theme interpretation. Three …

Transformational Leadership Effects On Employee Engagement And Counterproductive Work Behavior's Influence As A Moderating Variable, Cybil M. Johnson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Many organizations have the daunting task of dealing with counterproductive work behavior (CWB) at various levels in the workplace. This study sought to examine if transformational leadership (TFL) has an impact on employee engagement (EE) and if CWB has a moderating influence on this relationship in the U.S. Postal Service. This study’s intent was to address a gap in the literature regarding CWB exhibited by employees and the positive intentions of TFL on EE. A quantitative study was conducted utilizing an anonymous online survey to assess the relationship among employees of the U.S. Postal Service. The study was conducted using …

The Influence On Employee Engagement Of Employee Negative Perceptions Of Leader Actions, Vickki Gamol Johnson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In 2018, only 34% of U.S. workers reported that they were engaged in their jobs, up from 31.5% just 4 years prior. Employee engagement, organizational well-being, and leader actions are significant to companies and brands in a highly competitive, modern business environment. The alarmingly low rate of employee engagement resulted from negative perceptions of leaders. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the phenomenon of disengagement through the lived experiences of employees in the public sector who had negative perceptions of their leaders. The conceptual lens was Herzberg’s theory mapped onto Maslow’s hierarchy to address the research question …

Strategies For Implementing E-Learning Solutions In Ghana’S Public Universities: A Delphi Study, Joyce Manu

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Thousands of qualified university applicants are denied admission into mainstream public universities in Ghana each year mainly due to lack of physical space on campuses, but e-learning has been identified as a way of increasing admissions. However, there have been no strategies for implementing solutions to e-learning, and so this study was conducted to identify these strategies. The conceptual framework comprised of status quo bias, culture, and resistance to change. A qualitative modified Delphi approach was used for the study with three rounds of surveys. The 11 panelists were administrators and/or professors who had been in their positions for 2 …

Firearm Restriction And Its Impact In Reducing Violent Crimes In California, Sampson C. Onwuka

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

There have been recurring incidents of gun violence, murder, and mass shootings that have raised public concern on the dangers of guns, and people have demanded government regulation on firearms usage. Studies have attributed these incidents to non-strict laws on guns; however, it was unclear whether firearm restrictions affected California's violent crime reduction. This quasi-experimental, quantitative study was focused on finding out the impact of gun violence restraining orders (GVROs) on violent crime reduction in California. Four research questions addressed the changes in the variables after the establishment of the GVRO. Secondary data from the California Department of Justice were …

Strategies For It Product Managers To Manage Microservice Systems In Enterprises, Walter Zrzavy

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Many information technology (IT) product managers have experienced significant challenges in adopting microservice architecture (MSA) systems successfully in their organizations. Inefficiencies resulting from MSA system adoption are of concern to IT product managers as these inefficiencies increase the cost of maintenance and increase the time to deliver software updates to the business. Grounded in the technology-organization-environment theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore the strategies used by IT product managers for the domain-driven design and development and operations practices to reduce the inefficiencies during the MSA system adoption. The participants were 18 IT product managers …

Consumer Credit Card Debt And Immigrants: A Cross-Sectional Study Of U.K. Immigrants’ Financial Capability, Paul Wesley Thompson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The problem addressed in this study is the ubiquitous nature and high level of consumer debt associated with certain demographics; however, research in the context of immigrants in the U.K. are limited. The problem is the lack of information about the association between credit card debt and immigrants, specifically on whether the income gap between U.K. immigrants and British citizens affects the level of consumer debt. The purpose of this quantitative cross-sectional correlational study is to examine whether there is an association between the income gap that exists between immigrants and British citizens and their respective levels of consumer debt, …

Leadership And Performance Of The Brewery Industry In Nigeria, Abayomi Abimbola Abidakun

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

One of the most pressing concerns for business organizations remains the need to seek leaders who can manage employee effectively and efficiently to improve business performance. Guided by the principles of transformational leadership theory, this correlational study examined the relationship between leadership and non-financial performance at the brewery industry in Nigeria. I relied on primary data collected using the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire -MLQ, job satisfaction scale-JSS, three-components commitment scale- JCS and six-item Turnover Intention Scale (TIS-6) to measure leadership, job satisfaction, employee commitment and turnover intention. Four hundred participants who were senior and junior manager at Nigerian Breweries Plc. were …

Cultural Identity As A Predictor Of Weight Loss In U.S. Hispanics, Leon Daniels

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Research on behavioral weight-loss programs has guided the development of health-related, behavior-change interventions that contribute to combating overweight and obesity in the United States, and illnesses that co-occur with unhealthy weight. However, research on behavioral weight-loss programs that focus on the U.S. Hispanic population and cultural identity is largely unrepresented in the current literature. The purpose of this study was to quantitatively examine body mass index (BMI) decreases of U.S. Hispanics while observing their (a) motivation toward exercise, (b) cultural identity, (c) physical activity program type, (d) exercise frequency, and (e) demographic variables as predictors of weight-loss. Guiding this study …

The Efficacy Of Ghana’S Business Interest In The Global Economy, Sandra Mateko Elikplim Dankwa

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Small-to-medium enterprises (SMEs) are drivers of economic growth and development worldwide. SMEs in the Greater Accra region of Ghana have not been able to innovate and sustain competition. The problem in this phenomenological study was that leaders of SMEs in this region have not fully understood the contributions of the transformational leadership model to the capacity of organizations to innovate and sustain competitiveness. The purpose of this study was to explore and describe the lived experiences of leaders of SMEs in Ghana in leveraging organizational capabilities for innovation and competitiveness. The study’s conceptual framework was grounded in transformational leadership. The …

A Health Care Management Organization's Internal Controls Strategy For Managed Care, Elizabeth E. David

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

A lack of effective operational internal controls among health management organization (HMO) leaders could lead to poor operational practices, mismanagement of the government's health care funds, increased health care spending, and a negative impact on patient health outcomes. Grounded in transformational leadership theory, the purpose of this qualitative, single case study was to explore successful internal control strategies used by leaders at a southeastern Pennsylvania HMO. Data were collected from semistructured interviews with 5 participants who held positions of director or above within the organization for at least 3 years, had institutional knowledge, and had responsibility for overseeing the organization's …

Improving Rabies Aftercare By Educating Emergency Department Providers Of Care, Gloria Denise Evans

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

According to an evaluation completed by the local health department in the state where the project was conducted, patients were not returning to the emergency department (ED) for post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) rabies vaccine as recommended. Educating the ED providers on care, who are usually the first point of contact after an animal bite with possible rabies virus transmission, is critical to improving patients' outcomes secondary to rabies postexposure. The focused for this project is educating ED personnel about rabies PEP administration after rabies virus exposure which will their increase knowledge regarding rabies follow-up care. Lewin's change theory provided the theoretical …

Strategies For Implementing The International Organization For Standardization 15189 For Medical Laboratories, Wilson Mtotela

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Inadequate quality management systems (QMS) in medical laboratories result in errors, which cost the United States healthcare industry approximately $29 billion per year. Healthcare managers who fail to implement the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 15189 QMS are at high risk of managing costs. Grounded in Lewin’s 3-step organizational change model and the force field analysis, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore strategies healthcare managers use to design, develop, and implement an ISO 15189 QMS using a mentorship approach. The participants comprised 5 healthcare managers from the United Republic of Tanzania, East Africa, who implemented …

Successful Talent Management Strategies Business Leaders Use To Improve Succession Planning, Louai Damer

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Surveys on organizational training and development expenditures in the United States showed a total spend of $83 billion in 2019; however, 40% of new leaders still fail in the first 18 months. Managers need to devote attention to improve talent development programs since employees who receive talent training in organizations are 75% more likely to succeed in senior positions and future leadership roles. Grounded in transformational leadership theory, the purpose of this multiple case study was to explore successful talent development strategies that support succession planning. The participants were 6 business leaders holding different corporate positions such as managing directors, …

Workforce Agility Strategies For Improving The Success Rate Of Change Initiatives, Marvia Herfah Evangelist-Roach

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Failure to implement change initiatives is a direct result of low employee resilience and adaptability. Successful agility strategies are important to financial business leaders to remain competitive in financial markets. Grounded in the dynamic capabilities theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore workforce agility strategies used by financial business leaders to improve the success rate of change initiatives. The participants were 4 financial business leaders in Jamaica who successfully improved the success rate of change initiatives. Data were collected from semistructured interviews, organizational strategic plans, annual reports, and change management plans. Four themes emerged through …

The Role Of Strategic Leadership In The Profitability Of Large Organizations, Bernard Yaw Owusu-Boadi

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Large organizations in the United States endure a 30%-50% failure to achieve profitability. Senior executives' lack of strategies to ensure profitability diminish performance and economic growth. The purpose of this qualitative single case study was to explore strategies senior executives use to ensure profitability in large tax preparation organizations. The conceptual framework for this study was the resource-based view theory. The sample consisted of 2 board members and 3 senior leaders from a large tax preparation organization located in the United States. Study site participants had at least 15 years of experience in enhancing organizational profitability and 5 years of …

Customer Engagement Strategies Leaders Use To Sustain Small Businesses, John A. Coy

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The purpose of this single-case study was to explore strategies small business leaders used to engage the next generation of customers to ensure sustainability for longer than 5 years. The study population included senior leaders from a for-profit company headquartered in the mid-Atlantic region of the United States. Von Bertalanffy's general systems theory (GST) was the conceptual lens used in this study. Data were collected via semistructured interviews with 3 leaders of the organization. Participants for this doctoral study were members occupying leadership roles in a small, family-owned, for-profit business. Member checking was incorporated to help ensure accuracy, consistency, and …

Improving Access To Cancer Care For The Rural Community With Telehealth, Cheryl Ann Fiscelli

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

After a diagnosis of cancer, timely access to oncology care is a priority. For patients living in a rural community, there are many challenges such as proximity to cancer care, reduced access to state-of-the art therapies, lack of coordinated care, and limited access to clinical trials. A multidisciplinary consultation (MDC) via telehealth can improve access to care for rural oncology patients. The purpose of this project was to determine the effects of telehealth MDC on the time in days from diagnosis to the first treatment with the goal of persuading the project site to implement a telehealth MDC. The data …

Critical Success Factors In Enterprise Resource Planning Implementation In U.S. Manufacturing, Justin Goldston

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Organizational leaders have increasingly turned to enterprise resource planning (ERP) applications, also known as decision-support systems, to make their firms' operational, tactical, and strategic processes more efficient and effective in the changing global marketplace. High failure rates in ERP systems implementations make these projects risky, however. Most prior research on critical success factors for conventional ERP implementation has been on large enterprises, resulting in a gap in knowledge on these factors in the small and medium enterprises that constitute the majority of U.S. employer firms. A qualitative modified Delphi study with an expert panel of U.S. manufacturing consultants and 3 …

Social Work Professionals' Strategies To Reduce Employee Turnover, Jamilla Jenkins Jenkins Nelson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Abstract

Some social work leaders in the United States lack strategies to successfully reduce employee turnover, which is detrimental to the profitability of an organization. The purpose of this qualitative single case study was to explore effective strategies that social work professionals used to reduce employee turnover. The targeted population included 10 social work managers from organizations in South Carolina who experienced employee turnover and implemented successful strategies to overcome it. The conceptual framework was Herzberg's motivation-hygiene theory. Triangulation was used to increase the reliability and validity of the data. Data were collected from semistructured in-depth interviews with managers who …

Florida Political Appointees Usage Of Social Power Bases After Service First Initiative, Leland Francis Butcher

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Florida reformed its civil service system with the passage of the Service First Initiative of 2001, resulting in a unique organizational setting by altering the employer-employee relationship, yet little academic research explored the power tactics used by politicians and political appointees in order to gain subordinate compliance in unique organizational environments. Using French and Raven’s bases of social power theory and Raven’s interpersonal power interaction model as the foundation, the primary purpose of this stratified cross-sectional study of politicians and political appointees in Florida was to explore whether certain demographic factors are predictors of the extent to which French and …

Strategies To Recruit Skilled Workers In Manufacturing, Ina Renee Rawlinson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Manufacturing hiring managers in the United States who fail to implement adequate recruitment strategies for skilled production workers experience reduced profits and sustainability challenges. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore the strategies that successful manufacturing hiring managers in North Carolina used to recruit skilled production workers to sustain business profitability. Inductive analysis was guided by the human capital theory, and trustworthiness of interpretations was strengthened by member checking. The population for the study consisted of 4 business leaders who demonstrated the use of effective recruitment strategies to sustain profitability in manufacturing businesses in southeastern North Carolina. …

Leadership Strategies To Improve Nurse Retention, Floyd Jordan Colwell

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The nursing shortage and high turnover rates are a problem in the United States. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore leadership strategies that hospital senior nurse managers in the Rocky Mountain states use to improve nurse retention. Participants were 6 hospital senior nurse managers including 3 chief nursing officers, 1 assistant chief nursing officer, and 2 directors who had demonstrated effective leadership strategies in retention of nurses. The leadership-motivated excellence theory was the conceptual framework. Semistructured interviews with open-ended interview questions were used to collect data; organization websites and documents were used to help corroborate evidence …

The Effects Of Small Learning Communities On College And Career Ready Performance Index, Julie Mizell

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

I

In an attempt to address persistent dropout rates and low-test scores, a high school with nearly 1,700 students in the southeastern region of the United States restructured itself into small learning communities (SLCs) in 2006 resulting in higher student achievement as based on College and Career Ready Performance Index scores. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to determine the perspectives of teachers as they experienced the SLC transformation. Guided by Piaget and Dewey's theories of constructivism, the perspectives of teachers as they experienced a successful transformation within the context of the school were investigated. The participants' prior …

Strategies To Improve Employee Engagement In The Hospitality Industry, Carolyn Yvette Taylor

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

More than 50% of the workforce in the United States is disengaged, costing U.S. organizations almost $355 billion annually. Engaged employees improve customer satisfaction, perform effectively, and are committed to organizational goals. Guided by Kahn's personal engagement theory, the purpose of this multiple case study was to explore strategies business leaders in the hospitality industry used to improve employee engagement for increased productivity. A purposive sample of 1 business leader each from 6 organizations in South Korea shared their experiences with the phenomenon of employee engagement. Data were collected through face-to-face semi structured interviews and by reviewing company position descriptions …

Effective Strategies For Recognition And Treatment Of In-Hospital Strokes, Maryika Ivanova Gibson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In-hospital onset strokes represent 4% to 20% of all reported strokes in the United States. The variability of treatment protocols and workflows as well as the complex etiology and multiple comorbidities of the in-hospital stroke subpopulation often result in unfavorable outcomes and higher mortality rates compared to those who experience strokes outside of the hospital setting. The purpose of this project was to conduct a systematic review to identify and summarize effective strategies and practices for prompt recognition and treatment of in-hospital strokes. The results of the literature review with leading-edge guidelines for stroke care were corelated to formulate recommendations …

Strategizing Effective Succession Planning For Information Technology Executives, Michael Barr

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Organizations across the United States lose hundreds of millions of dollars each year due to the lack of effective succession planning for information technology executives. The purpose of this single case study was to explore strategies for the development and implementation of effective succession plans for future information technology executives. Bass and Avolio's transformational leadership theory was the conceptual framework for this study. The 3 participants were selected based upon their roles as executives in technology-related positions and their experiences with succession planning. Data were collected using semistructured interviews with these executives from a company headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri. …