Digital Commons Network^™

Strategies Small Business Leaders Use To Improve Employee Engagement, Jennifer A. Boyd

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

When employees are disengaged, owners of small businesses face decreased employee productivity, which affects profitability. Owners of small businesses may reduce the profits lost annually by implementing strategies to improve employee engagement. Grounded in the social exchange theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore strategies that 3 small business owners in Virginia used to improve employee engagement. The participants selected successfully implemented strategies to improve employee engagement. Data were collected using semistructured interviews via Zoom audio, employee handbooks, and documents obtained from the small businesses' websites. The 3 themes that emerged from the thematic analysis …

Information Systems Strategies For Small And Medium Size Enterprise Sustainability, Oluseyi Solomon Awotayo

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Small and medium size business owners who do not use information systems effectively degrade business models, reduce customer value, and diminish the prospects for business stability, profitability, and growth. Grounded in the resource based view framework, the purpose of this qualitative multiple-case study was to explore the information systems strategies small business owners used to sustain their business beyond 5 years. A purposeful sample of 5 owners of 5 different small and medium sized businesses in the state of Texas participated in the study. Data were collected via semistructured, face-to-face interviews, company documents, and member checking. Data were analyzed using …

Effective Strategies Processing Companies Use To Sustain Business Operations Beyond 5 Years, Travis C. Souders

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Some small food processing businesses in the United States lack strategies to remain financially viable beyond 5 years of operation. Owners and managers of small food processing businesses could benefit from an improved understanding of the importance of effective strategies to improve small business sustainability. Grounded in systems theory, the purpose of this qualitative single case study was to explore strategies small food processing companies use to sustain operations beyond 5 years. The participants were 1 small-business owner and 8 managers in Lexington, Kentucky, who used effective strategies to sustain business operations beyond 5 years. Data collected came from semi-structured …

Leadership Strategies For Reducing Turnover Within Child Welfare Departments, Lace Shelise Whitten

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Employee turnover costs companies billions of dollars annually and can damage business sustainability. Childcare managers who lack leadership strategies may struggle to reduce employee turnover. Grounded in the motivation-hygiene theory, the purpose of this qualitative single case study was to explore leadership strategies childcare managers in Polk County, Florida, use to reduce employee turnover. Data were collected through semistructured face-to-face interviews with 5 purposively selected childcare managers who have used leadership strategies to reduce employee turnover. Data were also collected via field notes, observations, and company documents. Four themes emerged from the thematic analysis of the data: open communication, feedback …

Big Data Marketing Strategies For Improving Sales Revenues, Angela M. Welbaum

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Marketing leaders often lack strategies to increase sales revenues using big data (BD) analytics and technology. Marketing leaders who better understand the strategies that influence BD-based sales revenues may benefit from BD market opportunities to be economic catalysts in the markets they serve. Grounded by change theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore BD-based marketing strategies used by marketing leaders to increase sales revenues. Data collection included semistructured interviews with 3 marketing leaders from organizations headquartered in Ohio and online sales documents. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis and coded to identify 5 themes: customer …

Relationship Between Nonprofit Leadership Intention, Leadership Development Programs, And Succession Planning Documentation, Denise March

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Understanding the importance of efficient and effective leadership transition to retain organizational intelligence can mitigate the risks of significant disruption. The problem for nonprofits is the potential loss of organizational intelligence, funding, and continuity as baby boomers retire and transition out of their leadership roles without effectively addressing leadership transition and an impending leadership deficit. The purpose of this quantitative descriptive correlational study was to examine the relationship between leadership intention factors, succession planning documentation, and leadership development programs. The research questions pertained to the relationship between leadership intention factors, succession planning documentation, and leadership development programs. Ajzen’s theory of …

Integrating Technology In Improving Communication To Reduce Discharge Cycle Time, Julieta Fajardo

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

One of the most important milestones during a patient’s transition to care is discharge from hospital. Consequently, delays in the discharge process can lead to patient dissatisfaction and affect outcomes in intensive care and emergency rooms. The purpose of the project was to evaluate the tools built into the electronic system to improve communication and reduce the discharge cycle time. The focus of the project is to enter the expected date of discharge (EDD) and identify discharge barriers within 24-48 hours of admission to reduce this time. Evidence was from the project site’s discharge initiative dashboard. Analysis of the problem …

Restructuring Old-Path Dependence In Inland Container Depots In The Nigerian Maritime Industry, Abiodun John Akinade

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The neglect of Inland Container Depots (ICDs) in the Nigerian maritime industry has been a protracted problem even though the facilities are potential sources of revenue in boosting the nation’s economy. The specific problem was the full potential of coordinated governance initiatives, such as the Maritime Anti-Corruption Network (MACN) aimed at addressing the challenge, has not been realized because of the failure of port actors to break away from old-path dependence in managing the port facilities. The purpose of this qualitative classical Delphi study was to determine how a panel of maritime industry experts views the desirability, feasibility, and importance …

A Systematic Review Of The Literature On Bedside Shift Reports, Dana Wickersheim

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractIn 2017, The Joint Commission issued a sentinel event alert regarding inadequate nurse hand-off communication. Inadequate hand-off communication can lead to medication errors, delay in treatment, falls, and wrong-site surgery. To help ensure safe handoff of care between nurses by involving the patient and family, bedside shift report was created. Bedside shift report was developed to help improve patient safety and quality, patient experience of care, nursing staff satisfaction and time management, and accountability between nurses. Despite the implementation of bedside shift report in nursing practice, it continues to be inconsistently applied, which poses risks to patients and can lead …

Effects Of Prerelease And Reentry Programs On Male Recidivism In The Midwest, Tenisha N. Mack

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractThe purpose of this qualitative case study was to determine the effectiveness of prerelease and reentry programs on recidivism from the perspective of male ex-offenders. The prison population in the United States in 2.3 million according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics. Most ex-offenders recidivate in the first 3 years. Prerelease and reentry programs are responsible for successful reintegration for many ex-offenders. However, this study revealed that a holistic approach to rehabilitation pre-and postrelease contributed to a better quality of life for ex-offenders, their families, and communities. The operant conditioning and social cognitive theories provided the theoretical foundation for this …

Special Education Teacher Retention In The Early Years, Caroll Brant

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The intent of this qualitative study was to examine the impact of intrinsic motivators and extrinsic workplace experiences on the retention of beginning special education teachers of students with low incidence disabilities (LIDs). This study was designed in response to district leaders’ shared concerns of the continuous turnover experienced annually in several districts in a region of a southern state. Two research questions were developed to gain a deeper insight into the influence intrinsic and extrinsic factors have on beginning special education teachers’ decisions to stay in the self-contained, LID classroom. Ten beginning special education LID teachers participated in interviews …

Strategies Health Care Leaders Use To Implement Strategic Change Initiatives Successfully, Sophia F. Brown

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Health care organizations lose a significant competitive edge when leaders fail to align strategic change initiatives with necessary operational activities. Health care leaders who struggle to maintain a competitive edge are at high risk for failure. Pettigrew and Whipp's content, process, and context strategic change management and Hoshin Kanri (HK) program deployment models constituted the composite conceptual framework for this study. The purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore strategies health care leaders use to implement strategic change initiatives successfully. The participants comprised of 4 strategic change leaders from 2 health care organizations in Manhattan, New York, …

Strategies For Information Technology Employee Retention, Stephen Horton

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Information technology (IT) employee retention is essential to IT departments tasked with supporting the goals and objectives of the organization. IT employees manage, support, and direct IT to drive business, pursue innovation, and create a competitive edge. The purpose of this qualitative exploratory multiple case study was to identify strategies that IT managers use to retain IT employees in order to support the goals and objectives of the IT organization. The population for this study consisted of 5 IT managers in the transportation industry. The IT managers selected for this study had subordinates and delegation duties and worked for employers …

Elementary And Middle School Administrators’ Perceptions On Implementing Change Toward Inclusion Practices, Nicole J. Taguinod

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Inclusive education programs exist in public schools to provide equitable education opportunities for all students, including students with disabilities. However, the processes for administrators to implement change toward inclusive classrooms and achieve program sustainability remain unclear. The purpose of this exploratory qualitative case study was to investigate campus administrators’ perceptions concerning challenges and facilitators that influence the implementation and continuation of inclusion practices and their roles in initiating change. An integration of Fullan and Quinn’s coherence framework and Lewin’s 3-step change model was the conceptual lens for the study. Research questions were focused on how administrators view aspects that hinder …

Strategies For Reducing Voluntary Employee Turnover In The Food Service Industry, Jerahn D. Hyman

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Owners of small food service businesses experience high levels of voluntary employee turnover causing loss of productivity and profit. Grounded in the transformational leadership theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore strategies that foodservice business owners used to reduce voluntary employee turnover. A purposeful sample of 5 business owners of small food service businesses in the Midwest region of the United States participated in the study. Data were collected from semi-structured interviews as well as reviewing internal company documents such as employee surveys, training materials, and documented procedures. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis with …

Nonprofit Leaders’ Strategies For Retaining Donors, Robert Enchil

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Nonprofit leaders who fail to maintain donors negatively impact business operations.

Maintaining a stable donor base is crucial for nonprofit leaders to build a secure foundation for their organizations that supports future growth. Grounded in the transformational leadership theory, the purpose of this qualitative single case study was to explore strategies that 3 leaders of a nonprofit organization located in the Northeast United States used to retain donors for their organizations. Data were collected through semistructured interviews and an analysis of both internal and external organizational documents. Data were analyzed using a thematic analysis; 3 themes emerged to include leaders …

Employee Engagement In The Federal Sector: An Exploration Of Communication, Respect, Motivation, And Encouragement, Jody Mcdaniel

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to investigate and deepen the understanding of employee engagement in the multigenerational workforce of a federal agency. Organizational culture in combination with the dispersion of staff across multiple generations presented the opportunity to inform the case study through scientific management theory and the theory of generations as well as concepts regarding organizational change, employee satisfaction, and organizational leadership. Research questions involved investigating factors influencing the reduction in employee satisfaction and engagement, the impact of generational differences, and the role leadership plays in altering employee engagement. Survey questions were developed based on 4 …

Leadership Strategies For Reducing Regulatory Citations To Maintain Tax-Exempt Statuses In Nonprofit Organizations, Emmanuel Kamara

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Abstract

Leaders of nonprofit organizations have challenging responsibilities of satisfying the

demands of all their stakeholders by obeying state and federal regulations.

Noncompliance of regulations can quickly cause a nonprofit organization to lose its tax

exempt status and become nonexistent; thus, it appears that most nonprofits are choosing

to prioritize compliance, while struggling to maintain focus on their mission and services.

Using the conceptual framework of transformational leadership and general system

theories, this case study was to explore strategies leaders of nonprofits organizations in

Pennsylvania that cater to the needs of people with disabilities use for decreasing

regulatory citations to …

Understanding Scaled Agile Framework Coordination Methods For Reducing Failure Rates, William Collins

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

As organizations’ software needs continue to increase, software development failure rates parallel and directly threaten organizations’ wellbeing and viability. The purpose of this qualitative exploratory single case study was to understand the methods and relationships impacted by coordination during a transformation to the scaled agile framework. The research question was designed to explore how large organizations transforming to scaled agile frameworks use coordination methods to support software and systems engineers to potentially improve the success of implementation. This was an exploratory single case study of a global aerospace organization. Data collected included historical organization documents, casual field observations, and semi-structured …

Exploring Strategies For Enforcing Cybersecurity Policies, Bayo Olushola Omoyiola

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Some cybersecurity leaders have not enforced cybersecurity policies in their organizations. The lack of employee cybersecurity policy compliance is a significant threat in organizations because it leads to security risks and breaches. Grounded in the theory of planned behavior, the purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore the strategies cybersecurity leaders utilize to enforce cybersecurity policies. The participants were cybersecurity leaders from 3 large organizations in southwest and northcentral Nigeria responsible for enforcing cybersecurity policies. The data collection included semi-structured interviews of participating cybersecurity leaders (n = 12) and analysis of cybersecurity policy documents (n = 20). Thematic …

Minority Women Leaders' Experiences Of Shattering The Glass Ceiling In Public Administration, Trina N. George

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Little research explores the experiences of women who have successfully attained careers in the highest echelons of federal service. Using Gregory-Mina's conceptualization of the great man theory as the foundation, the purpose of this general qualitative study was to understand the experiences and achievements of 7 women who advanced in the federal leadership hierarchy. This study used secondary data that is part of the Public Administration Genome Project holdings and these data were analyzed using inductive coding followed by a thematic analysis procedure. Data analysis revealed common experiences including that all of the women experienced a lack of mentors and …

Strategies To Reduce Workplace Bullying In The Pharmaceutical Industry, Gina Julceus Nelson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Approximately 60% of employees are affected by workplace bullying. Leaders who do not adequately address workplace bullying experience reduced productivity, increased attendance issues, or risk of losing skilled employees. Grounded in the behavior engineering model, the purpose of this multiple-case study was to explore strategies some leaders in the pharmaceutical industry use to reduce workplace bullying to improve organizational culture and employee performance. The population consisted of 4 leaders from 2 pharmaceutical organizations in Florida who have successfully implemented strategies to reduce workplace bullying to improve organizational culture and employee performance. Data were collected from semistructured interviews and document analysis …

Nurses’ Aesthetic Responses And Emotional Judgements To Senior Leaders’ Symbolism, Lucinda A. Easler

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Stress can be heightened during a merger; understanding how acute care nurses who work in a hospital undergoing a merger, experience senior leaders’ use of symbolism may help to promote hospital and leader sustainability. Executive symbolism unfolds into aesthetic experience, normally considered a response to art, with few studies of its existence and benefit to organizational life. The purpose of this phenomenological-hermeneutic study guided by Parker’s aesthetic theory was to examine acute care nurses’ emotional responses and experiences with senior leaders’ use of executive symbolism in the midst of the organizational change. Interviews with 11 acute care registered nurses were …

Effects Of Government Regulations And Reimbursement Policies On Home Health Administration In Illinois., Sally Nwafor

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Recent changes in government regulations and reimbursement policies threaten the financial viability and the ability of home health agencies to provide the necessary services. There is a gap in knowledge about the effect of the changes in healthcare policies on the administration of home health businesses in Illinois. The purpose of this study was to bridge the knowledge gap by investigating the effect of the regulatory and policy changes on home health administration in Illinois. The research question focused on the challenges that home health administrators face due to the changes in government regulation and reimbursement policies, and the strategies …

Strategies For Retaining Life Insurance Sales Agents, Jose Pablo Pescador

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The total number of life insurance sales agents has decreased from 535,000 in 1990 to 323,700 in 2014, averaging a total of 8,829 life insurance sales agents leaving the life insurance industry annually. Effective retention strategies of life insurance sales agents may provide a sustainable workforce in the life insurance industry. Guided by Ambler and Barrow’s employer branding theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore strategies branch managers used to retain life insurance sales agents. The 6 participants in the study implemented effective retention strategies to retain life insurance sales agents within 2 life insurance …

Leadership Strategies For Improving Employee Retention In The Fast Food Industry, Hope J. Stallworth

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The turnover of skilled employees in the fast food industry results in significant yearly financial losses to organizations across the United States. Applying the findings in this study may help business leaders improve best practices in fast food industries in order to minimize employee turnover. Grounded in the expectancy motivation theory, the purpose of this qualitative single case study was to explore strategies 5 transformational business leaders in southern Mississippi used to improve employee retention in a fast food restaurant. Data collection included semistructured face-to-face interviews and an assessment of the company’s documents (e.g., employee handbook, training manual, and vision …

Strategies For Information Technology Employee Retention, Stephen Horton

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Information technology (IT) employee retention is essential to IT departments tasked with supporting the goals and objectives of the organization. IT employees manage, support, and direct IT to drive business, pursue innovation, and create a competitive edge. The purpose of this qualitative exploratory multiple case study was to identify strategies that IT managers use to retain IT employees in order to support the goals and objectives of the IT organization. The population for this study consisted of 5 IT managers in the transportation industry. The IT managers selected for this study had subordinates and delegation duties and worked for employers …

Developing Teacher Leaders Through Professional Development Offered In A District Teacher Forum, Suzanne T. Koty

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Teacher attrition is an ongoing problem in education, and the lack of leadership opportunities contribute to that problem. Teachers who serve in leadership roles are more likely to remain in the profession and positively impact students and the profession as a whole. However, there is little qualitative research to address how teachers develop the needed leadership skills to take on additional leadership roles. The purpose of this qualitative study was to describe the experiences of participants in a District Teacher Forum. The District Teacher Forum is a cohort of teachers identified as Campus Teachers of the Year led by the …

Nonprofit Church Leaders’ Perceptions And Lived Experiences Involving Innovation Competency And Change Management: A Phenomenological Study, Charity R. Addai-Duah

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Innovation competency among religious leaders has been an area of study as nonprofit researchers continue to discover that conventional ways of managing change are no longer effective when tackling present issues. Discussions regarding using innovation competency to manage change among religious leaders are vague, despite benefits to the nonprofit sector. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences of nonprofit church leaders to better understand how innovation competency has shaped organizational change results. Boyatzis’ effective job performance model was the conceptual framework that guided this study. Interview data were gathered from 14 participants who met …

Public Service Employee Perceptions Of Leadership Behaviors That Engage Or Disengage, Beverlyn A. Banks

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

A high percentage of U.S. employees do not engage in their work, resulting in lower productivity. U.S. corporations are losing more than $400–$500 billion per year because of low productivity at work. This phenomenological study involved an examination of leadership behaviors that engage or disengage employees in public service organizations. Kahn’s conceptual frame of engagement and Maslow’s hierarchy of needs motivation theory guided this study. The purpose was to determine why disengagement behavior continues despite extensive literature on the benefits of engagement and what organizations can do to encourage leadership behaviors that engage employees and discourage leadership behaviors that disengage …