Digital Commons Network^™

When Women Win: Prominent Leadership Traits That Contributed To The Successful Election Of Women In California, Diandra Simone Bremond

Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study identifies prominent leadership traits that contributed to women’s successful election in California. Moreover, this study discovers how intelligence, self-confidence, determination, integrity, and sociability contribute to California women’s success. The research design was a qualitative narrative study. Women elected officials in local, state, and federal legislatures in California were the participants. The conceptual framework served as a basis for the purpose and research questions. Semi-structured questions were utilized to interview women elected officials in California to identify leadership traits that contributed to their successful election. Following an extensive literature review, an expert panel of researchers ascertained the validity …

Best Leadership Practices For Retaining Direct Care Staff In Residential Treatment Centers, Emma Nicole Salazer

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to identify best leadership practices in retaining direct-care staff in residential treatment centers. While research exists on employee retention, there is a lack of research focused on employee retention in residential care. How leaders engage with direct-care staff members in residential care can have a significant influence on increasing employee retention rate. The literature review revealed transformational leadership theory as the theoretical framework, including 4 components: idealized influence, individualized consideration, inspirational motivation, and intellectual stimulation. The design for this research was a qualitative case study. The residential treatment center was selected as the study …

Organizational Success: How The Presence Of Happiness In The Workplace Affects Employee Engagement That Leads To Organizational Success, Kevin K. Claypool

Theses and Dissertations

The central focus of this quantitative, correlational study is to examine the relationship between happiness found in the work place and employees’ engagement that leads to organizational success. Employee engagement has been touted as the next frontier that will help organizations to achieve success. This is because passionate employees will ensure that they are productive in the work place. Happiness has been argued to be one of the factors that enhance employee engagement. The collected data shows a positive correlation between happiness and engagement of the employee. This is an important finding as it can be used by organizations to …

How Do Highly Engaged Employees And Managers Find Meaning In Their Work?, Bruce Barkis

Theses and Dissertations

Multiple studies have shown meaning as a driver of employee engagement. The literature indicates that the primary focus of employee engagement research has been on engagement’s performance outcomes rather than on the conditions such as meaning that influence that performance. Along with contributing to the body of engagement research, this study will benefit employees’ and managers’ work experience. The purpose of this study is to understand how highly engaged managers and employees discover meaning in their work. The phenomenological qualitative research method was chosen to explore and describe the individual managers’ and employees’ lived experiences of finding meaning in work. …

Novice Clinicians And The Experience Of Transcendence In Clinical Training And Supervision, Alberto Luis Ibarra

Theses and Dissertations

This autoethnographic study, from the perspective of novice clinicians, used a directed, or deductive, qualitative content analysis to explore the presence of transcendent experiences, as one aspect of personal growth for three first year clinical psychology doctoral students. A total of fifty-three journal entries describing critical moments during their first-year clinical training and supervision experience were used for this study. Coding categories for transcendence that reflected the quality of “being more” were drawn from existing literature. In descending order of frequency, results from this exploratory study found that transcendence was experienced by these trainees, centered first and predominantly on capacity …

Examining Education Leadership Communication Practices Around Basic And Advanced Skill Sets: A Multiple Case Study, Leslie Minger

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore and describe the leadership communication practices of school principals in Southern California schools with demonstrated high levels of academic performance in order to identify practices that might be replicated in other schools. Communication practices were studied in relation to two leadership skill sets, basic and advanced. Basic leadership skill set includes (a) setting direction, (b) developing people, and (c) redesigning the organization. Advanced leadership skill set includes: (a) creating and sustaining a competitive school, (b) empowering others to make significant decisions, (c) providing instructional guidance, and d) developing and implementing …

Leading Organizational Change: A Phenomenological Study Of The Nonlinear Strategies Used By Female Leaders In Global Companies, Rachel Faoutas Shafran

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences of female leaders and their role in using nonlinear models of change to influence organizational change. This study was designed to determine how approaches to change leadership deployed by female leaders contribute new information and principles to the field of organizational change. A phenomenological research method was the best approach to capture the insights, perspectives, and experiences of female leaders. This study examined the nonlinear change approaches of fourteen senior female leaders in large corporations. While female leaders are increasing in the executive suite, research around their …

Developing A Supplemental Resource For Trauma-Focused Cognitive-Behavioral Therapists Working With Lesbian, Gay, And Bisexual Adolescent Survivors Of Interpersonal Trauma, Paul N. Perales

Theses and Dissertations

The rates of maltreatment and interpersonal trauma among children and adolescents are astounding. Youth exposed to interpersonal trauma are at increased risk for both short and long-term negative physical, behavioral, and mental health outcomes. Lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) adolescents represent a uniquely vulnerable population. Compared to their heterosexual peers, LGB youth are at increased risk for experiencing interpersonal trauma and sexual violence, including trauma’s negative sequelae (e.g., higher rates of PTSD, depression, suicidality, substance abuse, and risky sexual behavior). Trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (TF-CBT) is an evidence-based treatment demonstrating repeated efficacy in treating youth and families exposed to various …

Assessing Cultural And Linguistic Competencies In Doctoral Clincial Psychology Students, Rosanna Rivero

Theses and Dissertations

The increase of Spanish-speaking populations in the U.S. has resulted in an increased demand for culturally competent, Spanish-speaking mental health providers. Yet, little is known about the methods in which academic programs and clinical training sites are preparing their bilingual students to deliver services in Spanish to the Latino populations. This qualitative study used phone interviews with five supervising, bilingual licensed psychologists to examine the methods they utilize to evaluate the linguistic and cultural competencies in their trainees. Additionally, this study gathered feedback on the Spanish Language Assessment measure to assist in modifications. The thematic analysis highlighted methods of evaluation, …

Leadership Development In A Multigenerational Workplace: An Exploratory Study, Rene Heredia

Theses and Dissertations

The boundaries within our workplace continue to disappear and employees at all levels are impacted by the cultural and technological differences among generations. The gaps in values, beliefs, life experiences and attitudes are increasing. Leadership is essential in bridging these gaps to achieve top performance and operational excellence. There is no single strategy to provide support for developing leaders, each business must implement what works for them. Executive coaching, as an increasingly popular leader development strategy, seems to maximize employee engagement while fostering collaboration and teamwork. This exploratory research study explores how executive coaches are preparing leaders to succeed in …

Aligning Talent Development Performance Outcomes With Organizational Objectives, Iris Ware

Wayne State University Dissertations

*The value proposition for learning and talent development (LTD) is often challenged due to human resources’ inability to demonstrate meaningful outcomes in relation to organizational needs and return-on-investment. The primary role of human resources (HR) and the learning and talent development (LTD) function is to produce meaningful outcomes to support organizational change, performance improvement and organizational impact.

This study proposes an empirically-based descriptive process model to align LTD performance outcomes with organizational objectives. This study builds on the knowledge base of previous studies and seeks to enhance the application of research and theory. This study supports multidisciplinary knowledge enhancement and …

Mass Shootings As Issue Management Exigencies And Focusing Events For Public Policy Debates, Melvin Gupton

Wayne State University Dissertations

This content analysis of multiple mass shooting cases examines a crisis genre that is not as frequently studied as other crises such as natural disasters or organizational exigencies. Though just as rich with stakeholders’ communicative exchanges and neatly traversing the three crisis stages, mass shootings have yet to be fully elaborated. To further the examination of these crises, this dissertation identifies those actors who hold the principal stakes in the aftermath of a mass shooting incident, and explores what these stakeholders are saying. By applying focusing events and issue management theories, it uncovers the prominent public policy issues reported in …

Sitting With Nellie; Mentoring Relationships In The Office Of The Revenue Commissioners, Kieran Healy

Theses

Mentoring is a powerful HRD tool that has been shown to have a positive impact on career development and play a significant role in the psychosocial support of employees in the workplace. There is no definitive definition of mentoring or a clear concise methodology of how it works but it does work and has been shown to do so time and time again in a multitude of settings and organisations.

Mentoring in Revenue is a mixture of the formal and informal and supports training courses and on the job training in equal measure. This dissertation will focus on mentoring in …

An Examination Of The Awareness And Practices Of Human Resource Professionals In How They Are Measuring The Effectiveness Of Employee Reward Practices, Eva Bermingham

Theses

Human Resource (HR) Analytics and the benefits that can be gained Irom the utilization of such has become a contemporary topic of interest in recent years. To clarify, HR Analytics is simply an evidence based approach to management. The prevalence of globalization and increased market competitiveness has commanded that organizations work more efficiently. The power of the use of HR Analytics in creating these unique business specific efficiencies can no more be ignored, and it has become ob\ious that Human Resources in its continuous evokitba has placed a greater focus on the business results that existing data can bring them …

The Advising Palaver Hut: Case Study In West African Higher Education, Jobila Williams Sy

All Works

Although international research regarding advising is burgeoning, most of the research on the role of and advantages related to academic advising has been limited to U.S. colleges and universities. This ethnographic case study conducted at a Liberian university examined the organizational culture of advising from student, faculty, and staff perspectives after the establishment of the Student Academic Advisement and Career Counseling Center. The findings suggest two primary elements that shape the role of advising and college student experience: postwar challenges in Liberian higher education and the shifting perspective on student centeredness. As a result, these elements have redefined the preliminary …

Service-Learning Faculty Perceptions, Karrie Faye Adkins

Online Theses and Dissertations

This study examined how service-learning faculty's perceptions are influenced by their experience with service learning, and how service learning affects faculty's personal and professional perceptions and job satisfaction. Data were collected from 130 participants at higher education institutions throughout the U. S. via an electronic survey. The data were used to create seven composite variables to represent each service-learning faculty perception area (Personal Growth, Teaching Advancement, Institutional Context, Community, Scholarship, Personal Values, and Institutional Emphasis). It was hypothesized that faculty who perceive having a highly supportive institutional culture of service learning will have higher levels of personal and professional satisfaction …

The Importance Of Institutional Design For Distributed Local-Level Governance Of Groundwater: The Case Of California’S Sustainable Groundwater Management Act, Dave Owen, Michael Kiparsky, Anita Milman, Andrew T. Fisher

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Creating A Leadership Model Framework For Art Education : Examining Leadership Philosophies, Techniques, And Practices Of Art Education Leaders, Li-Hsuan Hsu

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine art and art educational leadership experiences and the development of leaders in art organizations to determine how their past art and art education influenced their leadership philosophies, techniques, and practices. To allow art educators to share their successful practices and provide a standard by which future and developing leaders can measure their progress and maturation, a framework for leadership in art education was created based on the investigation of a variety of current art leaders' personal backgrounds, professional experiences, and underlying leadership philosophies to discover the core characteristics of a successful art …

Lives And The Effects On Workplace Productivity, Neisha S. Jones-Sewell

Department of Conflict Resolution Studies Theses and Dissertations

The phenomenon of personal lives conflict is multifaceted and impacts the workplace in multiple ways. The aims of this study were to examine the various aspects of personal lives conflicts and how it affects the workplace’s productivity. Understanding productivity in the workplace, employers would better be able to manage conflicts at work as well as maintain productivity and by extensions profits. In order to fully understand this issue, the researcher framed the study around these questions: Do personal lives conflict affect productivity in the workplace? Do intimate partner conflicts affect productivity in the workplace? To what extent does intimate partner …

Impact Of Leadership Strategies On Perceived Climate Of Safety At The Construction Job Site, Joshua M. Estrin

Department of Conflict Resolution Studies Theses and Dissertations

Despite the creation of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) more than 30 years ago, the construction industry is in conflict with itself. It is locked in a struggle to effectively keep its workforce protected from unsafe acts, unsafe conditions, or a combination of both. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), nearly 6.5 million people work at approximately 252,000 construction sites across the United States every day, with the fatal injury rate for the construction industry higher than the national average when compared to all industries. There have been many studies documenting these conditions, but no study …

Influences Of Provider-Patient Communication On Health Literacy And Public Policy Relevant Outcomes, Rachel Carla Cartwright-Vanzant

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Several artifacts of federal policy address the connection between health literacy of patients and health outcomes. These laws include The Plain Writing Act, Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health, and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. Even with this policy structure, little is known about how nurses' knowledge of health literacy may influence patient understanding of medical information and health outcomes. Using Knowles' principles of effective communication, the purpose of this mixed-methods study was to concurrently examine the relationship between nurse knowledge of health literacy and communication techniques used by nurses to identify any causal relationships in …

Strategies Clinic Managers Use To Reduce Missed Medical Appointments, Sophea Ey Skym

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Patients who miss their medical appointments increase health care costs for themselves and for clinics. The purpose of this qualitative, single exploratory case study was to explore strategies health care clinic managers use to reduce medical no-shows for patient-scheduled appointments. Change management theory guided the scope and analysis. The data collection included a single clinical operations manager who have strategies to mitigate no-shows for patient-scheduled appointments participated in a semistructured interview in southeastern Virginia, the direct observation of 2 office workers in their natural setting of scheduling appointments, and for methodological triangulation, a review of organizational archival documents about missed …

Violence Against Nurses, Terri Lynne Declerck

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Workplace violence against nurses causes stress, job dissatisfaction, injury, and financial burden. The purpose of this project was to examine training for nurses on violence, risk factors and on reporting workplace violence. The practice-focused question was designed to examine the effectiveness of educating nurses regarding violent patients and how to report episodes of violence. Benner's novice to expert theory guided the skill acquisition training of a convenience sample of 25 Midwestern medical nurses. The nurses participated by completing a survey prior to and following a violence simulation. A qualitative design was used with the 25 nurse participants who completed the …

Strategies For Crisis Preparedness Of Tourist Destinations, Carrine V. M. Todman-Lewis

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Billion-dollar disasters are projected to increase at a statistically significant rate of 5% annually. Crises affect the viability and lucrativeness of tourism business and implicate destinations in the process. Crisis preparedness is vital to improving outcomes and reducing consequential effects in the tourism industry-a key contributor to socioeconomic progress and infrastructural development worldwide. The study was an exploration of the strategies used for crisis preparedness to reduce business interruptions and improve the image of destinations affected by large-scale natural disasters and human-induced crises. A multiple case study was conducted based on the cycle of preparedness framework. Data were gathered from …

Correlations Between Management Behaviors And Financial Indicators With Fda Compliance Leading To Medicine Shortages, Francisco Gutierrez-Perez

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In the first 3 years of the Obama Administration, 2009-2011, the number of warning letters issued to pharmaceutical firms for manufacturing and quality issues increased by 81% to 49 letters. Only 9 letters were issued in the last 3 years of the George W. Bush Administration. Shortfalls in compliance and product quality led to medicine shortages that affected patients' treatment and health. This quantitative study sought to learn to what extent, if any, the independent variables, management behaviors and financial indicators at pharmaceutical firms in the United States, correlated with, or predicted, the dependent variable, compliance with the FDA regulations. …

How Does Organizational Culture Impact Rn Engagement, Veronica Anntionette Ruffin-Ellis

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Lack of RN engagement in the acute care setting can result in poor staffing, nursing shortages, increased stress levels for nurses and decreased morale. When nurses are not engaged in their work setting, quality of care suffers. A wide range of literature focuses on the importance of RN engagement; however, few health care organizations have taken the initiative to implement programs that foster RN engagement, demonstrating a gap in practice. This study examined the relationship between the levels of RN engagement and their perceptions of their organizational culture. Kolcaba's humanistic approach to meeting the needs of RN staff was used …

Perceptions Of Organizational Change Among Minority Owners Of Small Businesses, Chad E. Walizer

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Small businesses continue to be a dominant portion of the global economy, and their owners need to understand how they can effectively make organizational changes, including implementing sound decision-making processes and innovation, as well as competing with much larger businesses. Minority small business owners have a particular need for organizational change because of their limited financial opportunities in relation to their nonminority counterparts. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to examine how minority small business leaders in the food service industry in south central Pennsylvania experience and perceive organizational change. Organizational change theory, contingency theory, and situational theory provided …

Exploring The Impact Of Collective Bargaining Agreements On Employee Performance Management, Nana Gyesie

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

As of 2014, union density in the United States had dropped compared to union density during the 1950s. Collective bargaining agreements are the foundational agreement for all issues related to salary, benefits, and working conditions. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore how collective bargaining agreements hindered or enabled managers from creating and sustaining high performance work practices. The conceptual framework included Walton and McKersie's work on behavioral theories for labor negotiations, human capital, and collective bargaining, and Huselid's work on high performance work practices. Fifteen respondents across 5 labor unions in Washington DC were selected through …

Impact Of Change Management On Employee Behavior In A University Administrative Office, Kendra M. Turner

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This qualitative case study focused on the effect of a system implementation upgrade on employees' job performance within a central administration department of a major research university in the Southern United States. Review of literature revealed a lack of a specific model or process for system implementation upgrades and its impact on employees' performance in a university administrative office. Guided by Kotter's research on change management models, the research questions examined the attitudes and behaviors of employees involved with the business process project. Data collection was through purposeful sampling and face-to-face interviews with 11 employees. Data were analyzed through pattern-matching …

The Sustainability Management Control System: Factors To Consider In Metric Conceptualization, Corne Mouton

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The performance metrics embedded in sustainability management control systems (SMCS) provide organizational leaders the ability to affect the implementation and continual improvement of sustainability strategies. Leaders in oil sands companies lacking adequate information on the efficacy of the sustainability performance metrics and their use to enhance their SMCS could be at a competitive disadvantage. Guided by stakeholder theory, the purpose of this single case study was to explore strategies Alberta-based oil sands company leaders use for critical planning, developing, and implementing SMCS performance metrics. The target population comprised of 20 oil sands company leaders from an Alberta, Canada, organization who …