Digital Commons Network^™

Determining Six Sigma Critical Failure Factors, Eyong Eyong Ebot

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In the current economy, many companies use the Six Sigma concept in enhancing performances by reducing process and product variations in the manufacturing and service sectors. Unacceptable process and product variations have led to high costs of production and less customer satisfaction. After examining the related literature, a quantitative research study was conducted to determine if Six Sigma implementation failures are dependent on the critical effective factors (CEF) and whether the failures are predictable. Six Sigma methodology requires a robust implementation specifically designed to achieve the best project objectives. The identified independent variables (organizational management and statistical tools application) and …

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 …

Elementary Principals' Behaviors And Collaborative Professional Learning Communities, Lisa Gaines High

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Principals need to possess leadership skills and behaviors that help set expectations for collaborative work. The problem in this case study was that little was known about the collaboration-building behaviors principals use that promote effective collaboration between members of the school community. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore and describe the behaviors principals exhibit when building collaboration through the implementation of Professional Learning Communities (PLCs). The conceptual framework was based on 3 elements: leadership styles and approaches, collaboration, and the implementation of effective PLCs. The primary research question explored how principal behaviors contribute to collaborative professional learning …

Relationship Between Transformational Leadership Style And Financial Sustainability, Tameika R. Campbell

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Only 50% of the U.S. small businesses opened in 2011 were able to maintain financial sustainability. Small business owners struggle with identifying the type of leadership style needed to increase financial sustainability. Grounded in the transformational leadership theory, the purpose of this correlational study was to examine the relationship between idealized influence, inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation, individualized consideration, and financial sustainability. The participants consisted of 76 small business owners located in Arkansas, California, Louisiana, Maryland, Texas, and Virginia. The business owners completed a survey containing the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire and the Financial Capability Scale. The data were analyzed using multiple …

Barriers To Reporting Workplace Violence In Emergency Departments: A Systematic Review, Kari Gaston

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Underreporting of workplace violence by emergency department (ED) nurses is a global practice concern. When workplace violence is not reported, the breadth of the issue is not reflected in the data, which is necessary to support legislative action, regulatory requirements, and organizational changes to prevent violence. The purpose of this systematic review of literature was to appraise and synthesize evidence regarding ED nurses’ barriers to reporting workplace violence. The practice-focused question addressed the barriers to reporting workplace violence according to emergency nurses. The theory of planned behavior was the theoretical framework for this project. Melnyk and Fineout-Overholt’s critical appraisal of …

Female Small Business Owners: Strategies For Success, Betsy J. Peterson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In 2015, 30.2 million small businesses existed in the United States; the Small Business Administration predicted that only half would survive beyond 5 years. Female business owners who do not establish practices to gain a competitive advantage in the small business marketplace may experience poor business performance. Grounded in trait theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore the business strategies female small business owners use to succeed in a small business beyond 5 years. Participants included 3 female owners of successful small businesses in Northern California who have been in continual operation for more than …

Enhancing Leadership Strategies To Reduce Stress On Employees For Organizational Success, Reginald Wayne Butler

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Organizational leaders' inability to effectively manage complexity and implement leadership development strategies during intense situations creates work-related stress among employees. Stress contributes to emotional disorders, decreased job performance, high staff turnover that place the organization's health in jeopardy. Grounded in the expectancy theory of motivation, the purpose of this qualitative single case study was to explore key leadership strategies to reduce stress in the workplace. The face-to-face, semistructured interviews were conducted with 3 senior leaders from a financial institution in the southern United States who had successfully implemented strategies that reduced stress on employees and improved their job performance. Their …

Instructor Beliefs Related To Technology Use After Professional Development, Bethany Ann Croton

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Faculty in higher education often see themselves as researchers and identify less as instructors. The problem is that nearly every profession has embraced technology in new ways, except in the world of education and students need 21st-century skills to be competitive in the workforce. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore instructors' lived experiences and beliefs regarding teaching and technology integration before, during, and after completion of a professional development program at a Midwestern Tier 1 research institute. The study was framed by Rogers's diffusion of innovation theory and the sustainability education academic development framework. The research …

Mediating Effects Of Workplace Sanctions On The Relationship Between Knowledge Work And Psychological Wellbeing, Selena Pitt

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This quantitative associational correlational non-experimental study used multiple regression analysis with mediation to address the research question: To what extent employee perception of workplace sexual harassment sanctions mediate the relationship between the 4 modes of the SECI (socialization, externalization, combination, internalization) knowledge creation model and psychological wellbeing. The study was based on the theoretical underpinnings of knowledge creation theory and the precepts of knowledge work as a discretionary organizational behavior that requires intentionality from the knowledge worker. The study explored the direct and indirect effects of the intercorrelations between the predictors, mediator, and outcome variables with 109 participants. The model …

Strategies To Reduce Restaurant Employee Turnover Rates, Steven K. Dewey, Jr.

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractHigh employee turnover rates adversely affect profitability. Restaurant owners who fail to retain employees are at risk of increased employee turnover costs, reduced profit potential, and risk business failure. Grounded in Herzberg’s two-factor theory, the purpose of this qualitative, single case study was to explore leadership strategies to reduce employee turnover. Participants comprised 6 restaurant leaders based out of the same New York restaurant. Leaders participated in semistructured interviews to provide information on strategies they used to reduce employee turnover. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the data. Three themes emerged: leadership, financial benefits, and contributing to a higher purpose. …

Why Is Bribery Pervasive Among Firms In Sub-Saharan African Countries? Multi-Industry Empirical Evidence Of Organizational Isomorphism, Nnaoke Ufere, James Gaskin, Sheri Perelli, Antoinette Somers, Richard Boland Jr.

Faculty Publications

Motivated by the prevalence and persistence of corruption in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) despite high-profile anticorruption efforts, and by calls for more research on unethical organizational behavior by firms in Africa, we investigated the link between bribery in 12 SSA countries and the phenomenon of organizational isomorphism, long used to explain legitimate, but rarely, illegitimate firm practices. Analysis of 5989 SSA firms in three distinct industries known for high levels of bribery reveals direct positive relationships between bribery and its perception as frequently practiced in specific industries (“mimetic isomorphic effect”); institutional constraints on businesses (“coercive isomorphic effect”); and local market rivalry …

Conflict Style Is Not A Label: The Relationship Of Age, Education Level, Work Level, Reason For Assessment, And Time Between Assessments To Conflict Style Change, Michael P. Kelly

Department of Conflict Resolution Studies Theses and Dissertations

Organizations and research that are only measuring conflict style one time, are treating conflict style as a trait or label. However, conflict style can change over time, and with context. Even the circumstances around the conflict itself may impact how individuals handle conflict. This means that individuals may demonstrate different conflict styles in different circumstances. There is little research that explores the implications of individual conflict style change if measured at different times and in different circumstances. Nor is there much research that explores what factors may have an influence on conflict style change. This study explores whether conflict style …

Institutional Logics And Diverging Organizational Forms: An Empirical Study In Russia, Maria V. Wathen

Social Work: School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Other Works

Using an institutional logics approach, this study investigates how the institutional logics of leaders of grassroots social service nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) in Russia changed over time and how these changes related to changes in organizational mission, people served, professionalization, and interactions with the government. Relying on interviews as well as other data gathered, this analysis of organizational leaders’ narratives reveals the identities and experiences that these leaders turn to in their sensemaking of significant events. The findings show that, on the one hand, social welfare NGOs continued to provide services, increased their advocacy efforts, and professionalized their staff. Volunteer organizations, …

The Impact Of Work Environment On Successful Implementation Of Lean Six Sigma In Emergency Department, Elaf Makkawi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Continuous improvement (CI) is an initiative to improve the performance of processes in alignment with the customer needs and organizational strategy. Lean Six Sigma (LSS) is one of the most successful CI techniques in redesigning and improving significant processes to improve quality and eliminate waste. The healthcare sector has benefited from applying LSS due to its complicated work practices that face many challenges including increased expenditures and difficulties related to individual or community access to appropriate care. In particular, Emergency Departments (ED) have an important unit within healthcare organizations due to their essential role in providing urgent medical care services …

The Role Of Transformational Leadership In Preparing Youth As Future Church Leaders, Michael K. Paul

All Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The membership of St. Peter's Episcopal Church has been on the decline. The most affected members of the church congregants are the youth. In return, this threatens the future of the ministry. The issue is mainly attributed to the failure of former and current church leaders to prepare youth as future ministry leaders. The biblical and theological foundation of the study was based on various passages, such as Gen. 17:4-5, Exod. 3:11, Luke 10:1-16, John 20: 11-18, and 1 Corinthians 11:1, among others. The researcher depended on the above listed biblical passages since they offered insights into Abraham, Moses, Jesus, …

Think Like A Teacher: How Reflective Educators Use Multiple Data Sources To Inform Their Practice, Jana Grabarek

Dissertations

Teacher data use has become an increasingly central feature of American education. Messages from the public policy, research, philanthropy, and professional development arenas assert that collecting, analyzing, and interpreting data€”particularly number-based achievement data€”will increase student achievement. in this dissertation, a review of literature exploring the link between data use and achievement yielded mixed results. While increased achievement was slightly more likely when data use involved multiple types of data and/or data use strategies, its effectiveness was not consistently supported, and least apparent when tied to marginalized students. to better understand what effective data use might look like at the micro …

Are We Represented As Who We Are? An Assessment Of Library Faculty Online Profiles Within The City University Of New York, Junli Diao

Publications and Research

Academic librarians have been wrestling with faculty status and rank for many decades and their dual identities as professionals and faculty made their identity representations in the online profile environment designed by colleges and universities even more complicated. Misrepresentation or insufficient representation of academic librarians’ identities could lead to jeopardy of their public images within colleges and universities, or even trigger suspicion that academic librarians bring an impediment to academic standards by achieving less or none. Therefore, this study surveyed library faculty’s online profiles within the libraries of the City University of New York and tried to assess whether library …

Sparks Of Service: The Fuel We Need To Fan The Flames Of Student Service-Learning And Effective Civic Engagement, Christian E. Tabet

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Service-learning is a hybrid curriculum that puts students in direct contact with the needs of a community around them. Taking an experiential approach to learning, service-learning provides an outlet for students to take their education from within the classroom and apply it to a real-world setting. When developed successfully, service-learning challenges students to use the knowledge and skills they gained as a tool in tackling real world civic and social issues. To be successful, these programs must have a component that requires students to actively participate in community partnerships. Effective service-learning acts as a bridge between university and community—giving students …

Leapfrogging At Work: Influencing Higher Levels In The Chain Of Command, Sharon Segrest, Martha C. Andrews, Scott W. Geiger, Dan Marlin, Patricia G. Martinez, Pamela L. Perrewe, Gerald R. Ferris

USF St. Petersburg Campus Faculty Publications

Purpose – Acts of interpersonal influence are observed throughout organizations, and most typically, in direct supervisor–subordinate relationships. However, researchers have focused less on subordinates bypassing the chain of command and targeting their supervisor’s supervisor with influence attempts. We conceptualize a new term, “leapfrogging,” as subordinates’ attempts to influence and manage the impressions of their supervisor’s supervisor. Here we focus on influencing the target’s perception of likability (the focus of ingratiation) and competence (the focus of self-promotion). This study focuses on its personal and situational antecedents. Design/methodology/approach – Given the central role of social exchange and psychological processes within this phenomenon, …

Do Women Stand Back To Move Forward? Gender Differences In Top Us Business Leaders’ Messages Of Servant-Leadership, Kae Reynolds

International Journal of Servant-Leadership

The persistent absence of women in the upper echelons of management is an issue that continues to occupy the concern of governments, businesses, and leadership researchers. Despite a plethora of research to understand the reasons behind the persistent gender leadership gap, actual progress in practice remains minimal, with only 5.1% of Fortune1000 executives being women (Catalyst, 2016). One potential reason behind the perpetual systemic bias against women may be the rigid underlying androcentric philosophies of leading (Eicher-Catt, 2005; Morales, 2019). Servantleadership presents an alternative approach to concept of leading that is gender-integrative (Lehrke & Sowden, 2017; Reynolds, 2011; Reynolds, 2016).

The Possibility Of Prosecuting Corporations For Climate Crimes Before The International Criminal Court: All Roads Lead To The Rome Statute?, Donna Minha

Michigan Journal of International Law

Due to rapid developments in climate science, scientists are now able to quantifiably link significant greenhouse gas emissions caused by major oil and gas corporations to specific climate impacts. These scientific advances have been accompanied by the publication of documents and studies suggesting that the oil and gas industry allegedly had knowledge of climate change as early as sixty years ago, and yet it actively worked to promote climate change denial and to delay governmental regulation on this matter. Though climate-related litigation is proceeding against the industry in different jurisdictions, proceedings brought against oil and gas corporations mainly focus on …

Reframing Professional Learning To Analyze Teacher Practice And Promote System-Wide Change, Jennifer Smerecky

West Chester University Doctoral Projects

The present study examined teachers’ perceptions of targeted professional learning experiences offered within their educational agency. This study focused on teachers' perceptions of the planning, delivery, and follow-up support from teacher professional learning sessions. The teacher participants shared their perceptions of professional learning, implementation of new strategies, barriers to implementation, and support needed from their administration in order to grow as educators. This focus of this study aims to reframe professional learning by forming cooperation between administrators and teachers within education organizations to reform professional learning opportunities. This study advocates for further development in the collaboration of a system-wide change …

Carnegie Classification Of Institutions Of Higher Education & Perceived Administrative Biases In Funding Review Processes, Emily Devereux

West Chester University Doctoral Projects

Previous research on social equity performance in the distribution of funding mechanisms across institutions of higher education has found biases in reputation and administrative capacity contributing to peer reviews during the funding process. Further research is now necessary to identify what contributes to these perceived biases and what enables an institution to signal competitiveness to funding sponsors based on the Principal-agent and resource dependency theories. A quantitative analysis was used to analyze data from publicly available datasets to explore relationships between Carnegie Classification rankings, institutional control types of public or private, administrative capacities, and sponsored research and foundation funding levels …

Gender Differences And New Venture Performance, Mayank Jaiswal

New England Journal of Entrepreneurship

Purpose – This study compares the performance of female majority-owned new ventures (FNV) vs. male majority-owned new ventures (MNV). It analyzes the differences in levels of variables such as education, the same industry work experience of owners, and other venture level attributes between FNVs and MNVs. More importantly, this study employs decomposition techniques to determine the individual contribution from the intergender difference of each attribute on the performance of the new venture. For example, the study finds that, on average, the owners of an MNV possessed 3.4 years more of the same industry work experience than their FNV counterparts. This …

Applications Of Social Systems Theory Relative To Inclusivity In The Context Of K–12 Schools, Tessa R. Sutton

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This single case study explored K–12 school leaders perceptions of their districts structure for implementing diversity and creating inclusion as a framework (Getzels & Guba, 1957). Previous research that highlighted the views and perceptions of school leaders with respect to diversity and inclusion in schools as social systems focused on the humane side of the behaviors of individuals (Hoy & Miskel, 2005). Nevertheless, traditional Educational leadership programs typically focus on accreditation factors specific to lesson planning, classroom management, and curriculum implementation and exclude the human element (Duffett et al., 2003; Johnson, 2016). The lack of focus on change management systems …

Perceptions On Teacher And Collective Efficacy While Platooning Over An Academic Year: A Case Study Of Three Elementary Educators, Alison Kay Ducharm

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Due to increased accountability requirements under No Child Left Behind (NCLB) and, most recently, the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), educators and administrators face intensified pressure to increase students’ achievement in their schools. Changing how classrooms are organized for instruction has been one response to this pressure. Platooning at the elementary level is one example of such an organizational change; however, very little research specifically addresses platooning at the elementary-level. Therefore, many interested school districts are faced with making an uninformed decision about platooning, particularly at the elementary level.

This qualitative study studied the perception of platooning on teacher and …

The Effectiveness Of Mentoring Adolescent Girls: Targeting Underserved Communities In Chicago's South Suburbs, Robin L. Miles

All Capstone Projects

The objective of this research was to identify the most effective mentoring strategies to combat social issues that adolescent females are faced with; and to explore the implementation of female-only mentoring programs in Chicago's southland communities. The current study used an exploratory, qualitative phenomenological approach and content analysis to analyze the data. Purposive sampling was used to obtain participants for this study. All participants were at least 18 years old. All participants were actively engaged in their girl mentoring program at the time of study. The researching conducted semi-structured interviews using open-end questions. To ensure validity and reliability of the …

Interactive Planning: An Applied Systems Thinking Approach From The Perspective Of A Participant-Observer, Pamela R. Tull

Full-Text Theses & Dissertations

The systems approach to thinking is at a precipice. Our world is composed of systems and sub-systems so intrinsically linked that any attempt to make changes can upset system interdependencies. Systems thinking is a mindset and method of thinking and seeing things as “wholes,” patterns, interconnections, and interdependencies rather than analyzed parts and sub-parts. The systems approach and the methodologies informed by this approach offer an improved understanding of organizational performance.

The systems methodology of interactive planning involves organizational stakeholders as the key ingredient to idealize creative outcomes for organizational problems. The interactive planning process involves carrying out a mess …

Appreciative Inquiry Of An Exemplary Trauma Informed Wellness Center Created For The Community And Families Affected By A School Shooting, Halle Solomon

Department of Family Therapy Dissertations and Applied Clinical Projects

Gun violence has flooded our society with human-caused disasters, making mass shootings an unfortunate new normal. In the wake of large- scale shootings, the United States Government and other agencies provide financial support and resources to the affected community in hopes of bringing solidarity to the fractured system. This financial reinforcement and other funding sources have been utilized to build resiliency centers within a certain distance of the unnerving events. Resiliency facilities play a pivotal role in helping communities recover from human-caused disasters such as mass shootings. These resources are becoming customary across the country, with resiliency centers in Newton, …

The Role Of Experiential Learning In Developing Multicultural Competence, Kaoru Allison Powell

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Although much importance has been placed on training programs to develop multiculturally competent service providers, the question remains as to when and where clinicians acquire their multicultural competence (MCC). Currently, most training programs appear to focus on the development of multicultural awareness and knowledge, without adequate focus on skills. However, experientially based learning exercises are associated with skills development in many areas, including general clinical skills development. Thus, students who engage in higher levels of experiential learning in their multicultural training may rate themselves as more competent with multicultural skills than students with less frequent experiential learning. I hypothesize that …