Digital Commons Network^™

Faculty Work: Moving Beyond The Paradox Of Autonomy And Collaboration, Mark A. Hower

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Freedom to pursue one's intellectual interests, known as professional autonomy, is a valued and longstanding faculty tradition. Profound changes in society and the academy, however, suggest new values may be emerging. Collaboration, for example, is increasingly vital to success outside of the academy, and faculty culture, long an individualistic domain, may be shifting in response. This multiple case study explores how faculty members experience the relationship between professional autonomy and collaboration within the context of their department work. Faculty members in four departments were interviewed and both qualitative and simple quantitative data collected. The study found faculty members satisfied with …

The Effect Of A Communication Protocol Implementation On Nurse/Physician Collaboration And Communication., Jacqueline Carter Gerard 1948-

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the effect on physician/nurse collaboration and communication of the implementation of the SBAR protocol, used as nurses reported patient changes to physicians, in a Midwestern community hospital ICU. The design was a two-phased descriptive design. Data were collected through two surveys, one of which addressed collaboration and the other which addressed communication factors. The surveys were administered to ICU nurses (n = 28) and physicians (n = 30) three times. The study also explored attitudes regarding the efficacy of SBAR and interdisciplinary collaboration through interviews with a representative sample of physicians (n = 10) and nurses (n …

Circles Of Culture And Cognition : A Sociocognitive Study Of Collaboration Within And Among Academic Groups Of Teachers In A Rural School District, Linda L. Baker

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

This ethnographic case study examined the roles of district and school macro-culture and teacher sub-group micro-culture in influencing the nature and extent of teachers' professional collaboration. Informed by the sociocognitive theory that learning is rooted in social relationships and develops through interpersonal discourse and activity, the study focused on educators in a middle and high school in one small, rural district. The 41 educators who participated in the study included three administrators, 24 high school faculty members, and 17 middle school teachers. Data collection methods incorporated a general questionnaire, field notes, observations of meetings and gatherings, and extensive interviews. Most …

Comparing The Emotional Intelligence, Personal Traits, And Work Impacts Of Performing Versus High-Performing Middle Managers, Teresa Lara

Theses and Dissertations

The study of emotional intelligence (EI) has grown in popularity over recent decades. Some authors have argued that EI results in heightened personal and professional success. Middle managers, in particular, are believed to require EI, as they are tasked with linking and coordinating the strategic and operational levels of the organization. Having EI is believed to help middle managers develop relationships; influence others and garner their support; create harmony among stakeholders; and communicate, collaborate with, and lead others. All of these activities require understanding and managing others, their needs, and their emotions--in short, all of these activities require EI. However, …

Collaboration And Climate Action At The Local Scale, Linda Lyshall

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This dissertation encompasses a case study and a Participatory Action Research project. The case study focuses on climate change mitigation activities within King County, Washington and its 39 cities and towns and discusses progress and challenges related to transportation issues, efficiency measures, and sustainability planning. The findings indicate there is a high level of activity in waste reduction, environmental outreach and education, bicycle and pedestrian promotion, tree canopy protection, sustainability policies, and green building. Other categories, such as energy efficiency, electric vehicle infrastructure, and greenhouse gas emission inventories and goal setting are on the rise. Twelve of the cities were …

Understanding Teachers' Change Towards A Reform-Oriented Mathematics Classroom, Linnae Denise Williams

Theses and Dissertations

Within the current mathematics teacher population there are teachers that want to change from traditional teaching styles to become more reform-oriented (i.e. focusing on student understanding rather than procedures). Many of these teachers do not know how to begin this change. This research looks into the tools that are most valuable for teachers as they change from traditional teaching practices to include more reform-oriented teaching practices. Through this phenomenological study, six successful reform-oriented teachers were interviewed to understand what tools they found to be most valuable in their process of change. The interviews uncovered a common guiding principle that facilitates …

Strategic Planning: Contextual Factors That Facilitated And/Or Challenged The Implementation Of Strategic Planning In Two Nonprofit Organizations, Devadhasan Masilamony Phd

Dissertations

As the nonprofit sector continues to grow in size and importance in American society, successful organizations proactively initiate strategic planning so they can be more responsive to changing circumstances, underlying trends, and shifting demands. At times, however, organizations develop elaborate plans that are never implemented. Unfortunately, there is less systematic research about strategic planning in the nonprofit sector than in the for-profit sector and even less research documenting whether or not the plans that get developed in nonprofit organizations actually get implemented. The purpose of this qualitative study was to understand how strategic planning improves the effectiveness of two nonprofit …

The Closed Cohort Learning Model: Enabling Innovation And Organizational Success, Frederick D. Ellrich

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

AbstractThis study examines the development of trust, communication, and collaboration in a closed cohort academic community. The closed cohort has gained in popularity in recent years and is now common at the graduate level, especially in the colleges of business and education. A closed cohort is a group of students who begin and end together, and proceed in lock step through a sequence of courses. The research is a case study of a master’s program in leadership at a university in the mid-south area of the United States. The research approach is phenomenological in that the researcher was an instructor …

A Partnership Plan To Support High-Quality Instruction In Ohio’S Urban School Districts, Ben Mcgee

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal (2003-2012)

Establishing work practices that allow for effective communication, collaboration, and negotiations between state departments of education (DOEs) and their large urban districts is a significant undertaking in the national reform effort. The Ohio Department of Education (ODE) has had a unique opportunity to investigate how to establish an effective framework to build the necessary relationships between large urban districts and the supervising state educational agency (SEA) through funds provided by a Wallace Foundation grant and Harvard University’s leadership facilitation. The Wallace funding and partnership with Harvard provided four of Ohio’s largest urban school districts with the resources and expertise to …

Rethinking Libraries In Terms Of Learning And Working Collaboratively: An Interview With Mary Somerville, Mary M. Somerville, Ivan Gaetz, Janet Lee

Collaborative Librarianship

An Interview with Mary Somerville.

Strategic Asymmetric Multicultural Alliances In Business, Anthony James Scriffignano

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Global economics and other factors make it increasingly difficult for organizations to operate within the boundaries of one country in a rational way (e.g., leveraging best practices, profitable, achieving goals). In this study, I looked at strategic business alliances, transcending simple quid pro quo relationships to deliver ongoing partner value. I refined my study to multicultural relationships, having differing cultural identities (i.e., ideas, heritage, language, or demographics from differing geographies). Finally, I considered asymmetry (i.e., inequity in working relationship). Using a mixed-methodology design, I surveyed alliance participants and interviewed participants from selected alliances. A multi-case study addresses emergent themes of …

Stakeholder Influence Strategies: Mobilizing For Collaboration, David Graham Hyatt

Student Scholarship

Environmental nongovernmental organizations (ENGOs) increasingly use cross- sector collaborative relationships to influence the behavior of business organizations in support of their mission and interests. Whereas existing stakeholder literature tends to portray ENGO–business relationships as adversarial, with an emphasis on the extent to which an ENGO can influence a firm through power relations or behavioral characteristics, these parties actually rely on collaboration to achieve their mutual goals. From a stakeholder perspective, how do ENGOs that seek collaborative engagement achieve legitimacy with their potential firm partners? Qualitative research involving 14 ENGOs reveals at least three mechanisms: creating corporate engagement units, networks, or …

The Ngo Strategic Dilemma: An Examination Of Factors Enabling Or Constraining Corporate Engagement Strategy, David Graham Hyatt

Student Scholarship

Social movements focused on sustainable development represent a significant force for change in business practices and governmental regulation. Nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) arise from social movements as mobilizing structures and framing mechanisms for collective action to fill governance and social needs that remain unmet by the governmental and market sectors. This study focuses on environmental NGOs and their strategies for engaging the business sector. Although cross-sector collaborations increasingly seem instrumental to effecting environmental change, NGOs face a strategic dilemma: to confront or collaborate with businesses, or both. This research explores how the NGO mission, purpose, and ideology; core competencies and repertoire …

A Qualitative Inquiry Into Organisational Culture's Moderating Effect On Knowledge Management Projects In The Aerospace And Defense Industry, Frank D. Christopian, Tim Rahschulte

Faculty Publications - College of Business

The management of knowledge permeates the social fabric of business enterprises today. Many suggest that the success of knowledge management is predominately associated with organisational culture. However, while researchers typically conclude that organisational culture affects knowledge management projects, initiatives and organisational effectiveness, there is a lack of research in this regard in the aerospace and defense industry. The research in this manuscript leveraged grounded theory protocols and existing research conducted in other industries to investigate specific cultural implications of organisational knowledge management activities in aerospace and defense companies. A constructivist knowledge claim position yielded theoretical observations about this phenomenon.

The Relationship Between Reproducing Ownership And Sustaining Non-Profit Collaboration, Nonie Brennan

Student Scholarship

Semi-structured interviews with 21 partners of three long-standing, non-profit collaborations in the health and human services sector emphasize the role of constituents’ sense of “ownership”– and their continuous reproduction of it − on collaboration sustainability. The data suggests that enduring collaborations are characterized, on the one hand, by employee behaviors typically considered aberrant – including rule breaking and rule making – and on the other, “appreciative” participant behaviors. Findings imply non-profit governance and leadership can purposefully foster environments in which collaboration ownership can reproduce.

Cross-Disciplinary Collaboration And Learning, Deana D. Pennington

All UNF Research

Complex environmental problem solving depends on cross-disciplinary collaboration among scientists. Collaborative research must be preceded by an exploratory phase of collective thinking that creates shared conceptual frameworks. Collective thinking, in a cross-disciplinary setting, depends on the facility with which collaborators are able to learn and understand each others’ perspectives. This paper applies three perspectives on learning to the problem of enabling cross-disciplinary collaboration: Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, constructivism, and organizational learning. Application of learning frameworks to collaboration provides insights regarding receptive environments for collaboration, and processes that facilitate cross-disciplinary interactions. These environments and interactions need time to develop and require …

Teaching Basic Counseling Skills To Aspiring School Leaders: Active Listening Skills As Critical Components Of Team Building And Collaboration, Paul T. Hackett, L. Christopher Ross, Irene Asuncion

Perspectives In Learning

The preparation of school leaders in educational leadership programs provides multiple challenges in terms of a set course of study with discrete skills for the leader. Programs in educational leadership have been criticized for curricular disarray (Levine, 2005). Deficiencies cited by an American Enterprise Institute study of 31 educational leadership programs found that a small percentage of instruction in those programs focused on issues such as data analysis, public relations, marketing, and parent and school board relations (Hess & Kelly, 2005). A Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) study of educational leadership programs found that the majority of universities “fall short …

Developing Collaborative Leadership: A Study Of Organizational Change Toward Greater Collaboration And Shared Leadership, Jonathan Tyler Clark

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Implicit in leadership behavior is the ability to work with others, to be in relationship, and to collaborate. Contemporary theories about leadership have shifted from a focus on the individual “leader” toward the collective act of “leadership.” A concrete understanding of collaborative leadership remains somewhat underdeveloped in the literature and theoretically. This dissertation is a case study of organization's efforts to change from autocratic organizational leadership to a more collaborative working environment. Taking the form of a literary portrait, the study analyzes an example of action learning about collaborative leadership. The portrait will be of the agency's change, with special …

Fostering Sustainability In Higher Education: A Mixed-Methods Study Of Transformative Leadership And Change Strategies, Kim H. Mcnamara

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

As evidence of the earth’s limited capacity to sustain human life mounts, institutions of higher education are being looked to for leadership in the effort to educate students about environmental concerns and support the development of sustainable innovations. Colleges and universities are responding to this call for leadership by starting and/or expanding environmental research programs, integrating sustainability issues throughout the curriculum, adopting sustainable operations, and building green facilities. Reflecting upon the sustainability efforts of these institutions, this research study explores the following questions: What factors are essential for initiating and leading a successful change effort to foster sustainability in higher …

Democratic Administration In The United States Forest Service, Nancy Leigh Leifer

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Pluralism, the dominant theory in citizen involvement in the United States Forest Service since the 1950s, has prolonged the process of determining the public interest by promoting the use of appeals and lawsuits. The advent of more collaborative public involvement strategies in the past fifteen years offers the opportunity to assess whether participatory democracy offers a better paradigm for determining the public interest. This research focused on four cases of reported successful collaboration in Region One of the Forest Service and involved in-person interviews with 17 Forest Service officials and 24 citizen and interest group leaders. The researcher translated pluralist …

Understanding Employees' Willingness To Contributeto Shared Electronic Databases: A Three-Dimensional Framework, Guowei Jian, Leo Wayne Jeffres

Communication Faculty Publications

Work organizations increasingly adopt shared electronic databases. However, employees' unwillingness to contribute to shared resources undermines the utility of such technologies. Current research is limited to either a utilitarian or normative perspective. To advance understanding in this area, this study proposes a three-dimensional framework. It includes the utilitarian and normative perspectives as two complementary dimensions in addition to a third collaborative dimension. Based on this framework, the study identifies three key organizational processes and advances an additive model to predict employees' willingness to contribute to shared electronic databases. An empirical test was conducted to assess the model in a large …

Regional Health Records For Frontier Communities, Nancy Shank, Kim Engel, Joan Frances, Harold Krueger, Laura Looney, William Loring, John Mcvay, Nicole Neilan

University of Nebraska Public Policy Center: Publications

Purpose: This project produced a viable and sustainable plan for the implementation of regional health information exchange.

Scope: The project comprised partners within established networks of rural hospitals, clinics, public health providers, behavioral health providers, and others across a 14,000 square mile remote area.

Methods: The planning process included participation from all levels of leadership from participating partners, and worked within existing collaborative and information channels to ensure scalability and extensibility to other key health care providers.

Results: The process produced a viable plan and collaborative network poised to move forward into implementation

Organizational Cultures Of Libraries As A Strategic Resource, Michelle L. Kaarst-Brown, Scott Nicholson, Gisela M. Von Dran, Jeffrey M. Stanton

School of Information Studies - Faculty Scholarship

Theorists have suggested that organizational culture is a strategic resource that has value in ensuring the continuing existence and success of organizations (Michalisin, Smith, & Kline, 1997; Barney, 1986, 1991; Hult, Ketchen, & Nichols, 2002; Gordon, 1985). This assertion is supported by various studies that have linked organizational culture to broad strategic outcomes such as an organization’s ability to manage knowledge (Davenport, Long, & Beers, 1998; Storck & Hill, 2000), innovation capability (Hauser, 1998), and strategic management of information technology (Kaarst-Brown & Robey, 1999; Reich & Benbasat, 2000; Schein, 1985). Based on this research, we suggest that there are characteristics …

Affect Of Increasing Team-Planning Time And Improving Team Classroom Proximity On Student Achievement, John Deuber John Deuber

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation was designed to increase the amount of team-planning time and classroom proximity provided to teaching teams at 1 middle school. The amount of time provided within the school day to each team for team planning was inadequate to meet the needs of effective teams. Additionally, teachers had been assigned to classrooms with little concern for team member proximity.

Student achievement as measured by the Comprehensive Test of Basic Skills 5, a nationally recognized standardized test, had shown a slight downward trend for 3 preceding years. The interventions were meant to address and correct this problem. Teachers completed …

Collaboration Among Smes As A Mechanism For Innovation: An Empirical Study, Mario J. B. Franco

New England Journal of Entrepreneurship

The interest for collaboration among small and mediumsized enterprises and innovation has been highlighted, in recent times, due to the acceleration of technological changes and to increasing international competitiveness. Many small firms, with rigid structures and weak entrepreneurial dynamics, experienced difficulties in becoming innovators. Some of these firms can adopt collaborative agreements because these relationships enable them to get the necessary innovative activities, know-how, and exploit opportunities, which they cannot achieve alone. This study examines the motives for the formation of collaborative agreements in industrial Portuguese SMEs and presents some empirical evidence concerning collaboration as an important vehicle for the …

Building Bridges And Crossing Borders: Using Service Learning To Overcome Cultural Barriers To Collaboration Between Science And Education Departments, Kevin Carr

Service Learning, General

Science faculty and teacher education faculty need to coordinate in order to prepare teachers to teach science. This article describes several successful and unsuccessful collaboration efforts between scientists and educators that took place during the creation of an interdepartmental service learning project, Science Outreach, at George Fox University.

Developing An Organizational Model For Marketing Nova Southeastern University Academic Programs, Irving Rosenbaum

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

Fragmented independent marketing efforts by 17 schools, colleges, and academic centers at Nova Southeastern University have resulted in missed opportunities for NSU, and an inconsistent image for the university. As new providers and methods of delivery create an increasingly competitive environment, marketing has assumed increased significance in higher education.

The purpose of this developmental practicum was to develop a plan for improving the efficiency and effectiveness of marketing at NSU. The research questions were "What would be the optimal model for establishing clear leadership over the now fragmented NSU marketing efforts?" and "What would be an appropriate and valid structure …

Aligning Special Education Individualized Education Plans With District Curriculum And Learning Results, Martha G. Corkery

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

Instructional practice at Bonny Eagle Middle School in Buxton, Maine, did not fully integrate IEP goals with curriculum and Maine Learning Results developed by the Maine Department of Education in 1997. Students with disabilities were prohibited from optimal learning experiences. In this study, the relationship between a sample group of students, language arts individual education plan goals, and curricular standards were attempted to be strengthened through enhanced instructional methodologies and assessments. The intended results of this study were to impact these students' levels of classroom involvement in addition to building collaboration among special and regular education teachers. Teachers' philosophies about …

Diversity, Collaboration, Reflective Practice, And Technology In Professional Education Programs: Strategic Choices For Higher Education, Caren L. Sax Edd

Dissertations

Today's postsecondary students are entering American institutions of higher education (IHEs) with different experiences, expectations, and learning needs than students of previous generations. Calls for more diverse campuses, advanced technology, and lifelong learning are maintaining pressure on IHEs to adjust to new demands for a more encompassing vision as traditional approaches are no longer adequate. The challenges are tremendous; the responses must be extensive and reflective if higher education is to achieve its goals of preparing students for productive and meaningful lives. This study investigated student experiences in a yearlong professional education program that was focused by four strategic choices …

Improving The Performance Of Social Workers During Multi-Disciplinary Team Case Reviews Of Delinquent Adolescents Through Public Posting And Verbal Feedback, Vincent J. Carbone

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

The social workers at the project site delivered services to welfare clients using a specialization model. This delivery model led to fragmented and haphazard services to clients. Such an approach did little to ensure the client's success in breaking the chains and cycles of poverty and becoming self-sufficient.

The author designed and implemented a strategy/ to prepare the social workers to begin the first phase of a transition from program component specialists to case managers. Case managers who help their clients to recognize and assist their clients to Overcome ail barriers to self-sufficiency. Strategy implementation began with the very basic …