Digital Commons Network^™

Strategies To Increase Employees’ Morale, Shannon Gary Coffey

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Leaders who lack effective strategies to increase employee morale face an organizational decrease in productivity, sustainability, and profitability, increasing absenteeism and turnover and costing businesses millions of dollars. Grounded in Burns’s transformational leadership theory, the purpose of this qualitative single case study was to explore strategies used by successful organizational leaders to increase employee morale to improve productivity and profitability in their organization. Data were collected through semistructured interviews and a review of company documents. Participants comprised five leaders of a company located in Knoxville, Tennessee, who successfully used strategies to increase employee morale resulting in increased productivity and profitability. …

Leader Strategies That Increase Employee Performance In The Nigerian Public Sector, Oluwashola Martha Elias-Fatile

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractLow employee performance can hinder productivity in the Nigerian public sector. Leaders of public sector organizations in Nigeria who lack strategies to increase employees’ performance experience decreased productivity. Grounded in transformational leadership theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore strategies leaders in the Nigerian public sector used to increase employee performance. Participants were four public sector leaders in Nigeria who successfully developed and implemented strategies to increase employee performance. Data were collected from semistructured interviews and internal and external documents, such as training programs, training calendars, meeting agendas, staff letters of recommendation, and staff handbooks. …

Effective Postdischarge Communication From Nursing Staff To Mental Health Patients, Paula Renee Garrison

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractMental health patients have a history of decreased follow-up appointments, poor diet, and medication noncompliance after discharge from inpatient facilities in addition to multiple co-morbidities, making a return to the community difficult. The practice problem was an increase in hospital readmissions of mental health patients within 30 days postdischarge due to inadequate post-discharge education and follow-up communication. Using Rodgers’s recovery on mental health theory and Revan’s action learning theory, a staff education program was developed to educate 10 nursing staff and two social workers on how to effectively implement postdischarge communication at 3 days and 30 days after discharge from …

Strategies To Mitigate Natural Disaster Impact In The Auto Maintenance Business, Charles Oluande Ogutu

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Many small business owners lack strategies to mitigate natural disasters. Damage caused by natural disasters usually costs millions of dollars in injuries or lost lives, disruption to operations, and property damage. Small business owners who fail to plan and prepare for disaster frequently face closure when disasters strike. The goal of this study was to explore strategies independent auto maintenance business owners use to mitigate natural disasters. Holling’s organizational resilience theory grounded this qualitative multiple case study. Five purposively selected participants who implemented disaster mitigation strategies from Texas, Arkansas, and Louisiana participated in this study. Semistructured interviews were used to …

Eye Gaze Technology For Nonverbal Students With Cortical Visual Impairment, Hannah Sykes

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractThe problem that this study addressed was eye gaze technology for nonverbal students with cortical visual impairment (CVI). There are no studies examining educators’ viewpoints on the usefulness of eye gaze technology for communication and language development of nonverbal students with CVI. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore what educators think about the usefulness of eye gaze technology on communication and language development for nonverbal students with CVI. The conceptual framework applied to this basic qualitative study was based on the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) and John Dewey’s pragmatism theory. The …

Strategies To Resolve Toxic Leadership Styles Which Impede Employee Innovation, Lilly Abdulrohman Mohamed

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Toxic leaders micromanage, threaten, and discourage employees from sharing their ideas,causing a decline in innovation. Export-based company executives need to understand how to resolve toxic leadership to enhance their companies’ performance. Grounded in the transformational leadership theory, the purpose of this multiple case study was to explore strategies export-based company leaders use to resolve toxic leadership styles. The participants were four senior and frontline leaders from export-based companies in Ethiopia. Data were collected from semistructured interviews and document reviews and were analyzed with thematic data analysis. Four themes emerged: open and transparent communication, sustained counseling and training, teamwork and joint …

The Role Of Leadership Communication Patterns On Organizational Effectiveness, Nidal Pascoe

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Abstract The communication patterns of leaders in the workplace are vital to ensuring productivity and meeting organizational mission and goals. The quality of workplace communication from the leaders impacts the perceptions of employees about the workplace and their ability to fulfill organizational missions and goals. Communication can be delivered through multiple technological means, in person, and in writing. Message delivery also can convey the tone of the sender. The purpose of this case study was to identify the communication patterns between the executive leaders and six of eight site leaders of a nonprofit counseling center focused on serving children and …

Strategies For Increasing Information Technology Employee Work-Life Balance, Kimberly D. Seymour

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Small to medium enterprise (SME) information technology (IT) managers’ lack of strategic planning initiatives in creating a work life balance environment has created personal and financial concerns for some employees in the United States. Managers must develop and implement strategies that increase profits and productivity as well as create work life balance. Grounded in Herzberg’s motivation-hygiene theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore strategies SME IT business managers used to develop and implement an employee work-life balance environment. The participants were three IT managers and two human resources business managers. Data were collected from semistructured …

Effective Weather Messaging: Applying The Bad News Response Model To Hurricane Warnings, April S. Carr

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Sweeny and Shepperd (2007, 2009) proposed the Bad News Response Model (BNRM), outlining three effective responses (i.e., Watchful Waiting, Active Change, Acceptance) as a function of the perceived controllability, likelihood, and severity of bad news. In the current study, we have adapted the BNRM, previously used in health-related scenarios, to explore the relationship between message content and responses in the context of hurricane warnings. Participants viewed hurricane warnings manipulated by severity (Category 1 vs. Category 5) and the inclusion of call-to-action statements (CTAs). The present study attempted to evaluate the effects of severity and controllability on participants’ engagement in desirable …

The New Skill On The Block: Using Social Media In The Law School Classroom To Facilitate Learning, Rosa Castello

Faculty Publications

(Excerpt)

The emergence and rapid growth of technology has dramatically changed society, including the way we communicate and interact. People are gravitating toward shorter forms of written communication, like blogs and tweets. And it seems everyone interacts with others in some way on an online social media platform, exchanging ideas, connecting with friends and colleagues, and offering support.

As a Legal Writing professor, I wonder how this change in written communication will impact legal education and the profession and how I can better prepare my students for a professional environment that embraces these changes. Communication is an essential lawyering skill. …

Hospital Staff, Volunteers’ And Patients’ Perceptions Of Barriers And Facilitators To Communication Following Stroke In An Acute And A Rehabilitation Private Hospital Ward: A Qualitative Description Study, Sarah D'Souza, Erin Godecke, Natalie Ciccone, Deborah J. Hersh, Heidi Janssen, Elizabeth Armstrong

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Objectives

To explore barriers and facilitators to patient communication in an acute and rehabilitation ward setting from the perspectives of hospital staff, volunteers and patients following stroke.

Design

A qualitative descriptive study as part of a larger study which aimed to develop and test a Communication Enhanced Environment model in an acute and a rehabilitation ward.

Setting

A metropolitan Australian private hospital.

Participants

Focus groups with acute and rehabilitation doctors, nurses, allied health staff and volunteers (n=51), and interviews with patients following stroke (n=7), including three with aphasia, were conducted.

Results

The key themes related to barriers and facilitators to …

Communication Surrounding Initiation And Withdrawal Of Non-Invasive Ventilation In Adults With Motor Neuron(E) Disease: Clinicians’ And Family Members’ Perspectives, Charlotte Chapman, Sara Bayes, Moira Sim

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Introduction: International guidelines recommend that health care clinicians communicate with people with MND and their family members about non-invasive ventilation (NIV) and percutaneous gastrostomy tube (PEG) prior to or at the onset of respiratory symptoms. This study sought to discover the degree to which these recommendations are followed in practice.

Methods: Interpretive Description methodology was employed. Nineteen clinicians experienced in caring for people with MND, six relatives of recently deceased people with MND and one person with MND participated in semi-structured in-depth interviews. Clinicians’ accounts of NIV and PEG related communications were compared to family member participants’ recollections of their …

Change In Mental Health, Physical Health, And Social Relationships During Highly Restrictive Lockdown In The Covid-19 Pandemic: Evidence From Australia, Shane Rogers, Travis Miles Cruickshank

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Background

A novel coronavirus first reported in Wuhan City in China in 2019 (COVID-19) developed into a global pandemic throughout 2020. Many countries around the world implemented strict social distancing policies to curb the spread of the virus. In this study we aimed to examine potential change in mental/physical health and social relationships during a highly restrictive COVID-19 lockdown period in Australia during April 2020.

Methods

Our survey (n = 1, 599) included questions about concerns, social behaviour, perceived change in relationship quality, social media use, frequency of exercise, physical health, and mental health during COVID-19 lockdown (April, 2020). …

Nonliteral Language Processing Across The Lifespan, Kathrin Rothermich, Cristal Giorio, Sharon Falkins, Lindsay Leonard, Angela Roberts

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Studies investigating the effects of aging on nonliteral language processing have mainly focused on one sensory modality, for example written vignettes. In the current study, we used a video-based task to examine the effect of healthy aging on social communication perception using a novel database called RISC (Relation Inference in Social Communication). By means of an online recruitment platform, we asked young, middle-aged, and older adults between the ages of 18 and 76 (N = 100) to evaluate videos of actors using different forms of literal and nonliteral language, such as sarcasm or teasing. The participants' task was to infer …

The Effects Of Collaborative Leadership Practices On Employee Satisfaction Levels, Thomas Martin

Theses and Dissertations

Successful organizations understand how employee satisfaction levels affect the bottom line. Establishing the best practices for managing employee satisfaction is paramount so human resource directors can share information. This literature review will help educate human resource practitioners and researchers to understand better the history, the existing research, and the benefits of properly managing employee satisfaction levels. When employees become dissatisfied, it can lead to a lack of trust, poor communication, and retention problems. Obtaining information on managing employee satisfaction levels can be difficult for aspiring human resource leaders. Through this phenomenological research study, human resource executives will share their knowledge …

Parenting And Sharenting Communication For Preventing Juvenile Delinquency, Suranto Aw, Pratiwi Wahyu Widiarti, Benni Setiawan, Normah Mustaffa, Mohd Nor Shahizan Ali, Chatia Hastasari

Informasi

The focus of this research is to examine the communication techniques between parents and children in the context of parenting and giving advice (sharenting) for the prevention of children or adolescents' delinquency. The informants of this research were students, teachers, parents, and community leaders from two countries (Indonesia and Malaysia). Data were collected utilizing the focus group discussion techniques via Zoom meeting platform. Data were analyzed using interactive analysis which includes four stages, namely: data collection, data reduction, display data, and drawing a conclusion/verification. The results show that parenting and sharenting communication are strategic forums to guide adolescents to avoid …

Language Concordance In Medicine And The Need For Medical Schools To Require Taking A Foreign Language As An Intervention Method To Minimize Language Barriers In The U.S., Mary K. Yousif

Honors College Theses

During medical school future student doctors are exposed to a multitude of patients, both natives and non-natives. However, there is no course offering (such as a foreign language or culture class) provided within the curriculum that prepares them for these future interactions. With communication being one of the primary skills used in healthcare, it is imperative to discuss the effects it can cause on a patient if not established. Overall, the goal of this research is to conduct a literary investigation regarding this matter and educate the medical community about the importance of providing effective communication in medicine. This begins …

Examining The Intersectionality Of Religious Faith, Spirituality, And Healthcare Communication, Felix Okeke

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation is my own contribution in responding to the concern raised by certain communication scholars. Their concern was that little research and few publications have been done in the communication field by communication scholars that trace the relationship among religious faith, spirituality, and healthcare communication. While Parrott (2004) describes this apparent neglect as “collective amnesia,” others label it “religion blindness.” Thus, in trying to trace this relationship, this project uses Christian, biblical, and bioethics backgrounds to establish the value, sacredness, and dignity of human life, since these concepts make healthcare and healthcare communication necessary in the first place. These …

Through The Screen: Disability, Aging And Technology, Shoshannah E. Buxbaum

Capstones

The Covid-19 pandemic has fundamentally altered what it means to stay connected. These are stories of how technology has shaped the lives of people with disabilities and seniors in Utah. This half-hour audio documentary, accompanying images and text delve into everything from getting hooked up to the internet for the first time, to the hurdles and expanded opportunities of remote work.

https://shoshannah-buxbaum.medium.com/through-the-screen-bb14b1c992ca

I Hear What You're Saying: Evaluating The Couple Validation Training (Cvt), A Brief Behavioral Intervention, Jessica Mckay

Psychology

Couple distress has strong implications for individual, couple, and family functioning. Research has found couple relationship education to be an effective tool in alleviating couple distress, thus improving the quality of couple communication and problem-solving skills. Couple relationship education has been shown to be more cost-effective and less likely to provoke the typical fears couples face when considering couple therapy, increasing the likelihood of receiving needed help. This study used a brief, highly structured behavioral intervention to teach partners to identify and code effective and ineffective ways of communicating. The primary research question sought to determine whether learning a structured …

Chief Nurse Executive Work Engagement: System Leadership Through A Natural Disaster, Strike, And Pandemic, Ryan Fuller

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Projects

Problem. In a 21-hospital region of a 39-hospital integrated health system, CNE turnover peaked at 63% (12 CNEs) in 2015. Interviews were conducted in 2019 with 12 CNEs across the region to understand potential issues related to CNE job satisfaction. Responses revealed concerns regarding empowerment, alignment, work-life balance, information transparency/sharing, and recognition. While identifying a solution to address CNE concerns, the organization experienced successive crisis events during a 12-month period that included a record-setting wildfire, multiple labor union strikes, and a novel pandemic. The regional leadership team (RLT) required new approaches to facilitate effective communication during a crisis between the …

Impact Of Technological Communication Devices, Joshua George

MSN Capstone Projects

Nurses, family members, and other medical professionals have always found it difficult when communicating with patients who have impaired communication. Those who fall under the category of impaired communication include those who are mechanically ventilated and those who have a tracheostomy. Ineffective communication skills on both ends of the spectrum have led to negative patient outcomes. According to Aslani, Niknejad, Maghaddasi, & Akbari (2017), ineffective communication in patients with impaired communication have led to numerous physical and mental complications. Discovering an effective communication method to implement has been of great importance in the nursing field.

The current practice of communicating …

Stepping Down? Theorizing The Process Of Returning To The Faculty After Senior Academicleadership, Lisa Jasinski

Journal of Research on the College President

While scholars have devoted considerable attention to identifying and developing future academic leaders, scant empirical research has considered the firsthand experiences of senior leaders who returned to the faculty. This grounded theory study developed a theoretical understanding of the process of returning to the faculty after serving as a senior campus administrator. This research examined a common academic rite of passage using the analysis of interviews with 43 former college presidents, provosts, deans, and “other senior leaders” from a variety of postsecondary institutions. Academic leaders in the study characterized the process of returning to the faculty as mostly positive and …

Latino Pastors And Their Spouses' Marital Satisfaction And Its Predicting Factors, Tanya Paniagua

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The Latino population in the United States has been the primary driver of demographic growth in the country (Flores, 2017). With this increasing shift in America, it is important to investigate the unique strains on clergy families among Latino pastors as evidence suggests stress is a threat to marital satisfaction and its longevity (Randall & Bodenmann, 2009). Very little literature on marital dynamics has focused on Latino pastors; thus, a need exists for more research in examining how cultural values and acculturation impact marital satisfaction while considering the relationship between marital satisfaction and selected variables: affection, sexual satisfaction, communication, burnout, …

Gender Differences In Communication With One's Mother And Father And Its Effects On Feelings Of Depression Among Young Adults, Ethan Nicolas Blanchard

All Theses

Depression among young adults is a growing concern that becomes more severe every year. Several factors can contribute to one’s feelings of depression including how much someone communicates their feelings to their parents. Communication with parent’s relationship to depression among young adults is a largely unexplored area of research that this study covers. The purpose of this study is to test gender differences in communication with one’s parents and how parental communication affects feelings of depression. Using the third wave of the National Study of Youth and Religion (NSYR), a nationally representative data set consisting of 1680 young adults living …

Does Nonbinding Commitment Promote Children’S Cooperation In A Social Dilemma?, Laurent Prétôt, Katherine Mcauliffe

Faculty Submissions

Communication is a powerful tool for promoting cooperation in adults and is considered one of the most important solutions to social dilemmas. One feature that makes communication particularly useful in cooperative contexts is that it allows people to advertise their intentions to partners. Some work suggests that adults cooperate more after making nonbinding commitments to cooperate (i.e., commitments they do not need to uphold) than when they are not allowed to communicate their intentions to their partners. However, we know little about whether nonbinding commitments play a similar role in children. We addressed this gap by testing 6- to 9-year-old …

Coachmotivation: Developing Transformational Leadership By Increasing Effective Communication Skills In The Workplace, Megan L. Schuller

Industrial-Organizational Psychology Dissertations

Communication is an intrinsic part of the human experience and has been widely studied empirically and practically within organizations. It is the bedrock for many workplace behaviors and outcomes such as employee trust, engagement, job satisfaction, and transformational leadership. Nonetheless, effective communication continues to be a challenge for organizations across a variety of sectors. The current study examined whether a communications training, CoachMotivation (CM), increased perceived effective communication. CM is derived from clinical psychology skills for behavior change, namely, the Motivational Interviewing concepts of open-ended questions, affirmations, reflections, and summary statements. This study also considered the Big Five personality traits …

Family Communication Patterns During Recovery Maintenance: Relapse Prevention For Alcoholics & Addicts, Adam Pyecha

Communication & Theatre Arts Theses

The following thesis is research into the Family Communication Patterns (FCP) (McLeod & Chaffee, 1972) of “alcoholics and drug addicts” (ADA) with long-term recovery stages III and IV. Improving relapse rates of ADA in early recovery stage I and stage II may require knowledge about the family communication environment and family type of those ADA with extended recovery time. This is an exploratory descriptive of FCP and family typology of 81 ADA identifying as Twelve-step fellowship (TSF) members recovering from the disease of addiction (Jellinek, 1947; 1960). Data was collected via online questionnaire with adapted scales; AWARE 3.0 relapse awareness …

Teaching Effective And Empathetic Communication Amongst Social Service Volunteers, Jillian Van Every

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Some volunteers working with homeless clientele may lack effective communication skills needed while working with this population. As a result, volunteers may not form a trusting relationship with the clients and limit their ability to provide effective services. As a result, I have created a one-day training for volunteers at the Gathering For Women in Monterey, California.

Does An Empathic Pre-Visit Conversation With Another Team Member Improve Perceived Surgeon Empathy?, Lindy Derkzen, Janna S E Ottenhoff, Carrie Barron, David Ring

Patient Experience Journal

Orthopedic surgeon specialists can help alleviate symptoms and reduce self-reported activity limitations by addressing stress, distress, and unhelpful cognitive biases regarding pain (e.g., “hurt equals harm”). But noticing mental and social health opportunities in specialty care can harm the patient-surgeon relationship. This study evaluated the ability of an empathic pre-visit conversation by another team member to improve the patient-surgeon relationship measured as perceived empathy. Factors associated with pain intensity, magnitude of self-reported activity limitations, symptoms of depression, and satisfaction with the surgeon were also studied. We enrolled 100 patients visiting an orthopedic surgeon for the first time. Prior to the …