Fostering A Sustainable Future Through Inclusive Design, Samara Omar, Kate Youmans, Aubrey Wigner, Henry Archer, Carrie Mcclelland

Practice Papers

Fostering a sustainable future requires a balance between human necessities, societal institutions, and environmental systems; and this delicate equilibrium is best attained through strategic and innovative design. With this, and the growing diversity of our communities, it is imperative to equip engineering students with inclusive perspectives that allow them to critically assess the socio-technical elements of sustainable design. Recent research within engineering education has elevated the importance of empathy as a design practice and inclusivity as a design principle; exploring topics of bias and exclusion are essential to this work. As part of a first-year design course, we introduced these …

Transforming Organizational Culture And Enacting Social Justice In Praxis Through Decolonization Of Cultural Artifacts At A U.S. University, Antonio Jimenez-Luque, Sarina Chugani Molina, Rachelle Ann Martinez

School of Leadership and Education Sciences: Faculty Scholarship

Organizational cultures and the resulting manifestations of cultural artifacts on many campuses continue to contribute to the perpetuation of elitism and ideologies deeply entrenched in the undercurrent of colonial legacies. This study presents an analysis of an initiative at one university in the United States for decolonizing practices through the transformation of cultural artifacts that reproduce colonial ideologies and the alignment of them with values of diversity, community, social justice, and scholarly excellence. Data were gathered through a qualitative survey submitted to faculty, students, and staff, and 4 months of ethnographic work seeking to understand how stakeholders interpret the cultural …

Theatre As An Individual And Collective Art, Chin Wai Wong

Theatre Student Work

Art can be as tangible as objects. Art can also be as intangible as ideas. Art exists in multiple forms, such as painting, music, literatures, dancing, acting, and so on, which at the same time defines the form of theatre art. The multi-dimensional nature of theatre art is complex and requires a lot from people, including time, money, and effort. Such effort is not singular but rather diverse and multi-layered. It not only requires people to have contributive skills but also the ability to bind together the skills that different people have. Theatre is collaborative by nature, so communication is …

The Pennsylvania Environmental Resource Consortium: A State-Wide Collaborative Network For Sustainable, Outreach, Education, And Action, Peter Buck, Shaunna Barnhart, Richard D. Bowden, Ben Culbertson, Josh Hooper, Michael Mumper, Dominic Scicchitano, Ken Shultes, Tom Simpson

Faculty Contributions to Books

This paper explores the organizational theory, programs, and concomitant challenges faced by a state-level higher education consortium for sustainability in the United States, the Pennsylvania Environmental Resource Consortium (PERC). We provide insights for other institutions of higher education that may want to form consortia or consider changes to existing consortia. PERC members collaborate to advance sustainability on member campuses, in local communities, and across the Commonwealth. PERC envisions thriving, just communities on a healthy planet, and seeks to inspire higher education communities throughout the Commonwealth to lead transformational sustainability efforts through example, expertise, and collaboration. This chapter provides a brief …

School Improvement Tool, Australian Council For Educational Research (Acer)

School and system improvement

Research shows the powerful impact that school leadership teams can have in improving the quality of teaching and learning. Effective leaders create cultures of high expectations, provide clarity about what teachers are to teach and students are to learn, establish strong professional learning communities, and lead ongoing school-wide efforts to improve teaching practices. The School Improvement Tool describes the practices of highly effective schools and school leaders. The SIT assists schools to review and reflect on their strategies to improve the quality of classroom teaching and learning. It supports school-wide conversations – including with families, school governing bodies, local communities, …

Leadership And Military Power – Can A Leadership Approach Provide A Competitive Advantage?, Lawrence E. Skelly Iii

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

Leadership and Military Power – Can a Leadership Approach Provide a Competitive Advantage? When does a military commander's leadership approach give his or her unit a performance advantage? U.S. Army senior leaders have asserted that forces led using the mission command approach will have an edge in future combat. Mission command decentralizes decision-making to empower subordinates to react more successfully and seize battlefield opportunities. American forces have struggled to employ mission command partly because of a lack of understanding of the approach. This study applied two concepts from organizational psychology, empowering leadership and directive leadership, to better define and examine …

Cultural Humility As A Predictor Of Intention To Leave Moderated By Authentic Leadership, Dennis Whitfield

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The problem addressed in this research was the inappropriate treatment of multicultural individuals by their immediate supervisors and the need for a thorough examination of cultural humility in organizational settings. This quantitative study used linear regression and moderation analyses to examine the relationship between cultural humility and intention to leave moderated by authentic leadership to determine how the participants’ perception of cultural humility in their immediate supervisor predicted their intention to leave. Another purpose was to examine whether authentic leadership moderated the relationship with intention to leave. The theoretical framework for this study included cultural humility, authentic leadership, and intention …

Exploring Employee Turnover In The Healthcare Industry, Gloria Scott

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Employee turnover is a challenging issue many organizations face resulting in lost productivity, profitability, and sustainability. Nursing leaders are concerned with employee turnover because patient quality of care and safety could suffer adversely. Grounded in the context emergent turnover theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore strategies nursing leaders used to reduce employee turnover. The participants were six nursing leaders of healthcare organizations in New York State. Data were collected using semistructured virtual interviews conducted by telephone and Zoom, reviewing an organization document, and company public websites. Data were analyzed using methodological triangulation to identify …

Transgenerational Wellness: Trauma Informed Christian Spiritual Formation, Winford Amos

Doctor of Ministry

Certain mindsets, processes, and practices produce health inequities and disparities including poor spiritual health. Young adults between the ages of eighteen and twenty-five years old are experiencing challenges with mental health and substance use resulting in a high rate of suicides and overdose related deaths. Many are experiencing co-occurring substance use and mental health challenges and have a history of trauma. There are limited options available for integrated treatment. Accessibility to services is very difficult due to limited providers and limited resources at this age. Church attendance has decreased significantly for young adults which limits the capacity of the church …

Differences In High School Student Athlete Perceptions Of Coach Leadership Behaviors, Clarissa Adams

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The dynamics between athletic coaches and their players have been widely studied with leadership as the focus. The problem was that there is limited literature on the differences in perceptions of high school student athletes regarding their coach’s leadership behaviors. The purpose of this group comparison study was to examine the differences in student athletes’ perceptions of their coach’s leadership behavior as measured by the Revised Leadership Scale for Sports scores between freshman, junior varsity, and varsity high school student athletes. Chelladurai’s multidimensional model of leadership was the theoretical foundation for this study. The invitation to the study with a …

Strategies City Business Leaders Use To Improve The Quality Of Life In Downtown Communities, Eurecka Christopher

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractNonprofits serve the communities and provide a measurable impact on the quality of life. The quality of life in downtown communities can be threatened without effective strategies to overcome government budget cuts and improve community engagement. Grounded in the theory of community development and the whole-systems approach, the purpose of this qualitative single case study was to explore strategies city business leaders use to improve the quality of life in downtown communities. The participants were three board members from one nongovernment organization in Baltimore, Maryland. Data were collected from semistructured interviews, reviewing company documents, and obtaining public data from the …

Employee Engagement And Leadership In The Federal Sector, Quanekqua Tequila Russell Pringle

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

While levels of engagement have slightly increased, employee engagement in the U.S. federal government sector still significantly lags when compared to the private sector. When asked if organizational leaders generate high levels of motivation and commitment in the workforce, only 48% of U.S. federal government employees indicated a positive response. The purpose of this quantitative correlation study and primary research question was to determine to what extent, if any, does a relationship exist between perceptions of leadership communication and effectiveness and employee engagement in the U.S. federal government sector. The theoretical framework of this quantitative correlational study was informed by …

Administrators’ Perceptions Of Their Roles And Challenges In Building A Positive School Culture In Title I Schools, Yvonne Terry Browder

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Elementary school principals in this study struggled to implement and maintain a positive school culture. School culture plays an essential role in schools, and school principals play a significant part in developing that culture. Positive school culture is vital in all schools, especially in high-poverty and low-performing Title I schools. This basic qualitative study involved understanding school principals' challenges in developing and maintaining a positive school culture in high-poverty and low-performing Title I schools. The transformational leadership theory was the framework for this study. Research questions were developed to understand what elementary principals of high-poverty and low-performing Title I schools …

Call Center Managers’ Strategies To Address Employee Turnover, Kimberly Dickens

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Employee turnover is a threat to call center sustainability. Call center leaders who lack strategies to reduce employee turnover have an increased risk of business failure. Grounded in Herzberg’s two-factor theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple-case study was to explore strategies call center leaders use to reduce employee turnover in insurance call centers. The three participants were call center leaders from three different call centers in Raleigh, North Carolina, who implemented strategies to reduce employee turnover. Data were collected from semistructured interviews and reviews of public documents from participants’ company websites and analyzed using thematic analysis. Two themes emerged: …

Relationship Between An Entrepreneur’S Self-Efficacy, Self-Leadership, And Startup Sustainability In Nigeria, Juliet Ehimuan

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Self-efficacy and self-leadership have been identified as important indicators of business sustainability. Business owners and investors are concerned about sustainability because most businesses fail within the first five years. Grounded in self-efficacy and self-leadership theories, the purpose of this quantitative correlation study was to examine the relationship between entrepreneurial self-efficacy, self-leadership and startup sustainability. The participants were 156 entrepreneurs who completed the entrepreneurial self-efficacy scale and the abbreviated self-leadership questionnaire delivered via email. The multiple linear regression analysis results indicated the model was able to significantly predict startup sustainability, F(2, 129) = 432.47, p < .001, R2 = .87. Self-efficacy provided a significant contribution to the model (t = 8.424, p = < .001, β = .914). In contrast, the contribution of self-leadership was not significant (t = 0.185, p = .853, β = .20). A key recommendation is the utilization of mentoring programs and structured leadership internships that enhance self-efficacy by providing startup leaders with exposure to more seasoned corporate leaders, and successful peers who have had similar experiences to theirs. The implications for positive social change include the potential development of training and capacity-building programs that can be provided to entrepreneurs and other startup leaders to enhance their ability to sustain their startups, leading to more successful businesses, job creation, and economic growth.

Strategies To Improve Employee Motivation In Addiction Treatment, Dawn Marie Belamarich

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Addiction treatment leaders are experiencing challenges in motivating qualified and committed professionals within their businesses. Without strategies to motivate and retain employees, addiction treatment businesses will fail, and patient outcomes can suffer. Grounded in Herzberg’s two-factor theory of motivation, the purpose of this qualitative multiple-case study was to explore strategies addiction treatment leaders used to improve employee motivation. The participants were 10 addiction treatment leaders with demonstrated experience in utilizing leadership strategies to improve employee motivation. Data were collected through semistructured interviews, a review of the literature on employee motivation in addiction treatment organizations, and a review of organizational archival …

Learning From The Lived Experiences Of African American Senior Executives In Fortune 500 Organizations: A Transcendental Phenomenological Study Of Black Corporate Trailblazers, Otis G. Jarvis

Department of Conflict Resolution Studies Theses and Dissertations

African American Senior Executives (AASE) exist as a group of American citizens who hold senior management roles in Fortune 500 organizations. AASE members are responsible for decision-making in a diverse number of industries but represent a small group of leaders in Fortune 500 organizations. The purpose of this qualitative transcendental phenomenological study was to examine the lived experiences of AASE in a Fortune 500 organization in the United States. The qualitative study examined through semi-structured interviews the experiences of eleven senior executives in Fortune 500 organizations in the United States. This phenomenological study examined how the lived experience of each …

The Role Of The Principal In Teacher Retention, Johnathan Bolek

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This is a qualitative study focused on investigating building leaders evaluations and the role they may play in teacher retention and recruitment. This qualitative study included analysis of interviews of evaluators of building level leaders and the findings from those interviews relative to teacher retention. 

On-Boarding Experienced Teachers In A New School, Emma Mecham, Joseph Kozlowski, Felicia Messervy, Cami Player, Joel Lopez, Laura Reina, Nathan Justis

Teacher Education and Leadership Faculty Publications

Each year school administrators find themselves in the position of hiring new teachers and onboarding them to the unique expectations and context of the school. Such work most often happens while these new teachers are actively doing the work of teaching, with few contracted hours of training available. Limited research has focused on the experience of onboarding for teachers who are experienced in the field, but new to a particular school. Recognizing this challenge, this team of researchers and participants set out to examine the flow of information in one school for four teachers in their first year of teaching …

Why Do Relationships Matter To Project Managers? 3 Elements To Integrate Into Every Project Manager Tool-Kit, Sarah M. Dyson, Joe Deklinski

Beyond the Project Horizon: Journal of the Center for Project Management Innovation

Abstract

Emotional intelligence is one of the essential attributes of success in the workplace and life. It is a skill that can be learned and developed. The ability to manage emotions is also a part of it. Emotional intelligence can be taught, practiced, and mastered by anyone who wants to become a better manager. It is not just about managing your emotions but being able to manage them effectively if you want to become a better leader. One of the hallmarks of effective project leadership is building constructive relationships. Relationship building is essential because project managers do not typically have …

When Leaders Use Self-Uncertainty Strategically: Consequences For Intergroup Leadership And Identity Confirmation Dynamics, Alison Young

CGU Theses & Dissertations

Framed by the social identity theory of leadership, one question that is beginning to receive attention is how intergroup leaders can lead across distinct subgroups and improve inter-subgroup relations without provoking social identity-related concerns (e.g., subgroup identity distinctiveness threat). Past studies have found that leaders can use their rhetoric and boundary spanning behavior to meet their members’ identity needs and garner support. In addition, the self-uncertainty literature has suggested that leaders can strategically elevate and resolve members’ self-uncertainty through their rhetoric. The current research proposed that members who felt uncertain about their subgroup’s identity would have more favorable evaluations of …

Speaking To The Head And The Heart: Prioritizing Empathetic Communication In The Post-Covid Workplace, Kevin T. Caffrey

Administrative / Professional Faculty Articles

As of August 2022, COVID-19 continues to affect our daily lives in physical, psychological, and financial ways. Many vulnerable individuals are struggling to adapt to returning to work and as a result, employee morale is at risk. In times of crises, empathy is needed in the workplace to support one another, but many leaders and employees may not have a firm grasp of the concept. This article seeks to define empathetic communication and explore the need for prioritizing empathy amid the current post-COVID-19 workplace. Through a literature review of empathy, psychological safety in the workplace, and crisis leadership, the author …

A Leadership Perspective On Preventing Counselor Burnout In A Behavioral Health Setting During Covid-19, Claudia P. De La Torre

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

During the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a high need for mental health services, which resulted in a shortage of mental health clinicians. This shortage of mental health clinicians then resulted in a high burnout rate due to client intake. This doctoral case study was grounded in the Baldrige Excellence Framework and focused on how a behavioral health organization in South Texas managed burnout in clinicians during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aimed to help behavioral health leaders find a solution to preventing burnout during a high demand pandemic. This doctoral study had several data sources, including semistructured interviews with three …

Strategies Used By Small Traditional Retail Business Owners For Sustainability, Linda Ogbah Faas

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Small businesses fail at an alarming rate, negatively affecting job creation because small business owners create a major portion of jobs in the United States. In March of 2020, 274,000 businesses failed in the United States, resulting in 76,000 lost jobs. Owners of small traditional retail stores are significantly challenged to avoid financial failure. Grounded in Schumpeter’s entrepreneurship theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple-case study was to explore strategies owners of small traditional retail stores used to survive beyond the first 5 years of operations. Participants included five owners of small traditional retail stores in Missouri whose businesses survived …

Trauma-Informed Behavioral Health Leadership And Employee Engagement At A Child Advocacy Center, Andrew Krantz

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Employee engagement is essential for an organization to meet its mission and vision. When employees are not engaged, there are higher levels of turnover, secondary traumatic stress, and burnout. Furthermore, when employees are not engaged, there is a decrease in the quality of patient care. Behavioral health leaders can positively impact employee engagement by engaging in trauma-informed behavioral health leadership. This qualitative case study reviews the impact of trauma-informed behavioral health leadership on employee engagement at a large Child Advocacy Center in the northeastern United States who was struggling with low levels of employee engagement and high levels of turnover …

Small And Medium-Sized Enterprise Beauty Salon Employer Strategies Used To Improve Employee Retention, Angela Lynette Loyd

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Retention strategies are important to beauty salon leaders as they directly affect retaining a reliable workforce. Grounded in self-determination theory, the purpose of this generic qualitative case study was to explore retention strategies used by some SME beauty salon leaders in the United States to improve employee retention. The participants were five SME beauty salon leaders who retained at least two employees for 2 consecutive years. Data were collected using semistructured interviews and company documents. The four themes from the thematic analysis were leadership, psychological needs satisfaction, motivation, and engagement. A key recommendation is to have SME beauty salon leaders …

High School Administrators’ Perspectives Of Leadership Practices Influencing Teacher Leadership And Culture, Andrea H. Taylor

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In a southeastern state in the United States, a gap in practice exists regarding the consistent implementation of instructional leadership practices to promote teacher leadership and culture in schools. The purpose of this study was to explore administrators’ perspectives of their implementation of instructional leadership practices to influence teacher leadership and culture. The conceptual framework for this qualitative approach was Bass and Avolio’s transformational leadership theory. The research question focused on high school administrators’ perceptions of the instructional leadership practices they are using to influence teacher leadership and school culture. Purposive sampling was used, and six high school administrators participated …

Career Research Framework For University Students And Recent Graduates Interested In Nonprofit Sector Employment, Reed Miller

Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts

Through this project, I aimed to gain a better understanding of sustainable opportunities for undergraduate students and recent college graduates to get involved with the nonprofit management world, sustainable opportunities being contingent on potential success factors for both the individual and the organization. My analysis is informed by my hands-on experience working in a leadership position with the Healthcare Surfaces Institute, a national healthcare nonprofit, my interviews with nonprofit leaders in the Missoula, Montana, area, and by looking at labor data for the American nonprofit sector. In this essay, I report on my findings both anecdotal and data-driven to conclude …

Building And Sustaining Trust During The Covid-19 Pandemic: Lessons In P-12 Educational Leadership, C. Fred Engelhardt Jr.

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Trust has been called the “lubricant for social and interpersonal interactions” and “vital for individuals working together to create effective systems.” Organizations were challenged with considering how to adapt and innovate practices during COVID-19 in order to achieve their purpose and mission, continue their effectiveness towards that end, all while being cognizant of the health and safety of their members. Educational institutions were concurrently required to adopt remote instructional practices, adhere to strict safety and health measures, consider the effects of social-emotional health, while encouraging the ongoing learning of students. Courageous building principals and district leaders encouraged new practices, supported …

Changing Adult Behaviors: Examining The Factors Of Change That Facilitate The Mtss Implementation Framework In A Small Rural School District, Briana Whitaker

Doctor of Education Dissertations

This mixed methods study sought to identify the incorporation of support for implementing evidence-based instructional practices within an MTSS framework among teachers and the impact on student growth outcomes in three K-2 schools. The study also determined teacher perceptions regarding how support in adult behavior change, which is the theoretical framework of the study, impacted a shift in their instructional practices utilizing a qualitative survey, one-on-one interviews, and two independent samples t tests. Participants in the study expressed that school climate, principal instructional leadership, purposeful PLCs, and their attitudes about new behaviors best supported them in adopting innovative instructional reading …