Digital Commons Network^™

Leadership Adaptability Within The Higher Education Industry, Rebecca Niemeyer Rens

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Dynamism in the higher education industry (HEI) has created unprecedented complexity and uncertainty for leaders at colleges and universities across the globe. The challenges to competitive advantage and sustainability created by dynamic conditions have been exacerbated and accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic and health crisis. HEI leaders are struggling to adapt antiquated and traditionally held methods and practices to navigate the rapid changes and survive the resulting chaos. The ability of leaders to adapt to dynamism in contemporary industry conditions is influenced by the external and internal environments; in term, these leaders’ capacity for change impacts the adaptability of the …

Relationship Between Ethnic Diversity Of Nursing Leadership And Bedside Nursing Engagement, Neneh Iyesha Kamara

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Ethnic diversity in the U.S. nursing workforce had not been well researched. This aspect of nursing is important to the advancement of the profession because ethnic diversity of nursing helps reduce health care disparities. The purpose of this quantitative correlational study was to examine the possible relationship between the perceived ethnicity of nurse leaders and the engagement of bedside nurses. Culture of care theory was the theoretical foundation for this study. The Utrecht Work Engagement Scale with additional demographic questions was used to survey 53 bedside nurses with 2 or more years of experience. Simple regression was used to analyze …

Strategies For Strengthening Leader–Follower Relationships For Improving Organizational Performance, Onyinyechi Grace Odiaka

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractPoor-quality leader-follower relationships reduce organizational performance. Organizational leaders are concerned about poor performance as it can negatively impact sustainability. Grounded in the leader-member exchange theory, the purpose of this qualitative single case study was to explore strategies leaders in oil-servicing organizations use to improve organizational performance. Data were collected from semi-structured, face-to-face interviews with 14 leaders from an oil-servicing organization and a review of company documents and the organizations’ websites. Through thematic analysis, five themes emerged: Leadership styles, motivation, mentoring and coaching, communication methods, and follower engagement. A key recommendation is for business leaders to influence followers to improve organizational …

Factors Of Employee Retention Within Youth-Serving Nonprofits In The Mid-Atlantic Region Of The United States, Meleny Thomas

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Factors of employee retention have been widely researched and examined. However, research on factors of retention in relation to youth-serving NPOs was limited. Turnover was an issue that many organizations face, but the impacts and implications of turnover for youth-serving nonprofits may be greater. Using Herzberg’s two-factor theory of motivation, this study identified the factors that local and national NPO employees in the Mid-Atlantic region of the eastern United States provided as to why they remained at or left NPOs. The aim of this study was to identify the motivator and/or hygiene factors that employees or former employees of NPOs …

Understanding Marketers’ Strategy Development Processes Used For Behavior Change, Eunice Moseley

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Studies support the concept that a show of concern by marketing leaders for the consumer equates to consumer loyalty, consumer satisfaction, and positive consumer behavior change. The problem was that processes marketing leaders rely on to develop strategies in California may not show consideration of the campaign’s influence on consumers’ behavior. The purpose of this narrative inquiry was to answer the research question probing for how the processes marketing leaders rely on to develop marketing strategies in California show consideration of the campaigns’ influence on consumers’ behavior. The research question asked about the processes marketing leaders rely on to develop …

Educators’ Perception Of Their Psychosocial Support Of Elementary Students In Gabon, Africa, Michel Ikamba

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Although educators internationally have often provided care to vulnerable students who struggle to meet the needs of nutrition, health, protection, and access to essential social services, no formal social systems exist in Gabon to aid educators who work with these students. In the absence of relevant local research and drawing on Dewey’s theory of progressive education as a conceptual model, this basic qualitative study asked about educators’ perceptions in limited resource elementary schools in Gabon of the social needs and strategies employed with students who demonstrated signs of disengagement and alienation. Qualitative data collection included semi-structured recorded interviews with 12 …

Leadership Strategies For Improving Employee Engagement, Stacy Wright

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Small business leaders who lack effective strategies to improve employee engagement may be unable to retain employees, keep employees motivated, or improve employee performance, adversely affecting company productivity and profitability. Grounded in the transformational leadership theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore strategies small business leaders use to improve employee engagement. Data were collected from three small business leaders in North Texas with 5 years of leadership experience who have successfully created and implemented employee engagement strategies. Data collection included semistructured interviews and publicly available organizational documents. Three key themes emerged from Yin’s five-step data …

Effective Leadership In The Us Fire Service Requires Training Programs Geared Toward Ongoing Leader Development For All Personnel, Shelley Marie Wheeler

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore the experiences of 50 personnel from four Metro Washington D.C. area fire departments, 23 firefighters and 27 officers, at varying experience levels and ranks to determine if there was leadership training throughout a firefighter’s career that enhanced their leader development, improving teamwork needed to achieve operational objectives. Based on the analysis of the data retrieved from the participants, the proposed research problem does exist within all four departments: leadership training may not be provided at varying levels of a firefighter's career within Metro Washington D.C. area fire departments which could …

Leading Remote Teams, Austin Martin Williams

Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works

In the spring of 2020, many law libraries suddenly went from physical spaces with books and in-person services to digital and hybrid operations that met users’ needs through a combination of electronic offerings, book pick-up programs, and virtual reference services. Libraries were forced to implement new workflows, technology, resources, and services in a matter of days and weeks versus months and years. Through it all, library leaders were asked to do something that many had little experience with prior to the pandemic—lead a large contingent of remote workers. This article does not focus on new initiatives, resources, or services developed …

Smart Heuristics For Individuals, Teams, And Organizations, Gerd Gigerenzer, Jochen Reb, Shenghua Luan

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Heuristics are fast, frugal, and accurate strategies that enable rather than limit decision making under uncertainty. Uncertainty, as opposed to calculable risk, is characteristic of most organizational contexts. We review existing research and offer a descriptive and prescriptive theoretical framework to integrate the current patchwork of heuristics scattered across various areas of organizational studies. Research on the adaptive toolbox is descriptive, identifying the repertoire of heuristics on which individuals, teams, and organizations rely. Research on ecological rationality is prescriptive, specifying the conditions under which a given heuristic performs well, that is, when it is smart. Our review finds a relatively …

Why Test Results Are Still Getting "Lost" To Follow-Up: A Qualitative Study Of Implementation Gaps, Andrew J Zimolzak, Umber Shahid, Traber D Giardina, Sahar A Memon, Umair Mushtaq, Lisa Zubkoff, Daniel R Murphy, Andrea Bradford, Hardeep Singh

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND: Lack of timely follow-up of abnormal test results is common and has been implicated in missed or delayed diagnosis, resulting in potential for patient harm.

OBJECTIVE: As part of a larger project to implement change strategies to improve follow-up of diagnostic test results, this study sought to identify specifically where implementation gaps exist, as well as possible solutions identified by front-line staff.

DESIGN: We used a semi-structured interview guide to collect qualitative data from Veterans Affairs (VA) facility staff who had experience with test results management and patient safety.

SETTING: Twelve VA facilities across the USA.

PARTICIPANTS: Facility staff …

Effective Strategies To Reduce Voluntary Employee Turnover Intentions In The Retail Sector, Connie Latoyia Owens

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Voluntary employee turnover is a complex business problem that hurts organizations’ productivity and profits. High employee turnover rates require retail business leaders to implement strategies to help prevent employees from leaving their jobs. Grounded in transformational leadership theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple-case study was to explore leadership strategies retail store managers use to reduce voluntary employee turnover. The participants included six retail managers from two mid-to-large retail food organizations in Chicago who successfully reduced voluntary employee turnover. Semistructured interviews and public company information were used for data collection. Data were analyzed using Yin’s five-step method. Four themes were …

Leadership Strategies To Engage Employees And Sustain Small Businesses, Donald Akah Ngwa

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Small businesses in the United States safeguard long-term employment opportunities, job security, and economic growth, yet only 50% of small business establishments survive beyond the first 5 years of startup. Small business survival is vital to the health of an economy, given the number of employees that depend on income generated from jobs created by small business owners. Grounded in the transformational leadership theory, the purpose of this multiple case study was to explore leadership strategies small retail store managers use to sustain business operations beyond the first 5 years. The participants comprised 6 small retail store managers in Columbia, …

The Effects Of Authentic Leadership On Individual Occupational Well-Being, Tedd Allen Wheeler

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Leaders play a critical role in an organization, and their presence and behavior significantly affect nonmanagement employee work performance, behavior, and well-being. Authentic leadership has a positive effect on an organization. The problem was nonmanagement employees spend so much time at work and desire meaningful experiences and relationships during the workday to counter feelings of uncertainty and a lack of job satisfaction. The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to identify and report the lived experiences of nonmanagerial employees of the architect, engineer, and construction (AEC) industry located in the Northeastern United States about work-related well-being defined as people’s …

Strategies To Enhance Leadership Development Of Midlevel Managers, Elizabeth Wiebe

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Organizational executives annually invest more than $50 billion in leadership development worldwide. Nonetheless, human resources (HR) managers are concerned that leadership development initiatives prove inadequate in delivering learning outcomes equal to the investment, leaving midlevel managers ill-prepared to lead. Guided by experiential learning theory, this qualitative multiple-case study was conducted to explore strategies HR managers use to enhance the leadership development of midlevel managers. A purposeful sample included three HR managers from three organizations located in a west coast metropolitan area in Canada who successfully implemented leadership development strategies. Data were collected from semistructured interviews and organizational documents. Informed by …

First-Generation Academically At-Risk Black College Students' Perceptions Of Borrowing And Repayment Of Student Loans, Tianna Gordon

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Escalating college costs have far-reaching implications, especially for low-income and first-generation students. Lack of financial literacy can negatively affect the success of these learners and may have long-lasting consequences, yet there is a lack of literature about the borrowing and repayment obligations related to student loans of first-generation, academically at-risk Black students. Grounded in social cognitive theory and human capital theory, the purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore first-generation academically at-risk Black college students' understanding of student loan borrowing and repayment obligations. A semistructured interview protocol with open-ended questions was used to obtain the narrative data from …

Facilitating Executive Succession For Female Hospitality Managers, Ryann Hanna

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The lack of women in leadership roles continues to be a diversity concern, and a lack of knowledge regarding the male experience promoting female advancement when in a gatekeeper role is not well understood. The purpose of this study was to explore the male experience promoting women within the hospitality industry. Role congruity theory and leader member exchange are foundational concepts for understanding bias around gender diversity and the facilitators of succession; however, what is not known is the experience of male executives facilitating female advancement, what affects their support of female successors, and the perceptions they have when considering …

Leadership Experiences Of Organization Open Innovation In Caribbean Small And Medium Enterprises, Helen Merlyne Bhola-Paul

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Caribbean Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) represent 95% of Caribbean businesses and contribute 40% to the region’s GDP; however, they rank lowest at 4% for organization innovation. The general problem addressed in this study was that leaders of SMEs of the Windward Islands in the Caribbean did not have a system in place to lead and promote strategic knowledge sharing to increase open innovation. The purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore the lived experiences of leaders of innovative SMEs in the Windward Islands to manage and lead their organizations to drive organization open innovation in a …

Leadership Styles And Rn Turnover Intentions In Long-Term Care Facilities, Kelli M. Casey

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Employee turnover is a concern for leaders in the nursing home industry because employees with turnover intentions may negatively impact the continuity of operations and strategic plans, resulting in poor quality of care for residents. Grounded in House's path-goal theory, the purpose of this quantitative, correlational study was to examine the relationship among idealized attributes, idealized behaviors, inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation, individualized consideration, contingent reward, management by exception-active management by exception-passive, and turnover intentions in RNs. The independent variables were the subcategories of transformational and transactional leadership. The dependent variable was turnover intentions. Participants included 110 nonmanagement RNs working in …

Physician Authentic Leadership As Health Care Managers And Its Impact On Subordinates’ Ethical Strength, Eddie M. Christian

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Physicians exercising the characteristics of authentic leaders may be better equipped to affect the ethical strength of health care staff and provide a vehicle for reducing corruption in the health care industry. This position suggests that physicians practicing with these particular qualities are more effective than those who are not genuine, transparent, or committed to maintaining emotional balance in their work relations. The purpose of this quantitative correlational study was to determine whether physician authentic leadership (AL) moderated the relationship between physician emotional intelligence (EI) and the moral potency of their billing and codes managers. Survey data were collected from …

Leadership Strategies To Motivate And Retain Employees In Small And Medium Enterprises, Shirley Jean Doescher

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Organizational leaders find it challenging to determine what leadership strategies motivate and retain employees in their company, especially during a pandemic. Not knowing which leadership strategies would successfully motivate employees leads to higher turnover, less profitability, and higher costs to replace employees. Grounded in transformational leadership theory, the purpose of this multiple case study was to explore strategies corporate leaders use to motivate and retain employees in small and medium businesses (SMEs) in southeastern Wisconsin (WI). Data were collected from semi-structured interviews with eight participants from eight SMEs of southeast WI, as well as analyzing company documents. Yin’s 5-step process …

Successful Strategies To Sustain Practice Changes In Healthcare, Erin Gable

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Healthcare managers implement evidence-based practice to meet the growing needs of aging populations. However, many healthcare leaders fail to sustain newly implemented practices. Grounded in the promoting action on research implementation in health services conceptual framework, the purpose of this qualitative interpretative descriptive study was to explore strategies healthcare leaders use to sustain practice changes to meet increasing demands for quality care of the aging population. The participants included eight healthcare managers from Canada and the United States who led strategies to sustain practice change. The four themes that emerged using semistructured interviews and thematic analysis were staff buy-in, staff …

Leadership Experiences With Organizational Infrastructure In Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation Programs, Latia Greer

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Lack of buy-in is a critical factor when initiating organizational change. Although changes are necessary for growth and sustainability, leadership can be met with resistance. Early childhood mental health consultation is a solution-focused intervention to support early childcare providers and educators to improve child outcomes. The implementation of the program requires a well-defined operational model to have greater effectiveness and efficiency. The present case study explored the leadership experience of buy-in to change during the implementation of an early childhood mental health consultation school-based program in a nonprofit organization in the Midwest region of the United States. The Baldrige Excellence …

Corporate Managers’ Strategies To Increase Employee Motivation, Salim Ibrahim Hussien

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractThe lack of employee motivation can impede organizations’ performance. Corporate leaders are concerned with the lack of motivation, as it can lead to negative attitudes and hinder the implementation of organizational strategies. Grounded in Vroom’s expectancy theory and Herzberg’s two-factor theory, the purpose of this qualitative (identify design) was to explore strategies corporate managers use to motivate their employees. Five participants were interviewed from five corporate organizations that successfully applied motivation strategies to motivate their staff. Data were collected through semistructured interviews and field notes. Using Yin’s five-step data analysis, seven themes emerged: establishing an employee incentive program, creating a …

Exploring The Drivers Of Tax Evasion In The Manufacturing Sector: Lagos, Nigeria, Ogunsola Bello Idowu

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In Nigeria, tax evasion has been a practice since the beginning of taxation, and it is also a worldwide phenomenon. Using the theory of reasoned action and the technology adoption life cycle as developed, the purpose of this qualitative exploratory case study was to explore how leaders in the manufacturing companies could understand the drivers of tax evasion in manufacturing industries, which may prevent sanctions from tax authorities in Lagos State, Nigeria. Ten manufacturing companies with evidence of properly filed taxes for the past 5 years in Lagos, Nigeria were interviewed, and who have operated business within 5 years and …

Charles Cotrell, Analyssa Gracía, Gabriella Parra

Latinx Civil Rights

Dr. Cotrell discusses the motivations for his activist work and the experiences he faced as a professor and community leader. He recalls cases from his time serving as an expert witness in voting rights lawsuits and notes the importance of telling stories of voter intimidation. Dr. Cotrell shares his thoughts on staying proactive in politics, gives advice to young activists, and describes how university faculty can support students in their activism. He also reflects on his personal interests and those that occupied most of his time as a professor.

Psychological Capital And The Relationship Between Authentic Leadership And Employee Well-Being, Bianca Cardenas

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

It is not known whether authentic leadership predicts employee well-being, and whether psychological capital moderates the relationship between authentic leadership and employee well-being. The purpose of this correlational study was to determine the extent that authentic leadership predicted employee well-being and whether psychological capital had a moderating effect on the relationship between authentic leadership and employee well-being. The two theoretical frameworks that supported this study included the authentic leadership theory and social exchange theory. The research design consisted of a quantitative, correlational study using multiple and hierarchical regression analysis. The two research questions that guided this study examined whether perceived …

Mental Health In The Military, Amy Jean Grasse

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The current qualitative research project explored the lived experiences of senior leaders who have worked with service members known to seek mental health treatment. Despite a large amount of research on the effects mental health has on military members, the scholarly community does not know the experiences individuals face when employing active-duty personnel with known psychological limitations. This phenomenological study aimed to identify senior leadership’s lived experiences to identify the barriers and facilitators they faced when employing service members known to have sought mental health treatment. The attribution theory and modified labeling theory were the theoretical frameworks chosen for this …

Age And Experience As Factors For Predicting Emotional Intelligence In Nurse Managers, Patricia Gursky

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Emotional intelligence (EI) is defined as the capacity to recognize and manage emotions and feelings to guide behaviors which is an ability that is crucial for nurse mangers to possess. Understanding the key factors for predicting emotional intelligence in nurse managers may influence hiring practices and the appointment of managers who will influence job satisfaction, employee engagement, retention, and turnover. The purpose of this quantitative predictive correlational study, guided by King’s theory of goal attainment and Mayer and Salovey’s four-branch ability model of EI, was to determine whether age, years of experience as a nurse, and years of experience as …

Experiences Of Women Of Color In Leadership Paths At Predominately White Institutions, Philomena Marie Johnson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractResearch shows that the experiences of women of color in leadership paths at predominately White institutions (PWIs) have impacted their advancements and route to the presidency. However, there is limited research on the positive aspects of their leadership contributions or on the intersection of race and gender and mentoring in their leadership roles. The purpose of this qualitative study was to understand the experiences of women of color in leadership paths at PWIs. Black feminist thought and intersectionality were the conceptual framework used to understand those experiences. Thirteen women of color in leadership roles at PWIs in the United States …