Digital Commons Network^™

Department Structure And Leadership Functions For Advanced Practice Providers, Deondela Love

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Department structure and leadership functions can influence work climate. In one healthcare system, advanced practice providers (APPs) worked in a decentralized structure with multiple leaders. This project explored the impact of the change to centralized leadership for APPs working in an academic healthcare system in which employee turnover was high and satisfaction was low. An ad hoc committee led by the chief medical officer created a centralized department with a designated leader. Surveys and interviews were used to identify the benefits of the strategies implemented and understand whether the change in organizational structure resulted in an improved work climate for …

Toward Excellence: Exploring Leader Strategies In Chronic Wound Care Centers, Geraldine Rosol

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The number of chronic wounds is rising in the United States, and health leaders face the economic and health burdens these wounds pose to the U.S. health care system. Many investigators have documented the importance of leadership in promoting excellence and reducing health care costs in chronic disease. Yet, the literature lacks information regarding leader strategies used to promote wound treatment cultures of excellence directed toward improved quality and reduced health costs. This study examined leader strategies used to promote excellence in chronic wound treatment to address the problem of the economic and health burdens associated with chronic wounds. The …

Strategies For Sustainability In Multilevel Marketing Organizations, Nicole Renea Cordell

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The number of entrepreneurs in the direct sales industry has steadily increased since 2010; however, the annual turnover rate is 56%. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore multilevel marketing (MLM) entrepreneurial leadership strategies implemented to help ensure sustainability of entrepreneurial MLM businesses for longer than 5 years. Purposive sampling was used to recruit 10 entrepreneurs who maintained an MLM business more than 5 years and used a hierarchical status that required a team. The transformational leadership theory constituted the conceptual framework for researching leadership as a concept of entrepreneurship and sustainability in MLM. Data were collected …

Exploring Strategies Leaders Use To Engage Employees, Eric L. Gholz

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The purpose of this qualitative, single case study was to explore strategies that leaders used to engage employees. The conceptual framework for this study was Saks's multidimensional approach to employee engagement. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 5 leaders from an office design company in the midwestern region of the United States who had a minimum of 2 years of experience of engaging employees. Company archival documents related to employee engagement were also collected. Data analysis consisted of compiling the data, coding for emergent and a priori codes, disassembling the data into common codes, reassembling the data into themes, interpreting the …

Transformational Leadership Behaviors Of Public Sector Leaders In Barbados, Shantal Maxine Munro-Knight

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Senior officials in the public service in Barbados, who are charged with the responsibility of leading and managing government ministries and departments, play a critical role in fostering reform initiatives. Few empirical studies have examined specific leadership behaviors in the context of managing change in Barbados. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to identify the specific leadership behaviors of senior officials in public service and to explore the use of transformative leadership by public sector administrators to effect reform initiatives. With Bass and Avolio's full-range leadership theory (FRLT) as the theoretical framework, the research question for this study …

Organizational Learning In Libraries At For-Profit Colleges And Universities, Julie Evener

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Academic libraries contribute to student engagement, student learning, and retention; therefore, the effects of improved library services for students may be positive and long lasting. However, despite successful application of organizational learning (OL), a strategic process for improvement, to enhance services in academic libraries, little is known about OL in libraries of for-profit colleges and universities (FPCUs). The purpose of this sequential explanatory mixed-methods study was to assess and explore the use of OL in libraries at FPCUs. Argyris and Schön's theory of organizational learning grounded this study. Responses to Chen's Processes and Phases of Organizational Learning Questionnaire, completed online …

Leadership Strategies To Increase Employee Engagement, Christine Garza

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Sixty-five percent of small business leaders indicated a lack of workforce engagement practices as an administrative strategy to mitigate the adverse effects of employee disengagement. Guided by Weber's organizational theory, the purpose of this multiple case study was to explore strategies some leaders used to increase employee engagement. Five small business leaders in the southwestern United States participated in semistructured interviews. The participants employed successful strategies to increase employee engagement. Data collection included the review of company documents, face-to-face interviews, and member checking to explore successful strategies to increase employee engagement. Data analysis included coding and organizing data and information …

Self-Care For Leaders: Cultivating Extraordinary Functioning & Psychological Well-Being; A Quantitative Study Examining Burnout And Self-Care Practices Of Small-Business Owners, Sundra Ryce

Theses and Dissertations

This quantitative research study was developed in response to challenges small-business owners face with high stress, corporate devastation, and burnout. The research examines burnout and self-care practices among small-business owners to foster psychological well-being. Many studies exist on professional burnout; however, to date, the researcher has not been able to uncover published research related to small business owners’ exhaustion and burn out. Theories in academic literature on self-care, managing transitions, and psychological well-being can be applied to small-business owners experiencing burnout, while leading through corporate life cycles. This research study utilizes a quantitative, correlational, design approach to examine the levels …

Activist Leadership: A Grounded Theory Study Of Leadership And Effective Public-Sector Performance In A Young Democracy, Akinwumi Oladapo Oke

Dissertations

Problem

The problem this study investigated is the phenomenon of a small but growing group of activist political leaders who are redefining public sector governance by reshaping the organizations they lead, thereby improving the institutional environments of hitherto moribund public agencies. The study explored the unique dispositions, skills, values, and/or behaviors of this class of leaders in order to provide an understanding of their emergence in terms of their development, decision-making and other personal leadership characteristics that evolved into their 'activist' nature. The purpose of this research was to develop a grounded theory regarding how the leadership competencies/qualities exhibited by …

Keeping The Learning Going: Using Mobile Technology To Enhance Learning Transfer, Corinne Brion

Educational Leadership Faculty Publications

Every year billions of dollars are spent on development aid and training around the world. Little attention is paid, however, to the sustainability of the various interventions. Some studies suggest that technology usage can serve as an effective post-learning intervention to enhance the transfer of learning. Currently, there is a limited body of research examining how best to follow up after an educational professional development program in Africa. This qualitative exploratory study sought to address the gap in education development policy by examining three schools in Ghana, West Africa. This study helps increase our understanding of how technology can promote …

An Exploratory Study Of Followership In New Hampshire High Schools, Matthew S. Hicks

Doctoral Dissertations

This study explores followership theory and practical application in schools, extending Robert Kelley’s previous research from business to education. The study investigates three questions: 1) What is the distribution of Kelley’s five followership types in schools? 2) What is the relationship between teachers’ followership types and their demographic characteristics? 3) What leadership functions support teacher followership? These questions were explored using a modified 20-item version of Kelley’s The Followership Questionnaire and open-ended responses from teachers. A total of 559 New Hampshire public high school teachers completed the survey. Results were analyzed for associations between teacher demographic characteristics and followership types. …

Leadership Styles Of State Extension Specialists, K. Amy Lawyer

Theses and Dissertations--Education Sciences

Cooperative extension is one of three components, along with teaching and research that form the mission of land grant universities. The focus of extension work is to take knowledge gained through research conducted at the university, and disseminate the information, in a practical manner to the end user. In most instances, extension work revolves around agriculture. Within the extension system are personnel that help to foster this program of educating clientele who work in the agricultural industry. County level agents are in place to teach and address the needs of local constituents, specialists are generally housed at the university campus …

Leadership In Workplace Meetings: The Intersection Of Leadership Styles And Follower Gender, Joseph R. Mroz, Michael Yoerger, Joseph A. Allen

Psychology Faculty Publications

Meetings are ubiquitous across organizations, yet researchers have paid scant attention to the role of meeting leaders in affecting meeting outcomes. Because meetings are important discursive sites, the style of a meeting leader may influence subordinate views of the meeting and leader. Using a sample of working adults, we first demonstrated that meeting attendees who perceived their leader as participative viewed the leader as more warm and competent than meeting attendees who had a directive leader. We explain this finding through the framework of social exchange theory. In Study 2, we conducted an experiment to further probe the relation between …

Research-Led Curriculum Innovation To Enhance Core Employability Attributes For Environmental Science Graduates, Charlotte Braungardt, Alison Stokes, C Guy, Paul Warwick

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

Aims of project: To enhance graduate skills and cultivate professionalism, resilience and global citizenship through innovation of a research-led employability curriculum. Background/context to project: The lack of employability skills among STEM graduates, in particular environmental science, has been highlighted in the 2016 Wakeham Review and was identified as key area for curriculum development by internal reports (e.g. Kneale, 2016). Surveys consistently indicate that ‘soft’ skills, such as communication, team working and a positive ‘can do’ attitude are highly valued by employers (e.g. Archer & Davison, 2008; CBI, 2009; Lowden et al., 2011). At the same time, many undergraduate students experience …

Nsu Ed.D. In Human Services Administration 2018, Nova Southeastern University

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education and School of Criminal Justice College Archive

No abstract provided.

"Framing" Equity: Using Frame Analysis To Explore Superintendents' Attempts To Implement Policies For Equity, James Charles Coviello

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

As the day-to-day leaders of a school district, superintendents oversee budgetary and other district operations, help give practical meaning to federal and state policy, and set local district policy for the schools under their charge. Superintendents therefore work in a unique and important leadership space that exists between federal, state, local governments and the principals and teachers that educate students. This space is also often complex and risk-laden, with multiple constituencies and stakeholders vying for resources and striving for program changes that are often in conflict. Superintendents therefore play an important role in "framing" - or strategically communicating - policy …

Servants And Friends: A Biblical Theology Of Leadership, Erich Baumgartner

Journal of Applied Christian Leadership

"In this groundbreaking volume published by andrews University Press, some 20 scholars examine the sacred text of the Old and New testaments, as well as a selection of six biblical leadership narratives, to lay the foundation for a biblical theology of leadership. Each of the first three sections is composed of six chapters, providing an array of fascinating studies of leadership in the Bible. the fourth section attempts to integrate the multiple facets of leadership insight unearthed throughout the various contributions into what the editor, Skip Bell, claims to be “the most complete biblical theology of leadership available.”

The End Of Leadership, Richard Aparecido Teixeira Figueredo

Journal of Applied Christian Leadership

"Barbara Kellerman urges readers to consider the “other side” of leadership. the thesis of The End of Leadership is that leadership has changed and that today we must embrace a leadership marked not by commanding or controlling but by a focus on helping people (servant leadership) to achieve their goals. this is the “end” of the traditional leadership style. But Kellerman’s accompanying concern is that the “leadership industry” is more interested in making money on this issue than in providing real solutions for leadership. as such, chief among her recommendations is that readers learn more about leadership instead of how …

Nirsa Championship Series Volunteerism: The Perceived Impact On Professional Development, Jacob K. Tingle, Randall J. Griffiths, Dan Hazlett, April Flint

School of Business Faculty Research

The National Intramural-Recreational Sports Association (NIRSA) Championship Series (Series) has developed into the primary organization for governing extramural/sport club collegiate recreational tournaments. As NIRSA professionals describe it, the Series has also evolved into a platform for professional development. To date, however, no study has attempted to link professional growth and advancement to volunteerism at Series events. As such, the purpose of this study was to examine skills and competencies that could be correlated with volunteering at Series events. Using Astin’s Input-Environment-Outcome (I-E-O) model the research team explored the environmental impact of the volunteer experience by collecting data in two phases …

A Study Of Collaborative Skills Of Graduates Of A National, Faith-Based, Leadership Development Program, Eileen Kooreman

Dissertations

Collaboration is often cited as a long-term benefit of participation in leadership development programs. Successful collaboration requires unique leadership skills, which rely on trust and influence rather than authority and position. Collaboration takes place over the passage of time. Evaluation of leadership development programs that focus on outcomes after the passage of time is rare making it difficult to confirm if a relationship between the collaborative skills taught and measurable collaboration activity exists.

This study was able to draw on the alumni of the DeVos Urban Leadership Initiative, a national faith-based leadership development program that maintains on-going relationships with its …

Leadership, Perceptions, And Turnover In Fire And Emergency New Zealand, Mark Anthony Long

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Fire and Emergency New Zealand experiences voluntary turnover at local volunteer fire brigades. The purpose of the quantitative component of this sequential explanatory study was to examine the relationship between volunteer chief fire officers' leadership styles, perceptions of organizational support, and voluntary firefighter turnover; the purpose of the qualitative component was to explore strategies that volunteer chief fire officers used to reduce volunteer firefighter turnover. The population for the quantitative study was 21 volunteer chief fire officers, and the population for the qualitative study was 6 volunteer firefighters. The theoretical frameworks that grounded this study were transformational leadership theory (TL) …

The Relationship Between Teacher Perceptions Of Professional Learning Communities And Student Achievement, Elmer Thomas

Online Theses and Dissertations

A significant challenge facing public schools is the need to increase student achievement while having student gains enhanced through growth models. Teaching strategies/methods have evolved over the years from an "island" approach where the teacher was alone in his/her classroom and responsible for students progressing to a broader yet more specific approach to teacher professional development in order to enhance student learning.

Districts, schools, and individual teachers have long valued professional development and professional learning. These educational professional learning opportunities collectively give the district, school, and individual teachers a community at work in which a collective focus and commitment to …

The Meaning-Making Structures Of Outsatnding Leaders: A Comparison Of Conative Capability At Conventional And Postconventional Leader Development Levels, Aidan Patrick Harney

PhDs

The majority of managers and leaders do not advance to postconventional stages of ego development (Boyd & Laske 2018), yet increased leader effectiveness has been correlated with the quality of personal meaning-making acquired at postconventional levels of maturity. This dissertation provides an original contribution to knowledge regarding the differences in personal meaning-making structure which are found by comparing conventional- with postconventional-stage leaders. This study focuses on the elements which make up a leader’s conative capability i.e. their conative intelligence and their conative complexity. Along with cognition and affect, conation is one of the three traditionally identified components of mind (Vandenbos …

Leadership And Humor Styles In Continuing Education Administrators, Emmanuel Sarris

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Humor is a useful tool at everyone’s disposal. How or when it is used in Continuing Education (CE) leaders is an area of research that has not been done before. A CE leader deals with teams of all sizes and oversees a potentially large budget and student base. With all the responsibility of a leader and having to manage teams and programs properly, it is important to understand the role leadership and humor styles play in their work life and environment. The central research question of this study is, “What is the relationship between leadership style and the use of …

Ne Maquixtia: A Mixed Methods Exploration Of Leaders’ Dispositions And Their Impact On The Organizational Cultures They Lead, Georgina Yvette Garcia

Educational Leadership and Policy Studies: Doctoral Research Projects

The aim of this field-based research study was to explore and examine the importance of leader dispositions and their impact on organizational culture and sustained success. It focused on answering the following research question: What leadership dispositions, whether in education or in business, transcend organizational boundaries and most likely lead to organizational cultures that sustainably impact results and support continuous improvement?

This study spotlights the urgent need for leaders in all organizational contexts to immerse themselves in a profound and meaningful manner with developing greater awareness of the dispositions related to their leadership and the cultures they directly impact and …

Informing Implementation Of Quality Improvement In Australian Primary Care, Charlotte Hespe, Lucie Rychetnik, David Peiris, Mark Harris

Medical Papers and Journal Articles

Background: Quality Improvement (QI) initiatives in primary care are effective at improving uptake of evidence based guidelines, but are difficult to implement and sustain. In Australia meso-level health organisations such as Primary health care Organisations (PHCO) offer new opportunities to implement area-wide QI programs. This study sought to identify enablers and barriers to implementation of an existing Australian QI program and to identify strategic directions that PHCOs can use in the ongoing development of QI in this environment.

Methods: Semi-structured telephone interviews were conducted with 15 purposively selected program staff and participants from the Australian Primary Care Collaborative (APCC) QI …

Transforming A Culture Of Quality Through Nurse Engagement: A Leadership Framework, Rudy Jackson

Yale School of Nursing Digital Theses

Bedside nurses can be key in improving care. Engaging the workforce to develop processes and work through implementations can be challenging. This article focuses on a framework to help leaders engage bedside nursing staff in developing quality initiatives within their work environment. The framework, implemented in a large academic hospital in New York State, was used to reduce hospital falls. Falls reduced by 30% during the year-long implementation, despite an increase in patient volume.

Developing A Next Generation Strategic Structure For Sustainable Safety Culture: Utilizing "Leading A Culture Of Safety: A Blueprint For Success", Kami Rapp

Yale School of Nursing Digital Theses

During the first generation of patient safety, healthcare leaders began to learn about, assess, and try to improve their organization’s safety culture. However, they never developed or agreed upon an evidenced-based tool containing proven strategies to improve safety culture (NPSF, 2015). Though they were successful in making incremental steps toward improvement, safety is not currently an organizational value completely embedded within the healthcare industry (ACHE & NPSF LLI, 2017). As such, the National Patient Safety Foundation’s Lucian Leape Institute, a part of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, partnered with the American College of Healthcare Executives to write “Leading a Culture …

The Impact Of A Peer-Teaching Instructional Approach On A Student’S Self-Confidence, John Corral

Theses and Dissertations

This study examines a problem of practice stemming from students not given the same opportunities to use and develop self-confidence and take on higher levels of responsibility in the classroom as they prepare for the 21st century workforce in our society. Recognizing a problem of practice evident in our high school with low-selfesteem in students, this paper studies the effects of implementing a peer-teaching instructional approach to help develop students’ self-confidence and emerging leadership skills (Lockie & Van Lanen, 2008). The central research question addressed in this study is: what is the impact of implementing a peer-teaching instructional approach on …

Effective Leadership For The Implementation Of The Common Core State Standards: Principal Behaviors That Develop Professional Capital To Create Conditions For Positve Change, Eileen Beth Brett

Dissertations

Identifying specific leadership behaviors of elementary school principals that create conditions for positive change is critical to implementing educational reform. The purpose of this research is to identify specific leadership behaviors of principals that have positively impacted the implementation of the Common Core State Standards through the development of professional capital.

The Common Core Standards represent a recent movement to create national standards, founded on the belief that schools have an obligation to ensure that all students are college and career ready (McLaughlin & Overturf, 2012; Conley; 2014a). Implementing the Common Core has challenged principals to develop leadership skills to …