Digital Commons Network^™

Leadership Capacity For Succession And Sustainability In A Family-Owned Private School, Fiorella Gambini

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the perceptions of private school teachers and administrators regarding Lambert's (2003) six characteristics of Quadrant 4 schools. Lambert (2003) states that Quadrant 4 schools are schools with a high level of leadership capacity that exhibit six critical characteristics (a) broad-based, skillful participation in the work of leadership; (b) shared vision resulting in program coherence; (c) inquiry-based use of data to inform decisions and practice; (d) roles and actions that reflect broad involvement, collaboration, and collective responsibility; (e) reflective practice that leads consistently to innovation; and (f) high or steadily improving student achievement. The purpose of this study …

The Perception Of New Principal Support As Described By Experienced Principals Of The Baldwin Park Unified School District, Michael R. Garcia

Theses and Dissertations

The role of the principal has progressed from manager and authoritarian to educational leader. Principals are expected to assume principal duties and function at an exceptional level, creating change and elevating student achievement, regardless of their experience. The review of the literature reveals that a principal needs to be skilled in organizational leadership and to produce high-performing students while facing numerous obstacles such as funding cuts and shortages of qualified staff. They are expected to communicate effectively and maintain trust and confidence of faculty, staff, parents, students, and district administrators. The purpose of this study was to describe new elementary …

In Search Of Best Practices: A Case Study Of A Volunteer-Led Nonprofit Organization's Failure To Deliver Aid, Leah Weiner

Theses and Dissertations

Across the globe, many long-term social service and infrastructure projects of nonprofits are managed by volunteers who freely donate their time to provide aid. Some of these organizations are referred to as voluntary nonprofit organizations with membership being voluntary. As a result, turnover impacts the ability of many volunteer-led nonprofits to achieve their goals. The unique characteristics of volunteers combined with volunteer turnover requires a volunteer-led nonprofit to use organizational models and best practices that align with the needs of a volunteer membership. Unfortunately, current research on the nonprofit sector focuses primarily on paid-staff nonprofit organizations as oppose to volunteer-led. …

The Determinants And Outcomes Of Superiors' Downward Influence Tactics And The Mediating Effects Of Subordinates' Competence And Role Ambiguity / Lee Kim Lian., Kim Lian Lee

Student Works (2010-2019)

No abstract provided.

Enhancing Psychology Students' Experiences: The Development Of An Undergraduate Leadership Programme, Lynne Cohen, Paul Chang, Joyce Hendricks, Vicki Cope, Bronwyn Harman

Research outputs 2011

Leadership is a practical skill, highly valued by employers but not formally taught in Australian psychology curricula. The Edith Cowan University School of Psychology and Social Science developed a programme aimed at addressing the lack of leadership training in undergraduate psychology students. This 12-month extracurricular programme provided theoretical and practical experience in leadership, and incorporated a formal series of workshops and seminars with three curricular components: leadership knowledge, leadership skills, and leadership in action. Students were then provided with the opportunity to develop and practise their leadership skills by participating in a series of expert-driven seminars, through role-playing, perspective taking, …

Applying Standards For Leaders To The Selection Of Secondary School Principals, Helen Wildy, Coral Pepper, Luo Guanzhong

Research outputs 2011

The purpose of this paper is to report innovative research aimed at ascertaining whether standards for school leaders could be applied to the process of selecting senior secondary school principlas for appointment. Specifically, psychometrically robust measurees of performance are sought that would sufficiently differentiate performance to support judgement about whether or not to appoint candidates in the public educational authority of Western Australia

The Ministerial Leadership Development Program At Lakeview Adventist College In Malawi, Earnest Samuel Harry Khonje

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

The Ministerial Leadership Training program at Lakeview Adventist College has operated for over 28 years. Since the late 1990s, there has been little in the curriculum that prepared leadership to meet challenges in the field, especially in management and administration. The period 1997-2006 has seen the exit of more ministers than during the years 1980-1996.

Method

This study used surveys, interviews and questionnaires. Survey questions were formed to be answered by pastors in training as well as by those who have already completed training. Therefore, focus groups were organized for those at the College and for those serving as …

A Leadership Model For Initiating Change In The Seventh-Day Adventist Church In Zambia, Edwin Shimunzhila

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Topic

The task of this project dissertation is to develop a leadership model for initiating and effecting change in the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Zambia.

Purpose

The purpose of this project dissertation is to develop a leadership model for the successful initiation and effecting of change in the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Zambia. Strategies will be developed that will help pastors and lay leaders facilitate the successful initiation of change.

Sources

The research method I chose to use in this dissertation is theoretical. Extracting information from what other scholars have written on change and the change process will be presented …

Analysis Of Two Urban Middle Schools: Factors Affecting Student Achievement, V. Douglas Neufeld

Theses and Dissertations

Because of increasing student enrollment, a new school was formed in a small low-income Southern California school district. Teachers could choose to transfer to the new school or remain at the existing school. Over five years, quantitative analyses of demographic data showed little differences between the two schools across the years except for a difference in student academic achievement. This mixed-method study examined the demographics and perceptions of academic life at these two middle schools to ascertain an explanation for differences in academic achievement as measured by the same standardized test. Team interviews combined the focus group approach within teams, …

From Isolation To Collaboration: A New Perspective On School Leadership, Bois Paula Du

Theses and Dissertations

Challenging times demand a greater urgency than usual. Quite unexpectedly, No Child Left Behind has unleashed a powerful catalyst for change in the 21st century. It is within this era of increasing accountability and disparity that greater demands are being placed on school leaders to produce significant and positive student outcomes. The constantly changing educational landscape of today's schools along with the local, state and national legislation that mandates guidelines from which schools must conform necessitates a change in how school leaders are prepared. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to focus on a new perspective of school leadership …

Assessing The Impacts Of A Leadership Development Program On Skill Development And Organizational Performance, Gina Paone

Theses and Dissertations

The quality of an organization's leaders substantially influences organizational effectiveness (Bass, 1990. One way organizations seek to enhance the quality of their leaders is to conduct leadership development training. However, training and development does not automatically produce results (Cook, 2006). Too many organizations conduct training based on the implicit belief that it is beneficial, rather than upon quantifiable evidence. It is important to evaluate what tangible benefits actually can be associated with the training. This study assessed the impact of a leadership development program on one multinational organization, particularly as it concerned skill development and organizational outcomes. This study used …

Creating The Organizational Conditions That Enable And Support A Shared Approach To Leading School Change, Danette Parsley

Theses and Dissertations

This study examines the overarching challenge education practitioners face knowing how to lead significant change collectively in their schools. This qualitative research study explored the definition of shared leadership and examined a framework of seven behavioral, social, and cultural organizational conditions hypothesized to support a shared approach to leading change in schools: (a) communication and widespread participation; (b) clarity of roles and responsibilities; (c) feedback, recognition, and celebration; (d) mutually supportive and trusting relationships; (e) collaborative learning and inquiry; (f) collective mindsets conducive to change; and (g) attention to shared purpose and focus for the whole school. Interviews were conducted …

Transformational Leadership Styles Of Organizational Social Network Leaders As Observed By Fully Employed Pepperdine Business And Leadership Students, Eric Hilary Furlong

Theses and Dissertations

Of the mechanisms that organizations embrace to find a competitive advantage in post-bureaucratic environments, one of the more common is to allow the emergence of informal networks in which individuals work together regardless of the formal scope of their responsibilities. As these networks emerge, so do leaders within them. To date, there has been almost no research on the leadership behaviors of emergent network leaders. However, that has not stopped many thinkers on the topics of leadership and organizational theory from assigning behaviors to them. Avolio, Bass, and others have assigned transformational leadership to these leaders; and such assignments seem …

Simple Rules Leaders Use To Guide Their Organizations During Times Of Rapid Change, Kristine Quade

Theses and Dissertations

Few leaders would refer to their organization as a complex adaptive system (CAS)--one that is irreversible and unpredictable. They might say their organization contains diverse elements and is constantly learning--the other two aspects of a CAS. Few top leaders rarely are able to identify the self-organizing patterns as they emerge. This study involved 58 senior leaders in five 5 market sectors who were guiding their organizations during times of rapid change. Using a Delphi method, the intent was to identify what simple rules the leaders used to shape the speed, direction and outcomes of self-organizing patterns. A simple rule expands …

Building And Leading A Culture Of Collaboration: An Analysis Of The Influence Of A Company's Social Networking Tools On Employee Collaboration, Sheri Lynn Nugent

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to examine the influence of a specific company's intranet social networking tools on building and leading a culture of collaboration in a corporate environment. The problem is the implementation of knowledge management and networking tools by a company for the purpose of collaborating, learning and replicating information across the enterprise without measurement of the receptivity of the corporate culture to use the tools effectively. This study focused on assessing the effective use of social networking tools to enable collaboration success in virtual on-line teams rather than physically co-located teams. A validated survey, the Wilder …

Nursing Home Administrators' Personality And Nursing Home Quality: Correlations Between The Predictive Index And Cms Ratings, Kelly Anne Osbaldiston

Online Theses and Dissertations

The approximately two million residents in nursing homes are nearly totally dependent on the care they receive from the nursing homes' staff. The quality of care ranges from excellent to substandard, and the goal of this project is to understand how the top administrators' personality is related to the quality of the facility. Very little research has been done from an organizational psychology perspective on how to improve the care that residents receive in nursing homes. To help address this problem, I examined the relationship between administrator personality factors (measured by Predictive Index) and nursing home quality (measured by the …

Spiritual And Strategic Leadership In Pastoral Ministry, Pedro P. Magalhães

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Current Knowledge, Practies, And Desired Goals Of Small Group Ministry For Training Implications In The Churches Of The Trinity Annual Conference Of The Methodist Church In Malaysia, Andrew Kok-Khoon Tan

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Empowering The Laity For The Work Of The Ministry: A Study About The Leadership In The Vida Abundante In Monterrey, Mexico, Sergio S. Coronado

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Measuring Leaders' Attitudes About The Use Of Story To Communicate Organizational Vision, Tamala S. Vaughn

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to develop and pilot an instrument to measure leaders' attitudes concerning the use of story in communicating organizational vision. Although story can be an effective communication tool, an instrument that measures leaders' attitudes could not be found. In this research, an instrument to measure leaders' attitudes regarding the use of story to communicate organizational vision was developed and piloted. The instrument was administered to a pilot group of for-profit and non-profit leaders in the final phase of this research. The results indicated that leaders perceive it is favorable to use story to communicate organizational …

Relationships Between Organizational Variables And The Inclusive Language Used By Leaders, Matthew J. Keller

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

I investigated relationships between organizational variables and leadership, as measured by inclusive language use. Specifically, I examined whether organization size and profitability relate to the organization leader's use of language. I expected language use to be more inclusive in smaller and more profitable organizations, relative to larger and less profitable organizations. In this study, I used a regression approach to test my hypotheses. Results indicated that organization size was positively related to passive voice indicators, in support of Hypothesis 1. However, profitability was negatively related to inclusive pronouns and positively related to passive voice indicators, both of which were opposite …

A Study Of Two Generations Of Culturally Diverse Community College Students Views On Leader Attributes In Self And Others, Paula Jeanine Hodkowski

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

One community college mission is preparing students for the expectations and opportunities of the workplace including roles as collaborators and leaders. Increasingly, representatives from “cultures” of generation, gender, and diverse ethnicities are gaining an education in community colleges. Research supports that cultural aspects and views of others impact an individual's leader identity.

The purpose of this quantitative, non-experimental study was to determine if participants representing millennial and generation X self-report leader behaviors of “modeling the way” and “enabling others to act”; and rate leader traits in others responding to “fits my image of a leader;” And to determine if their …

A Principal's Perceptions Of Character Education In A Rural Public School, Sandra H. Harrison

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

A majority of rural public schools face difficult and challenging problems: geographical isolation, escalating crime, impoverished families, economic inequities, faculty nonretention, declining enrollments, and lack of success in meeting accreditation benchmarks. In the past decade, support for character education as a valuable pedagogy to complement instruction and academic achievement emerged. The obligation to meet federal and state standards created expectations that school principals have the leadership ability to facilitate strong academic curricula as well as programs fostering students' moral development through character education. Mobilizing resources for character education initiatives becomes the responsibility of school principals or their designees. The purpose …

A Comparison Of Leadership Traits Across Countries: Taiwan And United States, Chi-Shou Justin Yang

University of Kentucky Master's Theses

With the rise of new technologies, geographical and political boundaries between companies are disappearing. Managers within multinational organizations are faced with the challenge of adapting to new paradigms of leadership while leading employees who may share different backgrounds. With businesses becoming more globalized, it is important to know and understand how to lead and interact with people from other cultures. The purpose of the study is to explore and describe similarities or differences with managers from the United States and managers from Taiwan in relation to the 29 leadership traits overall as well as at individual management levels. As a …

Leader Development And The Dark Side Of Personality, Peter D. Harms, Seth M. Spain, Sean T. Hannah

Department of Management: Faculty Publications

The present study investigates the role of subclinical personality traits as determinants of leader development over time. In previous literature, subclinical traits have been identified as potential causes of leader derailment. However, leader development researchers have argued that developmental interventions based on increasing self-awareness may be effective at mitigating the negative effects of these character flaws. Using a multi-wave, multi-method longitudinal study of military school cadets we evaluate the impact of subclinical traits on externally-rated measures of leader development over a three year period. Results demonstrated that adding subclinical traits to models of development significantly increased model fit and that …

Narrative Approach To Corporate Strategy: Empirical Foundations, Michael S. Carriger

WCBT Faculty Publications

Purpose - This paper aims to present theoretical and empirical foundations for the use of a particular type of narrative skillfully deployed by senior leaders in an organization as an effective tool for creating, disseminating and executing corporate strategy. Design/methodology/approach - The paper presents original research on the effectiveness of the use of a "springboard story" as a leadership tool. Findings - Data are presented to substantiate that a "springboard story" presentation of corporate strategy and competitive advantage is more effective at producing a consistent and confident choice of competitive advantage among an audience than a presentation of corporate strategy …

The Importance Of Effective Listening Skills: Implications For The Workplace And Dealing With Difficult People, Amy Ogrodnik Sullivan Ma

All Student Scholarship

A survey of University of Southern Maine (USM) employees was conducted to identify the importance of the leadership skill, effective listening, in supervisors and supervisees, and to evaluate its implications in the workplace, specifically when dealing with difficult people in everyday interactions. USM employees were asked their opinions about the importance of effective listening skills, their perceptions of their own effective listening skills as well as those of their coworkers, experiences of dealing with difficult people in the workplace, and the importance of training regarding these skills for leadership and general work performance. Results of the qualitative and quantitative survey …

A Qualitative Program Evaluation Of A Structured Leadership Mentoring Program At A Large Aerospace Corporation, Romney P. Teller

Theses and Dissertations

The researcher utilized a qualitative approach to conduct a program evaluation of the organization where he is employed. The study intended to serve as a program evaluation for the structured in-house mentoring program at a large aerospace corporation (A-Corp). This program evaluation clarified areas in which the current mentoring program is lacking and could be improved to align with best practices for mentoring that have been identified in the research literature. As a participant observer, the researcher used telephone focus groups as the main data source. A secondary data source included documents such as the training manual and intranet descriptions …

Muslim Female Leadership, Maliha Marri

Theses and Dissertations

Leadership by women is by no means a new concept in the Islamic world. In fact, Islamic history is replete with female Muslim leaders. Researcher Badawi (1995) has extrapolated that the obstacles in the path of Muslim female leadership are “cultural practices”, not Islam. Even though it may be hard to do so in an Islamic way, there is actually no proof in the Quran that prohibits Muslim women from assuming leadership roles. Remnant androcentrism continues to be an impediment in the way of Muslim female leadership. Abugideriri has explained that traditionally, Islamic leadership has been gendered, with the males …

Identifying The Challenges And Support Needs Of Baby Boom Mothers Middle Managers, Audrey Sloofman

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to identify the challenges, development needs, and support needs of Baby Boomer middle manager women who have children and plan to continue working for the next 10 years. Baby Boomer women have played the role of groundbreakers for other women in the workplace and must continue to do so, as many organizations are still male-dominated at the uppermost levels. As mothers and managers, they have developed a holistic view of the world, which can add insight at C-suite levels. This study involved in-depth interviews with 12 Baby Boom generation women (born between 1946 and …