Digital Commons Network^™

Managing The Affective Responses Of Employees During Organizational Change In Higher Education, Brad Kennington

Theses and Dissertations

Higher education is facing a period of continual change driven by numerous external and internal forces. Consequently, higher education leaders are faced with the frequent and daunting task of planning and managing organizational change in higher education institutions, which are both complex and dynamic in nature. Adding difficulty to this task is the fact that employees often react to change with emotional responses that are both challenging to understand and complicated and to manage. Managing affective dimensions of change can be overwhelming to leaders, which can lead to failed organizational change efforts. This study explored and answered (a) how a …

The Impact Of Manager Appreciative Communication On Employee Psychological Well-Being Being, Matthew Bowman

Theses and Dissertations

Communication and leadership are both important components of a successful organization and can play a role in an employee's psychological well-being. This study looks at managers communication and the real-life impact on an employee's experience at work and how it affects their happiness. This study uses a mixed methodology to build a foundation of data, each from the managers and employees' point of view to build context and generate a direction a manager can take when communicating with their staff. The manager and employee reactions showed a correlation between a manager's ability to communicate their appreciation to their employee. A …

Books Or Food? Food Insecurity And The Rise Of Campus Food Pantries, Sonya Sharififard

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation is a quantitative study of campus food pantries located in public four-year colleges and universities in the United States. The research aims to explain relationships among campus food pantries and surrounding neighborhood characteristics affecting local food environments. There are two parts to the study: (a) the quantitative analysis through responses from a participant questionnaire; and (b) a case study analysis to accompany the quantitative analysis. The researcher identified three metropolitan counties within U.S. census tracts, to determine the relationship between neighborhood demographics, the local food environment, and the impact on campus communities. The researcher explored food accessibility within …

Love As An Organizational Norm: An Exploration At A Values-Centered Organization, Vangie Marie Bogaty-Rodríguez

Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated to what extent, if any, developing a norm of love might be accepted, incorporated, sustained, and beneficial to an organization. Participants included 18 directors, manager, and supervisors of a 24-year-old telecommunications company located in Puerto Rico. Data were collected through individual interviews where interviewees shared their perspectives on the possibility of adopting the norm of love, their acceptance of it, and how they would implement it. Findings indicated that a majority (83.33%) of the participants acknowledged that love is part of the human essence and whole selves, and that such a norm would be beneficial to employees …

Nonprofit Women Rising In Leadership: Strategies For Identifying Barriers, Ellen Hegge

Leadership Education Capstones

The purpose of the study is to examine the barriers that women may encounter in striving to advance to nonprofit leadership roles.

The Changing Face Of The Wildlife Profession: Tools For Creating Women Leaders, Wendy S. Anderson

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Women continue to be underrepresented in the natural resource sciences arena, including the field of wildlife biology. The gender gap widens further with advancement to higher level positions. This paper explores potential reasons behind the lack of women in leadership and the array of challenges that women may face in their career paths. A variety of tools are proposed to support and encourage career advancement for women. Studies show that organizations with higher numbers of women in leadership roles perform better and diverse teams are more dedicated and committed to the mission. Understanding gender issues and generating organizational change is …

Public Service Employee Perceptions Of Leadership Behaviors That Engage Or Disengage, Beverlyn A. Banks

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

A high percentage of U.S. employees do not engage in their work, resulting in lower productivity. U.S. corporations are losing more than $400–$500 billion per year because of low productivity at work. This phenomenological study involved an examination of leadership behaviors that engage or disengage employees in public service organizations. Kahn’s conceptual frame of engagement and Maslow’s hierarchy of needs motivation theory guided this study. The purpose was to determine why disengagement behavior continues despite extensive literature on the benefits of engagement and what organizations can do to encourage leadership behaviors that engage employees and discourage leadership behaviors that disengage …

Employee Resistance To Change During The Implementation Of Trauma-Informed Care, Tara A. Chalakani

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Employee resistance to change can impede organizational success. Resistance can occur when the proposed change is beneficial. Trauma-informed care requires a complete paradigm shift within a behavioral health organization to be executed successfully. This single-case study explored the leadership experience of employee resistance to change during the implementation of trauma-informed care in a large nonprofit behavioral health organization. Data were collected through semistructured interviews with 4 organizational leaders, and a thematic analysis was conducted on internal documents, including staff satisfaction surveys, exit interviews, meeting minutes, strategic plans, manuals, the organizational website, and information from the employee portal. Findings were validated …

Healthcare Organizational Design Strategies To Improve Performance, Katherine Madonna Chubbs

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Business leaders are exploring ways to improve organizational performance through organizational design, including reviewing the structures of their organization. Grounded in McKinsey’s 7S framework, the purpose of this qualitative single case study was to explore organizational design strategies healthcare leaders used to improve organization performance. Participants were 6 leaders within a healthcare organization in Alberta, Canada, who successfully developed and implemented organizational design strategies to improve organizational performance. The data collection techniques included a review of internal and external documents, a reflective journal, and semistructured interviews. I used methodological triangulation and thematic analysis to complete the data analysis. The data …

Strategies For Business Management Innovations To Improve Competitiveness, Roger George Denousse

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Some African business leaders were, in 2019, less competitive because they continue to use traditional business management practices and have failed to incorporate advanced technology. Taking advantage of new management strategies and innovative technology to increase their global competitiveness will benefit African businesses. The purpose of this multiple case study, grounded in Burns’ transformational leadership theory, was to explore strategies that business leaders in Seychelles have used to implement management innovations to improve competitiveness. The participants consisted of 5 business leaders from 5 large innovative business organizations operating successfully and based in Mahe, Seychelles. The data were collected through semistructured …

Examining Barriers Impacting Women’S Promotion Into C-Suite Positions In Higher Education, Lynette Johnson Nelson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The United States Department of Labor indicated that women represent 46.8% and men represent 53.2% of the United States’ 16 years and older civilian labor force. An estimated 52% of adult women compared to 48% of men participating in the civilian labor force held a bachelor’s degree or higher, and women represented 47% of the management and professional sector’s positions. Women occupy 25% of C-suite positions in the Standard & Poor 500 companies. In higher education, 30% of college presidents are women. Women continue to face several barriers as they try to move into senior executive leadership positions. The specific …

Strategies For Increasing Workforce Engagement, Joanne White Hayes

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The existence of disengaged employees can reduce productivity and increase organizations’ costs. Engaged employees are vital to many organizations and the success of organizational leaders. Grounded in Herzberg's two factor theory, the purpose of this qualitative single case study was to explore strategies managers used to increase employee engagement in the nonprofit industry. Participants were 3 managers in South Carolina who successfully implemented strategies to increase employee engagement. Data were collected from semistructured interviews and a review of company documents. Data were analyzed using Yin’s 5-step method of analysis, and 3 themes emerged: providing clear and concise communication, recognition and …

Leadership Strategies To Manage Workplace Conflict, Omari Asante

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Workplace conflict can be counterproductive to organizational goal attainment and can cause dysfunction and unhealthy competition among organizational members. When left unchecked, workplace conflict can negatively impact teams’ performance and result in substantial financial losses to organizations. However, when properly managed, workplace conflict can lead to positive relationship building, peer learning, enhanced communication, innovation, and high motivation. Grounded in transformational leadership theory, the purpose of this qualitative single case study was to explore leadership strategies senior account managers use to manage workplace conflict. Participants were 8 senior account managers who had successfully implemented leadership strategies for managing workplace conflict in …

Transformational Leadership And Employee Satisfaction In A U.S. Fast-Food Restaurant, Joshua A. Folmar

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Fast-food managers struggle with understanding what makes employees satisfied within the organization. An understanding of employee satisfaction may help fast-food managers support employees’ needs and improve their job satisfaction. Grounded in transformational leadership theory, the purpose of this quantitative correlational study was to examine the relationship between employee perceptions of their leader’s idealized attributes, idealized behaviors, intellectual stimulation, inspirational motivation, individualized consideration, and employee satisfaction. The participants included 31 fast-food employees and entry-level supervisors from 1 organization in the Midwestern region of the United States. Data were collected through electronic and paper surveys comprising Bass and Avolio’s multifactor leadership questionnaire …

Leadership Styles And Emotional Intelligence Of Federal Employees In Diversified Work Environments, Richard Lopez

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

On the Office of Personnel Management Federal Viewpoint Surveys, followers rated their leaders as ineffective. The public expects federal government leaders to effectively lead their followers in order to efficiently manage public services. The purpose of this correlational nonexperimental study was to determine whether there is a correlation between emotional intelligence (EQ) and a full range of leadership styles, as measured by the multileadership questionnaire (MLQ), from the perspective of the follower. Grounded in the theory of EQ, the extant scholarly literature revealed EQ skills complements leadership styles and predict leader success in a variety of business sectors, cultures, and …

Youth Leadership Development Program Evaluation, Loreley Lyn Smith

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In competitive youth sports organizations, few organizational leaders focus on leadership development to prepare youth for life situations. Sports organizational leaders are concerned about youth leadership development, as development allows youth to build skills necessary to understand their strengths and weaknesses and recognize ways to overcome fears. Grounded in social learning theory, the purpose of this summative program evaluation was to determine the extent to which a competitive youth sports leadership development program aligned with the organization’s primary objective to provide skilled athletic training while providing lessons to prepare youth for adulthood. The participants comprised 40 key stakeholders, including participants …

Relationship Between Information Technology Integration, Senior Leadership Involvement In Postmerger Integration, And Merger Performance, Francis Tella

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractIneffective post-merger performance places an organization at financial risk. Health care leaders are concerned with post-merger performance because of the high rate of post-merger failure and the significant economic and social impact that hospitals have on their communities. Grounded in Haspeslagh and Jemison's post acquisition integration framework, the goal of this quantitative ex post facto study was to evaluate the relationship between information technology integration, senior leadership involvement in post-merger integration, and post-merger performance. Secondary data were collected from the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Hospital Compare and the American Hospital Association's annual survey databases for 2018. Data from Irving …

Designing Leadership: Using Design Thinking To Create, Practices, And Implement A Formal Leadership Development Program, Jon Samuel Wedding

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to examine what happens when design thinking is used to create a leadership development program, increase leadership competencies, and participants perceptions of design thinking. This study uses action research to examine the experiences and design thinking to create a leadership program in a formal hierarchical. This study collected data during a two-cycle action research process. The findings from this study revealed that design thinking can be used to create a formal leadership development program. The ability to use design thinking’s human centered design can also help increase the leadership competencies of trust and collaborations. …

Leadership And Performance Of The Brewery Industry In Nigeria, Abayomi Abimbola Abidakun

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

One of the most pressing concerns for business organizations remains the need to seek leaders who can manage employee effectively and efficiently to improve business performance. Guided by the principles of transformational leadership theory, this correlational study examined the relationship between leadership and non-financial performance at the brewery industry in Nigeria. I relied on primary data collected using the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire -MLQ, job satisfaction scale-JSS, three-components commitment scale- JCS and six-item Turnover Intention Scale (TIS-6) to measure leadership, job satisfaction, employee commitment and turnover intention. Four hundred participants who were senior and junior manager at Nigerian Breweries Plc. were …

The Efficacy Of Ghana’S Business Interest In The Global Economy, Sandra Mateko Elikplim Dankwa

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Small-to-medium enterprises (SMEs) are drivers of economic growth and development worldwide. SMEs in the Greater Accra region of Ghana have not been able to innovate and sustain competition. The problem in this phenomenological study was that leaders of SMEs in this region have not fully understood the contributions of the transformational leadership model to the capacity of organizations to innovate and sustain competitiveness. The purpose of this study was to explore and describe the lived experiences of leaders of SMEs in Ghana in leveraging organizational capabilities for innovation and competitiveness. The study’s conceptual framework was grounded in transformational leadership. The …

Building Renewed Relevance: Portraits Of Ceos Rebranding Iconic Nonprofit Organizations, Helen A. Lowman

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

In the United States, we often refer to the social sector as one leg of a three-legged stool. The private and public sectors support the other two legs. The social sector made up of nonprofit, nongovernmental, and charity organizations, contributes to the development of American society by focusing on social good rather than the desire to make profit. For decades, the sector has functioned as the social conscience of our society. However, many iconic, legacy nonprofits have struggled to keep their relevance in today’s world: their creation tied to a past societal problem, their mission and brand no longer germane …

Saving A Seat For A Sister: A Grounded Theory Approach Exploring The Journey Of Women Reaching Top Policing Executive Positions, Nicola D. Smith-Kea

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

The world of women in law enforcement is a thought-provoking one that has received increasing attention both in academia as well as in practice over the past few decades. Even more intriguing, and despite advances in the profession, is the low number of women in executive leadership positions in law enforcement. There is a vast underrepresentation of women in top executive leadership positions across the 18,000 law enforcement agencies in the United States. The purpose of this study was to gain an understanding of the complex journey of women to top executive policing leadership positions. Embracing a positive psychology approach, …

Leader Readiness In A Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, And Ambiguous Business Environment, Karen Rimita, Stephanie N. Hoon, Robert Levasseur

Journal of Sustainable Social Impact

Organizational leaders in the 21st century face relentless changes in the business environments in which they operate. The diversity, intensity, and rapidity of these changes create volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity (VUCA), which challenge leaders on ways to lead effectively as existing methods prove inadequate. The problem in this study was that of inadequate leader preparedness to lead and win in VUCA environments. The purpose of this hermeneutic phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences of 15 Nigerian corporate executives about their VUCA business environment and the strategies they employed for VUCA-readiness and success using open-ended interview questions. The …

Status Of Women’S Leadership In The Instructional Technology Field, 2014-2018, Kerrian A. Gordon

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to assess the leadership status of women in the instructional technology field during the period 2014-2018. Five areas of leadership were examined (a) faculty rank in instructional technology programs, (b) positions on editorial boards of leading instructional technology journals, (c) publications in leading instructional technology journals, (d) presentations at leading conferences in the instructional technology field, and (e) leadership of four leading professional organizations in the field.

The study utilized a quantitative content analysis research method. A code sheet was developed for the five areas of leadership. Research Question 1: What was the leadership …

Papal Support For Women Under Uncertainty: Changing Perceptions Of Women In Religious Leadership Positions In The Roman Catholic Church, Stephanie M. Byers

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Women have historically been barred from holding positions of leadership and power. As a result, much of the literature examining women as leaders is narrow in context, focusing mainly on business and political settings (Eagly & Johnson, 1990). The current work contributes to diverse leadership research by analyzing women leaders in the context of the Roman Catholic Church - a historically gender-biased religious organization with no current leadership opportunities for women. The Church’s rigid leadership stance provides an optimal setting for exploring openness to accept change in traditionalist organizations. Previous research on identity leadership has shown that prototypical leaders are …

Learned Lessons: Growing Social Workers’ Preparation For Upstream Policy Practice, Ann Curry-Stevens, Lisa Hawash, Sarah Bradley

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Over the last 10 years, the MSW program at Portland State University has gone from graduating 15% of its students in the macro concentration, to 32%, while the national average remains under 9%. This article traces that experience through a historically-grounded narrative line, and extracts learnings that are potentially relevant for the profession. Curricular practices include reviewing the content for horizontal and vertical integration, introducing macro content early in the first year of the program with sufficient time to inform students’ choice of concentrations, and providing students influence to shape content in the advanced year. Faculty specializations and community reputation …

Identifying The Leadership Skills Needed To Develop The Competencies To Lead In A Postcrisis Organization: A Delphi Study, Paul Turgeon

Dissertations

Purpose: Organizational leaders play a pivotal role in postcrisis activities. There is abundant research in the actions of leaders in a crisis; however, there is limited research regarding the leadership competencies required postcrisis, and a gap remains in knowing which leadership skills are needed postcrisis. The purpose of this Delphi study was to identify the leadership skills needed to promote organizational resilience, to act with integrity, and to possess a learning orientation of organizational leaders in the postcrisis phase.

Methodology: This study used a 3-round Delphi technique to identify the leadership skills that support the possession of the competencies needed …

Cultures Of Servant Leadership And Their Impact, Robert Giambatista, Robert Mckeage, Jeremy Brees

The Journal of Values-Based Leadership

Servant Leadership has primarily been studied at the level of individual leaders and their impact, yet Greenleaf, who first formally proposed the idea in 1970, also considered the construct as an important institutional element. Further, because it is values-based, and culture is the organizational mechanism for developing and transmitting shared values, an organizational lens for studying servant leadership is also needed. The current study of three firms examines organizational differences in servant leadership. We found organizational differences in levels of servant leadership, suggesting a cultural explanation. We also found that individual (i.e., supervisor) and organizational (i.e., cultural) servant leadership have …

Helping Leaders Grow Up: Vertical Leadership Development In Practice, Hannah E. Jones, Julie A. Chesley, Terri Egan

The Journal of Values-Based Leadership

This research reinforces arguments for the use of adult vertical development theory to transform traditional leadership development practices to prepare leaders for the volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous (VUCA) world. Vertical leadership development strategies and practices were assessed in fifteen large organizations. Multiple factors impacted implementation of vertical development practices. The primary factor was the overall leadership development mindset (the organization’s learning strategy and its theory of individual change). Secondary factors include senior leader engagement, space for openness and vulnerability, capability and experience of practitioners, alignment in business processes, and expanded understanding of risk-taking. Our results illustrate that accelerating leadership …

What Do We Really Mean By Good Leadership?, Tom Karp

The Journal of Values-Based Leadership

The article discusses the concept of good leadership. According to classical philosophy, good leadership requires voluntary followership towards good goals. It is argued that leaders in any case are rarely able to independently practice good leadership because of all the barriers and restrictions, such as environmental, organizational and personal obstacles. People are fallible; so are leaders. Also, many people and leaders themselves have too high expectations of what leadership can achieve. The answer to the question of what constitutes good leadership is that leadership should be “good enough”, without leaders lowering the requirements of how they treat other people or …