Digital Commons Network^™

Creating A Collaborative Culture: Can Online Learning Circles Spark Innovation And Promote Intrapreneurship?, Christian Deveaux Greer

Theses and Dissertations

Traditional organizational structures can be stubbornly inflexible and woefully under-optimized for cross-departmental project collaboration. Leaders seeking to innovate within the confines of these structures often have to empower themselves to create ad hoc agile teams that foster creative problem-solving, unlock social capital, and generate value early and often. As the President & CEO of a nonprofit science center in the Midwest, I have discovered that some of our most valuable ideas have sprouted and bloomed because distributed leaders, operating essentially as intrapreneurs, discovered ways to use their informal social networks to break through silos and successfully collaborate across departmental lines. …

Career And Mentorship Experiences Of Women Educational Administrators In Rural Community Colleges, Diane Ashley Gibson

Online Theses and Dissertations

This study explored the topic of current women administrators and their mentorship experiences. The purpose is to examine if these individuals had a mentor at all and how that relationship evolved. There is a universal graying of administration in Higher Education Leadership and many institutions lack a long-term plan to mentor and replace the administrators after retirement. Many of the current leaders in rural education are approaching retirement opening many opportunities for new leaders to come in. Not only that, but there is a large disparity in the number of women educational leaders. One study by Wallace & Marchant (2009) …

Leading In Crisis, Jaimee Felice Caringal-Go, Edna P. Franco, Mendiola T. Calleja

Psychology Department Faculty Publications

How different are the requirements for leadership during crisis from leadership during “normal” times? The chapter highlights studies and cases, that differentiates the leadership role in a crisis - the element of urgency makes the time window for decisions and actions much narrower and the intensity of the situation also evoke more passionate emotions from stakeholders that the leader has to deal with. A summary of what effective crisis leadership may look like, as reported in the academic and business management literature as well as the real-life experiences in the local scenario is discussed. In this summary, the phases are …

A Systematic Literature Review Of Sport Leadership In Youth Sport, Christopher J. Michalski, Seungbum Lee

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this paper was to complete a systematic literature review (SLR) of previous articles about leadership in youth sports. While sport leadership as a subject matter has contributed to the body of sport management and its academically associated literature for decades, seemingly, there exists a lack of understanding of this subject matter in the context of youth sport. Two rounds of screening process resulted in a sample of 20 appropriate articles for SLR. Then, the purposes, methods, and results, and of the 20 articles were analyzed. Based on the SLR of 20 articles, two salient themes were …

A Comprehensive Audit Of Professional Development For K-12 School Leaders In The Commonwealth Of Virginia, Melissa Davis Hill, Melisa J. Naumann, Timothy M. Tillman, Major R. Warner Jr.

Doctor of Education Capstones

The intent of this paper is to provide a mixed-methods audit of professional development provided to K-12 school leadership in Virginia's diverse landscape to include identification of providers, funding, effectiveness, and expectations.

In the Commonwealth of Virginia, geographical, political, and socio-economical differences across 132 school divisions cause variability in leaders' experiences with professional development. A mixed-methods approach was used, including a review of current literature, an online survey, virtual interviews, and virtual focus group discussions. This data collection results in a comprehensive audit of professional development provided to school leaders in Virginia's diverse landscape. The study defines effective professional development …

The Impact Of A Change In Leadership, Taylor Collins

DNP Projects

Abstract

Background: Unmitigated stress in nursing results in moral distress, burnout, turnover and poor patient outcomes. Authentic leaders can improve the nurses’ work environment and satisfaction by improving communication and implementing supportive measures.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine whether a change in executive leadership at BSW Grapevine Medical Center reduced nursing job stress as evidenced by improved nurse satisfaction, nurse retention, nurse engagement, patient satisfaction and care outcomes.

Conceptual Framework: Watson’s Theory of Human Caring

Design: This study is a quantitative, descriptive retrospective measurement of two points in time, before and after …

The Effect Of Multimethodological Emotional Intelligence Training On Emotional Intelligence Levels In Nurses At An Academic Medical Center, Chad Eldridge

DNP Projects

Background: Stress levels associated with the nursing career can be amplified by hostile social environments in the workplace, horizontal aggression, lack of leadership support, and poor communication. This can lead to poor retention rates and increased burnout.

Conversely, supportive work environments positively influence nursing sensitive quality indicators such as patient satisfaction, nosocomial infections, patient falls, pressure ulcers, and medication errors. Strong relationships enhance workplace social capital leading to an increased sense of belonging, strengthened mental health, and improved job satisfaction ratings.

Executive nurse leaders can promote an empowering environment dedicated to the physical, mental, and social well-being of their staff …

Peer-Led Team Learning And Student Success, Rita K. Upmacis

Faculty Papers and Publications

Peer-Led Team Learning (PLTL), a nationally recognized teaching and learning model, was introduced into the General Chemistry course at Pace University in 2014. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of the introduction of PLTL on the students’ final exam scores, and through surveys, determine how students viewed both the PLTL program and their Peer Leaders. In addition, this study sought to monitor the progress of Peer Leaders as they entered an upper-level Inorganic Chemistry class to determine whether the experience of being a Peer Leader helped their success in this course. The biggest difference, when comparing …

Spiritual Leadership In Early Intervention Practice, Jo Lynn Mccray

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this narrative inquiry was to explore ways to integrate the principles of spiritual leadership theory into therapeutic practice and to understand how spiritual leadership is used in therapy sessions from therapists’ own perspectives. Semi-structured interviews served as the major sources of data. The findings of the study reveal that early intervention therapists incorporated the elements of spiritual leadership, such as hope and faith, to enhance services provided to children and families.

Leader Strategies That Increase Employee Performance In The Nigerian Public Sector, Oluwashola Martha Elias-Fatile

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Low employee performance can hinder productivity in the Nigerian public sector. Leaders of public sector organizations in Nigeria who lack strategies to increase employees’ performance experience decreased productivity. Grounded in transformational leadership theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore strategies leaders in the Nigerian public sector used to increase employee performance. Participants were four public sector leaders in Nigeria who successfully developed and implemented strategies to increase employee performance. Data were collected from semistructured interviews and internal and external documents, such as training programs, training calendars, meeting agendas, staff letters of recommendation, and staff handbooks. …

Electric Cooperative Managers’ Strategies To Enhance Organizational Commitment To Increase Employee Productivity, Michael Edward White

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Lack of effective leadership strategies contributes to a reduction in employee engagement and productivity. Managers are concerned about the lack of effective leadership strategies because it negatively affects employee engagement and productivity, reducing organizational growth. Grounded in Bass’s transformational leadership theory, the purpose of this qualitative single case study was to explore effective leadership strategies used to enhance employee engagement and increase productivity. Five managers from an electric cooperative in Northwest Florida who implemented effective leadership strategies participated in the study. Data were collected using semistructured interviews and a review of organizational documents. Data were analyzed using Yin’s five-step approach. …

A Lebanese Health Care Organization’S Strategies To Secure Sustainable Funding, Dania Mahmoud Al Assadi

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Fundraising and donations are the main sources of revenue for behavioral health care nonprofit organizations (NPOs) worldwide. Economic, political, social, or health crises impact fundraising and donation sources for behavioral health care NPOs. This qualitative case study addressed strategies that senior leaders of a Lebanese behavioral health care NPO could use in times of crisis. The study also addressed the behavioral health leaders’ experience managing a funding crisis. The Baldrige conceptual framework was used to assess the organization’s effectiveness in seven key areas. Interviews with the senior leaders and analysis of the organization’s archival data were used to inform the …

Public Sector Leadership And The Implementation Of Corruption Mitigation Strategies In Ethiopia, Alem Zeray Reda

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractPublic sector leaders in less developed countries, like Ethiopia, experience challenges in implementing anticorruption strategies successfully. Ineffective strategy implementation exacerbates the adverse effects of corruption on organizations and the people at large. The purpose of this qualitative transcendental phenomenological study was to identify and report the lived experiences of public sector senior leaders regarding the implementation of corruption mitigation strategies in the Tigray region in Ethiopia. The research question focused on senior public sector officials' lived experiences with the execution of anti-corruption policies. The conceptual framework was the strategic leadership theory, focusing on strategy implementation processes and related challenges. The …

Strategies Healthcare Leaders Use To Reduce Employee Burnout, Ashley Ann Smith

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Healthcare workers are at an increased risk of being affected by burnout, which leads to decreased productivity, decreased job engagement, and increased organizational turnover. Employee burnout is a problem for healthcare leaders as burnout leads to decreased productivity and increased organizational turnover. The purpose of this qualitative multiple case study, guided by the job-demand resource theory, was to explore strategies healthcare leaders use to reduce employee burnout. Interviews were conducted with four healthcare leaders in the United States with at least 3 years of management experience who implemented strategies to reduce employee burnout at their organizations; a review of organizational …

Nurse Executives’ Intuitive Decision Making And Leadership Personality Styles During Organizational Change, Chaudron Carter Carter Short

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Within the complex and multifaceted health care environment, nurse executives are challenged to effectively make decisions and lead organizations through change. How nurse executives make those decisions is determined in a variety of ways, one being through intuitive decision making. The purpose of this quantitative correlational study, guided by the dual process theory, was to examine nurse executives’ intuitive decision making and leadership personality styles during organizational change. The Agor Intuitive Management Survey and the Multifactorial Leadership Questionnaire were administered to 70 nurse executives recruited by direct email obtained from public hospital organizations’ websites and social media platforms. Regression analysis …

Strategies To Expand And Obtain Funding For Nonprofit Organizations, Topaz Lonia Walton-Good

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Expanding a nonprofit organization (NPO) can be beneficial to the community; however, such expansion comes with challenges, including finding ways to obtain additional funding and understanding which additional services to provide. A single-case study was conducted to explore the challenges facing a nonprofit behavioral health organization as it seeks to obtain funding to expand current services and identify new services for underserved communities. Data were collected through interviews with the behavioral health leader (BHL) and five staff members using the Baldrige excellence framework. Five themes emerged from the data analysis: access, programs, services, funding, workforce, and leadership. Although leadership was …

Organizational Factors Contributing To Mental Health And Wellness In Behavioral Health Leaders, Julie Johnson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

According to recent studies, a behavioral health leader’s (BHL’s) mental health and wellness is an important factor in an organization's ability to effectively provide mental healthcare. Mental health and wellness in BHLs lead to sustainability in their organization. Researchers have demonstrated that mental health and wellness in BHLs are factors contributing to an organization’s sustainability but have not established the factors contributing to mental health and wellness in BHLs. The purpose of this qualitative single case study was to examine the organizational factors contributing to the mental health and wellness in the BHL of the organization. The Baldrige excellence framework …

Hotel Managers’ Motivational Strategies For Enhancing Employees’ Performance, Nickea Katherine Harris

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

More than 87% of United States hotel employees are not engaged. Hotel general managers who struggle to engage employees are at risk of damaging organizational effectiveness. Grounded in Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore the strategies general managers of full-service hotels used for enhancing employees’ performance. The participants consisted of general managers from 3 full-service hotels in Hawaii who have successfully developed and deployed strategies to enhance employees’ performance. Data were collected from semistructured interviews, company websites, advertisements, and observations. Yin’s 5-stage analysis was used to analyze the data, and 3 …

Instructional Leadership Practices Of Middle School Principals Regarding Students With Learning Disabilities, Sharon Dixson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractA problem existed among middle school principals in that they appeared to inconsistently apply instructional leadership practices while supporting their teachers teaching students with learning disabilities. How the principals perceived these inconsistencies and the possible effects on practice was not fully understood. The purpose of this study was to understand the perceptions of middle school principals regarding their instructional leadership practices to consistently support teachers who teach students with learning disabilities. The conceptual framework comprised the instructional leadership theory of Murphy, Hallinger, Weil, and Mitman. The research question addressed the perceptions of middle school principals regarding their instructional leadership practices …

Using Knowledge Management Practices In Small Business Organizations, Brandon Stewart

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Small businesses struggle to attain, retain, and transfer knowledge using knowledge management (KM). Small business enterprise (SBE) leaders who do not leverage core competencies of KM are at high risk of failure. Grounded in Nonaka’s dynamic theory of knowledge creation, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore the KM strategies small retail business leaders in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area use for sustainability. The participants comprised 4 small business enterprise leaders in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area who effectively used KM strategies to sustain business beyond 5 years. Data were collected from semistructured interviews and internal and external …

Relationship Between Organizational Trust, Communication, And Team Performance Within Virtual Teams, Cornelius Thomas Session

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Virtual teams have become a cost-saving strategy for global collaboration and training, but trust and communication failures decrease overall performance. Business leaders who fail to understand the relationship between organizational trust, communication, and team performance undermine global virtual teams’ full potential. Grounded in the life cycle of virtual teams’ theory, the purpose of this quantitative correlational study was to examine the relationship between organizational trust, communication, and team performance within virtual teams in the information technology (IT) industry. Data were collected from survey responses of 48 virtual IT business leaders who work in the Washington, D.C. metro area. The results …

Leadership Influence On Dispatcher Access Of Trauma Recovery Resources, Ariel R. Place

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Emergency dispatchers experience duty-related trauma exposure that can lead to reduced work engagement, compromised employee health, and increased organizational costs. Leadership is crucial in providing guidance and support to first responders following traumatic events. This study’s purpose was to understand how one public service organization’s (PSO) leaders influence emergency dispatchers’ access to trauma-recovery resources. The Baldrige Excellence Framework provided the framework for this qualitative case study. Semi-structured interviews with the public service organization partner site (PSOPS) leaders were conducted and archival data and documents were reviewed and analyzed to gain a clearer picture of PSOPS leaders’ personal perspectives of and …

Voluntary Diversity Training Strategies For Alleviating Leadership Gender Bias, Jason Thomas

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Researchers showed that mandatory diversity training programs in large U.S. corporations adversely increase unconscious gender bias of promotion selection. The problem is that workplace diversity experts disagree about a consistent set of strategies to implement voluntary diversity training programs, adversely affecting the efficiency and productivity in training related to alleviating unconscious gender bias in selecting women to management. The purpose of this qualitative classical Delphi study was to determine how a panel of eight workplace diversity experts viewed the desirability and feasibility of forward-looking strategies for implementing voluntary diversity training programs to alleviate unconscious gender bias in selecting women to …

How Supply Chain Managers Develop Agile Capability Strategies In The Workforce, Bethany Iris Grace

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Ineffective change management strategies lead to poor organizational performance. Higher levels of agile capabilities have been shown to improve success in managing change. The research problem was that supply chain managers do not have coherent strategies to develop agile capabilities in the workforce. The purpose of this qualitative, exploratory multiple case study was to investigate how supply chain managers develop strategies to build agile capabilities in the workforce. The conceptual framework that grounded this study includes resource-based view theory and leader-member exchange theory. The research question explored how supply chain managers develop strategies for building agile capabilities in the workforce. …

Involvement In Community Service And Spiritual Activities As Correlates Of Socially Responsible Leadership Among Undergraduate Students At Asia-Pacific International University, Thailand, Naltan Lampadan

Dissertations

Problem

Institutions of Higher Education invest considerable resources to provide students with leadership experiences through extracurricular activities, especially in community service and spiritual programming. The inter-relationship among these variables (socially responsible leadership, spiritual and community involvement) have not been investigated in faith-based institutions of higher education in Southeast Asia.

Purpose of the Study

This study had four purposes: (a) to examine the extent of student involvement in community service and spiritual activities; (b) to investigate the level of socially responsible leadership among undergraduate students; (c) to examine whether socially responsible leadership might be related to gender, nationality, class status, and …

Higher Education's Immunity To Change: Understanding How Leaders Make Meaning Of Their Student Success Landscape, Brittany Motley

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Closing equity gaps in the higher education sector is a long-standing issue. This issue has become exacerbated with the impact of COVID-19 and racial injustices happening across America. Now more than ever it has become imperative to use participatory action research to understand how leaders make meaning of their student success landscape and use that meaning to influence their strategic action for equity. I engaged two student success stakeholders from one university as co-researchers to help identify a problem in practice as it relates to equity gaps in student success. We used a modified approach to immunity to change (ITC) …

Diversity In Mdl Leadership: A Field Guide, Elizabeth Chamblee Burch

Scholarly Works

Multidistrict litigation (MDL) includes some of the most high-profile torts of our day—opioids, talc, RoundUp, to name a few—but the attorneys who spearhead these proceedings often look a lot like they did fifty years ago: predominately white and predominately male.

A debate has emerged over whether attorneys best positioned to fill MDL leadership roles are the grizzled repeat players who appear time and again—and who are largely white, older, and male—or newcomers with fresh ideas and energy who may not always look like their predecessors. And if diversity is important, what kind of diversity matters?

In this short essay, I …

Student Self-Harm: The Impact On An Elementary School Principal's Leadership, Jason Daniel Rose

LMU Theses and Dissertations

Research on self-harm and children tends to focus on adolescent children (12 years of age and above). There is limited available information about self-harm in children ages 11 years and younger. This study utilized autoethnography as the methodology to provide a rich description of the professional experiences and practices of an elementary school principal who worked with self-harming primary-aged students. Based on an autoethnographical analysis, this study proposes future research and makes recommendations for school leaders implementing trauma-informed practices, educators working with self-harming students, and districts committed to proactive support.

Collaboratively Designing A National, Mandated Teaching Performance Assessment In A Multi-University Consortium: Leadership, Dispositions And Tensions, Amanda Mcgraw, Ron “Kim” Keamy, Jeana A. Kriewaldt, Robyn Brandenburg, Rebecca Walker, Nadine Crane

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

It is a requirement for pre-service students in Initial Teacher Education programs in Australia to successfully complete a teaching performance assessment (TPA) before they graduate. This follows similar requirements in other international contexts, particularly the United States, where standard-based assessment is also a focus. As members of the design team of a TPA, which was affirmed by a nationally appointed Expert Advisory Group in Australia, we examine the social processes contributing to the development of a high-stakes assessment task. Significant challenges emerged through the nature of the task and the responsibility developers had for ensuring validity and fairness, but also …

Advancing Workplace Diversity: Weathering The Storm To Create A Path Toward Diversity, Equity, And Inclusion, Lisa T. Toler

All Faculty and Staff Scholarship

The inherent culture communicated within an organization influences and affects the practices the organization takes, and, in turn, employee performance (Ritchie, 2000). The purpose of this book chapter is to identify what characteristics can bring visibility to the career experiences of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) through a critical examination of the literature on organizational culture, leadership, and organizational behavior in the context of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). The resulting outcome of such an outlook on career experiences for the BIPOC community is important in creating and sustaining fair practices in diversity, equity, and inclusion in order …