Digital Commons Network^™

Distinction For The Library Profession: Taking A Page From The Business Playbook, Antje Mays

Library Faculty and Staff Publications

Library and information professionals have much to offer the world-at-large, yet are often under-recognized beyond the sphere of librarianship. Looking beyond traditional library advocacy, this second article in the "Mayflower: Ode to New Beginnings" presents theory and practice of recognition-building strategies from the business world -- strategies applicable to librarianship: The article looks to the business playbook for building connections with the broader community and thereby enhancing the profession’s exposure.

Leadership Strategies That Promote Employee Engagement, Tiffany N. Mccutcheon

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In the higher education industry, employee engagement is crucial to the survival of organizations because engaged employees increase profits, productivity, and sustainability. The purpose of this single case study was to explore leadership strategies that leaders of higher education organizations used to promote employee engagement. Expectancy theory was the conceptual framework for this study. Four leaders of a higher education organization in the southeastern United States were purposefully selected for the study based upon their experience implementing effective leadership strategies to promote employee engagement. Data were collected through face-to-face semistructured interviews, direct observation, and review of publicly available organizational documents. …

Passing The Baton: A Comparative Analysis Of The Ceo Succession Of Walmart And Exxon Mobil, Anna K. Seale

Senior Honors Theses

The purpose of this study was to compare the CEO succession of Walmart and Exxon Mobile with the commonly accepted best practices within the CEO’s distinguishable attributes and roles. The succession of executive leadership within any organization is inevitable. Research speaks to the importance of both strong executive leadership and CEO succession plans to allow for sustainable success within an organization. The researcher examined the literature on commonly accepted best practices of CEO succession as well as the importance of them. The executive successions of Walmart and Exxon Mobil were examined in light of the history of executive succession planning. …

Information Systems Security Leadership: An Empirical Study Of Behavioral Influences Of Leaders On Employees’ Security Compliance, Marcus Alan Winkfield

CCAC Theses and Dissertations

This empirical study examined the behavioral influences of leaders on employees’ security compliance. Organizations can use leadership concepts in the field of Information Systems (IS) security. Despite the adoption of technical and managerial approaches, organizations still face issues motivating employee IS security compliance. This dissertation argued that organizations need strong leadership to encourage employees. Using the expectancy theory, this paper created a theoretical model to help understand the influence of task and relationship-oriented leadership behaviors on nontechnical controls IS security compliance. The conceptual underpinnings translated into perceived security effort, perceived security performance, and expected security outcomes. The theoretical model was …

Leadership And Culture Effects On Corporate Retention Of Black Millennials, Ashley Rhae Grishby

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The purpose of this study was to determine if transformational leadership, motivation, organizational culture, and person-€organization (P-€O) fit predict retention of Black millennials compared to White millennials. This study also determined if transformational leadership mediated the relationship between motivation and retention, if motivation mediated the relationship between P-€O fit and retention, and if P-€O fit mediated the relationship between culture and retention. With the millennial population making up approximately 50% of the workforce by 2020, it is important for organizations to determine which factors are affecting their retention. To predict employee retention, each variable was measured with 5 reliable online …

Exploring The Acquisition Of Information On Entrepreneurial Knowledge Of Women: Niger Delta, Ebierede Osemi

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Forty percent of women in the Niger Delta states in Nigeria were unemployed in 2015. Guided by acquired needs theory, this multiple case study was conducted to gain an in-depth understanding of how women in the Niger Delta states can acquire the requisite entrepreneurial knowledge to make decisions about becoming self-employed. Twenty women entrepreneurs in the Niger Delta states who had knowledge and experience of entrepreneurship were selected to participate in providing data through a semistructured interview, field notes, and document review. Through Yin's 5-step data analysis process, member checking, and triangulation, the following key themes emerged: creativity and innovation, …

Female Leaders: Paths To Leadership In The Florida State Legislature, Heather Conaway Roberson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The issues women face and the policies that benefit women can be neglected by policy makers without women serving in the state legislature, yet little is understood about how influencing factors, characteristics and experiences shape political aspirations among women at the state level. Using feminist identity theory and feminist standpoint theory as the foundation, the purpose of this ethnographic study was to explore how female leaders develop their nascent political ambition and engage in the path to public office. Data were collected through interviews with 8 women who held office in a state legislature from 2012 through 2017. Interview data …

Exploring Public Sector Leadership Through Appreciative Inquiry, Wendy L. Morton

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Leadership is an important part of creating effective public organizations. Effective leaders have the potential to produce social change through positive follower and organizational outcomes, the development of important policies, and efficiently implementing public policy. The scholarly literature lacks research concerning how leadership styles translate to the public sector. The theoretical framework used to guide and support this study was Cooperrider and Whitney's appreciative inquiry. The research question explored in what ways public sector leaders affect how followers perceive themselves as social change agents in a local city-county health department. For this phenomenological study, 10 followers employed by a local …

Management Of Virtual Offices, Cheryl Donaldson Howard

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Many organizational leaders manage virtual employees without the specific training and experience required for leading a virtual organization, which can lead to billions of dollars in lost productivity. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore strategies managers used to manage a virtual office. The target population consisted of 4 managers located in the mid-Atlantic region of the United States who had a minimum of 2 years of experience managing virtual offices. The conceptual framework for this study was social exchange theory. Data were collected using semistructured interviews and a review of company documents. Data were analyzed using …

Leadership Strategies For Increasing Employee Engagement In The Service Industry, Yavonda Malia Ulfig

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Companies lose an average of $1,000 in profit each year for every employee who feels disengaged and uncommitted to the firm's success. Employee engagement is critical to an organization's productivity, profitability, and competitive edge. The purpose of this single case study was to explore strategies that business leaders in a service organization use to increase employee engagement and work performance. The conceptual framework for this study was Homans's social exchange theory. A purposeful sample of 6 company leaders participated in the study based on their success in developing strategies that enhanced employee engagement and performance in an advertising services firm …

Employee Engagement Strategies That Healthcare Managers Use To Increase Organizational Performance, Eric Makoni

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The annual cost of low employee engagement in Australian workplaces was $18.7 billion in 2015. Healthcare managers who adopt employee engagement strategies have the potential to achieve robust clinical, operational, and financial results that benefit both the organization and the community as a whole. The purpose of this single case study was to explore effective employee engagement strategies that some healthcare managers used to increase organizational performance. Social exchange theory was the conceptual framework for the study. Data were collected through semi structured interviews with 8 healthcare managers in Queensland, Australia. Participants who implemented successful employee engagement strategies were selected …

Midwestern Artists' Responses To The Demands Of Entrepreneurial Management, Carolyn Melissa Nelson-Kavajecz

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Artists have the potential to achieve higher levels of success in business management, leadership roles, and entrepreneurial endeavors if equipped with the proper knowledge. Although artists may have a creative perspective and could possess many of the attributes sought after by organizations and communities in need of innovative leaders, their approaches to entrepreneurial management differ from traditional business managers or community leaders. The problem was poor understanding of how artists in Midwestern regions of the United States respond to the demands of entrepreneurial management. The purpose of this qualitative multiple-case study was to understand how 20 individuals who self-identified as …

Sustainability Strategies For Nonprofit Organizations During General Economic Downturns, Lakesha T. Brown

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Many leaders of nonprofit organizations (NPOs) lack strategies to build and maintain a financially sustainable organization to continue providing vital social services. The purpose of this single case study was to explore the financial strategies some NPO leaders used to maintain financial sustainability during general economic downturns. Five purposively selected leaders of an NPO in northwestern Indiana participated in the study. The resource dependency theory and the change management theory were the conceptual frameworks that guided the study. Data were collected from face-to-face and telephone interviews and a review of company documentation. Member checking was conducted with participants and data …

Communication Strategies To Motivate Virtual Team Members In The Banking Industry, Kristina Nicole Wade

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Frontline managers in the banking industry support geographically dispersed employees and face significant obstacles in communicating effectively to motivate their virtual team members. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore communication strategies frontline managers in the banking industry used to motivate virtual team members. Vroom's expectancy theory was the conceptual framework for the study. Participants consisted of 5 frontline banking managers in Michigan who had successfully implemented communication strategies to motivate virtual team members. Data were collected using face-to-face semistructured interviews, a review of company documents, and a review of company websites. Data were analyzed using thematic …

Career Pathways Of African-American Women Senior Executives At Predominantly White Institutions, Etheldria Amayah Bonnie Moulds-Greene

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Research studies have revealed that African-American women are disproportionately underrepresented in senior and executive leadership positions compared to European-American female and male counterparts at public and private predominantly White institutions, despite their increased representation in university senior leadership positions. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to discover the meaning and understanding of African-American women's career pathway experiences ascending to executive positions at these institutions. Critical race theory and Black feminist thought lenses were used as frameworks to understand participants' career pathways, barriers, and facilitating factors advancing toward leadership. LinkedIn recruitment and snowball sampling led to 9 participants who …

The Correlation Between Employee Job Satisfaction And Leadership Style By Leadership Personnel In Massage Businesses, Veronica Henry

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Job satisfaction plays a significant role in employee retention outcomes. Therefore, examining factors that contribute to employee job satisfaction is vital to formulating and implementing effective organizational protocols that increase job satisfaction, employee retention, and overall business performance. This study was designed to examine the relationship between leadership style and job satisfaction in massage-based businesses. The research question was as follows: Is there a relationship between job satisfaction and leadership style in massage businesses in Columbia, SC? This study utilized three primary leadership styles: transformational, transactional, and passive/ avoidant. The research question was answered through a quantitative correlational analysis of …

Surgical Perioperative Leadership: The Association Between Leadership Style And Team Job Satisfaction, Corey Louise Jamison

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Abstract

The perioperative operating room (OR) is a highly complex, fast-paced environment where countless transactions must be executed with efficiency, speed, and accuracy, and where mistakes of any kind could lead to adverse patient outcome, injury, or death. The surgeon, as leader of the procedure and the OR team, sets the overall climate of the OR and determines how willing (or unwilling) team members are to speak up about potential errors or unsafe patient conditions. This exploration of the relationship between perioperative surgeon leadership style and OR team member job satisfaction fills a gap unaddressed in the literature using items …

Leadership, Empowerment, And Motivation: An Analysis Of Modern Management, Patrick J. Myers

CMC Senior Theses

The purpose of this paper is to explore the role of management in organizations and, specifically, look at the overlap between management and leadership with a particular focus on empowerment. With considerations of previous literature, current examples, and a case study interview, this literature seeks to solidify the importance of leadership by managers in the workplace. Furthermore, it seeks to highlight the role of empowerment, presented by the leader and experienced by followers, in creating a thriving workplace built on culture and trust. Lastly, the literature aims to better understand the motivations of the modern employee to provide potential areas …

Disrupted Leadership: Strategies And Practices Of Leaders In A Vuca World, Victoria Kimball Brodie

Theses and Dissertations

As the world becomes increasingly interconnected through intricate networks in technology-laden environments, leadership has become exponentially more complex. This VUCA (volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous) context disrupts long-held leadership constructs. Historically, leaders have been able to reflect on past decision making to guide their current and future decisions. No longer is this practice viable; leaders now require new skills to lead competently in this rapidly iterating ecosystem. With its challenges, this dynamic environment also offers opportunities for those who are able to capitalize on the next waves of disruption. Social entrepreneurs, tackling the world's most pressing challenges, are leading systems-wide …

Exploring Leadership Development In Native American Business Organizations Within The Tourism Industry, Douglas Quist

Theses and Dissertations

With the tourism business consistently evolving and changing, Native American tribal businesses and leaders face challenges as they continue to grow and thrive in the industry. Although all businesses in the tourism industry face challenges and have commonalities, certain challenges are specific to Native American businesses. Often located in rural areas, hiring tribal members when available, and with limited talent pools, these Native American businesses are running complex software and hardware systems that require very specific and complex technical expertise. From recruiting to hiring, onboarding to training seasoned executives, specific leadership and technical needs must be met, regardless of limitations. …

Understanding Aquarium Culture In The Context Of Strategic Change, Katie E. Mcconnell

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the relationship between organizational culture and strategic change. Specifically, how leaders can identify a preferred culture to support a new vision and create an action plan for shifting the existing to the preferred culture. Two frameworks were used: The Competing Values Culture Framework and Appreciative Inquiry. The combination of these models can be a helpful tool to create practical knowledge about culture and provide action plans to support the preferred state. Leaders indicated a 52% decrease in hierarchy and a 120% increase in adhocracy culture would effectively support the new vision. These results mapped to literature findings …

Academic Libraries And Toxic Leadership, Alma C. Ortega

Dissertations

Toxic leadership has yet to be officially recognized as an area of inquiry in the field of library and information studies. Indeed, the literature on academic libraries is only now beginning to address the topic. None of this should be surprising because leadership, in general, continues to be an under-discussed topic in the library and information studies literature.

The topic of leadership, of course, is the central theoretical construct of the leadership studies field, and, in this field, toxic leadership has been systematically studied and discussed. This literature reveals the negative consequences of having a toxic leader as the head …

The Changing Nature Of Work, Leadership, And Organizational Culture In Future Ready Organizations, Saloni Dhir

CMC Senior Theses

Abstract

The relationship between individual and organizational performance is a key challenge for leaders in modern organizations, especially with the current disruption in technology and innovation. This thesis is a literature review and compilation of the relevant empirical evidence on various processes of industrial groups and organizational characteristics such as the changing nature of work, leadership, and company culture in detail. I investigate the complex challenges that millennials and organizations are facing in the current VUCA work environment as well as their potential responses to these changes. I map out the evolution of the concept of work and compare changes …

Evaluation Of The Effectiveness Of A System Based Nurse Manager Collaborative Council On Work Engagement, Psychological Empowerment, And Value, Stacy Colligan

DNP Projects

BACKGROUND: Nurse Managers often do not receive direct acknowledgment for their accomplishments or have input into the facility wide decisions which directly impact them. Currently there are no known shared governance programs tailored to the nurse manager level.

PURPOSE: To determine the impact of a system shared governance model on nurse manager’s work engagement, psychological empowerment, and inclusion.

METHOD: A pretest and posttest design was utilized to determine the impact of shared governance participation for nurse managers. Spreitzer’s psychological empowerment scale and the Ultrech “Work and Well-being” instrument, in addition to some Likert scale and open-ended descriptive questions, were included …

Leadership Values And Acculturation Among The Oglala Lakota Leadership, Richard Gerald Iron Cloud

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

There are currently no research studies that investigate the relationship between acculturation and leadership values and practices among the Indigenous Tribes on the Northern Plains of the United States. The study was initiated because Native American Elders on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation were concerned that traditional altruistic leadership style was being lost in today's Native American leadership practice. Accordingly, acculturation and servant leadership theories were used to guide the study. A sequential explanatory mixed methods design incorporated the use of quantitative data based on the Servant Leadership Profile (SLP) and the Native American Acculturation Scale. (NAAS). The study included …

Leadership And Intergroup Relations : Which Leader Is More Favorable Or More Effective While Leading Distinct Subgroups?, Jieyi Ding

Honors Theses

While leading distinct subgroups nowadays, leaders need to address intergroup bias and establish beneficial intergroup relations. They could do so by promoting a collective identity that emphasizes commonality between subgroups or an intergroup relational identity that recognizes distinct characteristics of both subgroups and focuses on their dependency on each other as part of the identity. The research investigated the influence of leader's rhetoric and race interacting with moderators like identity distinctiveness threat on leader evaluation and intergroup bias. The results showed a complicated relationship between how much a leader was liked and how effective a leader could be.

Evaluation Of Wildland Firefighter Leadership, Rebecca Rose

All Master's Theses

There has been growing research evaluating hazardous occupations to gain a better understanding of how crisis leaders and followers, such as wildland firefighters make decisions in high-stress environments. In this study, wildland firefighters were examined to assess their decision-making skills using a wildland fire simulation computer game called the Networked Fire Chief (NFC). These results were compared against both the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire and the Big Five personality traits using Saucier’s abbreviated Mini-Markers. Only a small sample of wildland firefighters was available to participate due to the intense 2017 fire season. Additional participants were recruited through CWU Sona system. Results …

When Silence Is Golden: The Use Of Strategic Silence In Crisis Management, Phuong D. Le, Hui Xun Teo, Augustine Pang, Yuling Li, Cai-Qin Goh

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Purpose: Scholars have discouraged using silence in crises as it magnifies the information vacuum (see Pang, 2013). The purpose of this paper is to argue for its viability and explore the type of silence that can be used. Design/methodology/approach: Eight international cases were analyzed to examine how silence was adopted, sustained and broken. Findings: The findings uncovered three intention-based typologies of strategic silence: delaying, avoiding and hiding silences. Among such, avoiding/hiding silence intensified crises and adversely affected post-silence organizational image when forcefully broken, while delaying silence helped preserve/restore image with primary stakeholders if successfully sustained and broken as planned. Research …

Ignatian Colleagues Program Immersions: Formation In The ‘School Of The Poor’, Thomas Kelly

Jesuit Higher Education: A Journal

Each year the Ignatian Colleagues Program, the premier leadership development program of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities (AJCU), takes its participants on three or four different immersions throughout the world. The purpose of these immersions, framed through Ignatian spirituality and pedagogy, is to more deeply understand a “faith that does justice” and the meaning of Ignatian leadership. The inspiration for this approach comes directly from the life of St. Ignatius and the central role his own encounter with the poor played in his conversion and development as a person. This article summarizes the background, preparation, immersion, reflection and …

Unsubstantiated Conclusions: A Scoping Review On Generational Differences Of Leadership In Academic Libraries, Erin R. B. Eldermire, Erla P. Heyns, Heather A. Howard

Libraries Faculty and Staff Scholarship and Research

The academic library profession is experiencing a large turnover in leadership. To date, information on differences in the generational expectations about how to lead is scarce and the research is contradictory. This article presents a scoping review of the literature on generational expectations of academic library leaders. Based on predefined eligibility criteria, the authors searched twelve bibliographic databases and performed a broad web search. 5,435 articles were located and considered for inclusion, however, only four eligible articles were identified and included for analysis. There is little empirical evidence that generational differences are evident in the academic library setting or in …