Digital Commons Network^™

Female Leadership Development: From A Non-Western Perspective, Mira Fadel, Zhi Yin, Siyuan Chen, Ailin Zhang, Tianshi Hao, Jesse Llamas, Michael Llamas

The Scholarship Without Borders Journal

This study intends to compare the evolution of female leadership in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) area, Asia, and the Western countries. According to data from the International Labour Organization, the COVID-19 epidemic has significantly impacted women's labor force participation globally and expanded the gender gap, with the MENA area being the most affected. There is a well-established global trend of rising female leadership; yet, there are still disparities in the gender composition of leadership between Western countries and other areas, with Western countries having a greater share of female leaders. In the MENA area and Asia, imposed …

Development Of Leader Voice And Leader Silence Scales: How And Why Leaders Choose To Remain Silent Or Speak Up During Situations Of Workplace Aggression, Katherine L. Dickins

Theses and Dissertations

This study aimed to investigate the factors that drive leaders to speak up or remain silent when witnessing workplace aggression and to develop scales to measure leader voice and leader silence. While research on employee voice and silence exists, leader voice and silence need more theoretical development. I used an exploratory sequential mixed-method design to address these gaps. Subjects: Study one included 26 graduate management students and 35 leaders across multiple industries in the United States who witnessed workplace aggression in their unit. Study 2 included 345 people who supervised others at work. Instruments: Seven open-ended questions asking respondents to …

Building Resilience, Navigating Crises Since 2019: A Phenomenological Study Of Leadership Factors Influencing Retail Business Owners In Lebanon, Mira Fadel

Theses and Dissertations

The Lebanese population and culture are recognized for their resilience when facing adversity withstanding events such as the Lebanese Civil War, and multiple country invasions. The purpose of this study was to explore the lived experiences of retail business owners from different geographical regions and retail types in Lebanon and to identify the leadership factors that kept them resilient while navigating the compounding crises since 2019. The leadership factors included leadership styles, strategies, and agility. The conceptual framework encompassed all leadership factors, the retail industry, cultural context, and resilience. Data for this hermeneutic phenomenology was collected through semi-structured interviews followed …

Leadership In Social Service Non-Profit Organizations: An Interpreative Phenomenlogical Analysis Of Executive Leadership High Attrition Levels And Proposals For Change, Stephanie Fredericka Wanza

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to address how leaders who are employed at non-profit organizations can utilize change management frameworks, leadership style, strategic planning and organizational best practices to reduce attrition levels at their organizations. The focus of this study is three-fold: a) to understand why high attrition takes place at non-profits; identify what change model/s, types of leadership styles and best practices can be effective in reducing leader attrition, b) explore the development of a leadership framework by understanding how to manage change at nonprofits through the Carnall (1986), Shields (1999) and Cummings and Worley (2009) change management …

Examining The Experiences Of Dei Practitioners: A Look At The Racial Disparity In Policing Of Black People And The Subsequent Need For Adaptive Leadership, Lashawn Taylor

Theses and Dissertations

For centuries, Black people in the U.S. have had to navigate structural and institutional racism. This is especially true for the system of policing, which evolved from pre-emancipation slave patrols. Though law enforcement agencies have made strides in the past 160 years, Black people continue to be targeted and killed by police at a disproportionate rate. Evidence shows that DEI training initiatives within policing often fail to reduce this racial disparity that exists in policing. Yet, improved training outcomes surrounding racial relations continues to be a priority. The purpose of this qualitative, phenomenological study was to examine the experiences of …

How Political Elite Leverage Twitter To Polarize America, Woodson Morris Hobbs V

Theses and Dissertations

While social media has changed how humans use the internet, Twitter has drastically reformed how individuals worldwide receive their news. As news outlets fail to keep up with the rapid dissemination of information online, Twitter has become a sounding board for the political elite who leverage the platform's immediacy and virality. This study, using Quantitative Ethnography's Epistemic Network Analysis, seeks to determine if the political elite, specifically members of Congress, are leveraging Twitter to spread polarizing information to strengthen their base. In this study, extensive coding of select members of the 118th Congress was completed and compared to Voteview.com's DW-Nominate …

Leadership, Service, And Wicked Problems: Impact Of War, Lack Of Funding, And Covid-19 In Service Of Those With Fewer Opportunities, Ruth V. Akumbu

The Scholarship Without Borders Journal

As the world and organizations struggled to overcome the challenges created by the COVID-19 pandemic, I, the Founder and CEO of Plant A Seed, also known as Plant a Seed Africa, used this chaotic period to assess and address issues facing the organization. Multiple challenges are addressed, including the pandemic, financial, political, and leadership. I created a new leadership strategy that switches between pacesetting, visionary, and transformational leadership styles. The new organizational change model will use the 5-F or Plant A Seed 5-F model.

Leading And Mentoring Women In Stem: Mitigating Gender & Microaggressions, Lilicia Bailey, April Curry

The Scholarship Without Borders Journal

Microaggressions, behaviors that can be nonverbal or verbal, can occur when individuals “communicate negative, hostile, and derogatory messages to people rooted in their marginalized group membership (based on gender, race, ethnicity, sexuality).” This statistic, according to the Institutional Transformation program at the University of New Hampshire,¹ is in alignment with what researchers indicate regarding microaggressions, asserting that they can be “intentional or unintentional” can occur daily, and are unacknowledged (Making the Invisible Visible: Gender Based Microaggressions, n.d.).

We consider the various types of microaggressions, specifically those based on gender, and assess the effect it has on women in leadership …

The Pathway Forward: Uncovering The Barriers Faced By Women Police Chiefs, Michael Llamas, Amor Roma, Tianshi Hao, Wendy Perkinson, Kayleigh Axtell, Anshu Lal, Jesse Llamas

The Scholarship Without Borders Journal

Women have encountered many obstacles in their quest to gain leadership in law enforcement. While research has studied how well women officers strive to achieve higher-level positions within police departments, the challenges women face when they gain top leadership roles remain largely unexplored. This research paper will discuss the unique challenges faced by women police chiefs, drawing from first-hand experiences of women police chiefs and existing literature. The study finds that women police chiefs encounter challenges in communication, transferring to a new department, overtasking, introvertedness, and general police chief stress. The study also finds that women police chiefs implement ways …

An Analysis Of The Rising Xenophobia Against Asian Americans In The U.S. And Higher Education Regarding The Effects Of The Covid-19 Pandemic, Shiqian Zheng

The Scholarship Without Borders Journal

This paper analyzes the cause of anti-Asian hate, the rising xenophobia against people with Asian origins, as well as the vaccine distribution and governmental leadership. By conducting a short case study on universities’ leadership during the COVID-19 Pandemic in the United States, this paper contributes to the literature regarding Asian Americans overall, as well as to the literature on approaches to a public crisis on hate crime in higher education in the United States.

The Reluctant Feminist: Angela Merkel’S Cautious Leadership, Ls Gaiek, Marlyn Garcia

The Scholarship Without Borders Journal

Abstract: What does it mean to be a modern feminist global leader today? Global leadership research is growing, but less research focuses on female leaders, even though the 21st century thus far contains a significant rise of female leaders. Angela Merkel’s infamously historic reticence and aversion, concerning speaking about feminism, irrevocably dissolves in an interview in January of 2019. This interview offers a glimpse into Angela Merkel’s cageyness, and provides an intimate insight into her circumspect perspective concerning feminism. This article aims to explore barriers and challenges to Angela Merkel’s rise as a global leader, how crisis forged and …

The Impact Of Covid-19 On Community Based-Organizations: A Case Study Of Jewish Organizations, Orit Zigmanlador

Theses and Dissertations

When COVID-19 started to spread in March 2020, no one could anticipate the impact it would have on the world. Social behavior is one key aspect that has changed dramatically as a result of the pandemic. Through restrictions that imposed social distancing, masks, and quarantines, feelings of loneliness, depression, and isolation increased. At the same time, there was also evidence of prosocial behavior, with the emergence of people helping those in need. As the pandemic turns endemic with restrictions lifting, the longstanding impact of the pandemic on people’s behavior is still unclear. One way to explore this phenomenon is through …

Women Of Color In Higher Education Institutions: Strategies To Attain Administrative Leadership Positions, Oghenemano O. Evero

Theses and Dissertations

Race and gender continue to be contributing factors to the disparity and lack of representation that exists among higher-education leaders. This study examines the lived experience of women of color to identify the strategies they utilized to attain administrative leadership roles at a Higher Education Institution (HEI). Participants included women of color leaders with at least 5 years of experience in higher education and in a leadership role. Participants also had advanced degrees. Using a narrative inquiry design, the study involved semi structured interviews to gather data from the sample population. The seven (7) women of color HEIs administrative leaders …

Slava Ukraini: A Psychobiographical Case Study Of Volodymyr Zelenskyy’S Public Diplomacy Discourse, Amber Brittain-Hale

Theses and Dissertations

Volodymyr Zelenskyy's public diplomacy during the Russo-Ukrainian conflict was examined in this dissertation. Zelenskyy’s discourse emphasized his action-oriented traits, Ukrainian identity, and nationalism. The study employed LTA, and LIWC-22, for natural language processing analyses of Zelenskyy's public speeches and diplomatic discourse. Zelenskyy demonstrated agency, adaptability, collaboration, and positive language patterns, suggesting confidence and optimism, according to the data. In addition, the research emphasizes how domestic and international factors influence state behavior, as well as how political demands, cultural, historical, and political factors influence Zelenskyy's decision-making.

This dissertation sheds light on a global leader's psychobiographical characteristics, beliefs, and motivations during a …

Diversity, Equity, And Inclusion Post George Floyd And Covid-19: Reflections From Global Business Leaders On A Changing Paradigm, Charles Edward Bray Jr.

Theses and Dissertations

This global study of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), encompassing the lenses of sixteen corporate executives with multi-country influence, examines efforts to address marginalization in the workplace based on identity characteristics such as race, gender, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or ability. Othering is a global phenomenon. Corporations were awakened to the magnitude of othering, shocked into reality by the murder of George Floyd and other acts of political and social violence, including femicide, globally. The COVID-19 global pandemic further exposed the impact of marginalization seen through wide health disparities across communities. The Russian invasion of Ukraine further augmented the corporate …

Trends And Challenges In Developing Emerging Leaders For Ambiguous Working Environments: A Qualitative Research Study, Alanna Brahms

Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative research study examined trends and challenges faced by leadership development practitioners in developing emerging leaders for ambiguous working environments, particularly considering the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Twenty-five participants were interviewed using 16 questions related to competencies, changes in the leadership landscape, and best practices and challenges in developing emerging leaders for present-day working environments. The study found that leaders in hybrid and ambiguous working environments face increased demands, necessitating flexibility, and agility. The results emphasized the importance of a growth mindset and a desire to lead as foundational traits for emerging leaders. Strong communication and interpersonal skills …

Against All Odds: The Successful Leadership Journey Of A Saudi Woman In A Male-Dominated Stem Corporation, Maha Aldaajani

Theses and Dissertations

Huda Al-Ghoson became the first Saudi woman in an executive leadership position at Saudi Aramco, defying gender discrimination in a male-dominated corporate. This dissertation examined Al-Ghoson's groundbreaking journey and its implications for Saudi women, addressing the scarcity of information on successful Saudi female leaders' strategies and experiences. The literature review explored gender-related theories, Transformational leadership theory, and Full-Range leadership theory. A qualitative exploratory single-case study design was employed, with Huda Al-Ghoson as the focal point. The research questions were: (a) as a Saudi woman in a top leadership role, how does Al-Ghoson perceive her ascension to leadership in a male-dominated …

The Quest For Institutionalization Of Indigenous Conflict Resolution Mechanisms In The Ethiopian Criminal Justice System To Spur Social Change In The Country, Daniel Wolde Sugamo

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative case study with the exploratory design was to explore the barriers, as perceived by Ethiopia’s national elders and women ambassadors of peace, that may impede the incorporation of Indigenous conflict resolution mechanisms (ICRMs) within the federal criminal justice system of the country to spur social change and to provide a clear policy orientation for this incorporation to take place. The servant leadership model and an ubuntu-based leadership approach provided the theoretical framework. A sample group of 20 elders who represent a number of ethnic groups at the national level participated in one-on-one interviews, and 15 …

Emotional Intelligence And Teachers’ Performance In The Classroom In Cairo, Egypt, Wessam Refat

Theses and Dissertations

Effective teachers continue to be in demand in the workforce. Schools and universities need professional teachers who show passion for their jobs and high work performance. This research will investigate the association among teachers’ age, gender, tenure, emotional intelligence (EI) scores, perception of emotional intelligence application in classroom, and perception of any potential impact on their prior year’s self-reported annual teaching evaluations in Madinaty National School in Egypt. For this study, the researcher will utilize mixed methods for data collection based on concurrent design (Creswell, 2014; Kummar, 2014). For additional data collection of teachers’ perspectives on emotional intelligence (EI), the …

Exploring The Intersection Of Self-Talk And Decision-Making, Chris M. Lewis

Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study explored the intersection of self-talk and decision-making. Leaders in today’s world face increasing volume and complexity of decisions. Using a phenomenological approach to understanding the experiences of people managers in the United States, this research conducted interviews to understand the role self-talk plays in a people manager’s decision-making processes and to what extent self-talk influences people managers to avoid making a decision. Findings suggest that self-talk is a foundational component of decision-making. A manager’s awareness of how to best leverage and manage self-talk may increase an organization’s capacity for strong decision-making.

Exploring Prosocial Theories For Teaching Civility In Baccalaureate Level Business Communication, Mikelle Barberi-Weil

Theses and Dissertations

The paralysis of civility and the heightened acrimony in both public and private fora is considered a detriment to the health of a high-functioning and prosperous society. In the context of contemporary culture, the potential conflict between people with antithetical values and antithetical ideologies in a nonconsensual and neutral-ground locale is at a heightened level. When two people are obligated to each other in professional environments, they need to get along. Yet, as organizations have flattened and gone casual over recent decades, the boundaries of traditional politeness and respect have diminished (Andersson & Pearson, 1999). Leadership and organizational environments are …

Characteristics Of Leadership Of Selected Historical Leaders In Music Education In The United States With An Exploratory Study Of The Explicability Of These Characteristics To Modern Music Education Leadership In Elementary Schools, Ashley Loren Stringfield

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this multicase, qualitative study dissertation was to describe how the leadership characteristics of the founders of the Music Educators National Conference (MENC) inform today’s music educators’ leadership abilities. During the 1907 Keokuk conference the founding members discussed the first set of guiding principles for various subjects within the music discipline including chorus, band, and piano. For this study, the research questions are focused on the similarities in leadership styles of music education leaders past and present. Suggestions for improvement of teacher and administrator leadership characteristics were revealed by the leaders themselves.

Eight public elementary school music teachers …

She Leads Business Education: A Phenomenological Study On The Career Development Of Female Deans Leading Aacsb-Accredited Business Schools In America, Rachel Staples Guettler

Theses and Dissertations

As women advance into leadership roles in America, there is a demand for career development research to deepen understanding of strategies for overcoming obstacles and maximizing opportunities. This study investigated 13.4% of the population of female Deans of AACSB-accredited business schools in America through qualitative inquiry. During this study, 157 of 540 American business schools with AACSB accreditation were led by female Deans. A female perspective was interpreted through the framework of Career Development Theory revealing the internal and external forces impacting career development chronology, experiences, contexts, behavioral patterns, beliefs, and leadership of women who have become Deans. Gender-related and …

An Application Of Lewin In A Trans-Pandemic World: A Narrative Inquiry In A Case Study With A Suggested Model For The Future, Chandler Barksdale Ewell Caldwell

Theses and Dissertations

Change is constant in today’s post-pandemic world. This is truly evident in online business success with entrepreneurs that defy past limitations and rely on future vision. This study purposely attempts to identify and qualify the impact of stylized change focused leadership in response to workplace changes during the variant challenges of the corona virus pandemic. The relevancy of Lewin’s organizational change model in today’s new normal provides the foundation for this research. Data were gathered through interview with a purposive sample of 12 managers executives and team members from a public sector organization. Evolving through an iterative process of evaluation …

Exploring Leaders' Sensemaking Of Emergent Global Norms For Open Science: A Mixed Methods Discourse Analysis Of Unesco’S Multistakeholder Initiative, Lisa Cuevas Shaw

Theses and Dissertations

In November 2021, all 193 United Nations Member States adopted the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization’s (UNESCO) Recommendation on Open Science (UNESCO, 2021a), which signaled a shared commitment to globally recognized standards for open science. However, as with other normative instruments established by intergovernmental organizations (IGOs) such as UNESCO, the ways in which local, national, and regional leaders will implement the recommendation can and will vary (Finnemore, 1993). Top-down and bottom-up coordination across international stakeholders in the research system is critical for the framework to be effective in driving global policy implementation and enabling sustained research culture change. …

Transformational Leadership Strategies In U.S. Public Universities, Jason C. Hardman

Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study explores the transformational leadership strategies used by university leaders to transform their respective institutions of higher education in the post-pandemic era. The study builds on Bass's (1985a) transformational leadership model, and the guiding research question is, "What transformational leadership strategies do university leaders use to transform university environments?" The study utilizes a narrative inquiry approach to collect and analyze data from publicly available and accessible sources. The data analysis highlights four themes of transformational leadership practices, including idealized influence, inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation, and individualized consideration. The findings reveal that transformational leaders exhibit high moral standards, personal …

Leadership Development Of Physician-Trainees, Julie Robinson

Theses and Dissertations

Physicians frequently occupy leadership roles, yet training in leadership development in the medical education continuum is scarce (Angood, 2015; Dhaliwali & Sehgal, 2014; Rotenstein et al., 2018; Varkey et al., 2009). Effective leadership training can guide physician-trainees on a journey toward self- and others- awareness and management utilizing emotional intelligence (Goleman, 2006), integrity, authenticity (Erhard et al., 2010; George, 2003; Snook et al., 2012), communication, teamwork (Hackman, 2012; Larson & LaFasto, 1989), change management (Kotter, 1995; 2012), and systems thinking (Senge, 2006). The call to enhance leadership development of physicians across their education continuum is unmistakable (Blumenthal et al., 2012, …

African American Coaches In Athletics: A Study Of Enabling And Inhibiting Factors Impacting Leadership Success, Lamar Lawrence

Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative research focused on identifying and addressing the enabling and inhibiting factors that have influenced the careers of African American National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I head basketball coaches. The researcher used a phenomenological approach to discover and understand the lived experiences of African American NCAA Division I men's head basketball coaches that are considered to be successful leaders in their field in order to gain their perspective and personal insight into barriers and potential solutions to those barriers in this particular field. Active and systemic discrimination, along with institutionalized racism and bias, are essential factors in this …

An Examination Of Leading Through Change Using Snyder’S Hope Theory And Lewin’S 3-Step Model, Scott E. Sorensen

Theses and Dissertations

Never has the world experienced such rapid change, and the environment in which organizations operate necessitates increased change capability and organizational agility (Argyris, 1991). Strebel (1996) found success rates for change initiatives in Fortune 1000 companies ranged from a low of 20% to a high of 50%. Later studies would substantiate Strebel’s (1996) findings, claiming that, on average, failure rates of transformational change initiatives approach 70% (Beer & Nohria, 2000; Sirkin et al., 2005). Suppose this is so, and companies wish to thrive in such a dynamic environment. A fundamental understanding of why change efforts fail and how to drive …

Women Of Color In Higher Education Institutions: Strategies To Attain Administrative Leadership Positions, Oghenemano O. Evero

Theses and Dissertations

Race and gender continue to be contributing factors to the disparity and lack of representation that exists among higher-education leaders. This study examines the lived experience of women of color to identify the strategies they utilized to attain administrative leadership roles at a Higher Education Institution (HEI). Participants included women of color leaders with at least 5 years of experience in higher education and in a leadership role. Participants also had advanced degrees. Using a narrative inquiry design, the study involved semi structured interviews to gather data from the sample population. The seven (7) women of color HEIs administrative leaders …