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Full-Text Articles in Business
Efficacy Of Online Training For Improving Camp Staff Competency, Barry A. Garst, Ryan J. Gagnon, Alice M. Brawley Newlin
Efficacy Of Online Training For Improving Camp Staff Competency, Barry A. Garst, Ryan J. Gagnon, Alice M. Brawley Newlin
Management Faculty Publications
Preparing competent staff is a critical issue within the camp community. This quasi-experimental study examined the effectiveness of an online course for improving staff competency in camp healthcare practices among college-aged camp staff and a comparison group (N = 55). We hypothesized that working in camp would increase competency test scores due to opportunities for staff to experientially apply knowledge learned online. Hierarchical linear modeling was used to analyse the cross-level effects of a between-individuals factor (assignment to experimental or comparison group) and within-individual effects of time (pre-test, post-test #1, and post-test #2) on online course test scores. At post-test …
Impact Of Motivation On Project Teams’ Performance In Information Technology, Ramu Karanam
Impact Of Motivation On Project Teams’ Performance In Information Technology, Ramu Karanam
Dissertations and Theses
Sufficient motivation is a critical ingredient for any organization to derive optimal performances from their workforce. Project teams are an integral part of the efficient conduction of an information and communication technology company’s core operations. This study is dictated towards the evaluation of the main factors that influence the level of motivation portrayed by team members of information technology project teams. Through a comprehensive literature review, the research was able to uncover insightful trends in motivation patterns among project team members that might be useful to project managers. The findings of this research conclude that a project team manager can …
A Case Study On Learning Transfer In A Social Service Organization, Cynthia A. Barnes
A Case Study On Learning Transfer In A Social Service Organization, Cynthia A. Barnes
Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies
Support from managers, training specialists, and human resource development specialists is needed if social service employees are to transfer learning to their organizations. There is a gap in the literature about managers, training specialists, and HRD specialists familiarizing employees with learning transfer expectations. This study addressed the way social service employees transferred what was learned after attending normal training classes. The research questions focused on learning transfer expectations for the employees, conditions that addressed during the learning transfer, processes that are in place where there was not a learning transfer initiative, and the way learning was used by employee. The …
Strategies To Implement Succession Planning In A Nonprofit, Talecia Y. Parks
Strategies To Implement Succession Planning In A Nonprofit, Talecia Y. Parks
Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies
Surveys of nonprofit organizations conducted between 2004 and 2014 showed that 74% of the 6,923 leaders surveyed did not have a succession plan. In this qualitative single case study, the human capital theory was used as a guide to explore strategies used to implement a succession plan by 3 nonprofit leaders in a single nonprofit organization in a large metropolitan city in Southeastern Georgia. The participants were selected based on their implementation of succession plan strategies and geographical location. Semistructured interviews and document review were used to collect the data, which were analyzed using Yin's 5-step approach. Three themes emerged: …
Strategies For Selecting And Individualizing Training For Employee Positioning, Reba Michelle Royster
Strategies For Selecting And Individualizing Training For Employee Positioning, Reba Michelle Royster
Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies
Lack of effective selection and training of employees for positioning within a business can have extensive financial repercussions. Fostering mentoring relationships between leaders and employees increases competitive advantage and institutional financial growth. However, there is limited research that supports the role of mentoring leadership styles for improving organizational productivity. The purpose of this single case study was to explore strategies used by business managers to select and individually train employees for opportunities within the organization to achieve job-person fit. The sample included 5 business managers employed within a medium-sized organization in a consultation firm in the mid-Atlantic region of the …
Leadership Styles Manufacturing Business Managers Use To Reduce Workplace Injuries, Joe Sparks
Leadership Styles Manufacturing Business Managers Use To Reduce Workplace Injuries, Joe Sparks
Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies
The cost of workplace injuries is a major concern for business managers. Business managers in the production, transportation, and material moving industries experience the highest injury rate with an annual average of 198.5 lost days away from work. The purpose of this single case study was to explore transformational leadership skills and strategies used by manufacturing business managers to reduce workplace injuries. The conceptual framework for this study was Bass and Burns's transformational leadership theory. Data collection included semistructured interviews to elicit narratives from 3 managers from a metal manufacturing company located in the southeastern United States about the leadership …
Strategies For Mitigating Low-Cost Airlines' Passenger Complaints, Michael Jay Price
Strategies For Mitigating Low-Cost Airlines' Passenger Complaints, Michael Jay Price
Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies
Representatives of the U.S. Department of Transportation's Bureau of Transportation Statistics reported that passenger complaints filed for the first quarter of 2015 were up 14.4% over the same period of the previous year. The purpose of this single case study was to explore strategies for mitigating low-cost airlines' passenger complaints. Porter's generic strategies provided the conceptual framework for this research study. Data were collected from 3 ground service managers employed by a low-cost airline in Florida using semistructured interview questions, direct observation, field notes, and review of the airline's website and public documents filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange …
Exploration Of Leadership Skills For Organizational Strategy Execution, Regina L. Banks-Hall
Exploration Of Leadership Skills For Organizational Strategy Execution, Regina L. Banks-Hall
Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies
Multinational corporate leaders acknowledge that a lack of business direction by senior leadership results in a 68% failure in the execution of organizational strategies. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore what best practice solutions automotive manufacturing senior leaders created to help front-line managers execute organizational strategies. The population consisted of 20 automotive manufacturing senior leaders located in Michigan with significant years of automotive experience and at least a year of experience employed as an automotive manufacturing senior leader. Vroom's expectancy theory served as the conceptual framework for the study describing the enhancement of employee performance related to …
Effect Of Leadership Development Programs In The Workplace: Strategies For Human Resource Managers, Daniel Francisco Flores
Effect Of Leadership Development Programs In The Workplace: Strategies For Human Resource Managers, Daniel Francisco Flores
Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies
Business leaders face the challenge of developing their employees to assume leadership positions within their organizations. However, business leaders devote less than 10% of their time to developing employee leadership capabilities through leadership development programs, resulting in poor leadership development programs designed to prepare employees to assume leadership positions. Using transformational leadership theory, the purpose of this multicase study was to explore strategies that human resource managers use to improve their employee leadership development programs. Participants were purposefully selected for their experience improving employee leadership development programs in organizations in Silicon Valley. Data were collected via semistructured interviews over Skype …
Strategies To Teach Customer Service Skills, James Francis Ortman
Strategies To Teach Customer Service Skills, James Francis Ortman
Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies
Business managers' failure to retain dissatisfied customers leads to millions of dollars in lost revenue. The purpose of this single case study was to explore managers' training strategies to teach sales associates customer service skills. The sample included 3 training managers from the mobile phone industry in Michigan who recorded a 25 % increase in customer retention after implementing customer service training. The conceptual framework for this study was human capital theory. Data were collected from semistructured interviews and training documents. Data analysis entailed using coding techniques and cluster analysis. Member checking applied to clarify the interpretation of participants' responses …
How Improved Training Strategies Can Benefit Taxpayers Using Vita Programs, Jaclyn Marie Barkow
How Improved Training Strategies Can Benefit Taxpayers Using Vita Programs, Jaclyn Marie Barkow
Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies
Many volunteer income tax assistance (VITA) sites experience inaccuracy in the taxes prepared according to audits conducted by the treasury inspector general for tax administration (TIGTA). Effective training strategies may influence the accuracy rates of tax returns prepared at VITA sites. Following the conceptual framework of the human capital theory, this multiple case study described the training strategies used by 4 VITA site coordinators in northwest Indiana. An Internal Revenue Service (IRS) representative overseeing the VITA sites identified the 4 site coordinators as achieving an exceptional accuracy rating. Data were collected from semistructured interviews, the annual VITA site coordinator's manual …
Law Enforcement Leadership Training Strategies, Will O'Neill
Law Enforcement Leadership Training Strategies, Will O'Neill
Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies
Senior law enforcement leaders are looking for leadership training strategies to develop future law enforcement leaders. The purpose of this single case study was to explore U.S. law enforcement leaders' training strategies to develop future leaders. The sample was comprised of 18 senior Northern Virginia executive law enforcement leaders who have leadership development strategies currently in use. The conceptual framework for this study was human capital theory. The data collection process included semistructured interviews, a review of training documentation, and direct observation related to leadership development. Based on methodological triangulation of the data sources and analysis of the data, 3 …
Exploring The Process Of Lean Training In The Healthcare Industry, Rose Bailey
Exploring The Process Of Lean Training In The Healthcare Industry, Rose Bailey
Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies
Organizational leaders use lean training as a process improvement strategy to eliminate waste and inefficiencies in processes. Of the 91% of company leaders who believed lean training was important, 64% of those leaders expressed the perception that workers do not comprehend lean training and methodology. The purpose of this qualitative single case study was to explore how healthcare managers successfully implemented lean training strategies to combat escalating costs. The target population consisted of healthcare managers in a single rural care hospital located in Tennessee who had implemented lean training strategies to train staff in lean principles and lean tools. The …
Disability Status, Disability Type, And Training As Predictors Of Job Placement, Jessica Stahl
Disability Status, Disability Type, And Training As Predictors Of Job Placement, Jessica Stahl
All Dissertations
Human Capital Theory was used as a means to formulate predictions regarding the placement rates for disabled and non-disabled individuals who participated in job training programs at a non-profit agency in the Southeast. Research suggesting that disabilities are viewed as an economic liability by employers was reviewed, along with empirically based rejoinders to this stereotype. The first goal of this study was to address flaws in the existing categorization systems of disabilities, and to justify a categorization system that was more detailed than the typical psychological/physical disability distinction in the I/O and vocational rehabilitation literature (e.g., Ren, Paetzold, and Colella, …
Fast Food Industry Ethics: Can Employee's Ethical Awareness Be Improved?, Joanna L. Moore
Fast Food Industry Ethics: Can Employee's Ethical Awareness Be Improved?, Joanna L. Moore
Accounting Undergraduate Honors Theses
There has been recent evidence that the fast food industry is unethical. Training helps employees learn what they are responsible for doing. Can training on ethics increase ethical awareness? To determine if this can happen, a study was done with the local Taco Bueno employees. The workers were given a pre-training survey, then participated in a case study training session, and finally took a post-training survey. Ethical awareness increased, but the results were not statistically significant in the small study sample. Further study is recommended to learn how long the increase of ethical awareness will last and if future training …
Motivation And Career-Development Training Programs: Use Of Regulatory Focus To Determine Program Effectiveness, Peter J. Anthony
Motivation And Career-Development Training Programs: Use Of Regulatory Focus To Determine Program Effectiveness, Peter J. Anthony
Walden Faculty and Staff Publications
The purpose of this study was to focus on the relationship between career-development training programs and the motivation of employees. The study used a qualitative method and a phenomenological design using semistructured interviews conducted with a script of open-ended questions. Two main components of the research design were the modified van Kaam method for exploration of experiences and the purposive selection of the participants. The 20 participants in the sample were project managers and consultants from south-central Texas, all of whom had experience with governmental projects. Based on interview responses, the findings of this study highlighted a concern from the …
Team Learning, Development, And Adaptation, Steve W. J. Kozlowski, Bradford S. Bell
Team Learning, Development, And Adaptation, Steve W. J. Kozlowski, Bradford S. Bell
Bradford S Bell
[Excerpt] Our purpose is to explore conceptually these themes centered on team learning, development, and adaptation. We note at the onset that this chapter is not a comprehensive review of the literature. Indeed, solid conceptual and empirical work on these themes are sparse relative to the vast amount of work on team effectiveness more generally, and therefore a thematic set of topics that are ripe for conceptual development and integration. We draw on an ongoing stream of theory development and research in these areas to integrate and sculpt a distinct perspective on team learning, development, and adaptation.
Toward A Theory Of Learner-Centered Training Design: An Integrative Framework Of Active Learning, Bradford S. Bell, Steve W. J. Kozlowski
Toward A Theory Of Learner-Centered Training Design: An Integrative Framework Of Active Learning, Bradford S. Bell, Steve W. J. Kozlowski
Bradford S Bell
[Excerpt] The goal of this chapter, therefore, is to develop an integrative conceptual framework of active learning, and we do this by focusing on three primary issues. First, we define the active learning approach and contrast it to more traditional, passive instructional approaches. We argue that the active learning approach can be distinguished from not only more passive approaches to instruction but also other forms of experiential learning based on its use of formal training components to systematically influence trainees' cognitive, motivational, and emotion self-regulatory processes. Second, we examine how specific training components can be used to influence each of …
Advances In Technology-Based Training, Bradford Bell, Steve Kozlowski
Advances In Technology-Based Training, Bradford Bell, Steve Kozlowski
Bradford S Bell
[Excerpt] There is a growing utilization of technology-based training in the workplace. The 2005 State of the Industry Report published by the American Society for Training and Development (ASTD) revealed that in the average organization, technology-based training accounted for 28.1 percent of all training hours in 2004 (Sugrue and Rivera, 2005). The report also revealed that the utilization of technology-based training has almost doubled since 2002 and is projected to further increase to 32.5 percent in 2005. In this chapter, we examine this trend and explore recent advances in technology-based training. We begin by discussing the environmental factors pushing companies …
Disentangling Achievement Orientation And Goal Setting: Effects On Self-Regulatory Processes, Steve Kozlowski, Bradford Bell
Disentangling Achievement Orientation And Goal Setting: Effects On Self-Regulatory Processes, Steve Kozlowski, Bradford Bell
Bradford S Bell
The Heckhausen and Kuhl (1985) goal typology provided the conceptual foundation for this research, which examined the independent and integrated effects of achievement orientation and goal setting approaches on trainees’ self-regulatory activity. Using a complex computer-based simulation, the authors examined the effects of three training design factors cutting across these two theoretical domains – goal frame, goal content, and goal proximity – on the nature, focus, and quality of the self-regulatory activities of 524 trainees. Results revealed that all three factors had a significant influence on self-regulation, with goal content exhibiting the greatest influence. In line with expectations, congruent learning …
Developing Adaptability: A Theory For The Design Of Integrated-Embedded Training Systems, Steve W. J. Kozlowski, Rebecca J. Toney, Morell E. Mullins, Daniel A. Weissbein, Kenneth G. Brown, Bradford S. Bell
Developing Adaptability: A Theory For The Design Of Integrated-Embedded Training Systems, Steve W. J. Kozlowski, Rebecca J. Toney, Morell E. Mullins, Daniel A. Weissbein, Kenneth G. Brown, Bradford S. Bell
Bradford S Bell
[Excerpt] This convergence of forces – environmental, technological, and economic – is driving a reconceptualization of the nature of training systems. Training is shifting from an inefficient, time consuming, and expensive enterprise to one that can be delivered efficiently, as needed, and just-in-time. It is shifting from an off-site single episode to a systematic series of learning experiences that are integrated in the workplace and embedded in work technology. It is shifting from a primary emphasis on retention and reproduction to a broader emphasis that also includes the development of adaptive knowledge and skills (Kozlowski, 1998). Training will not be …
Self-Assessments Of Knowledge: Where Do We Go From Here?, Bradford Bell, Jessica Federman
Self-Assessments Of Knowledge: Where Do We Go From Here?, Bradford Bell, Jessica Federman
Bradford S Bell
[Excerpt] In this paper, we argue that there remain several unanswered questions surrounding self-assessments of knowledge that must be addressed before we can reach a more definitive conclusion on the viability of these measures. The answers to these questions may provide further evidence that self-assessments should not be used as an indicator of learning or they may serve to qualify the conditions under which self-assessments can be used with reasonable confidence. In either case, addressing these issues is critical if work in this area is to influence how researchers and practitioners evaluate trainees’ learning.
Active Learning: Effects Of Core Training Design Elements On Self-Regulatory Processes, Learning, And Adaptability, Bradford S. Bell, Steve W. J. Kozlowski
Active Learning: Effects Of Core Training Design Elements On Self-Regulatory Processes, Learning, And Adaptability, Bradford S. Bell, Steve W. J. Kozlowski
Bradford S Bell
This research describes a comprehensive examination of the cognitive, motivational, and emotional processes underlying active learning approaches, their effects on learning and transfer, and the core training design elements (exploration, training frame, emotion-control) and individual differences (cognitive ability, trait goal orientation, trait anxiety) that shape these processes. Participants (N = 350) were trained to operate a complex computer-based simulation. Exploratory learning and error-encouragement framing had a positive effect on adaptive transfer performance and interacted with cognitive ability and dispositional goal orientation to influence trainees’ metacognition and state goal orientation. Trainees who received the emotion-control strategy had lower levels of state …
Current Issues And Future Directions In Simulation-Based Training In North America, Bradford Bell, Adam Kanar, Steve Kozlowski
Current Issues And Future Directions In Simulation-Based Training In North America, Bradford Bell, Adam Kanar, Steve Kozlowski
Bradford S Bell
A number of emerging challenges including globalization, economic pressures, and the changing nature of work have combined to create a business environment that demands innovative, flexible training solutions. Simulations are a promising tool for creating more realistic, experiential learning environments to meet these challenges. Unfortunately, the current literature on simulation-based training paints a mixed picture as to the effectiveness of simulations as training tools, with most of the previous research focusing on the specific technologies used in simulation design and little theory-based research focusing on the instructional capabilities or learning processes underlying these technologies. This article examines the promise and …
Adaptive Guidance: Enhancing Self-Regulation, Knowledge, And Performance In Technology-Based Training, Bradford S. Bell, Steve W. J. Kozlowski
Adaptive Guidance: Enhancing Self-Regulation, Knowledge, And Performance In Technology-Based Training, Bradford S. Bell, Steve W. J. Kozlowski
Bradford S Bell
Considerable research has examined the effects of giving trainees control over their learning (Steinberg, 1977, 1989; Williams, 1993). The most consistent finding of this research has been that trainees do not make good instructional use of the control they are given. Yet, today’s technologically based training systems often provide individuals with significant control over their learning (Brown, 2001). This creates a dilemma that must be addressed if technology is going to be used to create more effective training systems. The current study extended past research that has examined the effects of providing trainees with some form of advisement or guidance …
Reactions To Skill Assessment: The Forgotten Factor In Explaining Motivation To Learn, Bradford S. Bell, J. Kevin Ford
Reactions To Skill Assessment: The Forgotten Factor In Explaining Motivation To Learn, Bradford S. Bell, J. Kevin Ford
Bradford S Bell
This study examined the effects of trainees’ reactions to skill assessment on their motivation to learn. A model was developed that suggests that two dimensions of trainees’ assessment reactions – distributive justice and utility – influence training motivation and overall training effectiveness. The model was tested using a sample of individuals (N = 113) enrolled in a truck driving training program. Results revealed that trainees’ who perceived higher levels of distributive justice and utility had higher motivation to learn. Training motivation was found to significantly predict several measures of training effectiveness. Trainees’ performance on the pre-training assessment and trait goal …
The Impact Of Task- And Team-Generic Teamwork Skills Training On Team Effectiveness, Aleksander P. J. Ellis, Bradford S. Bell, Robert E. Ployhart, John R. Hollenbeck, Daniel R. Ilgen
The Impact Of Task- And Team-Generic Teamwork Skills Training On Team Effectiveness, Aleksander P. J. Ellis, Bradford S. Bell, Robert E. Ployhart, John R. Hollenbeck, Daniel R. Ilgen
Bradford S Bell
This study examined the effects of training team members in three task- and teamgeneric teamwork skills: planning and task coordination, collaborative problem solving, and communication. We first examined the degree to which task- and team-generic teamwork skills training impacted team performance on a task unrelated to the content of the training program.We then examined whether the effects of task- and team-generic teamwork skills training on team performance were due to the transfer of skills directly related to planning and task coordination, collaborative problem solving, and communication. Results from 65 four-person project teams indicated that task- and team-generic teamwork skills training …