Business Commons^™

Transformational Leadership Strategies Small Business Owners And Managers Use To Increase Profitability, Renee Laura Yolande Morris-Phillip

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractEighty-two percent of small businesses fail. Small business failure is essential to the Antiguan local community, as small businesses are the pillar of the Antiguan economy with considerable contributions in employment and economic development. Grounded in transformational leadership theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore transformational leadership strategies small business owners and managers use to increase profitability. The participants comprised five small business owners and managers in Antigua, who effectively used transformational leadership strategies to increase profitability. Data were collected using semistructured interviews and reviews of company artifacts. Data were analyzed using Yin’s five-step data …

Transformational Leadership Behavior And Job Satisfaction Among Virginia Small Businesses, Abdulrahman Al-Ahmadi

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Research has shown that the leadership of a business can significantly impact employee performance, with dissatisfied employees performing at a lower level, potentially causing disruption and costs to the business. Several studies have documented the importance of small businesses to the economy in the United States, with small businesses constituting over half of all jobs. This correlational quantitative research study aimed to explore the relationship between the transformational leadership style of the managers of Virginia small businesses and job satisfaction and job performance. The theoretical frameworks used were self-determination theory and transformational leadership. This research examined how transformational leadership wkas …

Leadership And Continuous Improvement In The Nigerian Beverage Industry, John Chinonye Njoku

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

There is a high failure rate of continuous improvement (CI) initiatives in the beverage industry. Continuous improvement initiatives could help beverage manufacturing managers improve product quality, efficiency, and overall performance. Grounded in the transformational leadership theory, the purpose of this quantitative correlational study was to examine the relationship between idealized influence, intellectual stimulation, and CI. Nigerian beverage industry managers (N = 160) who participated in the study completed the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire Form 5X-Short, and the Plan, Do, Check, and Act (PDCA) cycle. The results of the multiple linear regression were statistically significant, F(2, 157) = 16.428, p < 0.001, R2 = 0.173. Idealized influence (ß = 0.242, p = 0.000) and intellectual stimulation (ß = 0.278, p = 0.000) were both significant predictors. A key recommendation is for beverage manufacturing managers to promote their employees' creativity, rational thinking, and critical problem-solving skills. The implications for positive social change include the potential to increase the opportunity for the growth and sustainability of the beverage industry.

College Deansʼ Perceptions Of How Their Leadership Styles Affect Graduation Rates, John Johnston

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The problem was that in 2016 the U.S. graduation rate of undergraduate students in for-profit higher learning institutions was only 23%, compared to 59% for public institutions and 66% for private nonprofit institutions. The purpose of this comparative case study was to explore for-profit and nonprofit college deansʼ perceptions of their leadership styles and how their leadership style affects graduation rates. Thus, the focus of the research question was determining college deansʼ perceptions of their leadership style and how their leadership style affects graduation rates. The basis of the conceptual framework was the full range leadership model. The sample required …

Strategies To Reduce Voluntary Employee Turnover In Big-Box Retailers, Destiny Cheyenne Harper-Lane

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Each year, more than 33 million employees in the United States voluntarily quit their jobs. Voluntary employee turnover is prevalent in the big-box retail industry, thus making it an important focus for managers. Grounded in transformational leadership theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore strategies big-box retail managers used to reduce voluntary employee turnover. The participants comprised 14 managers from 11 different retailers with proven employee retention best practices from big-box retail locations in San Antonio, Texas. Data collection involved semi-structured interviews, company documents, company websites, and the Bureau of Labor Statistics website. Four themes …

Strategies To Sustain Business Operations During Continuous Environmental Change, Alfred Tembo

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Failure to change and adapt to changing conditions can result in organizational stagnation, leading to imminent business extinction. Business leaders in parastatal companies who fail to adapt to changing conditions may be unable to sustain business operations resulting in business failure. Grounded in McKinsey’s 7S framework, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore strategies business leaders in parastatal companies use to adapt to continuous environmental change to sustain their business operations. Participants were 4 Zambian business leaders who successfully implemented strategies to adapt to continuous environmental change and had evidence of sustainable business operations through their …

Relationship Between Transformational Leadership Style And Financial Sustainability, Tameika R. Campbell

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Only 50% of the U.S. small businesses opened in 2011 were able to maintain financial sustainability. Small business owners struggle with identifying the type of leadership style needed to increase financial sustainability. Grounded in the transformational leadership theory, the purpose of this correlational study was to examine the relationship between idealized influence, inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation, individualized consideration, and financial sustainability. The participants consisted of 76 small business owners located in Arkansas, California, Louisiana, Maryland, Texas, and Virginia. The business owners completed a survey containing the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire and the Financial Capability Scale. The data were analyzed using multiple …

Strategies Nurse Managers Use To Increase Registered Nurses Retention, Andrew Sobers

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractRegistered nurse (RN) turnover significantly impacts organizational profitability and performance. The turnover of nurses also impacts business practices as it may disrupt the organization's ability to properly staff and provide efficient patient care. Further, nurse managers inability to retain RNs may result in problems such as loss of productivity and increased personnel costs. Guided by Burn's transformational leadership theory and Homan's social exchange theory, the purpose of this qualitative single case study was to explore the strategies that nurse managers use to increase RN retention. Participants were 6 nurse managers from Boston, Massachusetts who implemented RN retention strategies in their …

Successful Talent Management Strategies Business Leaders Use To Improve Succession Planning, Louai Damer

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Surveys on organizational training and development expenditures in the United States showed a total spend of $83 billion in 2019; however, 40% of new leaders still fail in the first 18 months. Managers need to devote attention to improve talent development programs since employees who receive talent training in organizations are 75% more likely to succeed in senior positions and future leadership roles. Grounded in transformational leadership theory, the purpose of this multiple case study was to explore successful talent development strategies that support succession planning. The participants were 6 business leaders holding different corporate positions such as managing directors, …

Strategies To Reduce Voluntary Employee Turnover, Patricia M. Alexander

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

High voluntary turnover negatively impacts an organization's profits, resulting in high expenses for businesses. The findings contribute to practical ways for small business leaders to maintain long-term employees, minimize operational costs, and enhance local economic stability. Grounded in the concept of transformational leadership theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore the strategies small business leaders use to reduce voluntary employee turnover. The participants comprised 5 private industry leaders in the state of Virginia, who were successful in reducing voluntary employee turnover. Data collected through semistructured face-to-face interviews and analysis of company documents. Based on Yin's …

Retention Strategies To Prepare And Maintain Talent For Future Leadership Roles, Shagranda M. Traveler

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Retaining qualified talent is essential to organizational leaders' ability to maintain a

competitive advantage. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore the

retention strategies that financial managers used to prepare and maintain talent to assume

future leadership roles. The conceptual framework that grounded this study was the

transformational leadership theory. The research participants were financial managers

from 5 financial services businesses located in the southern region of the United States

with a minimum of 5 years of management experience and at least 3 direct reports. Data

were collected from semistructured interviews, observations, and review of annual

reports, …

Information And Communications Technology Strategies For Improving Global Virtual Teams' Success Rates, Sadie Lee Soto

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Ineffective strategies to integrate information and communication technology (ICT) to support global virtual teams (GVTs) have adversely affected organizations' performance. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore the effective strategies participating GVT managers in 2 organizations in the United States used to integrate ICT to support teams' success. The population comprised managers in New York with at least 3 years of service integrating successful strategies in ICT to support GVT success. Transformational leadership theory was used as the conceptual framework for this study. The data collection process included asking 4 participants semistructured interview questions as well as …

Employer Strategies For Improving Employee Work-Life Balance, Vernessa Lashawn Johnson-Hoffman

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Senior leaders who fail to implement work-life balance strategies may experience reduced profits and sustainability challenges. This single case study explored employers' strategies for improving employee work-life balance. The population for the study included 4 senior leaders of a hospice care agency in North Carolina who successfully implemented employee work-life balance strategies. Data were collected from semistructured interviews and from the review of company documents, website, and social media pages. The conceptual framework for the study was the transformational leadership theory. The trustworthiness of interpretations was supported by member checking. Four themes emerged from inductive analysis of the data: a …

Leadership Styles And Their Impact On Church Growth In Alexandria And Springfield, Virginia, Yera Keita

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Even though millions of Americans attend church, church worship practices have declined in recent years. Also, church leaders lack understanding of transformational, transactional, laissez-faire, and servant leadership styles and their potential to promote the growth of church membership. Gaps exist in the literature regarding the connection between development and efficacy, organizations and outcomes, and church leaders' styles and church membership growth. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore the perception of church leaders (pastors, deacons, ministers) and members of congregations regarding leadership styles and how the implementation of those styles influences the growth of church membership. The …

Relationship Between Transformational Leadership And Perceived Meaning In Work, Denise Adams

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Researchers have conducted correlational studies on transformational leadership and perceived meaning in work; however, researchers have not used an experimental design to examine the relationship between transformational leadership and perceived meaning in work. The purpose of this study was to determine whether reading information on transformational leadership, which focused on charisma and individualized consideration, influenced participants' hypothetical judgment of perceived meaning in work. The quantitative study included a 2 x 2 between-subjects design in which information on the independent variables of charisma and individualized consideration was manipulated in a description of a hypothetical leader. The dependent variable was the hypothetical …

Employing Persons With Disabilities In Madagascar, Lila Hanitra Ratsifandrihamanana

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In Madagascar, the barriers to persons with disabilities' employability are multifaceted and relate to accessibility, funding, attitudes, and policies. Managers lack knowledge on disability and still perceive disabled persons as incompetent and associate them with costly accommodation needs. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to examine the management strategies and leadership styles that managers could use to enhance the employability chances of persons with disabilities. The conceptual framework featured the concepts of empowerment, employability, disability identity, and relevant transformational leadership theories. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 28 managers in private companies, institutions, cooperatives, and organizations in 3 regions …

Strategies For Increasing Employee Morale And Mitigating Turnover In The Banking Industry, Deniqua Arshay Ladson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Bank leaders who fail to implement effective leadership strategies experience low employee morale and high employee turnover. The estimated failure rate of bank industry leadership to attain some organizational targets such as desired levels of employee morale, employee retention, and profitability is as high as 60%. The purpose of this single case study was to explore strategies bank leaders implemented to improve employee morale and mitigate employee turnover. The population for this study included 4 bank leaders in the United States who successfully applied effective leadership to improve morale and mitigate employee turnover for more than 5 years. Data were …

Strategies To Reduce Job Dissatisfaction Within 911 Call Centers, Gary Marshall

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In 2017, more than 6.9 million employees parted ways with their employer because of voluntary employee turnover, layoffs, or terminations. Emergency call center supervisors who fail to implement adequate job satisfaction strategies experience reduced productivity and increased voluntary turnover. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore the strategies some southern Ontario 911 call center supervisors used to reduce job dissatisfaction. The conceptual framework supporting the study was the competing values framework. The population included 6 supervisors of 911 call centers in the province of Ontario, Canada, who successfully implemented job satisfaction strategies. Data were collected from interviews …

Traits And Management Strategies Attributed To The Success Of Virtual-Team Leaders, Roderick A. Haley

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Abstract

The rapid advances in technology and the globalization of the economy have led corporate leaders to invest heavily in virtual teams to increase their global coverage. The problem in this phenomenological study was that many organizational leaders do not understand the extent to which they need to manage virtual teams differently from traditional, face-to-face teams. This is significant, because due to geographical differences and possibly cultural differences, virtual teams require various modes of communication. The purpose of this study was to explore and describe the lived experiences of effective virtual-team leaders and the operational strategies employed to lead them. …

Strategies For Sustainability In Multilevel Marketing Organizations, Nicole Renea Cordell

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The number of entrepreneurs in the direct sales industry has steadily increased since 2010; however, the annual turnover rate is 56%. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore multilevel marketing (MLM) entrepreneurial leadership strategies implemented to help ensure sustainability of entrepreneurial MLM businesses for longer than 5 years. Purposive sampling was used to recruit 10 entrepreneurs who maintained an MLM business more than 5 years and used a hierarchical status that required a team. The transformational leadership theory constituted the conceptual framework for researching leadership as a concept of entrepreneurship and sustainability in MLM. Data were collected …

Direct Supervisor Influence On Nurse Engagement, Kelly Elaine Tapp

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Nurse engagement is essential for organizational success. If organizations can engage nurses, they may be able to improve organization and patient outcomes. The purpose of the evidence-based practice project was to use current evidence of direct supervisor influence on nurse engagement to create an educational program for clinical leads to use in their interactions with direct reports. The relationship-based care model was used as a framework for the project, and concepts included work engagement, nurse engagement, recognition versus meaningful recognition, professional development, communication, transformational leadership, and authentic leadership. Before and after attending the education program, clinical leads were given a …

Relationships Between Transformational Leadership And Organizational Citizenship Behavior In Ghanaian Organizations, Adjoa Randy-Cofie

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The recent global financial crisis prompted organizations to search for effective ways to minimize loss of revenue due to settlement of organizational scandals. Transformational leadership and organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) are known to affect employees and subsequently organizational productivity. However, little is known about the relationship between transformational leadership and the OCB of employees of multinational corporations (MNCs) in Ghana. The purpose of this quantitative study was to bridge the gap in knowledge by examining the relationships between transformational leadership and the OCB of employees of MNCs in Ghana. The theoretical frameworks for this study were Bass' transformational leadership theory …

Productivity And Employee Behavior Change Strategies In Two Nigerian Manufacturing Organizations, Marvel Saturday Ogah

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Some Nigerian manufacturing organizations suffer significant losses yearly due to a lack of employee commitment and engagement. The purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to gain understanding of the strategies that leaders in the manufacturing industries in Lagos need to know in order to change employee behavior to achieve increased organizational productivity levels. The conceptual framework that grounded the study was the path-goal theory of leadership. Data were collected from semistructured interviews with a purposeful sample consisting of 24 managerial and non-managerial staff members of 2 manufacturing organizations in Nigeria who have had experience in, and training, and …

Leadership Strategies For Enhancing Employee Engagement, Ada Vanessa Bradley

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In the food manufacturing industry, employee engagement is critical to the survival of organizations because engaged employees increase productivity, profitability, and sustainability. Using the transformational leadership theory, the purpose of this single case study was to explore strategies that leaders in the food-manufacturing industry in the northeastern region of the United States use to engage employees. Participants were purposefully selected based upon their experience implementing effective employee engagement strategies. Data were collected through face-to-face semistructured interviews with 7 food manufacturing leaders and the review of organizational documents on employee engagement. Data were analyzed using inductive coding of phrases, word frequency …

South Carolina State Government: Organizational Succession Plans, Angela West-Barnett

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In the South Carolina state government, 43.4% of all full-time equivalent employees will be eligible to retire by the mid- to late-2020s. The potential loss of core organizational knowledge may occur as a result of the retirement of seasoned employees. Grounded by the transformational leadership theory, this qualitative case study explored the successful succession strategies of 8 Certified Public Managers (CPMs) in South Carolina state government organizations. Purposeful sampling led to selecting the 8 CPMs who each had more than 11 years of experience managing employees and each directly influenced the programmatic operations for their respective state government organizations. Data …

Exploring The Impact Of Shared Leadership Styles And Nonprofit Performance, Will Brown

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Empirical data have not adequately revealed current methods of nonprofit leadership in a way that reflects shared leadership in the nonprofit sector leaving nonprofit organizations (NPOs) at a disadvantage in relation to understanding and describing leadership effectiveness. Using a conceptual framework that incorporated organizational theory, shared leadership theory, path goal theory, transformational theory, leader member exchange, and fund development theory, this mini ethnographic study was conducted to explore the effect of leadership styles in shared leadership situations and the impact of matched and unmatched leadership styles on NPO funding performance. With the use of purposeful sampling to conduct the study, …

Transformational Leadership Strategies For Addressing Voluntary Employee Turnover, Chris A. Osisiogu

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

For every standard deviation of increase in employee turnover, organizations could suffer a roughly 27% decline in financial performance. Current voluntary employee turnover rates hover between 15% - 40% and the associated unquantifiable indirect costs affecting customer loyalty and creating reputational risks for business leaders. Furthermore, when employees leave an organization for another, a minimum of 95% leave with trade secrets, strategic skills, and acquired knowledge. As a result, turnover has evolved into a significant concern for organizational leaders. Using the transformational leadership concept, the purpose of this single case study was to explore the leadership strategies that bank leaders …

Evaluating Key Predictors Of Employee Response To Change In The Pharmaceutical Industry, Otis S. Johnson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This study addressed the factors that predict employee response to large-scale change in the United States pharmaceutical industry. When poorly executed, major organizational changes such as mergers and acquisitions are often disruptive and costly to organizations and demoralizing to employees. Although employee responses to change have been studied in several industries, employee responses during change execution in the pharmaceutical industry have not been subject to study. The purpose of this correlational study was to reduce the knowledge gap related to organizational change in the pharmaceutical industry by evaluating key predictors of employee response to large-scale change. The theoretical framework consisted …

Transformational Leadership For Virtual Teams In An Information Technology Organization, Russell Thomas Hogue

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Research has shown that transformational leadership behavior impacts team performance in a traditional work environment; however, no research has evaluated the relationship between transformational leadership and team performance in a virtual setting. Building on the theoretical foundation of Bass' 1990 work, this study examined the relationship between transformational leadership behavior and 3 measures linked to team success: work effort, perceived leader effectiveness, and job satisfaction for virtual teams. The present research focused on the transformational leadership behaviors of 41 senior executives in an information technology (IT) organization and over 300 direct report employees. Employees used the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire 5x …

Advantages And Barriers To Transformational Leadership Implementation In A Scientific Laboratory, Rachelle Smith

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Empirical evidence suggests that transformational leadership is positively correlated with job satisfaction, job performance, organizational commitment, and survivability. Although transformational leadership has been implemented in various organizations, little research has examined the issues in implementing transformational leadership concepts within a scientific laboratory. The purpose of this exploratory, qualitative case study was to examine (a) the current leadership style of the president of a scientific laboratory from the scientists', analysts', and technicians' perspective and their preferred leadership style; (b) the president's self-perceived leadership style and perceived subordinate style preference; and (c) the employees' perceptions of advantages and challenges to applying and …