Human Resources Management Commons^™

J Mich Dent Assoc July 2025

The Journal of the Michigan Dental Association

Each month, The Journal of the Michigan Dental Association provides news, information, and features about Michigan dentistry to our state's oral health community and the MDA's 5,800 members. It stands as the primary publication reaching Michigan dentists. The all-digital July issue features Dr. Michele Tulak-Gorecki’s "It’s Time to Dare Greatly at the ADA," where she outlines her vision for ADA president-elect, focusing on financial integrity, strengthened advocacy, and fostering unity amidst challenges like declining membership and issues with the association management system.

Supporting articles highlight the MDA’s endorsement of MEDVA, offering cost-effective, HIPAA-compliant virtual assistant solutions for dental practices to …

Staff Matters: I Need To Fire Someone. Help!, Jodi Schafer Sphr, Shrm-Scp

The Journal of the Michigan Dental Association

Terminating an employee is a challenging and risky decision for "at will" employers in Michigan. This article provides best practices, starting with assessing legal risks like discrimination claims. It emphasizes the importance of documenting performance issues, feedback, and training provided, as well as adhering to employee handbook policies. Consideration should be given to offering severance packages, which may include pay in lieu of notice or a larger sum with a legal separation agreement. For the termination meeting, plan brief talking points, have a second person present, choose a quiet time, and ensure retrieval of practice property and removal of system …

Fostering Innovation At Work: Leadership Strategies For Motivating Innovative Work Behavior Across Generations Within The Christian Higher Education Environment, Sarah Clark

Doctor of Strategic Leadership (DSL) Capstone Abstracts

Project Type

Organizational Consulting Project, Organizational Design or Change, Seminar or Workshop

Project Overview

This capstone project involved the design, facilitation, and evaluation of a strategic leadership workshop developed for mid to senior-level enrollment leaders at Southeastern University. Grounded in Self-Determination Theory (SDT), Innovative Work Behavior (IWB), and Transformational Leadership, the workshop offered a diagnostic and developmental experience designed to motivate innovation across generational teams within a Christian higher education setting. The workshop was structured to transition from research-based theory to data-informed strategy, helping leaders translate organizational insights into actionable plans.

Project Themes

Core themes included intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, …

The Career Breaking Point: Mid-Career Women’S Perceptions Of Organizational Communication And Their Career Disruptions, Laura Nicole Miller, Karen Mccullough

Applied Business Faculty Publications

When women in leadership experience career disruptions, they and their organizations lose. Companies forfeit experienced, mission-aligned talent, while women face instability and professional setbacks. This qualitative study offers a diagnostic foundation for understanding how organizational communication contributes to these disruptions. Guided by the cultural approach to organizations and using a constructivist grounded theory methodology, the study draws on semi-structured interviews with 14 mid-career women who experienced career interruptions. Findings identify three interrelated communication-related factors: mission-driven overwork, gaslighting, and value incongruence. Rather than prescribing solutions, the study centers on women’s lived experiences to highlight the communication patterns they perceive as harmful. …

Resilience: Panacea, Trend, Or Deception? The Significance And Application Of The Concept In Organizational Management, Aleksandra Spik

Studia i Materiały Wydział Zarządzania Uniwersytet Warszawski

Objective: The primary aim of this article is to analyse the significance and application of the concept of resilience within management sciences, to identify factors contributing to high organizational resilience, and to examine a case study of the Aksam company. Additionally, anathe article seeks to highlight the limitations of the conceptual construct of resilience and the negative aspects associated with the phenomenon of resilience.

Methodology: A systematic review method was employed to analyse selected articles, alongside a case study analysis and a descriptive method, which facilitated the presentation of the origins and development of the concept of resilience. …

Exploring Dimensions Of Crystallized Identities, Candice L. Ruh

Feminist Pedagogy

For college students, learning about the components of identity can generate deeper knowledge about how personal and social identities differ, and how identities influence the way individuals experience socio-cultural systems and structures. The Exploring Dimensions of Crystallized Identities activity uses principles of self-reflexivity and dialogue to explore theoretical frameworks for practical application. This experiential activity is a facilitated dialogue driven by student involvement and is best suited for students in mid- to upper-level undergraduate courses. It encourages students to reflect on their and others’ identities, and to consider the social impacts of diversity in their lives.

J Mich Dent Assoc June 2025

The Journal of the Michigan Dental Association

The Journal of the Michigan Dental Association is the leading monthly digital publication serving Michigan’s oral health community and the MDA’s 6,200+ members. Distributed globally through the searchable ADA Commons publishing platform, it is the primary channel for news, clinical insights, and professional resources for Michigan dentists.

June Issue Highlights:

• Cover Feature: An in-depth report on the MDA’s advocacy efforts beyond insurance reimbursement, highlighting recent legislative wins and member services that support practice profitability and success.
• Workforce Well-being: A special feature on the stages of stress and burnout, with strategies and resources to support mental health and resilience.
• Compliance Update: …

Building A Sustainable System: Reimagining Nonprofit Leadership Through Critical And Creative Thinking, Darius Tafadzwa Shenje Peyton

Critical and Creative Thinking Capstones Collection

This synthesis introduces the Critical and Creative Thinking Leadership Toolbox (CCTLT), a practitioner-oriented framework designed to support nonprofit leaders navigating staff engagement, organizational complexity, and long-term sustainability. Drawing on lived experience, scholarly literature, and graduate coursework in the Critical and Creative Thinking (CCT) program, the project challenges traditional leadership models that treat employee buy-in as a binary status or compliance metric. Instead, it reframes buy-in as a dynamic spectrum shaped by trust, clarity, psychological safety, and reciprocal accountability. The work critiques unsustainable leadership practices common in mission-driven organizations and offers an actionable alternative grounded in reflection, systems awareness, and dialogic …

The Impact Of Transformational Leadership In Job Quality In Manufacturing Sector: A Mediating Role Of Job Attitude, Joel Mark Rodriguez, John Jarold M. Flores, Lourdes Q. Palallos

Journal of Global Awareness

This research explores the impact of transformational leadership on the attitude and quality of jobs in the manufacturing sector, increasing understanding of employee performance and organizational outcomes due to the gap found in the explanation of how the inputs of leadership translate into the outcomes of organizations. The present study found a weakness in the few studies relating transformational leadership to job quality, especially within the manufacturing setting. The objective of the present study was to examine the relationship of transformational leadership with job attitude and job quality while exploring if the relation between transformational leadership and job quality is …

Notes From The Editor, Jay Nathan

Journal of Global Awareness

No abstract provided.

Exploring A Holistic Conceptualization Of Destructive Leadership: Perspectives From The Lived Experiences Of Latino Law Enforcement Command Staff Officers, Carmelin Rivera

Dissertations

Recently, there has been an increased interest in destructive leadership or what is characterized as the dark side of leadership. There is, in fact, no consensus in the literature about the definition of destructive leadership, and this murkiness has led to two somewhat different approaches to understanding this phenomenon: 1) a leader-centric approach that emphasizes the bad behaviors and traits of so-called toxic leaders and 2) a much broader, holistic approach, often discussed as the toxic triangle (Padilla et al., 2007), that focuses on how destructive leadership is co-created by a toxic system of bad leaders and susceptible followers …

Creating A Regenerative Organizational Culture, Sukanya Nagfernandes, Jennifer Mowery

Beyond the Project Horizon: Journal of the Center for Project Management Innovation

Abstract

The review article aims to explore the concept of creating a regenerative organizational culture through the application of transformational practices. The study investigates the potential benefits of integrating regenerative practices within an organization's cultural framework to foster adaptability, innovation, and sustainability. By examining the literature on regenerative culture and digital transformation, this study provides an overview of the key components and strategies necessary for building a regenerative organizational culture in the digital era and proposes an innovative approach to predicting regenerative cultural practices required within stages of a project’s life cycle.

Organizational culture works as a lifeline. It is …

Exploring Contributions Of Partnerships Between Employers And Disability Organizations On Recruitment, Hiring, Training, Retention, And Accommodation Of Individuals With Disabilities In Mississippi, Peter Oluwadare Kalejaiye

Dissertations

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 provides equal employment opportunities for individuals with disabilities (IWDs) by prohibiting discrimination in employment. However, one out of four IWDs face discrimination in employment in the United States (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2023). Additionally, despite establishing the Office of Disability Employment Policy and enacting the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act to help integrate IWDs into the workforce, IWDs face barriers to equal and equitable employment (NASEM, 2017). Previous studies recommend partnerships between employers and disability organizations (DOs) to provide employment opportunities and benefits for IWDs through recruitment, hiring, training, retention, and …

The Digital Incorporated Worker Narrative: A Mixed Methods Study Of Digital Capital, Work Selection, And Outcomes In The Fourth Industrial Revolution, Tracie King

Dissertations

Digital technology permeates society and industry, making digital-ready workers necessary for firms of all sizes as a firm seeks competitiveness in the market (Bergson-Shilcock et al., 2023; de Ruyter et al., 2018; Gorski et al., 2022; Karaboğa, 2023; Kim et al., 2017; Qureshi Zia, 2019). Firms seeking digital-ready workers face a complex digital divide that creates a worker shortage (Bergson-Shilcock et al., 2023; Karaboğa, 2023; Qureshi Zia, 2019). This study aims to describe workers' work selection, work experience, and outcomes in a complex digital society.

Most digital divide research focuses on the individuals excluded from owning, accessing, and having skills …

Front Line Innovation In Federal Agencies: U.S. Department Of State Passport Services Innovation Portal Engagement Program, Bill Langer

Creativity and Change Leadership Graduate Student Master's Projects

This project explores strategies for enhancing front-line innovation within federal agencies through employee engagement with the U.S. Department of State's Passport Services Innovation Portal. Rooted in the principles of creative leadership and intrinsic motivation, the project addresses persistent barriers to innovation in federal settings, such as bureaucratic inertia and a lack of feedback mechanisms for idea submissions. Utilizing the Creative Problem Solving (CPS) model and a modified 21st-century facilitation framework, the project team designed and implemented an engagement program that included informational briefings and targeted newsletters. Quantitative data from website analytics and idea submissions were analyzed using paired t-tests and …

Wax On, Wax Off - Polishing Toward An Exceptional Staff, Michael Saba D.M.D.

Journal of the Macomb Dental Society

This article features a monthly column from the Macomb Dental Society's editor, Dr. Michael Saba.

Developing Standard Operating Procedures For The Dewitt Town Clerk’S Office, Noura M. Osman

Creativity and Change Leadership Graduate Student Master's Projects

ABSTRACT OF PROJECT

Developing Standard Operating Procedures for the DeWitt Town Clerk’s Office

This project addresses the operational inconsistencies in the DeWitt Town Clerk’s Office in Syracuse, NY, by creating a structured Standard Operating Procedures (SOP's) manual. The focus is on six high-impact processes: tax collection, water bill payments, dog licensing (new and renewals), marriage license transcript requests, and handicap parking permit issuance and renewal. Each SOP includes visual info-graphics to enhance accessibility and minimize errors. The final product is designed to improve on-boarding, reduce staff reliance on memory, increase efficiency, and align with creativity and change leadership principles.

A Qualitative Study Exploring Senior Leaders’ Experiences And Perceptions In Addressing Workplace Sexual Harassment In The U.S. Federal Government: A Systems Perspective, Karen Jane Dean

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Sexual harassment (SH) is a prevalent, costly, and often unreported problem in the U.S. Federal Government. Despite decades of research from multiple perspectives and recommendations to address SH, the problem persists and remains complex. While some researchers and U.S. Government agencies have called upon leaders to commit to eliminating workplace SH, others have suggested using an integrated conflict management system (ICMS) to manage the complexity, nuances, and conflicts. Even though there is a call for leadership to address SH, there is limited documentation in the literature about leaders’ experiences and perceptions in addressing the problem. Therefore, this qualitative study was …

Reframing Rudeness: Exploring Positive Reappraisal As A Pathway From Customer Incivility To Self-Efficacy, Justin S. Boyd

Graduate Theses and Dissertations (2019 - present)

Customer incivility is a persistent challenge for front-line employees (FLEs), often leading to adverse workplace outcomes. This research examined whether positive reappraisal can transform incivility into a source of growth. Grounded in Social Cognitive Theory, the research explored how positive reappraisal mediates the relationship between customer incivility and two key forms of self-efficacy—regulatory emotional and workplace social—ultimately influencing job satisfaction. The moderating roles of perceived organizational support and trait mindfulness were also investigated.

A cross-sectional survey of 296 FLEs was analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). More specifically, the results confirmed customer incivility positively predicts positive reappraisal. …

J Mich Dent Assoc May 2025

The Journal of the Michigan Dental Association

The Journal of the Michigan Dental Association is published digitally each month through ADA Commons, reaching 166 countries and accumulating over 35,800 downloads. This extensive reach provides news, information, and features about Michigan dentistry, our state's oral health community, and the MDA's 6,200+ members. It serves as the main publication for connecting with Michigan dentists.

The May issue features:

• An informative interview with Dr. Cheri Newman, the MDA’s new president.
• A feature article from Delta Dental on the utilization of dental services pre- and post-COVID-19 and how the continuing decline in the utilization of restorative services may impact plan design. …

A Strategic Audit: Eli Lilly & Company, Natalie Karrels, Ethan Heinemann, Jonathan Patton, Meg Williams

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

This strategic audit assesses the external and internal forces impacting Eli Lilly & Company’s strategic decision-making strategies. All information has been gathered from industry reports and company reports, including reports for investors, analyst calls, financial statements, and news reports. The report highlights the quantitative, qualitative, performance, strategy, and leadership decisions that have allowed Eli Lilly & Company to succeed for the past 150 years.

Buyer Perceptions Of Single- And Mixed-Gender Dyadic Sales Teams: Should I Have A Wingman Or A Wingwoman?, Eric Kushins, Melissa Clark

Journal of Applied Marketing Theory

Prior research suggests that the gender composition of sales teams may impact team performance. However, research at the intersection of sales, gender, and teams is limited. In this study, we collect survey data from hypothetical buyers who viewed one of six sales pitch videos, including solo salesmen and saleswomen, single-gender dyadic sales teams, and mixed-gender sales teams. The hypothetical buyers were asked to rate each of the salespeople on important traits that have proven to lead to successful sales interactions, including customer orientation, understanding, trustworthiness, awareness of others’ feelings, competence, knowledge, and if the hypothetical buyer would take advice from …

Bridging The Gap: Management Vs. Leadership And The Path To Mastering Both, Wesley A. Key

Marketing Undergraduate Honors Theses

Management and leadership, though often conflated, represent distinct but complementary skills that are critical for organizational success. This thesis aims to explore the fundamental differences between management and leadership, highlighting how these roles interact and the necessity for individuals to master both to excel in today’s dynamic business environment. Drawing on theoretical frameworks from psychology, organizational behavior, and case studies, this research synthesizes academic literature to address key questions: What core competencies distinguish leaders from managers? How do these competencies align or conflict with one another in real-world settings? And what practical steps can individuals take to develop proficiency in …

Organizational Policy Initiatives For A Neurodiverse Workforce, Renae Taylor

ATU Scholars Symposium

Neurodivergent individuals make up a significant percentage of the population and yet lag in employment due to employment barriers of the traditional workplace. While the benefits of a diverse workplace are well documented, there is still a large deficit when it comes to neurodiversity equitable access. To attract and retain a neurodiverse workforce, organizations must make changes that align with research-backed methods for policy building and in turn change the organizational leadership focus to a transformational, growth-based framework.

This applied project focuses on organizational policy initiatives that support the neurodivergent employee, with an emphasis on accommodations and modifications, inclusion, and …

Unleashing Excellence: Strengthening It Leaders Through Executive Coaching, Tonya S. Rivers

Dissertations

This paper explores the impact of executive coaching on Information Technology (IT) leaders. Many organizations across different industries lack strong leadership, as exposed by COVID-19. Companies aim to keep exceptional leaders and establish upbeat workplaces to achieve success. Although previous research has examined leadership effectiveness, it is still unclear how best to manage employees' perceptions of effective leadership. The goal of this research is to provide new insights into what can improve perceptions of leadership effectiveness. I explored the role executive leadership coaching has on managers working in the Information Technology (IT) field. Current literature often mentions the need for …

Designing A Human-Centered Public Relations System For Layoffs At Organizations Across Financial And Professional Services, Kateryna Kzhemanovska

Harrisburg University Dissertations and Theses

Public relations professionals support businesses across financial and professional services sectors with several initiatives, including reduction of workforce. Given the current macroeconomic situation, as of April 2025, many companies are laying off employees, and doing so in a non-user-centric way. This study will examine existing literature on the topics of corporate communications, reduction of the workforce, reputation management, human-centered interaction design, and project management, and explore the opportunity and relevance of applying human-centered methods to the reduction of workforce processes.

Does Ai Help Or Harm? Why And How Ai Use Influences Workplace Outcomes And Employee Well-Being, Haille Trimboli, Reka Lassu

Education Division Scholarship

Although the recent surge in excitement surrounding artificial intelligence (AI) might suggest it is a new development, AI has been applied in organizations for over forty years (Fanti et al., 2022; Markelius et al., 2024). Indeed, the term "artificial intelligence" itself emerged in the 1950s during a research project at Dartmouth College, where it was used to describe "machines able to simulate human intelligence" (Haenlein & Kaplan, 2019, p. 3). Most recently, in 2022, the landscape of AI use for laypeople greatly changed when OpenAI introduced ChatGPT, a generative AI tool, to the public; ChatGPT is an advanced AI language …

A Relational Approach To Workplace Leadership, Nathaniel J. Hunt

M.S. in Leadership

This research project examines relational leadership as an ethical and strategic foundation for fostering effective workplaces. Motivated by the growing importance of human connection in leadership, the study integrates philosophical insights, particularly Emmanuel Levinas’s ethics of the face of the Other, with empirical evidence on workplace relationship-building. A mixed-methods approach was used, combining a structured survey of 32 professionals with thematic analysis of qualitative responses. Results confirmed that strategies such as encouraging knowledge-sharing and cultivating positive relational climates significantly enhance employee well-being, psychological safety, and organizational performance. Knowledge-sharing emerged as the most effective strategy, while relationship-building was found to be …

The New Professional: Owner Dentist Or Associate? How To Make The Decision, Amrita Patel Dds

The Journal of the Michigan Dental Association

This article compares the career paths of owner dentists and associate dentists, examining autonomy, income potential, work-life balance, and tax advantages. It offers insights into the benefits and challenges of each role, empowering dentists to make informed decisions based on their long-term goals, financial aspirations, and comfort with business management.

J Mich Dent Assoc April 2025

The Journal of the Michigan Dental Association

Each month, The Journal of the Michigan Dental Association provides news, information, and features about Michigan dentistry to our state's oral health community and the MDA's 6,200+ members. It stands as the primary publication reaching Michigan dentists. The April issue marks the end of an era, as the MDA announced it would discontinue providing a print issue and focus on digital distribution.

This month’s issue includes a cover feature on going non-par, a feature article on pterygoid implant placement and restoration, candidate’s biographical statements, and information on a new membership benefit for health and well-being. Regular departments include the New …