Organizational Behavior and Theory Commons^™

Sports And Corporate Innovation, Bing Qin

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

Driven by the digital economy and intensifying global competition, corporate innovation has become a core driver of sustainable growth. Topmanagement members are key strategic decision-makers, and their individual characteristics critically influence the formulation and implementation of innovation strategies. While existing studies have examined the impact of topmanagement’s cognitive and psychological traits on innovation performance, significant gaps remain in understanding how their routine behavioral preferences—particularly running, a globally prevalent exercise—affect innovation performance through psychological mechanisms. The systematic relationship between running preferences, top management’s psychological traits, and organizational innovation outcomes remains underexplored.

Against this backdrop, the study investigates the mechanismthroughwhich top management’s …

Project Learn Strategic Analysis Project, Isabel Ladaika, Kalpana Ghimire, Noah Johnson, Caleb Keiper

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

This honors project involves working in a team to conduct a comprehensive strategic analysis of Project Learn of Summit County. We will evaluate the organization’s external environment (such as industry trends, competition, and community factors) and internal operations (including strengths, weaknesses, resources, and capabilities). Using strategic management frameworks, as a team we will develop actionable recommendations to strengthen the organizations marketing, financial sustainability, and community outreach efforts. Throughout the semester, we will engage directly with the client organization to gather data and insights that inform our analysis. Final deliverables include a formal written strategic analysis paper and a professional presentation …

Design Thinking For Corporate Social Responsibility Program Proposal Creation, Michelle "Mindy" D. Danovaro

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study used action research to explore how the use of design thinking engaged employees in the creation of a corporate social responsibility (CSR) program proposal in a small- to medium-enterprises (SME) in the Sacramento region of California. The purpose of the study was to assess whether employee participation in a design thinking exercise could improve employee perception of engagement, inclusion, and reciprocity during the CSR program proposal creation. The study was grounded in social exchange theory, stakeholder theory, and design thinking methodologies. The iterative research process followed action research cycles (i.e., plan, act, observe, and reflect) integrated with …

Filipino Teachers’ Grit And Organizational Resilience During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Jyro B. Triviño, Moses G. Manalang

Leadership and Strategy Faculty Publications

This study explores the relationship between employee grit and organizational resilience, focusing on perceptions from Filipino teachers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Utilizing a quantitative survey, data from 108 teaching faculty from a Southern Luzon university were analyzed using Spearman correlation to identify potential associations between these constructs. Findings reveal significant but weak to moderate correlations between dimensions of grit and facets of organizational resilience. Notably, adaptability to situations emerged as the most substantial grit component linked to organizational resilience, indicating its critical role in fostering organizational adaptability and planning strategies during uncertain times. The results suggest that individuals with high …

Case Study: The Economic And Legal Challenges Moving From A Township To A City, George F. Dierberger Dr., Ibrahim Keita Dr., Cory Erickson

Journal of the North American Management Society

The paper examines the economic and legal challenges moving from a township to a municipality in the state of Minnesota. One of the authors was a member of the township board as they went through the process of educating the citizens on the risks and rewards of changing from a township to a municipality.

Maximizing Online Intersession Enrollment Through Targeted Course Offerings, Heather S. Mcmillan, Charles D. Mcallister

Journal of the North American Management Society

Abstract

Online winter intersession courses have become an increasingly important strategy for universities seeking to support accelerated student progression while generating incremental tuition revenue. This study examines ten years of winter intersession enrollment data from a public, master’s-level comprehensive university in the Midwestern United States to identify course characteristics associated with higher student enrollment. Using 12,520 individual enrollment records, the analysis focuses on course type (general education versus major requirement), course classification (lower level, upper level, blended undergraduate/graduate, and graduate), and course discipline. A series of ANOVAs and Bonferroni post-hoc tests reveal significant differences in enrollment across these dimensions, with …

Organizational Pitfalls Of The Dual-Identity Leader, Yvonne Randolph, Asa Wilson

Journal of the North American Management Society

The dual-identity leader (D-IL) is an individual assigned to one job description yet is, in practice, fulfilling an additional position’s role. This secondary role is self-determined; has not been assigned yet is being allowed by those with governance and/or executive authority. Three case examples of the D-IL are presented and discussed as a problematic leadership configuration for an organization. The personal characteristics driving this approach are identified as a foundation for clarifying the organizational consequences of such an executive leader. Preventative and corrective tactics are discussed that eliminate or minimize the adverse impact of the D-IL’s organizational behavior.

Reflections At The Close Of My Freshman Year As Editor, Heather S. Mcmillan

Journal of the North American Management Society

No abstract provided.

The Iron Pyramid: Expanding The Iron Triangle To Integrate Safety As A Fundamental Dimension Of Construction Success, Laura Cooley

All Theses

For more than fifty years, construction project success has been judged by staying on schedule, remaining within budget, and completing the planned scope of work—an approach commonly known as the “Iron Triangle” (Barnes, Ph.D., 2006). While these measures are important, they do not capture the full range of factors that determine whether a project truly succeeds.

This study introduces the “Iron Pyramid” (Cooley, 2025), a model that expands the traditional framework by adding a fourth dimension: safety. Safety is understood not simply as regulatory compliance or the absence of injuries, but as a holistic construct encompassing project culture, leadership practices, …

Social Media Marketing And Business Performance Of Small And Medium Fashion Enterprises In Tanzania: The Moderating Role Of Social Media Strategic Capabilities, Pamela Kishimbo, Juma James Masele, Dev Jani

Business Management Review

This study examines the influence of social media marketing (SMM) on the business performance of small and medium fashion enterprises (SMFEs) in Tanzania, with social media strategic capabilities (SMSCs) as a moderating variable in this relationship. The study is grounded in the Uses and Gratification Theory (UGT) and Resource-Based View (RBV). The study used a cross-sectional survey design, collecting data from 397 SMFEs through structured questionnaires. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and structural equation modelling (SEM). The findings revealed a significant positive relationship between SMM and the business performance of SMFEs in Tanzania. Furthermore, the findings show that SMSCs …

Evolution Of A New Strategic Orientation In The Ai Era: Exploring The Determinants Of Ai Orientation, Sreelakshmy Geethakumari

Dissertations

The field of AI has undergone significant evolution over the past few decades. While AI is heralded as one of the most transformative technologies, scholars caution that its strategic impact may still not be fully realized. Given the strategic importance of AI in today's firms, it is essential to consider AI as a strategic orientation and understand its determinants in detail. Our study examines AI Orientation, defined as a firm's deliberate application of AI technologies to achieve its strategic objectives. Drawing on multiple theoretical perspectives, this study investigates the determinants that shape a firm’s AI orientation. This study employs a …

Investigating The Relationship Between Noun Classes And Plant Folk Taxonomy In Chasu Language Of Kilimanjaro Region In Tanzania, Peter Rabson Mziray

Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences

The current study investigates the relationship between noun classes and plant folk taxonomy in Chasu (G 22). The study focuses on two objectives: the first objective is to describe the plant folk taxonomy in Chasu and the second objective is to determine the relationship between noun classes and plant folk taxonomy in Chasu. Data were collected from rural villages in Same and Mwanga districts by using free listing, field interviews (jungle-walk-and-identify), and written texts containing Chasu plant names. The findings reveal that Chasu folk taxonomy reflects different ethnobotanical categories; including a unique beginner which is mmea/mimea ‘plant(s)’, and three life …

Organization Research As An Applied Science: Lessons From Fields That Shape Practice And Policy, Stephen X. Zhang, Gokhan Ertug

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

As an applied science, our field aims to improve organizational effectiveness and solve practical problems (Hideg, DeCelles & Tihanyi, 2020; Pfeffer & Fong. 2002; Pillutla & Thau, 2013). However, despite the increasing sophistication in methods and greater emphasis on theory in recent decades, we have not made commensurate strides in relevance and impact. As we see it, the heart of this challenge is the culture in our field that demands novel theoretical advancement from every paper (Aguinis & Cronin, 2022), which may inadvertently constrain our ability to address pressing organizational challenges. Previous appeals to enhance our impact as an applied …

Exploring The Effects Of Remote Work On Leadership Pipelines: With A Focus On Professional Women And Minorities, Mark S. Andrekovich

All Dissertations

I analyzed data from five U.S.-based companies to understand how remote work models affect leadership advancement. Using Role Congruity, Status Characteristics, and Intersectionality theories, I analyzed five hypotheses about the impact of remote work on leadership pipelines. Two of the five hypotheses were supported, revealing bias patterns rather than issues related to remote work. For instance, white employees had greater access to remote work opportunities than non-white employees, who had fewer promotions despite similar performance scores. Contrary to expectations, I found that remote work does not inherently affect promotional advancements. Via a post hoc analysis, I found that hybrid professionals …

Like Footprints In The Sand: How Founders Imprint Organizational Culture Through Nonverbal Cue Signaling, Dirk M. Roskam

All Dissertations

Despite growing recognition of the significance of founders’ behaviors in shaping organizational culture, limited research has explored how founders’ non-verbal cues (NVCs) imprint culture during a venture’s formative stages. This qualitative case study examines how a founder’s NVCs, ranging from physical environment design to gestures and demeanor, are interpreted by employees and contribute to the imprinting of organizational culture. Drawing on imprinting theory, signaling theory, and the Organizational Culture Profile (OCP), the study triangulates data from semi-structured interviews, a focus group, and a literature review. Findings reveal that employees interpret 24 salient NVCs, grouped into themes of environmental values, people-centric …

Editorial Note, Heather S. Mcmillan

Journal of the North American Management Society

No abstract provided.

Impactful Programs And Initiatives For Employee Resource Groups That Promote And Sustain Positive Social Determinants Of Health, Lisa Kangas, Maureen Hall, Julie James, Gladys Peters

Journal of Sustainable Social Impact

Organizational diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) leaders’ lack of interest in employee resource groups (ERGs) and related programs can negatively impact an organization’s culture, operational excellence, and employee retention and have detrimental implications for social determinants of health (SDOH). Prioritizing ERG programs and initiatives is essential for organizational success and can positively affect SDOH. This qualitative pragmatic inquiry study identified and explored ERG programs and initiatives that support organizational culture, operational excellence, and employee retention.The research question for this study was: What ERG programs and initiatives support organizational culture, operational excellence, and employee retention? The study included eight DEI leaders …

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, …

Relational History: Correcting Temporal Myopia In Social Network Research, Julia Brennecke, Gianluca Carnabuci, Gokhan Ertug

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Scholars have used network concepts and methods to explain a wide range of organizational phenomena. Despite this broad interest, prevalent approaches tend to neglect a critical constitutive dimension of network ties: their history. We invoke the concept of relational history to signify the temporal path and biography of a network tie. We argue that a network tie’s history shapes what the relationship means to the parties involved, what can be accomplished in and through the relationship, and how the relationship might further evolve. In directing the attention of organizational network researchers to the relational history of network ties, we aim …

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 …

Leading Nonprofit Success Through Collaboration And Partnerships, Lakell Archer, Erica Bassett

Journal of Nonprofit Innovation

Abstract

Nonprofit organizations play a crucial role in addressing societal challenges, yet they often operate in a competitive environment with limited resources. To maximize impact and long-term sustainability, strategic partnerships and cross-sector collaborations have emerged as essential approaches. This paper explores the benefits of nonprofit collaboration, emphasizing its role in creating strategic advantages, improving service delivery, fostering innovation, and ensuring long-term resilience. The discussion highlights how collaborative leadership is key to overcoming barriers such as competition for funding, misaligned objectives, and trust deficits among partners. By examining real-world examples, the paper illustrates how effective partnerships enhance resource sharing, streamline operations, …

The Secret Ingredients Of Strategy Implementation, Robin Speculand

Asian Management Insights

Knowing what to do and actually doing it are two very different things. Leaders need to develop the same discipline, passion, and tenacity for implementing strategy that they had when crafting it. There are seven key principles that can guide an organisation to succeed in strategy implementation. Implementation is about taking the right actions, so leaders need to support and guide employees to work differently.

The Impact Of Marriage Status On Career Aspiration And Performance, Qiang Yi

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

This study explores the impact of marital status on employee workplace behavior and job performance. Specifically, it finds that compared to unmarried employees, married employees demonstrate higher career aspirations and job performance. Further analysis reveals that this effect is primarily driven by the enhancement of family and career commitments brought about by marriage. These increased commitments significantly contribute to the improvement of employees' career aspirations and job performance. Moreover, this study examines the gender differences in the influence of marital status on family and career commitments.

The results show that marriage has a stronger effect on promoting family commitments among …

Attention To Market Expansion: Aspirational Antecedent And Risk-Taking Consequence, Renfei Gao, Man Zhang, Xiaogang He, Zhengyu Li

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

The behavioral theory of the firm (BTOF) emphasizes the goal-directed logic in explaining firms’ risk-taking.Scholars in this tradition typically conceptualize how performance feedback indicates problems and triggers risk-taking behaviors. Yet, the theory remains underdeveloped in understanding decision-makers’ attention to forward-looking goals, such as market expansion, and its impact on firm risk-taking. In this study, we theorize performance feedback as an antecedent to decision-makers’ attention to forward-looking goals, and firm risktaking as a consequence of such attention. Focusing on market expansion as a critical forward-looking goal, we first theorize how performance feedback influences decision-makers’ attention to market expansion. Then, we examine …

Coevolution Of Soes And The Chinese Economy: The Roles Of Soe Heterogeneity From The Institutional, Strategic, And Organizational Perspectives, Kenneth G. Huang, Runtian Jing, Jun Xia, Man Zhang, Weiguo Zhong, David Zhu

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

State-owned enterprises (SOEs) in China play a critical role in national economic development and the country's positioning on the global stage. Chinese SOEs have undergone substantial transformations from traditional government-run entities to a variety of corporate forms exhibiting different levels of state involvement. Despite their substantial influence, the internal diversity of SOEs – from wholly state-owned to mixed-ownership – has not been thoroughly examined. This paper provides an overview of SOEs' critical roles in the Chinese economy, the relationship between SOEs and privately owned enterprises (POEs), and the challenges of SOEs in different stages of Chinese economic development. It then …

The Motives For Mergers And Acquisitions And Their Implications For Research And Practice, Kris Irwin, Craig Armstrong, Paul Drnevich, Mario Schijven

Management Faculty Publications

Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A) have long intrigued scholars given their size, complexity, and frequent failure. Despite an extensive body of research on M&A, a key limitation in M&A research is the lack of focus on the motives underpinning acquisitions, which may explain frequent mixed and inconclusive results. Much of the existing literature struggles to fully capture the complex and multifaceted nature of these motives, limiting the ability to draw consistent conclusions. In this paper, we review academic and practical perspectives on M&A motives, highlighting both discrepancies and methodological challenges. Our key contributions include a comparison of theoretical and practical insights, …

Confronting Indecision, Lane Allison Murray

ENGS 15.11: Design and Education

This course aims to increase students' understanding of indecision and how to confront it. The class provides insight into how the fear of the unknown holds people back from making decisions and about understanding one's values as a means to combat indecision. Students and teachers alike explore instances of indecision and evaluate their own impulses & thought processes by reflecting on the deeper reasons for their choices. Students will increase their comfort level of asking themselves and their peers questions about the values that guide them and, in doing so, strengthen their relationships with themselves and others.

How Deep-Level And Surface-Level Board Diversity, Formal And Informal Social Structures Affect Innovation, Guoli Chen, Po-Hsuan Hsu, Yen Teik Lee, Daniel Z. Mack

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Despite a growing interest in understanding how board diversity shapes firms’ innovation, findings about the impact of board diversity have remained mixed. In this paper, we conceptualize board diversity as two forms – deep-level and surface-level – and find that these two forms of board diversity have opposing effects on a firm's innovation. We also theorize how formal and informal social structures can strengthen the positive effect of deep-level diversity yet simultaneously weaken the negative impact of surface-level diversity. We test our hypotheses with a panel of 42,432 firm-year observations from 2000 to 2019. Our paper contributes to the literature …

Navigating Workforce Utilization Metric In The Indian It Industry: A Multifaceted Study, Shipra Jha

Management Dynamics

The measurement of workforce utilization is a critical concern for organizations, especially within the dynamic landscape of the IT industry. This research explores the multifaceted nature of utilization metrics by devising Utilization Insight Elicitation Framework (UIEF), focusing on three major themes: defining utilization and understanding the significance, assessing its impact on employee well-being, and contemplating its future relevance. Examining utilization from cost and revenue perspectives reveals how organizations optimize costs while ensuring project profitability. The study scrutinizes the balance between cost-focused and headcount-centered approaches, considering employees' roles and project demands. Additionally, it discusses factors for inclusion/exclusion in utilization calculations and …

Fomo And The Ico: The Changing Salience Of Quality Signals, Simon J.D. Schillebeeckx, Sandzhar Tazhibaev, Johannes Gartner

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

The manuscript investigates whether the individual personality trait, Fear of Missing Out (FOMO)—typically considered negative—influences the willingness of individuals to contribute to Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs), a phenomenon that emerged after the blockchain revolution. We conducted both qualitative and quantitative work in this space and present the results of an international survey, including a conjoint experiment. Theoretically, we anchor our study in signaling theory and propose that signal valence (the positive or negative interpretation of a signal) can diverge from signal intent. Specifically, we find that candidate ICO funders with strong FOMO behave predictably irrationally. They are more likely to …