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Organizational Behavior and Theory Commons™
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Articles 1 - 30 of 30
Full-Text Articles in Organizational Behavior and Theory
Poundmaker – A Legacy Of Leadership, Love And Conciliation, Andrew J. Karesa
Poundmaker – A Legacy Of Leadership, Love And Conciliation, Andrew J. Karesa
Indigenous Business & Public Administration
Chief Poundmaker was a foundational figure in early Canadian history. He was responsible for unifying warring nations into cohesive alliances that advocated for fundamental and inherent Indigenous rights. Throughout his life, his dedication was to his people and their overall well-being, even when it stood against his own personal well-being. This research expands on leadership theory through a case study of the life of Chief Poundmaker. His life exemplifies relational and servant leadership, which an individual can extrapolate into profound leadership lessons. By learning about Chief Poundmaker’s life and leadership journey, contemporary leaders can effectively learn how to lead through …
Examining How Supervisor/Employee Communication Affects Employee Intentions To Leave An Organization, Courtney R. Malengo
Examining How Supervisor/Employee Communication Affects Employee Intentions To Leave An Organization, Courtney R. Malengo
Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses
Americans who are full-time employees spend more hours at work than they do with family and loved ones. Management articles and research lament organizational communication woes, specifically amongst employees and their supervisors. This study explores supervisor/employee communication and the affect it has on employees’ decisions to stay or leave an organization. Specifically, the study examines how satisfied employees are with their respective supervisor and their organization, correlating findings to Deetz’s organizational communication theory and Graen & Uhl-Bien’s leader-member exchange theory. Respondents included 132 adults, 18 years and older, 58.4% were female and 41.6% were male, largely spanning the nonprofit/association and …
Extroversion And Media Richness: An Analysis Of Media Preferences Of High Extroverts Within Sales Organizations, Donna M. Dudek
Extroversion And Media Richness: An Analysis Of Media Preferences Of High Extroverts Within Sales Organizations, Donna M. Dudek
Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses
Personality traits and vocational acumen have been the source of research in recent years. Using personality measures such as the Five Factor model, researchers have sought to find common traits which may predict success in critical organizational roles. Communication needs and desires, including media richness choices, have also been the subject of past research. The purpose of this thesis is to tie these two themes together. Using a survey instrument containing both a personality inventory and a questionnaire examining media preferences in different scenarios, the author gathered data from sales professionals, client service professionals, and managers to evaluate similarities and …
Upward Communication In Organizations: The Connection To Company Culture And Employee Engagement, Janet K. Clancy-Feliciano
Upward Communication In Organizations: The Connection To Company Culture And Employee Engagement, Janet K. Clancy-Feliciano
Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses
In today’s American society, effective upward and downward communication between supervisors and subordinates is lacking now more than ever before. The importance of effective downward communication from organizational leaders receives ongoing attention, but more attention needs to be given to the importance of open reception to upward communication. It is critical that leaders in organizations build trust and encourage upward communication from employees in order to maintain organizational wellbeing and to avoid employee dissatisfaction. To help close the gap in this area of communication, this study focused on and collected data utilizing on-line surveys and employee interviews in order to …
Assertiveness In Professional Women, Barbara Louise Kelley
Assertiveness In Professional Women, Barbara Louise Kelley
Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses
This thesis is grounded in the Expectancy Violations Theory, developed over several years by Burgoon and Hale (1988). This study explores the ways in which professional women communicate and behave assertively in their organizations – sometimes in violation of social expectations that women should be meek and compliant rather than assertive. This study was devised to answer the following questions: In the continuum of assertive traits, which traits and practices do professional, self-described assertive women particularly value and strive for? What reasons do they provide? What moments in their lives do these women see as turning points when they began …
Subordinate-Supervisor Communication: Junior Naval Officer Feelings And Obstacles When Communicating Up The Chain Of Command, Neva R. Fuentes
Subordinate-Supervisor Communication: Junior Naval Officer Feelings And Obstacles When Communicating Up The Chain Of Command, Neva R. Fuentes
Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses
Research on subordinate-supervisor communication has revealed that employees in civilian organizations often stay silent about workplace problems. Comfort levels between subordinates and supervisors, was a major factor to this silence. Currently, there exists very little literature on upward communication from subordinate to supervisor amongst U.S. Naval Officers. The purpose of this thesis was to explore Junior Officer (JO) feelings and perceived obstacles about communicating up the chain of command with senior officers. Interview questions from a previous study (Milliken, Morrison, & Hewlin, 2003) on subordinate-supervisor communication were adapted for an electronic survey and used to explore JO feelings and perceived …
Paralinguistic Cues And Their Effect On Leader Credibility, Monte Brian Reid
Paralinguistic Cues And Their Effect On Leader Credibility, Monte Brian Reid
Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses
Paralinguistic cues are powerful non-verbal communication elements that have the ability to make even good news sound horrible or bad news more palatable. Drawing upon the hermeneutical phenomenology communication theory of Dilthey (1961) and Shannon’s (1949) communication channel model, this thesis targeted the six primary paralinguistic cues of fluidity, articulation, sonority, tempo, emotion, and dynamic intensity to discover how these cues interact and affect the credibility and palatability of a leader’s message. To facilitate remembrance of these cues, the acronym F.A.S.T.E.D. was coined and used. Three different groups consisting of managers, non-managers, and media and public relations professionals were surveyed …
Communication In A Traditional Organization, Nidia Haydee Marichalar
Communication In A Traditional Organization, Nidia Haydee Marichalar
Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses
This study examines if a mismatch exists between the traditional structure of communication, and the communication needs and expectations of teachers and staff in a rapidly growing and changing charter school system, which in turn contributes to the burgeoning turn-¬‐over and the perceived plummeting morale amongst teachers and staff at the school. Anonymous surveys were administered, and interviews and focus groups were conducted at one school, seeking to gauge teacher and staff perceptions of 1) How well leaders communicated about the school’s and teachers’ mission, strategy, and goals; 2) How well were these ideas and expectations matched to the experiences …
Virtualization Of Teams And Group Sustainability, Valerian Eshelman
Virtualization Of Teams And Group Sustainability, Valerian Eshelman
Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses
Corporations today are looking for ways to cut costs as well as generate additional revenue. One of the most popular methods is to virtualize your employees. Computer mediated communication (CMC), which is propagated through information and communication technology (ICT), enables virtual interaction through email, instant messaging, teleconferences. But what is the impact on team cohesion and individual citizenship in an organization when members never interact face-to-face? This thesis leverages the results of five previous studies which reached the collective conclusion that when team members simply exchange information using CMC it has a corrosive effect on cohesion and team member's job …
The Effects Of Hierarchal Structures And Complex Policies On Organizational Communication, Linda Youssouf
The Effects Of Hierarchal Structures And Complex Policies On Organizational Communication, Linda Youssouf
Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses
This study analyzed the hierarchal structures and complex policies within a for-profit organization that contributed to creating a work environment with poor communication, specifically the effects on employees. Adaptive Structuration Theory provides a theoretical foundation for this study and discusses the creation of social systems through using rules and resources in interactions. The study did not intend to devise a clear solution to these pre-existing issues but rather shed light on the effects this type of problem has on communication between employees within an organization. A Likert Scale survey with 20 questions was distributed to 30 out of 50 employees …
The Impacts Of Multiple 360 Feedback Projects Utilizing Coaching And Follow-Up: A Quantitative Longitudinal Exploratory Descriptive Research Study, Jeremy Unruh
Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses
360 degree feedback is a great tool for organizational development, however many organizations don’t include coaching and follow-up to maximize impact for long term results. This quantitative longitudinal exploratory descriptive research study explores the impact of conducting the same 360 feedback survey within the same organization over a 3 year time frame utilizing coaching and follow-up. Data from 6 individuals indicate an improvement of self-awareness and an increase of set goals and completed goals. Theories of self-awareness and self-perception are discussed as well as the development of a new communication channel between manager and employee for organizational development purposes.
Which Organizational Communication And Culture Profile Will Augment And Increase The Effectiveness Of Team Xyz?, Morgen Nicole Marshall
Which Organizational Communication And Culture Profile Will Augment And Increase The Effectiveness Of Team Xyz?, Morgen Nicole Marshall
Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses
This thesis explores previous research in the fields of organizational communication and culture. Through the works of organizational communication scholars Deetz (1995), Conrad & Poole (2005), and Griffin (2009), the theory of critical communication in organizations is introduced as the foundation for effective communication, emphasizing the importance of participatory decision making in organizations. Through the works of organizational culture scholars Kotter & Heskett (1992), Schein (2004), and Cameron & Quinn (2011), principles of effective organizational culture are introduced, including shared values among stakeholders and adaptability within the industry. Together, these scholars lay the foundation for a study within a leading …
Technological Change Within Union Environments: An Examination Of Existing Change Management Literature, Union Culture, And Critical Factors For Implementation Success, Bryan Altknecht
Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses
In today’s business climate, organizational change is a perpetual challenge for those in leadership positions. Despite the substantial academic conversation surrounding successful management of change, one aspect which has received little research is technological change within the context of union populations. This project utilizes multiple theoretical frameworks to present critical components for success including; understanding reluctance toward change, the role of leaders, managing technology change, and specific implementation considerations for union populations. It then synthesizes those components into a formal training course designed to teach organizational leaders the skills necessary to overcome the challenges of implementing technology changes within union …
Does The Use Of Social Media For Screening Affect The Hiring Process From The Perspective Of Applicant And Employer?, Corey Protzman
Does The Use Of Social Media For Screening Affect The Hiring Process From The Perspective Of Applicant And Employer?, Corey Protzman
Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses
Technology has allowed people to exchange information across multiple technological mediums and interact quicker, more easily, and more permanently. The purpose of this thesis was to determine the role social media plays in the hiring and screening process from the perspective of the applicant and employer. The study was rooted in the theories of Actor Networking, Issues Arenas, and Agenda Setting, while relying on concepts like digital divide to expand the breadth of work. An online survey was administered to 25 people who had been an applicant within the last year to gauge their use of social media and awareness …
Cultural Performance And Organizational Transformation: A Case Study Of The Utah State University Football Program, Marques Chavez
Cultural Performance And Organizational Transformation: A Case Study Of The Utah State University Football Program, Marques Chavez
Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses
Methods of communication are often a significant reason for achieving organizational transformation. The primary aim of this study is to explain a case of organizational transformation by examining the cultural performances of organizational members—particularly the performance of ritual. The Utah State University football program served as the case study while qualitative interviews and narrative research provided the methodology for gathering and analyzing data. Communication expressed in the performance of ritual significantly contributed to fostering an environment of unity and trust within the organization which, in turn, spurred transformation. While rituals were key to fostering this environment, true sincerity from leadership …
Multitasking And Communication In The Organization, Cayla A. Stephenson
Multitasking And Communication In The Organization, Cayla A. Stephenson
Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses
Because communication is an intricate part of how an organization works, and because organizations and employees alike are stressing the importance of multitasking on the job, studying the interaction of communication and multitasking is increasingly important. Studies relating to multitasking have revealed primarily negative impacts: doubling task completion time, overstimulating our brains to the point of dysfunction, generally diminishing our productivity, and extinguishing our stimuli filters and damaging our memories. Other studies show that we can use multitasking in a positive way by utilizing task trainings and practicing focused task completion. The study here completed two focus groups with 12 …
Sororities, Interpersonal Relationships, And A Dialogical Perspective, Jessica Lynn Fresques
Sororities, Interpersonal Relationships, And A Dialogical Perspective, Jessica Lynn Fresques
Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses
This study focuses on interpersonal relationships and skills gained through sorority membership. The purpose of this research sought to develop the understanding of potential developmental outcomes, in which a sorority can provide to its members. Research methods used: online surveys and follow-up interviews. The dialogical perspective by Martin Buber helped develop an understanding of the I-thou relationship, whereas, each person within conversation is fully valued for what they have to say. In general, sororities are known as social organizations and the use of dialogue is important when communing or working with others. Alumnae who participated provided enough feedback to determine …
Servant-Leadership And Re-Establishment Of Organization Culture After Crisis, Reese Dayle Cooper
Servant-Leadership And Re-Establishment Of Organization Culture After Crisis, Reese Dayle Cooper
Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses
Organizations create a base for culture through the language in mission, vision, and value statements (Deetz, 1995). Organization culture is then shaped and molded by organization members (Deetz, 1995). As a result, members form organization identities (Mead, 1934). Identities are fluid and constantly being negotiated (Stewart, Zediker, & Witteborn, 2009, p. 82). At any moment, organizations can face crisis. During the crisis, identities are threatened and organization culture becomes unstable (Beer & Steif, 1997; Sen, 2006). Stabilizing organization culture is important to the long-term success of an organization and to the long-term success of individuals. This study uses a case …
The Intrapersonal Phenomenon: The Interactional Effects Of Intrapersonal Adjustments In The Organizational Change Of A Small Business, Jennifer Wilkes
The Intrapersonal Phenomenon: The Interactional Effects Of Intrapersonal Adjustments In The Organizational Change Of A Small Business, Jennifer Wilkes
Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses
It is inevitable that change involves varying levels of communication. A relationship may consist of an individual's communication with one's self or with one or more persons. The functionality of a relationship depends on the effectiveness or ineffectiveness of the communication of those individuals involved. When change is necessary in any form of organization, the level of communication for each member plays a vital role, especially in a small company. Based on literature and theory, intrapersonal development and influence relies on the structure of one's cultural language. Language structure shapes one's inner speech and self-talk through processes of internalization. The …
Getting Thrown Under The Bus: The Impact Of Destructive Narcissistic Management On Group Sensemaking, Russell Allen Royston
Getting Thrown Under The Bus: The Impact Of Destructive Narcissistic Management On Group Sensemaking, Russell Allen Royston
Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses
Despite the vast research and scholarship on leaders with narcissistic traits and tendencies, little research has focused on the impact these leaders have on group communication. This thesis uses an ethnographic research methodology to explore a group under destructive narcissistic management. Karl Weick’s (1995) theory of organizational sensemaking is used to examine the affected group’s communication. The study was conducted from a phenomenological perspective of the group’s lived experience. Kierkegaard’s theory of communication is also applied to learn how the group made sense of was happening to them during a period of substantial change (Anderson, 1963). The results show that …
Examination Of Employee Work-Life Balance Within Healthy Organizational Cultures, Cari Ann Lyle
Examination Of Employee Work-Life Balance Within Healthy Organizational Cultures, Cari Ann Lyle
Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses
This study examined the work-life balance of employees within the U.S. communications industry, specifically focusing on how employees can build collaborative relationships with their colleagues while maintaining active lifestyles outside the office. The effects of a healthy work-life balance on organizational culture has become a popular topic in American organizations during the past decade, and this research used focus groups and interviews to help determine how leaders can encourage employees to prioritize their professional and personal obligations. Study participants were asked questions developed around Edgar Schein’s organizational culture research, Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, and communication theories about balance and …
Listening To Organizational Change: Exploring Dialogue During Sensemaking, Dianna L. Stratton
Listening To Organizational Change: Exploring Dialogue During Sensemaking, Dianna L. Stratton
Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses
This qualitative study explored the role of dialogue during sensemaking and how that affects receptivity to organizational change. The philosophical framework for this study comes from Buber’s (1958) I and Thou dialogue theories concerning the value of existential acknowledgement. Both communication and organizational study theories grounded this research. Bohm (1996) and Isaacs’ (1999) dialogue theories converge with Weick’s (1995) sensemaking theories as a means to explore the role of listening during organizational change. Data was obtained through ethnographic observation and interview. A cultural research framework provided the means to explore the relationships between dialogue, sensemaking and organizational change. The results …
Out Of The Heart Springs The Communication Of Leadership, Jodi A. Kohut
Out Of The Heart Springs The Communication Of Leadership, Jodi A. Kohut
Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses
This study is based on the philosophical and biblical notions that words are a sacred gift from God and should be used with care. This study is concerned with how a leader uses these words in the organizational context. Edification is presented as a performative speech act by connecting its intention, “to build” to the rhetorical functions of the locutionary, illocutionary, and perlocutionary acts. Using Sullivan’s (1988) foundation for extending these language functions to the organizational context, the author proposes that edifying language has functions across three dimensions: 1.) Perlocutionary, subordinate building properties 2.) Illocutionary, relationship building properties and 3.) …
Uw Impact: A Civic Engagement Initiative Case Study, Dana Robinson Slote
Uw Impact: A Civic Engagement Initiative Case Study, Dana Robinson Slote
Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses
In 2010 funding for higher education was negatively impacted by Washington’s economic environment. University of Washington executives launched UWImpact to encourage advocacy on behalf of the institution. This case study explores which aspects of UWImpact’s approach created a culture that influenced the State Legislature to allow UW to develop a funding mechanism. Methods used to construct the project include: Evaluation of UWImpact materials and website, plus five news articles, reviewed for recurrences of specific adjectives; data obtained from (Vocus) software, and augmented by participant-observations during informal interviews at three events. The data was gathered from December 2010 through April 2011. …
Gender Roles In Organizations In The Southeastern United States, Dianne Conlee
Gender Roles In Organizations In The Southeastern United States, Dianne Conlee
Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses
This thesis is a study on gender roles in organizations in the southeastern United States as compared to the rest of the United States. The hypothesis was developed after a review of literature that included relevant research on traditional gender roles, gender roles in organizations, gender roles in the southeastern United States and gender roles over time. After reviewing the literature the hypothesis that gender role experiences in organizations located within the southeastern United States will reflect more traditional than gender role attitudes than experiences in the rest of the United States. The research study was conducted using egalitarianism as …
"Nothing Sacred": Ignatian Principles Of Heroic Leadership In Entertainment Media, John Briand Levesque
"Nothing Sacred": Ignatian Principles Of Heroic Leadership In Entertainment Media, John Briand Levesque
Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses
The series Nothing Sacred lasted less than one full season on broadcast network television. Critically acclaimed for its writing but also vigorously opposed for having an anti-Catholic agenda, it embraced a set of values consistent with Ignatian leadership philosophy. Scholars paid little attention to the show after its cancellation in 1998, but an examination of several episodes and the writing of its co-creator, a Jesuit priest, suggests that the series propagated the principles of Ignatian leadership in much the same way as Lowney (2003), who proposed that the 16th-century philosophy of leadership espoused by Ignatius Loyola, founder of the Jesuit …
An Expectancy Violations Theory Study Of Employee Satisfaction, Melissa Cleland
An Expectancy Violations Theory Study Of Employee Satisfaction, Melissa Cleland
Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses
This study seeks to find what drives employee satisfaction using the expectancy violations theory. An exploration of the literature including Judee Burgoon’s expectancy violations theory against leadership credibility, narcissistic communication, and use of power are fully discussed. Ethnographic research is used to study a nonprofit organization, the three employees of Nonprofit XYZ were surveyed, interviewed, and observed over a two week period. The Executive Director of Nonprofit XYZ allowed full access to her office space and employees, however, didn’t participate in the study. The results of the study showed that employee satisfaction was a direct result of specific leadership attributes …
An Examination Of Workplace Racial Microaggressions And Their Effect On Employee Performance, Ronee L. Hunter
An Examination Of Workplace Racial Microaggressions And Their Effect On Employee Performance, Ronee L. Hunter
Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses
Although laws regulate blatant discrimination in the workplace, researchers have shown that invisible racism occurs through everyday verbal, nonverbal, and environmental communications. Invisible racism, in the form of microaggressions, includes subtle comments that negate or invalidate the thoughts, feelings, or experiences of a person of color. Microaggressions are words or actions that occur in communication that communicators may be unaware are a form of racism. Racial microaggressions were examined in this study through the lens of symbolic interactionism. This theory studies race as a structural category reproducing inequality, and it illuminates the influence of culture and communication "to reproduce racism …
Connecting Informal Workgroup Interactions And Organizational Creative Climate, Cheryl B. Nee-Gieringer
Connecting Informal Workgroup Interactions And Organizational Creative Climate, Cheryl B. Nee-Gieringer
Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses
Creative imagination is required to comprehend complex challenges, solve business problems and develop the solutions that organizations need to adapt, and prosper in a dynamic and increasingly global environment. Multiple factors influence an organization’s ability to tap that imagination. For more than a half of century, research in cognitive and organizational sciences has investigated those influences and identified dimensions of creative climate, characteristics of creative people and processes for improving innovation. However, research explicitly linking organizational communication and organizational creativity has been limited. With a theoretical framework based in small group theory, this study explores the connection between intra-workgroup communication …
Employeer And Recruiter Use Of Social Networking Websites As A Candidate Screening Tool, Janelle L. Harrison
Employeer And Recruiter Use Of Social Networking Websites As A Candidate Screening Tool, Janelle L. Harrison
Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses
In today’s changing job market, employers and recruiters are looking to new technological methods of evaluating potential job candidates. One of these technologies is the use of social networking websites. This thesis examines the frequency to which this practice is used and also the specific behaviors looked for when checking candidate profiles. It also investigates the awareness and opinions of job seekers who have social networking profiles. Data analysis of the employer/recruiter questionnaire revealed that most employers and recruiters admit to using social networking websites as a candidate evaluation tool at least some of the time. Behaviors examined were varied …