Organizational Behavior and Theory Commons^™

The Competence Architecture Of Nonprofit Organizations: A Conceptual Model Linking Leadership, Governance, And Human-Capital Systems To Institutional Credibility, Franklin Livingston

Journal of Global Business Insights

Nonprofit organizations are judged through the competence of visible leaders, yet organizational competence is not reducible to the capabilities of any single executive. Reviews of nonprofit capacity report inconsistent associations between organizational capacity and performance. This conceptual article proposes a theoretical explanation for that inconsistency, one that remains compatible with methodological explanations. It develops a model of nonprofit competence architecture in which competence is an output that organizational systems continuously produce, correct, retain, and make visible, not a stock organizations possess. A theory-synthesis design specifies four mechanisms: Leadership-formation systems generate managerial capability; governance systems detect and partially compensate for capability …

Artificial Intelligence Capabilities, Generational Involvement, And Competitive Performance: Case Of Tunisian Family Businesses, Rim Gafsi

Journal of Global Business Insights

Anchored in Dynamic Capabilities Theory, this study examines the effect of Artificial Intelligence (AI) capabilities on the competitive performance of family firms and the moderating role of generational involvement. Using survey data from 120 Tunisian family firms adopting AI between 2021 and 2024 and applying confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling, the findings show that AI capabilities significantly enhance firm performance, while generational involvement has no moderating effect. This challenges the assumption that intergenerational transitions inherently drive innovation and provides novel evidence from Tunisia that performance gains stem primarily from the strategic integration of AI rather than generational dynamics. …

Does Abusive Supervision Undermine Creativity? A Buffering Role Of Absorptive Capacity, Sayma H. Shetu, Md. Sanaul Islam, Abdul G. Khan, Md. Shahed Mahmud

Journal of Global Business Insights

This study investigates the underlying processes of this relationship by examining knowledge hiding as a mediator and absorptive capacity as a moderator, within the context of the Conservation of Resources (COR) theory. 385 garment sector employees in Bangladesh were surveyed using a three-wave questionnaire, and the results were analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling. The study's findings demonstrate that abusive supervision negatively impacts employee creativity, in part by increasing knowledge hiding. Furthermore, higher absorptive capacity mitigates these adverse effects, reducing knowledge-hiding tendencies and enhancing creative performance. Theoretically, this study advances COR theory by identifying knowledge hiding as a …

Does Ict Use As A Strategic Response To Globalization Matter For Sme Performance In Nigeria? Mediating Roles Of Entrepreneurial Orientation, Strategic Agility, And Organizational Resilience, Uzoma H. Ononye

Journal of Global Business Insights

This study examined the effect of information and communication technology (ICT) use on small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) performance with a focus on the mediating roles of entrepreneurial orientation, strategic agility, and organizational resilience. Cross-sectional data were collected from 298 SMEs in Lagos, Nigeria, using a questionnaire based on previously validated measurement scales. Partial least squares modelling was applied to test the hypothesized five-factor model. The results demonstrate that ICT use, in response to globalization, exerts a significant and positive effect on SME performance. However, this effect is fully mediated by entrepreneurial orientation, strategic agility, and organizational resilience. The analysis …

The Dark Side Of Synchrony: Investigating Affective Valence As A Moderator Of The Relationship Between Physiological Synchrony And Team Performance, Caroline N. Deal

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Team processes are severely understudied, likely given their dynamic nature. Physiological synchrony (PS) may provide a solution, as PS provides a proximal, objective measure of team processes. PS is believed to develop through affect contagion, such that team members who catch each other’s emotions are more likely to physiologically synchronize. Extant research has found relationships between PS and performance; however, many questions remain regarding the nature, scope, and directionality of this relationship. I proposed that PS in the context of a positively valenced emotion would be beneficial to team performance, while PS characterized by a negatively valenced emotion would be …

Barriers To Machine Learning Adoption In Regulated Electric Utilities, Donald R. Shiflet Jr.

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Machine learning (ML) technologies have the potential to revolutionize regulated electric utilities by improving operational efficiency, enabling predictive maintenance, and optimizing energy management. Despite these advantages, the adoption of ML in this sector lags other industries due to technical, organizational, and regulatory barriers. This research, grounded in the Technology-Organization-Environment (TOE) framework, explores these barriers to uncover actionable solutions for integration. The study identifies key challenges, including explainability, cybersecurity, workforce resistance, and regulatory ambiguity to ML adoption in electric utilities. Utilizing an exploratory qualitative methodology, this approach integrates insights from the literature and industry interviews to rank barriers by frequency, severity, …

Integrating Motivational Traits Into The Approach-Avoidance Distinction, Wesley D. Gardiner

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This thesis investigates the potential for integrating motivational traits into the established approach-avoidance motivational framework, which describes individuals’ general tendencies to seek pleasure and avoid pain. Although various theories and empirical studies have advanced our understanding of approach-avoidance motivation, critical constructs such as achievement motivation and trait anxiety have often been overlooked or misoperationalized. Addressing these gaps, the current study integrates Kanfer and Heggestad’s (1997) motivational trait taxonomy with constructs from achievement goal orientation, regulatory focus theory, and reinforcement sensitivity theory. This research evaluated a hypothesized two-factor model of approach and avoidance motivation using confirmatory and exploratory factor analyses with …

Relationship Between Stress Management And Decision Making: A Research On Pilots, Mert Dural, Aysun Dogan, Hulusi C. Sozen

Journal of Global Business Insights

Uncertainty and crisis create a stressful environment. Among these environments, airline pilots must cope with this stress and manage their workload at the same time. Therefore, it is crucial to understand and study the effect of stress factors on the decision-making process of airline pilots to prevent undesired and unsafe events during flight operations. In this context, the aim of this study is to reveal the relationship between decision-making behaviors and stress management of civil aviation pilots. The study was conducted using the quantitative data analysis method. The data obtained from 206 captains and first mates working in a private …

Work Engagement As A Mediator Between Organizational Ostracism And Sparking Leadership, Perihan Senel Tekin, Selman Kizilkaya

Journal of Global Business Insights

Workplace ostracism can undermine employee morale, reduce productivity, and negatively impact organizational outcomes. Sparking leadership plays a vital role in shaping workplace culture and mitigating ostracism’s effects. This study investigates the mediating role of work engagement in the relationship between organizational ostracism and sparking leadership. It sheds light on how leaders can foster a more engaged workforce by reducing ostracism within organizations. It was designed as a quantitative causal survey. By examining data from 790 healthcare professionals in Turkey, the research highlights how sparking leadership can enhance work engagement and reduce ostracism. The findings show a significant negative correlation between …

The Mediating Effect Of Nepotism On Subjective Well-Being And Employee Loyalty: A Case Study Of A Private Airline Company, Secil Ulufer Kansoy

Journal of Global Business Insights

This study examines the potential mediating effect of nepotism in the relationship between subjective well-being and employee loyalty among aviation employees of a private airline company in Türkiye. Drawing on data from 289 valid surveys completed by cabin crew members of a private airline company in Istanbul, Türkiye, the analysis focuses on how nepotism shapes the relationship between these key organizational constructs. The subjective well-being, employee loyalty, and nepotism scales were utilized to measure relevant constructs, and data analysis was conducted using SPSS 22 and the bootstrapping technique. The findings reveal that subjective well-being positively and significantly influences employee loyalty, …

A Bibliometric Analysis Of The Pygmalion Effect In Organization Studies, Perihan Senel Tekin, Fevziye Bekar, Duysal Askun Celik

Journal of Global Business Insights

This research aims to examine the literature on the Pygmalion effect, which is expressed as a self-fulfilling prophecy in the context of management organization from a bibliometric perspective. In this context, all relevant publications in the Web of Science database were scanned between 01-06.06.2024. In the first and second searches with the words Pygmalion, Pygmalion effect, Pygmalionism, management, and organization, a total of 27 research articles were subjected to content analysis within the scope of a systematic review. As a result of the content analysis, it was seen that although the Pygmalion effect has been found in …

Virtual Leadership Through The Use Of Commanders Intent, Lisa M. Hammond

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The shift to remote work triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic has transformed organizational dynamics, exposing the limitations of traditional leadership models and emphasizing the need for innovative approaches. This dissertation examines the application of the military concept of Commander’s Intent in remote work settings, focusing on its potential to enhance mission alignment, autonomy, and productivity. Employing a mixed-methods approach, the study integrates quantitative survey data and qualitative thematic analysis to explore how Commander’s Intent impacts mission clarity, person-job fit, and leadership effectiveness. Findings reveal that Commander’s Intent strengthens mission alignment and empowers teams to act autonomously while maintaining strategic coherence, …

Relationship-Influenced Cyber Hygiene (Rich) In Community Banks, Monte L. Ward

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation is a research study that introduces the theoretical model of Relationship-Influenced Cyber Hygiene (RICH) through its investigation of the phenomenon the researcher experienced: how the interpersonal relationship between top management and cybersecurity personnel within smaller community banks influences the cyber hygiene of top management. Due to the value proposition of community banks to their clients and the limited budget of smaller institutions for investment in cybersecurity controls and initiates, community banks need additional strategies to achieve stronger cyber hygiene, especially as it relates the greatest weakness in most cybersecurity infrastructures—the human element. This study identifies and addresses a …

Thriving Or Surviving In Virtual Sales: The Connection Between Virtual Work And Job Satisfaction Amongst Salespeople In The Pharmaceutical Industry, Amit Garg

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The post COVID 19 sales environment for salespeople in pharmaceuticals has shifted to becoming hybridized within a continuum of face-to-face and virtual interactions, when engaging with health care professionals. This dissertation reports on a study investigating the relationship of virtual work with job satisfaction and burnout. There were two questions that were addressed in this study to understand the impact virtual work has had on overall job satisfaction and burnout. First, what is the relationship of virtuality to job satisfaction and burnout in the pharmaceutical sales environment? Second, which facets of job satisfaction and burnout are most strongly related to …

Intermediate Conformity Of Hrm Practices In Host Countries: Why And How They Work, Wenjuan Guo

Journal of Global Business Insights

The institutional theory suggests that multinational enterprises (MNEs) need to conform to institutional norms to gain legitimacy, thereby enhancing their survival in host countries. Conversely, from the perspective of business strategy, MNEs gain a competitive advantage by leveraging organizational capabilities worldwide. These two perspectives imply that MNEs face conflicting pressures when adopting HRM practices in their host country subsidiaries. This article discusses the rationale for why MNEs’ subsidiaries should intermediately conform to both internal and external institutional forces and adopt a combination of home and host country HRM practices. Furthermore, it suggests that intermediate conformity contributes to a higher survival …

Organizing Queer Civil Rights Movements: Pride Parades And Communicative Dilemmas, David J. Dooling

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Pride parades (“Pride”) are sites of communicative tension for the queer community. While the political origins of queer civil rights practiced widespread resistance to institutional heteronormativity and homophobia, Pride is a space where business owners, community stakeholders, and activists debate the political utility of queerness. This dissertation employs queer and sociomaterial theoretical traditions, and autoethnographic methodological approaches to explore the communicative strategies of Pride organizers—individuals who create, coordinate, and conceptualize the display of sexuality and gender in the public sphere. I draw on tension-centered approaches to organizational communication, feminist dilemmatic theorizing, and co-sexuality to investigate power-laden structures and decision-making in …

Integrating Identities By Segmenting Domains: Antecedents Of Work-Maternal Identity In The Postpartum Return To Work, Aashna M. Waiwood

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

As employed women have children and return to work, they encounter a cross-domain identity transition where their professional and maternal identities are consistently co-activated and must perceptually contend with one another. In this dissertation, I explored this potential for harmonious assimilation of work and parental identities within this postpartum transitory period via a novel construct termed “work-maternal identity (WMI).” Specifically, I examined how working remotely in integrated work and home environments is related to WMI, as mediated by job engagement and perceptions of work belongingness. I also incorporated factors critical to successful resocialization and related to boundary management as moderators …

Examining Employees Under Stress By Pandemic, Hurricane, And Bridge Closure, Hilmi A. Atadil, Alison J. Green, Nestor M. Arguea

Journal of Global Business Insights

As researchers, recognizing and capturing once-in-a-lifetime events in real-time is essential. The researchers felt compelled to document the impacts of the natural disasters, pandemics, and bridge closures that directly affected the geographical area in which they lived. These sequential crises touched countless lives in the region. Most critically, disseminating and recording these rapid developments has been vital so that others may learn from this time when faced with similar situations. It is the duty of researchers immersed in such extraordinary circumstances to acknowledge and examine the implications in the moment, given the singularity of living through consecutive disasters of this …

Communicating For Success: The Importance Of Fairness In Pre-Merger Communication, Correy Retzloff

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This phenomenological study explores the complexities and influences of pre-merger communication on M&A outcomes from a stakeholder perspective, using the Fair Process Theoretical Framework. The study identified the following six key themes related to pre-merger communication broken down into two distinct categories: important aspects to employees, which include Open and Honest Communication, Engagement and Clarity, Participation and Collaboration, and best practices managers can implement, such as Undertake Fair and Engaging Communication, Prioritize Strategic and Cultural Communication, Ensure Effective and Compliant Communication. The study also found that effective pre-merger communication can positively influence perceptions of fairness in the merging process. These …

Reflection Of Covid-19 Pandemic On Organizational Trust Perception Of Hotel Employees: An Intergenerational Comparison, Isil Arikan Saltik, Yasin Karasu

University of South Florida (USF) M3 Publishing

In this study, organizational trust perception of X and Y generation hotel employees during the COVID-19 pandemic is examined. For this purpose, a total of 442 valid data were collected from the employees of 5-star hotels in Bodrum, by survey technique. Considering the limited interaction issue during the Covid 19 pandemic, convenience sampling, one of the non-random sampling methods, was applied in the study. Within the study, the three-dimensional structure of the organizational trust scale was confirmed by factor analysis. The results showed that managerial trust perception of both X and Y generation hotel employees is the highest among the …

Commitment To Change Dimensions: The Influence Of Innovative Work Behavior And Organizational Environments, Michael Holmes

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation was to examine the phenomenon of commitment to organizational change using both positive and negative organizational contexts and employee behaviors that may influence an employee’s commitment to change dimensions (affective, continuance, normative). A cross-sectional survey was used to collect data from 407 physician assistants across a national healthcare system and analyzed using descriptive statistics, exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, and multiple regression to test the relationships among constructs. Results indicate that commitment to change dimensions are related to innovative work behavior, climate for innovation, and organizational constraints. Affective commitment was positively related to innovative work …

The Effect Of Organizational Change On Organizational Commitment, Ali Sukru Cetinkaya, Shafiq Habibi

University of South Florida (USF) M3 Publishing

Change is an ongoing process of renewing the structures, directions, and capabilities of the organizations to adapt to the variable needs of customers, employees, and the marketplace. Thus, organization needs to change in order to stay in the market. Change process will be smoothed by employee’s commitment. There is a strong need to examine the effects of organizational change on organizational commitment. In this quantitative research, survey technique was used as a data collection tool. It employs the scale developed by Meyer and Allen (2004) for organizational commitment. Items used for organizational change have been adapted from scales created by …

Managerial Competencies Review, Ali Sukru Cetinkaya, Khayal Hajiyev

University of South Florida (USF) M3 Publishing

Competencies are some characteristics that managers use in the organization. Many authors, researchers, etc. have done research on competencies. These surveys usually involve managers working in organizations. Organizations have a great need for competencies. These needs or requirements are constantly increasing or changing. It is important for organizations to continue their activities in the long term and to cope with other competitors. In this study, it is aimed to explain the definition of managerial competencies, their classification, and the characteristics of different types of competencies. Managers are the advantages they bring to organizations by using their management skills and their …

Organizing Economies: Narrative Sensemaking And Communciative Resilience During Economic Disruption, Timothy Betts

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation unites organizational communication, and economic theory to understand how individuals make sense of economic crises, imbed power and logic in those understandings, and construct new economic realities in the aftermath of crisis. Contra economic orthodoxy, this project conceives of economy and economics as a social construct. As a social construct, individuals organize economy and economics through discourse, make sense of through narrative, and rebuild through communication. This dissertation combines different theoretical perspectives—actor-network theory, antenarrative organization theory, and the communication theory of resilience—to recenter social scientific accounts of economic reality around communication, story, and power.

Specifically, I focus on …

Prevalence And Predictors Of Careless Responding In Experience Sampling Research, Alexander J. Denison

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In the current study we examine the prevalence and several predictors of careless responding to an experience sampling (ESM) study. While careless responding has been noted as a potential problem in ESM research, few studies have examined the prevalence of this behavior (Beal, 2015; Berkel et al., 2017; Eisele et al., 2020; Gabriel et al., 2019; Jaso et al., 2021). Using statistical methods of careless response classification, we derive cut scores from data simulation and graphical examination of item correlations, and flag 44.98% of response episodes as careless. A majority of these flagged episodes were the product of overly consistent …

Environmental Transmission Of Career Interests Through A Genetic Lens: Understanding The Confounding Around Parental Occupation, Tyler Allan

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Previous research has established that parents can influence the career interests of their children through both their shared genetics and the household environment they create. However, most studies look at these parental influences in isolation either focusing on the environmental influences or the genetic influences. As such, the results of these studies fail to account for potential confounding in their results do to the nature of career interests. This study used a genetically informative twin sample to address the issue of shared genetics while looking at the measured environmental influence a parent’s occupation has on their child’s career interests. A …

Decisions And How Doctors Make Them: Modeling Multilevel Decision-Making Within Diagnostic Medicine, Michelle S. Kaplan

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Effective decision-making is critical and necessary for organizational success across a wide range of occupations, situations, and industries. However, decision making, by its nature, is not always a direct process of a single decision leading to a direct outcome. Rather, it can often become a multilevel process whereby one decision’s outcome leads to information that is used in subsequent larger or other types of decisions. The decision-making process then becomes progressively more complex and more difficult to navigate as these decisions compound within one another. Thus, decision-makers must find an appropriate way to approach such decisions. Understanding the multilevel nature …

Successful Leadership Through Rapid, Unplanned Change, Robert "Darin" Grimm

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The studies of leadership and leadership models are voluminous, as is the work onchange within organizations. While scores of information can be found on each of these topics, the combination of the two is less ubiquitous. The grouping of specific leadership models related to corporate changes, be it structural or operational, provides an opportunity for new knowledge. Notably, the literature is scant when the added variable of rapid unplanned change is included in the combination of leadership and change. This study sought to better understand the impact of specific leadership behaviors and the impact on an organization during rapid, unplanned …

Testing The Congruence Of Espousals And Enactments Predicting Team Innovation, Rylan M. Charlton

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study employs a social identity perspective (Hogg, 2008) to test whether perceptions of both espoused and enacted values drive team innovation, and tests whether both their level and congruence determine their impact on innovation. This relationship is tested in a multilevel latent polynomial regression model (MLPM) framework (Zyphur, Zammuto, & Zhang, 2016). The study also leverages block variable procedures (e.g., Edwards & Cable, 2009) to model the combined effects of espoused and enacted values, and tests whether these combined effects mediate between leader behavior and team innovation. This represents the first test of Zohar and Hofmann’s (2012) proposition that …

Driving Health Care Results With Authenticity, Kindness, And Vulnerability: A New Model Of Authentic Leadership, John D. Couris

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Current management scholars have defined authentic leadership as consisting of four dimensions: relational transparency, self-awareness, balanced processing, and internalized moral perspective. This research extends the concept of authentic leadership to include kindness and vulnerability. I created two scales to measure kindness and vulnerability within the context of leadership and used them to examine perceptions of authentic leadership and its impact on three organizational outcomes: trust in one’s leader, work engagement, and psychological safety. Using a two-group, pretest-posttest experimental design, 44 Tampa General Hospital managers were either selected to participate in a four-hour authentic leadership training that included instruction on kindness …