Organizational Behavior and Theory Commons^™

Exploring Academic Leadership In Higher Education Through The Lens Of Leader-To-Member Exchange (Lmx) Theory, Dequies A. Lanier

Theses and Dissertations

A phenomenological study focused on Exploring Academic Leadership in Higher Education Through The Lens of Leader-to-Member Exchange (LMX) Theory, Dequies A. Lanier, 2020: Applied Dissertation, Nova Southeastern University, Abraham S. Fischler College of Education and School of Criminal Justice. Keywords: communication, leadership development, higher education, leader-member exchange, organizational leadership This applied dissertation was designed to explore the communication between higher education leaders and faculty at the department level in the United States at a southeastern higher education institution. The study sought to explore (a) the communication relationship between leaders and followers; (b) commitment to the organization; and (c) suggested communication …

Employee Perceptions Related To Specific Work Processes Within The Crime Control Model Known As The Stratified Model, Robert William Steinkraus

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to measure employee perceptions of satisfaction as they relate to specific work processes and products within the Stratified Model. The Stratified Model is a crime-reduction model that was developed and gradually implemented first within the Port St. Lucie Police Department between 2004-2011. The full implementation of this crime-reduction model occurred in 2012. The Port St. Lucie Police department has since achieved greater reductions of the overall crime rate than other cities in Florida consisting of similar populations. In 2019, Port St. Lucie had the 7th largest population in Florida.

Currently, it is unknown how …

The Relationship Of Authentic Leadership And Growth, Retention, And Productivity, Michael B. Horwitz

Theses and Dissertations

Leadership has been heralded a critical component for the achievement of successful organizational outcomes. Recent financial, social, psychological, and environmental challenges that are being faced on a global scale have raised the call for new and effective leadership. Researchers and practitioners have expressed the need for the development of good leaders. Authentic leadership (AL) has been described as the root theory of all other forms of positive leadership and offers a way to describe and develop more effective leadership and drive veritable sustained superior performance.

Authentic leaders are proposed to have greater self-awareness and self-regulated positive behaviors, seeking to develop …

The Effects Of Moral Personality, Moral Identity, Ethical Ideology, And Justice Perceptions On Workplace Deviance: A Moderated-Mediation Study, S. Blair Franklin

Theses and Dissertations

The agility, productivity, and financial success of companies depends largely on the quality of their human capital. Employee misbehaviors targeting the organization and individual colleagues leads to poor performance, bad attitudes, and an eroding corporate culture. While hundreds of studies have examined independent effects of moral personality, moral identity, ethical ideology, and organizational justice perceptions on workplace behavior, this is the first offering a moderated-mediation model to collectively explain deviant workplace behavior. The goals of this study were twofold. First, it sought to provide a more comprehensive understanding of how moral and ethical traits combine with state-based perceptions of organizational …

Agility Measurement For Large Organizations, Jeremy R. Geiger

Theses and Dissertations

There is an ongoing demand for organizations to become more agile in order to prosper amongst their competitors. Many organizations, including the United States Department of Defense (DoD), have declared a renewed focus towards organizational agility. This research begins by providing a suitable and formal definition of organizational agility (OA) by exploring and analyzing relevant scholarly literature on the subject. Existing methods to measure OA are examined and summarized, and their current limitations are highlighted. Previous studies to find characteristics associated with organizational agility are examined and the Q-sort method was employed to discover, analyze and eliminate redundant items from …

Low In Advantageous Personality Traits? Find An Alternative Path To Higher Job Performance, Ares Boira Lopez

Theses and Dissertations

Extensive research has provided evidence that the trait positive affect (PA) and the personality trait conscientiousness are positively related to job performance (JP). Although recent studies have challenged the common perspective that these traits do not change, their variability is often low. Thus, their stability makes these traits especially useful for hiring practices. However, for developmental purposes, that same characteristic might pose limitations to effective increases in employees’ performance. The current study aims to offer a solution to contribute to the research and practice of employee development. Given the potential difficulty of changing an individual’s PA, this article develops hypotheses …

Preliminary Study Of Communication Network Characterization Towards Improved Organizational Behavior, Taylor F. Flaxington

Theses and Dissertations

Nearly one third of the Air Force acquisition system’s large programs are over cost and half are over budget; performance must improve. This research applies a systems perspective to this challenge and frames the acquisition system as a complex system of systems. It is a system composed of people in multiple organizations; organizations interacting with one another to develop, acquire and sustain weapon programs. The system’s performance is an emergent behavior of its components (people), structure and processes. Communication networks are a view of a system’s structure, revealing the flows and interactions between components (people) as the system accomplishes its …

Behavioral Antecedents Of Fuel Efficiency, James A. Cotton

Theses and Dissertations

The US Department of Defense is the largest institutional petroleum consumer in the world. In addition to the financial cost of petroleum-based fuels, the US DoD generates more CO₂-equivalent greenhouse gases than the entirety of modern, industrialized nations like Sweden and Norway. Other dangers and externalities arise from the fuels supply chain, like toxin risks to fuel handlers, and human costs to transport fuel in-theater. Within the DoD, the USAF alone often rivals or exceeds the consumption of all other services combined. While the USAF prefers technical, hardware-based solutions to problems, and has given increasing attention to logistical …

An Exploration In Accountable Care Organization Structure, Contingency And Performance, 2015-2017, Siriporn P. Satjapot

Theses and Dissertations

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 enacted one of the most significant reforms seen in the United States healthcare landscape. The Center for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) led transformation efforts in regulatory reform and coverage expansion across the U.S. population. Since 2010, care delivery systems have been shifting from episodic, decentralized and fee-for-service models to value-based population health models, like accountable care organizations (ACO). ACOs have been specifically primed for local response to improve the health of their communities. ACO research has traditionally focused on performance measures like mortality, readmissions, quality outcomes and savings. ACO organizational characteristics …

Building Change Agility Within Teams, Tiffany N. Bersos

Theses and Dissertations

Change is necessary for an organization to be successful. However, poorly executed change, with ill-equipped leaders and unprepared teams, often result in failed efforts. Leaders can have a direct impact on their team's change agility and successful change initiatives. This study looked at team leaders and individual contributors across a variety of industries and explored ways that team leaders can build change agility. This study addressed three research questions: how participants defined the role of a leader, what individuals observed about themselves when at their best during a change, and what practices they believed would aid in building change agility …

Manager Development In Younger, Growing Organizations, Christine Parcells

Theses and Dissertations

This study explored manager development needs in younger, growing organizations related to challenges with uncertainty, ambiguity, and a rapid pace of change. This research examined two companies: one that had not gone through IPO or acquisition and one that was acquired twice. The primary themes in the findings included adaptive behaviors and communication capabilities, the impact and influence of a company's culture and a changing organization structure on development, as well the need for building relationships and networks to help managers cope with the challenges of a growing organization. By implementing manager development programs early, companies can build inclusion, foster …

Multi-Generation Family Business Succession At Mondial Printing Services In Nigeria: A Case Study, Titus Oyeladun

Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative single case study examined the factors that contributed to the successful transition of Mondial Printing Services (MPS)—a family business in Nigeria—to the second generation. Secondly, this study investigated to what extent, if any, did formal succession planning impact the transfer of Mondial Printing Services from founder to second generation in Nigeria. And lastly this study investigated to what extent, if any, does succession experience of a second-generation family business leaders at MPS influence their approach to continuity and succession planning. This study analyzed qualitative data in the form of interviews from a sample population of five employees at …

Developing Ei: Leadership Journeys In Emotional Intelligence, Erin Bric

Theses and Dissertations

Emotional intelligence (EI) has been deemed a critical competency for leaders in today's world. However, there is little information to help OD practitioners, leaders, and organizations understand how leaders can develop these skills in ways that meaningfully and positively impact their teams and organizations. This study examined the journeys of senior leaders as they developed their emotional intelligence. The study addressed two research questions: how leaders perceive they have developed their emotional intelligence throughout their lifetimes and how leaders are continuing to develop their emotional intelligence in their lives and careers. Key themes emerged out of leader interviews and were …

Mutual Accountability And Its Impacts On Cross-Functional Teams, Lori E. Simms

Theses and Dissertations

The intent of cross-functional teams is to bring together diverse individuals of relevant functional expertise from across an organization to solve problems rapidly and efficiently. The difficulty with cross-functional teams is in establishing and maintaining mutual accountability because individuals come with their respective individual accountabilities and the methods for which those accountabilities were established. This qualitative study explored mutual accountability, how it is established, and its impact on cross-functional teams. Nine individuals participated in semi-structured interviews to explore how mutual accountability is established, barriers to establishing and maintaining it, and the impact of its presence or lack thereof on the …

An Investigation Into Educational Employee Practices For Finding And Maintaining A Sense Of Meaning In Their Work, Elizabeth P. Taylor

Theses and Dissertations

This mixed method study examined how educational employees in 3 public school districts in southeast Michigan make and/or create a sense of meaning in their work and sought to understand how relationships influence employee's sense of meaningfulness. Quantitative data collection came from a survey combining the Job Crafting Questionnaire (JCQ) and the Work and Meaning Index (WAMI). 266 employees completed the survey. Qualitative data collection included interviewing 17 employees with representation from each role category and each school district. This study found personnel working in the field of education in southeast Michigan find their work highly meaningful; and that relationships …

Systemic Barriers And Facilitators Of Help-Seeking And Highly Performing Individuals In Business And Sports, Jonathan N. Weller

Theses and Dissertations

The mental health and wellbeing of highly performing individuals in business and sport demands attention due to the high costs (personal and financial) that disruptions can create for these individuals and their organizations or teams. Utilizing 13 interviews with support professionals (e.g., executive coaches, psychologists), this study explored factors affecting help-seeking and wellbeing amongst high-performing athletes and executives, consequences of not seeking help, and similarities present in business and elite sports environments. Themes including stigma, career consequences, logistics, culture, and isolation of leadership were identified as factors inhibiting help-seeking and wellbeing. Service delivery factors, organizational resources and policies, and leadership …

Advancing Leadership Consciousness: Integrity From The Inside Out, Jessica Plancich Shinners

Theses and Dissertations

A poll conducted by the World Economic Forum (2015) found that 86% of respondents perceive that we are facing a global leadership crisis. At the time of this study, the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the global ecology in dramatic and widespread ways. In light of this uncertain political, economic, sociological, and ecological climate, humanity is in need of consistent and reliable ways of developing exemplary leaders. As society enters into massive technological advancement, leaders and collaborators are at risk of obsolescence if we do not find innovative ways to harness innate human capacities to advance consciousness and co-evolve with technology. …

What Role Can Social Cognitive Neuroscience Play In Promoting Prosocial Behaviors In Organizations, Lynne Forbes-Zeller

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research is to establish a correlation between the integration of Social Cognitive Neuroscience (SCN) frameworks (e.g., The SCARF model) into day-to-day social interactions in the workplace. The study also sought to determine whether SCN practices can increase prosocial behaviors and improve a leader's influence. This qualitative study had four phases: an educational video, a self-assessment, a learning workshop, and an experiential learning exercise. Data were collected through eight interviews. This study revealed that understanding the brain's influence in social environments increased prosocial behaviors and positively impacted leader thoughts and actions. Data showed taking the self-assessment, learning …

Assessing The Impacts Of Work-Related Applications Of Improvisation Training On Psychological Safety In Teams, Marne Maykowskyj Nordean

Theses and Dissertations

This paper discusses improvisational training (IMPT) and psychological safety and seeks to find if the former impacts the latter. For this study, improvisation has four main tenets: ensemble / co-creating, 'yes, and' / accept and heighten, authenticity / celebrating failure, and listening and communication skills. Psychological safety is defined as the shared belief held by members of a team that the team is safe for interpersonal risk-taking and a sense of confidence that the team will not embarrass, reject or punish someone for speaking up. This confidence stems from mutual respect and trust among team members. It is described as …

The Relationships Among External Environments, Organizational Structures, And Performance In Pursuit Of The Clinical And Academic Missions At Academic Health Centers, Eric J. Strucko

Theses and Dissertations

Clinical and academic missions place Academic Health Centers (AHCs) at the center of the American health care system, and the future viability of these institutions requires successful performance in competitive environments. AHCs are organizations involving hospitals, physician group practices, and medical schools, and treat patients with complex conditions, conduct bio-medical and health science research, and educate future physicians and health professionals. AHCs account for 20% or $540 billion of national health care expenditures, conduct over 80% of all heart, liver, and lung transplants, utilize over $27 billion in annual sponsored research funding, and graduate approximately 17,300 medical doctors annually. Financial …

Knowledge And Skill Predictors Of Voice Behavior: Voice As An Upward Influence, Zitong Sheng

Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

In recent years, there has been a growing body of research focused on improving our understanding of employee voice behavior. Yet this literature focuses mainly on factors that influence employees’ decisions regarding whether to speak up (i.e., quantity of voice behavior), rather than factors that influence whether voice behavior turns out to be effective. As a result, job attitudes and personality characteristics have been identified as the major personal factors predicting voice behavior. The current study contributes to the voice literature by viewing voice from an upward influence angle, examining the influences of the quality of content and …

Trust And Suspicion As A Function Of Cyber Security In Human Machine Team (Hmt) Of Unmanned Systems, Dhaher M. Alshammari

Theses and Dissertations

The research focuses on cyber-attacks on cyber-physical systems of the unmanned vehicles that are characteristically used in the military, particularly the Air Force. Unmanned systems are exposed to various risks as the capacity of cyber attackers continue to expand, raising the need for speedy and immediate responses. The advances in military technologies form the basis of the research that explores the challenges faced in the timely detection and response to cyber-attacks. The purpose of the research is to study the connections between operator suspicion and the detection and response to cyber-attacks alongside the identification of theory of suspicion as the …

The Moderating Effect Of Employee Bottom-Line Mentality On The Relation Between Personality And Unethical Pro-Organizational Behaviors, Jordan Thomas

Theses and Dissertations

Unethical pro-organizational behavior (UPB) refers to unethical actions that employees engage in to benefit the company they work for. The issue of employees engaging in UPB has been high-lighted in various high-profile scandals, such as the Volkswagen emissions scandal. The current study examined the interaction between employees’ personality traits, perceptions of bottom-line mentality (BLM), and UPB. The results suggested that when employees who are low on trait conscientiousness and honesty-humility are placed in an environment in which they perceive to have high levels of BLM, they are more likely to engage in UPB than those individuals who had higher levels …

Exploring Factors Related To Customer Service Representatives’ (Csrs) Performance In Call Centers., Ruth R. Jayson-Polk

Theses and Dissertations

This study provides critical research on individual change and its impact on individual performance using the ADKAR change management model. This applied dissertation was designed to research improvement in call monitoring performance scores between two groups of customer service representatives’ (CSRs): the experimental group receiving the ADKAR change management intervention, and the control group, who did not receive the ADKAR change management intervention. The ADKAR change management model (Hiatt, 2006) provided the theoretical framework for the study.

The literature review revealed that change management is a critical component of organizational change but is driven by individual change. The literature informs …

A Qualitative Study Exploring Motivation And Engagement Among Millennial Volunteers In Nonprofit Organizations, Joanne Quinones

Theses and Dissertations

This applied dissertation focused on capturing the lived experiences of Millennials and explore their motivation and engagement for volunteering in a nonprofit organization. This study illustrates the importance of civic and social engagement in our society. The Millennials have been labeled as “Genme or the me generation” (Twenge, Campbell, Hoffman, & Lance, 2010, p. 1117; Twenge, 2006, p. 1), as they have been criticized for focusing on their own self-interest. While millennials have been considered as being technologically savvy, since they grew up with the internet. The millennials, have a social interest in offering support to a cause versus an …

Understanding Effectiveness Of A Diverse Board In The Nonprofit Sector: The Role Of Board Inclusion & Critical Mass Of The Diverse Board Members, Suparna Dutta

Theses and Dissertations

Using rated responses from nonprofit CEOs who participated in the 2016 BoardSource national survey, this study investigates whether nonprofit board inclusive behavior or board inclusive practices are positively correlated with nonprofit board effectiveness. It further examines whether a critical mass of racial and ethnic minority or women board members may moderate the relationship stated above. To answer these questions, the study tested six hypotheses using principal component analysis, followed by hierarchical regression analysis, and found no evidence of statistical significance in main or moderator effects. The study recommends that policymakers should frame policies that ensure mandatory quotas for women and …

Leadership Influence And Organizational Culture Influence In Private Schools: A Comparative Multiple Case Study On The Relationship Between Organizational Culture And Strategic Leadership, Julia E. Tucker-Lloyd

Theses and Dissertations

The top leader of an organization influences the organizational culture, and the organizational culture influences the leader. Strategic thinking on the part of the leader is a result of organizational culture and/or will impact organizational culture. This qualitative study is a comparative multiple-case study that examines the relationship between leaders and organizational culture and what the leader’s strategic decision-making and organizational changes indicate about the relationship between leadership and organizational culture. The organizational context of private schools is used to better understand the dynamics between leadership and organizational culture.

This study uses an interview protocol with CEOs of private schools, …

The Effect Of Music Characteristics On The Novelty And Usefulness Of Creative Ideas., Kathleen Keeler

Theses and Dissertations

This study explores the relationship between music and creativity. Prior research has conflicting results with some finding that music does influence creativity and some reporting no relationship and others finding that music is harmful to creativity. All of these studies, however, have largely focused on the presence vs. absence of music without consideration for the characteristics (i.e., musical key, tempo, etc.) that make up the sound we identify as music and their unique effects on us emotionally, physically, and cognitively. This dissertation contends that different characteristics of music influence different components of creativity (i.e., novelty and usefulness) through their effects …

The Relationship Between Recidivism Rates And Post Release Employment, Richard Louis

Theses and Dissertations

The Relationship Between Recidivism Rates and Post Release Employment. Richard Louis 2018: Applied Dissertation, Nova Southeastern University, Abraham S. Fischler College of Education. Keywords: Ban the Box; Conviction, Incarceration, and Recidivism; Disparate Impact; Human Resources and Negligent Hiring; Parole, Probation, and Ex-Offenders

This applied dissertation was designed to study the relationship between recidivism rates and post release employment. This study utilized three survey instruments with human resource or hiring officers, probation or parole officers, and direct service providers as the respective participants. The survey instruments were distributed anonymously to each of the populations via Survey Monkey. The research study and …

Strategic Sourcing Via Category Management: Helping Air Force Installation Contracting Agency Eat One Piece Of The Elephant, Theodore S. Holliger

Theses and Dissertations

The United States Air Force can dramatically reduce resource consumption through strategic sourcing initiatives that leverage sensibly-bound pockets of spend via category management. However, category creation is a particularly daunting task due to the sheer magnitude of purchasing data in large organizations. Text mining is one way to identify categories. Specifically, term frequency analysis, term frequency-inverse document frequency analysis, and topic modeling can identify category membership, unique characteristics of categories, and thematic natures of the categories. This thesis developed an empirical, generalizable, reproducible methodology to analyze historical contract text descriptions to uncover the data’s hidden structure. A sample case was …