Organizational Behavior and Theory Commons^™

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. …

The Allied Health Work Readiness Study: Identifying Personal Characteristics Signalling Work Readiness In Allied Health Students, Maxine O'Brien, Kelli Troy, Jayne Kirkpatrick

Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice

Purpose: Clinical placements associated with university degrees for the allied health professions aim to support the preparation of students for post graduate employment through the practical application of theoretical constructs. However, employers recognise that a range of generic skills and attributes outside of technical and academic achievement impact of work readiness. Allied health clinical educators within Darling Downs Health (DDH) sought to identify these generic characteristics, and their relative importance, with a view to further supporting the work readiness of students completing placements in the district. Method: The study utilised the knowledge and experience of allied health clinical educators, experienced …

Let Me Tell You About A Time: Exploring How Storytelling And Memory Affect Behavioural Interview Performance Ratings, Sara A. Murphy

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Behavioural interviews continue to be a popular selection tool used in industry today. Although the literature finds that behavioural interviews are reliable and valid selection tools, two fundamental elements of behavioural interviewing have been overlooked. Specifically, behavioural interview ratings are based on how much detail candidates retrieve about their experiences as well as their ability to effectively convey those details to interviewers. I hypothesize that autobiographical memory predicts interview performance ratings and that storytelling mediates this relationship. In addition, I expect that the presence of probing questions will moderate the mediated relationship. Study 1 tests these hypotheses using a laboratory …

Clarifying Job Search Clarity: Investigating Job Search As A Self-Regulatory Process, Lisa Kuron

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The central role of goals in facilitating self-regulation throughout the multiple stages of job search has been recognized by scholars and models of the job search process. I argue that despite numerous calls for more research on job search goals, critical questions remain unanswered and that an explicit focus on job search goals can advance the job search literature by enhancing our understanding of job search behaviours and outcomes, while also providing actionable advice for managing the emotional and exhausting process of looking for a job. In this dissertation, I contribute to job search research by identifying gaps in the …

It’S Who You Know That Counts: Board Connectedness And Csr Performance, Abu S. Amin, Lamia Chourou, Syed Kamal, Mahfuja Malik, Yang Zhao

WCBT Faculty Publications

Highlights:

• We examine whether and how board connections affect the firm's corporate social responsibilities (CSR).
• We find that board connectedness is positively associated with CSR performance.
• Our findings suggest firms that operate in a complex business environment or require more advising benefit more from a well-networked board.
• Firms that are poorly governed, have high stock return volatility, low market capitalization, or low institutional ownership tend to benefit more from the well-connected board when the cost of acquiring information is higher.
• In addition, we show that independent directors’ abilities to gather information and resources from their networks can facilitate the transmission …

An Empirical Analysis Of Company Culture: Using Glassdoor Data To Measure The Impact Of Culture And Employee Satisfaction On Performance, Linnea Uyeno

CMC Senior Theses

This paper examines the impact of culture and employee satisfaction on company performance; it considers which elements of culture are most important in specific industries: manufacturing, technology, and finance. Additionally, it explores whether these elements of productive cultures are also associated with employee satisfaction. It uses data from the MIT Sloan Management Review/Glassdoor Culture 500 database, which applied machine learning to analyze 1.2 million Glassdoor reviews. This data quantitatively measures nine dimensions of culture: agility, collaboration, customer focus, diversity, execution, innovation, integrity performance, and respect—assigning each company a score for every cultural dimension. Two depende­­­nt variables are used to measure …

How Adult Learners Participate In Collaborative Learning Within A University Environment, Dennis Keechul Awen

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Innovation and creativity are the “competitive edges” needed for businesses, government agencies, universities, communities, and private individuals to “stay and feel alive” and compete in our global world. Collaborative learning allows the birth of new kinds of thinking and new perspectives. Regardless of age, gender, race, and academic background, innovation and creativity through collaborative learning allows any individual, group, and organization to “jump start their batteries” and create something new. For this research study, I discovered what collaborative learning is, how it works, and what allows collaborative learning to occur.

In this qualitative study, I explored how a group of …

Innovation Within Regulations: Gaining Insight On Cultivating Employee-Led Innovation In California Public-Sector Organizations, Rebecca N. Franklin

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

The inquiry concerned gaining insights into environmental elements needed within California public-sector organizations to increase employees’ willingness to share innovative ideas. Although research exists regarding the need for service innovation and employees as fruitful sources of innovative ideas, there have been limited studies concerning public-sector organizations and the best method to solicit employee ideas. The data collection for this qualitative research study consisted of a series of interviews with front-line, non-supervisory civil servants. The results provide insights and information on how public-sector organizations may foster a culture that promotes and encourages employee-led innovation. The themes that emerged were (a) transparency …

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 …

Do Overall Dimension Ratings From Assessment Centres Show External Construct-Related Validity, Andreja Wirz, Klaus G. Melchers, Martin Kleinmann, Filip Lievens, Hubert Annen, Urs Blum, Pia V. Ingold

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

There have been repeated calls for an external construct validation approach to advance our understanding of the construct-related validity of assessment centre dimension ratings beyond existing internal construct-related validity findings. Following an external construct validation approach, we examined whether linking assessment centre overall dimension ratings to ratings of the same dimensions that stem from sources external to the assessment centre provides evidence for construct-related validity of assessment centre ratings. We used data from one laboratory assessment centre sample and two field samples. External ratings of the same dimensions stemmed from assessees, assessees’ supervisors, and customers. Results converged across all three …

Feminism And Message Alignment Within Girl Scout Camps, Emily Susan Hinrichsen

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

There has been a recent move in the United States for individuals and organizations toactively empower girls and women, provide them with equal opportunities, and help them build confidence. One organization that has been pursuing these goals is Girl Scouts of the USA (GSUSA), and Girl Scout camp is a specific setting in which the organization communicates empowerment, leadership, and inclusion to its members. This study utilized a feminist lens to explore message alignment within GSUSA, focusing on Girl Scout campers and Girl Scout camp staff as two important stakeholders who receive messaging from the organization. The researcher evaluated the …

Workplace Incivility Of Female Managers On Self-Confidence, Self-Awareness, And Self-Esteem Of Female Workers, Dwan L. Bryant

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Workplace incivility has been a focus of scholars since 1999 and a rising phenomenon among women within various organizations. Women represent more than half of the workforce in the United States, indicating that it is very likely that a woman will have a woman manager and/or employee at some time during her work experience. Researchers have demonstrated that women workers are very likely to experience workplace incivility during their work life more than men. Researchers have not yet established how workplace incivility impacts the female workers self-confidence, self-esteem and self-awareness when perpetrated by their female manager. The purpose of this …

Aviation Maintenance Technician Decision-Making, Dominic Hemingway

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Aircraft accidents caused by human decision-making errors cause property loss and fatalities on a global scale in the aviation industry. Aviation repair technician decision-making perceptions influence aviation safety. The purpose of transcendental phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences of aviation repair technicians related to decision-making perceptions regarding aviation safety. The central research question and sub-question focused on the lived experiences of repair technicians’ decision-making perceptions. The naturalistic decision-making framework, decision theories, and decision-making models comprised the lens to assess the impact of aviation maintenance technician decision-making perceptions in aviation safety. Data were collected using semistructured interviews with 12 …

Afterschool Program Directors’ Leadership Challenges In Developing Community Partnerships For Program Sustainability, Dr. Kartina Doretha Jackson-Roberts

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In 2019, researchers reported that 80% of afterschool program directors in high poverty neighborhoods felt insecure about program sustainability. Afterschool program staff serving marginalized populations are also failing to build collaborative community partnerships to offset restricted funding due to inadequate professional training. The purpose of this qualitative narrative inquiry study was to gain a deeper understanding of afterschool program directors’ narratives of daily experiences with leadership challenges in building community partnerships aimed at program sustainability in low-resource communities. This study was framed by 3 concepts focused on afterschool leaders building school–community partnerships: Bourdieu’s concept of social capital, Nocon’s concept of …

An Exploration Of Women Experiences In Leadership Positions Within African Immigrant Churches In The United States, Abraham Simon Obodai Wentum

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Little research has been conducted to understand the experiences of the women in leadership positions in the African immigrant church in the United States. The purpose of the study was to explore the experiences of women in leadership positions in African immigrant churches in the United States to inform efforts toward enhancing representation of women in church leadership. The study used an interpretative phenomenological analysis research approach, guided by Bass and Riggio’s transformational leadership theory. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews with 12 women in leadership positions in African immigrant churches. Thematic analysis was used to analyze data. Women leaders …

Corporate Trainers’ Intent To Adjust Training Programs For Fostering Employee Self-Efficacy, Peter Cronrath

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

To stay current on technology trends, trainers are tasked with providing cost-effective training to meet the needs of the organization. It is not known if to develop employee self-efficacy, organizational trainers should consider making changes to their programs in accordance with (a) generational needs of employees, (b) methodology of training, and (c) position levels of employees in an organization. The purpose of this quantitative cross-sectional correlational study was to determine whether there is a correlation between organizational training professionals’ intent to make changes to training programs and if self-efficacy development is considered in generationally different individuals at different position levels …

Probation And Parole Officers’ Experiences Addressing Criminogenic Needs Of Adult Felony Offenders, Maria L. Stephenson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Probation and parole officers (PPOs) deviate from evidence-based practices implemented to reduce recidivism among adult felony offenders. PPOs fail to adhere to risk-need assessment results during case management, but prior research has not established the reasons for this deviation. This qualitative phenomenological study explored the lived experiences of PPOs implementing the risk needs responsivity (RNR) model by addressing the criminogenic needs of adult felony offenders. The theoretical framework for this study was based on Lipsky’s street-level bureaucracy theory, Becker’s labeling theory, and Andrews and Bonta’s RNR theory. This study involved in-depth, individual, semistructured interviews with 6 participants. The data were …

Strategies For Increasing Employee Productivity In Small Technology Consulting Businesses, Dalinda Yvonne Milne

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Unproductive employees in technology consulting small businesses negatively affect organizational output and profits. Investing in employee productivity is beneficial to ensuring an organization’s ability to improve their profits and sustainability as business leaders have an influential role in identifying and addressing the root causes of employee productivity issues in their organizations. The conceptual framework that grounded this doctoral study was Thomas Gilbert’s behavioral engineering model. The participants in this study consisted of 8 leaders in a Texas technology consulting small business with experience in increasing employee productivity. Data were collected through in-person semistructured interviews and business documents. Methodological triangulation was …

Highly-Skilled Black African Immigrant Women’S Narratives On Healthcare Workplace Experiences And Socioeconomic Integration, Nse Evelyn Obot

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Many highly skilled Black African immigrants are concentrated in low-wage positions among occupations in the healthcare industry. This education–occupation mismatch has contributed to substantial labor market hurdles affecting socioeconomic integration in the host country. The purpose of this qualitative narrative inquiry study was to gain a deeper understanding of highly skilled Black African immigrant women’s daily experiences within the U.S. healthcare workplace and the implication of these experiences on their socioeconomic integration. A qualitative narrative inquiry was conducted involving 7 highly skilled Black African immigrant women in the U.S. healthcare workplace. The study was framed by 2 fundamental concepts: talent …

Black Women Nonprofit Executives’ Use Of Sustainable Funding Strategies In Marginalized Communities, Asakuia Ayoka Wiles-Abel

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Lack of funding resources, inadequate staffing, poor capacity building, and difficulties in attracting individual donors are problems for small Black-led nonprofit organizations. Black women lead a majority of nonprofits in low socioeconomic and under resourced neighborhoods and have deep connections with and cultural awareness of community needs. However, little is known about how Black women leaders of nonprofits employ effective strategies to overcome funding and staff capacity challenges. The purpose of this study, which had resource dependency theory as its foundation, was to examine Black women nonprofit executives’ perceptions of obstacles in securing organizational funding and strategies for overcoming them. …

Managerial Strategies To Encourage Learning From Experience, Olena Khomenko

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In a fast-paced, volatile global economic environment, the ability to learn from successful experiences and failures is critical for the improvement of business performance. The problem is that organizational managers often fail to improve performance because they lack strategies to encourage learning from project teams’ positive and negative experiences. Grounded in the conceptual framework of experiential learning, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore managerial strategies to encourage and facilitate learning from experience in teams. The participants were 7 managers from multinational organizations in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, and Switzerland who had …

Organizational Climate And Employee Engagement, Romie Mejalli

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Although research shows that disengaged employees contribute to increased health and hiring costs in for-profit organizations, there is a gap in the literature concerning the relationship between organizational climate (OC) and employee engagement (EE) in nonprofit organizations (NPOs). In this study, it was hypothesized that employee answers to the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale-17 (UWES-17) and OC surveys (for example, of management styles and innovation) would predict EE in a NPO. The study further addressed the question of whether age or the division in which the employees worked influenced the relationship between OC and EE. Kahn’s engagement theory served as the …

Coalition Sustainability After Federal Funding Is Expended: A Case Study, Shawnee Marie Seese

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Community coalition sustainability has been a focus of scholars as community coalitions deliver vital programs and services for communities in need. Despite the value coalitions bring to U.S. communities, they often become vulnerable after federal funding is expended. Researchers acknowledge the need to build understanding of coalition sustainability and have identified factors that contribute to the sustainability of programs, but studies on the topic remain quite limited. Federal funding requirements are more stringent than in previous years, requiring evidence of sustainability planning, which increases the urgency to identify those elements that ensure sustainability. The purpose of this study was to …

Exploring Challenges And Management Of Multicultural Workforce Organization In Nigeria, Henry Uko Ationu

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The increasing globalization of businesses presents the need for increased understanding of cultural differences in the work place. The central problem addressed in this study was the challenges and management of multicultural workforce organization in Nigeria. The purpose of this qualitative exploratory single case study was to explore misunderstandings and workplace inefficiency related to cultural differences, often resulting in decreased company profitability, and how these can be managed. Social learning theory and the cultural competence framework constituted the theoretical foundation and conceptual framework. Participants consisted of 10 managers of a multicultural insurance company in Nigeria, selected using a combination of …

Guiding The Future Of The Supply Chain With Succession Planning, Dana Martin Beal

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Some supply chain leaders in the transportation sector lack the succession planning strategies needed to fill leadership positions. The failure to create succession planning strategies will negatively impact an organization’s supply chain through tacit knowledge loss. Grounded in the social exchange theory, the purpose of this qualitative exploratory single-case study was to explore the succession planning strategies transportation industry supply chain business leaders use to fill organizational leadership positions to reduce tacit knowledge loss. The participants consisted of 6 supply chain leaders working in the Northeastern region of the United States who successfully utilize succession planning strategies to fill leadership …