Organizational Behavior and Theory Commons^™

Complex System Governance As A Framework For Asset Management, Polinpapilinho F. Katina, James C. Pyne, Charles B. Keating, Dragan Komljenovic

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Faculty Publications

Complex system governance (CSG) is an emerging field encompassing a framework for system performance improvement through the purposeful design, execution, and evolution of essential metasystem functions. The goal of this study was to understand how the domain of asset management (AsM) can leverage the capabilities of CSG. AsM emerged from engineering as a structured approach to organizing complex organizations to realize the value of assets while balancing performance, risks, costs, and other opportunities. However, there remains a scarcity of literature discussing the potential relationship between AsM and CSG. To initiate the closure of this gap, this research reviews the basics …

Understanding Successful Strategies Human Service First-Level Managers Utilize When Addressing Workplace Incivility, Mary Elizabeth Barlow

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The social problem of workplace incivility is a well-researched issue that impacts employees, work groups, and organizations across the nation. The purpose of this study was to understand how first-level human service managers describe employee turnover in relation to workplace incivility and what first-level human service managers view as successful strategies they have used to address workplace incivility. The theoretical framework utilized for this study was incivility spiral theory, as described by Andersson and Pearson. The purpose of this generic qualitative study was to gain an understanding of successful strategies that first-level human service managers utilize when addressing workplace incivility …

Empowerment, Personality, And Leader-Member Exchange Quality In Physicians, Tony S. Reed

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Nearly 100,000 people suffer injury or death each year due to errors in the United States healthcare system. Researchers have identified that empowerment by physicians can address this significant social issue. Despite this knowledge, qualifications to empowering behaviors in physicians have not been identified. A quantitative nonexperimental correlation approach was used to determine the role that personality type and high-quality leader-member exchange may play in the physician’s ability to create empowerment at academic medical centers in the United States. The theoretical framework of empowering leadership, Jung’s psychological types, and leader-member exchange quality informed the research design and contributed to the …

The Effect Of Victim’S Responses To Coercive Sexual Harassment On Bystander Intentions And Moral Perceptions, Inna M. Learn

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Female graduate students are targets of coercive sexual harassment (SH) three times more than female undergraduates; 67.8% of their harassers were university faculty. While SH victims expected peer support, peers often socially rejected female victims of coercive SH. Gray and Wegner’s theory of dyadic morality and Bowes-Sperry and O’Leary-Kelly’s bystander response model guided this quantitative study to examine the effect of victim response on helping intentions by peers. After reading the same vignette that described coercive SH, 207 student participants read one of four randomly assigned victim’s responses: victim did nothing, directly confronted the professor during the incident, sought peer …

Exploring Systemic Collaboration Across Organizational Strata Within Public Schools’ Improvement Systems, Lori L. Foltz-Rea

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Despite government policies and reform efforts, the adoption of improvement systems that include collaborative practices has failed to increase student achievement as measured on Ohio’s state report cards for public school districts that have implemented the Ohio Improvement Process. Systemic, collaborative practices hold promise, but a gap existed in understanding how members engaged in collaborative practices across the organization. The study's purpose was to qualitatively explore principals’, teachers’, and district-level administrative members’ behaviors, perceptions, and practices across one Ohio school district’s three organizational strata associated with teaching and learning to discover how collaborative practices influence continuous improvement. Gronn’s leadership distribution …

Leverage Psychological Factors Associated With Lapses In Cybersecurity In Organizational Management, Chad Holm

Cybersecurity Undergraduate Research Showcase

With computers being a standard part of life now with the evolution of the internet, many aspects of our lives have changed, and new ways of thinking must come. One of the biggest challenges in most cyber security problems is not related to the software or the hardware; it is the people that are using the computers to access the data and communicate with others, where the hackers could simply find a weak entry point that naturally exists and a weak link caused by human hands. The human factor as an “insider threat” will affect unauthorized access, credentials stealing, and …

Lived Experience Of Geographically Dispersed Employees In The Absence Of Shared-Air Organizational Interactions, Tommie Ann Saragas

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of employees choosing an off-site employment option increased annually. During COVID-19-related work-life modifications, many organizations worldwide were required to transition to a geographically dispersed, off-site workforce. While some individuals may enjoy the flexibility, convenience, and work-life balance of a geographically dispersed position, there is a need for organizations and employees to explore how workers perceive social support, experience feeling valued by and connected with leaders and team members and are impacted by technology and virtual interactions for those who work wholly off-site or at such a distance that face-to-face organizational interactions are not …

Leadership Styles Of Millennials And Organizational Effectiveness In Business Consulting Organizations In Lebanon, Hiba Hamade

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractThe engagement of millennials in organizations today is growing fast, and they are expected to be major change makers in organizations by 2025. The purpose of this quantitative study was to explore how leadership styles of millennials and gender influence organizational outcomes in terms of extra effort, effectiveness, and satisfaction in business consulting organizations in Lebanon. The theoretical framework was based on the full range leadership model developed by Bass and Avolio. This model focuses on three different leadership styles: transformational, transactional, and laissez-faire. Organizational outcomes is a composite of three subscales including extra effort, satisfaction, and effectiveness. This quantitative …

Alterations In Crime And The Ferguson Effect: An Analysis Of Crime Trends In The St. Louis, Mo Metropolitan Area, Robin Christine Lohman

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The Ferguson Effect, which has resulted in de-policing or disengaging from proactive community policing in response to increased violence against police since 2014 and fear of civil liability, has led to increases in crime and attacks on law enforcement officers. Previous research focused on exploring law enforcement officers’ perceptions of media and public scrutiny, crime rates, self-legitimacy, and willingness to engage in community relations. No studies identified have attempted to predict the source of the Ferguson Effect and its effect on crime. Moreover, no studies have conducted a time-series analysis of crime and de-policing focusing solely on the St. Louis, …

Using Design Thinking For Organizational Development And Addressing Change, Keith Tadao Matsumoto

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Organizations that lack competitiveness may not survive changes in market conditions due to the inability to understand customer needs and problems. Small business leaders who do not address customer needs, identify market changes, and market demands may not maintain competitiveness. Grounded in the design thinking framework, the purpose of this qualitative single case study was to explore organizational development processes used by small business leaders to address evolving market conditions and maintain competitiveness. The participants included five executive management team members from one organization in Hawaii who used effective organizational development processes to manage evolving market conditions and maintain competitiveness. …

Personal Initiative Differences Between Combat Arms And Non-Combat Arms Field Grade Officers, Gregory Morris Thomas

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Senior U.S. Army leaders have indicated shortcomings in personal initiative (PI) among Army officers, especially between combat arms and non-combat arms field grade officers. PI is a critical contributor to individual and organizational effectiveness and to the Army’s approach to command and control. However, the Army does not measure PI differences. This quantitative causal-comparative study involved an online, Self-Report Initiative Scale (SRIS) to measure PI. The target population was U.S. Army field grade officers attending resident Command and General Staff School between August 2020 and June 2021. The study used three research questions to address differences in PI scores between …

Exploring How Organizations Ensure The Hiring Process Is Conducted Appropriately To Avoid Legal Issues, Natashia Stafford - Cotton

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The overall research problem of interest in this study was the need for human resource (HR) leaders and hiring managers (HMs) to conform to a wide array of complex state and federal legal requirements concerning hiring practices. Therefore, the purpose of this qualitative study was two-fold: (a) to understand how HR leaders can ensure that ethically and legally acceptable hiring practices are used in their organizations and (b) to identify the perceptions of the employee selection procedures and legal defensibility of HR personnel and HMs in Northern California in order to develop timely and informed answers to the study’s research …

Strategic Planning In Small Nonprofit Behavioral Health Organizations, Amanda Machamer Becker

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Rural communities in the United States depend on small community-based nonprofits to provide access to food, nutrition, transportation, and other social determinants of health. Despite this essential role, some leaders of small nonprofits forgo participating in strategic planning because they believe that the process can be time consuming and expensive. Strategic planning may help organizations of any size to be organized, mission focused, outcome based, and successful. The strategic planning process helps to identify which outcomes demonstrate effectiveness and increase program sustainability. The purpose of this study was to explore the ways that strategic planning may assist small rural community-based …

Examining The Antecedents Of Employee Engagement, Andrea E. Moore

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Highly engaged employees have a positive impact on organizational results, which means that understanding how to increase employee engagement is important. Performance management is one area that is believed to positively impact employee engagement, but current research is not conclusive as to how much individual performance management activities impact employee engagement. Using social exchange theory and self-determination theory as theoretical guides, this study examined if 5 performance management activities (goal setting, feedback, developmental opportunities, performance appraisals, and a climate of trust) are predictors of employee engagement. Using a cross-sectional survey design, full-time, U.S.-based employees at organizations with more than 1,000 …

Principals' Leadership Style As A Predictor Of School Climate In Urban High Schools In Baltimore, Kelly Alicia Watson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

To improve student achievement in urban public schools with high poverty, it is important to address specific leadership styles (i.e., transformational, transactional, and passive-avoidant leadership styles) in relationship to their school climate. The purpose of this multivariate correlational study, framed by leadership theory, was to investigate the relationship between principals' leadership and school climate as perceived by high school teachers in an urban school district. The relationship between three predictor variables (average class size, years of experience of the teacher, and leadership style) and one criterion variable (school climate) was examined. The Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire was used to measure leadership …

A Multicase Study Of Critical Success Factors Of Self-Service Business Intelligence Initiatives, Eva Shepherd

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Information technology (IT) managers have sparse information on the critical success factors (CSFs) needed for self-service business intelligence (SSBI) initiatives among casual users. The purpose of this qualitative, multicase study was to describe Business Intelligence (BI) experts’ views on the CSFs needed for self-service BI initiatives among casual users in the post-implementation stage. To meet this purpose, a multicase study design was used to collect data from a purposeful sample of 10 BI experts. Semistructured interviews, archival data, and reflective field notes drove the credibility of the multicase study’s findings through data triangulation. Two conceptual models framed this study: Lennerholt …

Navigating The Human Side Of Workplace Conflict: A Comparative Study Of Organizational Ombuds' Similarities And Differences, Linda Kovack

Department of Conflict Resolution Studies Theses and Dissertations

Navigating the human side of workplace conflict poses challenges. A gap in knowledgeexists within an alternative dispute resolution option known as the organizational ombuds. Prior research referenced the ombuds' perception of his/her own role and functionality yet did not explore ombuds in differing organizational sectors. The research I explored was: What are the similarities and differences among and between ombuds in employment environments of higher education, the public or private sector, and the federal government? To address this question, I presented comprehensive case study profiles on a total of 8 organizations: 3 in higher education, 3 in the federal government, …

Covid-10, Healthcare Interior Design + Provider Experience - How Does Your Space Work For You?, Ruth E.P. Deibler

Graduate Research Posters

The lack of research on healthcare staff experience and interior design of the spaces they work in is evident. A focus on staff perspective is needed, particularly staff who navigated the COVID-19 pandemic. This research seeks to capture those stories to develop further research in order to improve staff experience. The initial phase of this mixed-methods approach is a survey. Hypothetically, by placing providers at the center of qualitative research related to healthcare interior design, we can better understand existing healthcare spaces. Ideally, we can develop additional evidence-based, human-centered solutions to transform interior environments in healthcare.

The 20-year Women’s Health …

The Benefits Of Evidence Based Practices In Public Administration: Does Therapeutic Listening Training Increase Emotional Intelligence To Affect Change Management Outcomes In Public And Private Sector Organizations, John Sillup

West Chester University Doctoral Projects

Abstract

This doctoral dissertation considers change management as it relates directly to evidence-based practices in public administration. The problem under study was the lack of scholarly research on the effect of an administrative leader’s emotional intelligence (EI) has on follower self-efficacy during change management. This study provided findings on the effect of therapeutic listening training as a means to increase emotional intelligence to potentially affect change management outcomes in public and private sector organizations. Change management is a systematic and structured process of developing and implementing strategies and interventions for organizations transitioning from current state to a desired state. The …

Too Illegit To Quit: The Impact Of Illegitiate Tasks On Turnover Intentions And Well-Being, Jacob Wessels

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Illegitimate tasks are a contemporary workplace stressor characterized by perceived violations of norms about what can reasonably be expected to do in the workplace. Based on the “Stress-as-Offense-to-Self” (SOS) theory, the assignment of illegitimate tasks lead to feelings of disrespect and threatening to one’s professional identity, which is inherently stressful. The stressor has been linked to numerous strain outcomes, but the underlying mechanisms explaining how or why these relationships occur has seldomly been addressed in the literature. The present study examined whether illegitimate tasks were positively related to intentions to quit via organizational identity, negatively related to work engagement via …

Relevance Of Personality In Perceptions Of Abusive Supervision: A Multilevel Analysis, Jaime Leigh Williams

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation is to determine the relevance of personality of both the supervisor and subordinate in the perception of abusive supervision. A report published in 2014 found that 27% of U.S. workers – comprising over 65 million people – have claimed to suffer from some form of abusive behavior perpetrated by their leaders, such as repeated intimidation, humiliation, and verbal abuse (Workplace Bullying Institute; Zoeby International, 2014). However, researchers have not determined whether the differences in the perceptions of abusive supervision is driven by the cognitive biases of the individual subordinates or the trait driven behaviors of …

Exploring And Expanding The Utility Of Cultural Distance: A Multi-National Analysis, Daniel Wiegert

Wayne State University Dissertations

In the current study, I utilized multiple cultural constructs to create and compare the utility of various forms of cultural distance as a predictor of national-culture-level outcomes, aggregated across multiple countries (i.e., a novel term: “Aggregated Cultural Distance”, hereafter ACD). ACD was first conceptualized in the current study by utilizing the nine Global Leader and Organizational Behavior Effectiveness (hereafter Project GLOBE) Societal Values dimensions in the calculation of ACD. I incrementally added and compared Project GLOBE’s Societal Practices and Tightness-Looseness scores (i.e., norms) to the Values ACD construct in predicting self-isolationist leadership behaviors (i.e., Project GLOBE’s Autonomous and Self-Protective leadership …

The Impact Of Job Stressors On Psychological Detachment And Experienced Recovery From The Workplace During Nonwork Hours, Tiffany Scott Ellerbee

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Job stressors and the inability to psychologically detach from work during nonwork hours is a growing problem in the United States. When an employee is unable to psychologically detach from work and recover from the job stressors, it may negatively affect the employees’ performance, job satisfaction, health and well-being. The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the impact of job stressors on psychological detachment and experienced recovery from the workplace during nonwork hours. This study was based on two theoretical frameworks: Conservation of Resources (COR) theory and Effort-Recovery (E-R) theory. The COR theory is a stress theory that …

An Empirical Examination Of The Impact Of Organizational Injustice And Negative Affect On Attitude And Non-Compliance With Information Security Policy, Celestine Kemah

CCAC Theses and Dissertations

Employees’ non-compliance with Information Security (IS) policies is an important socio-organizational issue that represents a serious threat to the effective management of information security programs in organizations. Prior studies have demonstrated that information security policy (ISP) violation in the workplace is a common significant problem in organizations. Some of these studies have earmarked the importance of this problem by drawing upon cognitive processes to explain compliance with information security policies, while others have focused solely on factors related to non-compliance behavior, one of which is affect. Despite the findings from these studies, there is a dearth of extant literature that …

Perceiving Organization As An Entity : The Relationship Of Entitativity And Organizational Justice Perception, Wei Zhuang

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Entitativity is an important group construct that has received little attention in the organizational psychology literature. The current study based on 343 employed individuals explores the potential role of entitativity perceptions of organizations on the relationship between justice perceptions and employees’ emotional and behavioral reactions. Results of a three-wave survey study suggest that entitativity perceptions are positively associated with employees’ experienced gratitude toward organizations but have no relationship with employees experienced anger toward organizations. In addition, this study provides evidence that positive emotions can mediate the effect of justice perceptions on positive behavioral outcomes, and negative emotions can mediate the …

Federal Employee Views Across Administrations: An Examination Of The 2010 Obama And 2018 Trump Leadership Capital And The Perceptions Of The Agency Employees, Dimple Sunayna Johnson

West Chester University Doctoral Projects

One of the many responsibilities of the president is the management of the expansive federal government. From agenda planning to reform implementation, a political leader can impact the federal employees’ job role. The federal government, however, does not administer alone, top-down mandates are managed by tiers of management, with the front-line supervisors acting as the liaison to federal employees. Understanding a president’s leadership capital alongside the federal employee perceptions of job satisfaction and supervisory support can provide opportunities to gain insight into establishing and maintaining a public sector landscape that is effective and efficient.

The study consisted of a quantitative …

Puerto Rico School Administrators’ Authentic Leadership And Turnover Intent Moderated By Supervisor Support, Cristal Vazquez Davila

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The turnover rates of Puerto Rican high school teachers continue to increase and have an adverse effect not only on the quality of education but also on the budget of Puerto Rico’s Department of Education (PRDE). By examining the factors of perceived supervisor support and authentic leadership influencing teachers’ turnover intentions, steps can be taken to reduce the turnover rates. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between school administrators’ authenticity and the turnover intentions of a sample of high school teachers employed by the PRDE. The framework was based on social exchange theory, authentic leadership theory, …

Leadership Styles For Creating Shared Value In Small And Medium-Sized Enterprises, Joshua Oisedebame Ilevbare

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Lack of alignment between leadership style and strategy contributes to the failure of many small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) leaders to realize their potential for creating shared value (CSV). Aligning leadership styles with CSV strategies improves the ability of Nigerian SME leaders to create economic and social value for all stakeholders of their enterprise. Using four contingency theories of leadership as a conceptual framework, the purpose of this multiple case study was to explore strategies SME leaders use for aligning leadership style and business strategy for CSV. The participants comprised 11 owners or senior managers from four SMEs in the …

Critical Factors That Influence Job Attitudes Among Employees In The Disaster Management Sector, Leslie Myers Mccall

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Professional attitudes toward results-oriented performance cut across job sectors; however, they are pronounced among disaster management personnel. Within the disaster management sector (DMS), commitment to the organization is critical to retention and quality services and has been shown to be related to degree of work satisfaction; however, research remains lacking related to the specific needs of the DMS related to employee and volunteer worker attraction, engagement, and retention. The purpose of this study was to explore job attitudes among disaster management sector (DMS) workers to create and support a more effective solution to employee job attitude problems and to promote …

Board Of Director Composition: An Examination Of How Director Age And Board Innovation Committees Impact Corporate Social And Financial Performance, Sami Ghaddar

2021

This dissertation explores how director age affects a firm’s social domain, and how board-level oversight of firms’ innovation activities affects financial performance. Specifically, the dissertation points to board configurations that can potentially improve social and financial performance. The first chapter reviews the literature by examining two research streams linking board composition to corporate social performance (CSP) and innovation. The chapter presents the theoretical and empirical underpinnings of these two streams. It details the descriptive and thematic findings and offers an understanding of the different contexts in which board composition relates to both CSP and innovation. This chapter also discusses inconsistencies …