Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

More Than Caring: Building A Foundation Of Skills And Competencies To Teach Self-Advocacy In A Female-Dominated Profession, Laura Perri

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

External patriarchal interventions and market-driven forces have limited professional advancements and autonomy of the female-dominated dental hygiene (DH) profession since its foundation. The DH profession defines itself though caring and advocating for public access to its essential services. However, the lack of voice and autonomy are reported causes of DH practitioner burnout and labour shortages. DH education lacks training and foundational skills for self-advocacy. This Dissertation-in-Practice (DiP) explores the organizational context of a South-Western Ontario DH college (SWO College or the school) and addresses a complex problem of practice (PoP) that recognizes the barriers, both past and present, that kept …

Developing And Validating A Measure Of Transformational Followership, Noelle Baird

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Leadership and followership are inherently interdependent, yet research has primarily focused on the unilateral influence of leaders. To advance a more balanced perspective and highlight how followers can positively contribute to the leadership process, I conceptualized and validated a measure of transformational followership. Transformational followership represents leaders’ perceptions of effective followership tendencies that enable productive, generative, and motivating engagements with and for their leader. After conducting a comprehensive literature review of both followership and leadership research, I created an initial item pool which was then subjected to rigorous testing across three distinct phases. Phase 1 leveraged feedback from organizational …

Exploring The Underrepresentation Of Women Coaches In Canadian University Sport, Hayley Finn

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Currently, there are disproportionally few women who hold coaching positions within Canadian university sport. To investigate the gender gap, this dissertation explores the institutional practices that inform women coaches’ working realities. Applying Smith’s (1987) institutional ethnography as a mode of inquiry directed the exploration towards the everyday practices and processes that inform experience, to better understand current barriers and supports in place. In this study, particular attention is given to social relations, which Smith (2005) calls the relations of ruling that coordinate activities and experiences of individuals within organizations. Institutional ethnography aims to explicate these relations of ruling by exploring …

True Leadership Would See Trudeau Attend Nato Summit Virtually As Canadians Await Covid-19 Vaccines, Erika Simpson

Political Science Publications

The text provided highlights criticism of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's attendance at the NATO summit amidst ongoing domestic vaccination efforts. Drawing on the leadership example of Ernest Shackleton, it argues for prioritizing national COVID-19 vaccinations over international summitry. The piece critiques NATO's perceived symbolic nature and lack of substantive debate, contrasting it with Shackleton's leadership style during adversity. It advocates for global vaccine equity and questions the necessity of Trudeau's summit attendance amid completed negotiations.

The Measurement Of Job Satisfaction Among Workplace Leaders: Scale Development And Validation Of The Leader Satisfaction Assessment, Erica A. Sutherland

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

As one of the most well-researched constructs in I/O psychology, the job attitudes literature is saturated with assessments of job satisfaction. However, none of these measures have explicitly examined the nature of job satisfaction among workplace leaders, a subset of employees who have the potential to influence organizations in substantive and meaningful ways. As such, the purpose of this dissertation was to examine the measurement of job satisfaction among leaders. A series of interviews and open-ended survey questionnaires were administered to a diverse group of leaders, employed across a variety of organizations and industries, to identify what facets contributed most …

On Guard For Thee: Global Citizenship And Canada-U.S. Relations, Erika Simpson

Political Science Publications

The article explores the evolving dynamics between Canada and the United States amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, highlighting divergent approaches and their implications for global perception. It contrasts Canada's cooperative, evidence-based response under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau with U.S. policies characterized by isolationism and "me first" strategies. Canada's proactive humanitarian aid efforts, international solidarity initiatives, and commitment to sustainable development goals are emphasized as core elements of its global identity. The piece underscores Canada's bid for a UN Security Council seat, framing it as an opportunity to advocate for multilateralism and solidarity on the world stage.

How Do Leaders Judge What Is A Responsible Course Of Action?, Rita A. Gardiner Ph.D

Education Publications

In this chapter, I ask two interrelated questions. First, how do leaders judge what is a responsible course of action? Second, and relatedly, how do others judge what constitutes responsibility in leadership action? The core argument I put forward is that thinking with Hannah Arendt deepens our comprehension of what it might mean to lead responsibly. She encourages us to recognize that leading in a responsible manner is, above all, a judgment call. From an Arendtian perspective, to judge responsibly entails taking the time to reflect upon a decision so as to weigh up the different sides of an argument. …

We Lost The Security Council Vote In 21 Seconds. Now What?, Erika Simpson

Political Science Publications

The articles reflects on Canada's recent bid for a seat on the UN Security Council, highlighting Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's approach and the international community's response. It critiques Trudeau's diplomatic pause regarding U.S. President Donald Trump and argues that Canada's loss of the seat was due to perceived hesitation and lack of assertiveness on global issues like COVID-19, inclusion, and nuclear proliferation. The piece advocates for Canada to increase its international development aid, bolster peacekeeping efforts, and take a stronger stance on disarmament to enhance its global influence and reputation.

Improving Supports For Diverse Women Entering Executive Roles, Karen E. Pennesi, Ibtesum Afrin, Fattimah Hamam, Badarinarayan Maharaj, Raisa Masud, Luis Meléndez, Natalia Parra, Ashley Piskor

Anthropology Publications

We report on research identifying supports and barriers for women of diverse backgrounds entering executive roles in Canadian organizations. Intersectionality explains how different social categories such as gender, age and ethnoracial identity are interrelated and affect the professional lives of women. Family supports and networking are key to women's success. The COVID-19 pandemic presents both problems and opportunities for working women. This research was conducted as a graduate student project in collaboration with the Women's Executive Network. We offer recommendations for how organizations can better support women entering leadership roles.

Peer Coaching For Leadership Development In The Public Sector: A Case Study From Local Public Health, Tammy Mackinnon

MPA Major Research Papers

Leadership development is critical for the future of public sector organizations. Its impact on employee satisfaction, collaboration and organizational performance has been well documented. But how do we best develop leadership in the public sector? Trends in the literature call for a shift to more shared, distributed approaches which argue that leadership capacity is necessary at all organizational levels, regardless of positional authority. This study will examine the efficacy of a peer coaching model at imbedding leadership capacity throughout the layers of an organizational structure. Using a case study of leadership development in local public health, this study contributes to …

Leadership On The Ropes: How Hostile Followership Affects Leadership Behaviour, Noelle Baird

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The current study examined the effect of followership on leadership behaviours, and whether leaders’ responses to hostile followership varies as a function of individual differences. This study used a randomized controlled between-subjects experimental design. Participants were assigned to the role of either the “team leader” or a “team member”. As the focal manipulation, participants were assigned to a hostile followership condition or a control condition. In these two conditions, a confederate either antagonized and challenged the leader’s ideas (i.e., hostile followership) or engaged in neutral behaviours (i.e., control condition) throughout a virtually-mediated group decision-making task. Support was found for the …

Leading Canada's Cities? A Study Of Urban Mayors, Kate Graham

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

How powerful are Canada’s big city mayors? Do mayors have the power to lead in Canada’s cities? What does mayoral power in Canada look like, and what can we learn about Canadian urban politics by examining it?

This project explores these and other questions by engaging in the first broad study of urban mayors in Canada. It is often said that Canada has “weak” mayors, or a “weak mayor system” – terms borrowed from an American context referring to the limited executive power of Canadian mayors relative to many of their American peers. This study examines the Canadian mayoralty in …

Participatory Action Research Examining The Role Of Physical Activity In Mentoring For Resilience, Francesca Gable

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This study examined the use of physical activity-based mentorship programs to positively influence student mental health and resilience in post-secondary institutions. The process of relationship building was observed through regularly implemented physical activity interactions over time. The purpose was to determine the ability of a physical activity-based mentorship relationship to positively influence student resilience. A participatory action research methodology was used to engage with a population of ninety undergraduate Kinesiology students (30 mentors:60 protégés) over an eight-month period. Sixty interviews and thirteen focus groups were conducted, and fifteen-hundred pages of journal reflections were consulted to further understand the relationship building …

Hannah And Her Sisters: Theorizing Gender And Leadership Through The Lens Of Feminist Phenomenology, Rita A. Gardiner Ph.D

Education Publications

This article explores how feminist phenomenology can add conceptual richness to gender and leadership theorizing. Although some leadership scholars engage with phenomenological and existential inquiry, feminist phenomenology receives far less attention. By addressing this critical gap in the scholarship, this article illustrates how feminist phenomenology can enrich gender and leadership scholarship. Specifically, by engaging with the work of four women existential phenomenologists - Hannah Arendt, Simone de Beauvoir, Iris Marion Young, and Sara Ahmed, the rich diversity of phenomenological inquiry is explored. First, Arendt shows the benefits of conceptualizing leadership as collective action, rather than as concentrated in one person, …

Character In Leadership: Perceptions Of Canadian Intercollegiate Athletics Administrators, William Z. Weese

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Despite the importance of administrative leadership in high performance sport, minimal attention has been given to the area of leader character by sport management researchers. The current study examined the prevalence, perceived importance, and value of leader character within Canadian interuniversity athletics programs. Leader character was quantitatively measured using the Leader Character Insight Assessment (LCIA) instrument (Crossan et al., 2013a). Differences between sex, position, and experience were also examined. Overall, Accountability and Integrity were the most prevalent leader character dimensions. Sex of administrators did not yield any significant differences between dimensions. Athletic Directors perceived Transcendence to be more important to …

Library Sector Leadership: Bridging Theory And Practice, Melanie Mills, Charlotte Innerd

Western Libraries Presentations

Explore the issue of leadership in libraries with one current student and one graduate of The University of Victoria's Professional Graduate Certificate in Library Sector Leadership. Looking specifically at Kouzes and Posner's 'Five Practices of Exemplary Leaders' and Quinn et al.'s 'Competing Values Framework', we hope to share our own discoveries and insights and add to the important discussion of leadership in Libraries.