Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Leading From The Field: Funded International Nongovernmental Organizations And The Participatory Development Of Long-Term Impact Assessments, Geary A. Cox Ii

Dissertations, 2014-2019

Leaders of international nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) must contend with multiple accountability regimes while balancing responsibilities to stakeholders. While many accountability mechanisms are donor-led, this study sought to understand the capacity that NGOs have as agents of change to influence measurement and evaluations activities. The study focused on NGO applications submitted to a donor-government during competitive award announcements for conventional weapons destruction activities.

Using a parallel convergent mixed methods approach, this study examined the ways in which NGO leaders develop their organizations’ capacity to implement long-term impact assessments. A direct entry logistic regression of applications showed evidence of organizational characteristics influencing …

The Ei Leadership Model: From Theory And Research To Real World Application, Kelly Dyjak Leblanc

Dissertations, 2014-2019

Whether a leader or the led, we all can point to examples of ineffective leadership – poor decision making, a lack of vision, inattention to morale, ineffective communication, systemic tendencies toward obstruction, and so forth. Similarly, most of us can identify characteristics that we do and do not esteem in the leaders we have known. The consequences of not attending to what actually is happening at these deep, complex, and interacting levels can mean the difference between success and failure from a leadership and organizational standpoint. The overarching purpose of applying the present leadership model to a real world organizational …

Developmental Evaluation: Complexity Leadership Theory In Practice-A Mixed Methods Study, Terrence S. Fernsler

Dissertations, 2014-2019

Networks of organizations frequently operate within complex adaptive systems in which leadership is practiced in uncertain and ambiguous conditions. Background in complexity theories is first provided, along with how they apply to organizations operating in complex adaptive systems. A theory—Complexity Leadership Theory (CLT)—has been derived to model leadership in complex adaptive systems; CLT has been tested very little in practice. Developmental Evaluation (DE) is a practice which helps organizations and their networks adapt within complex adaptive systems. Since both processes are based in complexity, leadership characteristics in each can be expected to be similar.

This exploratory mixed methods study incorporates …

Leader Self-Efficacy In Youth Leader Development: A Mixed Methods Study, Christopher J. Rehm

Dissertations, 2014-2019

Leader self-efficacy (LSE) is a construct studied in adults and college students which is associated with leader emergence, individual performance, and group performance. This mixed methods dissertation examines LSE in an eighth grade student population to determine if it can be impacted by a leader development intervention during this sensitive period of human growth. Both quantitative and qualitative methods demonstrate the effectiveness of the programming in impacting youth LSE. This holds significant implications for future educational practice, research, and the development of the next generation of leaders. A five item youth LSE scale was created which can aid in further …

Argument Education In Higher Education: A Validation Study, Paul E. Mabrey Iii

Dissertations, 2014-2019

Argument education can play an important role in higher education for leadership development and responding to increasing calls for post-secondary accountability. But to do so, argumentation teachers, scholars, and practitioners need to develop a clearer definition and research agenda for the purposes of teaching and assessing argumentation. The research conducted here contributes to this project by first establishing a definitional construct and observable behaviors associated with learning and practicing argumentation. Second, an argument education assessment instrument was created based off of the literature-supported definition of argumentation. Third, debate and argument education subject matter experts reviewed the definition, behaviors, and assessment …

Mepi, Bevi, And Ei Leadership: Implications And Applications For Global Leadership Assessment And Development, Whitney Giesing

Dissertations, 2014-2019

Across multiple settings, individuals who assume organizational leadership roles may find themselves grappling with unique opportunities to influence meaningful change. The complexities of such processes become especially apparent in a global context where multiple dynamics must be navigated simultaneously and skillfully. What variables are associated with greater or lesser effectiveness in these global leadership roles? Can such processes be measured in an ecologically valid manner? What might we learn about the cultivation of global leadership by an examination of such interacting intricacies? This dissertation sought to answer these questions by reviewing and applying existing global leadership theories and the Equilintegration …

Nonprofit Leadership: A Study Of Governance Changes Over Time, Daisha M. Merritt

Dissertations, 2014-2019

This is a leadership study understood through board governance in nonprofit organizations. The study sought to discover if there were indicators of coercive institutional isomorphism occurring in human service nonprofit organizations in the United States. IRS 990 tax forms were compiled from 2008- 2012 to determine if there were increasing levels of reported governance practices. Methodology included factor analysis, comparison of means, trend analysis, and regression models. Results indicated that there is an overall trend of increasing reported practices of governance in human service nonprofit organizations. Board size is the most significant indicator associated with changes in reported governance practices. …

Transformational Leadership And Resilience, African-American Women Nonprofit Leaders: A Mixed-Methods Study, Donovan Branche

Dissertations, 2014-2019

African-American women represent an untapped resource and bring with them transformational characteristics and resilience that are vital to the increasingly complex world of nonprofit leadership. The black feminist standpoint argues that black women have experienced years of oppression via sexism, racism, and classism. Despite this, many have endured and exceled. The nonprofit sector operates for the public good and accounts for about 5.5% of the United State’s gross domestic product. This important sector will lose about 75% of its leaders in the next few years due to the retirement of baby boomers. It is crucial that nonprofits consider the next …

Changes In Leadership Self-Efficacy, Leader Identity, Capacity For Socially Responsible Leadership, And Curiosity Due To A Structured Leader Development Program, Lori K. Pyle

Dissertations, 2014-2019

As the study of leadership evolves, it is vital to consider adult development; specifically student leadership development. This study examined changes over time in undergraduate students’ leadership self-efficacy, leader identity, and socially responsible leadership capacity. As a component of motivation to learn, curiosity breadth and depth were included to explore how the “positive approach to new information” relates to individual leader growth. This research helps explain how leader identity fits into a student leader development model as an outcome and as a contributor to future leader identity growth and engagement with leadership tasks. A combination of longitudinal and cross-sectional designs …