Leadership Studies Commons^™

Which Virtues Are 'The' Virtues? A Rank-Ordered Analysis Of Virtues In Leadership, Maegan L. Winegar

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The current research study was conducted from an Aristotelian and Christian understanding of virtue within leadership. Nineteen virtues were identified in the literature review and discussed as essential for living a life of eudaimonia or flourishing. Within the literature review, a gap was identified in the discrepancy between how the general public conceptualizes virtue and how philosophers, psychologists, and theologists understand virtue. Additionally, scientific research in leadership is inconsistent in the operationalization of virtue, which limits the ability to research virtues in leadership validly and reliably. Therefore, this study provided the general public with an online survey of 19 virtues …

Does Ai Help Or Harm? Why And How Ai Use Influences Workplace Outcomes And Employee Well-Being, Haille Trimboli, Reka Lassu

Education Division Scholarship

Although the recent surge in excitement surrounding artificial intelligence (AI) might suggest it is a new development, AI has been applied in organizations for over forty years (Fanti et al., 2022; Markelius et al., 2024). Indeed, the term "artificial intelligence" itself emerged in the 1950s during a research project at Dartmouth College, where it was used to describe "machines able to simulate human intelligence" (Haenlein & Kaplan, 2019, p. 3). Most recently, in 2022, the landscape of AI use for laypeople greatly changed when OpenAI introduced ChatGPT, a generative AI tool, to the public; ChatGPT is an advanced AI language …

Power And Influence: A Media Analysis Of Toxic Leadership In Michael Scott & Jordan Belfort, Lily M. Garrison, Aidan Hammond

SACAD: Scholarly Activities

For our SACAD presentation, we were given the task of looking at and analyzing two toxic leaders from various types of media, this could be from books, movies, television shows, or video games. The purpose of this was to look at the various traits these people have that make them classified as toxic leaders. For our examples, we chose to analyze Jordan Belfort, specifically from the movie, “The Wolf of Wall Street”(M. Scorsese, 2013). As well as Michael Scott from “The Office”(A. Greene, 2005). The theme that connects these two is as simple as being business people, they are each …

Manipulation And Power: A Comparative Analysis Of Toxic Leadership In Mean Girls And The Hunger Games, Madeline G. Schlyer, Kerstin R. Brown

SACAD: Scholarly Activities

This project employs a qualitative media analysis to compare two toxic leaders, Regina George from Mean Girls (2004) and President Snow from The Hunger Games series. Both characters exhibit manipulative leadership tactics to maintain control in different social contexts. Regina, the dominant queen bee of her high school, leads The Plastics through emotional manipulation and fear tactics. She employs a transactional leadership style, offering social rewards for compliance and punishing lack of agreement with exclusion. Her leadership is rooted in a need for validation, using her followers to reinforce her own status. In contrast, President Snow rules through violence and …

Workshop Series: Reflections On An Emerging Leadership Journey, Sanjay D. Paul

Doctor of Strategic Leadership (DSL) Capstone Abstracts

Defense Date

April 1, 2025

Candidate Name

Sanjay Paul

Personal Email Address

[email protected]

First Advisor

Dr. Emile Hawkins

Second Advisor

Dr. Debra Dean

DSL Final Project Abstract

Project Type

Global Conference Presentation

Project Overview

Reflections on an Emerging Leadership Journey is a PowerPoint presentation (of approximately 3 hours and 15 minutes) which designed to connect glo al interests in a way that can share best practices across an interdisciplinary front. Sanjay Paul shares ideas, observations, educational, volunteer, and professional experiences, along with his growth in the leadership journey. This journey can serve as a catalyst for others who are on …

Promoting Student-Led Advocacy Initiatives In Graduate Programs: A Narrative Review Of The Literature, Nawar Albarak

Great Lakes Regional Counseling Psychology Conference

Student-led advocacy is essential for driving change, minimizing oppression, and fostering leadership and critical-thinking skills that strengthen socially conscious professionals. This narrative review examines institutional support, intersectionality, and inclusive practices, proposing strategies to overcome barriers, empower diverse voices, and reinforce an ongoing commitment to equitable progress in higher education contexts.

Development Of A Comprehensive Social-Emotional Learning Questionnaire For Elementary After-School Physical Activity Programs, Kelly L. Simonton, Mengyi Wei, Pamela Kulinna, Allison Poulos

Journal of Youth Development

Afterschool settings have continued to be identified as an ideal outlet for supporting youth development in many arenas, including physical activity (PA) behaviors and social emotional learning (SEL) skills. In fact, PA centered programs are ideal settings for youth to 8 develop and practice SEL skills in authentic ways. However, there a several issues as it relates to understanding the impact of said programs. This includes reliable measures of youth perceptions of their SEL skills, the diverse ability of learners who may attend these programs, and the age range of learners. Given the realities of evaluating youth development in real-world …

Development And Validation Of The Youth Programs-Community Education Environment Scale (Yp-Cees), Francesca Adler-Baeder, Alyssa Mcelwain, Julianne Mcgill, Kim Gregson

Journal of Youth Development

The current study focused on establishing the factor structure, reliability, discriminant validity, and construct validity of the Youth Programs – Community Education Environment Scale (YP – CEES) using a large diverse sample of 1,969 youth participating in relationship education programs in multi-session workshops facilitated by trained facilitators. Six subscales were developed based on the extant literature: facilitation quality, facilitator-participant relationship quality, cofacilitator relationship quality, facilitator coregulation skills, individual connection, and group engagement. Cronbach’s alpha reliability indicated high reliabilities for the total scale and the subscales. Confirmatory factor analyses established the factor structure with good model fit for a 6-factor measure. …

How Much Is Enough? Dosage And Duration In 4-H Developmental Contexts, Sarah N. August-Henry, Amy M. Leman, Jacinda K. Dariotis

Journal of Youth Development

While research abounds on the outcomes of out-of-school time programs for youth, most studies focus on programs with similar profiles or within the same program category, leaving a notable gap in examining youth experiences across programs with different delivery modes. The current research investigated the perceived experiences of youth in two programs, 4-H community clubs and 4-H camps. Using the 4-H Thriving Model, the study assessed perceptions of the programs’ developmental contexts on three program elements including youth sparks, sense of belonging, and relationships with adults. Data for the study was collected through surveys conducted in 2019 among 4-H community …

Positive Outcomes Of Out-Of-School Time Activity Participation For Youth: A Pattern-Centered Approach, Alexandra Sandoval, Edmond P. Bowers

Journal of Youth Development

Youth participation in community-based, structured out-of-school time programs (OST) has been found to promote positive developmental outcomes by providing youth with resources to build interpersonal relationships and essential life skills. The increasing prevalence and multiplicity of youth participation in these activities leads us to expand the research evidence regarding the relation between program participation and positive youth development, with a focus on identifying nuanced patterns of OST participation that consider the breadth and frequency of activities across different types of programs. We apply this pattern-centered approach to analyzing how and for whom these activities may promote youth academic competence and …

Sparks And Developmental Outcomes In Out-Of-School Time Programs: Emipirical Evidence And Theory Development, Alexandra Skrocki, Gary D. Ellis, Andrea Ettekal, Darlene Locke

Journal of Youth Development

We examined relations among select components of the 4-H Thriving Model, focusing on youth sparks and four presumed determinants: program quality, developmental relationships, situational engagement, and dosage. Based on our results and results of previous studies, we propose a formal theory of youth program sparks. Three hundred fifty-six Texas 4-H youth from a variety of 4-H programs state-wide completed a questionnaire measuring sparks, program quality, developmental relationships, situational engagement, and 4-H program dosage. We measured two indicators of thriving: growth mindset and hopeful purpose. Sixty-eight percent of study participants reported being female, 28% reported being male, 1% reported being nonbinary/third …

Metacognition And The 5cs Of Positive Youth Development Programs: A Review Of Metacognitive Interventions, Omolola A. Odejimi, Leslie F. Clark

Journal of Youth Development

Positive youth development (PYD) programs have increased positive outcomes for adolescents, however research on the underlying change processes in these programs remains limited. The 5Cs (Competence, Confidence, Character, Caring and Connection) of PYD are a framework of desirable outcomes for youth programs. Change to metacognition is proposed as a mechanism by which PYD programming accomplishes these outcomes. This review describes findings from metacognitive interventions with PYD-relevant outcomes in adolescents aged 10-24. Fifteen electronic databases were searched using keyword phrases related to “metacognitive intervention” and “adolescents”. Seventeen studies met inclusion criteria. Included studies addressed 2 of the 5 goals of PYD …

“But How Do I Start?” A Beginner’S Guide To Your First Qualitative Project, Jason B. Whiting Phd, Bria Nicole Davies

The Qualitative Report

Many new qualitative researchers feel overwhelmed and struggle to find direction in existing books and articles about qualitative methodology. Qualitative methods have a long history that includes different philosophies, practices, and methods, and there are endless ways to interpret and use these tools within these traditions. This article introduces basic qualitative methods with the intent to guide a first-time researcher through a first social science research project, such as a thesis or dissertation. It frames the process as a five-step journey with guidelines to follow and additional resources that can be accessed related to each phase. Although the craft of …

Are Positive And Negative Leader Humor Two Different Coins? A Meta-Analysis, Xiaohong Xu, Richard Hayes, Lixin Jiang, William P. Jimenez

Psychology Faculty Publications

Scholars disagree on the distinction between positive and negative leader humor, which may hinder the integration and advancement of the leader humor literature. Thus, we meta-analyzed the correlation between positive and negative leader humor, as well as their shared nomological networks (k = 161; follower N = 45,759; leader N = 7,820). Our meta-analysis indicates that (1) there is a very small but significant correlation between positive and negative leader humor (ρ = -.07); (2) positive and negative leader humor have differential relationships with most antecedents (e.g., positive affectivity) and outcomes (e.g., innovation and citizenship behavior); (3) positive affect …

Proximity In Pixels: The Moderating Roles Of Structural And Psychological Distance On Behavioral Leadership Effectiveness, Ethan J. Ray

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

With a sharp increase in virtual working arrangements in recent years, there is a distinct need to reevaluate what constitutes effective leadership at a distance. Although research on virtual leadership exists, it has often lacked a focus on specific leader behaviors and the psychological intricacies unique to virtual work settings. The present study examines followers' perceived effectiveness of two enduring leadership behavior categories: task-oriented and relationship-oriented. Utilizing dyadic distance theory, the study tested whether perceived effectiveness of these behaviors is contingent not only on the tangible effects of virtual work, referred to as structural distance, but also on the intangible …

Leadership Coaching And The “Mad Major”, Ray Forbes

All Faculty and Staff Scholarship

Interested in gaining some valuable lessons for leaders and leadership coaches to add to your repertoire? Want to further express your curiosity and explore the opportunity to learn more about leadership and leadership coaching from a very unusual, non-academic and very iconoclastic source? If so, this article may be for you. This commentary is essentially the abbreviated story of a single-minded, highly dedicated leader’s lifelong quest to bring needed change to a very large narrow-minded bureaucratic organization. It will briefly explore the strategy-infused approach of one of the most controversial and little known figures in modern military history. This individual …

Group Empathy As A Driver Of Pro-Lgbtq+ Attitudes In The United States, José Villalobos, Cigdem Sirin

Selected Works Temporary Series

The LGBTQ+ community in the U.S. has long suffered from collective stigmatization and discrimination. At the same time, there have been calls for increased social acceptance, more legal protections, and better political representation of LGBTQ+ people. An essential ingredient for such calls for change has been a rise in support from outgroup allies. However, what moves members of the public to support LGBTQ+ citizens? In this chapter, we explore how group empathy as a general disposition may serve as a primary driver of positive attitudes towards the LGBTQ+ community. Employing 2020 American National Election Studies (ANES) data, we find individuals …

Experiences Of Community Leaders And Organizers Within The Stop Six Community, Caitlin Herron

Social Work Theses - Archive

Although community-based and grassroots leadership research exists, little exists in the way of exploring the personal and relational experiences of community organizers to their work and to their community. Using data collected from semi-structured interviews with self-identified community leaders, this research addresses insights into their lived experiences. In particular, a thematic exploration looks at what appeared across each interview. This research is intended to serve as a basis for future research into the lived experiences of community organizers outside of one specific experience or cause, but rather to take an in-depth look into them, their perceptions, and their relationship to …

Leadership In Behavioral Health, Rebecca Mccoy

School of Business Student Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

Leadership in healthcare is difficult when dealing with human contact in its most raw and vulnerable way. Leadership in behavioral health is just as challenging as direct practice practitioners tend to be the ones who move up into these roles. This study will exam “Identifying factors that promote successful leadership and challenges that cause barriers to having successful leadership in behavioral health.” This includes soft and hard skill knowledge, growth opportunities and the strengths and struggles in moving into leadership roles in this industry.

The study is based on phenomenological research to gain an understanding of the individual experience …

How To Catch A Con: The Rhetorical Strategies Of Fraudulent Political Leaders, Lukas Huntington

CMC Senior Theses

The United States faces persistent challenges in controlling political fraud. Government agencies exhibit the second-highest fraud rate of any industry, and corruption levels have only worsened over the last decade, contributing to declining public trust in national leadership. Current fraud detection efforts generally catch late-stage, large-scale fraud, highlighting the need for earlier-detection mechanisms. One way this could be accomplished involves identifying rhetorical patterns that are commonly used by political frauds in order to flag high-risk individuals. Leaning on the Theory of Planned Behavior, it was hypothesized that political frauds would exhibit more rhetorical appeals to fear, blame, pathos, and self-promotion …

Wearing Our Values On Our Sleeves: The Intersection Of Fashion Leadership, Values, And Sustainability, Cayman Chen

CMC Senior Theses

Fashion leaders are social leaders who derive their power from what they wear and how they influence others. There are three types: 1) fashion innovators, who are early adopters of trends, 2) fashion opinion leaders, who legitimize new styles and influence others, and 3) innovative communicators, who exhibit the behaviors of both fashion innovators and fashion opinion leaders. This study investigates motivational differences between different fashion leaders through their values. We then investigate how fashion leadership and value-based advertising appeal predicts intention to purchase sustainable fashion products. 213 student participants were administered the Portrait Values Questionnaire, the …

Exploring Neurodiversity & The Role Of Flexible Workplaces For Organizational Neuroinclusion, Miranda Chen

CMC Senior Theses

This thesis conducted a thorough literature review on the experiences and outcomes of neurodiverse individuals in the workplace and found consistently lower outcomes in well-being, work performance, intention to leave, and job satisfaction compared to neurotypical workers. It examined how the emergence of remote work presents new opportunities for mitigating some workplace challenges around stress and sensory overload, while recognizing that remote work alone falls short as being a definitive solution for the unique challenges faced by neurodiverse people. Instead, it argued for Flexible Work Arrangements (FWA’s) as a comprehensive and systemic strategy to address individual needs and organizational inclusion, …

Reassessing Criminogenic Risk: How Trauma-Informed Assessment More Accurately Predicts In-Prison Behavior Than Traditional Models, Bree E. Derrick

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Criminogenic risk-needs assessment is the cornerstone of recidivism reduction models in the correctional sector. Despite decades of using criminogenic risk-need tools, recidivism outcomes remain stubbornly high in the U.S. This non-traditional dissertation explored how traditional criminogenic assessments could be improved with the addition of measures of childhood adversity and maltreatment. This study found that the prevalence of ACEs was significantly greater in an adult prison population of 1,522 in a rural, western state than in the general public. Utilizing logistic regression, this research also found that ACEs were better predictors of in-prison misconduct than traditional criminogenic risk-needs assessments, although traditional …

Embracing The Both/And: Learning From The Lived Experiences Of White Facilitators Of Racial Equity Workshops, Alicia M. Wargo

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This study focuses on the lived experiences of seasoned White facilitators of racial equity workshops to understand how they navigate the complexity of occupying a White racial identity while working to challenge the belief systems of white supremacy ingrained in themselves and others. Through applying Critical Race Theory as a framework to grounded theory methodology, this study examined whiteness as a sensitizing concept in micro, meso, and macro levels of analysis, situating this dissertation in the theoretical exploration of the multifaceted and pervasive nature of whiteness. Much of the research on racial equity work examines White participants in nascent stages …

Journey To Well-Being: An Exploration Of Thrivership Post-Domestic Violence, Kader Gumus

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Domestic violence profoundly affects multiple facets of a survivor’s life. While most existing literature on survivorship addresses the immediate aftermath of domestic violence, this study delves into the extended process following the trauma of abuse to attain “thrivership,” a new concept in the scholarly and practice literature that emphasizes enduring well-being and flourishing. This dissertation examines the journeys from surviving to thriving for 13 women who transformed themselves and their lives to achieve well-being after traumatic domestic violence. Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory was applied to examine the multiple layers of environmental influences on an individual’s development, including the micro, meso, …

Relationship Of Emotional Intelligence To Workplace Stress And Burnout In Behavior Analysts, Elia Santos

Student Dissertations

The experience of stress leading to burnout is at an all-time high in the field of behavior analysis. Increasing job demands for board-certified behavior analysts (BCBA) put newly minted BCBAs at a higher risk of burnout. The problem is that BCBAs only receive technical and clinical training to become certified. Yet, their emotional intelligence (EI), which is associated with stress and burnout, had never been examined. The purpose of this quantitative, associational study was to investigate the relationships between EI, workplace stress, and burnout in BCBAs. The theoretical framework for this study was based on Goleman’s (1995) theory of EI. …

The Abusive Effects Of Trauma On Leadership Styles And Performance, Robert Kraft

Doctor of Ministry Major Applied Project

This Doctor of Ministry (DMin) Major Applied Project (MAP) investigates the relationship between toxic leadership in the military and trauma, particular how trauma can have negative, abusive effects on leadership style and performance. Most research in this area addresses trauma in postvention. This MAP addresses trauma’s potential effect on leadership style and explores the use of a pre-emptive, preventative training. Leadership theory is explored as well as trauma in the form of mental disorders, such as PTSD and narcissism. The author’s experience as an ordained pastor of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, serving as an Army Chaplain, revealed the value of …

The Leadership Identity Presented On Linkedin, Carl L. Tolbert

The Journal of Values-Based Leadership

LinkedIn has evolved in a way similar to other social media platforms but is unique in that it focuses on professional networking and careers. Many professionals seek to showcase their leadership skills and philosophies as part of a publicly showcased online persona. This paper aimed to examine the posts specific to leadership and thematically investigate presentation strategies, motivation, and purposes behind the posts. The paper begins with a historical review from the inception of LinkedIn through pivotal milestones in the history of the company. Key concepts from the literature are then reviewed specific to social media use and motivations behind …

Leadership Awakening: Shifting Towards Eco-Consciousness Through Psychedelics, Ladana Edwards

Journal of Conscious Evolution

Corporate leaders, wielding influence and decision-making power over world resources and capital, are key drivers of systemic change to address current social, economic, and ecological crises. To address the myriad complex and interdependent crises, a transformative shift in consciousness is required in leaders and leadership teams, from ego-consciousness towards eco-consciousness, which can be supported through psychedelic experiences. Shifting towards eco-consciousness can facilitate holistic decision making and an expanded sense of leadership responsibility to the planet and all its inhabitants—ultimately supporting the creation of healthier eco-nomics in our Earth community.

Shifts towards leadership eco-consciousness have the potential to open up space …

Mindfulness Matters: Addressing Anxiety And Navigating Toward Wellbeing Through Miea Mindfulness Practices, A Mixed-Methods Study Of Lgbtiq Graduate Writing Students, Kim Westerman

Doctoral Dissertations

ABSTRACT

Mindfulness Matters: Addressing Anxiety and Navigating Toward Wellbeing Through MIEA Mindfulness Practices, a Mixed-Methods Study of LGBTIQ Graduate Writing Students

Anxiety has always been a part of the human experience, even before the phenomenon was conceptualized in the 17^th century and named by Freud in the 19th. And human beings have devised many strategies for addressing anxiety: reducing it, ignoring it, distracting oneself from it, despairing over it, medicating it, engaging with it, moving through it, co-existing with it. The current zeitgeist, more than four years into the COVID-19 global pandemic, situates anxiety as a central facet of …