Leadership Studies Commons^™

Graying Population Employment: Attraction And Retention Of Future Older Knowledge Workers, Roseann Becker

Theses and Graduate Projects

In the next ten years, the so-called Baby Boomer generation will be entering traditional retirement age and could potentially leave the work force in large numbers. Implications are clear that by 2010, many Boomers will need to be replaced by middle-aged and younger workers. Indications point to a significant projected labor shortage.

Previous research reveals that few CEO's recognize future labor issues as a pending management challenge. The objective of this research was to survey the human resources personnel at some of the best companies to work for and see if they are ramping up for potential labor shortages and …

Registered Nurse Satisfaction And Patient Satisfaction As Predictors Of Retention, Linda Barnhart

Theses and Graduate Projects

Health care leaders are recognizing the importance of registered nurse retention and patient satisfaction to overall nrBanizminnsl performance. Turnover snd dissatisfaction of nurses and patients are costly. Exploig data and developing strategies to focus on retaining nurses can create a competitive edge producing exceptional outcomes and service.

This paper examines the associaiion between registered nurse satisfaction and patient satisfaction as predictors of retention for 12 patient care units in one health care organization. Because of the limited sample size and mea;inretnent issues, there was no meaningful statistical support for a relationship between nurse satisfaction and patient satisfaction as predictors of …

Summer Nursing Intern Partnerships: An Education Model For Facilitating The Transition From Student To Practicing Professional, Mary Leanne Hennen

Theses and Graduate Projects

This paper describes a project that was designed to explore the value of modifying the educational preparation of registered nurses to include a reality based, immersion clinical experience. This clinical experience fosters role transition from student to professional practitioner, expedites development of clinical skills in the novice student nurse, and potentially decreases turnover of new graduates in their first year of employment. The strategy is assessed using the theoretical frameworks of Robert Terry's Action Wheel as a decision guide for leaders, and Patricia Benner's novice to expert model of professional practice development to provide guidance for future planning.

Black Women Leaders: The Value Of Being In A Mentoring Relationship, Sara B. Masters

Theses and Graduate Projects

The intent of this research is to find out more about black women leaders and mentoring. It is clear that black women are underrepresented in leadership positions in this country and in the Twin Cities metro area. To increase the number of black women in leadership roles, it is important to find out from those who have succeeded, how they did it. Mentoring has been identified as an effective means of leadership development in organizations. There has been very little research done specifically on black women who have been mentored and how these relationships have contributed to their career success. …

A Case Study Of Women And Their Philanthropic Roles At The Girl Scout Council Of St. Croix Valley, Stephanie Mary Lauinger Pommier

Theses and Graduate Projects

Increasingly, women of every race and ethnicity are moving into professional roles as business owners, doctors and leaders in the community. Women's philanthropy is important and the need to understand women as leaders in philanthropy in the decades ahead will intensify.

To understand the nature of women's philanthropy, it is essential to answer the following questions. What motivates women to give of their time and money to non-profit organizations? Why is philanthropy important to women? What makes Girl Scout philanthropy unique?

This study explores what motivates women to be involved in a philanthropic role at the Girl Scout Council of …

Service Projects: Developing Shared Servant Leadership Within A Group And The Community, Colleen Anita Healy

Theses and Graduate Projects

This research application project provides guidelines for how a leader would plan a service project using two leadership models: shared leadership and servant leadership. These two leadership models complement each other; a service project using only one would lack the depth of the models used simultaneously.

Shared leadership develops skills and deepens engagement among group members as well as utilizes the expertise within the organization receiving the service. Service that incorporates an educational component enriches the experience for participants. Asset-based community development emphasizes the gifts and resources of the people in a community, not the deficiencies. An examination of the …

A Study Of Transformational And Transactional Leadership In Computer-Based Communication, Luann Watson

Theses and Graduate Projects

A two-part survey was administered to 88 adult students in master's and undergraduate programs at Augsburg College to determine the relationship between the amount of time spent in computer-based communication between leaders and followers and the leadership style of the leaders. The two leadership styles studied were the transformational and transactional styles first described by James MacGregor Burns (1978) and further developed by Bernard M. Bass (1985). Most leaders exhibit both transformational and transactional leadership styles, but in differing degrees. However, transformational leadership is thought to be more motivational. It was hypothesized that the transformational style would be less prevalent …

Beyond The Mirror, Judith Thyen Jordan

Theses and Graduate Projects

The history of disability discrimination as dehumanization is explored as a foundation for the paper. This question is then explored using a framework of socially constructed reality and symbolic convergence theory. For this analysis, communication and perception are the key elements drawn from each theory.

The conclusion of this analysis is that genuine "empowerment" requires a reconstructed social reality that defines people with visible physical disabilities as "normal."

Generation Xers And Boomers: How Evolving Work Values, Life Stages, And Generations Explain The Differences, Lucille A. Stoffels

Theses and Graduate Projects

Eighty-eight percent of today's workforce was born between 1943 and 1981 that make up the two generational groups called Boomers and Generation Xers (Farren & Mauer, 1999).

Over the past several years it has become increasing evident that there is a conflict in the workplace between these two groups. Some of the work related issues between the groups may or may not be limited to their generational group, but may also be reflective of their developmental life stage and the evolving work values.

Coincidentally, Generation Xers are in the life stage of youth and most Boomers are in the middle-aged …

The Leadership Of The Domestic Violence Movement In Minnesota, Suzanne Koepplinger

Theses and Graduate Projects

The beginnings of the domestic violence movement were heavily influenced by cultural feminist thought and servant leadership styles. In recent years, more hierarchical and professional service providers have gained ground and changed the face of service provision, legislative efforts and public outreach in the domestic violence movement. What began as a social change movement has evolved into an institution in its own right. This shift has caused new styles of leadership and a new paradigm to take root. Transforming, empowering and visionary leadership, all with a base in feminism, mark the current players. It has not been an easy transition, …

Writers Who Are Servant-Leaders: Applying Robert Greenleaf's Theory To The Lives And Works Of Madeleine L'Engle, Vaclav Havel, And Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Patricia Park

Theses and Graduate Projects

In his 1970 essay The Servant as Leader, Robert Greenleaf (1904-1990) introduces his theory of servant-leadership. Greenleaf presents his belief that everything begins with the initiative of the individual. While Greenleafs ideas have been applied mainly to organizational settings, they also have great relevance to individuals involved in artistic pursuits. Greenleaf suggests studying the lives of servant-leaders for inspiration. An exploration of the lives and works of three writers who embody the principles of servant-leadership--Madeleine L'Engle, Vaclav Havel, and Gabriel Garcia Marquez--provides valuable insights into Greenleaf's theory. These three highly creative individuals exemplify these key characteristics of a servant-leader as …

Leading The Sales Team: Using Greenleaf's Servant Leadership Paradigm To Facilitate Team Building, Patricia A. Campanaro

Theses and Graduate Projects

According to Peter Drucker, Robert K. Greenleaf is known as the grandfather of the modern empowerment movement in business leadership. Greenleaf fervently believed that true leaders are those who lead by serving others. He was also a strong proponent of ethics and integrity in the ranks of managers/leaders.

A research study in the Journal of Marketing Management, Spring/Summer 1997, reported that the personal factor found to have the greatest influence in the performance of sales managers was training. This paper applies the Servant Leader Model to the demands of the sales leadership role. Traditional sales training concentrates on the mechanics …

Using Complexity Theory To Select Between Leaders And Managers, Michael W. Jordan

Theses and Graduate Projects

Several authors have attempted recently to extend Complex Adaptive Systems (CAS) theory to organizations and business management (Wheatley, 1992; Lind, 1994; Beccone, 1998; Zimmerman, Lindberg & Plsek, 1998, Eoyang & Olson, 2001). The theory might be useful for practitioners, but it cannot provide detailed scientific predictions. The following questions are posed for analysis: Could CAS theory be applied to hiring and promoting leaders and managers? Would it be possible, and would it make sense, for organizations to identify emergent leaders as management prospects given Beccone's analysis of the distinction between leaders and managers? How might the procedures and results likely …

Discipleship: Empowering Followers For The Modern Church, Gordon Thomas

Theses and Graduate Projects

The modern church finds itself under increasing pressure as the number of individuals entering the ministry continues to fall short of the number accepting vocational calls outside of ministry or retiring. Churches of all denominations are looking for creative ways to re-engage their members into accepting a broader range of responsibility in the church. The term many are using is 'discipleship'.

This study will first examine the stewardship theory developed by Peter Block - the choice of service over self-interest. This theory will then be contrasted with the work done by Pastor Michael Foss in his recent book Power Surge. …

Best Practices For Retention Of Nursing Assistants In Hospitals: The Build Model, Lynda R. Frayne

Theses and Graduate Projects

This study is a review of the phenomenon of poor job retention for nursing assistants in hospitals and long-term care facilities, with special emphasis on the practices that may enhance the retention of nursing assistants in hospitals.

The study establishes that the nursing assistant retention problem exists and identifies the main reasons nursing assistants leave some jobs and stay in others. It also discusses the significance that leadership has for enhancing higher retention rates of nursing assistants. The study reveals the BUILD model for initiatives to retain nursing assistants, a tool for front-line managers to use. Finally, recommendations for implementing …

The Elder Family Meeting: Leading To The Heart Of The Matter, Kathryn Ringham

Theses and Graduate Projects

The aging of the population is poised to challenge our current system of medical, economic and social supports. It will also test the limits of our national compassion. Professionals working in the field of aging are preparing for the demographic bulge and are seeking cost-effective interventions to help elders and their families develop cooperative caregiving and decision-making skills. Caregivers are often at the center of the family system trying to deal with a situation they don't want and don't understand.

One intervention common during health transitions is the family meeting. This application project describes the context of caregiving and healthcare …

Leadership For Inter-Organization Collaboration, Dawn Cvengros

Theses and Graduate Projects

This work related project implemented strategies of leadership behavior designed to assist representatives from organizations that represent state and local government agencies, nonprofit organizations, and industry make advancements to develop a sustainable collaboration among these organizations. The representatives voluntarily convene to improve the nutritional wellness of low income people in Minnesota. The dynamics of strategic leadership theory as it was applied to this project are illustrated. The purpose of this project was to identify ways to assist them inter-organization collaboration (IOC) achieve the goal: to develop and sustain a cohesive, visible, inclusive, and productive collaboration among member organizations. The objective …

Cultivating Purpose & Meaning In Health Care Employees: A Case Study Of Spirituality Integrated Within An Organization, Denise Cleveland

Theses and Graduate Projects

This case study explores the impact of spirituality between an organization and employee. The literature supports a growing interest among leaders in the idea of integrating spirituality into the workplace. Many leaders are recognizing the role of spirituality in fostering the human spirit to create relationships and systems that allow people to feel valued and supported. These values contribute to a sense of community within the work environment. This study seeks to understand more about the attributes, characteristics and outcomes of an organization that integrates spirituality throughout its organizational culture.

Leadership In Virtual Field Service Organizations, Charley Price

Theses and Graduate Projects

This study examines the leadership effectiveness of technology-based companies and their respective virtual field service organizations. Specifically, this research surveyed four service-based organizations whose managers were responsible for both local and remote field-engineering personnel. Local engineers are defined as residing in the same office or city location with their manager, and remote engineers are defined as residing in a different office and city location from their manager. Each participating service organization's personnel, made up of managers and engineers, participated through an anonymous survey response.

The survey collected information about each participant's belief of how effective their organization's leaders managed their …

Electronic Mail: What Leaders Need To Know, Marsha J. Thiel

Theses and Graduate Projects

Electronic mail (email) was introduced to the business environment in the early 1970's. It was estimated that 130 million workers sent approximately 2.8 billion messages every day in 2000. Today, leaders all across the nation are installing email systems in their organizations. Many leaders understand the benefits but they do not understand the risks of implementing an email system. Some of the issues and risks to an organization may be: lack of "rules" for proper use, personal use on company time, perceptions of privacy, lack of confidentiality, and legal liability to the organization. Leaders may reduce the risk to their …

Achieving Alignment Through Adaptive Leadership, Susan Schultze

Theses and Graduate Projects

This application project will focus on achieving strategic alignment through adaptive leadership. It will look at intrinsic motivation as a means for adaptive leadership to develop the entrepreneurial spirit within an organization. It will develop the intrinsic motivation building blocks as a means of working through alignment frameworks. The emphasis will be on components that can be used at the workgroup level, as individuals and as a team. The Five Disciplines of the Learning Organization support the concept of connectivity across an organization that achieves alignment through iterations of the alignment model. This project will also refer to complex adaptive …

Retaining Volunteers, Nancy A. Hudson

Theses and Graduate Projects

This study investigates what initially motivates a volunteer and if this motivation remains constant over time or if it changes. Using a modified Volunteer Functions Inventory, volunteers in a human service organization were questioned to determine their initial motivation and why they either remain active volunteers or no longer volunteer.

Volunteers have always been a component of the American culture. From the Minutemen of the American Revolution to today's volunteer firemen, volunteers are vital to the success of many organizations and programs. Recruiting volunteers can be as easy as "asking them", but once volunteers are recruited and trained, how does …

What It Takes For A Woman To Start Her Own Business: My Personal Quest, Kristi Rinehart

Theses and Graduate Projects

Today women in the United States are more visibly involved in the ownership of a range of enterprises - from home-based proprietorships to women-established corporations with employees. Women are achieving new goals in business; increased educational levels and work experience have opened the entrepreneurial floodgates. This study will discuss what factors influence and motivate women in corporate America to "go it alone" while also detailing what it takes for a women to start her own business. The author will also discuss her aspirations to open a small business.

Health Start School-Based Clinic Staff And Hmong Adolescents: Does The Servant Leadership Theory Apply?, Tie H. Oei

Theses and Graduate Projects

This pilot study investigated whether the staff at Health Start's school-based clinics and the Hmong adolescents they serve are in agreement as to what health services Hmong adolescents want from the clinic and staff. In investigating this issue, servant leadership theory also was applied to answer the question: Does using servant leadership theory assist the staff in delivering culturally congruent healthcare to Hmong adolescents?

According to Servant Leadership Theory, leaders first want to serve for the purpose of developing a healthier, wiser, freer, more autonomous follower. This theory, manifested by Robert K. Greenleaf through his work experiences and thinking about …

Leadership In The Continuous Improvement Process, Jim L. Kline

Theses and Graduate Projects

Companies are formed for many reasons, but without profitability, they will not survive. Therefore, it remains the focus of the company's employees to maintain profitability. New ideas and improvements must be implemented continuously for the company to maintain and increase their profitability.

The employees responsible for continuously implementing these new ideas and improvements will significantly contribute to the success of the company and its profitability. The key to their success is the use of positive leadership and a continuous improvement process. This study presents two theories that support this claim: Masaaki lmai's continuous improvement process, and James MacGregor Burns' theory …

Female Marketing And Communications Professionals: Challenges And Opportunities For Corporate Leadership, Wendy Celaine Wehr

Theses and Graduate Projects

This study examines three distinct trends in the literature on women and leadership: advocacy for feminine leadership styles, support of gender-neutral leadership theory, and focus on factors beyond gender, such as issues of power and organizational structure. The study continues with an in-depth examination of the leadership experiences of five middle management women who work at publicly held companies and who specialize in marketing and corporate communications, fields that are of increasing importance in today's fast-paced, competitive economy. Results and discussion indicate five themes for further exploration: (a) the importance of competence to leadership success, (b) the value of communication …

Mission, Vision, Values, And Spirituality: A Case Study, Jean Kelly

Theses and Graduate Projects

Almost every organization has published mission, vision, and values statements. Corporations, volunteer organizations, foundations, and even some families have formulated their own unique mission statements to proclaim their purpose, their reason for being, what they stand for, believe in, and aspire to be. Mission, vision, and values are an attempt to identify, in the simplest terms possible, what is at the heart of the organization--what it is about, what it values, and what it hopes to accomplish. It is within the mission statement that the spirituality of the organization is centered.

This is a case study of one organization--a non-profit, …

A Content Analysis Of The Leadership Themes Portrayed In The Dilbert Comic Strip, Stephanie L. Mccollum

Theses and Graduate Projects

Comic strips provide a graphic glimpse into the collective consciousness of a culture and its time in history. Scott Adams' popular Dilbert comic strip provides not only humor to its large audience but a social commentary on today's corporate work culture. Through the imaginative world of Dilbert, Scott Adams exposes the contradictory underlying values, attitudes and feelings of today's corporate work culture and its leadership. This paper compares the leadership themes portrayed in the Dilbert comic strip to the Augsburg Leadership Development model. One hundred Dilbert comic strips were analyzed, categorized and compared to the key leadership attributes and …

Public Schools And Islam: Accommodating The Needs Of Muslim Students In The Public Schools, Ethan Bleifuss

Theses and Graduate Projects

This project provides an overview of Islam in America, in particular the issues confronting educators in public schools with Muslim students. The primary emphasis is an examination of issues faced by Muslim and non-Muslim students and staff in the public schools. Examples of successful methods of addressing these issues are provided. Organizations, speakers, and publications that can help educators are also described. Additional background information is provided on the following topics: basic tenets of Islam, the current situation concerning Islam in the United States, problems faced by Muslims in American society at large, issues in the workplace, and examples of …

Leadership: Understanding And Adapting To Generational Differences And Core Work Values, Denise Gordon

Theses and Graduate Projects

Today's workforce is generationally diverse. It is comprised of 21% Mature Workers, 52% Baby Boomers, 26% Generation X and 1% Generation Y (Farren, Maurer, 1999). This diversity challenges traditional leadership assumptions and strategies.

This paper explores the core work values among the generations and how leaders can adapt to their diverse needs. It examines the workplace needs and expectations of people specifically within the Boomer and 13th generations. It will answer the following question:

• How do generations differ in regards to their core work values?

The purpose of this paper is to focus on the values within each of the …