Leadership Studies Commons^™

How Communication And Leadership Affect Collaboration In A Partnership: An Exploratory Study, Joseph Carrasco

Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses

Homelessness is a persistent and pervasive issue in the United States. The complexity of the problem has produced federal policies that make collaboration a requirement for homeless advocacy organizations to receive federal funding. In turn, cities, towns, and other entities have created partnerships in order to receive funding as well as combine resources and share information to help reduce if not remedy the homeless problem in their areas. This thesis explores how communication and leadership affect collaboration in a partnership. The study is grounded in the theories of dialogical ethics and transformational leadership to examine two collaborative partnerships serving the …

Texting: The Ecology Of Adolescent Life, Charlotte Louise Saucedo

Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses

This study examined the impact that instant communication has on the social development of adolescents (12-18 years). While most studies have either focused on this medium as either entirely good or bad, this study aimed at the middle ground in understanding both the benefits and pitfalls. A qualitative research design was employed to measure the abstract concepts of „well-being‟ and „group belonging‟ in relation to the role that instant messaging plays into those concepts. This study utilized the theoretical lenses of Vygotsky‟s Social Development Theory, Erikson‟s Social Development Theory and Walther‟s Hyperpersonal Perspective. Employing the use of both focus groups …

Optimization Strategies For Successful Ehr Adoption, Erin Faverty

Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses

The healthcare industry is experiencing a shift in care delivery and documentation as the nation moves toward electronic health record adoption (EHR). This project examines the benefits and hurdles to adoption faced within the industry and provides a detailed curriculum guide of strategies, approaches and materials for consultants assisting healthcare organizations in EHR implementation. The recommendations provided by this project are grounded in the theories of organizational culture as presented by Clifford Geertz (1977) and Michael Packanowsky (Griffin 2009, p. 252), as well as insights on the impacts of computer-mediated communication, as discussed by Joseph Walthers (Barrow, 2010). Materials presented …

Emergent Leadership In Virtual Work Teams, Natalie Learned

Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses

This dual method (quantitative and qualitative) study sought to discover the perceptions of leadership in virtual work teams. The ability to communicate among team members, in this environment, becomes increasingly difficult. Specifically, this study analyzed emergent leadership characteristics, as identified by participants, in a virtual work environment. The philosophical framework for this study is based on Boster’s (2006) concept “communication results in social influence.” This study is grounded in the theoretical work of Walther’s (1992) Social Information Processing CMC model, and Graen and Uhl-Bien’s (1995) relationship-based LMX model. The data obtained for this study was achieved through a survey of …

Surrealism Is Not Dead: A Look At Surrealism In Contemporary Mass Communication Via Analysis Of Modern Popular Films, Joi Deanne Chadwick

Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses

This study examined three modern films - Toy Story 3, Alice in Wonderland, and Iron Man 2 - to understand the place of Surrealism in contemporary communication. The thesis began with a review of literature regarding Surrealism's revolutionary propensities and its flow into the mainstream. The review's basis was postmodernist philosophy rooted in Roland Barthes's and Umberto Eco's semiotics and Stuart Hall's cultural studies. This underlying philosophy asserted the complexity and mutability of signs and styles, a media role in acceptance and mutation of signs/styles, and endurance of ideas through cultural shifts. Semiotic analysis was crucial methodology in this study …

Interpretations And Anxiety During Initial Encounters In A Formal Business Networking Setting, Justin Hunter

Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses

Many business professionals explore opportunities to develop relationships with others in their industry during coordinated business networking functions to potentially increase their clientele and strengthen their presence in their respective industry. This study analyzes initial interactions among business professionals during a business networking function utilizing symbolic interactionism and the theory of anxiety/uncertainty management. Both theories have been separately implemented in an abundance of theses over several decades to analyze the nature and implications with interpersonal communication among strangers; however, there is a significant lack of research dedicated to how strangers engage during initial business interactions at networking functions. This study …

The Effect Of Adult Sportsmanship And Pro-Social Behavior Modeling On Child Self-Competence In Youth Football Programs, Bryan Scott Wilson

Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses

Youth sports are viewed as a prime venue for teaching social values and life skills. By virtue of their organizing and leadership positions, adults play a critical role in communicating these lessons. Although there is little debate on the criticality of positive sportsmanship, there has been a serious trend in increasingly unsportsmanlike behaviors at youth events. In response, many organizations have implemented programs designed to increase positive adult sportsmanship communications and pro-social behaviors. While studies have shown that training does result in increased sportsmanship, less information is available on the impacts of such programs beyond increasing the “fun factor.” This …

Barriers To Computer Use And Internet Competency Among Homeless Women And Low-Income Women At Risk Of Becoming Homeless, Sondra L. Wildman

Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses

As our society relies more and more on digital communication methods, the consequences of not having access to computers and the internet will further erode the ability of homeless women to effectively navigate mainstream venues for social and economic interaction. This study strives to explore the barriers that prevent homeless women, and low-income women at risk of becoming homeless, from optimizing their access to computer and internet resources. A group of fifty homeless women was observed using a computer lab at a daytime shelter, and of this group, five women were interviewed. The theoretical framework of the study utilizes Pierre …

Hispanic Males And Declining Enrollment In Higher Education, Julie A. Hecimovich

Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses

Hispanic males, 18 to 35-years, have declining enrollment in institutions of higher learning, falling behind their female counterparts and males in most large ethnic groups in the United States. Why are so many young, Hispanic males not enrolling in higher education? To learn why, surveys were given to Hispanic males, parents, and grandparents to ascertain their educational opinions of and needs for higher education. As viewed through the Hispanic culture and lenses of symbolic interactionism, the third-person effect, and the two-step flow of communication theories; findings were 1). marketing efforts to attract young, Hispanic males to higher education must address …

Performing Impressionistic Autoethnographic Narrative In Text And Pixels To Explore Fear Of Death In End-Of-Life Care-Giving Contexts, Dena M. Rosko

Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses

This study explores fear of death in end-of-life caregiving contexts via impressionistic autoethnographic narrative as performed on a blog with photographs and poems. This study relies on ethical assumptions for communicating dialogue, confirmation, and a performance narrative ethos in end of life. This study employs Terror Management Theory to identify a gap in existing empirical fear and death studies, and fills that gap by embedding its framework and method in the psychotherapeutic tradition to foster creative freedom and psychological safety and so break the cultural silence shrouding grief. Key findings show that the blog coordinated a therapeutic process to assuage …

Critical Theory And Gender Communication Studies In Small Organizations, Ellie Parvin

Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses

This thesis explores gender and organizational communications by utilizing Deetz’s (1982) Critical Theory of Communication. Furthermore, this qualitative study examines how communication practices within a firm (Powder Blue Productions) can distort decision-making, possibly affecting the health of the organizational environment. The thesis expands on Deetz’s theory by addressing two fresh angles: One, this research looks at small organizations; and two, it examines a company that is primarily female staffed (two males only). In addition, the research examines interpersonal communication and its effects on the work culture within an organization. Due to the explorative nature of this study, the research questions …

Examining Usage And Parental Regulation Of Mobile Phones And Their Perceived Impact On Interpersonal Family Communication, Tricia Peetz-Ballweg

Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses

This research investigated perceptions of mobile phone usage with regard to interpersonal communication between family members, perceptions of mobile phone usage between family members and outside sources with regard to interpersonal communication between family members and perceptions of how mobile phone usage is regulated with regard to family members. It utilizes interviews of representatives from each of seven families in which a parent/guardian participated. The research studied how Communication Accommodation Theory defined by Harwood and Soliz (2006), Family Communication Patterns Theory defined by Koerner and Fitzpatrick (2006), Communication Privacy Management Theory defined by Petronio and Caughlin (2006) provides basis for …

Ethnography Of Communication: A Case Study Of The North Atlantic Treaty Organization, “Air Command South”, Gregory B. Long

Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses

This study is an ethnography of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization‟s (NATO), “Air Command South” (ACS). Using components from Dell Hymes‟ (1964) Ethnography of Communication, this five month ethnography describes the organization and the communication that occurs within ACS, a multinational and multicultural military extension of NATO. Made up of members from seventeen nations, ACS fosters a uniquely diverse environment where a mix of cultures collide within the organization to create a new organizational culture complete with communication codes, practices, norms, and routines. The review of literature covers subjects and issues that assist in understanding the issues involved in such …

Transformative Pedagogy In Conversation: The Role Of Instructor Interventions In Peer Feedback For Speech Outline Development, Michael J. Stasio

Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses

This study investigated the efficacy of written and oral peer feedback used as an instructional strategy to support student learning in speech outline development. One hundred seven students from a California Community College participated in a mixed-methods evaluative quasi-experimental study conducted in a two-fold process with both quantitative and qualitative measures. Existing literature on peer-centered learning has various gaps. These include four areas of uncertainty: implementation interventions, trust, self-perceived benefits, and contexts. Overall perceived learning benefits and four specific instructor intervention variables were measured in this study: (1) creation of a safe space for collaboration, (2) student training on the …

Examining The Text Messaging Habits Of Middle And High School Students And Their Perceived Impact On Language And Writing, Sally J. Mildren

Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses

Middle and high school students’ text messaging habits and the perceived impact on the performance in English classes at school are examined. Parents and teachers were also surveyed. Utilizing the Communication Accommodation Theory, this study also examines whether students are able to accommodate their language between the “texting” (informal) and school (formal) settings.

This study found a positive correlation between students who use text language in their school work and their ability to spell and write proper English, indicating that higher text use can have an impact on their performance at school. It was also discovered that a student’s ability …

Public Opinion In The Social Media Era: Toward A New Understanding Of The Spiral Of Silence, Daniel Lemin

Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses

This thesis explores the intersection of a long-standing public opinion theory – the spiral of silence – and the recent explosion in social publishing tools such as Tumblr and Twitter. It uses real-world discussion settings (including face-to-face focus groups and synchronous online discussions) in tandem with a pre-test/post-test methodology to measure opinion shifts on the topic of corn syrup and childhood nutrition/obesity. This research design is based on well-established criticisms challenging that the spiral of silence may not be fully explained by a national climate of opinion on a topic, suggesting that there are other influences on individual beliefs than …

Agenda Setting And Framing In Hurricane Ike News, Sophie Harbert

Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses

News media have considerable ability to influence the public agenda. This thesis explores media agenda setting and framing in Hurricane Ike in order to infer whether the way disasters are covered in the news is a contributing factor in the lack of public attention on hurricane loss mitigation. The frequency and intensity of Atlantic hurricanes is increasing, placing residents along the U.S. Gulf Coast at greater risk, yet little has been done to try to reduce the impact from hurricanes. This study is grounded in agenda setting theory and utilized content analysis to examine newspaper coverage of Hurricane Ike in …

Political Discourse And Participation Utilizing Web 2.0 Technologies, Heather J. Kauffman

Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses

The increasing use of Web 2.0 technologies in American society, specifically social networking sites, may have particular impacts on the democratic system. This thesis serves as a comprehensive exploratory study of political communication in social networking environments. The study examined whether political communication is taking place via interactive Web 2.0 technologies and if this discourse has an impact on citizen political participation. The research utilized existing qualitative theories and supplemented them with historical examples, including information from the 2008 Barack Obama presidential campaign and the 2009 U.S. Tea Party Movement. The data supported that Web 2.0 technologies are being used …

Social Networking: Is It Another Stage In The Evolution Of Communication And Does It Affect The Way We Think About Problem Solving And Communicating?, Sandy L. Robinson

Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses

This thesis explores whether participants in online social networking sites differ from non-participants in their approach to problem solving or in their attitudes about their interactions with their own social networks. Walter Ong (1982) determined that people’s thinking changed with different media usage, particularly from oral to script, script to print, and print to electronic. This research examines problem solving and attitudes about interactions with social networks as two criteria for exploring how people think. In a review of the literature, the thesis explores the theory of media ecology, which expands on the work of McLuhan (1967) and Ong (1982), …

Connecting Informal Workgroup Interactions And Organizational Creative Climate, Cheryl B. Nee-Gieringer

Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses

Creative imagination is required to comprehend complex challenges, solve business problems and develop the solutions that organizations need to adapt, and prosper in a dynamic and increasingly global environment. Multiple factors influence an organization’s ability to tap that imagination. For more than a half of century, research in cognitive and organizational sciences has investigated those influences and identified dimensions of creative climate, characteristics of creative people and processes for improving innovation. However, research explicitly linking organizational communication and organizational creativity has been limited. With a theoretical framework based in small group theory, this study explores the connection between intra-workgroup communication …

Images Of Girls And Women In The Media: A Media Literacy Project To Mitigate The Influence Of Beauty Product Advertising For Girl Scouts, Christine Marie Anthony

Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses

This project is intended to mitigate the influence of beauty product advertising on tween and teenage girls by teaching media literacy skills that allow a critical look at ads and the perfect women featured in them. Research has shown that repeated and frequent exposure to unrealistic beauty ideals through various media can render these images achievable and real, while having a negative impact on women’s self-esteem and body image. Achieving beauty has become a continuous and all-encompassing project for tween and teenage girls, and the media continually portrays and promotes it as not only a possibility, but also a necessity …

Obesity And Magazines: A Frame Analysis Of The Top Three Circulating Magazines, Sarah K. Doxey

Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses

Over the past two decades the rate of obesity has increased dramatically in the United States. Awareness of obesity as a public health issue has garnered more attention with American mass media. The purpose of this research study is to determine how the top three circulating magazines in America frame the issue of obesity in relationship to cause and solution and to determine the frame used to present the information to the readers. This qualitative study uses frame analysis to identify dominant frames within these news magazines from November 1, 2006 through November 1, 2008. Results indicate that the magazines …

Improving Board Communication: An Assessment Of Interpersonal, Small Group And Organizational Communication Of A Ten-Month-Old Nonprofit Organization, Martha C. Johnson

Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses

People who lead community organizations as volunteers may be successful by engaging in dialogue, building consensus and making decisions in order to accomplish the organization’s mission. This communication audit of a 10-month-old, 17-member nonprofit group employed questionnaires, interviews and participant observation to study the idea that information members receive about interpersonal and small group communication during the study would improve the effectiveness of their meetings and decisions. Grounded in social construction and coordinated management of meaning theory (e.g. Berger & Luckmann, 1966; Cronen, Barnett & Harris, 1979; Pacanowsky & Trujillo, 1982; Pearce, 1989; Maside, 1990; Shotter, 1993; Miranda & Saunders, …

The Role Of Angel Investors In Strategy From The Perspective Of Communication Theory, Kevin V. Mcconnaghy

Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses

The degree to which corporate directors are involved in strategy is subject to a wide range of influences and therefore is best viewed in the context of a continuum that extends from minimal involvement to perhaps the formulation of strategy. While studied extensively, the role of boards in strategy suffers from definitional issues, lack of access and other control related parameters. The purpose of this thesis is to explore the role of the board in a selected population that controls for many of the major factors influencing board engagement in strategy. As an exploratory study, this research is directed toward …

Self-Talk And Cognitive Strategy: Exploring Relationships Between Self-Talk, Cognitive Strategy, And Factors That Cause Change, Justin Sebens

Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses

Appropriate use of self-talk and cognitive strategy has been shown to improve individual performance on a variety of tasks by increasing confidence, focus, and awareness. Likewise, depending on its use, self-talk and cognitive strategy has also been shown to be detrimental to performance. Little research has been undertaken to explore the relationship between self-talk and cognitive strategy and the factors that precipitate changes between the two. To fill this gap, this study examined long distance runners to determine the factors that cause change in self-talk and cognitive strategy as well as the relationship between the two if change occurs. Additionally, …

Blockbuster Movies And What They Teach Us About Women In American Society, Nichole Bogarosh

Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses

Films are important messengers of societal values and norms. Content analysis of 12 blockbuster films from 1957 to 2007 reveals patterns of discrimination against women in film. Six categories of inequality and discrimination were documented dealing with women as main characters in these blockbuster films, women’s roles portraying the characters in professional jobs, women in film being decision-makers, women in the category of damsels in distress, women as sex objects, and derogatory actions and comments towards women.

Employeer And Recruiter Use Of Social Networking Websites As A Candidate Screening Tool, Janelle L. Harrison

Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses

In today’s changing job market, employers and recruiters are looking to new technological methods of evaluating potential job candidates. One of these technologies is the use of social networking websites. This thesis examines the frequency to which this practice is used and also the specific behaviors looked for when checking candidate profiles. It also investigates the awareness and opinions of job seekers who have social networking profiles. Data analysis of the employer/recruiter questionnaire revealed that most employers and recruiters admit to using social networking websites as a candidate evaluation tool at least some of the time. Behaviors examined were varied …

New Yoga Studio Encourages Positive Impact On Community Through Communication And Leadership, Shauna Stelzer

Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this study is to explore the ways in which a well-attended Yoga studio can inspire health, wellness and the desire to contribute to one’s community. Members of the community who have been attending Yoga for varying amounts of time were given the opportunity to comment on their experiences and their heightened communication abilities with community members as a result of their attendance in Yoga classes. Additionally, studio owners gave their thoughts and opinions on the businesses in their community, as well as expressed their beliefs and knowledge of transformations that they have witnessed in the community because …