Leadership Studies Commons^™

Back To Africa In The 21st Century: The Cultural Reconnection Experiences Of African American Women, Marcia Tate Arunga

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

The purpose of this study is to examine the lived experiences of 18 African American women who went to Kenya, East Africa as part of a Cultural Reconnection delegation. A qualitative narrative inquiry method was used for data collection. This was an optimal approach to honoring the authentic voices of African American women. Eighteen African American women shared their stories, revelations, feelings and thoughts on reconnecting in their ancestral homeland of Africa. The literature discussed includes diasporic returns as a subject of study, barriers to the return including the causes of historic trauma, and how Black women as culture bearers …

Leading Change In Complex Systems: A Paradigm Shift, Cheryl Lemaster

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This qualitative study is an in-depth exploration of the experiences of 20 executive-level leaders from American corporations, government agencies, hospitals, and universities.At the heart of this investigation are stories that reveal the challenge of leading change in complex systems from the leader perspective, creating an opportunity to explore sense-making and sense-giving as guided by individual values and organizational contexts.Complexity Science, the framework for this research, is the study of relationships within and among systems.The aim of approaching this research from a complexity perspective is to gain a more realistic view of the issues and challenges that leaders face during change, …

Exploring The Lives Of Women Who Lead, Susan Cloninger

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Scholars have identified various reasons for the underrepresentation of women in the upper echelons of organizations.This study used grounded theory methodology enhanced by situational analysis to explore how American women at senior levels in large organizational contexts engage and negotiate the totality of their situation.Utilizing a predominately White, married, middle to upper class, heterosexual sample, this study sought to understand how women create and consign meaning around their experiences; how they experience the fluidity and boundaries of multiple identities; and how they experience the entanglement of macro, meso, and micro societal forces.It explores relationships among factors participants named as influential …

Elements Of Effective Interorganizational Collaboration: A Mixed Methods Study, Patricia A. Greer

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Interorganizational collaboration is a process used by committed stakeholders within a problem domain to solve 'messy’ or complex issues. Joint identification and resolution of complex problems is achieved through an iterative process, using elements for success: committed members, resources, time, communication, trust, shared goal, defined process, and collective identity. This study utilized an exploratory sequential mixed methods process as a practical approach, resulting in richer data and increased understanding of the phenomenon of collaboration. The guiding research problem explored which elements influence successful collaborations and, specifically, how collective identity is developed, sustained, and related to the perception of success. The …

Revealing Grace: The Lived Experiences Of America's Post-9/11 Military Caregivers, Jennifer J. Hunter

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This research focused on the lived experiences of fourteen military caregiving wives whose husbands were wounded, ill, or injured in a post-9/11 combat theater of war. All wives in this study had been vetted by and appointed to the Elizabeth Dole Military Caregiving Fellows Program and were either actively involved in the Fellowship or had become recent alumni of the two-year commitment at the time of this study. The purpose of this study was to provide a platform for their voices, understand their hopes, struggles, successes, and failures, and to give honor to their stories of military caregiving through the …

Sponsorship In Al-Anon Family Groups: A Narrative Study, Heidi S. Hiatt

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

The purpose of this study is to gain knowledge about the relationship between sponsor and sponsee in Al-Anon Family Groups from the perspective of sponsors and sponsees in Al-Anon. The main question guiding my research is: What is the nature and quality of the sponsorship relationship as perceived by sponsors and sponsees? Nineteen men and women were interviewed and shared stories of their experience of being a sponsor and a sponsee in the Al-Anon program. I utilized a holistic-content approach to analyze the date from the interviews. To help situate the findings in current literature a discussion of sponsorship in …

Rhizomatic Learning And Adapting: A Case Study Exploring An Interprofessional Team's Lived Experiences, Renee Charney

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

The purpose of this theoretical case study was to explore the lived experiences of members within an inter-professional team about how they learn and adapt while dedicating their lives toward the well-being of students residing in and attending a rehabilitation home school. Although there is broad literature that addresses legacy learning theories and frameworks, as well as complex-adaptive organizations, very little shows how the application of rhizome philosophy principles address learning and adapting within an organizational context. This study is a step toward addressing that gap. Using interviews, thematic analysis, and storyline networking, the study explored in depth the lived …

Experiential Journey Of Females Who Enter Or Re-Enter College Later In Life To Degree Completion, Rita Audy Johnston

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Given the scope and paucity of knowledge about the lived experiences of the female adult student entering or re-entering college later in life to degree completion, this research study identified significant themes in their lived experiences. With an appreciative eye, this study captured the female adult students’ lived experiences conveyed in a rich, inter-connected, and inspiring picture of who they are embedded into the larger context of society; such as role identity theory, social identity theory and the applicability and interpretations of these two theories on their journey to degree completion. This study also portrayed selected aspects of the feminist …

Design Thinker Profile: Creating And Validating A Scale For Measuring Design Thinking Capabilities, Dani Chesson

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This study developed a scale for assessing design thinking capabilities in individuals. Many organizations today are turning to design thinking to tackle the complex challenges they face. As organizations move toward adopting this way of working the need to develop design thinking capabilities in individuals becomes imperative. The capabilities needed for engaging in design thinking are skills that we all have to some varying degree, but we do not all use them to their full potential when solving problems. The scale developed in this study measures the degree to which an individual uses design thinking capabilities when engaged in problem …

Inclusive Leadership's Evolving Context: Organizational Climate And Culture Connect, Maria E. Dezenberg

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Conventional forms of leadership that are prominent in organizational life today are seemingly antithetical to the landscape of our dynamic, global society. The continued focus on traditional hierarchies with leadership that functions in a “chain of command” manner begs the question of how organizations can reshape routines and relationships to reflect processes of inclusion and collaboration that have the capability of provoking progressive change in organizations. Diversity and Inclusion scholars have identified the newer construct of inclusive leadership as apt to advance climates and cultures of inclusion through social processes that encourage inclusive practices and behaviors. These fluid aspects of …

The Enigmatic "Cross-Over" Leadership Life Of Dr. Mary Mcleod Bethune (1875-1955), Greer Charlotte Stanford-Randle

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

The dissertation is a deep study of an iconic 20^th century female, African American leader whose acclaim developed not only from her remarkable first generation post-Reconstruction Era beginnings, but also from her mid-century visibility among Negroes and some Whites as a principal spokesperson for her people. Mary Jane McLeod Bethune arose from the Nadir- the darkest period for Negroes after the Civil War and three subsequent US Constitutional Amendments. She led thousands of Negro women, despite social adversity, to organize around their own aspirations for improved social and material lives among America’s diverse citizens., i.e. “the melting pot.” The …

Lessons From "The Fleet": Improving Organizational Leadership Based On Prairie Lakes Church Practices Through Fictional Narrative, Christopher Huling

Honors Program Theses

Prairie Lakes Church (PLC) is a religious institution with a rich history within the Cedar Valley. The church’s origins date back to 1854, only one year after Cedar Falls was incorporated. Throughout the years there have been many changes to the organization, including their name, location, and the population served. Many of the more radical changes have occurred during the last decade. In 2006, Prairie Lakes Church had a single location with roughly twenty staff and a congregation of around 1,000 individuals. Since then, the church’s presence has expanded to five other communities across Iowa. Over sixty people are now …

Human Energy Maximization In A Customized Leadership Program, Robin A. Roberts, Matthew P. Earnhardt, Rene Herron

Publications

Sustainability and thriving are key terms that are driving how energy sources, such as solar, wind, water, and geothermal, generate survivability in the era of globalization. Rarely are those terms used to define human energy expenditures; however, human energy is the most readily available energy source for it serves as a primary catalyst in the fueling or degrading of the sustainability and survival of all other resources. Additionally, humans live, learn, and earn in spaces where they expend energy by mere existence. Most humans are unaware of the impact their personal energy has on the utility and fortitude of the …

2017 Executive Summary- The Nonprofit Sabbatical As A Catalyst For Capacity Building: An Evaluation Of The Fieldstone Leadership Network’S Clare Rose Sabbatical Program, Ahearne Michelle, Tessa Tinkler, Mary Jo Schumann

Nonprofit Leadership and Capacity Building

Year 2 Executive Summary 2017

This report, prepared by the Caster Center and funded by the Clare Rose Foundation, is a year two executive summary report on the Clare Rose Sabbatical Program. The program is intended to support the well-being of nonprofit leaders, build organizational capacity, and elevate leadership within organizations.

Examining Leadership Approaches Of Community College Administrators: Understanding Leadership And Change Processes, Jametoria Lynette Houston Burton

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This purpose of the study was to explore the personal perspectives of three select state college administrators regarding their purpose, values, and beliefs they inherently espouse about leadership, developmental education and academic success. The researcher examined the ways in which community college administrators used communication strategies to lead change processes within their organizations. The researcher identified the administrators’ leadership approaches in leading a major redesign of a developmental education program at a large community college in Florida. The following primary research question was explored: What are the strategies adopted by the select state college administrators leading a major developmental education …