Leadership Studies Commons^™

A Fish Out Of Water: An Examination Of Self-Identified Introverted Business Students' Perceptions Of Their Leadership Ability, Katie J. Jolicoeur

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

Current American cultural and societal ideals favor personalities that are outgoing, positive, and talkative in nature, due to the rise of the Culture of Personality (Wilmot, 2019; Kim, 2012; Cain, 2013). Beginning with the industrial revolution and expanding rapidly midcentury, parents began to view children who are quiet as less favorable than those who are more gregarious, thus children and parents began forced socialization at an earlier age (Wilmot, 2019; Cain, 2013). Very little, if any, research has been conducted to understand the impact that the cultural ideal of favoring extraversion has upon undergraduate students seeking a degree in business, …

An Examination Of Early Childhood Leadership In Public Elementary Schools: A Mixed Methods Study, Wesam Alshahrani

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As state-funded Pre-K programs in elementary schools continue to grow, elementary principals are increasingly responsible for supporting, supervising, and leading these programs. Therefore, examining elementary principals' early childhood leadership competencies and the factors influencing them may help understand and improve their experiences as early childhood education (ECE) leaders. This explanatory sequential mixed methods study examined the ECE leadership of Tennessee public elementary school principals in two phases.

In the quantitative phase, statewide surveys were used to collect data from 67 principals. The survey comprised 51 items assessing nine ECE leadership competencies, synthesized from statements of leading ECE and elementary education …

Leadership Development Through Athletic Experience, Antoine Grace

All Student Scholarship

This qualitative research aims to find the relationship between athletics and leadership development by examining athletes' and nonathletes' students, life, leadership experiences, and learned behaviors. The research utilized a purposive sampling to recruit a diverse group of participants from the university that classify as either student-athletes or non-sport-playing students. The collection of data from participants has been conducted using semi-structured interviews. Thematic analysis has been used to identify patterns and themes in the interview data, allowing for a meaningful understanding and interpretation based on aspects of athletes' and non-athletes' experiences. This study aims to contribute to the existing literature on …

The Benefits Of Teaching Young Adults Leadership Skills In The Early Stages Of Their Academics, April Marie Gura

All Student Scholarship

This study investigates the possibility of implementing leadership skills, at a younger age, specifically during high school, to enhance our future leaders. This quality is essential to our society. The interviews are conducted with a spectrum of teachers, who consider, through their experiences, what issues they view plague young people in today’s workforce. To better understand the problem, this study explores how leadership is viewed and displayed in their school systems. It addresses how leadership has formed into a needed life skill studying which should be infused into all high school curriculums. The finding of this study is that leadership …

“Think Leader, Think Alpha Male” And The Evolution Of Leader Stereotypes., Christopher Von Rueden

Jepson School of Leadership Studies articles, book chapters and other publications

Over the past few decades, the representation of women in top leadership positions has steadily increased around the world, yet remains well below gender parity. Do leader stereotypes and preferences still favor men? Based on a series of studies with U.S. participants, Wiezel, Barlev, Martos, and Kenrick (2024) argue that leaders remain stereotyped as male, which is consistent with a “think leader, think alpha-male” model. Inconsistent with the model, the authors also find that women are slightly preferred as leaders, due in part to greater association of men with dominance-based leadership. In general, Wiezel et al. (2024) provide a valuable …

Examining The Effects Of Leadership-Fostered Organizational Priorities On Employee Mental Health, Lauren Cornelio

Thinking Matters Symposium

This research contributes to the growing body of knowledge by addressing the gap in the current literature regarding how organizational priorities enacted by a leader foster a work environment that can impact the mental health of employees. Utilizing a qualitative research design grounded in phenomenology, this study explores employees’ subjective experiences within different organizational cultures. By adopting a phenomenological approach, the study uncovers nuanced insights into employees’ lived experiences, shedding light on the intricate interplay between organizational priorities determined by the leader and employee mental health. Data was collected through in-depth interviews, allowing participants to reflect upon their perceptions of …

Adversity To Action: A Case Study Analysis Of Crisis Leadership, Isabelle Weatherington

Honors Theses

This thesis examines leadership through crisis contexts. I aim to answer two research questions. (1) How do crisis management frameworks intersect with the leadership strategies and characteristics of the person in charge? And (2) How must a leader adapt their natural leadership style and characteristics according to the nature and level of the crisis at hand to ensure leadership effectiveness? To answer these, a comparative case study analysis was performed on the following cases: Winston Churchill and World War II (Case one), George W. Bush and the September 11th, 2001 terrorist attacks (Case two), and Thad Allen and Hurricane Katrina …

A Study Of Leadership's Role In Building Relationships Among Virtual Team Members, Danna V. Smith

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This research study focused on leadership's role in building relationships among virtual team members. A qualitative case study, the research focused on organizations in the medical device industry within the Charlotte Metropolitan region of North Carolina. The research was formed using 15 open ended questions in an interview of 20 leaders of virtual teams. Each leader was interviewed individually and allowed to elaborate on their answers to help the researcher to thoroughly understand the approach used to help the relationships form among their virtual team members. During the interview, the discussion between the researcher and the leader being interviewed covered …

Worldviews Impacting Leadership Within U.S. National Security: Christianity Vs Secularism, Remy Goldsmith

Helm's School of Government Conference - 2021-2024

Worldviews influence and impact all aspects of life. This is because the way one chooses to see the world affects the decisions one chooses to make. Whether choosing a job, a religion, or a partner, all are affected by one’s worldview. This is also because worldview is where virtues derive from. The establishment of virtue is the cornerstone of building character and developing ethics. In other words, it forms the moral compass that an individual uses to base their decisions. As that stands, this means that worldviews and virtues are applicable and impactful toward leadership and decision-making within national security. …

Self-Sabotaging Behaviors Of Female Chief Executive Officers Of Behavioral Health Organizations And Power Tactics Used To Leadhership, Jennifer Salgado

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this sequential, explanatory mixed-methods study was to identify and describe personal power tactics that female Chief Executive Officers of behavioral health nonprofit organizations employ to overcome four identified self-sabotaging behaviors from the Self-Sabotaging Framework adapted from Lerner (2012) and Ryder and Briles (2003).

Methodology: This sequential mixed methods research study deployed a phenomenological approach to identify and describe the lived experiences of six female Chief Executive Officers of behavioral health nonprofit organizations in California. Data collection included interviews consisting of eight semistructured questions and 28 survey questions. Interviews were recorded and transcribed to support data analysis …

"There Is Power In Being Out": A Three Article Approach Celebrating The Experiences Of Queer University Leaders, Andrew R. E. Lorenzana

Dissertations

Institutions of higher education were historically built to serve a wealthy, White, straight male student population and the leaders of these institutions still largely reflect these demographics. This project specifically aims to celebrate and amplify the life and career of university administrators who identify within the LGBTQ community. Mainly through the use of a portraiture methodology, this three-article study attempts to examine the ways in which LGBTQ identity and career influence one another.

Worldmaking and narrative will be used as a theoretical frame to help analyze the ways in which the telling of a queer individual’s story makes the world …

Aren't Only Girls Secretaries…?”: Leadership Lessons From Women U.S. Secretaries Of State, Lindsay Allen

Dissertations

American political systems, predominantly steered by White males, often conform to masculine leadership paradigms derived from traditionally male-dominated domains like the U.S. government. Thus, it is vital to explore women’s roles in political leadership to foster a more comprehensive understanding of effective leadership.

The purpose of this study was to examine how women who have served as U.S. secretary of state exhibited leadership. Of the 71 people to have served as secretary of state, just three have been women: Madeleine Albright, Condoleezza Rice, and Hillary Rodham Clinton. Due to the complexity of gendered experiences, and the challenges of having direct …

Mentorship For African American Female Officers Of Faith In The United States Air Force, Tanquer L. Dyer

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Mentorship has emerged as a critical component for the cultivation and development of leaders. Mentoring is beneficial for the mentee and mentor both personally and professionally. The United States Air Force (USAF) encourages formal and informal mentoring for their leaders through initiatives and regulations. Other branches emphasize leadership development; whereas, the USAF emphasizes career development. While African American female officers of faith continue to hold leadership positions, it is unclear whether mentorship serves as a factor of success. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore and understand the lived experience of African American female officers in the USAF …

Mentorship Experiences Of College Level Educators: A Phenomenological Study, Rebecca M. Arsenault

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to understand the impact that mentorship had on the retention of ten participating educators working at various post-secondary educational institutions. The theory guiding this study was Dansereau’s leader-member theory guided as it pertained to the interactions between a dyadic relationship such as the one represented by one-on-one mentorship. The central research question for this study asked about the mentorship experiences of educators in higher education who have been in the field of education for five years or more. This study used transcendental phenomenological to study the essence of the experiences of 10 educators …

A Qualitative Case Study Of An Ultra-Brief Trait Emotional Intelligence Intervention For University Student Leaders, Britne K. Bacca-Haupt, Melinda R. Dilley, Fletcher J. Ferguson, Lisa C. Gillis-Davis, Jacqueline M. Schneller

Dissertations

Emotional intelligence gained interest in the early 1990s from researchers in hopes of assessing how understanding and developing emotions can help individuals be “healthy, rich, successful, loved, and happy” (Mayer et al., 2001, p. xi). Because of the expanded interest, increasing implications began occurring at the postsecondary level of education (Petrides et al., 2018). Trait emotional intelligence focuses on perceptions of oneself and others, illustrating how we regulate our emotions and recognize them in others. This qualitative study aimed to explore the impact of an ultra-brief intervention on the trait emotional intelligence development of university student leaders and how they …

Pathways To Leadership In A Professional Association, Cheryl Lynn Endres

Dissertations

This purpose of this exploratory qualitative study was to explore the experiences of former volunteer leaders who served in the role of president for a professional association. A qualitative design framed by phenomenology is appropriate when seeking to understand individual reflections on a common experience (Brinkmann, 2008, Patton, 2018, Creswell & Poth, 2018). The research was framed as exploratory due to the limited qualitative studies on leadership in professional associations, and more information to understand this experience can be gained by using the qualitative phenomenological method. The phenomenon of focus in this study is motivations related to volunteer leadership, in …

A Phenomenological Study Of Church Polity And Its Impact On Pastoral Leadership And Congregational Health, Travis L. Biller

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

It is reported that deacon-led churches produce conflict and high pastoral turnover (Harbuck, 2018; Payne, 1996). The purpose of this phenomenological study was to understand how a church governance structure impacts a pastor’s ability to lead, the health of the church, and pastoral retention. The experiences of pastors from deacon-led churches were evaluated for clusters of meaning and compared with the experiences of pastors who serve under an elder-led model of leadership. Nine interviews were conducted—five pastors from deacon-led churches and four from elder-led churches. This study approached the phenomenological design from an interpretive, or hermeneutical approach to understand the …

Fostering Belonging In The Workplace: What Does Commitment Look Like At Interpersonal, Team, And Organizational Levels?, Jody Condit Fagan

Libraries

Researchers describe belonging as “an essential human need” that supports people’s abilities to share, create meaning, participate, and learn with others at work (Filstad et al., 2019, p117). Sense of belonging varies by culture (Cortina et al., 2017) and belonging-related stressors have been shown to be more intense for those who identify with outgroups (Walton & Brady, 2017). Given this context and the impossibility of directly creating belonging, how can people at all levels support an inclusive commitment to fostering belonging as an organizational value? This presentation will define belonging, outline relevant actions and behaviors, and illuminate potential pitfalls.

Working Remotely And Corporate Culture Wars In The Post-Pandemic Era, David M. Savino, Danielle C. Foster

Journal of the North American Management Society

Organizational culture is a sacred element of any organization. It is the lifeblood and the guiding force that makes each organization unique in its ability to navigate day-to-day and longer-term perspectives of corporate operations. Strong cultures help identify direction and philosophy and provide confidence in how to proceed to pursue innovative ideas and solve problems. Since 2020, the core value and the strength of many organizational cultures have been tested as a result of the increased reliance on working remotely and the adoption of a hybrid model of business operations not previously utilized to a great degree. While many survived …

Nonprofit Leader Experiences In Sector-Bending After Lean Six Sigma Training: Tension, Concepts, And Changed Behaviors, Beverly Codallos

Dissertations

Government, business, and nonprofit represent three distinct types of organizations governed by different legal frameworks designed to facilitate collective action (DiMaggio & Anheier, 1990). The emergence of hybrid forms and increasing isomorphic pressures in the nonprofit sector (Bromley & Meyer, 2017; McCambridge, 2014) have challenged the traditional separation of organizational forms. This study explored the phenomenon popularized as sector-bending, “a wide variety of approaches, activities, and relationships that are blurring the distinctions between nonprofit and for-profit organizations, either because they are behaving more similarly, operating in the same realms, or both” (Dees & Anderson, 2003, pg. 16). This qualitative study …

Navigating Sustainable Futures, Franziska Zimmermann

Asian Management Insights

A leadership imperative.

Service Transformation That Will Boost Your Business, Neeta Lachmandas-Sakellariou

Asian Management Insights

Focus on your customers to catapult your company to success. However, leaders must drive a culture change to make it happen.

Portraits Of Hispanic And/Or Latino Leadership Development In The Military, Michael Lugo

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

The study presented denotes a continuous transition among the Hispanic and/or Latino demographics in the military and the cadet accounts of military inequality incidents while in the military (Cabrera et al., 2017; Eckel & King, 2004). To assist Hispanic and/or Latino needs based on demographics and environment (National Center for Education Statistics, 2019). Military leaders contribute to growing a diverse, inclusive, and equitable military force for all ethnic groups. The Department of Defense (DoD) is the most racially and ethnically diverse workplace in the United States (Daniel et al., 2022). Nevertheless, racial/ethnic harassment and discrimination in the military continue …

Stress, Resiliency, And Burnout Among Counseling Leaders, Adriana Bovee

Journal of Social, Behavioral, and Health Sciences

Leaders in the counseling profession face many demands. The purpose of this quantitative regression analysis study was to determine if there was a predictive relationship between the independent variables of stress and resiliency and dependent variables of burnout, emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and personal accomplishment among leaders in the counseling profession. Transformational leadership theory and resilience theory were applied as the theoretical framework of this study, and the cross-sectional data collection method was used. Data were collected through anonymous online surveys from a purposive sample of 75 counseling leaders. Data analysis methods included descriptive statistics and multiple linear regressions. Results indicated …

Servant Leadership: The Change Needed In Law Enforcement, Shane H. Shetler

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Servant leadership is a moral-based form of leadership in which leaders place the well-being of followers before their own (Canavesi & Minelli, 2022). It is a theory that has gained increased notoriety over the past several decades. Despite this, there remains a limited amount of empirical research on it and its potential benefits. However, several professions have adopted it, and their results have been positive. Leadership change is needed in many professions, and law enforcement is no exception. The policing profession faces many challenges, such as recruiting quality candidates and retaining existing personnel. Furthermore, the challenges plaguing policing also exert …

Female Leadership Development: From A Non-Western Perspective, Mira Fadel, Zhi Yin, Siyuan Chen, Ailin Zhang, Tianshi Hao, Jesse Llamas, Michael Llamas

The Scholarship Without Borders Journal

This study intends to compare the evolution of female leadership in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) area, Asia, and the Western countries. According to data from the International Labour Organization, the COVID-19 epidemic has significantly impacted women's labor force participation globally and expanded the gender gap, with the MENA area being the most affected. There is a well-established global trend of rising female leadership; yet, there are still disparities in the gender composition of leadership between Western countries and other areas, with Western countries having a greater share of female leaders. In the MENA area and Asia, imposed …

Women In Leadership Positions In Higher Education: Challenges, Opportunities, And Strategies For Success, Maria Bowen

M.S. in Leadership

This research project is aimed to identify the challenges and barriers women face in higher education while striving to obtain leadership positions and provide possible solutions to resolve the gender gaps found in higher education’s leadership. A literature review was conducted, which informed questions that were asked in an interview setting. Interviews were conducted with leaders that identify as women in higher education and sought to provide personalized accounts of the researched trends. Ultimately, despite higher education being perceived as a progressive industry and having legislature in place to combat gender disparities, leadership positions are not reflective of gender distribution …

Pastoral Leadership Of Seventh-Day Adventist Pastors In Sub-Saharan Africa And Congregational Giving During 2020-2021: A Grounded Theory Study, Eric Jean-Bruno Aniel Barbe

Dissertations

Problem

The purpose of this study was to develop a theoretical model that describes how the behavioral strategies of Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) pastors in Sub-Saharan Africa may have positively influenced congregational giving during the years 2020-2021 of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Method

A qualitative grounded theory research design was used (Corbin & Strauss, 2015). In-depth interviews were conducted to collect data from a purposive sample of SDA pastoral leaders in Sub-Saharan Africa. The collected data were analyzed using an iterative process consisting of open, axial, and selective coding, thereby facilitating the construction of subcategories and a core category. This analytical process …

The Processes, Events And Characteristics Associated With The Leadership Emergence Of New Believers In The Contemporary Movement Of The Seventh-Day Adventist Church In The United States, Cleveland Hobdy Iii

Dissertations

Problem

The Seventh-day Adventist Church is confronting an unsettling reality in the 21st century. A considerable body of literature has highlighted an escalating attrition rate, with the 'Ministry journal reporting in April 2019 that almost 50% of new converts eventually abandon their commitment (Thomas, 2019). Other data collected by the World Church through its Office of Research include statistics and archive information that confirm the losses (Knott, 2016; Trimm, 2023). After all the baptisms, membership transfers, professions of faith, and accessions, the worldwide Seventh-day Adventist Church is netting one new member per church per year. Since 1965, roughly 4 out …

Exploring Manifestations Of Pluriform Love In The Leadership Of Christian Early Childhood Communities: A Phenomenological Study 2019-2024 In New Zealand, Sharon Kaye Judge

Dissertations

Problem

This study responds to the need to explore and/or propose models of leadership for Christian early childhood education and care (ECEC) settings in New Zealand (NZ). While previous studies identify love and care as a priority there is a need to define and prioritize Biblical understandings of love that may align with the principles of the national ECE framework. The study represents an alternative narrative to the neo-liberal influences which dominate areas of ECEC leadership through the marketization and standardization of children’s services nationally and globally.

Purpose of Study

Many factors contribute to the purpose of this study which …