Organization Development Commons^™

The Impact Of Decision-Making Autonomy, Sense Of Shared Identity, And Communications Strategy On Resource Retention Post-Merger And Acquisition, Randeep Rajwant Kaur

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis investigates the impact of decision-making autonomy, a sense of shared identity, and communication strategy on resource retention following mergers and acquisitions. Grounded in organizational development literature, the study examines employee experiences during post-integration periods. Using a qualitative methodology, ten semi-structured interviews were conducted with employees who remained with their organizations for at least twelve months following a merger or acquisition. The research utilizes thematic analysis to explore how autonomy constraints, leadership engagement, transparent communication, and cultural alignment influence retention decisions. The participant sample spans diverse industries such as software, healthcare, financial services, and others, with roles ranging from …

Group Flow Perceptions And Dynamics As Compared To Taxonomy And Integrative Group Flow Theory, Karen E. Wirick

Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study investigated group flow through a team-building exercise with 18 professionals, examining participants’ and an observer’s perceptions of flow in social contexts. Analysis of interviews and observer notes identified eight themes: Sensory Network of Shared Experience, Adaptive Group Identity and Performance, Goal-Skill-Motivation Alignment, Essential Social Dynamics, Calm Intensity, Synchrony and Engagement Patterns, Spontaneous Collective Celebration, and Observer Integration. These themes revealed that flow in groups manifests as dynamic forces in constant motion. When compared to an emergent Taxonomy and the Integrative Group Flow Theory (IGFT), findings aligned more closely with IGFT's conceptualization of flow as a holistic balancing …

Estudio Fenomenológico Sobre La Relación Entre El Liderazgo Transformacional Y La Efectividad De Las Iniciativas De Gestión De Cambio En Las Organizaciones, Greilyn Soto-Perez

Theses and Dissertations

Esta Disertación Aplicada tuvo como propósito explorar la relación entre el liderazgo transformacional y la efectividad de las iniciativas de gestión del cambio en organizaciones de diversos sectores. Este estudio cualitativo se centró en comprender, desde el punto de vista de diferentes lideres transformacionales en distintas áreas e industrias, cómo los líderes y empleados experimentan y perciben el impacto del liderazgo transformacional en la implementación de cambios significativos organizacionales.

Este estudio de naturaleza cualitativa se enmarcó en un enfoque fenomenológico. Mediante entrevistas semiestructuradas en profundidad, se exploraron cuatro dimensiones del liderazgo transformacional: influencia idealizada, motivación inspiradora, estimulación intelectual y consideración …

A Mixed Method Case Study Of Leadership For Change: Authentic Transformational Leadership In A Local Baptist Church, Hui Sun

Theses and Dissertations

This convergent parallel mixed methods case study explores how a local Baptist church navigated organizational change during and after the COVID-19 pandemic through the lens of authentic and transformational leadership. Grounded in organizational leadership and open systems framework of organizational change, the study examined two primary hypotheses: (1) RBC demonstrated an authentic transformational leadership paradigm in its change processes since 2020, and (2) this paradigm significantly and positively influenced perceived leadership effectiveness.

Qualitative data were collected through semi-structured interviews with six leaders (three pastors, one minister, one staff leader, and one deacon) and 11 raters (five lay leaders, five congregants, …

Gender Inequality Is Not A "Women Only" Issue: A Case Study Of Egyptian Private News Media, Amira Ahmed

Theses and Dissertations

Discrimination in the workplace among different genders is a significant issue in the news media sector globally. This study aims to determine and measure gender inequality in the Egyptian private news media sector through different indicators, including job payments, workload, promotions, media roles, work safety, and work flexibility, especially post-COVID. A mixed approach was used by conducting sixteen interviews and then a survey of 304 private news media sector participants. As inequalities can be a double-faced case, men's and women's perspectives have been considered in the study sample. Through descriptive and statistical analysis, the research findings revealed new insights to …

Ai-Powered Information Retrieval In Meeting Records And Transcripts Enhancing Efficiency And User Experience, Srushti Nitin Ghadge

Theses and Dissertations

This study compares the traditional search methods, which is to search from video recordings of the meetings by moving the slider back and forth or by keyword search in transcripts versus integrated AI video plus transcript search. Based on the previous test results, we introduced some human-centric design features to the AI and built a new enhanced AI search tool for information retrieval. For search technique efficiency testing, the method had two set of experiments. The first results of the experiment showed that AI-based search algorithms were more accurate and faster than conventional search approaches. Participants were also happier with …

Organizational Cultural Entrenchment: Exploring Cultural Antecedents Of Actively Destructive Employee Behaviors As A Manifestation Of Voice In Mergers And Acquisitions, Keith Dellano Holloway

Theses and Dissertations

Mergers and acquisitions are frequently leveraged as a vehicle for company growth. However, many of these transactions fail to yield a positive result and often cause a net loss of shareholder value.

There are many interrelated factors at work within a merger or acquisition. Structure, leadership, finances, strategic fit, market, and price are just a few variables to consider. However, the factor of culture, and the failure of cultural integration, has surfaced in literature as a significant contributor to losses within mergers and acquisitions.

This study built on the work of Harris, Hirschman, Kotter, and Schlesinger and examined the deleterious …

Third Mission Accelerator Labs (Tmals): An Exploratory Study On The Strategic Evolution Of Sustainability In University-Business Incubators (Ubis), Abdalla Hassanein

Theses and Dissertations

Globally, higher education institutions (HEIs) are devoting rising resources in order to remain competitive, impactful and attractive within the ever-changing socio-economic developments and to well position and communicate their value among their stakeholders (Lafuente-Ruiz-de-Sabando, et al. 2018). Students today want to do more than just get a degree; they want to create businesses, develop new markets, and start social movements (Kay et al., 2010). Under the open innovation model, universities' third mission (TM) includes deeper linkages and engagements with the private and public sectors, emphasizing the development of entrepreneurial mindsets, skills, and incubation services to encourage new business ventures, in …

From Command Posts To Corporations: Applying United States Marine Corps Leadership Development To Corporate Organization Development, Paul D. Gowin

Theses and Dissertations

This research investigates the applicability of the United States Marine Corps (USMC) leadership development (LD) to corporate organizational development (OD). Despite significant investment in LD, many corporate programs do not meet expectations, highlighting the need for effective models. The USMC LD approach, emphasizing personal and subordinate leadership skills development, mission accomplishment, and team welfare, presents a unique model for exploration. This study examines the integration of USMC leadership components-traits, principles, and core values-into corporate leadership roles and evaluates the perception of USMC veterans on their applicability in corporate settings. The research employs a mixed-methods approach, combining quantitative surveys of 125 …

How Does Participation In A Work Request Redesign Impact Individual-Level Outcomes In Interpersonal Skills, Problem-Solving Skills, Team Commitment, Learning And Quality Of Work-Life?, Henry Mason Hughes Iv

Theses and Dissertations

This research examines the emotional impact of individual team members who will revise a process of online requests for assistance between teams in an international high-tech organization. A survey of the team members upgrading the process will assess the impact of the revision on team members’ learning, problem-solving, team commitment, interpersonal skills, and quality of work life to assess satisfaction toward improved work morale.

Toxin Handling In Human Resources (Hr) And Its Impact On Burnout, Cecilia J. Lee

Theses and Dissertations

These are challenging times for HR professionals. The world of work has experienced unprecedented levels of change since the pandemic. Now on the horizon is the transformative influence of generative AI on the future of work and HR sits at the center of these changes in organizations. Business executives need healthy and productive HR professionals to effectively support organizations in the future. Unfortunately, recent industry studies paint a sobering picture of waning well-being and high levels of burnout in HR. Burnout is characterized by exhaustion, cynicism, and inefficacy, experienced by individuals and caused by systemic organizational imbalances. This study was …

Voluntary Employee Turnover And The Engagement Perception Of Responsibility, Troy Duerr

Theses and Dissertations

This research project investigates voluntary employee turnover and perceptions of engagement responsibility within organizations. In the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, the US workforce experienced significant pressures. Through qualitative research with semi-structured interviews of 15 professionals, key themes influencing engagement and disengagement were identified. These themes include leadership, recognition, role autonomy, team collaboration, unmet career promises, and poor communication. Participants represented various industries, from Fortune 10 companies to family-owned businesses, and held roles from individual contributors to divisional leaders. This research offers both theoretical advancements and practical solutions, emphasizing the necessity of shared responsibility between employees and organizations in managing …

Organization Change Processes In U.S. Protestant Churches: A Comparative Case Study Analysis, Leslie Mulder

Theses and Dissertations

This study explores organization change processes in three U.S. Protestant churches through a comparative case study analysis, emphasizing the role of Religious Institutional Entrepreneurs (RIEs). The research identifies key factors and conditions contributing to change, focusing on how shifts in collective narratives, generative metaphors, and strategic conversations are associated with transformation. External shocks, strategic partnerships, and adaptive leadership emerged as crucial elements in fostering change. Challenges such as emotional impacts of conflict, structural alignment and urgency-based decisions were also noted. The study highlights the balance between innovation and tradition, the importance of inclusive and reflective community engagement, and the optimization …

Designing And Evaluating A Framework For Assessing And Addressing Identity Threat And Integration As Part Of A Merger And Acquisition, Melanie Figler

Theses and Dissertations

Mergers and acquisitions (M&As) offer both advantages and challenges to firms that pursue this growth strategy. Although various frameworks and approaches have been designed to reduce the risks of these transactions, high failure rates continue to plague M&A events. This study investigated a lesser-examined but powerful factor in change outcomes: organization identity. This study examined the effects of M&As on organization identity and identified practices for assessing and addressing identity threat and integration as part of an M&A. The research design was a single case study, with 11 employees ranging from individual contributors to executives being recruited from an organization …

Decision Satisfaction In Corporate Settings, Alison Keppler

Theses and Dissertations

While seemingly important, decision satisfaction has remained an understudied aspect of decision making. Defined as how satisfied an individual feels with a decision at the time it is made, separate from any feeling toward the chosen option or ultimate outcome, decision satisfaction has not been explored in the business context. Developing an understanding of what may lead to decision satisfaction is important as it has the potential to impact employee work experience as well as the outcomes of the decisions themselves. To explore this concept, this study conducted 10 interviews with senior employees in corporate environments. They discussed their preferred …

Understanding Startup Dynamics: A Qualitative Exploration Of Founder Leadership Impact On Organizational Culture, Nikita Mathur

Theses and Dissertations

The business landscape presents challenges and opportunities for startups, influenced by the leadership of their founders. This study investigated how a founder’s leadership qualities, values, and vision influence the organizational culture. This study explores the dynamic interplay between leadership behaviors and cultural outcomes, offering new insights into the organization development process within startup contexts. The analysis that transformative leadership qualities, such as empowerment, transparent communication, and strategic decision-making, along with a clear and compelling vision, are essential for fostering a culture that supports innovation and adaptability. This thesis contributes to the broader field of organization development by bridging theoretical frameworks …

Exploratory Study Of Leading U.S. Companies’ Post-Covid 19 Manager Engagement Practices, Christina Watt

Theses and Dissertations

Managers are crucial to employee satisfaction, serving as the bridge between leadership and staff, balancing expectations from both sides. Although managers are important for employee engagement, recent research highlights a significant issue in organizations regarding the low engagement levels of managers themselves. The purpose of this study was to examine the practices leading companies are using to engage managers and support their performance post-COVID-19. Informants from six Fortune 100 and three Fortune 500 companies were recruited using purposive sampling and interviewed for this study. The participant was required to have worked regularly on their company’s enterprise-wide manager engagement programs within …

Navigating Embodied Self-Awareness States To Produce Work-Enhancing Adaptive Stress Responses, Kristina Banfield

Theses and Dissertations

Work-related stress is increasingly problematic for middle managers and executives, leading to escalating problems of burnout, turnover, diminished performance, and compromised well-being. However, given the same stressor, differential outcomes are observable across individuals, ranging from paralysis to agitation, and even enhanced performance. Individuals’ responses to stress are strongly influenced by their mental models, physiology, and nervous systems—all of which can be deliberately modulated to promote more adaptive stress responses. The purpose of this study was to examine managers’ experiences of their modulated self-awareness states to optimize their stress response for work performance. A purposive sample of 10 senior managers and …

An Examination Of The Facilitators And Barriers For Implementing Environmental Sustainability Plans Into Corporate Strategy, Nathan Maton

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined how organizations integrate environmental sustainability and corporate strategy, describing that intersection as strategic sustainability. The goal of the study was to use qualitative interviews of public American corporations to understand the facilitators and barriers to strategic sustainability. The study identified three facilitators (i.e., emerging regulations, customer demand, and leadership) and two barriers (i.e., data quality and education). These results suggest corporations leverage upcoming regulations, leaders who advocate for sustainability, and customer demand to embed sustainability while improving their education and data quality. Additionally, the research suggests more quantitative research and validation of the results.

Understanding How The Organizational Systems That Select, Promote, And Retain First-Time, Managers Can Be Improved For The Growing Millennial Supervisory Population, Stephanie Castillo

Theses and Dissertations

The success rate for first-time managers is staggeringly low (approximately 40%) during their first 24 months in the role. While various journals and studies have addressed this topic, few have addressed it with a focus on millennial, first-time managers. Given that many millennials are stepping into the role of front-line supervisor, understanding their experience is an important step in understanding how organizational systems can be improved to increase new managers’ success rates. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to understand how to improve the organizational systems that select, promote, and retain first-time managers for the growing millennial supervisory population. …

Vamc Supervisors’ Perceptions Of Servant Leadership’S Role In Retention, Laticia Swartout

Theses and Dissertations

Servant Leadership is a phenomenon that has existed for centuries and continues to make waves today. While entities using this leadership style are generally non-profits, the United States government has chosen to use it in some of its federal agencies. More specifically, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs enlists Servant Leadership to achieve its organizational goals, like retaining employees. The purpose of this study was to understand the perceptions of the role Servant Leadership plays in assisting supervisors in retaining employees. The research question was: How do supervisors perceive Servant Leadership’s role in retention at the Greater Los Angeles Veterans …

Certified Impact: Organization Design For Zero Waste Certification And Its Impact On Organizational Identity, Sumner Byrne

Theses and Dissertations

This phenomenological study examined how organizations, primarily in the manufacturing and distribution industries, approached the change process to achieve a third-party verified zero waste certification. It investigated how the change process impacted employees’ sense of organizational identity, and what challenges they faced in pursuing certification. Sixteen participants from seven recently certified organizations agreed to be interviewed about their experience. Challenges stemmed most consistently from fiscal misalignment with leadership’s priorities, capacity struggles, and employee disconnection to the certification’s purpose. Participants reported that the most impactful organizational change strategies included clear, positive messaging, investment in employee empowerment and leadership, and consistency throughout …

Employee Job Satisfaction Of Public Sector Professionals: The Roles Of Public Safety Work And Public Service Motivation, Victor Flomo

Theses and Dissertations

Employee job satisfaction of public sector professionals: The roles of public safety work and public service motivation

Navigating Complexity Of Serving Displaced Communities: A Study Of Yemeni Community-Based Organizations In Egypt, Alya Mohammed Al-Mahdi

Theses and Dissertations

Forced displacement is a global crisis that poses challenges for nations like Egypt. Despite international NGO support, escalating displaced individuals have overwhelmed existing capacities. Refugee Community-Based Organizations (CBOs) have emerged as a natural response from the communities themselves to bridge the gap between the state and NGOs and the refugee community. However, CBOs in Egypt face challenges that impact their operation and continuity. Through qualitative research, this study aims to explore the experience of the Yemeni CBOs. Through interviews with seven people from six CBOs conducted through field visits and online calls, this research uncovers the dynamics of Yemeni CBOs …

The Relationship Between Competency Development And Intent To Stay At The Middle Management Level, Miriam Hawk Chambers

Theses and Dissertations

Millions of individuals within Corporate America work in roles designated within the middle management category (Zippia, 2023). The complexity of this type of role is that these individuals are tasked with carrying and implementing change, expected to fluidly switch between high and low power styles depending on who they are engaging with, and are often stuck between stakeholders with conflicting expectations (Anicich & Hirsh, 2017a). Because of the financial, cultural, and productivity costs of losing middle managers, it is important to better understand what, if any, relationship competency development has in increasing intent to stay amongst middle managers.

Findings of …

Psychological Safety Within An Agricultural Hand Labor Harvest Crew And Its Relationship To Productivity, Thomas Draper

Theses and Dissertations

Does psychological safety exist in Hispanic agricultural hand labor harvest crews? The purpose of the study was to ascertain the existence of the four stages of psychological safety in three agricultural hand labor harvest crews in California and to determine if those crews exhibiting the highest mean of psychological safety are the most productive in terms of pounds per person per hour packed. A protocol consisting of 17 statements was verbally administered in Spanish to the participating crews harvesting the same crop and working for the same Farm Labor Contractor. Analysis utilizing a 5-point Likert scale determined which crew exhibited …

Exploring Cultural Boundary Spanning Functions That Bridge Across National And Cultural Boundaries In Mncs, Tamara Downs

Theses and Dissertations

In multinational corporations (MNCs), cross-cultural interactions and collaboration are unavoidable. Cultural boundary spanning (CBS) is a behavior that has been shown to reduce conflict and ensure project success. It is a behavior that bridges internal and external organizational boundaries. This study examined if and how CBS functions (behaviors) change across national and cultural boundaries in MNCs. These boundaries were characterized by four demographic groups of people found within MNCs: (a) parent country nationals, (b) host country nationals, (c) third country nationals, and (d) parent country national expats. The findings of this research suggest that any of these demographic groups can …

The Trickle-Out Effect Of Prioritizing Well-Being, Kelsey M. Stout

Theses and Dissertations

This research builds upon previous studies of the effects of inequity theory on well-being at work. The purpose of this study was to understand the intersection of equity theory and well-being for US employees in modern corporate organizations. Specifically, the study aims to answer the research question-When one employee prioritizes their well-being, how does it affect their work teammates’ well-being? Twenty full-time corporate employees from various companies and industries each participated in a survey and an interview. Overall, this research found that prioritizing well-being at work generally positively impacts those around them. However, it has a negative impact when the …

Trends And Challenges In Developing Emerging Leaders For Ambiguous Working Environments: A Qualitative Research Study, Alanna Brahms

Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative research study examined trends and challenges faced by leadership development practitioners in developing emerging leaders for ambiguous working environments, particularly considering the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Twenty-five participants were interviewed using 16 questions related to competencies, changes in the leadership landscape, and best practices and challenges in developing emerging leaders for present-day working environments. The study found that leaders in hybrid and ambiguous working environments face increased demands, necessitating flexibility, and agility. The results emphasized the importance of a growth mindset and a desire to lead as foundational traits for emerging leaders. Strong communication and interpersonal skills …

Evaluating The Prevalence And Dimensions Of Poetry Interventions To Enable Change And Transformation In Organizations, Elizabeth Kathleen Mcgraw

Theses and Dissertations

Today, organizations and their employees operate in times of increased complexity, ambiguity, and constant change. Traditional methods for enabling change and transformation are no longer sufficient to generate alignment and shared understanding to create adaptive ways of working. Organizations must identify new tools when engaged in change and transformation. Poetry, a time-honored practice, is an unconventional choice for organizational interventions. Still, it may be a solution for organizations seeking to unstick, reframe, and pivot quickly toward a new and shared reality. This study evaluated the practice and dimensions of poetry interventions used by change practitioners when enabling change and transformation …