Organization Development Commons^™

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 …

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.

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 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. …

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 …

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 …

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.

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 …

Tracing Global Experiences To Employer Favorability, Sarah E. Mccord

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Globalization has elevated society's workforce contributions, forcing employees to have global competence for career success. Global competence is a term used to describe the proficiencies an individual can gain from experienced-based learning opportunities, like study away. This form of experiential learning has proven to have many benefits for students in secondary and higher education. Existing evidence suggests cross-cultural and international experiences provide travelers with professional, intellectual, and integral traits, increasing their working social capital and aiding in experiential learning. However, research is lacking if employers desire study abroad experience in their new hires and/or if global competence is a skill …

The Strategic Planning Process: A Mixed Methods Examination Of The Process As An Antidote To Promote Sustainability And Prevent The Extinction Of Startup Nonprofits, Charrisse Somme

Doctor of Education Dissertations

The nonprofit sector plays an intricate role in today’s economy and communities nationwide. Nonprofits employ over 12 million people in the United States and provide over $800 million in salaries and benefits, which equates to adding $1 trillion to the national economy. These contributions affirm the necessity for nonprofit existence. There is a sense of urgency to address this problem, as nonprofit dissolution has been increasing steadily since the pandemic began and spiked 30% during January 2022 compared to January 2021 (Delaney & O’Leary, 2022). “While competition amongst and the resulting exit of for-profit businesses have been studied, the exit …

The Impact Of Mentorship Programs On Career Progression And Advancement Opportunities For Underrepresented Individuals In Hospital Leadership Roles., Muhammad Sheikh

West Chester University Doctoral Projects

The underrepresentation of diverse groups in healthcare leadership remains critical despite growing recognition of inclusivity’s value. This mixed-methods study investigates mentorship, sponsorship, and inclusive organizational culture’s role in fostering diverse hospital leadership. Combining qualitative interviews with four healthcare professionals and exploratory quantitative survey data, the study explores these factors' impact on career progression and leadership development.

Findings emphasize mentorship's critical role in advancing career opportunities, particularly for underrepresented groups. Qualitative data showed that mentorship enhances self-confidence, leadership access, and career aspirations. Exploratory quantitative data suggested a positive correlation between mentorship involvement and career advancement metrics, though statistical limitations (N=4) preclude …

Diversifying The Workforce: Women In Plumbing, Aviva Maxon

Scripps Senior Theses

Exploring the benefits and challenges of being women in plumbing through first person narratives.

Performance Management Through Service Quality Perspective, Tanaporn Supanichrattana

Faculty Publications - College of Education

This research report examines performance management in educational facilities through a service quality framework. Drawing on the SERVQUAL model, it conceptualizes service quality across five dimensions: reliability, responsiveness, assurance, empathy, and tangibles. The report identifies performance measures associated with each dimension and demonstrates how these measures can inform the assessment of facilities operations and service delivery. The research emphasizes the strategic selection of performance measures that align with organizational priorities and goals rather than the adoption of standardized measures across institutional contexts. Through this framework, the research positions service quality as a foundational lens for data-informed decision-making, continuous improvement, and …

Reducing Food Scarcity: The Benefits Of Urban Farming, S.A. Claudell, Emilio Mejia

Journal of Nonprofit Innovation

Urban farming can enhance the lives of communities and help reduce food scarcity. This paper presents a conceptual prototype of an efficient urban farming community that can be scaled for a single apartment building or an entire community across all global geoeconomics regions, including densely populated cities and rural, developing towns and communities. When deployed in coordination with smart crop choices, local farm support, and efficient transportation then the result isn’t just sustainability, but also increasing fresh produce accessibility, optimizing nutritional value, eliminating the use of ‘forever chemicals’, reducing transportation costs, and fostering global environmental benefits.

Imagine Doris, who is …

Managing Diversity In A Culturally Fractional World: Review Of Diversity: A Key Idea For Business And Society (2023) By Mustafa F. Özbilgin, Cihat Erbil

Markets, Globalization & Development Review

No abstract provided.

The Intersection Of Leader-Follower Trade (Lft) And Leader-Member Exchange (Lmx) In Alleviating Work-Family Conflict (Wfc), Ashlie James

The Journal of Values-Based Leadership

In an organizational context, employees are more than mere followers but individuals with multiple roles beyond their employment which interact and influence the way they work. When the demands from work and family life collide, scholars describe this inter-role conflict as work–family conflict (WFC) where the role pressures from work and family are mutually incompatible creating increased feelings of strain and decreased life and job satisfaction which affect their work performance and commitment (Blanch & Aluja, 2012; Hagqvist et al., 2017). Given the importance of having work-life balance, human resource management (HRM) theory argues work flexibility, such as the opportunity …

Three Conditions For Vertical Leadership Development: Impact Of Personal Experiences, Kevin Coopersmith

The Journal of Values-Based Leadership

Vertical leadership development, an emerging body of leadership research based around expanding an individual’s capacity to think, make decisions, and understand themselves and the world around them, stands as a unique solution to address the leadership skills gap at a time of global complexity and change. Petrie’s (2015) model of the three conditions for vertical leadership development to take place was analyzed through the lived experiences of eight leaders who had successfully completed personal development plans and shared their experiences through a narrative-based qualitative study. Of the eight participants, three participants filled all three conditions and demonstrated a higher level …

Authentic Leadership Measures: An Authentic Measure For Authentic Leadership?, Mitch Butterworth, Jessica Black, Robert Terry

The Journal of Values-Based Leadership

This study broadly addresses some of the criticisms associated with authentic leadership theory related to measurement and antecedents. Measurement: One purpose of this study was to verify the dimensionality of authentic leadership by testing the construct validity of three measures for authentic leadership: the Authentic Leadership Questionnaire (ALQ), the Authentic Leadership Inventory (ALI), and the Authentic Leadership Integrated Questionnaire (AL-IQ), proposed by Levesque-Cote et al. (2018) as an improvement on the previous two scales. This study was designed to replicate and extend Levesque-Cote et al. (2018) study with an English-speaking sample to further test the structural validity of the AL-IQ. …

Importance Of Employee Motivation Across Different Organizational Landscapes, Lorena Monserrat Tenorio

CISLA Senior Integrative Projects

No abstract provided.

Feminist Pedagogy In The Stem Research Laboratory: An Intersectional Approach, Eduardo J. Caro-Diaz, Marie L. Matos-Hernández, Grayce E. Dyer, Siribeth Lopez-Santana, Laura S. Torres-Rivera, Lara G. Laureano-Llorens, Naiara Lebron-Acosta, Victoria M. Casimir-Montán

Feminist Pedagogy

The research laboratory is a crucial and indispensable classroom for STEM education. It is where we practice science as a craft and test the ideas that awaken our curiosity, allowing us to create knowledge. It is also a space where challenges await and struggles are imminent. Thus, supporting mentees through their traineeship in a research lab requires an intersectional approach and lens to provide equitable mentorship and guidance. The concept of intersectionality, initially devised by Black feminist professor Kimberlé W. Crenshaw, can be employed to generate practices and frameworks that democratize laboratory culture and provide trainees with a space in …

Homeless Barriers: A Phenomenological Study Of Service Providers In Thurston County, Washington State, Michael Meredith

Dissertations

Purpose: This qualitative phenomenological study aims to describe the perceptions of homeless service providers in Thurston County, Washington State, and describe barriers to the homeless seeking assistance. This study interviewed ten Thurston County service providers about their perception of the barriers preventing the unsheltered homeless from using available services. Identifying barriers and developing strategies to reduce or remove them is expected to reduce or eliminate homelessness.

Methodology: This qualitative phenomenological study describes the homeless service providers' perceptions of the homeless and the barriers to the homeless seeking assistance. The researcher conducted interviews with a sample of ten service providers to …

An Exploratory Study Of How American Indian College Students Develop A Sense Of Well-Being As They Pursue An Associate Degree In A Rural Community College, Elvira Martin

Organization, Information and Learning Sciences ETDs

Using a qualitative, naturalistic inquiry research design, and following the guide principles for conducting research with American Indian populations, this study explored how American Indian college students develop a sense of well-being as they pursue an associate degree in a rural community college. To understand well-being from an American Indian perspective, I used an indigenous model, Secatero’s (2009) four Well-Being Concepts, which include physical, social, mental, and spiritual aspects, as the conceptual framework for my study. The participants in my study described well-being as identity, beliefs, values, relationships, perseverance, and financial stability. They were developing a sense of well-being as …

Growth And Impact: The Dual Purpose Of Leadership Development For Professionals In Middle Management Roles, Joy Karavedas

Transform

Abstract

Growth and Impact: The Dual Purpose of Leadership Development for

Professionals in Middle Management Roles

Emerging leaders are aware of the skills needed for executive leadership but may not possess the knowledge of how to develop those skills, meaning they often enter higher levels of leadership with awareness of what is needed to lead but without the actual skills to do so. More than any time in history, it is critical that those placed in leadership positions develop skills prior to being elevated. On the job leadership development is no longer a reliable option and intentionality to developmental time …

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

Coworkers And Leaders: The Relationship Between Trustworthiness, Trust, And Employee Engagement, Lianne Young

Dissertations

A highly engaged workforce provides numerous organizational and individual benefits (Shuck et al., 2016), the culmination of which leads to a competitive advantage difficult to emulate (Burke et al., 2013). It remains challenging to understand how engagement develops, with little research available explaining the process (Shuck, 2020). High employee engagement levels provide a competitive advantage, but stagnant engagement levels remain a significant obstacle (Shuck, 2020).

Shuck (2020) recommends further research focusing on methods to increase engagement. Trustworthiness and trust are antecedents and drivers of engagement (Chughtai & Buckley, 2008; Federman, 2010; SHRM, 2017). A lack of trust has negative impacts …