Behaviorally-Anchored Team Member Feedback In Undergraduate Learning: Linking Verbal Communication To Ai-Detected Emotional Expressions, Ryan Will, Brent J. Goertzen, Magdalene Moy, Jace Hesford

SACAD: Scholarly Activities

This study examines how undergraduate team members’ verbal communication behaviors are associated with the emotional expressions of their teammates during student project team interactions. Drawing on data from a semester-long, team-based undergraduate course, three key team meetings were video-recorded across the team life cycle. Verbal communication was analyzed using a systematic content analysis with an a priori codebook capturing emotionally relevant behaviors such as optimism, empathy, building bonds, developing others, service orientation, and task-focused communication. Nonverbal emotional expressions were assessed using AI-based facial expression analysis grounded in Facial Action Coding System research, generating average emotion scores for each team member. …

Validating Llm-Assisted Coding Of Student Leadership Teams For Formative Feedback, Jace Hesford, Magdalene Moy, Ryan Will, Brent Goertzen

SACAD: Scholarly Activities

Leadership education scholarship increasingly calls for direct assessment of leadership behaviors rather than reliance on proxy measures (Banks et al., 2023). This poster reports a validation study situated in a project-based leadership course at a midsized university. While teams meet regularly throughout the semester-long project, three meetings are digitally recorded, transcribed and analyzed to provide students with objective feedback based on the content of their communication. Team meetings are coded using an a priori framework grounded in emotional intelligence (Salovey & Mayer, 1990; Lee & Wong, 2017), with codes reflecting self-awareness, self-regulation, self-motivation, social awareness, and relational management as enacted …

Ethical Decision-Making Frameworks In Ai-Driven Pharmaceutical Research & Development, Dhaval Dinesh Panchal, Osama Mohd Hash Ansari, Sudha Divya Madhuri Kallam

Harrisburg University Dissertations and Theses

Artificial intelligence is increasingly being utilized in pharmaceutical research and development to speed up drug discovery, enhance clinical trial design, and support regulatory decision-making. However, the increasingly rapid adoption of AI in the pharma industry has outpaced the development of consistent ethical governance, raising concerns related to data privacy, transparency, regulatory compliance, and stakeholder trust. This study explored the methods by which project managers could develop and utilize ethical decision-making frameworks to facilitate responsible AI implementation in pharmaceutical research and development. Guided by the Responsible Innovation framework, this research employed a mixed-methods design combining semi-structured interviews and quantitative surveys with …

Optimizing Project Success In Civil Engineering: Assessing The Impact Of Integrating Agile Methodologies In Large-Scale Construction Projects., Sameerullah Sheik

Harrisburg University Dissertations and Theses

Building and civil engineering projects face numerous challenges during their lifespans. A study was conducted to investigate the use of Agile and hybrid methodologies for improving project performance. The contingency theory was applied to determine the impact of Agile on cost, schedule, quality, and stakeholder engagement. It also explored obstacles and factors in successful implementation. The study used qualitative research design and interviewed 15 construction project professionals from different sectors. The interviews were analyzed using thematic analysis to extract information about Agile and hybrid methodologies. The major findings showed that these methodologies were not used in their pure form. Instead, …

Defining The Meta-Story Of Heroism Science: Initiation, Formation, And Governance In An Emerging Discipline, Peter Bray

Heroism Science

This article traces the meta-story of the journal Heroism Science across Volumes 1–10 by treating the publication record as a living narrative of field formation. Using an eight-dimension decoding framework (D1–D8), it argues that the journal’s development is best understood as a braided trajectory in which methodological maturation and theoretical maturation co-evolve. Special issues function as turning points: downside dynamics, whistleblowing, and heroic screens formalize consequence sensitivity and contestation, while later conference and legacy issues consolidate pluralism and reflexive ethics. The article contributes (a) an explicit coding and audit method for reading a journal as a field-forming narrative and (b) …

Organizing To Engage: A Framework For Conflict Strategy, Paul Mason Carpenter

Dissertations

Conflict strategy can be exceedingly complex. While many of the basics are simple, even the simple can be highly complicated to execute. The Schlieffen Plan in World War I appeared straight forward, but execution was a great deal more complex. It failed and the result was years of trench warfare.  In addition, leaders entering conflict may not fully appreciate the full context, its effect, and the need for a long term result--a better state of peace.

Strategy and tactics may be challenging to transform as an engagement evolves. In addition, strategists must often commit to courses of action within very …

Inmate Reentry: Success Through Faith - A Mixed-Methods Study On Inmate Conversions And Life After Release, Eric S. Campbell

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This dissertation-in-praxis (DiP) explored the circumstances surrounding the emotional responses and past traumatic experiences that led inmates to commit their lives to Jesus. The DiP also researched the high rate of recidivism amongst released inmates. The researcher partnered with Reach the Forgotten Jail Ministry (RTF), as well as local churches, in an effort to create a program that would work with inmates prior to and after release. The qualitative study established a paradigm highlighting the significance of comprehensive leadership training in a time of transition by drawing upon transformational leadership theory, adaptive leadership theory, as well as servant leadership theory. …

Morality Meets Education: Transactional And Transformational Leadership Of Business Students, Arthur L. Conyers

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

In an era where ethical failures in business can destabilize markets and damage public trust, understanding how future leaders develop moral clarity is becoming increasingly urgent. Transformational leadership highlights relational influence and purpose, while transactional leadership provides structural clarity that supports organizational operations. Morality, broadly defined as adherence to a standard of righteousness, remains essential for leadership in commerce, policy, and organizational contexts. This qualitative phenomenological study looked into how business and management students experience leadership development, moral decision-making, and faith integration in their academic and personal lives. Students enrolled in accredited colleges and universities were interviewed, and transcripts were …

Mentorship Leadership Succession: Implementing Paul's Discipleship Practices, Matthew Scott Beagle

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This action research project addresses the lack of empowered, biblically qualified leaders at Pinecrest Baptist Church in Portsmouth, VA, where discipleship has often been treated as complete with conversion, baptism, and initial ministry involvement, rather than as a process that produces future leaders within the congregation. The project proposed that a mentor-based discipleship succession process, modeled on Pauline discipleship, could help current leaders shift from a maintenance mindset to a culture of multiplication and leadership development. Using an action research design, the study implemented a twelve-week mentor-discipleship succession curriculum that guided participants through four phases of leadership development: calling that …

Impact Of Hierarchical Organizational Structures On Gen-Z Turnover Intention, Mason W. Doty

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This research project sought to address the influence hierarchical organizational structures have on Gen-Z turnover intention. Technological advancements coupled with Gen-Z entering the workforce with their unique perspectives and expectations have sparked a new phenomenon of “job-hopping.” This research focused on U.S. servicemembers and Department of War civilian employees that are employed at a military installation in Texas to evaluate turnover intention as a direct result of their hierarchical organizational structure. This research featured two survey instruments: the 6-item Turnover Intention Scale (TIS) and 25-item Expanded Multidimensional Turnover Intention Scale (EMTIS) to identify potential correlations in turnover intention across the …

The Predictive Influence Of Management Leadership Styles On Employee Retention In The Aerospace And Defense (A&D) Industry In Northern Virginia, Shawn M. Hall

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This fixed-design quantitative study evaluates the predictive influence of management leadership styles on employee retention within the Aerospace and Defense (A&D) industry in Northern Virginia. Addressing a critical decline in industry retention that impacts organizational productivity and profitability, the research utilizes a post-positivist paradigm to analyze data (N = 773) from participants across seven major A&D organizations. The study measures four primary constructs: Intent to Stay, Management Leadership Styles, Job Satisfaction, and Leader Support. A hierarchical multiple regression analysis was performed to isolate the predictive power of leadership style after controlling for demographic factors, including age, gender, role, and years …

The Effectiveness And Adaptability Of Servant Leadership Among Project Managers Managing Highly Complex Projects In Emerging Technology Domains, Fernand R. Baldonado

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This qualitative multiple case study explored the effectiveness of servant leadership practiced by project managers while managing highly complex projects in emerging technology domains. These domains included artificial intelligence (AI), cybersecurity, and information technology (IT). Servant leadership was associated with positive team outcomes, but its application in high-uncertainty and high-risk environments, such as projects in these emerging technology domains, had remained underexplored. Data were collected from 25 mid- to senior-level project managers in public- and private-sector organizations using semi-structured interviews, document review, and field notes. Thematic analysis produced 12 themes, including guided empowerment, psychological safety as a form of risk …

A Mixed-Methods Study Of The United Church Of Christ (Wnca-Soc) Retiring Senior Pastors’ Utilization Of Resources To Develop Effective Leadership Skills, Mark Scott Thomas

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this mixed-methods study was to explore the resources that retired senior pastors in the Western North Carolina Association of the Southern Conference of the United Church of Christ (WNCA-SOC UCC) used early in their careers to develop the leadership skills necessary to assume a senior pastoral role. Specifically, the study examined the strategies and tools these pastors employed for leadership development. Analysis of the data revealed four recurring themes. First, there was strong support for developing time management skills, which participants emphasized as essential for maintaining a healthy work-life balance. Second, the findings highlighted the importance of …

Abusive Supervision In The Telecommunications Retail Sector: Effects On Job Satisfaction, Performance, And Employee Turnover, Zenitzia Siu

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

I addressed the problem of abusive supervision, which adversely affects job satisfaction and employee engagement, resulting in reduced organizational performance and increased turnover intentions in telecommunications retail. Guided by social exchange theory (SET), this qualitative single-case study explored how leaders interpret their awareness of their leadership behaviors, and how these interpretations align with or misalign with employees’ perceptions. The data collection involved 21 leader interviews and 25 open-ended survey responses, analyzed using SET’s deductive coding and NVivo's inductive theme development, with methodological triangulation across both data sources. Four core themes emerged deductively: (a) reciprocity, (b) trust and commitment, (c) cost …

Percy Green: A Legacy Of Tactical Innovation And Leadership In St. Louis' Black Freedom Movement, Christopher M. Fletcher

Dissertations

Abstract

            This study explored Percy Green’s efforts against systemic racism, his innovative protest tactics, leadership qualities and principles, and his lasting impact within the Black Freedom Movement in St. Louis, Missouri, throughout the 1960s and 1970s. A qualitative single-case approach was utilized, analyzing archival records, interviews, a documentary about Green’s activism, newspaper articles, and Green’s own documentation of his work in the movement—all examined through thematic analysis. This process revealed key themes related to Green’s activism. The findings showed that Green employed non-violent, creative, and provocative protest tactics, including civil disobedience and direct action. These strategies revealed hidden racial inequalities, …

The Developmental Journey Of A Servant Leader Rise To Serve, Sacrifice To Lead, James Elliker

Servant Leadership: Theory & Practice

The writings of Robert Greenleaf (1970, 1972, 1977, 1998) and the examples of ancients (Green, 2023), have inspired a number of research efforts on the efficacy of a leader as servant approach to modern leadership. Greenleaf’s core principles included the desire to serve first, the ability to help grow others into healthy servant leaders themselves, and the potential to impact a broader society. His unique and insightful essays also imply the preexistence of a leader who is willing to serve. This article presents a possible servant leader developmental model to accomplish such objectives. The model highlights how anyone, should they …

Alignment Of Servant Leadership Dimensions With Desirable Job Characteristics Drives Team Performance, Noah T. Currie

Servant Leadership: Theory & Practice

Organizations creating cultures of servant leadership continue to experience immense success in the business world and the nonprofit sector despite an ongoing lack of clarity of the concept. The aim of this paper is twofold, first to provide clarity by proposing an improvement to the definition offered by Laub (1999; 2004) and second to provide a conceptual model describing how servant leadership, mediated by intrinsic motivation as described by the Job Characteristics Model (Hackman & Oldham, 1980) and perceived organizational support, is positively related to team performance. Relating servant leadership to motivation, perceived organizational support and team performance provides leadership …

The Missed Mark, Grace Hill

SPARK Symposium Presentations

The Missed Mark

This project is a collective literary analysis of the current research conducted on the efficacy of current political campaigns. This collection of works aims to identify methodologies that increase message salience among American constituents and promote civic engagement.

Based on the collected data on citizens' perceptions of trust and relatability regarding candidates' platforms and personas, recommendations for more effectively appealing to these values become clearer and more precise. Collected data suggest members of the community feel ostracized by the impersonal copy-and-paste model often adopted by modern political campaigns. (S. Erdem Aytaç, Susan C. Stokes. 2019) Instead of …

Building The Foundations For Impact, Michael Rich

Asian Management Insights

For organisations to drive real change, they must treat impact as a strategic commitment and reshape internal structures to support it. An interview with Michael Rich, President Emeritus of RAND Corporation.

The Impact Imperative: Building Universities And Institutions That Demonstrably Matter, Scott Fritzen

Asian Management Insights

The university has never been more powerful— or more embattled. Research output has expanded sharply. Global collaborations span continents. Elite institutions, once concentrated in the West, have taken root across Asia, the Middle East and beyond. Universities anchor innovation districts, train professionals and generate discoveries that shape modern life. By the conventional measures long used by the academy to evaluate itself—publications, rankings, enrolments, revenue—higher education, taken as a whole, is thriving in many contexts.