Leadership Studies Commons^™

Claiming A Seat At The Table: Inclusive Paths To Leadership In Academic Libraries And Beyond, Megan Hodge, Patricia Sobczak

VCU Libraries Faculty and Staff Presentations

The topic of leadership development in academic libraries is recent area of interest for the profession. There is nascent scholarship in the areas of how to prepare librarians to advance into a first formal management position as well as in the area of leadership capacity-building for librarians and library organizations. This poster combines two independent research projects with the common theme of leadership development in academic libraries. It is not often that separate scholarship integrates effectively and cogently, but these studies coalesced in such an impactful way that all parties felt the need to share the content as well as …

Impact Of Communication Mode On Effectiveness Of Business Communication, Sara J. Tyler

Theses and Graduate Projects

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate cofilmunication mode selection in a business environment and determine how the choice of medium impacts the effectiveness of the resulting communication episode. Communication modes evaluated include email, face-to-face meetings, instant messages, phone calls, and teleconferences. The findings of this quantitative study show that communication modes are selected primarily by convenience or the mode that initiated the episode, not because of expected effectiveness. Leaders can use this analysis to monitor the effectiveness of various communication modes used in their environments and develop cofilmunication guidelines to improve overall efficiency in a business environment.

Overcoming Organizational Challenges During And After A Reductton-In-Force (Rif), Gerardo J. Gonzalez

Theses and Graduate Projects

Within the context of the modern environment of business, competitive forces are lncreasing exponentially. Turnover rates have risen as a result of the business environment, leading to substantial scholarship on the issue to explore the theoretical and practical implications of turnover. Turnover is directly linked to organizational performance, and thus must be effectively managed (Park & Shaw, 2013). Herein, the reduction-in-force (RIF) form of turnover will be explored extensively, considering the various planning processes that may be executed to achieve it, in addition to its implications. A RIF turnover is defined essentially as downsizing (McElroy et al., 2001 ). A …

Spiritual Leadership In Modern-Day Native American Culture And Approaches To Native American Religion And Christianity, Christine Diindiisi-Wallette Mccleave

Theses and Graduate Projects

This qualitative study focuses on the modern-day approaches to Native American religion and Christianity in the Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN metro area. The spiritual leaders interviewed were asked about the varieties of spirituality practices in the Native American community today, the potential conflicts or areas of compatibility among these various spiritual practices, and the role of spiritual practices in cultural revitalization and community activism. The results of thestudy present a spectrum of spiritual practices and approaches to Native American religion and Christianity including those who practice Christianity exclusively, those who blend Christianity with Native culture and practices, and those who practice …

Building A Successful Youth Soccer Academy: Key Leadership Tactics Of Expert Coaches, Evan Fuhs

Theses and Graduate Projects

This study examines the actions of successful soccer coaches in changing team culture. More specifically, in-depth interviews were conducted with eight coaches who met criteria for expertise and success. In order to discern the particular tactics these coaches used to build a successful team culture from the ground up, the interview guide was derived from a conceptual framework that was based on the theoretical tenets of transformational leadership and organizational culture change, as well as practical research of those subjects in the athletic arena. The findings are reported and provide support for the utility of transformational leadership tactics and change …

The Role Of Volunteer Leaders In Deepening The Efforts Of A Communitywide Youth Asset-Building Initiative, Karen Mariska Atkinson

Theses and Graduate Projects

This paper examines, from a community-building perspective, the importance of engaging adults in a deliberate way to deepen asset-building efforts that will benefit the lives of young people. This was done through a leadership application project focused on volunteer adult leaders who connected, equipped and inspired small groups through discussions that deepen their understanding and actions in support of young people. Areas of study include the role of community, volunteer leader attributes, and small group structures. In addition, the project included the development of a guided discussion curriculum for use by volunteer leaders. The paper includes a methodology with a …

Leading Through Reading In Contemporary Young Adult Fantasy By Philip Pullman And Terry Pratchett, Elisabeth Rose Gruner

English Faculty Publications

There’s a popular bumper sticker in some areas that reads: “God said it, I believe it, that settles it.” It is sometimes paired with another one: “Bibles that are falling apart usually belong to people that aren’t.” The two combine to suggest an approach to reading and religion that are at the core of my argument in this chapter: they suggest that religious reading is fundamentally anti-interpretive; that reading the Bible or other religious texts provides direct access to truth. In the young adult texts I discuss in this essay, however, the opposite is the case: while texts (of many …

Engagement, Gamification, And Workplace Satisfaction: A Convergent Study Of User Indicators, Josiah J. Eikelboom Ma

All Student Scholarship

The purpose of this study was to determine if there was a correlation between the personal indicators of gamification users, game preferences, and workplace engagement. A three-part survey was deployed through an online, opt-in gamification platform in order to gauge individual user preferences.

Effectiveness Of High-Fidelity Simulation In Changing Citizens’ Attitudes Toward Police, Jeffrey A. Pardue Ma

All Student Scholarship

The use of deadly force is the most serious decision a police officer has to make. Recent highly-publicized law enforcement lethal encounters have led to a growing need for police to proactively engage in educational discussions with community members in hopes of improving the perceptions of their work.

Predictores Significativos De La Participacion De Los Miembros De Los Grupos Pequenos De La Mision Del Oriente Peruna En El 2015, Orlando Chilon Guevara

Dissertations

Problem

The Seventh Day Adventist church in the South American Division, promotes teamwork among its members through the small groups; even though a high percentage of church members are involved in the small groups not all of the members involved achieve a high level of participation. The purpose of this study is to find what relationship exists between authentic leadership, level of satisfaction and level of commitment in the participation of members in their small group in the East Peruvian Mission of the Seventh Day Adventist Church during the year of 2015.

Method

The type of this research is descriptive …

An Analysis Of Inherent Role Conflicts In The Governance Of Michigan Charter School Boards Contracting With Full-Service, For-Profit Private Management Companies, Roderick D. Atkins

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

The analysis of inherent role conflicts in the governance of Michigan charter school boards contracting with full-service, for-profit private management companies provided quantitative and qualitative perspectives of experienced board members. These perspectives included their view of board governance and how responsibilities are divided and shared with for-profit private management companies. The triangulated analysis included three major sources of data: quantitative research, qualitative research, and a qualitative contractual analysis that provided the essence of the contracts between charter school boards of directors and their contracted for-profit private management companies. The theoretical framework that grounded this analysis was inclusive of three theories: …

Experiences Of African-American Teenage Mothers In Pursuit Of Higher Education, Desheil L. Echols

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore the educational histories and experiences of former teen mothers who have completed a post-secondary degree and to understand their challenges and successes. This study effectively served this population by expanding the diverse experience of teen mothers and their ability to defy society’s label of “teenage parent.” The study design was qualitative with the two modes, phenomenology and life history, being employed. Personal interview was the primary data collection method. The conceptual frameworks guiding the study were resilience theory and self-efficacy theory. The life stories of all five women were shared to provide …

A Phenomenological Investigation Of Leader Development And Mindfulness Meditation, Denise A. Frizzell, Stephanie Hoon, David K. Banner

Journal of Sustainable Social Impact

Regardless of the gap between the demands of the global work environment and the maturity of leaders, minimal research exists on the trend of the practice of mindfulness meditation and the developmental experiences of leaders. Consequently, scholars have little understanding of how an increasing number of leaders experience mindfulness meditation. The purpose of this study was to understand the perceived impact mindfulness meditation had on leader development for 20 manager-leaders who had a regular (at least 3 days a week) mindfulness meditation practice. The primary recruitment strategy included outreach to potential participants affiliated with professionally oriented mindfulness groups on LinkedIn. …

Building An Inclusive Workplace Culture: With Special Focus On The South African Context, Seth Naicker

All Electronic Theses and Dissertations

We are living in a world of ever-increasing diversity. It is diversity in general, but also diversity specific to the aspect of people. People are engaging one another across culture, language, race/ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, abilities, and class. In some ways, the world has become smaller. One can be sitting in South Africa, and engaging people through social media throughout the world. Facebook has made our world smaller. However, in and amongst our growing diversity there are continued social factors of prejudice, lack of human rights, and warring nations because of their differences, for example the difference of faith, and …

Leadership And Decision-Making Styles, Oluremi Alapo

Publications and Research

Generation X: The Role of Culture on the Leadership Styles of Women in Leadership Positions' goal is to assist organizational leaders to view Generation X women in positions of power from a different perspective. Women leaders are capable of leading a 21st century organization because of their scope of knowledge about growing businesses, and their ability to blend and incorporate new technologies and innovations in the business environment. Generation X: The Role of Culture on the Leadership Styles of Women in Leadership Positions is relevant to the fields of business, cultural, human relations, leadership, management, and cross-cultural leadership and women …

Faith In A Changing Planet: The Role Of Religious Leaders In The Fight For A Livable Climate, Morissa Zuckerman

Pitzer Senior Theses

Progressive religious leaders are playing an increasingly important role in the effort to combat climate change. Through a combination of unstructured in-depth interviews and primary source analysis, this thesis highlights nine U.S. religious leaders from various denominations of Christianity, Judaism and Islam who are actively involved in working on climate issues. Drawing on literature in social movement theory, I explore how clergy are uniquely influential in climate issues because of the organizational advantage and moral authority they hold through their positions as religious leaders, granting them the ability to highlight social justice implications of climate change with distinctive legitimacy. Clergy …

Global Reach, Local Markets: The Challenges Of Leading Global Innovation, Sarah Higgins

Honors Theses

This Global Studies honors thesis addresses how managers and leaders of global firms manage innovation across multiple markets. Current research on multinational corporations provides an understanding of different kinds of innovation and the ways to attend to multiple markets. However, there is less documentation of how these innovation strategies are actually implemented on the ground and the tensions that these efforts might produce. Therefore, my research focuses in particular on the challenges and tensions faced by leaders of global firms as they implement transnational innovation strategies. This study is based upon in-depth interviews with 20 participants who held positions in …

Accelerating Expertise To Facilitate Decision Making In High-Risk Professions Using The Dacum System, Ralph Kuchenbrod

Masters Theses

The purpose of this research was to determine whether the process of achieving occupational expertise could be accelerated enabling operators in high risk vocations to make effective decisions earlier in their careers. Scholars have hypothesized good decision making skills are largely a result of relevant experience within the specific domain. The rationale being that the greater the experience an individual has the more likely the operator has experienced similar situations and can apply solutions that have been successful in the past. Two distinct methods of decision making have been identified: traditional decision making and naturalistic decision making (NDM).

The ability …

Peaches And Pound Cake, Steve Tedder

Mighty Pen Project Anthology & Archive

A soldier in Vietnam befriends the new guy.

Articles, stories, and other compositions in this archive were written by participants in the Mighty Pen Project. The program, developed by author David L. Robbins, and in partnership with Virginia Commonwealth University and the Virginia War Memorial in Richmond, Virginia, offers veterans and their family members a customized twelve-week writing class, free of charge. The program encourages, supports, and assists participants in sharing their stories and experiences of military experience so both writer and audience may benefit.

The Relationship Between Nwea Scores Of Resident And Non-Resident Students, Steve Prissel

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine whether a relationship exists between the Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA) scores of school of choice students and resident students. Background factors were also considered in the study, with focus on grade, gender, race, and special education and socioeconomic status of the students. The study included 5,975 students from 14 school districts in one Michigan intermediate school district (ISD). The NWEA computer-adaptive test assessed achievement/progress in math and reading in grades 3–8. This study used pre and post assessments, once in the fall and once in the spring, to assess the level of …