Industrial and Organizational Psychology Commons^™

The Effects Of Virtual Feedback Delivery Methods On Performance For A Remote Work Task, Megan J. Ireland

Masters Theses

Due to its multifunctional nature and wide array of possible applications, feedback has been, and continues to be, a popular topic within scientific research focused on workplace performance improvement. To ensure that feedback is implemented correctly for the desired behavior change, and the context in which it is being delivered, the variables that make up feedback have been a primary focus of more recent research. Previous research has investigated a variety of variables including the effects of delivering different types of feedback and the effects of different feedback delivery modalities on performance for work-related tasks. The present study will be …

Ministry Leaders Applying Psychological Theories To Overcome Apathy: A Case Study, Glen A. Bowman

The Scholarship Without Borders Journal

This case study examines the persistent challenge of congregational apathy and the efficacy of integrating psychological motivational theories to revitalize a stagnant church culture. The research focuses on a congregation in California’s Central Valley characterized by a "lukewarm" spiritual atmosphere in much of its leadership and membership. The case study follows a newly appointed minister—representing a different age bracket and cultural background—as he navigates the resistance of an entrenched, change-averse leadership team. The researcher evaluated the practical application of three psychological frameworks to combat complacency and found that the Action-Trait Theory proved itself as the most successful method. The theory …

The Kaleidoscope At Work: Examining Women’S Employee Engagement Through The Kaleidoscope Career Model, Alyssa Hope Lopez

Industrial-Organizational Psychology Dissertations

Employee engagement among women has historically been subsumed within general employee engagement research. Additionally, employee engagement is often conceptualized as independent from one’s career stage. The present study explored these assumptions by examining employee engagement among women and how organizational factors may differentially promote engagement across career stages. The Kaleidoscope Career Model served as the theoretical foundation, proposing that authenticity, balance, and challenge are particularly salient for women in early-, mid-, and late-career stages, respectively. The current study evaluated how career stage moderated the relationship between these three factors and employee engagement. A sample of women (N = 360) …

Behind The Bar: Empathy Burnout's Impact On Lawyers' Job Competency, Eva L. Newkirk

Honors Projects

It is well established within psychological literature how burnout develops among human service professionals including nurses, therapists, police officers, and first responders. Despite facing the same kinds of risks for burnout development by helping professions, especially trauma and stressful client relationships, the development and consequences empathy burnout have been under-researched in lawyers. This project aims to explore existing literature around burnout and empathy as related to job competency in legal professionals and develop a survey that explores empathy as a potential indirect mediating variable from burnout to employee engagement. The article additionally discusses the pathway from second-hand trauma to empathy …

The Worker Voice Gap: How Much Say Do Workers Want—And How Much Do They Actually Experience?, Alexander Hertel-Fernandez, Thomas A. Kochan

Upjohn Institute Policy Papers

•The worker voice gap—the difference between the influence that workers want and what they experience—is very large. Nearly three-quarters of American workers want more voice at work than they currently have in three key areas: 1) compensation, 2) working conditions, and3) use of new technologies at work.

• The voice deficit is largest for compensation, but majorities of workers also express voice gaps over working conditions and the use of new technologies in their workplaces.

•Although voice gaps are relatively widespread, women tend to report larger voice gaps than men, and younger and middle-aged workers tend to report larger gaps …

The Drive Diaries: How Motivation Shapes Work And Performance, Christian D. Diaz

Masters Theses, 2020-current

Employee motivation remains central to organizational research, yet less is known about how employees personally experience the relationship between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation and performance. Grounded in Self-Determination Theory and Expectancy Theory, this qualitative narrative inquiry examined how employees describe their motivational experiences and their influence on workplace effectiveness. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 3 employees across diverse industries and analyzed using thematic analysis.

Four themes emerged: (1) autonomy as a primary driver of sustained performance, (2) recognition as a reinforcing factor, (3) organizational culture as either amplifying or diminishing motivation, and (4) motivation as evolving across career stages. Findings …

The Motivation Tapes: Employee Narratives Of Leadership That Matters, Jessica Gray

Masters Theses, 2020-current

This qualitative phenomenological study explored how employees describe their lived experiences at work. The purpose of the research was to understand the relational, emotional, and developmental dimensions that shape employees’ day-to-day workplace realities and the meanings they assign to those experiences. Four participants from diverse occupational backgrounds were interviewed using semi-structured protocols designed to elicit rich, descriptive accounts of their work environments, relationships, and sense-making processes. The findings reveal that participants shared experiences of supportive and hands-on leadership, opportunities for autonomy and ownership, and moments of connection, meaning, and long-term growth. Participants also described disruptions to these experiences. The implications …

Photovoice As A Resilience Tool For Helping Professionals In Complex Trauma Work, Pamela Lie

Expressive Therapies Dissertations

Helping professionals (HPs) working with complex trauma operate in emotionally demanding environments that place them at increased risk of burnout, secondary traumatic stress, and compassion fatigue. Resilience has therefore been identified as an important resource for sustaining well-being and effective practice. While photovoice has shown potential as a participatory approach for fostering resilience across diverse populations, its application among HPs engaged in complex trauma work, particularly within Asian contexts, remains limited. This study examined how seven HPs engaged in complex trauma work from a single organization in Singapore experienced and perceived photovoice as a resilience-building tool. The study employed a …

A Continuous Improvement State Of Mind: An Exploration Of The Roles Of Individual Mindsets In Generating Positive Performance Trajectories, Aaron V. Kakiel

Industrial-Organizational Psychology Dissertations

Organizations that operate under fixed-entry systems—where the option to replace personnel is limited—must rely heavily on internal development to enable upward mobility. While prior research has examined individual trait predictors of longitudinal performance, less is known about how malleable psychological states jointly shape performance trajectories over time. Drawing on the Transtheoretical Model (TTM) as a framework for developmental change, this longitudinal study investigated how three modifiable states—self-concept clarity, feedback orientation, and goal orientation—interacted to influence continuous improvement across multiple developmental cycles. Using a cohort of college students at a U.S. military academy observed over three and a half years, the …

Neurodiversity In The Workplace: Organizational Approaches To Supporting Neurodiverse Employees, Madison Vasquez

M.S. in Leadership

Despite growing conversation around neurodiversity in the workplace, many organizations lack clear understanding and structured strategies to support neurodivergent employees. This study examines existing research on how organizations can more effectively support neurodiverse employees across the employee lifecycle. Using a qualitative literature review, this study addresses the research question by examining literature on neurodiversity within workplace contexts. This includes investigating common representations of neurodiversity and reviewing the strengths and challenges of neurodiverse individuals, including those who have autism, ADHD, and other forms of neurodivergence. The study also reviews workplace barriers, support strategies, and organizational outcomes identified across the literature. Key …

Leading Ai Adoption In Organizations: Introducing A Behavioral Human-Centered Approach, Shane Schweitzer, Devesh Narayan, Jack Mcguire, David De Cremer

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Initiatives to implement AI technologies in organizations fail at an alarming rate. We argue that leading the adoption of AI is not a simple engineering exercise but rather represents a behavioral exercise where change management principles—the process by which organizations plan, implement, and embed changes in practices—are employed. However, many AI initiatives in business focus predominantly on the AI systems themselves, assuming humans will fall in line. To solve this, we integrate ideas from change management with scholarship on human-centered artificial intelligence to offer a behavioral approach that accounts for the impact of AI adoption on humans at all stages …

Exploring Women’S Views On Intra-Gender Dynamics In The Workplace: A Study Of Impact And Change, Deidra L. Close

Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this mixed-methods study was to examine women’s intra-gender experiences in higher education workplaces and their perceived influence on future interactions and behaviors, as well as to explore potential relationships between relational aggression (RA) and the Queen Bee Phenomenon (QBP). Using the following research questions, the researcher examined how women perceive interactions with female supervisors, colleagues, and those exhibiting Queen Bee tendencies, as well as how such experiences influence their future workplace behaviors and interactions. RQ1: What have been the perceived experiences of women in higher education working with a female supervisor? RQ2: What have been the perceived …

Impostor Thoughts At Work: Examining The Relationship Between Impostor Thoughts, Employee Well-Being, And Coworker Support, Nikitha Sara Mohan

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Most individuals experience impostor thoughts; however, limited construct clarity has hindered efforts to effectively examine their relationship with employee outcomes (Gullifor et al., 2021). To address this limitation, the present study adopts a sociocognitive perspective, conceptualizing impostor thoughts as beliefs that others overestimate one’s competence at work (Clance & Imes, 1978; Tewfik, 2022). Specifically, this research investigates workplace impostor thoughts and their associations with indicators of employee well-being, including job-related negative affect, burnout, physical symptoms, and perceived self-competence. Additionally, the study examines coworker support as a potential moderating factor in these relationships. A mixed-methods approach was employed. Quantitative data were …

Expanding Links Between Work Values And Occupations: Development Of The Occupational Values Inventory (Ovi), Nicholas F. Heimpel, Kevin Hoff, Zihan Liu, Federick L. Oswald, James Rounds

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

This research developed the Occupational Values Inventory (OVI), a 30-item measure that expands the content coverage of work values by linking into a broad range of O*NET occupational descriptors, including Work Activities and Work Contexts, along with salary data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The OVI assesses 11 work values—Interpersonal, Outdoor, Physical, Leadership, Salary, Prestige, Variety, Interest, Work Hours, Knowledge Utilization, and Autonomy—providing an updated and refined coverage of work values relevant to people and occupations in the modern labor market. Study 1 (N = 768) developed and refined the OVI’s scales using conceptual and psychometric criteria, also reporting …

Grace Under Pressure: An Analysis Of School Administrator Personal And Professional Stress And Self-Efficacy, Andrew Mcdaniel

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Indiana public school administrators are one of the most important factors for a school’s academic success. If those administrators are effective, they can help maintain an excellent school’s academic success or perhaps even turnaround a failing school. Without a doubt, their performance is critical for a school’s success. If they have confidence in their ability to help create positive outcomes, their school can achieve great things. Unfortunately, assistant principals and principals are facing significant challenges, not only from schools, but also at home. How do these personal and professional stressors affect their sense of self-efficacy? The purpose of this study …

Beyond Challenging Up: How Organizational Climate Shapes Externally-Oriented Courage In The Workplace, Morgan Chandler

All Dissertations

Employees often face situations that confront them with the decision to do the right thing at work despite risk, which requires courage. This dissertation introduces a new form of workplace courage: challenging-around, which, in the context of the present study, involves pushing back against external stakeholders to uphold issues like ethical standards, organizational integrity, or professional judgement. Guided by Worthwhile Risk Theory, the study examined how organizational climate and moral courage influence this behavior. Results show that supportive, goal-promoting climates increase challenging-around, while moral courage independently predicts challenging-around. Additionally, the study validates a researcher-developed measure of challenging-around. Overall, findings suggest …

Unmasking Emotional Labor: Visualizing The Challenges Experienced By Human Resources Professionals, Abigail (Abby) Leff

Honors College Theses

The field of human resources (HR) requires a complex balance of advocating for others and enforcing organizational policies, all the while managing its own emotional challenges. This dynamic demands that HR professionals engage in intense emotional labor without sufficient organizational support, the burden of which can lead to burnout, decreased job satisfaction, and psychological consequences. Despite the prevalence of these dynamics, the emotional experiences of HR professionals are under-researched. This literature review explores emotional labor and burnout HR professionals face, evaluates available resources in the field, and examines coping strategies that HR professionals use. The research is applied to an …

Cracking The Hive Code: A Quantitative Examination Of Queen Bee Syndrome Behaviors In K–12 Education, Katie Renee Gordon

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Queen Bee Syndrome (QBS) has historically been used to describe women who distance themselves from other women and hinder the advancement of female peers (Staines et al., 1974). While early explanations framed QBS as rooted in individual competitiveness, more recent scholarship suggests it may reflect responses to gender discrimination and organizational context (Derks, 2017). In K–12 education, women comprise the majority of the workforce, yet remain underrepresented in upper leadership roles, particularly the superintendency. The purpose of this study was to examine perceptions of Queen Bee Syndrome behaviors among female leaders in K–12 educational settings and to explore how internal …

The Role Of Perceived Perpetrator Centrality In Intentions To Express Or Confront Sexist Behaviors, Anna G. Miller

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

Confronting sexist acts (e.g., by saying, “That was sexist!”) has been empirically shown to reduce others’ sexist behaviors. However, bystanders are often reluctant to confront sexist acts, particularly when perpetrators of sexism are perceived as high in status. Prior studies have operationalized status in terms of organizational rank. However, individuals may also have status by virtue of their connections to other group members, which I investigate in the present study. Participants with full-time work experience (N = 451) were asked to read a vignette describing a sexist incident in which a male perpetrator of sexism had many (vs. few) …

Teacher–Student Relationship Quality As A Predictor Of Effective Classroom Leadership, Ty P. Rockwell

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

A teacher is the leader of their classroom. Strong teachers manage classroom climate, deliver engaging instruction, support students’ academic outcomes, and form lasting relationships with students. This study examined whether teacher–student relationship quality predicts student engagement, academic success, and subject interest, and whether classroom psychological safety and perceived teacher support help explain those links. Drawing on leader-member exchange (LMX) theory and educational psychology, the study treated teachers as classroom leaders and asked University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) undergraduates to recall either a positive or a negative experience with a high school core-course teacher. A total of 128 participants completed …