Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Organizational behavior'

Organizational Citizenship Behavior (OCB) is considered behavior that benefits others, but is not a part of the employee’s job description. Research has indicated that OCB can be divided into two categories, behavior that is directed towards other individuals (OCBI) and behavior that is directed towards the organization (OCBO). Research has also suggested that there are three different motives behind OCB, impression management, prosocial values, and organizational concern. This study examines the relationship between the motives and the type of OCB that is performed. The results failed to indicate that motives matter in determining which type of OCB is performed. Additionally, participants in all three motives were more likely to engage in OCBO behavior than in OCBI behavior.

Understanding organizational behavior (OB) has profoundly influenced organizational performance and how people behave in organizations. Researchers have suggested various micro and macro organizational behaviors to be the impetus for high-performing organizations. Through a policy capturing approach this study builds on these findings by specifically examining the perceptions of micro and macro organizational behaviors in an organizational setting. The participants (n =181) completed a Micro and Macro Organizational Behavior Perceptions Questionnaire. Results showed perception differences exist between subordinates and supervisors. Additionally, participants perceived job satisfaction to be the most important micro organizational behavior, whereas organizational design was perceived to be the most important macro organizational behavior. However when comparing hierarchal positions in the organization, supervisors weighted leadership as the most important and subordinates weighted job satisfaction as the most important organizational behavior. While these findings only scratch the surface as to how organizational behavior is perceived, the implications challenge leaders to close the OB perception gap. Correspondingly, organizational behavior thinking may result in improving individual and organizational performance.

The purpose of this qualitative, single case study was to understand leadership behaviors that motivate internal stakeholders to trust a leader’s vision, embrace change, facilitate employee willingness to passionately implement actions needed for an organizational change initiative and willingly sustain a change initiative. A sample of 20 internal stakeholders was studied, five leaders and 15 followers within an organization of 800+ employees, located in the southwestern region of the United States, which is currently undergoing a change initiative. The research questions were based upon Kurt Lewin’s three-step model of change: unfreezing, transitioning, and refreezing. This research asked how leadership behaviors facilitated employee willingness to trust a leader’s vision and embrace change, passionately implement actions needed for a change, and sustain a change initiative, making an implemented initiative the new normal for the organization. Three themes emerged to address the research questions: 1) know your audience and walk your talk; 2) communication, vision, trust, and buy-in; and 3) residual passion and perseverance. Findings suggested that leadership behaviors influence internal stakeholders in relation to a change initiative and that leaders who are hands-on, consistent, and demonstrate a clear vision increased the possibility of gleaning passion and trust to increase the potential for success during an organizational change initiative.

How do organizations create an environment to motivate their employees to be healthy, productive, and competent decision makers? My dissertation identifies the underlying factors that could prevent organizations from achieving their goals, and takes on three research projects to address such barriers to successful organizational functioning. To provide a theoretical foundation for my research, I bring together conceptual and methodological streams from various disciplines including organizational behavior, behavioral decision research, and cognitive and affective psychology. I then employ multiple methods, including laboratory experiments involving psychophysiology as well as field research. Three essays compose this dissertation. My first essay examines the role of emotion-regulation processes in moral decision making. That is, emotion-regulation strategies (concealing and rethinking emotions) influence the decision maker’s preference for utilitarian choice. Using a process-dissociation approach, I also show emotion regulation selectively reduces deontological inclinations, leading to greater preference for utilitarian decisions. My second essay utilizes data from a large-scale field data as well as data from laboratory and online labor market. This research shows how seemingly irrelevant, uncontrollable factors—such as rain—may influence employee productivity by eliminating potential cognitive distractions. My third essay focuses on an intervention designed to invoke individuals’ psychosocial resources. Using a method called the Reflected Best-Self Exercise, I empirically test a set of hypotheses at the individual and team level. This research demonstrates that this intervention not only has positive health and stress-buffering effects, but also has implications for individual-level creativity, team-level functioning and performance. Across three essays, I argue that organizational performance should be understood in terms of the functioning of individual employees and teams. Thus, my work lays groundwork for organizational leaders to counteract the three barriers to organizational functioning.

The deep-seated qualities of the psychological sense of community (PSOC) are sometimes considered vital to human function and without them we would suffer isolation, loneliness, depression, and alienation (Sarason, 1974; Pretty, Andrews, & Collett, 1994). In the late 1980s and early 1990s studies of the psychological sense of community began in the workplace (Pretty & McCarthy, 1991; Klein & D’Aunno, 1986. Understanding this phenomenon, what it is, and the implications for those who feel a sense of community and those who do not can be a strength or benchmark for teams and groups of geographically dispersed organizations to build models for improvement. While PSOC is generally measured by an individual’s perception of a referent community to which they belong, cohesion is the collective look at PSOC (Buckner, 1988; E. E. Sampson, 1988; R. J. Sampson, 1991). This study evaluates the sense of community in the context of a geographically dispersed community, where PSOC is both relational and locational. A mixed methods approach to the case study is done through the use of surveys, ethnographic observation, and interviews. Key findings in this study include 16 unique descriptive characteristics for FSPSOC, a strong linear correlation between cohesion and the PSOC, and ambiguity in the term community. In addition, it was established that employees perceive geographic dispersion as directly impacting PSOC.

Complexity and turbulence create intensifying pressures on 21 ^st-century organizations seeking growth through globalization and operating efficiencies. Organizations are responding by engaging dispersed teams in expanding operations and enabling efficiencies from “anywhere, any time, any form” teaming. The use of dispersed teaming enables new opportunities for organizational growth; however, may introduce the need for change in the organization’s leadership mindset and approach to leading. The purpose of this qualitative grounded theory research study is to explore and seek a deeper understanding of the emergence of leadership in dispersed teams and the resulting points of tension that potentially affect the process of leading and team effectiveness as organizations address complexity. Findings from the study are based on the lived experiences of virtual team leaders and members and provide insights on the theoretical and practical guiding practices exploring the supportive and hindering forces that enable an ideal environment for the act of leading shifting from an entity or person to a shared process with members of dispersed teams. The findings explore the importance of relational leadership and the role of appointed leaders when fostering shared leading. The outcomes of the research provide insight to organizations, leaders, and members of dispersed teams on the importance of operating collectively in an environment where individuals can maximize their capabilities despite geographical separation; while understanding the importance of situational readiness and adaptability when seeking team effectiveness. The research study provides theory describing the ideal aspirational environment that will enable shared leading and guiding principles that introduce practical considerations reflecting the situational realities, ambiguities, and humanistic complexities influencing today’s organization when seeking growth and effective outcomes through dispersed teaming.

Organizational citizenship behaviors are extra-role behaviors that are neither enforced on the basis of formal role obligations nor guarantee compensation such as promotion or salary. Previous researches focused on organizational commitment as an antecedent and a predictor and organizational culture as a predictor of organizational citizenship behavior. However, there has not been any detailed research exploring the relationship between organizational citizenship behavior, organizational commitment, and organizational culture
which is the main purpose of this study. Moreover, this study searched the mediating effect of organizational commitment on the relationship between organizational culture and organizational commitment, organizational commitment as being one of the most prominent and potential mediators of the relationship between job characteristics and organizational citizenship behavior. A sample of 125 academicians from Middle East Technical University (METU), Ankara, was selected and conducted a survey. In accordance with the hypotheses, the results indicated, organizational culture with its several dimensions predicted organizational citizenship behavior and its dimension of civic virtue and sportsmanship. Organizational commitment predicted organizational citizenship behavior, whereas, only affective commitment dimension of organizational commitment predicted organizational citizenship behavior and the dimensions of OCB
altruism, civic virtue, conscientiousness, sportsmanship but not courtesy. The effect of organizational culture on organizational commitment was partially supported. It is supported that organizational culture and only its dimension of mission predicted organizational commitment, and its dimensions of affective and normative commitment. Finally, for the mediating role of organizational commitment, only affective commitment has a mediating role between organizational culture and organizational citizenship behavior.

This single case study examined the construct of organizational identity, defined as that which is central (i.e., fundamental to the organization), enduring (i.e., persisting over time), and distinctive (i.e., uniquely descriptive) about an organization’s character (Albert & Whetten, 1985). Specifically, the study addressed the research question: What are the organizational identity processes occurring in an acquired organization? While past research has addressed the construction of organizational identity, little research has examined this phenomenon after an organizational acquisition. The organizational identity dynamics model by Hatch and Schultz (2002) provided the theoretical underpinnings for this research and was utilized to establish the conceptual framework for this study.

This qualitative research study explored how organizational identity was constructed for members of an acquired organization as they initially learned of the acquisition and as they assimilated into their new organizational environment. Data were collected through semistructured interviews, document and archival review, and artifact review. This methodology maintained research integrity by establishing reliability and trustworthiness, with data triangulation used to validate study results and findings. The setting for this research was a private, family-owned transportation organization that had recently acquired a competing company.

This research study yielded three primary findings. First, individual-level variables such as personal anxiety or career status were significant factors in the organizational identity processes. Second, sensemaking was critical in the identity process for members of AcquiredCo. Findings indicated that sensemaking was enacted through several key factors, including organizational image, sensegiving by the acquiring organization, comparison processes, social learning, artifacts, and critical incidents. Last, the preacquisition environment of the acquired organization had a significant role in the identity-related processes.

This research study contributes to both theory and practice, expanding theoretical knowledge of identity construction for members of an acquired organization. Additionally, the research findings provide significant benefits to organizations that seek to more effectively assimilate members of an acquired organization into the acquiring organization, ultimately with a greater understanding of “who we are” (Gioia, 1998) as an organization.

Una creciente literatura explora cómo las personas son afectadas por la organización, y también cómo las personas afectan a la organización con sus decisiones. Mi tesis contribuye a esta parte de la literatura investigando temas en este campo utilizando métodos experimentales. Más específicamente, mi trabajo examina cómo las personas son afectadas por ciertos sesgos y cómo estos sesgos afectan a los demás, así como a la organización; cómo eliminar el sesgo; Cómo se comportan las personas cuando se enfrentan con el dilema de contribuir a dos diferentes bienes públicos de eficiencia diferente; Cómo diferentes niveles de comunicación pueden ayudar a resolver o entorpecer este dilema; el efecto de interdependencia en el diseño organizacional en el funcionamiento; y el efecto de la desigualdad de pago en este tipo de diseño organizacional. En el segundo capítulo llevamos a cabo un experimento para estudiar si la manera en la que los empleados son asignados a un gerente afecta a las evaluaciones subjetivas que tienen los gerentes y los demás empleados sobre un empleado. Los empleados son o contratados por el gerente, o explícitamente no contratados por él y sin embargo asignados a él, o exógenos a él. Para los tres tipos nos encontramos con sesgo de escalada por los gerentes y demás empleados. Los gerentes exhiben un sesgo positivo hacia aquellos empleados que ha contratado él mismo, o una negativa hacia aquellos que no ha contratado explícitamente. El capítulo 3 es un estudio de seguimiento del capítulo dos. Con el presente capítulo se pretende añadir a estas conclusiones observando desde el punto de vista de los empleados que tienen que seguir trabajando en un entorno donde están positivamente o negativamente sesgados y cómo afecta a su rendimiento y decisiones futuras. Además, intentamos eliminar el sesgo y lo conseguimos. También encontramos que tener un gerente de positivamente sesgado hacia un empleado tiene un efecto positivo sobre el desempeño futuro de ese empleado, aun cuando el empleado es consciente de que la evaluación no está justificada. Estando negativamente sesgado en contra, sin embargo, no tiene ningún impacto significativo sobre el desempeño futuro del empleado, sin embargo aumenta la probabilidad de tomar la decisión de abandonar o sabotear, la cual costosa para todos los participantes. El capítulo cuatro reporta un conjunto de experimentos de bienes públicos, que realizamos, en el cual los participantes pertenecen tanto a un pequeño grupo "local" como a un grupo “global” más grande, y tienen diversos grados de comunicación dentro y entre estos grupos. Los resultados muestran que, cuando los participantes sólo pueden contribuir al bien público global, sube el nivel de las contribuciones a la misma vez que sube el nivel de comunicación. También encontramos que cuando se proporciona la opción de contribuir a ambos bienes públicos pero sin posibilidad de comunicación, los participantes prefieren mayoritariamente contribuir al bien público local, el cual es menos eficiente. Sin embargo, en la medida que los niveles de comunicación se agregan, tanto la contribución total como la contribución al bien público "global” aumentan. En el capítulo final, pretendemos crear un paradigma en el cual una única combinación común de tareas interdependientes y secuenciales pueda ser estudiada fácilmente. También intentamos determinar la importancia de la igualdad de pago bajo dos niveles diferentes de asignación justa en posiciones en nuestra tarea altamente interdependiente. Nuestros resultados muestran que incluso la desigualdad extrema en el pago no afecta significativamente una actuación de grupos de trabajo en tareas de esfuerzo real con alta interdependencia. Además, diferentes métodos de asignación de posiciones pueden efectuar al rendimiento en ciertas etapas de la cadena de producción, aunque no al rendimiento final.
Organizational behavior looks at how individuals behave in organizational settings, how they interact with other individuals within the setting, as well as how they behave with the organization itself. A growing literature explores how people are affected by the organization, as well as how they affect it with their decision making. My dissertation contributes to this body of literature by investigating topics in this field using experimental methods. More specifically, my work looks at how people are affected by certain biases and how these biases affect the others as well as the organization; ways to eliminate the bias; how individuals behave when faced with the dilemma of contributing to two different public goods of different efficiency; how different levels of communication within an organization can help solve or hinder this dilemma; the effect of interdependence in organizational design on performance; and the effect of payment inequality in this type of organizational design. In the second chapter of the thesis we conduct an experiment to study whether the way employees are assigned to a manager affects managers’ and co-employees’ subjective evaluations of employees. Employees are either be hired by the manager, explicitly not hired by him and nevertheless assigned to him, or exogenously assigned to him. For all three we find escalation bias both by managers and by co-employees. Managers exhibit a positive bias towards those employees they have hired or a negative one towards those they have explicitly not hired. Chapter three is a follow-up study to chapter two. The aim with this chapter is to add to those findings by looking at the bias from the point of view of the employees who have to continue working in an environment where they are positively or negatively biased against, and how it affects their future performance and decisions. Additionally, attempt to eliminate the bias, and succeed. We also find that having a manager being positively biased towards an employee has a positive effect on that employee’s future performance, even though the employee is aware that the evaluation is not justified. Being negatively biased against, though, does not have any significant impact on future performance, however it increases the likelihood of making a decision to leave or sabotage which is costly to all participants. Chapter four reports on a set of public goods experiments we conducted in which participants belong to both a smaller “local” group, and a larger “global” group and have various degrees of communication within and between these groups. The results show that, when participants can only contribute to the global public good, the level of contributions goes up as the level of communication goes up. We also found that when the option to contribute to both public goods is provided with no communication, participants heavily prefer to contribute to the less efficient local public good, however as levels of communication are added both the total contribution and the contribution into the “global” public good go up. In chapter five we aim to create a paradigm in which a unique yet common combination of sequential and pooled task interdependence can be studied naturally. We also aim to determine the importance of payment equality under two different levels of fair allocation into positions in our highly interdependent task. Our results show that even extreme payment inequality does not significantly affect a work-groups performance in real effort tasks with high interdependence. Additionally, different methods of allocating into positions can effect performances at certain stages of the production line, though not the final performance.

This project examined the impacts of an organization identity intervention on workers’ commitment during large-scale transformational change at a financial services company. A 21-member information technology team was recruited for the study. Commitment was measured using a quantitative instrument and the events and data collected during the identity intervention were described. Participants generally enjoyed the intervention, although team members grew increasingly negative over the course of the event due to past experiences with similar interventions. Commitment was consistent across both groups and remained unchanged across the study period. The study organization is advised to assure that its leaders support and are prepared to respond to the results of any interventions conducted and take measures to nurture participants’ existing affective commitment. Continued research is needed to evaluate the impacts of the identity intervention on commitment. Such studies are advised to utilize a larger sample and to measure organizational commitment using mixed methods.

Thesis (M.A.) -- Central Connecticut State University, 2008.
Thesis advisor: James Conway. "... in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Psychology." Includes bibliographical references (leaves 42-46). Also available via the World Wide Web.

The recent global financial crisis prompted organizations to search for effective ways to minimize loss of revenue due to settlement of organizational scandals. Transformational leadership and organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) are known to affect employees and subsequently organizational productivity. However, little is known about the relationship between transformational leadership and the OCB of employees of multinational corporations (MNCs) in Ghana. The purpose of this quantitative study was to bridge the gap in knowledge by examining the relationships between transformational leadership and the OCB of employees of MNCs in Ghana. The theoretical frameworks for this study were Bass' transformational leadership theory and Organ's OCB theory. A random sample of 180 employees, who had worked with MNCs in Ghana for at least 5 years, were surveyed on transformational leadership using a 40-item transformational leadership scale and OCB using a 24-item OCB scale. A correlation coefficient test and a regression analysis revealed statistically no significant correlational relationship between transformational leadership and OCB, and statistically no significant multiple regression relation between the4 dimensions of transformational leadership and OCB. The implication for social change includes importance to theory, business managers, and the society, that there is no relationship between transformational leadership and OCB of employees in MNCs in Ghana. Apprising individuals of this lack of relationship would inspire future researchers to search for other types of ethical leadership or non-financial incentives that could influence positive behavior of employees to enhance the organization's productivity, and produce ethical citizens for society.

This dissertation seeks to understand how formative experiences during organizational socialization exert a longstanding influence on individuals’ performance. Although there is evidence that conditions experienced early in a career or in the initial period of organizational tenure can leave a lasting imprint on individuals’ work-related cognition and behavior, little is known about the performance implications that result from such imprints. Moreover, despite increasing interest in imprinting processes at the individual level, much research in this area has been narrow in scope, focusing mostly on the imprinted influence of early mentors and coworkers, and giving little attention to other factors that contribute to the formation of imprints. To address these gaps, I develop theory about the lasting performance implications of two key features of the context in which socialization takes place: (1) the intra-organizational resource environment upon a newcomer’s entry; and (2) the initial structural position that a newcomer occupies within the network of work relationships in the organization. My core proposition is that imprints created by these conditions enhance or hinder subsequent performance depending on the extent of fit between the imprint and current conditions. This proposition has novel implications for the determinants of individual attainment in organizations; for the paradoxical relationship between initial resource conditions and subsequent performance; and for the nature of network structures that produce individual advantage. Unique longitudinal data and qualitative interviews in two professional service firms provide evidence for this framework.

A nation-wide study of the leadership requirements for combined emergency management and fire departments from medium-sized municipalities was conducted. It has been widely recognized by the emergency management community and the federal government that emergency management should be professionalized. The first step in professionalization is standardization. The study disclosed that there was an extremely high variability in the training, education and experience requirements for each of the leadership ranks. Not only was there high variability in the requirements for holding each of the ranks, the ranks themselves varied greatly from department to department. The single rank present in all departments was that of chief, and even for that rank, 30% were appointees with no concrete position requirements. Furthermore, the actual requirements for each of the leadership ranks was compared to recommendations from three professional organizations, the International Association of Emergency Managers, the International Association of Fire Chiefs and the National Fire Protection Association. Not only did the actual requirements for each rank vary greatly from the recommendations from each organization, the recommendations between the organizations varied greatly. It is quite clear that even the professional organizations have not come to a consensus of opinion or agreement on requirements, nor are they even close to doing so. Two departmental models were also examined, and once again there was a high variability of requirements for each leadership rank. Although standardization is the first step in professionalization, there has been little movement in that direction. Emergency management has a long way to go if it is to be professionalized, and the safety of the public and nation stand in the balance.

Within today's technologically enmeshed world, people are spending more and more time in front of screens (both large and small). This comes at a cost; time spent outdoors is becoming scarce. How does engaging with nature impact our practice of leadership? A Collaborative Inquiry carried out by four individuals with personal leadership practices explored this question. We found that our leadership practices were improved through spending time in nature. A significant impact we identified was that our experiences in nature had an ego-reductive influence, turning our focus outwards and improving our ability to navigate complex situations with greater fluidity. We recommend that leaders looking to alter their perspective adopt a practice of intentional reflective time in nature.

Change and stability are critical to the sustained competitive advantage of organizations. Emerging research shows the relationship that exists between human agency and institutions, but also the inter-relationship to the dynamic of change and stability. This study examines the concepts of stability and change in regard to organizational change and institutional theory, and the influence of macro- and meso-structuring mechanisms in processes of institutional reproduction and change. Specific reference is made to institutional orientations toward stability and change as primary dimensions in the analysis of micro-level explanations that contribute to understanding adoption of new organizational practices.

This participative mixed-methods study was conducted in 12 community rehabilitation programs within New York State. It showed how both agency and institutional orientations toward stability and change are influenced through structuring mechanisms, and can be identified and discerned through patterns. The depiction of these orientations were identified by conceptual mapping and pattern matching, a research method emerging in both the change and institutional theory research. The new understandings gained regarding these agency and institutional orientations will contribute to new insights as to how micro-level actions occur and contribute to macro-institutional orientations toward stability and change. This study also supports the conclusion that macro- and meso-structuring mechanisms can become strange attractors which limit organizational potential for change, and that gaining an understanding of these attractor cages can assist organizations in mapping alternative futures.

Organizational agility represents a new field of organizational study that is not well examined. In the past organizations had an unmatched competitive advantage due to low competition and higher barriers to entry into their markets. As a result, many organizations dominated their industries. However, in the era of globalization, individuals with an internet connection and the right skills can start new organizations that can compete on a global level. Consequently, organizations now are facing more competition that they experienced in the past. Another reason for increase competition is new technology. Technology is improving increasingly faster than any time in history. Therefore, organizations that are not agile could not survive in the current environment.

Agile entities realize that they have to become flexible and nimble to withstand competition. Accordingly, the researcher in this study proposes an organizational agility model and this proposed model is the focus of the study. The proposed model significant arises from the fact that currently there are limited numbers of models that help organizations in becoming agile entities. The characteristics in this study were based on Worley and Lawler (2010) “Agility and Organization Design: A Diagnostic Framework”. The study conducted a survey utilizing an instrument developed by Dr. Worley and Dr. Lawler that contains 15 agility characteristics. The survey uses all 15 characteristics to determine if the organization is agile. In addition, the study utilizes three of the 15 agility characteristics to determent if a relationship occurs between the study variables.

This quantitative study examined the relationship between change capability, learning capability, shared leadership and organizational agility. Moreover, understanding these relationships could assist scholars and practitioners in producing change programs that emphasize certain behaviors that make an organization agile. The study surveyed 116 participants and found that focusing on change capability, learning capability and shared leadership could contribute in creating agile organizations. Consequently, after evaluating the study results, a new agility model emerged. This model shows that organizations can achieve agility by developing change capability, learning capability, shared leadership, shared purpose and flexible resources. Ultimately, achieving agility could help organizations compete and endure now and the future.

Health care technology workers play an increasingly important role in meeting regulatory requirements, improving patient care and containing health care costs. However, their perceptions of work and job satisfaction are lightly studied in comparison to other health care workers such as physicians or nurses. This exploratory study used heuristic inquiry to investigate the perceptions of health care technology workers with regard to their feelings of task significance, mission valence, work meaning, and job satisfaction.

Nine research participants representing three not-for-profit, secular hospital systems which were selected to have variation in geographic scope and organization size were interviewed. All participants were full-time, senior professional, non-executive, employees with a minimum of five years of experience in health care technology and three years with their current employer.

Thematic analysis revealed themes within four categories: organization culture, organization mission, interactions with clinicians and perceived contribution. These organizations have strong cultures in which staff members police the cultural norms. The inculcation to the culture includes helping health care technology workers connect to the organization’s mission of patient care, and these employees perceive the mission to have high valence. While these employees feel that the mission of patient care is important and valuable, they have a conflicted relationship with physicians who they perceive as resistant to the adoption of new technology. Finally, health care technology workers recognized that their work tasks may not directly impact patient care; however, they felt their contribution was meaningful, in particular when they were able to contribute their unique talents.

Study conclusions and recommendations included how job rotations allowing health care technology workers to work at a care provider site provides an opportunity for health care companies to increase workers’ feelings of task significance and task identity, and therefore, job satisfaction. Contributing one’s unique gift is perceived as meaningful, and workers seek opportunities to do so. Recognizing the importance of these workers and facilitating improved interactions between health care technology workers and physicians particularly with regard to adoption of new technology is seen as critical for ensuring effective and efficient health care delivery.

Diffusion of innovation across cultures is a broad field of study, especially when considering the adaptation of organizational development (OD) innovations into multicultural environments. Although OD interventions are often adapted to fit unique circumstances of each organization’s culture, this study explored whether there were specific adaptations that occur when OD interventions are applied to Indian organizations by Indian practitioners. The purpose of this qualitative study was to discover how appreciative inquiry (AI) as an OD intervention was received and adapted by OD practitioners in India with particular focus on for-profit organizations.

A thematic analysis of 17 implementations shared by Indian practitioners was conducted to examine the fidelity and extensiveness of AI adaptation. Toward this end, the study was tailored to ensure the intervention was localized and situated more specifically in the organizational and leadership contexts. Results revealed that AI, when applied to India-based for-profit organizations, exhibited a level of adaptation that could be applied on a global scale. It is anticipated that understanding the factors that drive AI adaptation in India will assist scholars and practitioners to establish guidelines for successfully transferring organizational innovations.

This study was designed to determine what it is that Chief Learning Officers do to build the learning organization by examining interview data from current Chief Learning Officers using the constructs of change and leadership. The study sample included current Chief Learning Officers who work for U.S. based organizations within the U.S. and have been in their current Chief Learning Officer position for at least two years.

The study used a qualitative, exploratory methodology combined with phone or face-to-face interviews in order to gather data. The data was analyzed using the Systems Learning Organization Model (Marquardt, 2011). 20 Chief Learning Officers were interviewed for approximately 60 minutes each and asked the same series of questions in order to further explore how Chief Learning Officers use leadership and change to build the learning organization.

The study findings show that Chief Learning Officers do four things to build the learning organization: 1. They themselves collaborate with others inside and outside of the organization, and encourage others to do so as well; 2. They assess and measure their learning and development programs on a consistent basis; 3. They seek and secure funding and other resources for their learning and development opportunities; 4. They have a vision for their learning organization, and realize that vision through strategy development and implementation.

Research and development (R&D) innovation has become an important competitive advantage that is essential to the biopharma industry and critical to drug development (Bennani, 2012; Cuatrecasas, 2006; Douglas, et al., 2010; Garnier, 2008; Hine & Kapeleris, 2006; McKelvey, 2008; Pisano, 2006, 2010). Cultivating R&D innovation carries a distinct challenge of balancing between fostering conditions for creativity while at the same time managing for technical, scientific and operational efficiencies. However, the trend in the industry is toward using more process management techniques focused on formalization, standardization, control and efficiency in order to accelerate drug discovery efforts (Brown & Svenson, 1998; Cardinal, 2001; Cuatrecasas, 2006; Hine & Kaperleris, 2006; Johnstone et al., 2011; Paul et al., 2010; Scannell et al., 2012; Sewing et al., 2008; Ullman & Boutellier, 2008).

This study was designed to explore how early drug discovery scientists experience creativity in a highly coordinated and managed work environment. The research questions were as follows: How do scientists working in the early discovery phases of the R&D pipeline experience creativity; and how does a highly managed and coordinated work environment influence scientists’ experience of creativity? The basis for understanding their experiences was captured through detailed stories and reflections about their personal background, early influences and professional experiences as a scientist.

The sample included 10 early drug discovery scientists who work for either a pharmaceutical, biotech or bio-pharmaceutical company based in the United States of America (USA). A basic qualitative study was conducted with in-depth interviews as the primary method of data collection. Data were analyzed using multiple iterations of coding, describing and classifying to interpret what creativity means, how scientists experience creativity within their work environment and what factors influence this experience. Conclusions and implications about what creativity means, how scientists experience creativity and the various dynamics that shape this experience are presented in the following pages.

The field of Organizational Change has seen a proliferation of publications of all sorts over the past two decades. In view of the emerging breadth of the field, it is becoming increasingly difficult for practitioners and researchers alike to separate the wheat from the chaff. At the same time, research suggests the majority of Organizational Change efforts are not successful. It is therefore my intent to map the nomological structure of the field of Organizational Change, determine the most dominating concepts, and identify any patterns or trends.

For that purpose I have collected bibliometric data from 1948 to 2016 and conduct a network analysis based on co-occurrence of keywords of Organizational Change.

My network analysis suggests five major findings. First, the field of Organizational Change has reached a level of maturity, which reduces the likelihood of breakthrough innovations. Second, only five concepts are dominating the field of Organizational Change today, which I label the “Top Five”: Change management, leadership, organizational culture, organizational learning, and innovation. Third, we are barking up the wrong tree, which means there is an inherent inconsistency between the topicality of the field, i.e. the dominance of very few topics, and the low success rate of Organizational Change projects. Fourth, it is still unclear how to exactly define and reliably measure change. Finally fifth, there seems to be too much focus on the paradigm that change is always preferably over an equilibrium.

I therefore propose three suggestions for further research. First, look beyond the Top Five concepts and create more dissonant discussion within the field, including a critical review of established paradigms. Second, revisit the established definitions and measurements of change, which includes questioning the widespread assumption that the majority of change efforts are failing. Finally third, conduct a network analysis based on a network of social actors of the field of organizational change, i.e. authors of organizational change.

The aim of the thesis is to discuss the key driving factors influencing the success of innovation in high-tech firms based in Sweden. The thesis will discuss key determinant factors and how those factors are connecting with each other. Organizational innovation and Organizational culture relationship have been under research for many years. The success of organizational innovation can be captured by various factors. Similarly, the organizational culture can be captured by different factors. During the research process, we came across various theories and this thesis is based on Rao and Weintraub (2013) developed model. The model provides six building blocks with determinant factors as a foundation for the successful innovative organizational culture. The six major building blocks or factors are Values, Behaviours, Climate, Resources, Processes, and Success (Rao & Weintraub, 2013). The purpose of the study is to define the hypothetical relationship between some of the six major factors which drives the successful innovation in the organization. The authors have developed a model for successful organizational innovation based on their hypotheses. It will be a matter of great interest to reflect upon the employee's feedback regarding those factors that influence firm’s organizational culture and successful innovation. The model was analyzed using the results of the survey in which 230 employees participated from Swedish based high-tech firms, using Structural Equation Modelling (Hair et al, 2010). The research results reveal some of the key contributors towards the successful organizational innovation and the relation between the factors for the successful organizational innovation. The factor successful innovation is strongly dependent on the innovation processes factor and this is followed by some more relatively moderate contributing factors such as the leaders’ behaviours, and the organizational resources. The study reveals that there is a strong relation between the innovation success and the innovation processes. The innovation processes factor is positively connected to the organization values, the leaders’ behaviours, and the organization resources. The organization climate is weakly connected to the innovation processes as represented by the data sample collected which needs to be further investigated. The model identified in the thesis gives an understanding of how the six factors are connected to drive the successful organizational innovation.

Organizational culture has been a topic of interest throughout all industries and has become a phrase studied in business and academic literature. With the Millennial generation now in the workforce, organizations employ workers of various age groups and generations. With increased scrutiny on organizational culture, the widely varying age ranges of employees, and a competitive workforce, it is not surprising that organizations are considering the role their organizational cultures play in both recruitment and retention. This case study examined the impact of organizational culture on workers’ decisions to join, stay, or leave an organization. This study included an examination of literature on gender and generational needs, differences, and similarities. Additionally, this case study examined the extent to which organizational culture plays a role in workers’ decision-making processes. The qualitative data used to support this case study was collected from interviews with a gender-balanced sample of 12 individuals (four Baby Boomers, four Generation X participants, and four Generation Y participants). Although the interview questions were consistent across participants, questions were open-ended to allow for emergent dialogue. After the interviews were completed, the data were analyzed to identify themes. This case study finished with summarizing the key themes found in the qualitative data that supported or refuted the literature review. Study limitations, conclusions, and recommendations also were identified.

This study explored the practices organizations employ to solicit and consider dissent, and the influence of these practices on organizational decision making. Although there is agreement in the literature that soliciting and considering dissent can lead to better decisions, there are significant gaps in the literature. The value of dissent has been studied for many years and specific recommendations have been made to encourage opposing views and seek alternatives when making organizational decisions. However, not many studies have addressed whether organizations are using these recommended practices or other models to encourage dissent.

A qualitative study using individual interviews was conducted to obtain an in-depth understanding of practices used in organizations. Thirty leaders across 19 organizations were interviewed individually to obtain the specifics of practices that influence dissent expression. Participant perceptions indicated that organizational history, culture and leadership are significant influencers in whether employees will dissent in an organization, but practices are necessary to bring about dissent. The data in this study also indicated that power and consequences are barriers to effective dissent and can be mitigated through dissent encouraging practices.

This research provides strong support for the literature and extends the literature by identifying methods and practices used by organizations that encourage dissent. Specific accounts from leaders in organizations show that dissent can a) lead to innovation; b) lead to avoidance of mistakes; and c) lead to mistakes when it is absent or not considered. Prior studies have addressed the value of dissent, but few qualitative studies provide examples of organizational decisions resulting from dissent. Additional findings from this study highlight 1) the importance of one-on-one and small group communication in soliciting dissenting views; 2) decision-making methods that provide an avenue to evoke and consider dissent; and 3) the emphasis on consideration of stakeholder views versus the devil’s advocate in decision making. Finally, practices that solicit dissent can be valuable even when dissent is not heeded, as they can lead to a quick reversal of a decision when necessary.

The literature on person-organization (P-O) fit has been plagued with inconsistencies in the conceptualization, operationalization and measurement of P-O fit. Despite numerous studies examining the relationship between P-O fit and outcomes, these inconsistencies in measurement and operationalization have led to mixed findings concerning specific individual outcomes. The goal of this dissertation was to address some of these inconsistencies by examining the relationship between P-O fit, using perceived and subjective measures of fit, and attitudinal and behavioral outcomes. In addition, previously unexplored mediators of the P-O fit-outcome relationships were examined. Although not formally hypothesized, it was believed that the magnitude of the relationships would differ such that perceived fit would have a stronger relationship with attitudinal outcomes than subjective fit, and that subjective fit would have a stronger relationship with job performance than perceived fit.

A sample of 188 entry-level managerial employees, working in a national transportation organization, was used to examine the relationship between P-O fit and job attitudes (i.e., job satisfaction, commitment, organizational citizenship behaviors and turnover intentions) and supervisor rated job performance. The results of this dissertation suggest that perceived fit is related to positive attitudes and better job performance. Furthermore, perceived organizational support partially mediates the relationship between perceived fit and the attitudinal outcomes studied, lending partial support for hypotheses. Role ambiguity was also examined as a potential mediator between fit and job performance, however, although perceived fit was significantly related to role ambiguity, the results did not support the relationship between role ambiguity and job performance. Tests of the specific hypotheses for subjective fit were not supported. Instead, the results indicated that organizational values, rather than fit between person and organizational values, were a strong predictor of attitudinal outcomes.

This study examined the relationship between employees’ Organizational Commitment and the perception of the management of deviant behavior and examined if Organizational Culture moderated the strength of the relationship between Organizational Commitment and the perception of the management of deviant behavior. Three assessments were administered either electronically or in hardcopy form and were completed by 114 participants who were employed adults ages 18 and above, managed by someone else, in the southeastern U.S. The Organizational Culture Inventory (OCI) developed by Cooke and Lafferty (2013) measured overall Organizational Culture of employees at an individual level of assessment. The instrument used to measure employee Organizational Commitment was the TCM Employee Commitment Survey (Wellspring Worldwide, LLC, 2010). The instrument used to measure the perception of the management of deviant behavior was derived from a non-self-report measure created by Stewart, Bing, Davidson, Woehr, and McIntyre (2009). A moderated multiple regression analysis determined that the relationship between the perception of the management of deviant behavior and organizational commitment was not predicted by a constructive, aggressive/defensive, or passive/defensive culture style. The study found that the perception of the management of deviant behavior did not have a statistically significant predictive relationship with regards to organizational commitment, nor did workplace culture moderate the perceptions or attitudes of employees. The empirical evidence provided in this study enhanced the body of knowledge related to workplace culture. Specifically, the results of the study provided quantitative information, which provided a valuable understanding that a macro-variable such as workplace culture does not necessarily attenuate the relationship between perception of management and organizational commitment within certain diverse workplaces.

This transcendental phenomenological study sought to understand how the followers of authentic leaders in a multi-national healthcare organization experienced well-being. Twenty followers of 5 authentic leaders participated in the research and shared their lived experiences. Followers reported they experienced workplace well-being by maintaining work-life balance, feeling fulfilled/doing meaningful work, and feeling appreciated/recognized for their contributions. Workplace well-being was experienced as a result of their perceptions of feeling trusted and cared about as a whole being and not just an employee by their leaders. Followers also reported that the organizational culture provided support for leaders to demonstrate behaviors of authentic leadership, caring, trust, appreciation, respect, valuing others, openness, honesty, and transparency, which led them to feel an attachment to their leaders and organizations. Followers were motivated to exhibit organizational citizenship behaviors by providing extra or discretionary effort beyond their expected role requirements. These findings indicate that authentic leaders can provide value by cultivating well-being in the workplace. Findings also suggest recommendations for establishing organizational best practices.

There is not a common, agreed upon definition of authentic leadership. There are varying opinions as to whether authenticity is a trait or a style; however, most scholars believe authenticity is a purpose and value based characteristic (Gardner, Cogliser, Davis, & Dickens, 2011) that is developed over time (George, 2003). Transparency is a core concept of authentic leadership, and situational awareness is a critical skill for leaders to determine the degree of transparency that they should demonstrate. There is limited theoretical and empirical research on how transparency and self-monitoring can be used in conjunction with situational leadership and situational awareness theory. This study measures the impact of a leader’s expression of transparency on follower’s confidence in his or her ability with consideration of a number of covariates. The findings of this study are intended to help advance authentic leadership theory with specific focus on situational awareness and transparency as core concepts of authenticity. Implications are discussed on the advancement of leadership theory, authentic leadership, and transparency as a core concept of authenticity.

Data collection used Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk) and yielded 1,006 global participants who met the inclusion criteria. In general, higher degrees of leadership transparency yield higher levels of follower confidence. Situation can impact how expressions of transparency impact follower confidence. Thus, situational awareness and situational leadership are critical competencies for leaders to use transparency effectively. Leader-Member Exchange does not, generally, moderate the relationship between a leader’s transparency and his or her follower’s confidence. There was statistical significance in the difference in responses between geographies, but there were not statistically significant differences in the results when considering gender, years of work experience, education, age, and race in the US.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Southern Illinois University Carbondale, 2009.
"Rehabilitation Institute." Keywords: Leader-member exchange theory, Leadership, Organizational citizenship behavior, Organizational committment, Person-environment fit, Rehabilitation. Includes bibliographical references (p. 100-113). Also available online.

This study was an investigation of the relationship between subordinates' perceptions of the quality of the leader-member exchange (LMX) relationship and their willingness to engage in organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) and organizational commitment (OC). Differences in subordinates' perceptions of the quality of the LMX with their supervisor according to the gender of the supervisor compared to the employee (same sex vs. different sex) and dyadic duration of the LMX were also investigated. The possible moderation of dyadic duration on the relationship between subordinates' perception of the quality of the LMX and their willingness to engage in OCB and OC were also investigated. Lastly, the possible moderation of gender on the relationship between subordinates' perception of the quality of the LMX and their willingness to engage in OCB and OC were also investigated. This study surveyed direct service subordinate staff currently employed at a large rehabilitation organization in the Midwest. Results of research questions (RQ) one through eight are as follows: No significant correlation, r = .15, p = .35 for RQ1, significant correlation for RQ2, r = .38, p =.01, no significant correlation, r = .14, p = .38, for RQ3, no significant correlation, r = .30, p = .05 for RQ4, RQ5 model one was not significant, R2 = .10, F (2,38) = 2.21, p = .12, model two was significant, R2 = .19, F (3, 37) = 2.86, p = .05, RQ6 model one was significant, R2 = .26, F (2, 38) = 7.59, p = .002, model two was significant, R2 = .34, F (3, 37) = 6.34, p = .001, RQ7 model one was not significant, R2 = .10, F (2, 38) = 2.21, p = .12, model two was not significant, R2= .16, F (3, 37) = 2.31, p = .09, and RQ8 model one was significant, R2 = .26, F (2, 38) = 7.59, p = .002, model two was significant, R2 = .32, F (3, 37) = 5.98, p = .002. A summary of results and limitations and delimitations of the study are discussed, as well as implications and directions for future research.

Organizational success and outcomes rely on good teamwork. The study question asked if teams can be more successful with a greater number of socially skilled team members? Evolving research indicates composing teams based on intrinsic social skills, such as personality, values, and psychological roles may generate greater team outcomes than teams based solely on vocational roles, competencies, and cognitive ability. When teams are first formed, people connect instinctively and warm to other team members using their social skills. Only later do people appraise others for competencies and skills. This study examined whether the number of strong emotive connectors (SEC) can increase team outcomes. The study hypothesis tested whether teams with a greater number of high SECs, a socioemotional role construct, would increase their team task-completion rates (TTCR). Regression analysis showed the low and high SEC with an adjusted R² = .52 correlation were both predictive of the TTCR. Additional analysis using 2 one-way ANOVAs for high and low SECs showed between-team (groups) and within teams (groups) results were statistically significant at the p = .00 level. The study found teams having 2 of 5 high SECs made a difference in team performance. Additional high SECs had no impact on team performance. An interesting study result found 2 of 5 low SECs had an adverse impact on team performance. Additional low SECs did not harm team performance. Ensuring at least 2 of 5 high SECs on teams can lessen gaps, diminish conflicts, and elevate team outcomes.

This study aims to explain the process through which organizations adopt practices that are congruent with the need for sustainability of the world to support the existence of economic, social, and environmental systems for future generations. The study used grounded theory for data collection and analysis. Seven organizations that varied by industry, type, size, and number of years in operation participated in this study, representing industries from manufacturing, financial services, education, government, community organizations, faith-based organizations, and consumer products from Northwest Pennsylvania. The data analysis was qualitative in nature. Results from open, axial, and selective coding produced six main categories: sustainability definition/meaning, sustainability practices, sustainability mechanisms, sustainability barriers, sustainability factors, and sustainability learning to-date. Implications of study and future research are discussed.

As authenticity and trust continue to be recognized as key pillars of effective leadership in today’s world (Avolio et al., 2004; Mayer et al., 1995; Peus et al., 2012), organizations need leaders who are willing to be vulnerable with those they lead. The purpose of current study was to explore the relationship between courage, other-centered calling, vulnerability, and leadership differentiation. The sample for the current study included 296 self-identified leaders who report being responsible for the work and development of others. Leaders were primarily Caucasian (83.7%), male (55.9%), and from a church/ministry setting (41.2%). The study occurred over a year span within an online leadership development tool. Moderated mediation in Hayes (2013) PROCESS Macro was used to test the hypotheses. Courage was positively related to vulnerability (B = .226, p = .000), and the relationship between courage and vulnerability was significantly moderated by other-centered calling (B = .112, p = .032). Additionally, the relationship between vulnerability and leadership differentiation was examined and found to be nonsignificant (B = -.004, p = .901). Findings from this study indicate that courage and other-centered calling are key factors in allowing leaders to choose vulnerability with those they lead.

Innovation is researched significantly throughout academic literature, ranging from leadership to organizational culture, with the aim of understanding how to enable greater creativity. This study attempted to address the knowledge gap on the common strategies of facilitating innovation in a group setting by evaluating this condition through four specific areas: environment, process, team dynamics, and facilitator behavior. This study built upon those four areas aiming to understand the process a facilitator puts a group of individuals through to stimulate innovation. Applying a qualitative phenomenological study, the researcher interviewed 15 facilitators of innovative thinking to understand the common strategies applied by practitioners in the field. Upon completion of the interviews, the best practices discovered in academic literature were compared against practitioner best practices, identifying the strategies that intersected both environments. Key elements that elicited greater innovation in a group setting were as follows: (a) leadership supporting experimentation cultures where taking risks is encouraged, (b) stretching the mind to enable ambiguous thought, (c) achieving a cognitively diverse team, and (d) striving to keep everyone engaged from the beginning to the end.

This is a grounded theory study of how scholar-practitioners simultaneously help clients generate results and create new knowledge. Through a set of 41 interviews, it examines the roles of scholar-practitioners in organization development and medical translational research, compares the strategies and tactics they use in each field, and considers how they renew themselves professionally and personally. It shows how these professionals perform varying combinations of three roles: research, teaching and applied field work. They have developed different work habits, ways of thinking and even ways of being than their colleagues who focus on just one of those areas in either field, and have a set of personal characteristics including being agile/adaptive, collaborative, holistic, passionate and wise, which empower their use of self in helping their clients or patients. It shows how strategies and tactics are employed in the translation of theory to practice and vice versa, which had not been done previously, and develops a new Knowledge-Results Circular Flow Model to connect all the aspects of their work with their clients to generate client-determined results and new knowledge in an ongoing iterative process. Last, but not least, it shows that scholar-practitioners in these two fields are much more similar than different, and can learn from each other to strengthen both the knowledge they generate via their research, and the client/patient results that are the focus of their work.

The realization of growth synergies across products and services in a global multi-unit firm is a topic of discovery that has substantial implications for the profitability of multi-national corporations. A driver for the realization of this incompletely tapped potential is the influence of organizational design. The scholar comprehensively examines a singular case study in which a multidimensional organizational design is used to exploit growth synergies in a global multi-unit firm. For many firms, collaboration is connected to synergy realization, which is critical to growth in saturated and emerging markets. Cross-business unit strategy research has been largely focused on diversification rather than on synergies. Additionally, the literature addresses synergy realization in very turbulent or static markets; however, in this case, the scholar illustrates how a multi-unit firm in a moderately dynamic market attempted to exploit growth synergy opportunities through (a) focused action, (b) the application of an organizational design that exploits decentralized collaboration, (c) lateral support mechanisms that preserve business unit (BU) self-interest, (d) a designed relationship with the corporate center, and (e) a singular context with clients. The intent of these actions is to enhance profitability theory by analyzing rapid evolutionary change in an integrated global value chain. This study attempts to show whether or not a multi-unit firm made of business units that are related diversifiers can be combined, or recombined, to exploit complementary resources. Furthermore, this study advances emerging research on the exploitation of multidimensional organizational design, its dynamic capabilities, co-evolutionary organization-wide change leadership, and cross-unit innovation.

The purpose of the research study was to predict managerial resistance to status quo bias given the presence of dissatisfaction, vision, and a process outlined for change in the environment. According to the 79 participants surveyed in the study, dissatisfaction, vision, and a process outlined for change provided a statistically significant model for predicting manager resistance to status quo bias for the sample studied. Leaders may be able to use the results of the study to determine manager readiness for change. However, at best the study found only 45.3% of the reasons that predict managerial resistance to status quo bias, providing an opportunity for future researchers to validate empirically other factors that may predict manager resistance to status quo bias.

Assessing and developing organizational or collective resilience capacity is a strengths-based approach to managing continuous and unexpected change as a strategic capability. In this study, organizational resilience capacity is defined as a vital readiness that is built up by employee beliefs and behaviors. Human resource and management interventions have been recommended to strengthen this capacity. These are described as antecedents, enablers, and inducements designed to foster vital conditions that support relevant employee beliefs, feelings, and actions. Yet, there is little empirical evidence about which specific beliefs and behaviors to foster and no tool for assessing their strength. Interventions, then, cannot reliably be said to strengthen organizational resilience capacity. To address this gap, an exploratory, quantitative study was designed with two objectives: (a) identify specific employee beliefs and behaviors associated with this capacity from the organizational resilience literature and (b) design a scale using these items to explore how collective resilience capacity is constructed. After testing the Organizational Resilience Capacity Scale with employees in a manufacturing company (n=223), results suggested that there are specific beliefs and behaviors associated empirically with organizational resilience capacity. These can be assessed to support organizational understanding, direct evidence-based interventions, and provide a measure of accountability for impacting a latent, yet strategic, capability. The relationship between individual resilience capacity and organizational resilience capacity was also assessed, showing a small, but significant effect. That is, resilient individuals may contribute to vital conditions, but they do not create a resilient organization.

Employees who remain with an organization because they want to, represent a positive organizational phenomenon known as affective commitment (AC). The purpose of this study is to investigate the predictive ability of strategic Human Resource (HR) practices to create AC in the context of federal knowledge workers, determine the role of SOAR in the relationship between strategic HR practices and AC, and the effect of AC on positive behavioral outcomes. SOAR stands for strengths, opportunities, aspirations, and results.

This mixed methods study explored the relationship among strategic HR practices, SOAR, AC, and behavioral outcomes. Data were gathered using a survey instrument containing 42 items. The population was federal knowledge workers in a science and technology field. 204 participants completed the study survey and a final sample of N = 188 surveys were used for analysis.

Quantitative analysis was conducted using descriptive and inferential statistics; qualitative analysis included thematic analysis. Results from the quantitative analysis suggested that strategic HR practices predict AC; the SOAR construct is a partial mediator of the relationship between strategic HR practices and AC; SOAR did not function as a moderator of the relationship between strategic HR practices and AC; and AC encourages the development of positive behavioral outcomes. Results from the qualitative thematic analysis suggested that there are seven prominent themes that sustain commitment in this federal organization and they are: accountability, career advancement, leadership, meaningful work, mission, reward/recognition, and training.

For federal organizations similar to this one, it is recommended that they engage the SOAR approach to increase the effectiveness of strategic HR practices in generating AC; implement strategic HR practices that encompass the seven major themes; a positive proactive way of viewing employee commitment by cultivating AC as opposed to studying turnover trends; and engage in conversations about strategic change using dialogical methods based on appreciative inquiry. Future research could include studies on how the federal government communicates strategic HR practices to their employees and whether or not they choose to adopt dialogical versus diagnostic approaches.

In spite of the prevalence of methods and literature devoted to church health, many churches remain plateaued or are declining. Some churches ignore reality and base their worth and identity on things less than biblical identity and Christian mission. Many declining churches demonstrate an environment similar to the codependency seen in addictive family systems. The published literature has expanded the understanding of the concept of codependency that was traditionally applied to family systems affected by alcohol and substance abuse by applying it to dysfunctional organizational structures. This project builds on this research. It investigated the hypothesis that dysfunctional churches exhibit dynamics similar to codependent family systems. The project adapted the Spann-Fischer Scale for Codependency, and in a pilot study of nine churches, two scales were developed: Church Health (a = .891) and Church Codependency (a = .745). A moderate negative correlation (r = -.431) between these scales supported this hypothesis. It appears that the concept of codependency possesses elements that could assist church leaders to better understand dysfunctional churches. The project suggests a new approach to church health in certain environments and provides a new lens through which those desiring to help the local church grow might view their work.