Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Organizational behavoir'

The study of work teams has captured the attention of academics and practitioners throughout the latter stages of the twentieth century and into the twenty-first century. There has been much debate and one could be forgiven for thinking that we 'know' the answers. However, there are still substantial gaps in our knowledge of the practical operations of work teams.

The are many complications involved in the study of work teams, including the lack of suitable and consistently used definitions and the failure amongst researchers to distinguish between the nature of different forms of teamworking. Furthermore, the labelling of formal work groups is rather ambiguous, even clichéd. Academics and practitioners hold different perceptions about what makes a team and much of the literature reflects production processes within manufacturing organisations. With the growing size of the service economy further research must be undertaken to understand teams within this context.

On the basis of these difficulties, one may expect that it is impossible to compare teams that exist in different organisations, different product markets, different labour markets and indeed, different sectors of the economy. However, reflecting upon earlier industrial sociology that compares diverse industries this thesis makes such a comparison. A Government-owned call centre and a food-processing organisation are compared throughout this thesis. Both are smaller worksites of larger organisations. The intent of this thesis is to examine such diverse teams to consider how teams influence factors such as control, cooperation and resistance within organisations.

This thesis was developed to consider all employee actions in the workplace. This includes actions that would be viewed by management as positive and actions that would be considered by management as deviant or negative. Hence, a research methodology was required that was able to investigate actions that occur below the surface of formal and consensual rules and uncover any covert actions that were present in the workplace. To investigate such actions it was essential for the researcher to develop relationships with the research subjects that allowed a free exchange of information. Consequently, an ethnographic case study method was determined to be the most appropriate form of data collection. With the majority of fieldwork taking place over a period of eight months, the researcher was able to uncover some interesting actions in each workplace. Hence, a contribution to the literature can be made considering employee acts of resistance in new workplaces that are not changing to, but begin with a team structure.

This thesis investigates how work teams influence the level of control, cooperation and resistance within new organisations. It has been found that the work teams have little clear influence on aspects of worker control; this is primarily driven by managerial strategy. Where management maintain a hierarchical decision-making structure (even if it is flatter than the structure could be), then limited control will be devolved to the members of the work teams. The levels of both cooperation and resistance on the other hand are influenced primarily by the amount of off-task time that the team members have. Where employees have a greater level of off-task time, they have the scope and opportunity to engage in higher levels of cooperative acts, as well as higher levels of resistance. Furthermore, this thesis adds support to the notion that teams can exist in organisations without there being a high level of teamworking present. Teams in these organisations are a structure of social organisation and managerial control rather than employee empowerment. The notion of the managerially constructed work team seems to have some longevity and hence, cannot be completely dismissed as a managerial fad.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Non-executive directors (NEDs) are external members of an organization’s board of directors. These directors’ most significant contribution arguably is found in the quality of their strategic insights, as they ostensibly bring a fresh perspective and set of experiences to acts of strategy and sense making. This study examined NEDs’ contribution to the environmental scanning phase of an organization’s strategic planning process. Data were gathered from a convenience sample of seven current NEDs. Findings indicated that the framing process used during the environmental scanning phase directly influenced how NEDs make sense of the environment. Additionally, NEDs were found to prefer an “objective” environment that is externally located. Finally, NEDs consciously appraise each other’s contribution to the overall discussion. Study findings were incorporated into a conceptual model. Future studies should use a larger sample of NEDs, including peers from the same boards and those from across multiple industries.

In 2012 about 30% of the American workers were engaged at work and 70% of workers were either not engaged or fully disengaged. There have been numerous studies on determining employment factors that create engagement and the organizational benefits received from a highly engaged workforce. It has been shown that companies with highly engaged employees experience many organizational benefits including higher employee productivity, lower attrition, better quality, and superior financial results. However, there has been little research conducted on creating a direct linkage between a specific engagement driver and a specific organizational benefit. The purpose of this study is to identify drivers of engagement that positively impact productivity in highly engaged teams at CHG Healthcare Services. CHG Healthcare Services is a healthcare staffing company headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah. In 2014, it was estimated that 93% of its 1750 employee were engaged. Quantitative data was collected through a written survey from a random sampling of 98 employees from highly engaged sales and business partner teams. 46 employees completed the survey that asked them to choose the top factors that most positively impacted their individual and team productivity from a list of 23 established engagement drivers. In addition, 9 qualitative focus groups were held with survey participants to gain qualitative understanding into why participant’s felt the chosen engagement factors impacted productivity. The findings demonstrated that for employees with over 1 year of experience, 4 engagement drivers made the most meaningful impact on individual and team productivity. These results were similar across all demographic groups reviewed. The engagement drivers most impacting employee productivity were having access to work-life balance, having a positive relationship with their team and leader, having work that is meaningful, and having the authority and autonomy of make decisions affecting their work. The research also showed that one group, first year employees, provided a different set of results. The study demonstrated that first-year employees value employment factors that help support them during the time they are establishing effective relationships in a new environment and building necessary job skills to contribute to the team and company.

Purpose: The purpose of this quantitative descriptive study was to identify transformational leadership skills exhibited by executives in mid-size companies, working in the fields of Marketing, Sales, HR, and IT. Additionally, this study also tried to identify top domains and skills for each group, and analyze the similarities and differences between groups.

Methodology: The study was structured around three research questions. As this was a quantitative study, self-rating data on 10 domains and 80 skills were collected using the Transformational Leadership Skills inventory instrument. These data were then analyzed using multiple statistical methods.

Findings: Analysis of data produced multiple findings in relation to top, middle, and bottom tier skills and domains for each group, thereby supporting the hypothesis that the situational context of job function is material for transformational leadership.

Conclusions: There were six conclusions that applied to all groups, thereby providing valuable insights in relation to similarities across job functions. Additionally, there were multiple differences found in the use of transformational leadership skills across Marketing, Sales, HR, and IT functions, leading to the creation of distinct transformational leadership skill portfolio for each group.

Recommendations: There were six implications for actions that were developed from the conclusions, ranging from hiring, to talent development, to succession planning. Additionally, eight recommendations for future research were also presented, ranging from logical extensions of this study into different verticals, to complementary new studies that would expand the body of knowledge, to longitudinal cross-sectional study that can be developed over time.

Trust is consistently identified as a key factor in the success of organizations. Despite its importance, public trust of U.S. institutions has fallen steadily over six decades. One exception is public trust of the U.S. military, which has increased. This qualitative Delphi study sought to answer the question: What are the perceived characteristics of the trust relationship between the U.S. military and the general public at the point interface where senior military leaders, their public affairs advisors, and national-security media representatives directly facilitate the relay of information between the military and the public? This study also sought to identify which, if any, of those perceived characteristics are unique in the literature, or if they are uniquely prioritized in the trust relationship between the U.S. military and the general public. The purpose of the study was to explore a favorable trust relationship in an effort to identify characteristics that might be beneficial to other leaders in their effort to establish, preserve, or strengthen public trust in their own institutions. The Delphi methodology was used to achieve consensus of opinion among three groups of subject matter experts who, in accordance with joint U.S. doctrine, act as a point of direct interface between the military and the public. Retired senior military officers, retired or former military public affairs officers (PAOs), and journalists who cover the national-security beat for national and international media organizations participated in the study. During three survey rounds, members of two independent groups identified, prioritized, and defined characteristics they perceived as contributing most to the favorable trust relationship between the U.S. military; anonymously reviewed input from other group members; and modified their own input. Overall consensus was reached among these two groups of subject-matter experts that prioritization of honesty, integrity, and credibility contributes most to a favorable trust relationship. Summative content analysis of the respective group’s definitions of those terms revealed key themes of open communication and the critical importance of an organization’s members doing and saying the right thing, regardless of consequences.

Organizations face challenges related to swiftly and successfully adapting their products and services to meet the changing demands of the external environment to achieve long-term success. These challenges have prompted the study of organization agility, an organizational capability defined as the ability to swiftly and successfully change in order to achieve long-term financial success (Worley, Williams, & Lawler, 2014). Researchers have theorized that the behaviors and attributes of organization leaders impact organization agility (Worley et al., 2014; Holbeche, 2015). The purpose of this study was to conduct an inferential quantitative research study to determine if leadership behaviors predict organization agility.

The research sample included 126 U.S.-based business units within 47 organizations with greater than 1,000 employees. Organization agility was measured using the Agility Survey (short-form) developed by Worley, Williams, and Lawler (2014) to generate a Total Agility Score. The leadership behaviors and attributes of the business unit leaders were measured using the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ-5X; Avolio & Bass, 2004). Confirmatory and exploratory factor analysis determined an alternative five-construct model of leadership behaviors and attributes for this data set. Simultaneous linear regression determined that the leadership behaviors found to predict higher levels of organization agility included (a) exploratory behaviors that support a culture of discovering new ways to solve problems and conduct business, (b) latitude behaviors that provide employees with a high degree of freedom and responsibility in achieving work results and resolving issues, (c) visionary behaviors that create a clear organization purpose and mission that define the “why” of the organization’s existence, and (d) reflective behaviors that cause leaders to challenge their own assumptions and create mechanisms for the organization to do so as well. Simultaneous linear regression analysis also determined that leadership behaviors related to power and structure predict lower levels of organization agility.

In addition to the original research question, results were reported comparing the Total Agility Score for organization groups divided by type of organization, size of organization, and year founded; and for business unit groups divided by business unit leader gender and size of business unit. Inspection of these results’ means indicated that the Total Agility Score for for-profit organizations (M = 3.97) was significantly higher than the Total Agility Score for nonprofits/government agencies ( M = 3.67), a difference of .30 on a 5-point Likert scale ( p = .009) and with a larger than typical effect size (d = .77). Inspection of the results also indicated that the Total Agility Score for organizations with 1,000 to 6,000 employees (M = 3.99) was significantly higher than the Total Agility Score for organizations with greater than 6,000 employees (M = 3.83; p = .038) with an effect size between smaller than typical or medium ( d = .37).

This research study contributes to the body of knowledge of organization agility by informing scholars, practitioners, and organization leaders as to the leadership behaviors and attributes that predict both higher and lower levels of organization agility. Several additional research studies are suggested that would enhance knowledge related to the conceptual frameworks and theories of organization agility and leadership.

Toxic leadership costs organizations millions at a time in lost employees, lost customers, lost productivity, and even lost health. The literature shows toxic leadership extends beyond just leaders into an interconnected ?toxic triangle? of destructive leaders, conducive environments, and susceptible followers. This study explored, ?Can a free, online mindfulness-based stress reduction course reduce the negative impact of toxic leadership on the organization?? Ten volunteers self-identified as currently working under a toxic leader. The study used an explanatory sequential mixed methods design to measure resistance, compliance, and core self-evaluation along with interviews and journals. The results indicated mindfulness did reduce the negative impact: conducive environments were less conducive and susceptible followers were less susceptible. Additionally, mindfulness had influence on the entire toxic triangle and resulted in unique Toxic Triangle Influence Maps for each situation. Finally, family systems theory was found to be particularly useful for understanding leadership in a toxic triangle.

Owners of family businesses in the private sector must be cognizant of nepotism to reduce skilled employee turnover. Guided by Herzberg two-factor theory as the conceptual framework, the purpose of this multiple case study was to explore strategies used by family owned and operated business leaders to minimize nepotistic practices that reduce skilled nonfamily employees’ voluntary turnover. The population for this study included 3 family owned and operated funeral establishments in the Midwest region of St. Louis, Missouri. These participants had sustained their family businesses longer than 5 years while minimizing skilled nonfamily employees’ voluntary turnover. Data were collected from semistructured face-to-face interviews, the review of proprietary documents, and public information. Data analysis included a 5-step process: compiling the data, disassembling the data into common codes, reassembling the data into themes, interpreting their meaning, and then reporting the themes. Member checking and methodological triangulation increased the trustworthiness of interpretations. Five themes emerged from the data analysis: work environment, effective communication, education and training, promotion opportunities, and policies and procedures. The implications for social change include (a) reducing nepotistic employment practices in family owned and operated businesses; (b) increasing economic growth potential while simultaneously benefiting employees, families, and communities; and (c) decreasing the unemployment rate. Family owned and operated business leaders can use the results of this study to implement change and to motivate and retain their skilled nonfamily employees.

The management consulting profession in the United States is one of the fastest growing and most profitable industries in the world. Despite the industry’s increasing popularity and growth, racial minorities remain disproportionately underrepresented in this industry.

This dissertation sought to shed light on the unique experiences of minorities in the management consulting industry by examining the experiences of Black management consultants and the relationships that exist between the centrality of race, authenticity at work, and the use of race-based impression management (RIM) strategies. This study also sought to contribute to theory by validating a conceptual model, which posits that the centrality of race moderates the relationship between RIM strategies and authenticity at work.

An online survey was developed using existing instruments designed to measure the centrality of race to one’s identity, authenticity at work, and the use of RIM strategies. Quantitative data were gathered from management consultants who identified as Black and were currently or previously employed at a large multinational management consulting firm with 100,000 or more employees. Usable data were collected from 201 participants, and structural equation modeling was used to analyze the data.

This study found that the RIM strategy social recategorization was significantly related to the ability to be authentic at work, and regardless of whether the centrality of race to one’s identity was high or low, the relationship between social recategorization and participants’ ability to be authentic at work was negatively related. No significant relationship was found between RIM strategy of positive distinctiveness and the ability to be authentic at work, regardless of the degree of racial centrality. The conceptual model developed for this study could not be validated due to low levels of variance around the construct of racial centrality.

Findings from this study provide empirical insights into the experiences of Black management consultants and contribute to theory, practice, and research regarding the challenges associated with navigating cross-cultural interactions in the workplace.

The purpose of the current research is to contribute to the VE community’s understanding of how the dynamics of temporary teams may influence participant engagement, by answering the question, “what factors impact individual team member engagement on a VE study team?” In today’s business environment, the traditional permanent work team is no longer a reality for many employees (Jacobssen & Hallgren, 2016). Even those who do maintain membership in a permanent team are often tasked with serving on additional committees, task forces and decision-making teams to aid their organization in developing new products or navigating change. Value Engineering (VE) study teams present a unique scenario in which small, in-person teams of technical subject matter experts must solve complex problems in just a few days, having had no previous interaction. These teams can be classified as “temporary.” To understand what factors contribute to a participant’s engagement during a VE study, ten, semi-structured interviews were conducted with VE study team members. Themes from the interview data aligned with the literature’s framing of intellectual, social and affective engagement (Soane et al., 2012). Technical expertise, direct engagement by the facilitator, clear roles, prioritization of teambuilding, and viability of the project, were among the factors cited as impacting team member engagement. Recommendations were made related to prioritizing pre-study activities, creating a VE team member cadre for continued team member development, and setting the tone for engagement. These findings and recommendations may be applied to temporary team settings other than VE teams as well, in terms of the importance of context setting, early team member interaction, psychological membership and psychological safety for team success.

The purpose of this study was to look at the role of Conscious Evolution as a catalyst for community building. The work of the researcher was to take an in depth look at Conscious Evolution in relation to the success and growth of a service oriented nonprofit organization that works in the area of integrated health care. The scientific and theological perspectives of Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, 20^th Century Jesuit priest and paleontologist, provided the theoretical framework that guided the study. His understanding of Conscious Evolution, simply described, is the emergence of humans’ ability to reflect on existence through means of discernment.

Teilhard’s framework fit with the methodological approach of hermeneutic phenomenology that was used to inform this study. The phenomenon of Conscious Evolution was examined with ten participants from a community center that works with integrative health and wellness. Each participant took part in three extensive interviews that inquired about experiences prior to involvement with the organization, since they became involved, and what their involvement means for them. Four themes arose (community, spirituality, service, and belonging) that affirmed the research questions and promote an opportunity for further study of Conscious Evolution as catalyst for community building.

Achievement motivation has been identified as an important element of organization behavior due to the impact it can have on an individual’s performance, job satisfaction and organizational commitment. At the same time, work-life balance has become increasingly valuable to employees. There is much literature supporting the positive impacts of achievement motivation, job satisfaction and work-life balance. In addition, theories exist which detail the relationships between the studied variables, but little research has been completed studying the results in corporate and retail settings.

This study evaluated the relationship between an individual’s achievement motivation and job satisfaction, the relationship between an individual’s achievement motivation and work-life balance, and the relationship between an individual’s job satisfaction and work-life balance.

A quantitative study was conducted using three survey instruments. The Achievement Motivation Inventory (AMI) instrument will measure achievement motivation in this study via a modified short version featuring 30 questions. The 18 question Job in General (JIG) scale will be utilized to measure job satisfaction in this study. The 5 question Work-Family Conflict Scale (WFC) will be the instrument used to measure work-life balance in this study. A non-random, as a convenience sample was used to select participants for this study. The population consisted of salaried store management employees who work in multiple store locations for a large corporation who were willing to voluntarily participate in the study.

Research question one tested achievement motivation and job satisfaction via the Achievement Motivation Inventory and Job in General scale. The analysis indicated that there is a weak positive linear relationship between the two studied variables. This relationship between a salaried retail manager’s level of achievement motivation and their level of job satisfaction was found to be a statistically significant relationship. This was the only research question to feature a relationship between the studied variables that was statistically significant.

The purpose of this research was to understand how people working in California’s San Francisco Bay Area/Silicon Valley technology industry love one another platonically in the workplace, as well as what effects they perceive from this love. Through this constructivist grounded theory study, a theory was developed. This Work-based Platonic Love Theory involves workplace relationships that are heavily centered around work itself. These relationships can begin in admiration for one another, conflict with one another, or even dislike. They are transformed into loving relationships through shared experiences of work-related hardship, challenging or innovative work, and/or spending long work hours together. Participants describe the relationships as familial, often team-oriented, caring, and rooted in work. Effects of these work relationships include the perception of greater individual and team success, high performance, and shatterproof teams. Work-based Platonic Love Theory resulted from data produced by in-depth interviews with 17 participants who reported experiences with platonic love in San Francisco Bay Area/Silicon Valley technology firms. The study underscores the value of platonic love in the workplace to the work itself, to teams, and to individuals. It also suggests a heavily work-centric nature of loving relationships within the technology industry in the San Francisco Bay Area and Silicon Valley.

By 2030, almost every entry level role in the United States will be filled by a member of Generation Z (born after 1995). Researchers have noted an unclear understanding of the Generation Z perspective on leadership; despite Generation Z’s increasing presence in the workforce. This knowledge gap is detrimental to organizational viability and can negatively impact organizational performance and strategy. The purpose of this study was to identify the leadership preferences of Generation Z based on their lived experience in the workplace; and discuss to what extent Generation Z prefers a transactional or transformational leadership style. A theoretical frame that links generational identity (generational cohort theory) to leadership theory supports the exploration of these preferences phenomenologically and establishes the significance of generational leadership preferences on organizational performance. Semi-structured, open-ended interviews were conducted and analyzed using a modified version of interpretive phenomenological analysis (IPA). IPA revealed six (6) emergent themes in the phenomenon under investigation (specifically Generation Z’s workplace experiences); the themes were described and their implications interpreted. The findings were validated using a relatively novel tool for phenomenology: freelisting (a cultural domain analysis tool). The findings describe Generation Z’s ideal leader and their introspective thoughts on their workplace identity and experiences. It was concluded that Generation Z tends to prefer transformational leadership more than transactional leadership, supported and predicted by the literature. Understanding Generation Z’s leadership preferences will provide insight on better methods for organizations to recruit, train, and develop employees. Such insights will also be beneficial to future Generation Z research.