Tesis sobre el tema "Organizational sociology"

In both academic and management literature it has been often stated that 70% of change efforts are not successful (Kotter, 1995; Smith, 2002). And while this failure rate may not be empirically tested, it points to a reality that most change efforts are not only difficult, but they are often unsuccessful (Hughes, 2011). When an organization undergoes a major organizational change process, the expected impacts include increased employee stress and overall productivity dips in the midst of the change (Dahl, 2011; Elrod II & Tippett, 2002). Measuring the impacts of change on employees and on organizational effectiveness during the change can add value and help increase the chances for change initiative success by allowing necessary adjustments and identifying and leveraging additional business improvement predictors along the way.

In this dissertation, I answer the question “What is the impact of going through a major organizational change on business outcomes and employee and organizational health?” My results suggest that an organization can transform the expected negative effects of a major change effort to positive effects by focusing on three things: 1) Improving employee mental health; 2) Increasing positive practices, including leadership’s impact on the organization; and 3) Improving employee involvement, communication, and teamwork. Finally, the results also show that improved employee mental health and improved positive practices are significantly related to improved business outcomes. Organizational change outcomes can be successfully informed by linking business outcomes with change impact measures.

An employee's trust in their leadership is an important antecedent to organizational commitment. It is commonly believed that committed employees will work harder to achieve organizational objectives, so organizations often try to foster commitment in their employees to achieve improved organizational performance. The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine the relationship between trust and organizational commitment. The population consisted of 31 employees from 3 high-technology organizations in the United States. The study consisted of 2 research instruments and 5 demographic questions that were administered to employees of 3 high-technology organizations. The survey instrument used to measure trust was Cummings and Brimley's Organizational Trust Inventory. This instrument separates trust into the 3 dimensions of keeping commitments, negotiating honestly, and not taking advantage. The survey instrument used to measure organizational commitment was Meyer and Allen's Three Component Model. This second instrument separates organizational commitment into the 3 dimensions of affective commitment, normative commitment, and continuance commitment. The study revealed a strong positive correlation (r =.38) between an employees' total trust and their total organizational commitment. The study revealed that 12 of the 16 possible correlations between trust and organizational commitment were positively correlated. The study findings indicate that leadership skills are critical to increasing trust levels that enable organizational commitment. By improving the leadership and organizational antecedents that promote a trustworthy environment, employees become more committed and organizational performance improves.

This study examined the relationships between affective commitment to change (desire), normative commitment to change (obligation), and continuance commitment to change (cost), as predictors of behavioral support for change. Affective commitment to change and normative commitment to change both demonstrated curvilinear relationships with behavioral support. Continuance commitment to change did not. This study also used residualized relative importance analyses, techniques for a full decomposition of the variance in nonlinear regression models. The nonlinear models accounted for more of a change in variance than did the linear regression models. The discussion section includes a scatterplot diagram intended to bridge the gap between scholars and practitioners in that the figure illustrates a range of resistant to commitment behaviors that cause organizational change initiatives to fail. The conclusion provides recommendations for researchers regarding the inclusion of a nonlinear frame when designing organizational change studies, and recommendations for practitioners regarding the damage that compliance is responsible for in organizational change initiatives.

Keywords: commitment to change, resistance to change, organizational change

There is ample discourse regarding the need for changing nonprofit performance measurement, but there is little consensus within the field on how best to evaluate while maximizing performance, outcomes, and mission achievement. This Q methodology study documented the perceptions of 22 nonprofit leaders in the United States about effective performance measurement and the characteristics necessary to create an effective model to measure nonprofit performance. The study involved analyzing the nonprofit leaders’ responses to create three distinct views on effective organizational performance measurement called (a) Road Map, (b) Management Tool, and (c) Weakest Link. Despite differences in the viewpoints, three themes emerged as a starting point to inform the shift in measuring nonprofit effectiveness: (a) the need for larger performance management systems, (b) eliminating the unfunded mandate for performance measurement, and (c) the desire for organization-specific mission-based outcome measurement. Insights from the nonprofit leaders revealed the characteristics of a new system for generating meaningful nonprofit performance data. The implementation of these characteristics could strengthen performance management, promote organizational learning, and inspire collaborative partnerships with funders and beneficiaries. Nonprofit leaders must create a culture of performance management that facilitates performance measurement and performance improvements if they are to advance the mission of the organizations they lead.

Organizational perception and conception of interactions and relationships vary over time and space. This study focused on the capacity within and between healthcare organizations to collectively make sense of ambivalent and ambiguous environments in the context of social structuring actions (Czarniawska, 2008; Johnson, 2009; Weick, 1995). The purpose was to develop narrative frames from which a deeper understanding could be developed of how collective sensemaking is enacted through reciprocal and reflective interorganizational relationships during the final phases of an intended multiorganizational integration endeavor (Barki & Pinsonneault, 2005; Oliver, 1990). This study explored and described collective sensemaking as recognizable patterned social structuring actions that surfaced during integration efforts within the Military Health System's Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury.

A narrative approach illustrated emergent social processes. In the process of collaboration, ongoing generative conversations (Taylor & Van Every, 2000; Hardy, Lawrence, & Grant, 2005; Weick, 2004) affected the relationships between collective sensemaking and social structuring. An interpretive constructionist perspective revealed practices involving the interplay of assignment of meaning (signification), reducing equivocality and integration; formation of a sense of community, establishing structures and norms (legitimation); and the effects of collaboration and power (domination) distribution (Giddens, 1984; Weick, Sutcliffe, & Obstfeld, 2005).

More than 24 months of embedded observation aided the researcher's awareness of ongoing narrative dynamics of collaborative actions setting the conditions for the emergence of interorganizational relationships (Harquail & King, 2010; Hatch, 1997; Hatch & Schultz, 2002) and embodied practices (Varela, Thompson, & Rosch, 1991). Throughout experiences of collective sensemaking, organizations interpose mini-narratives as evidence of reciprocal patterns of social structuring revealing cooperative behaviors interweaving coordinated actions and setting conditions for the structuring of collaborative integrating nets of collective action. This supports both Carniawska's (2008) and Weick's (1995) theory of organizing during collective sensemaking as enacted processes within relational conceptualizations and perceptions. These findings contribute to understanding the dynamics of collective sensemaking and social structuring; moreover, they incorporate the new paradigm of enaction (Kuhn, 1996; Stewart, Gapenne, & Di Paolo, 2010) as embodied sensemaking into organizational theory.

The purpose of this quantitative, non-experimental descriptive study was to examine the relationship between servant leadership and job within a multicultural hospitality organization. The theoretical foundation of the study, servant leadership, was supported by the premise that servant leaders within multicultural organizations value the job satisfaction of their employees. Thirty-nine employees completed the Organizational Leadership Assessment (OLA) survey instrument, and the data were analyzed through the utility of SPSS v. 20. The results revealed that a statistically significant relationship existed between servant leadership and job satisfaction as perceived by culturally diverse employees within a hospitality organization (r = 0.635; p < 0.0005). Thus, the discovery of this new knowledge contributed to the fields of cross-cultural leadership, servant leadership, and hotel management regarding the potential utility of servant leadership principles within a multicultural hospitality organization.

The purpose of this qualitative, basic interpretive study (Merriam, 2009) was to improve understanding of the role of transactive memory systems (TMS) in board groups as a way of leveraging their knowledge in the context of the chief executive officer (CEO) succession planning process. Sixteen participants were recruited who had served on a board of a $500 million-plus public company and had been involved in a CEO succession planning process within 5 years of the study. Within the participant group, a subset of six had all worked together, over the same time period, on the same CEO succession planning process from beginning to end. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and participant follow-up.

The study findings confirmed a relationship between structures and processes of TMS and CEO succession planning in the context of board groups. The data supported the presence of some but not all of the characteristics of TMS presented in Ren and Argote's (2011) metaanalysis and categorization of antecedents, components, and consequences of TMS. Specifically, TMS antecedents present in board groups included team-level inputs of task interdependence, goal interdependence, team familiarity, shared experiences, and communication. Specific dimensions of TMS components present within board groups included team knowledge stock and knowledge of who knows what. Three TMS behavioral indicators were present: knowledge specialization, task credibility, and task coordination to support knowledge sharing and updating. Finally, key dimensions of TMS consequences included team performance behaviors of team learning, creativity, and reflexivity.

Five conclusions were drawn from the study. (1) The TMS dimension of reliance on others' specialization serves to meet the challenges of bounded rationality in board groups. (2) High familiarity can enhance trust, but if overemphasized negatively affects the reliability of specialized expertise. (3) Personal respect and trust in the expertise of others affects receptivity to defer to others' specialized expertise. (4) A director's publicly known resume is the primary determinant of specialization. (5) Board structures (the knowledge stock of the group) and processes (transactive processes of encoding, storing, and accessing knowledge) facilitate the continual refinement of member-expertise associations and conscious development of knowledge sharing.

This multi-site case study explored the role that a global nonprofit organization plays in decreasing the gap of inequality and contributing to the greater society. This research identified what processes were used to implement, increase, or alter the global CSR efforts. This research identified how global CSR efforts impact and is impacted by the organizational culture. In addition, the study explored how CSR efforts have changed or expanded to meet the demands of a globalized society, with a particular focus on the mutual relationship between these expanded efforts and the organizational culture. It studied the internal impact of the CSR efforts as well as how the organization relates externally. This qualitative study made use of three sources of data: semistructured interviews, document and artifact analysis, and observations. The use of various methods of data collection ensures reliability and trustworthiness and adds to the thick description of the case. The findings in this multi-site case study provided an understanding of how a global non-profit organization implements or expands social responsibility efforts.

This exploratory study yielded seven major conclusions. The conclusions operationalize to meet the organizational needs and the processes used to implement. The seven conclusions are 1) The organization's CSR efforts impact organizational culture including artifacts espoused values and basic assumptions 2) The impact was reciprocal as the organizational culture impacted their CSR efforts 3) CSR efforts reflect the needs of society and adapt to meet societal needs to balance the organization's internal culture and external image 4) Senior leadership and policy volunteers are instrumental to the implementation of CSR efforts throughout the organization as well as to the organizational culture 5) Partnering with organizations increases their CSR efforts and result in better serving their community and organizational needs 6) CSR processes increase awareness and impact to promote goodwill locally and globally and 7) CSR efforts need to be included in the organization's strategic plan and align with the mission and vision of the organization.

Survey data were collected from 445 part-time transportation workers to test three sets of competing hypotheses about primary and secondary part-time workers that were developed from Partial Inclusion theory (Allport, 1933), Investment Model theory (Farrell & Rusbult, 1981), and the Part-time Work Arrangements perspective (Feldman, 1990). The Investment Model constructs explaining job satisfaction, organizational commitment and turnover intent received the most support. However, the part-time work arrangements perspective also received some support as there were significant differences in organizational commitment and turnover intentions between primary and secondary part-time workers. The application of Partial Inclusion theory to the part-time worker subgroup context was not supported.

INDEX WORDS: Part-time Employment, Investment Model theory, Partial Inclusion theory, Part-time Work Arrangements, Job Satisfaction, Organizational Commitment, Turnover Intent, Transportation Industry.

Organizational consolidation and restructuring is a long held public sector quick-fix solution to issues of limited congressional funding, ineffective structure, and/or the presumption of hierarchical failures of leadership, in hope of improving organizational performance. Such attempts at federal government reorganization are often criticized in terms of dollars and sense—attempting to save dollars, but not making much sense. While a plethora of literature exists on private sector reorganization (i.e., merger and acquisition) and their workforce, there is scarce research available on similar events for the public sector.

This case study sought to understand the impact of mandated federal consolidation on the public sector workforce. Leveraging Cheney's (1983) and Bergami and Bagazzi's (2000) theories and studies on organizational identification, the second order effect on identity and identification for the associated federal workforce was revealed as having significant negative impact—worthy of immediate leadership attention and future study. A key conclusion of this study provided insight into public sector individual identification as grounded in differing psychological contracts dependent on status (military versus civil service), but revealed a shared an incremental hierarchical default to patriotism as the final vestige for rationalizing identification.

Recommendations are offered for future public sector studies as a dichotomous evaluation of military versus civil service, expanding literature beyond the private sector, and offering practical insight for the world's largest employer, the Department of Defense, with likely benefit for the workforce and the taxpayer. The question remains whether the study leadership will leverage these lessons learned or just continue their journey sailing on a sea of hope.

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between a Black-owned radio station's organizational culture and its social impact. Although these constructs have been researched in isolation, there are no known studies that have considered whether a relationship exists between the two constructs. Furthermore, there is no evidence that either construct has been studied within the context of a Black-owned business. Businesses owned by Black Americans represent an important and fast-growing segment in the American economy and, therefore, warrant further investigation in order to contribute diverse perspectives to research and theory building in organizational science.

The primary research question guiding this study was, "what is the relationship between a Black-owned radio station's organizational culture and its social impact?" Secondary research questions examined social impact in relation to specific elements of organizational culture and how listeners experience the radio station's social impact. The study was conducted using case study methodology. The site of this study was WHUR-FM (WHUR), the commercial radio station owned by Howard University. Interview participants included 10 purposefully selected Black Americans: 8 current and former employees and 2 listeners of WHUR. Other sources of evidence analyzed for the study included observations, documentation, archival records, and physical artifacts.

This study found evidence of a synergistic relationship between the organizational culture and social impact of WHUR. The findings were based on consistencies observed between the radio station's values-based organizational culture and its impact on internal and external communities.

This study examined the state of organization development (OD) and the possibilities for collaboration within it. Thirteen leading OD professionals were interviewed. Study findings indicated that the field of OD is struggling and needs to demonstrate its unique value. Collaboration in the field was determined to be limited and participants expressed little interest, time, and energy for initiating collaboration, although they believed collaboration could help enhance the credibility and relevance of the field. Several barriers to collaboration were identified, such as divergence in the field and "turf" issues. Several success factors for collaboration also were identified, such as having a compelling and clear purpose. Recommendations for advancing the field are offered, such as identifying the unique properties of OD that distinguish its professionals from other professionals operating in the same space. Continued research should recruit participants from across the OD field to help confirm and extend the present study's findings.

The purpose of this two-phase, sequential mixed methods study was to examine and explain factors relating to leadership in diversity-oriented churches in the United States by obtaining quantitative results from a sample of 65 senior pastors and 92 top-management team members, then follow-up with a multiple case study to explain the results in more depth. The instruments used for quantitative data collection were the 20-item four-factor Cultural Intelligence Scale, the adapted 8-item Openness to Diversity Scale, and the Leadership Practices Inventory. The study's sixteen findings establish significant relationships between leader cultural intelligence, top-management team openness to diversity, and leadership practices, and elucidate how those relationships contribute to a positive organizational diversity climate. In addition, openness to diversity and church polity were discovered to influence TMT perceptions of the senior pastor's leadership practices. Therefore, the findings support the conclusion that investigating intercultural leadership in a domestic organization could reveal new theoretical insights while having implications for leadership practice and organizational effectiveness.

This study utilized a qualitative phenomenological design to examine the experiences of former Accomopharm (a pseudonym) executive managers that implemented innovative management to achieve sustainable profitability. Understanding innovation in the field of organizational management as it pertained to recognizing opportunities for innovation through managerial change was foundational to this research. The study examined participants’ perspectives on organizational innovation as revealed by an analysis of organizational vision, participative safety, task orientation, and support for innovation. The factors were found to provide significant predictions of perceived team effectiveness that determined the extent to which management teams were able to think of new ways and methods for developing and implementing innovative products, managerial methods, and services. The researcher analyzed data obtained from personal interviews conducted telephonically with 10 former executive managers with Accomopharm that volunteered for the interviews. The participants spoke openly and explicitly regarding their experiences with innovative management and in implementing managerial change in achieving sustained organizational profitability. Additional insights into organizational change advanced by an enhanced knowledge of innovation may provide leadership with better strategies that will improve the rates of successful change initiatives.

This mixed-methods case study examined the impact of leadership on practices to organizational agility. Leaders and employees from three organizations (two universities, one financial institution) participated in surveys and interviews to generate data related to the organizational and personal leadership orientations and styles exhibited, the degree of agility in the organization, and the impact of organizational and personal leadership orientations and styles on organizational agility. Study findings suggested that leadership varies based on industry- and organization-specific demands, organizational agility can exist across industries and organization types, and that adopting a long-term focus and practicing agile leadership behaviors throughout the organization may promote higher organizational agility. Organizations are encouraged to promote agile leadership through their hiring, learning and development, and performance review processes. Future research should utilize larger samples, improved data collection instruments, and focus on examining the critical few agile leadership behaviors that may most strongly predict organizational agility.

The need for public school construction and the cost of funding that construction has been the source of considerable concern and debate as far back as the late nineteenth century and has carried forward through the first decade of the twenty-first century. Although it is estimated that the United States has spent almost $750 billion on school construction since 1900, studies have also pointed out that only six percent of the schools were built since 1980. Numerous studies since 1990 to the current day have placed estimates as high as $322 billion needed to meet current needs for renovation, repair, and new construction.

The need and cost for funding public school construction is also within the context of how these costs are funded in the United States. Most school construction, with some exceptions, is heavily dependent upon local government, in other words the local taxpayer as the source of funds for the needed construction. This study focused on the needs of Winchester, Virginia, a small city located in the Northern end of the Shenandoah Valley. Winchester Public Schools and the local government were faced with $50 million in local school construction needs for its only high school, a historic building of iconic stature. The prevailing thought among many was that this figure was too high, or exceeded the fiscal capacity of local government. When the estimated cost began to rise, local decision makers were faced with the dilemma of what to do. The conclusion was to take the unheard of step of conducting a capital campaign to raise funds in order to assist in the renovation and restoration John Handley High School.

The methodology used was to conduct semi-structured interviews of persons, purposefully chosen, who were involved in the decision-making or in some way were involved in the capital campaign environment. The intent was to explore attitudes and beliefs about the school and the fundraising effort. The results reveal a fascinating story about the school’s original benefactor and the forces of social capital and attachment to the school that occurred over its history. These forces ignited the effort to raise private funds to renovate and the restore the school that resulted in the donations of funds in excess of six million dollars and has yet to come to a conclusion. The study reveals not only the beliefs and attitudes of the individuals involved, but also the attachment that an entire community has for its beloved school and the community spirit it symbolically represents.

The quantitative correlational research study addressed the problem of a lack of knowledge on the predictive nature or strength of the independent variables; trust in immediate supervisor, trust in top management, and organizational trust precursors for producing organizational effectiveness (OE) that can also lead to a sustainable competitive advantage. The study was conducted on a research division of a federal government agency via electronic survey format. The study revealed that in addition to significant and positive correlations among the trust and OE variables, the results of a multiple regression analysis for the model as a whole showed an adjusted R² value of .6630, indicating that 66.3% of the variation in the dependent variable, OE, was explained by the independent variables. An F-value of 134.8, significant at the .05 level (p-value < .0001), indicated that the overall regression model was a good fit. All three levels of trust experienced by subordinate employees were positive and significant predictors of OE. Hierarchical multiple regression also showed that organizational trust precursors (B^a = .379, β^b = .573, t-value = 8.310, and p-value < .0001), and not trust in top management (B^a = .096, β^b = .128, t-value = 1.970, and p-value = .0508) or trust in immediate supervisor (B ^a = .120, β^b = .245, t-value = 5.370, and p-value < .0001) was a stronger positive predictor of OE. Managers and supervisors will be able to gain practical knowledge that will aid in positive and productive interactions with subordinate employees within organizations.

Most companies lack the ability to implement organizational change; over 70% of Organization Change Initiatives (OCIs) fail. This inability has negative economic and survival implications for companies. OCIs must be effective and rapid to match the high pace of change in the business environment. Transformational leadership (TL) has been linked to successful OCIs through its positive influence on employee commitment and reduced resistance to change, yet little research has been done to identify its association with OCI implementation speed. This study tested TL and change theory and their association with change implementation. It sought to determine if a relationship exists between TL behavior and OCI implementation time. Archival survey and change data from 98 domestic and international manufacturing plants were used to examine relationships between employees' perceptions of leadership communication and trustworthiness and the speed of change. Hierarchical linear regression was used to determine if these behaviors could predict the change speed of an OCI. The study confirmed the association between effective leadership communication and employee trust in leadership, but it found no significant relationship between TL behavior and the speed of change. This finding is inconsistent with the majority of TL literature; however, companies may still benefit from exploring the potential of the study's theoretical concepts to help them improve the speed of organizational change. The limitations of the study were also noted as a potential contributor to the lack of significant findings, and recommendations are offered to reduce validity risk for similar studies in the future.

The world has become considerably smaller through the effects of technology, media, science, transportation, the Internet, and the spread of global commerce. There has been a great deal of discussion about how to manage knowledge and foster individual, group, and organizational learning. The purpose of this study was to investigate the practices and behaviors that led to the formation of communities of practice (CoPs) in a multinational corporation, their impact on distributed global offices, and their influence on a learning and development culture. The study addressed the following question: What impact do CoPs have on a multinational corporation's learning and development culture? Using a mixed methods research design, the study found that CoPs socialized learning throughout distributed offices, they contributed to localized learning-focused identity, and shifted the corporation's learning and development culture towards a blend of clan and adhocractic cultures.

All over the globe, nonprofit organizations aim to strengthen communities while struggling with the restraints of limited resources. This research study involved Participatory Action Research (PAR) to examine how to build internal capacity in one such organization in Bagamoyo, Tanzania. This study was a partnership between me (the academic researcher) and organizational members and stakeholders of the Baobab Home. Through interviews and meetings, the project focus involved creating written contracts. Over the course of five meetings, contracts were researched, policies and procedures were discussed, and formal contracts were created in Swahili. Findings include a discussion of the role of the outside researcher in the PAR process, as well as the value of partnering with a cultural guide. This study also provides a look at how to use PAR to build capacity within organizations. Finally, there is a review of the project itself, its successes, and its lessons learned.

The objective of this research study was to ascertain if attributes of servant leadership were more fully developed in undergraduate students nearing graduation than in those students who recently embarked on their university program. The university at which the project was completed endeavors to make its undergraduate students servant leaders as publically stated in its vision, mission, and other public statements and documents. The results of the research indicate that of the five servant leadership attributes selected, the seniors indicated higher scores in two categories, lower in one, and showed no statistical difference in the other two. As a result of this study, therefore, it cannot be concluded that the upper classmen had stronger servant leadership attributes than freshmen. The implications of this result include the need for further study around the students’ environments and history, the institution’s curriculum and extracurricular content, and the culture of the university in light of its mission and vision.

Church leaders have historically used attendance and membership as indicators of church health and leader effectiveness, yet church attendance in America is declining. 131 senior ministers in mainline Churches of Christ in the state of Texas participated in an ex post facto study to explore the relationship between the leadership styles of senior ministers (IV) including, transformational, transactional, and passive avoidant leader styles, measured by Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ) and church attendance (DV) patterns, including declining, static, or growing congregations between 2009 and 2012. The findings show that all three MLQ leader styles are present in declining, static, and growing churches. The data suggests there is no relationship between leader style and church growth trends. Churches declined, remained static, or grew with each leader style. The study indicates that senior ministers in Churches of Christ in the state of Texas demonstrate transformational leader behaviors. However, transformational leader styles may not be influencing church growth as measured by attendance more significantly than transactional or passive avoidant leader styles. Because the study did not find a statistically significant difference in church growth patterns for the three leadership styles, this suggests there may be other factors at work that are influencing church growth in Churches of Christ.

Human service organizations increasingly rely upon teams to address complex human problems. Research suggests that workplace teams benefit workers, improve work processes, and yield improved work products and outcomes. However, most child welfare workers perform their jobs based on a traditional practice model - with one caseworker assigned to a family and each worker carrying a caseload of several families. The literature implicates this traditional casework model in workplace conditions (e.g. isolation, burnout and vicarious trauma) linked to diminished worker well-being and increased staff turnover.

This comparative case study draws from systems theory and extends Hackman's model of team effectiveness to the case of child welfare units implementing a team-based approach to practice. It explores how workers accustomed to functioning independently coalesce as a team in which members share responsibility for casework tasks and outcomes. Adapting Hackman's model, the study posits five cohesion-enabling conditions: Real team; compelling direction; enabling structure; organizational support; and expert coaching. Capturing multiple perspectives across four teaming units, the study conceptualizes the five enabling conditions as antecedents to cohesion.

Thirty-three respondents - including frontline child welfare supervisors and workers, administrative supervisors, and expert coaches - participated in group and individual interviews. Interview questions explored the relationship between respondents' perceptions regarding the presence or absence of the five enabling conditions, and two indicators of team cohesion - worker well-being and team efficacy. Study results offer preliminary support for the five enabling conditions as antecedents to team cohesion. When enabled, these conditions empower individual workers to create teams that encourage mutual support, shared expertise, and peer-learning.

Given the history of child welfare case practice, dating back to the mid-20^th century, a team-based approach presents an innovative idea with potential benefits for teaming units; e.g., improved worker well-being and increased team efficacy. Preliminary study findings suggest implications for practice and directions for future research.

Purpose. The purpose of this study was to examine the progression and perception of the glass ceiling today, against the backdrop of decades of changing social developments, including changing demographics, economies, and technological advancements; legislative mandates; organizational structures with a more humanistic approach to human capital; a shift toward collaborative intra- and interagency organizational management; and an unprecedented active citizenry.

Theoretical Framework. The theoretical framework was based on three foundational theories: organizational theory, feminist theory, and collaborative management theory.

Methodology. This study included 12 participants, all executive-level women at the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA) from the deputy executive officer level and above. A semistructured interview approach was utilized to best capture each participant’s perceptions in relation to career advancement since each participant’s experience was different and due to the highly political climate associated with executive-level positions.

Findings. The glass ceiling is still pervasive, and all participants indicated being personally impacted by it. Comparable pay is still an issue, occupational segregation is still commonplace, children and marriage are still barriers to advancement, and despite in many cases women surpassing men in educational attainment, disparity at the top continues. Diversity has created unprecedented opportunity, even if by default. Work–life balance continues to be an issue. Technological advances and shifts to knowledge-based work are expected to increase career advancement. Feminine traits such as nurturing and consensus building that were once seen as negatives are now viewed as positive traits in collaborative structures.

Conclusions and Recommendations. The results of this study support the overall literature review and the researcher’s position that emerging changes in social and organizational structures, especially a shift to more humanistic and collaborative organizational structures, will create career advancement opportunities for women. However, since this a rapidly evolving structure, management/organizational reporting structures need to evolve as well. Women must educate themselves in nontraditional female fields like engineering and the sciences. Joining professional organizations, networking, and mentoring need to be practiced. Lastly, women must be committed to growth and know that they will have to work harder than men, have more education and credentials, and continue to push on the ceiling until it shatters.

This qualitative, phenomenological research study addressed the research question: What is the experience of leaders when they think strategically in a VUCA environment? The study explored what happens when leaders think strategically in a VUCA environment and how such thinking occurs. Of specific interest were the triggers of strategic thinking, the strategic questions being asked, and the methods used to develop insight. The term VUCA stands for volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity and is used interchangeably in this study with the term "complex" to represent the Department of Defense (DoD) acquisition program management environment (Army, 1998).

Ten acquisition program managers and deputy program managers for major DoD acquisition programs were selected as referred by naval aviation acquisition program executive officers. Data were collected through in-depth interviews and transcribed to capture the program managers' lived experience and the meaning they made (Seidman, 2006). Data were analyzed and themes developed using Moustakas's (1994) modification of the Stevick-Colaizzi-Keen method as a guide.

The study had four findings: (1) strategic thinking utilizes an extensive range of knowledge, abilities, and conditions that enable clarity of thought; (2) strategic thinking occurs deliberately as both a high-level creative and a tactically grounded process; (3) strategic thinking is fueled by iterative individual and group analytical and dialogical activities to address the knowledge needed to create strategic-to-tactical linkages and frameworks; and (4) strategic thinking is a deeply personal experience that evokes a wide range of positive and negative emotions. The study concluded that strategic thinking is a cognitive, emotional, and behavioral phenomenon that is both high-level and tactically grounded and is fueled by individual and group analytical and dialogical activities to address needed knowledge, enable clarity of thought, and create strategic-to-tactical linkages and mental models to develop enabling strategies. Further, the characterization of the VUCA environment needs to include the structural elements that may impede the ability to adapt and respond, and the triggers for strategic thinking need to include having the explicit responsibility to think strategically. Implications for theory, practice, and future research are offered.

The unemployment rate for people with developmental disabilities is almost 7 times higher than the current national unemployment statistics. Research indicates that the majority of those with developmental disabilities do wish to work and moreover, have many skills and talents that organizations can benefit from. This paper aims to use common industrial and organizational psychological measures in a unique population--developmentally disabled adults. Specifically, the present study examines the job satisfaction, affective commitment, and turnover intentions of adults with developmental disabilities from the Harbor Regional Center and Regional Center of Orange in Southern California. This is the first research h that examines affective feelings about employment in the developmentally disabled population in Los Angeles and Orange counties. Results from the study show that adults with developmental disabilities had higher than expected job satisfaction and affective commitment towards their job. They also had lower turnover intentions than expected.

A considerable deficit of Licensed Mental Health Professionals (LMHPs) is expected in the United States because of the rapid professional burnout and turnover. Research has related various leadership styles to job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and retention. This study focused on authentic leadership theory and the relationship between authentic leadership and burnout. The researcher conducted a causal-comparative study with a convenience sample of 116 licensed mental health professionals to assess the relationship between authentic leadership and LMHP leader burnout in an attempt to identify a solution to the systemic burnout and turnover problems in community mental health centers. The results indicated that authentic leadership was a statistically significant predictor of all three subscales of the MBI. The multiple linear regression analysis indicated that the subcomponents of authentic leadership had a relationship with the three subscales of the MBI. The transparency sub-component of authentic leadership was particularly important because it was a statistically significant predictor of the emotional exhaustion subscale, while the balanced processing and self-awareness subcomponents were also statistically significant predictors of the depersonalization subscale. The moral sub-component of authentic leadership was a statistically significant predictor of the personal accomplishment subscale, which makes this study useful for development of leadership trainings designed to promote work environments that are able to minimize burnout and turnover in LMHPs.

This study explored effectiveness in nonprofit collaborative networks (NPCNs) and the role shared values played in that effectiveness. Twelve participants representing nine different NPCNs were interviewed for this study. Study findings suggested that NPCN effectiveness stems from six sources: shared direction; strong leadership; strong relationships throughout the community; active, ethical participation on an individual and organizational level; efficient and inclusive work processes and dynamics; and producing valued outcomes. Values participants believed led to NPCN effectiveness included focus on mission; focus on relationships; collaborative approach; and work ethic, ethical behavior, and integrity. Shared values were reported as necessary for NPCN survival, productive action, and positive organizational climate. Suggestions for research are to evaluate techniques for promoting collaboration between funders and NPCNs, building awareness among NPCNs operating in the same space, and expanding the sample to extend the present study's findings and allow for analysis based on demographic groupings.

Leading at a distance has emerged concurrently with complex global changes, resulting in the diverse use of technology, virtual teams, and collaboration as a way of solving problems and growing innovative and successful organizations. Little research has been done to explore the perceptions of individuals who lead virtual organizations. In the absence of such research, little is known about effective leadership processes in virtual environments. The purpose of this grounded theory study was to discover an explanatory theory, derived from data, which facilitates an understanding of effective virtual leadership systems and processes. This study used classic grounded theory methodology involving multiple extant data reviews (> 20) and a purposive sampling group of 77 virtual leaders, dispersed globally, who were interviewed using voice-over Internet protocol, phone contacts, and e-mail as data collection methods. The grand tour research question for this study examined issues leaders faced when leading/working virtually and the processes virtual leaders used to resolve the stated issues. Data were analyzed using open coding, sorting, memoing, constant comparative analysis, selective coding, and theoretical sampling. The key finding of this study was a generated theory of seducing engagement, addressing participants' main concern: the process of cultivating success in the virtual worker-learner. Engagement is viewed as a significant variable in successful virtual working, virtual leading, and organizational/company success. The results from this study might be used by global organizations to inform infrastructure and planning for virtual leading; to enhance the knowledge, training, and preparedness of virtual leaders; and to spur further research in a rapidly growing field.

This study empirically explores operational practices and archetypes of design thinking in various organizational constructs. The emphasis is on examining the common operational practices applied in design thinking initiatives, to determine whether there are variations in the patterns of applications of these operational practices across different design thinking initiatives, and to identify what may explain such variations if they indeed do exist. The extant literature on design thinking distributed across many disciplines was assessed to determine the common operational practices underlying design thinking initiatives. These practices were then tested in the real-work context of 41 design thinking initiatives.

Two hypotheses were central to this study. First, the many operational practices of design thinking can be reduced to certain core elements or factors that are consistent across various contexts of design thinking initiatives. This hypothesis is tested through factor analysis of 32 operational practices of design thinking across 41 design thinking initiatives. Second, there will be specific archetypes or clusters of design thinking across various contexts where emphasis on core operational practices will vary depending on the context of the design thinking initiative. This hypothesis is tested through cluster analysis of the results of the factor analysis of the 32 operational practices of design thinking derived from the data cross the 41 design thinking initiatives. The cluster analysis assesses whether there are, indeed, archetypal differences in terms of these core operational practices. Then, using qualitative data derived from interviews of 10 design thinking initiatives, case exemplars highlight each of the four archetypes of design thinking initiatives and further speculate on the assumptive domain or the guiding principles that undergird these different archetypes of design thinking operational practices.

This study shows seven factors of operational practices of design thinking emerging from the data, identifying empirical categories that are present across various contexts of design thinking initiatives. These empirical categories highlight the consistency and importance of concepts in design thinking, including cooperative understanding; aspirational visioning; truth seeking; comprehensive solutioning; optimistic collaborating; analytical prototyping; and personal reflecting. Further analysis of the data revealed four archetypes of design thinking initiatives that differed by operational practices of design thinking as well as other key organizational characteristics. A metaphorical construct was applied to the archetypes to symbolize the similarities of the design thinking initiatives to four sports races: training, emphasizing learning by doing and more novice design thinking initiatives; marathons, capturing personal reflection in long timeframe change initiatives; relays, highlighting team collaboration and codesign in complex initiatives; and sprints, emphasizing fast-paced product innovation initiatives. Case studies of the four archetypes were used to provide context to the archetypes. Speculation on the underlying assumptive domains of the archetypes is captured in a model differentiating designer-led versus team-driven design thinking initiatives and low versus high sense of urgency.

Ideally, the results of this study may provide diagnostic insight into the patterns of design thinking initiatives, thus helping managers recognize aspects of design thinking that may already be present in their organization. The archetypes may also be used predictively, aiding organizations pursuing design thinking by utilizing the model as a way of identifying characteristics similar to their own design thinking considerations and goals.

This qualitative phenomenological study explored and identified patterns and types of workplace bullying through the witnesses’ perception. The lack of relevant organizational policies and controls makes it difficult for employees in the United States to report workplace bullying for fear of ridicule, being viewed as weak, or being terminated. There is a need for a richer and more detailed understanding of bullied leaders and employees as they witness the experience of workplace bullying. This study explored and identified actions that were perceived as bullying; explored the impacts, perspectives, and experiences of the witnesses; and developed a model that may assist organizations in mitigating bullying. This study examined 24 organizational leaders and employees from various organizations primarily living in Charlottesville, Virginia area. The results revealed the perception that the responsibility lies not only with the bully, victim, or witness, but with the entire organization. In addition the study exposed that bullying was prevalent within the workplaces and included actions of job intimidation and verbal abuse, which included, yelling, screaming, cursing, and name calling, as well as causing employees to feel stressed, uncomfortable, overwhelmed and not want to work in this type of environment. All of the participants acknowledged that they had witnessed bullying by a supervisor or manager and the most bullying action was job intimidation, the threat of losing a job. A model based on the findings was developed to help transform the organizational culture where the total organization is involved in mitigating bullying in the workplace. The outcomes of this study provide an opportunity for an organization to take a realistic stance against bullying in the workplace.

As noted by research journalists, ‘t Hart, Stern & Sundelius (1997), foreign policy decisions “…are shaped in relatively small groups and informal face-to-face interaction” (p 4). This study explores the influence of small groups on the effectiveness of decision-making techniques and examines how to counter the new forms of groupthink such as an inner-circle of influence.

This project utilizes an experimental design study to test the relative efficiency of two decision-making models in a pre-scripted scenario in countering this new inner-circle form of groupthink. Using a cross-over research design, participants responded to each scenario with random assignment into one of two decision-making models: the Delphi model and an iterative feedback technique referred to in this paper as the Continuous Group Problem Solving (CGPS) model. After completing two decision-making scenarios, participants identified the most effective decision-making model overall and potential for this method to counter dominance by an inner-circle of influence.

The results from this study are significant since the findings reconceptualize the term groupthink as a simpler term implying inner-circle influence that preempts thorough decision-making. The findings also provide insight for future application in countering the deleterious control of an “inner-circle.” These exploratory research results are ripe for replication in large corporate or Government organizations, The desire to have a voice in the decision process and to overcome inner-circle influence will be of value to those conducting future research.

The nursing workforce shortage is not a new phenomenon but dates as far back as World War II. It is believed that the hospital nursing shortage poses a serious threat to the health and welfare of this nation. Therefore, the debate over nursing workforce shortages has been contentious and unresolved about appropriate solutions to address the shortage. Because nurses comprise the major and largest component of all health care employees and serve on the front line of patient care, a hospital's ability to attract and retain registered nurses must be met with competent, adequate and satisfied nursing staff. The nursing workforce shortage has received attention from hospital leaders and public policy makers alike in their approach to resolve this imminent national shortage of hospital nurses. Some researchers postulate there is no shortage of nurses in the United States but in response to poor working conditions, these same licensed registered nurses are consciously choosing not to work in the hospital industry due to deteriorating working conditions. To solve this problem in hospitals, the very same management and leadership practices that created this fictional crisis are the ones that can improve registered nurses' work conditions and enhance the attractiveness of nursing as a profession. The purpose of this study was to empirically describe the impact leadership practices of nurse managers and the nurse practice environment have on job satisfaction of registered nurses in two urban teaching hospitals. A cross-sectional quantitative research design using survey data was implemented to assess leadership practices of nurse managers, presence of the nurse practice environment, and job satisfaction of registered nurses. Results of this study reveal that nurse managers with exemplary leadership practices and favorable nurse practice environments have subordinate registered nurse staff with greater job satisfaction. Findings from this study might assist healthcare leaders to better understand the organizational characteristics associated with how to best organize nurse practice environments and the leadership practices of the nurse manager in better shaping the hospital environment to enhance the quality of nurses' work lives.

This multi-case study examined interorganizational relations of co-coordinated volunteer program partnerships between select U.S. National Park Service (NPS) sites and their nonprofit partners. National parks face ongoing funding challenges, resulting in staff reductions and the inability to address many park and visitor needs. Cutbacks and more park visitors translate to greater need for volunteers. Many national parks have nonprofit partners that traditionally focused on fundraising. In 14 cases, these nonprofits expanded their activity to include co-coordination of volunteer programming with NPS partners.

Six partnerships were selected for in-depth study based on a quantitative survey. The study's research questions focus on how the partners collaborate, structures of their co-managed volunteer programs, the programs' adherence to research-based tenets of volunteer program management and interorganizational collaboration, and similarities and differences among the cases. In each case, the partnerships resulted in substantial growth of volunteer programming.

As predicted by Interorganizational Relations and New Institutionalism theories as well as research on volunteer programs managed by a single organization, the volunteer program partnerships have many similar structures, face comparable challenges, and employ many of the same strategies to address challenges. However, the partnerships developed additional practices related to their volunteer programs being co-managed, including staff co-location, daily partner communication, creating a shared volunteer program mission, use of technology for communication, longevity of key staff, and innovative ways to multiply the number of their volunteer coordination positions. The partnerships employ a combination of ad hoc, decentralized, and centralized structures for their volunteer programs as well as a combination of universal, contingent, and configurational practices for volunteer program management. The largest volunteer partnerships also use more agreements, structures, and strategies.

Despite partially adhering to New Institutional theories that suggest structures within organizational fields become more similar over time, these volunteer programs also remain distinctive based on the partners' responses to unique features, challenges, and opportunities at their parks as well as due to different management practices. The most impactful programs take greater advantage of features of their locations, surrounding populations, and available staff. Finally, 'love' for certain parks emerged as a factor that both helps ameliorate conflict among partners and serves as the primary motivator for many volunteers. Overall, these partnerships resulted in expanded volunteer programs, enhanced partner relationships, and greater ability to adapt to changing conditions and opportunities.

Despite increased awareness of the link between teamwork and medical errors, and increased development of interventions aimed at improving team performance, the incidence of preventable errors in hospitals, and in the surgical environment particularly, remains high. Absent from interdisciplinary team development efforts is empirical evidence informed by the voices of surgical team members specific to their day- to- day experiences of teamwork. For this reason, a case study of interdisciplinary teamwork among Orthopedic Surgery team members was conducted from June to December 2013 to: (a) discover how teamwork behaviors are enacted in the surgical environment to affect the incidence of preventable surgical errors; and (b) understand the experience of teamwork from the perspective of surgical team members.

The case study data included 37 one-on-one interviews with Orthopedic Surgery team members (including two supervisors), and observations by the researcher guided by the Observational Teamwork Assessment for Surgery (OTAS) instrument. This study finds that while mindfulness is a prerequisite to safety behaviors that are found in the surgical setting, there is a dynamic interplay between processes of collective mindfulness and traditional teamwork behaviors wherein one continuously informs, shapes, and reinforces the other. Noting contributions of the this study to practice, the opportunity exists to expand the present inquiry beyond Orthopedic Surgery to include other surgical specialties as well as non-surgical practices within the hospital and clinic environments.

Complexity leadership theory (CLT) (Uhl-Bien, Marion and McKelvey , 2007; Uhl-Bien & Marion, 2009) represents a 21st century transcend and include theory of leadership. This study examined how seven senior managers and leaders working in complex environments engaged in CLT at work, and whether action-logics (Torbert and Associates, 2004) made a difference in how they did so. Participants spanned three action-logics: expert, achiever, and individualist.

Data collection for this qualitative study was based on a moderately structured interview protocol developed around the seven primary theoretical components (called "CLT Areas") of the adaptive leadership function presented in Uhl-Bien and Marion, 2009. The interview protocol embodied a language translation from the more abstract academic language of CLT to the idiolect of participants. Individual interviews lasted about two hours. Each participant also completed an action-logic instrument (Leadership Development Profile).

The primary study finding is a novel methodology for determining the degree to which participants were engaging in CLT. Existing definitions of CLT Areas as shown in Uhl-Bien, Marion, and McKelvey (2007) and Uhl-Bien and Marion (2009) were expanded via the development of elements comprising each CLT Area. Further, metrics were developed for each element that generated numerical scoring from interview text, providing a means for quantitative analysis to compare differences among participants. Data for three of the seven CLT Areas were analyzed.

In addition to the primary methodology finding, data findings guided by the CLT Scoring Framework showed evidence that all participants were engaged in CLT, but in different ways. Moreover, patterns of scoring differences emerged across action-logics, suggesting that action-logics were impacting the way these leaders engaged in CLT.

This study represents an early step in the integration of two theories - complexity leadership and action-logic - both of which appear to be related to 21st century environments. The study concludes with a recommendation for how to further integrate these theories in a way that could lead to considerable expansions of both. Of particular interest is the potential to deepen understanding of the role systems thinking plays in regards to action-logics.

This qualitative, exploratory case study addressed the research question: What is the interplay of executive group members' deep-level attributes in the process of high-stakes decision-making in one global organization? The study responded to Lawrence's (1997) call to explore the "black box of organizational demography" through the exploration of subjective concepts such as beliefs, cognitions, and values and their relationships within research models. As such, it sought to further the understanding of the influence of executive group members' surface- and deep-level (underlying) attributes while engaged in promotion and selection of internal candidates to higher levels of leadership within one regional business unit of a global organization. The research used executive groups, leadership, and decision-making literature as its basis, and its results inform practice related to executive groups, decision-making, and selection.

The study offered seven conclusions. (1) The definition of deep-level attributes requires revision. (2) Beliefs are not deep-level attributes, but result from the interplay between surface-level attributes and values. (3) Cognitions are generated from the interplay of beliefs and the decision-making context. (4) Executive groups appear to function best when both homogeneity and heterogeneity are present simultaneously. (5) The CEO has a more substantial and pervasive influence on the executive group decision-making process than any other member of the executive group. (6) The conceptual frame for this study required revision to fully understand "interplay." (7) Decision-making executive groups are flexible in structure. The study offered recommendations related to theory, practice, and future research.

The effects of non-routine work on the planned goals of an organization were examined through a qualitative case study. The purpose of the study was to identify the distinguishing features of routine and non-routine operational situations from the perspective of employees from three different organizational levels: executives, managers, and staff. The findings contribute to the understanding of how organizational leaders can meet their planned goals in the face of disruptions resulting from unplanned operational situations. Twenty employees of this organization were interviewed on how they perceived their routine work was affected by non-routine operational situations. System theory was the ontology of the research for an integrative study of how routine and non-routine operational situations affected the employees in terms of their job performance, job satisfaction, and effectiveness of response. Based on the findings, non-routine operations were perceived by the employees as departures from their routine work. Employees also indicated that they routinized the work they expected to perform as part of their job, both for efficiency and to ensure completeness. Employees expressed anxiety about non-routine work since it was unplanned and caught them unprepared. However, employees also indicated having a sense of accomplishment from completing non-routine work, when their routine work was also completed. Two sources of job satisfaction were reported by the employees: (a) contributing to organizational performance through completing the routine work; and (b) overcoming the challenges of dealing with the task uncertainties that non-routine work entails. Further distinctions between routine and non-routine work were indicated by employees in terms of quality control and quality assurance measures.

This study explores the impact of virtuous positive practices on organization identity, specifically it addresses the question of how organizations use virtuous positive practices to construct a positive organization identity. I use an inductive approach to conduct a case study of two organizations that have a reputation of outstanding culture, employee engagement, customer orientation, and have contributed to their respective communities. The study presents a model with a set of five propositions describing how the two organizations use virtuous positive practices to construct a positive organization identity. Key findings suggest that when virtuous thoughts, inspiring words, and empowering deeds are aligned in the construction process, the resultant identity characteristics are imbued with positivity.

The purpose of the present quantitative descriptive, correlational study was to determine whether and to what degree a relationship existed between generational shifting at the workplace and the level of work engagement. Generations included in the study were Baby Boomers, Generation X, and Generation Y. The study also served to determine the relationship, between the employee motivations towards work and generational cohort, and the relationship between motivation sources and employee engagement. The study findings revealed that work engagement levels did not relate to generational cohorts. Similarly, the most prevalent motivation sources did not differ among the three generations. In terms of the relationship between motivation sources and employee engagement, the study added to the body of knowledge about employee engagement and work motivation. Positive correlations were found between work engagement and the following motivation sources: intrinsic process, internal self-concept, external self-concept, and goal internalization. These findings imply that individuals are motivated by the work itself, not necessarily by the rewards expected for the job. Individuals prefer jobs that allow them to have fun and provide a sense of achievement. Individuals will be motivated by tasks that help them to maintain or increase their reputation, and jobs that match their internal values. By focusing on addressing workforce motivation sources, employers will probably increase work engagement. Future research could expand on the suggestions and findings of the present study.

The administration's healthcare reform act of 2010 brings changes that are targeted to increase the quality of care, cut rising healthcare costs, and improve the health of the population, but the principle objectives of the law can only be met with the active involvement of physicians. However, leading in multidisciplinary healthcare organizations is difficult and physicians prepared for leadership are in short supply. Addressing this shortage first requires an understanding of the leadership practices of physicians in order to develop an effective leadership development program. To this end, the primary purpose of this study is to explore the practices of physician leaders.

This study used the qualitative phenomenological method to examine the experiences of physicians in their lives as leaders. The theoretical framework used to guide the research was the five practices of exemplary leaders (Kouzes & Posner, 2012). Interviews were conducted with 8 participants and the data were coded and analyzed using HyperRESEARCH, a qualitative coding software package. The validity and reliability of the study were enhanced by presenting an in-depth, vivid analysis of the data, by conducting a peer review and by clarifying the researcher's bias at the outset of the study. The study found that all 5 of the practices in Kouzes and Posner's (2012) theoretical framework were present in physician leaders to varying degrees. Overall, the expressions which represented the practices of "enable others to act," "inspire a shared vision," and "challenge the process," were counted more often than "model the way" and "encourage the heart."

The study recommends that instructional designers develop a systematic curriculum with advanced leadership concepts. Additional recommendations include executive coaching and change leadership training. Recommendations for future research include increasing the number of participants, replicating the study using a different theoretical framework, including more physicians from small practices, expanding the study to collect demographics of the participants, and using a quantitative method or mixed method to enhance the transferability of the study results.

Historically, leadership research has concentrated on the charismatic and sometimes mythical qualities of a single, heroic leader. In a knowledge-oriented economy, theories of individual leaders are incomplete because they fail to capture the social nature of complex organizations. A distributed perspective of leadership frames leadership in terms of dynamic patterns of social interaction between people and aspects of their situation and considers the context or structure as important as the human agency.

This qualitative single case study, which involved a self-managed team of professionals in a mid-sized global financial services company, explored leadership as a social process in response to goals of organizational effectiveness and corporate organizational change over time. Specifically, this study described how leadership actions were enacted within the context of emerging social structuring, which enhances the understanding of leadership theory and moves us closer to being able to practically utilize a distributed perspective of leadership. Data were collected through observations, interviews, and document review.

The findings of strategic alignment with organizational goals and the utilization of advanced technology emerged as external conditions for leadership practice. The nature of interactions within the team was influenced by a combination of five distinct but interdependent elements: shared interest, routines, participation norms, language, and authority structures. The study shows the fluid nature of distributed leadership and the reciprocal dynamics of interactions that coevolve and change over time to best fit with specific circumstances.

The findings support three conclusions: (1) the role of context as an essential aspect of leadership practice; (2) the relational dynamics of social structuring and the influence of three fundamental elements of social interaction—meaning, power, and norms—on leadership action; and (3) the strengthening and sustaining ability of the norm of reciprocity on the dynamic interaction among team members. This study is important because it will help organizations better understand, identify, and apply the principles of a distributed perspective of leadership to future situations and will increase the credibility and viability of collective leadership theories.

Although there are many organizational culture studies that have been conducted, very few have been conducted in the context of a human service organization (Jaskyte, 2010). Organizational culture has been described as a neglected area of exploration as it relates to the enhancement of quality of life for persons with disabilities (Gillet & Stenfert-Kroese, 2003).

This research took the form of a qualitative case study of the culture of one human service organization. This study may make three specific contributions to the organizational culture literature. These include: (a) providing an empirical study of a human service organization's culture, (b) attempting to describe and understand specific mechanisms that may contribute to culture formation and maintenance, and (c) identifying aspects of a human service organizations culture that may help or hinder their effectiveness. Fourteen participants were be engaged in the research. The participants were associated with three different position levels.

The participating organization presented a strong and unified culture. The espoused theories and the theories-in-use of the organization's founders were highly congruent. The founders of the organization conveyed a sense of mission that was readily adopted by initial hires. The mission of the organization was formulated around principles of highly individualized support, community inclusion, quality of life, and a consistent regard for the dignity and respect of the individuals supported by the organization. Potential contributions of this research include: (a) being one of the few qualitative studies related to the culture of an organization that provides services for persons with intellectual/developmental disabilities (IDD); (b) a research design that provides a relatively comprehensive approach to the study of a single organizational culture; (c) a rich account of how human service workers, from multiple position levels, experience their culture; (d) a preliminary analysis of how leadership may influence culture in the context of a human service environment, and (e) an exploratory investigation as it relates to discovering additional approaches that may assist in evaluating the relationship between culture and organizational effectiveness. The following is a listing of potential future directions for research related to this type of study: (a) a replication of this study, or an approximation thereof, with one or more human service organizations; (b) additional research related to the congruence of, or lack thereof, between espoused theories and theories-in-use held by staff members of human service organizations; (c) the development of mixed methods approaches (quantitative/qualitative) to assessing and measuring congruence between espoused theories and theories-in-use; (d) the relationship between specific types of organizational cultures and effectiveness as it relates to supporting persons intellectual/developmental disabilities and perhaps more specifically, challenging behavior; and (e) research related to various leadership models and behavior as it relates to culture formation in human service organizations.