Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Leadership. Organizational behavior'

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

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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

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.

This study examined the possible relationship between leader emotional intelligence (EI) and employee engagement within a small digital media company. The study identified the level of employee engagement within the organization and the level of emotional intelligence of its leaders using Q12 engagement and Schutte self-report emotional intelligence (SSEIT) surveys respectively. These two constructs were then related to each other using the survey data as well as a focus group of company employees. The findings revealed that while there is no direct correlation within the data obtained form the surveys, employees do understand the effect of leader emotional intelligence in the workplace and do think that it is important for their leaders to have high emotional intelligence. Findings suggested the organization should focus on the development of their leaders. Communication and recognition of employees from leadership were indicated as areas to further improve engagement. Further leadership development could help with these areas and positively impact. Future research could obtain more data using a larger sample group and different surveys to further determine the influence of leaders emotional intelligence on employee engagement.

Attrition, especially premature turnover, is a problem faced by many organizations. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) is a major investigative directorate within the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. This directorate was formed in 2003 as the result of the merger of the legacy investigative divisions of the U.S. Immigration and U.S. Customs Services. Premature attrition appears to be an ongoing concern within HSI, which potentially threatens the mandate of the agency to enforce numerous federal laws. Researchers have asserted that transformational leadership, especially in the wake of major organizational change, can increase employee commitment and reduce attrition; however, there is little or no literature related to the relationship between leadership style and premature attrition from HSI, or in federal law enforcement generally. The researcher used a quantitative study and a slightly modified version of the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire-5X Short to survey a convenience sample of HSI special agents in the South Florida area to assess the impact of leadership style and historical or anticipated premature attrition. The resultant data was subjected to a logistic regression analysis using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). The analysis revealed that leadership style was not a statistically significant factor in identifying past or anticipated attrition; however, the small sample size and the possibility of confounding factors, such as physical, psychosocial, or financial, were important limitations of the study. This study, while yielding unexpected findings, provided one of the first known examinations of the connection between leadership style and premature attrition in federal law enforcement, and serves as a starting point for additional future inquiry.

Global leadership is becoming increasingly important in multinational companies as well as in non-profit and public sectors. The purpose of this study was to investigate what makes a global leader effective, by identifying key predictors of global leadership effectiveness. The predictors investigated in this study included a combined measure of overall intercultural global leadership competency and selected cognitively oriented competencies: nonjudgmentalness, inquisitiveness, tolerance of ambiguity and cosmopolitanism. The sample consisted of 171 undergraduate and graduate students from a large university. Linear and multiple regression analyses were conducted to identify the ability of the competencies to predict effectiveness. Inquisitiveness was the only cognitive competency found to successfully predict global leadership effectiveness. While no effect was found for overall intercultural global leadership competency, exploratory analyses revealed two other individual competencies as predictors: self-confidence and self-identity. The results of the study suggest that inquisitiveness is a key competency indicating cognitive flexibility that enable individuals to adapt to the situation at hand. Furthermore, self-identity and self-confidence likely enables individuals to participate and display leadership skills in novel and challenging situations.

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.

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.

Leaders are frequently called to apologize on behalf of their organizations, in some cases skillfully resolving episodes of failure while meeting the unique, competing needs of diverse stakeholders. However, too often leaders handle apology poorly, exacerbating tense situations and alienating key constituents. This study is an examination of the practice of apology as a leadership behavior in an organizational context. To answer the question, How might the existing literatures on apology be examined, integrated and refocused to apply specifically to leaders operating within an organizational context ? the study provides a meta-analysis of the diverse literatures that address the practice of apology. Examining literature from theology and philosophy, the social sciences, law, public relations and organizational management, the study builds a framework to understand and evaluate apology and its appropriate application to episodes of organizational failure. The literature integration and analysis demonstrates a diversity of perspectives on the definition of apology, its purpose and goals, the modes through which apology is delivered, the process or steps involved in apology, and the alternatives to apology. Using the adaptive leadership framework and a stakeholder management perspective on organization, the research is organized around the unique and distinct needs of organizational leaders. The Organizational Apology Model, offered in Chapter 5, provides a robust set of tools and examples designed to support organizational leaders considering the practice of apology.

This qualitative study examined the use of transformational leadership among producers in one production company in the entertainment industry. A sample of 16 producers who led shows at the organization from 2012 to 2016 completed an interview about their self-described and ideal leadership styles, their current and desired use of transformational leadership, and attitudes and openness to executive coaching. Producers’ self-described current leadership style is empowering, and they want to become more results-oriented and highly respected in the future. Participants reported they are and want to continue to be transformational. Almost all participants expressed interest in coaching. Although additional research is needed to extend and confirm the present study findings, the study organization may wish to offer its leaders development opportunities and consider training team members to promote consistent values. Specifically, executive coaching and training in transformational leadership may be beneficial and of interest to the participants in this study.

Case study research was conducted to explore the existence of shared leadership in a social enterprise board of directors to identify the common characteristics and traits of board members, and the factors that facilitated or inhibited the development of the board as a shared leadership team. Creating and sustaining a committed and involved board of directors that works as a team were key challenges for the social enterprise board. Current research on shared leadership and the governance of social enterprises and nonprofits provided the conceptual framework for the researcher to develop and test two proposed models in a case study situated in a social enterprise.

Purposive sampling bounded the study to one social enterprise board of directors located in Southwestern region of the United States. The first model, Developing Shared Leadership in a Nonprofit Board, elucidated the researcher’s postulation of the elements necessary for shared leadership to exist in a board of directors. The second model, Best Practices of Nonprofit Boards and the Process of Developing Shared Leadership, was constructed from the benchmarks found in the current literature for board structure and composition by which the researcher measured the readiness of the social enterprise board to act as a team and share leadership.

Using a case study design, data were collected from triangulated sources that included interviews, observations, a focus group, and archival documents. Two iterations of coding comprised of first and second cycles were conducted utilizing established coding methods. The constant comparison process was applied, the resulting codes were categorized and subcategorized, and the quantities of occurrences were calculated to make inferences about the emerging themes. The results of the case study and the use of shared leadership in a social enterprise board of directors were presented using a linear-analytic approach.

The findings from the thematic analysis showed that the important antecedents of shared leadership were present in the social enterprise board. The data collected from the case study were compared to the best practices found in the literature review and the findings indicated the social enterprise board had achieved many of them. Important qualities and characteristics of shared leadership were present in the board members such as trust and transparency. Impediments to shared leadership were identified as the infrequency of board meetings and unfamiliarity with other board members which impacted board member relationships, group cohesion, and the board’s ability to act as a team.

Two models were created by the researcher in response to the findings: Dynamic Elements of Shared Leadership in a Social Enterprise Board, and Fundamental Building Blocks for Successful Boards. These models have practical implications for social enterprises and nonprofit organizations that can be replicated and tested in future research. This case study research identified the key factors contributing to the social enterprise’s board performance, that may enable social enterprises and other nonprofit boards to derive the benefits of cultivating and sustaining shared leadership.

This qualitative research study examined detailed reports by senior organizational leaders linking mindfulness to improved leadership effectiveness. Extensive research supports the existence of a relationship between mindfulness and cognitive, physiological, and psychological benefits that may also have a positive impact on leadership effectiveness. Currently, however, little is known about the processes potentially enabling mindfulness to directly influence leadership effectiveness, and as a result this study was designed to explore this gap in the literature. Data was collected through in-depth interviews with forty-two organizational leaders in North and South America and Europe, many with a history of leadership roles at multiple global organizations. Participants credited mindfulness for contributing to enduring improvements to leadership capabilities, and data analysis revealed new findings clarifying the perceived relationship between mindfulness and tangible results for organizational leaders. Specifically, the results indicate that mindfulness is perceived to contribute to the development of behaviors and changes to awareness associated with improved leadership effectiveness. A potential relationship between mindfulness and the development of emotional intelligence competencies linked to increased leadership performance was revealed as well. The contribution of this study to current literature is also discussed, as are recommendations for future research.

Keywords: mindfulness, organizational leadership, emotional intelligence, leadership effectiveness, leadership development, mindful leadership, leader empathy, leader emotional self-awareness, leader emotional self-management, leader social awareness, leader relationship management

Purpose. The purpose of this qualitative multicase study was to examine how the leadership behaviors of California school superintendents influence the implementation of educational reform initiatives in the districts they serve.

Methods. The conceptual framework of this study centers on the interrelationship between the role of the superintendent, models of educational leadership, and the context of educational reforms. The constructs will link the elements of the research process and the influence of educational reforms on the behaviors of superintendents. The conceptual framework used Fullan and Quinn’s (2016) coherence framework as a lens to examine the constructs and to determine whether superintendents are applying proven transformational and instructional leadership behaviors.

Methodology. A multicase qualitative study was used to explore how leadership behaviors of 7 superintendents influence educational reform in public school districts. The study was not bound by site or district; it investigated a contemporary phenomenon in depth and within a real-world context (Yin, 2014). Purposeful sampling was used to recruit acting superintendents in the Los Angeles and Orange County regions. The sampling criteria were (a) the superintendents served for a minimum of 3 years, (b) in a public school district, and (c) were referrals from trusted superintendent colleagues. Seven superintendents agreed to participate.

Findings. Examination of the qualitative data from the 7 interviews indicated superintendents’ leadership behaviors have influence in the implementation of educational reforms. To develop whole-system reform, superintendents must build a system for continuous improvement. Answers to 6 interview questions were carefully analyzed to provide an understanding of how superintendent leadership behaviors are influencing whole-system improvement.

Conclusions and Recommendations. The findings of this study were consistent with the coherence framework (Fullan & Quinn, 2016), which specifically identified 4 integrated components (focusing direction, cultivating a collaborative culture, deepening learning, and securing accountability) for sustainable whole-system reform. It was concluded superintendents build coherence for reform by simultaneously implementing the 4 components. The data revealed educational reform requires leaders to think holistically about the framework. While district leadership is key to influencing the outcome of whole-system change, a culture of continuous improvement is achieved with coherency and collaboration at all levels.

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.

The purpose of the quantitative correlational study was to research the relationship between leadership styles of higher education administrators and their faculty and staff’s perceived psychological empowerment. The theoretical foundations are based around the Full Range Leadership model and Psychological Empowerment models. The Full Range Leadership model includes three specific leadership styles of transformational, transactional, and laissez-faire. The study was comprised of three research questions, which were designed to determine the relationship of each of the leadership styles with perceived psychological empowerment. The research was undertaken at a public higher education institution in upstate New York. The sample for the study included 72 faculty and staff participants. Individual leadership styles were correlated with individual faculty and staff’s psychological empowerment using a Spearman’s rank-order correlation. The findings indicated that transformational leadership style has the greatest positive influence on faculty and staff’s psychological empowerment (r_s = .38, p = .001). However, for this study there was not a significant correlation between transactional leadership and perceived psychological empowerment ( r_s = .15, p = .10). There was a negative correlation between laissez-faire leadership and perceived psychological empowerment (r_s = -.36, p = .001). It can be stated that this research further supports that transformational leadership of administrators results in the highest levels of faculty and staff psychological empowerment.

The boundaries within our workplace continue to disappear and employees at all levels are impacted by the cultural and technological differences among generations. The gaps in values, beliefs, life experiences and attitudes are increasing. Leadership is essential in bridging these gaps to achieve top performance and operational excellence. There is no single strategy to provide support for developing leaders, each business must implement what works for them. Executive coaching, as an increasingly popular leader development strategy, seems to maximize employee engagement while fostering collaboration and teamwork. This exploratory research study explores how executive coaches are preparing leaders to succeed in managing the multigenerational workplace. Through a virtual interview process, the researcher explores the experiences, discussions and perceptions of 88 executive coaches about different generational cohorts, as it relates to leadership development and the workplace. Most of the coaches responding to the survey belong to the Baby Boomer generation (72%, n = 55), followed by Generation X (19%, n = 14) and Traditionalists (9%, n = 7). The respondents claim to have coached on average 105 individuals during the last five years. The vast majority of them hold an executive coaching credential (72%, n = 55). Through a rigorous textual analysis process five themes emerged from the data: (a) developmental assignments, (b) feedback processes, (c) formal programs, (d) self-development assignments, and (e) developmental relationship assignments. The information gathered provides a better understanding of these best practices as well as areas of opportunity in developing leaders in a multigenerational setting. These findings suggest that although executive coaches are aware of the need their clients have for being prepared to successfully lead a multigenerational workplace; executive coaches still need to develop ways to tailor their specific coaching approaches considering the growing impact of the multigenerational workplace phenomena. In addition, findings suggest the need for organizations to have a clear strategy for addressing the multigenerational workplace phenomena and that in doing so, they can start by implementing effective leader development programs.

This dissertation investigated approaches which key informants and practitioners have used to successfully align leadership development and strategy management. The subjects interviewed in this study were familiar with organizations that made significant investments in leadership development programs and overcame the challenges associated with aligning leadership development with strategy management. The study explored how the participants described their approaches to aligning leadership development with strategy management via semi-standardized interviews from a targeted population of key informants and practitioners with significant experience as business executives, consultants, and academic leaders focused on the processes of leadership development and strategy management in organizations. Six key findings emerged from this study regarding the alignment of leadership development with strategy management: 1) leadership development in organizations should be differentiated to fit varying roles, yet integrated throughout the organization through similar and shared competencies, 2) leadership development competencies should be connected to and leveraged within the organization’s strategy management processes, 3) organizations should have a formal approach that aligns leadership development, not only with the company’s current strategic management objectives, but also with where the company was headed, 4) leadership development competencies should be aligned with the beliefs and behaviors of senior executives, 5) leadership development competencies should be linked to the organization’s key results through a strategic framework, 6) developing leadership competencies that lead to specific results was an ongoing process best achieved through action-learning. Regardless of the business sector or size of the organization, the findings of this study indicated that a successful approach to facilitating the alignment of leadership development with strategy management was an approach that incorporates leadership, culture, teamwork, and alignment: the components of organizational capital.

Innovative and enduring solutions to the myriad of complex social and environmental challenges facing the world today require the shared resources and combined talents of government, nonprofit and for-profit sectors. Interactions between these sectors are called cross sector partnerships (CSPs). As an example of CSPs, nonprofit patient advocacy organizations (PAOs) are increasingly entering relationships and collaborations with for-profit pharmaceutical companies (FPPCs). Using a phenomenological approach, this study sought to contribute to the body of knowledge on PAO/FPPC partnerships, as well as the broader CSP phenomenon, by exploring how leaders in the field of PAO/FPPC alliances experience collaboration with one another. Three research questions were used as the basis of semi-structured interviews with 11 patient advocacy leaders. Five of the participants were nonprofit leaders (NPLs) and six were for-profit leaders (FPLs). Results from this study include several important new contributions that add to the body of knowledge related to PAO/FPPC cross sector alliances. First, the data describe disparities in decision-making authority between the NPLs and FPLs and the data illustrate the complex, variable and challenging decision-making context that exists in PAO/FPPC partnerships. Second, these results confirm that strategic analysis skills, marketing skills and facilitation skills are important leadership competencies that impact productive PAO/FPPC partnerships. Finally, this research describes similarities and differences in leadership competencies that are important to NPLs and FPLs. This study is significant because an increased understanding of collaborations between patient advocacy organizations and drug development companies may allow for more positive and beneficial future collaborations. In addition, this research provides insight into the general phenomena of cross sector alliances, which may prove beneficial to a wide range of social challenges.

The fast-growing trend of using virtual teams comes with challenges including the lack of knowledge by some virtual team leaders for managing virtual teams. The purpose of this single case study was to explore the communication strategies that leaders use to manage virtual teams in real time to enhance team performance. The sample was composed of 4 successful virtual team leaders of a multinational accounting firm whose headquarters is in the northeastern region of the United States of America. The conceptual framework that guided this study was Tuckman’s small group developmental model. Data consisted of semistructured interviews and the review of archival company documents. The interview protocol, interview transcription, member checking, and methodological triangulation allowed for data reliability and validity. Five themes emerged regarding completion of the 4 stages (comprehension, synthesizing, theorizing, and recontextualizing) of data analysis: time synchronization, face-to-face interaction, continuous training, communication tools and frequency, and leadership training and development. The findings of this study could contribute to social change enhancing communication strategies used in virtual teams, which could result in higher employee satisfaction, which in turn could benefit the organizations and virtual employees, their families, and communities.

The current study contributed to an understanding of the relationship between leader, follower, and organization by exploring the interactions between multi-factor models of servant leadership, destructive leadership, and employee engagement. The sample consisted of 107 self-identified employees of the service industry in the United States. Analysis included the calculation of correlation coefficients and multiple linear regression. The results indicated that servant leadership and destructive leadership are not antithetical. There was no significant relationship between courage and subordinate-directed behaviors and only forgiveness and accountability had negative relationships with organization-directed behaviors. It appeared that transparency limits opportunities for destructive leadership as the absence of empowerment and forgiveness predicted subordinate-directed behaviors, and the absence of accountability and forgiveness predicted organization-directed behaviors. Followers are engaged when provided with latitude and honest feedback regarding performance. Forgiveness was the only exception in a set of positive correlations between the factors of servant leadership and employee engagement. The servant leadership factors of empowerment, courage, authenticity, and forgiveness predicted the factors of employee engagement. The lack of significant relationships between destructive leadership and employee engagement indicate that destructive leadership can be persuasive rather than abusive. To be effective, the servant leader must provide the follower with both support and challenge to achieve positive, long-term developmental goals.

Authentic leadership emphasizes the role of ethics and trust a leader displays and which can be a natural and inherent part of a leader’s behavior (Robbins & Judge, 2010). Leaders who are authentic know who they are, know what they believe in and value, and behave in a way that reinforces those values and beliefs openly and candidly (2010). Authenticity is inward-focused and reflects on the behaviors that a leader believes are virtuous and true, from which they project a self-perception that is consistent with their self-concept (Sosik & Cameron, 2010).

Studies within the spectrum of sports have identified that leadership among coaches is a contributor to individual and team performance (Kent & Chelladurai, 2001). In the field of amateur wrestling, coaches can be highly influential in improving their followers’ self-efficacy, which may lead to improved performance and completion of objectives (Rutkowska & Gierczuk, 2012). In leadership literature, however, a substantial gap exists regarding the importance of authentic leadership in sports.

This study was executed to identify which qualities, if any, were displayed by amateur wrestling coaches that are consistent with authentic leadership. The study revealed that four constructs – self-awareness, relational transparency, balanced processing, and internalized moral perspective – were each rated highly both by the coaches themselves and other raters. What was also revealed was that authentic leadership had a relationship with success as reported by assistant wrestling coaches. The study also showed that head wrestling coaches had similar views of their own authentic leadership as that reported by assistant coaches and wrestlers.

There was not enough evidence to support a relationship with success as reported by the head coaches and their wrestlers.

This research study utilized the gap analysis framework developed by Clark and Estes (2008) as foundational scaffolding to understand how a highly successful pre-IPO technology company is addressing the development of its next generation of executive leaders. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the knowledge, motivation, and organizational assets and barriers influencing the ability of direct reports to the executive leadership team to develop the critical leadership competencies needed to advance into executive leadership positions, or to assume more complex leadership roles as the organization continues to grow in size and scale. The design of this study drew from four principle data sources to understand and evaluate the current practices of leadership development; they included literature review, surveys, individual interviews and document analysis. The literature review identified fourteen requisite knowledge, motivation, and organizational influences. Through analysis of survey, interview, and historical document data, eight influences were validated of the fourteen initially identified. Key points from the eight influences recognized the need for a shared understanding of the leadership competencies needed by future leaders, that leadership development tools and infrastructure are in place to the development process, and that current executive leadership fosters an organization culture where developing future leaders is as high a priority as building valued products or revenue generation. The Kirkpatrick and Kirkpatrick New World Model (2016) was utilized in the development of recommendations and evaluation mechanisms. This model facilitates the development of a holistic approach in selecting recommendations to close the validated influence gaps and evaluation strategies to monitor and measure impact. While the results and recommendations from this study provide one unique company an approach to developing its next generation of leaders, selected recommendations may transfer to other organizations.

The purpose of this qualitative single-case study was to understand how transformational, transactional, and passive/avoidant leadership behaviors and practices of high-performing air transport pilots in the United States were perceived to have optimized team functions during crisis situations in the cockpit. Four research questions provided the framework for this study and focused on understanding what the perceived transformational, transactional, and passive/avoidant leadership behaviors and practices were of pilots and how these high-performing pilots optimized team functions during crisis situations inside the cockpit. The sample was a purposive sample of six expert air transport pilots and six high-performing pilots. The theoretical foundation for this research was Bernard Bass’s transformational leadership theory. The researcher collected data using the Multi-Factor Leadership Questionnaire, interviews, and researcher field notes. The analysis of data collected included coding, categorizing, thematic analysis, and triangulation. The results from the research identified the following themes: being professional, ensuring the team is committed to the same goal, aviating the aircraft and maintaining safety, maintaining a communicative attitude, displaying confidence and being decisive in priority of duties, following standard operating procedures, following checklists, and practicing through training. The findings of this study determined that high-performing pilots who effectively handled crisis situations displayed more transformational than transactional leadership behaviors and that crew resource management training prepares pilots.

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.

This study explores the importance of effective leadership on the success of mergers and acquisitions for the organization and employees of merged companies. More precisely, this study addresses how the nature and influence of leadership and leadership styles impact the integration of merging companies and their employees during the post-merger integration process. Qualitative data from 10 interviews was used to provide a deeper examination of the study participants about their beliefs, responses, opinions, and points of view. This study supports much of the current research in that leadership style does have an effect on both merger and employee satisfaction. This study found that leadership styles should be a key component for organizations to review and take under serious consideration, when preparing and planning for a merger.

The pastoral care ministry in one Catholic parish recently experienced transitional leadership changes. The assignment of a different parish priest and new coordinators of the Pastoral Care Ministry presented the opportunity to explore new and diverse ideas for improvement in process, faith formation, and sustainable change. Implementing an action research inquiry (AIM) was a perfect opportunity to create synergy and cohesion for all involved and to explore what additional resources and support are needed with the ministry. Our results identified many improvements to continue to work on, but more importantly, through cycles of action and reflection we built relationships and developed a community of practice (COP) with the coordinators and the pastoral care ministers. Trust was established, allowing for vulnerability, new ideas, and confidence in our efforts to seek improvement, training, and faith formation within the group.

Saudi Arabia faces many challenges, including the political instability of the Middle East as well as currently decreased oil prices. However, Saudi is ranked 83^rd in the global creativity index. Thus, Saudi has developed Vision 2013 to promote innovation that includes increasing tourism. The Mecca Region is a center of tourism and the police directors will need to demonstrate creative ways to maintain safety of an increasing influx of international tourists.

The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the perceptions of leadership behaviors by directors of police force in Mecca as measured by Leaders Behavior Descriptive Questionnaire (LBDQ) and their perceptions on innovative behaviors as measured by Magley and Birdi’s instrument. These two instruments in Arabic were personally distributed to 120 directors; 103 (86%) completed survey sets were returned. Of these, 95 were sufficiently complete for data analysis.

Demographic findings indicated that the median age of these directors was 30.5 years, median years of experience was 11, and median educational experience was Bachelors’ degree. Correlational and multiple regression analyses revealed that these leaders had moderate leadership scores and similar perceptions of innovation. The three largest correlations were between the total leadership on LBDQ and total innovation score, creativity self-efficacy, and team support for innovation. The fourth largest correction was between team support and innovation. Thus, the alternative hypotheses were accepted that these leaders’ perceptions of their leadership skills would predict their perception of innovations.

From the study, we concluded that the participating leaders believe they possess good leadership skills and have creative ideas, which are supported by their supervisors. Out of the 4 subscales of LBDQ, consideration has the strongest correlations with innovation. Thus, these leaders feel safe to try something new without fear of negative repercussions or others criticizing them if their idea or product. In addition, these leaders expressed that they work well in teams. A four-step model to promote innovation in any organization was developed from the finding. Saudi support of education for these young leaders should assist in their realization of innovation in police work in the Mecca Region.

Leaders in higher education are discovering that autocratic leadership is ineffective in meeting the challenges faced by educational institutions. Through leadership styles of managers, organizations in the 21st century must create a balance between interdependence and diversity. Leaders must govern by moral principles in behavior, life, and a personal schema. This popular approach to leading with morals and ethics results in increased job satisfaction and improved job performance. Leadership decision making is most often based on the central tenets of the mission and vision of the organization.

This survey research study triangulated collected quantitative and qualitative data. A correlational research design was used for the quantitative approach to leadership styles and job satisfaction and a university student survey was used for the qualitative approach. A correlational research design was chosen to examine relationships between the explanatory variables (servant leadership and transformational leadership) and faculty job satisfaction as a response variable. Job performance was measured using quantitative and qualitative data from the University Student Survey.

Statistical findings indicated a strong positive correlation between servant leadership and transformational leadership and faculty job satisfaction. Participating faculty members demonstrated strong traits and attributes of servant and transformational leadership, correlated with positive student reviews in measuring faculty job performance.

The academic and corporate pursuit of many programs is to understand the implications of leadership styles on organizations. Countless research hours have been spent examining the leadership construct in the hope of developing programs that impact performance. Furthermore, there has been a recent surge in the study of Psychological Capital and the potential implications for human performance and development.

The purpose of this quantitative study was to understand the intersection of leadership styles, Psychological Capital, and productivity.

The study examined two research questions. The first research question examined what correlation exists between the styles of leadership as measured by the MLQ 5X, and psychological capital attributes (hope, efficacy, resiliency, and optimism) as measured by the PCQ of the field sales associates. The second research question strived to understand if there was a correlation between productivity, as measured by the average sales per person, and either psychological capital of the field associates, the styles of leadership, or both.

The leadership styles were measured using the MLQ 5X to determine if the leaders were transformational, transactional, or passive/avoidant. The MLQ 5X also measured the subscores of transformational leadership to see what relationship, if any, exists between the subscore and sales productivity. A total of 59 leaders in 28 districts completed the MLQ 5X.

The Psychological Capital of the sales team was measured using the PCQ to determine the overall PCQ score, as well as the subscores of hope, optimism, resiliency, and self-efficacy. A total of 151 sales associates in 28 districts completed the PCQ assessment.

The results of the study found that there was a positive correlation between leaders that coach and develop their sales team and teams that have higher sales. The research found that leaders that were more transformational and generate satisfaction had higher sales performance. The analysis also indicated that leaders that were transformational had sales teams with higher self-efficacy. There was not a correlation between Psychological Capital and sales performance.

This study used grounded theory to analyze the influence of leadership behaviors on knowledge-sharing intentions. The main research question for this study was, how do leadership behaviors influence the intentions of organizational members to share knowledge? The data for this study were collected by interviewing four leaders and eight followers in the health care, information technology, and security industries. The findings of the study showed that empathy, empowerment, inclusiveness, and trustworthiness are the categories of behaviors that encourage knowledge sharing. Dishonesty, inconsideration, intimidation, and rigidity are the four major behavioral categories that discourage knowledge-sharing intentions. Each behavioral category had various subcategories of behaviors. Based on the findings of the study, it was theorized that the behaviors of the leaders create impressions on the followers, which in turn influence the intentions of the followers to share knowledge. The impressions of the followers mutually transferred between leadership behaviors and knowledge-sharing intentions. The study also showed some significant differences in the leadership behavioral expectations between leaders and followers. Based on the results of the study, 10 propositions were made about how leadership behaviors influence knowledge-sharing intentions of followers. These propositions were based on the behaviors of the leaders and the impressions created by leadership behaviors.

The multigenerational workforce offers a wide landscape of knowledge and successful practices that can propel organizational success. Currently, however, only 20% of organizations have a formal, strategic program in place for fostering intergenerational interaction. By overlooking intergenerational strategies, organizations are not experiencing the tangible results derived from harnessing the strengths offered by each generation and across the generational spectrum. This dissertation focuses on building what can be termed the interactional bandwidth of cross-generational relationships through the use of ontological principles and leadership development resources: the Gallup organization’s Clifton StrengthsFinder and the Myers & Briggs Foundation’s Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. Through addressing and understanding sources of motivation, values, communication preferences, and thought processes, individuals are able to form intricate connections with the potential to cultivate ontological security, transcendent self-actualization, meaningful work, ethics and accountability, emotional intelligence, and organizational prosperity. Facilitating intergenerational interaction offers organizations insight into better leveraging their workforce to deliver optimum results while benefiting the individuals that support them.