1697 research outputs found
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The Underrepresentation of African American Males in Senior Leadership Positions at Predominantly White Institutions: Qualitative Phenomenology Study of Ohio’s Community Colleges
No full textThere is still a scarcity of African American male professionals ascending to senior executive leadership within predominantly White institutions (PWIs) of higher education. Some may believe that obtaining qualified Black males for those positions is a pipeline issue. However, what if they are already African American males waiting and ready for the call-up? Higher education has become diverse for the student populations, staff, faculty, and mid-level administrators, but no difference exists within senior executive leadership in PWIs. This research study examined Black males\u27 experiences, perceptions, and pathways when pursuing or thinking about senior executive leadership at predominantly white institutions (PWIs) community colleges. The targeted population is African American males of mid-level faculty, staff, and administrators who are subordinates to senior executive leadership at the community colleges. Participants of this research come from Ohio\u27s community colleges. Therefore, the study aimed to avoid extrapolating results to populations outside the particular geographical area. The researcher investigated the lived experience, beliefs, barriers, or challenges African American males may face as mid-level leaders in community colleges. The results of this study contribute to the body of research on African American males in leadership by providing tools and pathways to executive leadership positions in community colleges in Ohio. However, the insight obtained can help inform the creation of mentorship and leadership development programs for senior executive roles for mid-level African American male professionals in Ohio\u27s community colleges
Exploring the Impact of Leadership Communication on Change Managers’ Perception of Crisis-Driven Change at U.S.-Based Fortune 100 Financial Service Companies
No full textChange is difficult. A process inherently challenging and uniquely individual, change involves transitioning individuals from a state of comfort and normalcy to an uncomfortable and stressful period of transition, ultimately leading to a new, often unfamiliar future state. This difficulty is exacerbated during crises when clarity and trust become paramount. This study employs a descriptive phenomenological approach to examine the lived experiences of change management employees navigating change within organizations. Four overarching themes emerged from the analysis. First, inconsistent messaging from different management levels engendered confusion and uncertainty. Second, the perceived lack of transparency and honesty in leadership communications resulted in mistrust, misinformation, and erosion of leadership credibility. Third, regardless of the content of the communication, the chosen channel and its frequency emerged as key indicators shaping participant perceptions. Finally, the study revealed that how leadership conveyed messages and treated employees in terms of perceived honesty, responsiveness, and prioritization strongly reinforced participants\u27 existing crisis-related perceptions. Additional findings were also examined, including how the participants reported distinct perspectives on leadership, communication, and organizational performance during crises. In response to the findings, the author introduces a unified crisis communications model to optimize leadership communication strategies and employee experiences during crisis events. This model integrates key elements derived from the study, emphasizing consistency, transparency, and strategic use of communication channels. By addressing the identified challenges and leveraging the model, organizations may enhance their ability to navigate change during crises, fostering resilience and sustaining stakeholder trust
The Burden of Work Injuries in Sonography with a Focus on Diagnostic Cardiac Sonographers\u27 Lived Experiences
No full textThe study explores work-related musculoskeletal disorders in sonographers, focusing on the cardiac sonographers\u27 lived experiences. The research shows that sonographers experience a high incidence of pain in their daily work, which affects their work and emotional well-being. This research aims to identify gaps in the existing literature concerning the lived experiences of cardiac sonographers, how they cope with the acquired pain and injuries, and how much of an impact WRMSD has on sonographer\u27s everyday life. Sonographers are diagnostic medical professionals who perform tests to visualize the body\u27s organs using ultrasound. Cardiac sonographers are specialized in visualizing and providing information about the patient\u27s heart. WRMSD are injuries caused or aggravated by repetitive motions in the workplace. The study used a detailed descriptive approach to address the research question. A convenience sample of nine sonographers who experienced WRMSD participated in open-ended interviews and provided in-depth feedback on their lived experiences with WRMSD. The interviews were transcribed verbatim, coded, and analyzed. Atlas.ti Desktop Windows version was used for coding and analysis of data. Six major themes, two sub-themes along with six additional components of the sub-themes were found. Sonographers revealed the most important causes that trigger pain and also methods of coping with pain and injuries at work and in everyday life. The research based on the insightful description received from sonographers led to four important recommendations that would improve work conditions and decrease WRMSD
A Mixed Methods Study on Role of Leadership in Developing a Collaborative Culture as Perceived by Employees
No full textOrganizations rely on their employees to collaborate to achieve their strategic goals. This study identified the critical leadership characteristics for creating a collaborative culture from employees’ perspectives. There is limited literature on employee perspectives regarding the leadership characteristics essential to creating a collaborative culture. The study used a mixed-methods exploratory sequential design, soliciting participants from a public agency to identify the critical leadership characteristics necessary to create a collaborative culture to assist in allocating limited resources. The overarching research question was, “What are the key leadership characteristics for leaders in developing a collaborative culture in a small public water agency from the employees’ perspective?” The researcher utilized a qualitative survey instrument, structured interviews with managers, and a quantitative survey requesting employees to rank critical leadership characteristics. The qualitative and quantitative surveys focused on managerial and non-managerial employees at the research site. The structured interviews were with managerial employees. This study was limited to one organization, but it will be helpful for other organizations to understand how their leaders can create a collaborative culture and allocate their resources effectively. The study fills the gap in the literature on employee perspectives regarding the leadership characteristics essential to developing a collaborative culture. The findings provide insight to leaders on their role in building a collaborative culture from the employees’ perspective
Exploring the Impact Peer Feedback Can Have on Leadership Among Adolescents
No full textThe purpose of this study was to explore the impact that peer feedback can have on the leadership styles and methods of adolescents. This qualitative study utilized semi-structured interviews with a sample of 19 volunteer students from a Midwestern boarding school. The adolescents were asked to share their feelings on leadership, peer feedback, and whether these two categories impacted one another. Saturation was met after the 19th interview and data analysis indicated several themes. Adolescents strongly desire feedback from their peers related to leadership, regardless of whether it is positive or negative. There is also a strong belief that adults provide the foundation for leadership learning, but most meaningful leadership lessons come from interactions with other adolescents. The results of this study provided opportunities for additional research possibilities. One of these would be to conduct a longitudinal study to assess how leadership definitions change over time. There could also be studies implemented to assess the impact of prolonged negative feedback on leadership efficacy, the long-term effect peer feedback has on leadership, and the impact that giving feedback has on individuals
Examining the Sustained Adoption of Omnichannel Shopping Beyond the COVID-19 Pandemic
No full textThe COVID-19 pandemic spurred a significant retail shift, with consumers turning to online shopping due to safety concerns and lockdowns. Retailers quickly adopted omnichannel strategies, merging online and offline channels to stay relevant and enhance the shopping experience. This research, grounded in innovation diffusion theory, examined the pandemic\u27s influence on customer behavioral intentions regarding omnichannel capabilities. Using a quantitative research approach with a survey in Northwest Arkansas, the study explored the relationship between innovation diffusion attributes and customer omnichannel Buy-Online-Pickup-at-the-Store (BOPS) behavioral intention. A ten-point Likert scale survey was adapted from Kapoor to gather data from 190 respondents online. The respondent’s Intention to Use BOPS increased from 36.8% pre-pandemic to 84% post-pandemic. Data was analyzed using Pearson correlation for each characteristic and regression for the combined attribute and customer intention to use BOPS. Notably, relative advantage, compatibility, and observability attributes significantly impacted the model, whereas trialability and complexity lacked significance within the combined model. The findings suggested that customers prioritize buy-Online-Pickup-at-the-Store’s relative advantage, compatibility, and observability when making adoption decisions. While complexity and trialability are essential, their significance diminishes when considered with other attributes. This study contributes valuable insights into consumer behavior during crises and the evolving retail landscape post-crisis. These findings can guide strategies for optimizing omnichannel capabilities and enhancing customer adoption
Volleyball Game, undated
No full textThis photo features the Franklin University volleyball team playing a game in the gym.https://fuse.franklin.edu/athletics/1006/thumbnail.jp
Relationships Between Big Five Personality Traits and Three Dimensions of Employee Engagement
No full textDuring the COVID-19 pandemic, organizations around the world began encouraging the maximization of telework opportunities. As a result of this increased shift in working environments, managerial staff developed concerns associated with how the personality traits of current and future employees might impact their job engagement levels. This research study uses the Big Five personality traits of openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism, to predict how engaged employees are in cognitive, emotional, and physical dimensions of employee engagement. Even when the pandemic declared to be over, managers within the education, healthcare, and government industries (among many others) continue to grapple with what may become the “new normal” for the modern-day workforce. A quantitative approach was used to design a survey that incorporated a combination of the Big Five Inventory (BFI) and Job Engagement Scale (JES) and was deployed for data collection among various professional organizations. The findings of this study suggest positive correlations between the five personality traits and the three dimensions of employee engagement. The results of all five research questions indicate that there is a statistically significant relationship between the dependent and independent variables, ultimately concluding that openness has a positive correlation with cognitive engagement, conscientiousness has a positive correlation with cognitive engagement, extraversion has a positive correlation with physical engagement, agreeableness has a positive correlation with cognitive engagement, and low neuroticism has a positive correlation with emotional engagement
Mid-Level Community College Leaders and Competencies for Success: A Qualitative Study
No full textMid-level leaders are caught in the middle of their organizational hierarchy, reporting to senior administrators while also leading or managing entry-level staff (Bodine Al-Sharif, García, & McNaughtan, 2021). They are often asked to collaborate, build relationships, and share information with college and community stakeholders and in the community (Baber, 2020). However, midlevel leaders are often overlooked with regards to professional development (McPhail & McPhail, 2020). There is also a severe lack of research specific to this group’s needs and experiences, although it is the largest nonacademic professional grouping in community colleges (Eddy, VanDerLinden, & Hartman, 2023). To address the gap in knowledge on mid-level leaders, I conducted a qualitative study of emerging staff leaders at a larger Midwestern community college. This study adds to existing literature on competencies for community college leadership, with a primary goal of assessing the experiences of mid-level managers and leadership skills for success through a qualitative study. A goal for this study was to gather takeaways for future leadership development. The valuable information gleaned from this study can inform objectives for leadership development trainings to ensure that they are truly pertinent to leaders at the middle level of community colleges. Participants identified several training priorities, such as conflict management, communication styles, diversity, and clarification of institutional policy. The findings support those of other studies on mid-level leaders which characterized this group as champions of communication and collaboration within the college (Amey, Garza Mitchell, Rosales, & Giardello, 2020)