1697 research outputs found
Sort by
Leaning into the Future of Work: Lessons in Leadership from a NASA Astronaut
Get PDFCol. Douglas Wheelock’s experience with interacting with our civilization\u27s most advanced technologies and in leading successful space missions is legendary. In this time of extraordinary disruption and transformation of every aspect of society, his insights will help both leaders and educators prepare for the future and to develop the competencies that enable others to thrive in a VUCA (volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous) future. About NASA Astronaut Douglas H. Wheelock (Colonel, U.S. Army, Ret.) Douglas H. Wheelock was selected by NASA in 1998. The retired Colonel has accumulated more than 178 days on the Space Shuttle, International Space Station, and Russian Soyuz. Wheelock flew on STS-120 in 2007, and in 2010, he served as a Flight Engineer for Expedition 24 and commander for Expedition 25. During this mission, Wheelock conducted three unplanned spacewalks to replace a faulty ammonia pump module. The New York native holds a Bachelor of Science in Applied Science and Engineering from the United States Military Academy in West Point, New York and a Master of Science in Aerospace Engineering from Georgia Tech in Atlanta, Georgia.https://fuse.franklin.edu/leadership-events/1006/thumbnail.jp
Work-Integrated Learning in Closing Skills Gap in Public Procurement: A Qualitative Phenomenological Study
No full textThe United States economy currently suffers a significant skills gap in its workforce, one that approaches crisis proportions. This skills gap (Christo-Baker et al., 2017; King et al., 2017; Laboissiere & Mourshed, 2017) will have profound effects on future U.S. economic growth and, by extension, on global economic growth. Researchers have highlighted the ineffective workforce development programs adopted by business organizations in the United States and recommended incorporating work-integrated learning (WIL) to address the skills gap, but their focus has been overwhelmingly on production/service-execution. This study focuses elsewhere – namely, exploring the effectiveness of a Transformational WIL (TWIL) to address procedural gaps in business development (i.e., pre-execution) through the lived experiences of senior executives and the issues they perceive as mandating a transformational application of WIL to address this “upstream” segment of business operations specifically for the small-business sector. The research employs a conceptual framework based on the work-integrated learning model developed by Sattler (2011). Three research questions guide this proposed study. This researcher used a qualitative phenomenological research design method. The research participants included fifteen senior executives from for-profit business organizations and higher education institutions that meet the recruiting criteria. The organization of workforce-development constructs here involved systematic training, structured work experience, and institutional partnerships. This research advances business knowledge and contributes scholarship to the field by re-targeting WIL on a business segment previously unaddressed by systematic workforce development. This research also results in highly practical practices and business strategies designed to immediately boost the procedural capabilities of small business in OH, benefiting that state’s graduates, employees, employers, and the local communities and economies
A Qualitative Study on the Impact of the Collegiate Student Binary Function as Consumer and Product at Private Historically Black Colleges and Universities
No full textThis dissertation studies how institutions of higher education occupy a unique space that can add to the discourse of business studies by relating how consumers can simultaneously function as products. This is substantiated by defining the word “student” beyond the traditional meaning of a student as learner when considering the higher education business model. As such, the student as defined in this research co-exists as both consumer and product, shifting institutional culture and power dynamics while influencing senior-leadership decision-making. Given current research on the topic shows a one-sided view, concentrating on students as consumers rather than products or both, this study addresses gaps in the current research, with a focus on how the concept of higher education has not only two products (the curriculum and the student), but also two consumers (the student and the corporate structure who seeks to employ graduates at the lowest value, but the most productivity). A further gap in the research that served to benefit this study considered low-resourced, minority serving institutions with business models that depend on student enrollment, particularly Full-Time Equivalencies (FTE), to meet institutional budget constraints. Such a definition of the student binary that exists at tuition-driven, mission focused institutions create challenges that exist with accommodating and somewhat acquiescing to student socio-economic needs, organizational behavior, and institutional culture. Thus, using grounded theory, this qualitative study identifies semiotics as a business practice that not only creates symbolic meaning of the word “student”, but also identifies how that definition shifts depending on function, influencing the institutional power structure and decision-making practices of institutional leadership particularly at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). In particular, this study used a sample of nine senior-level administrators at the 37 small, private HBCUs under the UNCF umbrella to determine how leadership redefines the student as an economic binary that influences and sustains the financial business model at these institutions
The Library as a Safe(r) Space: Student Thoughts about the Library’s Role on Campus
Get PDFAs the demographics of college students continue to evolve, libraries must examine areas of need between their staff and the campus community. These changes and recent other recent campus events required Otterbein’s Courtright Memorial Library to question its role in providing safe(r) spaces to students of minority communities and to examine its role as a social justice advocate for inclusivity on campus. Our student body is historically white, yet our 2019 freshman class was the most diverse in its history with 23% students of color. The enrollment of students with diverse backgrounds continues to climb with our welcoming of first-generation college students. These demographic changes are a shift for our university and will most likely continue making the safety and inclusion of all students vitally important. This project’s aim was to determine what factors students take into consideration when defining a Safe Space. This was accomplished by collecting qualitative and quantitative data via surveys and focus groups, about how students from various minority student organizations feel in the library and what the library could do to further improve inclusivity. These groups include but are not limited to first-generation students, LGBTQIA+ students, students with diverse socioeconomic backgrounds, students of color, students with disabilities, and various religious groups. This will help remove possible barriers and improve programmatic relationships between student organizations representing minority communities and academic programs like Women\u27s Gender and Sexuality Studies; Religion; and Race and Ethnic Studies. By understanding what these students need and where gaps exist, the library could work to better serve these underrepresented communities and improve the campus environment for all
Culture of Control and its Relationship to Successful Large Scale Agile Transformations
No full textThis quantitative study focuses on how an organization’s culture with a predisposition towards control may influence the degree of success of a large-scale agile transformation change initiative. In today’s highly volatile and uncertain business environment, organizations must exercise agility to survive and thrive against their competition. Implementing an agile framework at large-scale across an organization can help increase an organization’s overall agility. However, transforming an organization to using agile frameworks is a complex and lengthy organizational change initiative. It requires the shift of a command-and-control culture to one that embraces change and empowerment. Not only is culture difficult to change, but culture also appears as one of several top challenges when executing large-scale agile transformation initiatives. From a sample of n=143 experienced persons with large-scale agile transformation initiatives in the United States, companies classified with either low control and high control cultures at the start of their agile transformation did achieve some level of success. Hypothesis one was supported in that companies with low control cultures at the start of their transformation had significantly higher success achieving their transformation goals over high control cultures. Hypothesis two, however, was not supported; no significant relationship was found in the strength of a culture at the start of its agile transformation and the degree of large-scale agile transformation success. A low reliability (Cronbach’s alpha 0.0456) for the instrument used to evaluate H2 may have contributed to its non-support. With culture a complex, multifaceted construct in agile transformations, recommendations for future studies are provided
Leading Through Disruption
No full textBrett is a builder of conscious communities, believing that success comes easiest when working from one’s highest and best self. This has motivated his work to be centered around mental health, wellbeing, and creative expression. Brett’s vision of creating spaces that provide healthy, sustainable, and holistically supportive environments for people to work and live led to the founding of Kaufman Development in 2011 and has changed the real estate development landscape in one of the country’s fastest growing cities. This passion has also motivated Brett to become a coach and mentor to over 100 entrepreneurs, using a framework that taps into a person’s life journey and provides tools for meditation, therapy, and personal development.https://fuse.franklin.edu/leadership-events/1001/thumbnail.jp