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The Generational Divide: Generational Differences in Psychological Capital
Get PDFHuman resource development has customarily focused on social and human capital; however, an innovative new theory within positive organizational behavior focuses on psychological resources. The purpose of this research was to examine the differences across generations on dimensions of psychological resources using the core construct psychological capital. Using a quantitative survey research approach, this study focused on the differences among the three largest generations in the current workforce: Baby Boomers, Generation X, and Generation Y. The independent variable, generations, was defined through a self-identified connection with age and significant events. The dependent variable, psychological capital (PsyCap), was defined as a numeric score representing respondent’s psychological state of development determined through the PCQ-24 instrument. The sample for this study consisted of 347 participants obtained through personal and professional contacts. The results of the ANOVA suggested there is a statistically significant difference among the generations. Specifically, Baby Boomers had higher PsyCap scores than the younger generations. There was also evidence suggesting a difference among generations in three of the four subscales: both Baby Boomers and Generation Y were higher than Generation X in PsyCap efficacy; Baby Boomers were highest, Generation X were in the middle, and Generation Y were the lowest in PsyCap resiliency; and Baby Boomers were higher than both Generation X and Generation Y in PsyCap optimism. The three generations showed equivalent levels of hopefulness. Evidence of differences imply that generational consideration be given in strategies to maximize job satisfaction, commitment, and retention for different generations, specifically training to increase PsyCap among employees within the younger generations. This finding also contributed to the growing field of research on both generations and PsyCap
Leader-Follower Unity: A Grounded Theory Based on Perceptions of Leadership and Followership Experts in the United States
Get PDFLeaders and followers are equally important for organizational success and development. While leadership training is widely available, very few training sessions and courses are offered on cultivating follower skills. It is essential to educate and transform individuals to become effective followers. This study identifies the most important characteristics to be exhibited by individuals in the follower role as perceived by followership and leadership experts in the United States. The theoretical framework used for this study is 12 follower attributes proposed by Antelo, Henderson, and St. Clair (2010). Seven scholars were interviewed: Ira Chaleff, Dr. Joanne Ciulla, Dr. Gene Dixon, Dr. Barbara Kellerman, Dr. Rob Koonce, Dr. Jean Lipman-Blumen, and Dr. Ron Riggio. The grounded theory constructed as a result of the study reveals that (a) scarcity of followership courses in academic curricula can be explained by the negative stereotype of the term follower prevalent in the Western society, (b) follower skills can be taught, (c) followership should be taught every time leadership is taught at academic levels ranging from high school to post graduate, and (d) 17 follower attributes are suggested for the purpose of teaching individuals. A taxonomy of leadership theories with the follower component is developed to acknowledge the presence of followers in the leadership process. For the first time, the model of Leader–Follower Unity is proposed to portray an individual’s ability to act as a follower and a leader. The importance of teaching from a Leader-Follower Unity standpoint that integrates the roles of leaders and followers is addressed. An implementation of a Leader–Follower course that teaches the identified follower attributes is suggested
Higher Education Institution Choice Behaviors of International Students on U.S. College Campuses
Get PDFThe economic, social, and personal value of education has been realized as motivating factors for seeking a better education overseas by individuals. In addition, political, economic, and educational conditions of home countries impact individuals’ decisions to study abroad. There were over 4 million tertiary students studying outside their home countries in 2011. Nearly 820,000 of those students were studying in higher education institutions in the United States. Students from China, India, and South Korea comprise nearly 49% of the international students in the United States. The increase in the number of students studying overseas and their valuable contributions develop a strong competition among universities around the world, especially in the United States. It is important for higher education institution officials to understand the decision-making process of international students to attract them to their institutions and benefit from their presence on their campuses. This mixed methods study examined motivational factors for international students to study in the four-year public and private higher education institutions in South Texas in the United States. A two-phased sequential explanatory mixed method design was established to identify the themes that were important in the decision-making process. The study showed that several factors, such as perception, influence, and opportunity, were very important in the decision of international students to come to the United States for their studies. The results may help administrators with their recruitment strategies and plans. However, it is worthy to expand this study to other higher education institutions and locations to better understand the decision-making behavior of international students who study abroad
RECASTING “UNITY-IN-DIVERSITY” FROM LA FRONTERA IN LIGHT OF THE AUGUSTINIAN ACCENT ON RADICAL PLURALITY
Get PDFProtestant criticisms of Catholic social teaching have focused on the latter’s undue optimism and its insensitivity to the struggle and strife that characterizes life. This article traces the roots of this argument back to Augustine’s pessimistic political theory in The City of God and then as rearticulated by Reinhold Niebuhr in the twentieth century. As much as mid-twentieth century Thomists such as Yves Simon strive to counter this critique in their engagement of democracy, the Augustinian stress on radical plurality has resurfaced once again both in postmodernism and Samuel Huntington’s accent on the “clash between civilizations.” Therefore, this essay contends that Catholic social teaching by drawing upon the vibrant articulation of analogical spiritual imagination by David Tracy and the ethos of “crossing borders” stressed in U.S. Latino theology can illustrate how the disclosure of differences and the engagement between seemingly agonal alternatives can contribute to a greater universality
THE NONVIOLENCE OF JESUS: A HERMENEUTICAL APPROACH
Get PDFFrom an interpretive standpoint, the nonviolence of Jesus of Nazareth is thought of by many as relatively unambiguous. Still, across the last two millennia a great many instances of “interpretive gymnastics” have distorted the nonviolent teachings of Jesus. These distortions have been invoked as justification for social oppression, geopolitical warfare, and interpersonal violence, among other things. This essay employs the hermeneutical methodology of Hans-Georg Gadamer and the Biblical criticism of Walter Wink in order to argue that such interpretations constitute erroneous violations of the New Testament texts containing Jesus’ words on nonviolence. The author suggests that any interpretive action with the words of Jesus that results in the admissibility of violence is not only flawed but is catalyzed by ulterior interpretive pre-commitments. Such pre-commitments, rather than the words of Jesus themselves, are what enable the “misinterpretation” of Jesus as a condoner of violence
A Retrospective Observational Study of Maximal Enteral Nutrition Rates in a Burn Patient Population
Get PDFEnteral nutrition (EN) is frequently interrupted in the critically ill patient, which can lead to nutritional deficits and severe weight and lean body mass loss. Increased EN rates are being used more frequently to account for these interruptions. This study examined the maximum hourly EN rate (MAX rate) received by each subject and evaluated outcomes and tolerance in an effort to determine if there is a maximum threshold for the EN rate in this population. This retrospective observational study was conducted on an adult population admitted to a major burn center during a three year period who received EN and had ≥20% total body surface area (TBSA) burned requiring excision. Demographics, treatment, and outcomes data were collected during the MAX rate that each subject received and were analyzed with descriptive and comparative statistics. The gastrointestinal (GI) intolerance data examined included emesis, residuals ≥500 mL, aspiration, ≥1 L stool output in 24 hours, and necrotic bowel during or after MAX rate. IRB approval was obtained. Data were collected on 151 subjects with 48% ± 18% TBSA burn who were 33 ± 14 years old and met the inclusion criteria. The average MAX rate ordered and received was 154 ± 45 mL/hr. The factors that predicted mortality in this study were burn size (p =22=0.01). Pressor agents running during the MAX rate in 15% of the subjects (n=23). Subjects who were on pressors during the MAX rate had significantly higher residuals [445 (143, 525) mL vs. 140 (0,340) mL] than subjects who were not on pressors during the MAX rate. The total number of GI intolerance symptoms experienced per subject was a predictor of mortality, but the MAX rate was not associated with increased GI intolerance symptoms. Pressor use during MAX rate was associated with the total number of different types of GI intolerance symptoms experienced per subject and with mortality. There were no strong correlation between increase in MAX rate and incidence of negative outcomes, therefore a definitive MAX rate could not be established
Correlating Coworker Relations, Employee Involvement, and Leadership with Associate Commitment in Select Healthcare Companies Using a Mixed Sequential Explanatory Design
Get PDFIncreasing patient demands and decreasing reimbursement require better efficiency and effectiveness in health care systems and, subsequently, in health care teams. These environmental and societal factors are further complicated by the complex initiatives set forth by the Affordable Care Act (2010). In this study, the researcher sought to examine and identify the strongest variables of health care teaming and to explore resulting themes through the perception of groups of health care associates. This mixed sequential explanatory design first examined the relationships between coworker relations, employee involvement, and leadership with associate commitment and with each other. An existing database of associate satisfaction survey data from a 4-year period for a health care organization of seven different operating companies was utilized in the study. Pearson product correlation, multiple regression, and one-way ANOVA were included in the quantitative design. In the second phase of the study, the relationships between contributing variables were further explored through qualitative semistructured interviews with nine groups of 75 associates from across the organization representing three commitment-level tiers. Very strong to strong relationships existed between coworker relations, employee involvement, leadership, and associate commitment for all 4 years (r values of r = 0.80 to r = 0.53) at a 99% certainty level. Leadership had the strongest relationship with and was the biggest driver (β = 0.48–0.52) of associate commitment for all 4 years. Leadership also exhibited a very strong relationship with coworker relations (r = 0.75) in the first year and strong relationships with both coworker relations and employee involvement in subsequent years. Coworker relations, employee involvement, and leadership accounted for 69.5% of the variance with associate commitment. Having friends on the team, trust in team members, making a difference, liking their patients and their jobs, flexibility with work schedules, feeling valued, and earning better pay and benefits emerged as qualitative themes relative to associate commitment. In addition, helping each other, spending time with each other, having mutual commitments, trust, and being dedicated to patients emerged as themes of effective teaming. Supplementary files provide coding detail for sixteen focus group questions and responses. Groups of associates spoke, first and foremost, about the “work family” and acknowledged the leader as the person who sets the environment and expectations and models the work family. This study suggests that leadership is a potential skill in every associate and that the leader serves to set the environment to support everyday leadership from the team collectively and from the team’s individual members. The researcher hopes this study’s findings may be a topic in future leadership and associate development, ultimately creating a more effective health care delivery team and system
The Impact of Generational Differences on Organizational Relationships: A Communication Perspective
Get PDFThe purpose of this mixed methods sequential explanatory study was to investigate the relationship between an individual’s generation and the communication styles used with other generations, and explore the influence of intergenerational communication styles on organizational relationships. The study utilized the Global Perceptions of Intergenerational Communication (GPIC) survey to assess participants’ perceptions of others and one’s own communication styles on three factors: accommodation, nonaccommodation, and respectful avoidance. Three hundred and eighty-five participants of staff and administrators employed at five community colleges located in South Texas completed the survey. Principal component analyses and multiple analysis of variance analysis results showed the younger generations perceived more nonaccommodation communication among the older generation. In addition, the younger generations indicated they use more respectful avoidance communication with the older generation. Inter-generational focus groups also highlighted these different communication experiences among the generations. Specifically, the focus groups showed Veterans/Baby Boomers find their communication experiences to be problematic with Millennials. Millennials also find their communication experiences to be problematic with the Veterans/Baby Boomer generation, whereas the Generation Xer focus group participants characterized the Veteran/Baby Boomer communication as rough and inappropriate. The study concluded there are differences in communication experiences between members of the generations that leads to tension and conflict in the workplace along with the perception of differences in their values. Specifically, the research highlights the values of respect, trust, and openness, which are all important among employees within an organizational setting
Volunteers\u27 Cross-Cultural Experience in Tanzania and Zambia
Get PDFDespite a growing interest in international volunteerism, there is a scarcity of literature concerning returning volunteers’ cross-cultural experience in developing countries. The purpose of the study was to examine the phenomenon of volunteers’ cross-cultural experience of participating in immersion trips to Tanzania and Zambia. The study also explored whether volunteers believed their cross-cultural experience to be life changing. The following research questions were used to guide this study: 1. What motivated volunteers to participate in immersion trips to Tanzania and Zambia? 2. How has the immersion experience changed the volunteers’ beliefs about themselves while engaging in a cross-cultural environment? 3. How has the immersion experience changed the volunteers’ cultural beliefs? 4. What is the volunteers’ perception of the impact and contribution of their work in Tanzania and Zambia? This was a qualitative study using an interpretative approach. A purposeful sample of 13 volunteers who had participated in immersion trips with the Women’s Global Connection to Tanzania and Zambia between 2004 and 2012 were selected for the study. Semi-structured interviews were conducted using a series of open-ended questions to explore the meaning of their experience. Data were analyzed from recorded transcriptions of participants to identify recurring themes in the responses to the questions. Five major themes were identified: (a) motivation, (b) changes in their beliefs about themselves, (c) changes in their cultural beliefs, (d) impact and contribution, and (e) hospitality and relationships. Participants thought they had a skill they could contribute, and they wanted to learn about the people and culture. The participants gained more self-insight and expressed changes in themselves and in their attitudes following their immersion experience, such as having a greater appreciation for the opportunities given to them, realizing they have more career options than they previously thought, having a better understanding of culture and poverty, and learning that they can make a difference in their communities. Although some volunteers were not certain of the sustainability of their impact on those communities in Tanzania and Zambia, other volunteers thought their impact was continuing and lasting. The warm welcome and hospitality the volunteers received fostered lasting relationships with the people they met and worked with. This study may provide valuable insights to others wanting to learn about volunteering in developing countries, and it may be of interest to organizations that recruit and prepare volunteers to participate in cross-cultural immersion trips
Women in Leadership: How a Woman’s Background Affects Her Leadership Style
Get PDFStereotypes and beliefs about women have often kept them from equality with men. What is more striking is that women perpetuate the stereotypes and beliefs as much as men and society as a whole. This literature review focuses on three areas in a woman’s background that influence her ability to lead: a) triggers that propel her into a leadership position, b) the “intersectionalities” or multiple identities and personalities a woman must have to be an effective leader, and c) how the context of where she leads affects her leadership behavior. It also addresses the need for more research to identify barriers and challenges for women leaders, and factors which may bring about cultural change within the United States, leading to an even more influential role for women leaders