<p> Organizational change initiatives are more likely to fail than to succeed, especially when the change challenges corporate culture and norms. Researchers have explored factors that contribute to change failure, to include the relationship between leadership behaviors and change success. Peer reviewed studies have yet to examine these variables in the context of Agile and DevOps implementations as the catalyst for change. The purpose of this quantitative, correlational study was to determine the extent to which a relationship exists between transformational leadership behaviors of front-line managers, employee readiness for change, and employee organizational citizenship behavior during Agile and DevOps initiatives. The population included all IT professionals in the U.S. working full-time at companies with more than 500 employees whose work processes had been altered by Agile or DevOps implementations. A sample of 400 qualified panel participants provided data through an online SurveyGizmo survey. Quotas ensured that the survey sample represented the gender and ethnicity distribution among U.S. IT professionals according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Data collected were analyzed for missing data, reliability, and normality. Pearson&rsquo;s r calculations and linear regression analysis revealed that a moderate yet statistically significant correlation exists between the transformational leadership behaviors of respondents&rsquo; front-line managers and their own readiness for change and organizational citizenship behavior. The results could have been skewed by the higher than expected proportion of managers and executives who responded to the survey. Future researchers could extend the work started in this present study by adding quotas to ensure the survey responses align to average employee-manager ratios. This study could also be replicated with participants in a single company so that findings could be supported through qualitative methods such as interviews and panel discussions.</p>

<p> The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore the role lean management tools serve to potentially stimulate learning within an (R&amp;D) team at a top 10 pharmaceutical company located in Northeast U.S. to ensure the organization can manage knowledge for developing innovation for drug development at a faster rate. Each of the nine participants worked together using the visual lean management tool for more than six months The information gathered from participant responses to semi-structured interview questions revealed the experiences, viewpoints, and reflections of the research participants regarding how the use of visual lean management tool influenced learning. Data were coded and analyzed with NVivo software for windows (QSR International, 2015) to obtain a detailed qualitative analysis of the narratives of each participant. The five findings included: (a) the SQDCI visual lean management tool provided a forum to share information to improve meeting metrics and timelines; (b) employee engagement and participation influenced the use of the SQDCI tool, meeting metrics, and timelines; (c) the metrics tracked by the SQDCI tool influenced employee engagement and meeting goals; (d) leadership support influenced employee engagement; (e) and time pressures negatively impact engagement in using the SQDCI tool and attending additional training. This qualitative case study contributed to the literature by identifying how the use of visual lean management tool influenced organizational learning by a pharmaceutical R&amp;D team. Finding methodologies that enhance the engagement of employees to transfer and manage knowledge remains essential for the pharmaceutical industry.</p><p>

<p> The field of management&rsquo;s growing interest in mindfulness appears to stem from the increasing need for new ways to deal with the complexities of ambiguous and uncertain environments. This dissertation examined the context of middle managers faced with the heavy burden of making an increasing number of decisions under difficult conditions and the intervention of mindfulness for improved decision outcomes. By means of a systematic review, with a realist synthesis approach, evidence-based research was carried out to address the research question: <i>How does mindfulness affect middle managers for improved decision making?</i> The findings identified the middle manager context as one characterized by a lack of knowledge, involvement, and understanding of the firm strategy. They are expected to act with strategic agency without awareness of strategic plans. This leads not only to frustration but a reliance on intuition rather than reasoning for decision making. The mindfulness findings showed increased cognitive [mindful] awareness and increased cognitive flexibility enabling a highbred <i>mindful rationality</i>, where increased strategic awareness and reduced negative affect improved decision making. The implications from this research suggest mindfulness may provide both the cognitive and emotional states necessary for middle managers to improve their decision making. </p><p>

<p> What is considered a fair and accurate performance appraisal depends on whom you ask. The performance appraisal, an evaluation/assessment instrument widely used by many human resource departments, has been in the controversial spotlight for almost as long as organizations have been in existence. The performance appraisal process (or lack thereof) is one of the mostly hotly debated human resources issue in today&rsquo;s work environment, and there is a trend to abandon traditional performance appraisals (Kenny, 2016). One purpose of the performance appraisal is to communicate to employees any information collected about their performance over a specified period of time. While the performance appraisal process is a critical function of human resources that can trigger assessment fairness perceptions, understanding how fairness influences job productivity and employee satisfaction, as well as employee behavior consequences, have practical implications. Social influences of perception are fast becoming contextual components of the performance appraisal process. The traditional approach to the performance appraisal is antiquated because the workplace environment has rapidly changed due to technological advances. The manner in which 21^st Century employees work and the definition of performance, significantly impacts how employee performance should be measured (Bititci, Garengo, Dorfer &amp; Nudurapati, 2012). Applying the social comparison, expectancy, and equity theories to the performance appraisal process suggests that an employee expects to be fairly compensated, recognized, and fairly rewarded for their contributions to meeting organizational goals. This research underscores the importance of incorporating organizational justice dimensions into the performance appraisal process. Additionally, this research enhances the understanding of organizational justice and the role that it plays on employee perception of the overall performance appraisal process. </p><p> Using thematic synthesis, employee and manager/supervisor perceptions, reactions, and observations of performance appraisal accuracy and equity were examined. These variables were identified as predictor constructs for appraisal effectiveness and satisfaction. The findings show that organizational justice within the context of the performance appraisal is significantly impacted by national context and demographic characteristics, and the relationship quality between the appraiser and appraisee is crucial. These results provide HR practitioners and organizations with a meaningful approach to integrate organizational justice. The pivotal role and important implications that organizational justice plays on the performance process is presented. </p><p>

<p> The purpose of this qualitative exploratory case study was to explore participant perceptions regarding the suitability of charismatic leadership for R&amp;D projects and to understand how top-level management, project managers, and project team members perceive charismatic leadership style for two different R&amp;D departments at a corporation on the West Coast of the United States. Participants included five top-level managers, five project managers, and five project team members. This qualitative study addressed a lack of knowledge of the influence and power of charismatic leadership in project management. The suitability of the charismatic leadership style in the corporate environment, specifically within managing R&amp;D projects, was also explored. The theoretical approach for the dissertation was of a charismatic leadership theory through the lens of social behavior, stemming from a desire to know how top-level management, project managers, and project team members perceive charismatic leadership style. Data were triangulated through pre-interview and demographic questionnaires, semi-structured interviews, and a researcher&rsquo;s log to a converging line of inquiry to explain the phenomenon. The findings showed that project management under the influence of a charismatic leader could provide a positive environment with leadership, loyalty, project management, relationships, and teamwork that inspire the project team&rsquo;s performance as perceived by 15 participants. The findings add to the existing body of knowledge associated with charismatic leadership style by expanding the subject into the project management field relating to charismatic leadership theory. Keywords: Charismatic Leadership, Loyalty, Project Management, Qualitative Research, R&amp;D Leadership, Relationships, and Teamwork</p><p>

<p> Organizations that value tacit knowledge transfer (TKT) have significant advantages over competitors. The knowledge management (KM) community has identified willingness to share and use information as a TKT barrier. Trust has been revealed as key for building effective organization relationships. This study examined stages of trust as a pathway to bridge barriers that affect TKT. It was theorized that, if stages of professional relationship trust existed, then employees would be willing to share and use tacit knowledge. This was the foundation and inspiration for learning methods to measure and improve TKT. This quantitative research used structural equation modeling to investigate the direct effects of calculus-based trust (CBT), knowledge-based trust (KBT) and identity-based trust (IBT) on willingness to share and use tacit knowledge. Each stage was investigated individually. Results indicated that CBT and KBT significantly influenced TKT among employees. Employees in the CBT and KBT stage were more willing to share and use tacit knowledge. The results confirmed that CBT and KBT were pathways that bridged gaps for learning how to overcome TKT barriers.</p><p>

<p> This dissertation, Transformational Innovation (TI) in the U.S. Department of Defense (U.S. DoD) Acquisitions, is a qualitative case study. The topic is viewed through a social constructivist lens and designed to understand the contemporary real-life experiences of U.S. DoD acquisition professionals in meeting the challenge of the Better Buying Power initiative. This initiative, Better Buying Power, asks U.S. DoD acquisition professionals to create innovative business processes designed to increase the effectiveness and best value of U.S. DoD acquisition activities. The researcher examined observed illustrations of TI and the accompanying instances of transformational or transactional leadership. Transformational leadership (TL) can be characterized by idealized influence/charisma, inspirational motivation, intellectual consideration and stimulation, and individualized consideration. In contrast, transactional leadership is a method whereby goals and tasks are assigned to employees who are motivated by rewards and punishments and must do as the manager says or face the consequences. The data gathered from this research effort are centered on two areas, transformational leadership in the U.S. DoD acquisitions workforce, and transformational innovation within the U.S. DoD acquisitions workforce. Several themes emerged from the study: there were few examples of transformational leadership; there were few examples of transformational innovation; there were many examples of transactional leadership, the U.S. DoD is still primarily transactional; and change in the U.S. DoD is directive. The results of the study add to the literature surrounding TL and TI and offer insight into the effects of transformational leadership on transformational innovation. </p><p>

<p> This mixed methods research was designed to explore the factors that most impact the job satisfaction of contemporary Administrative and Executive Assistants in the United States. As part of a convergent parallel analysis, quantitative survey data and qualitative interviews were collected to correlate cognitive and affective results for an in-depth analysis. The Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire (MSQ) was used to examine 20 different factors of job satisfaction. Three sets of data were collected: current levels of job satisfaction for each factor, self-ranked lists of the factors indicating which factors are most-to-least important to respondents, and frequency with which factors were discussed by participants in the interviews. Anecdotal information from the interviews provided context to the data sets. The most impactful factors for this employee group were intrinsic factors, identified to be: <i>Co-Workers, Ability Utilization, Achievement</i>, and <i> Responsibility</i>. It was also reported that <i>Responsibility </i> acts as an antecedent factor to both <i>Ability Utilization </i> and <i>Achievement</i>. The least impactful factor was an extrinsic one: <i>Working Conditions</i>, while other factors that were identified to be low-impact require more research to validate. Three actionable recommendations were proposed for organizations as they seek to hire and retain administrative talent, and several related research topics were proposed.</p><p>

This dissertation is a qualitative study of the field of corporative diversity management, based on in-depth interviews with diversity managers and human resource managers at 87 firms across the United States. My work considers both the formal policies and practices that constitute the building blocks of an organization’s diversity management strategy, but also the cognitive elements of the institution, or how diversity management is defined, theorized and legitimated by actors within firms. Throughout the dissertation I focus on acts of institutional maintenance, arguing that behind the seeming stability of the institution of diversity management, diversity and HR professionals within organizations are engaged in constant acts of institutional maintenance. These acts of institutional maintenance have several consequences. First, acts to strengthen and maintain institutions can in fact lead to incremental, bottom-up institutional change, blurring the theoretical distinction between acts of institutional creation and maintenance. Second, acts of institutional maintenance can also lead to unintended consequences. Thus not all acts of institutional maintenance succeed in strengthening the institution. Finally, acts of institutional maintenance can buffer institutions from the tendency to be ceremonially adopted but decoupled from daily organizational activity. My dissertation also sheds light on the challenges of sustained organizational change, as I identify several strategies used by relatively low-power diversity managers to successfully overcome barriers to practice implementation.

Many teams, especially in dynamic knowledge-intensive environments, face interdependent tasks with unscripted responsibilities. The centrality of this challenge to the team process notwithstanding, theories of how team members hold one another accountable for accomplishing interdependent work are underdeveloped. I integrate theory and research on accountability and teams to advance the construct of team mutual accountability – a reciprocally authorized behavior among team members of evaluating one another’s progress on the team’s task. Unlike performance pressure, which is externally enforced accountability on a team, mutual accountability is internal to a team. I theorize the effects of team mutual accountability and performance pressure on team performance and develop a model of team mutual accountability, proposing its antecedents and outcomes. I test this model in a multi-organization multi-method field study. Findings from qualitative research on five teams in two knowledge-based organizations show that team mutual accountability varies across teams, verify that the theoretical construct of team mutual accountability can be operationalized in organizations, and help develop survey items for measuring team mutual accountability. Results of survey research on 45 teams in five knowledge-based organizations show that team mutual accountability is positively associated with team performance, controlling for performance pressure. Both team structures and shared beliefs facilitate team mutual accountability. Overall, this dissertation illuminates the phenomenon of team mutual accountability and demonstrates its link to team performance. Teams with mutual accountability are likely to make timely performance adjustments because team members, by virtue of their intimate understanding of the team’s work and impromptu conversations, can actively evaluate team progress and adjust ongoing performance issues. As teamwork becomes more dynamic and interdependent in organizations, the “right” processes and task divisions become difficult to predict in advance. This renders external team accountability insufficient and mutual accountability among team members critical for timely performance adjustments. This research contributes to the literatures on teams and accountability and offers practical insights for enhancing team performance, especially in dynamic knowledge-intensive environments.