The ability to improve employee engagement in small businesses is critical, not only to workers but also to midlevel managers who want to retain productive employees in the workplace. Supervisors who lack efficient managerial practices also risk decreases in productivity, profitability, and sustainability. The conceptual framework for this qualitative, exploratory single-case study was Kahn's theory of personal engagement and disengagement. The population consisted of 2 midlevel managers from a single, small, franchise company in metropolitan Alabama, both of whom used engagement practices, and managed at least 5 subordinates in the company. Data collected, analyzed, and triangulated were from semistructured interviews, direct observations, and a review of company documents. Coded interview responses aligned with the research question, conceptual framework, and emergent themes resulted in identifying successful engagement strategies that midlevel leaders to use. Two critical themes that emerged were management and communication. Supportive management behaviors and leader-member exchange yielded positive employee engagement and increased job performance and productivity. These results could be used to help midlevel managers develop strategies that improve employee enagagement and job performance. Social change implications included leaders developing new strategies that encourage positive relationships among top-level and midlevel leaders, lower level employees, and customers.

Empirical data have not adequately revealed current methods of nonprofit leadership in a way that reflects shared leadership in the nonprofit sector leaving nonprofit organizations (NPOs) at a disadvantage in relation to understanding and describing leadership effectiveness. Using a conceptual framework that incorporated organizational theory, shared leadership theory, path goal theory, transformational theory, leader member exchange, and fund development theory, this mini ethnographic study was conducted to explore the effect of leadership styles in shared leadership situations and the impact of matched and unmatched leadership styles on NPO funding performance. With the use of purposeful sampling to conduct the study, the participants represented 5 community partner NPOs in the New York City area with 20 or fewer employees and average annual funding of $600,000 or more during the previous 3 years. The data analysis of interviews, observation, journaling, member checking, and document review and analysis were performed through hand coding using an inductive analytical method to identify patterns and themes. The study results indicate that matching leadership styles of executive and senior leaders such as leader member exchange and path-goal development are directly related to a team-oriented culture that is essential for the longevity and effective performance of non-profit organizations. Based on the findings, shared leadership promotes a culture of positive social change through building honesty and integrity, which in turn can help nonprofit organizational leaders improve funding programs and stakeholder interest. Ultimately shared leadership benefits the social needs of society by enhancing the services to the beneficiaries who receive the NPO programs.

The purpose of this research was to identify motivational factors that would predict organisational commitment and citizenship behaviour. One important motivational factor is empowerment, which is an intrinsic motivator (Spreitzer, 1995, p. 121 table 5 ), this study examined the contribution of each of its four dimensions in predicting affective commitment and citizenship behaviours targeted towards both individuals and the organisation. I also investigated the association that leader-member exchange and three personality factors (extraversion, emotional stability and openness to experience) had with both empowerment and organisational outcomes (affective commitment, citizenship behaviours). I further examined empowerment mediation effects. This research was conducted among ten occupational groups at The Waikato District Health Board in New Zealand. 872 questionnaires were distributed and a final sample of 306 responses (35.1%) was obtained. The results, consistent across all occupational groups and other demographics, suggested that although extraversion, emotional stability and openness to experience individually contributed to empowerment, affective commitment and citizenship behaviours, when their contribution towards affective commitment and citizenship behaviour was examined simultaneously with empowerment and LMX contributions, personality contribution decreased. The regression equation results showed emotional stability as the only significant personality contributor towards citizenship behaviours. In addition, leader member exchange contribution was significant only towards affective commitment whereas empowerment was the strongest predictor of the three organisational outcomes explored. Moreover, two of the four empowerment dimensions were also found to mediate the relationship between LMX and affective commitment. However, no empowerment mediation effects were found between LMX and citizenship behaviours. Overall, this research provides valuable information on how to increase employee's affective commitment and extra role behaviours by adjusting organisation's structures and policies and fostering employees' perception of empowerment. Recommendations for further research and practical implications for organisations are discussed in the final chapter.

This correlational study examined the influences of paternalistic leadership behavior (PL) and organizational collectivism (measured at the employee level) on employee reported LMX, job satisfaction and organizational citizenship behaviors (OCBs) in two types of organizations (family-owned firms and multinational organizations) in Turkey. Survey data were collected from (N = 154) employees in family-owned and (N = 159) employees in multinational firms (MNCs). Employees in family-owned firms reported significantly higher levels of PL, organizational collectivism, LMX, and OCBs. Further examination revealed additional differences by organization type, with the family-owned sample showing no significant relationships between study variables and OCBs, in contrast to positive relationships in the MNC sample. Education level was negatively related to PL, LMX, and job satisfaction in the family-owned sample, while the MNC sample showed positive relationships with education and all 5 study variables (PL, organizational collectivism, LMX, job satisfaction and OCBs). Organizational collectivism was found to have a moderating effect on the relationships between LMX and job satisfaction and job satisfaction and OCBs in the multinational sample, while no effect was found in the family-owned sample. For the LMX -- job satisfaction relationship, at low levels of LMX, organizational collectivism has no effect on job satisfaction, while when LMX was high, greater organizational collectivism was associated with greater job satisfaction. For the job satisfaction -- OCB relationship, at low levels of job satisfaction, the organizational level of collectivism greatly influenced OCB frequency (higher collectivism was associated with higher OCBs), while little difference was evident when job satisfaction was high. The implications of these findings for both theory and future research are discussed.

How does authentic leadership influence subordinate outcomes? It depends on whom you ask. Using Walumbwa, Avolio, Gardner, Wernsing, and Peterson’s (2008) theory-based measure of authentic leadership, this dissertation research advances the authentic leadership literature by: 1) examining relations between managers’ self-reported and subordinates’ ratings of authentic leadership and subordinate outcomes; 2) testing the theoretical proposition that more authentic leaders are inherently more ethical both in the values they subscribe to and in their behavior when compared to less authentic leaders; and 3) examining the mediating mechanisms that account for relations between authentic leadership and subordinate outcomes. Using a field sample of 188 managers and 75 subordinates, results revealed that subordinates and their managers do not see eye to eye in their perceptions of managers’ authentic leadership as the correlation between their ratings was only marginally significant. General support was found for the notion that more authentic leaders subscribe more to self-transcendent values and less to self-enhancement values when compared to less authentic leaders; they also engage in more ethical decision making. Furthermore, results showed that authentic leadership is associated with a broad range of subordinate outcomes, including leader-member exchange, affective organizational commitment, organizational citizenship behavior, and job performance. However, these relations were found only within source. Mediation analyses revealed that subordinates’ trust in their manager partially mediated the relation between subordinate-rated authentic leadership and subordinates’ perceptions of the quality of their relationship with their manager (LMX). Mediation analyses also revealed that subordinates’ trust in their manager and their sense of psychological empowerment each mediated relations between subordinate-rated authentic leadership and subordinates’ affective organizational commitment. In addition, managers’ self-reported empowering leader behavior mediated the relation between managers’ self-rated authentic leadership and their ratings of their subordinates’ organizational citizenship behavior. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

Vadovo-pavaldinio socialinių mainų teorija nagrinėja vadovo ir pavaldinio tarpusavio darbinius santykius. Vadovo-pavaldinio socialinių mainų teorija pabrėžia, jog vadovas formuoja su kiekvienu iš savo pavaldinių kokybiškai skirtingus santykius. Teorija reikšminga ir tuo, kad ne tik vadovas, bet ir pavaldinys traktuojamas kaip svarbus ir lygiavertis diadinių darbinių santykių kūrėjas. Tyrime naudojome R. C. Liden ir J. M. Maslyn (1998) sukurtą Vadovo-pavaldinio socialinių mainų daugiadimensinį modelį, kuris teigia, jog vadovo-pavaldinio socialiniai mainai yra daug sudėtingesnis reiškinys nei bendras socialinių mainų kokybės rodiklis ir apima emocinę, lojalumo, bendradarbiavimo, profesinės pagarbos dimensijas. Komunikacija tarp vadovo ir pavaldinio įvardijama kaip viena iš sąlygų vadovo-pavaldinio socialinių mainų kokybei formuotis. Tuo tarpu vadovo-pavaldinio socialinių mainų kokybė susijusi su jų įsipareigojimu organizacijai, pasitenkinimui darbu ir pan. Šiame darbe kėlėme prielaidą, jog vadovo-pavaldinio socialinių mainų kokybė yra tarpinis kintamasis tarp vadovo ir pavaldinio grįžtamojo ryšio ir tarp vadovo ir pavaldinio įsipareigojimo organizacijai bei pasitenkinimo darbu. Tyrimo rezultatai rodo, jog vadovo ir pavaldinio grįžtamojo ryšio teikimas ir siekimas yra svarbus rodiklis prognozuojant vadovo-pavaldinio socialinių mainų kokybę. Nors vadovo-pavaldinio socialinių mainų kokybė prognozuoja ne visus vadovo ir pavaldinio įsipareigojimo organizacijai bei pasitenkinimo... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / Leader-Member Exchange theory analyse work relationships between leader and member. Leader-Member Exchange theory underlines that leader forms distinct quality relationships with each member. The theory is meaningful also because leader and member are treated as both equally important for creation of work relationships. We used in our research Leader-Member Exchange multidimensional model, created by R. C. Liden and J. M. Maslyn (1998), which states that leader-member exchanges are more complex than general leader-member exchange quality index and involves affect, loyalty, contribution and professional respect dimensions. Leader-member exchange quality process is conditioned by communication between leader and member. Also, organizational commitment, work satisfaction and so on of leaders and member are conditioned by Leader-member exchange quality. In our research we made assumption that leader-member exchange quality is mediate variable between feedback of leader and member and organizational commitment and work satisfaction of leader and member. Our research indicates that feedback between leader and member is important indicator of leader-member exchange quality prognosis. Leader-member exchange quality prognosticates not all aspects of organizational commitment and work satisfaction of leader and member, still, according to research results, we can state that leader-member exchange quality is mediate variable between feedback of leader and member and organizational... [to full text]

Anställda med starkt organisationsengagemang presterar bättre och stannar längre inom sin organisation. Syftet med föreliggande studie var att studera organisationsengagemang och dess samband med relation till närmaste chef (LMX), innehavande av chefskap samt kontakt med närmaste chef. En webbenkät besvarades av 224 medarbetare på ett svenskt telecomföretag. Resultatet visade ett positivt samband mellan organisationsengagemang och LMX. Villighet att bidra utöver kraven för sin chefs skull predicerade nivån av organisationsengagemang till störst del. Emotionella bandet till chefen och respekt för chefens kompetens hade en stark sammankoppling och även dessa var viktiga för engagemanget. Chefer visade starkare organisationsengagemang än övriga medarbetare. Chefskontakt var inte en avgörande prediktor, vilket kan ha berott på en möjlig interaktionseffekt som inte mätts i denna studie. Chefens betydelse för organisationsengagemanget diskuteras bero på till vilken nivå medarbetaren förbinder chefen med organisationen, samt hur chefen själv agerar i arbetet.

Success of nonprofit human services organizations depends upon the ability to cultivate high quality performance among staff members. Employees of such organizations experience lower job satisfaction when managers disregard their opinions or treat them as unimportant. The purpose of this qualitative, exploratory case study was to explore employees' perspectives on the quality of their relationships with their supervisors and impacts of that perception on job performance. The central research questions regarded how employees understood those relationships and their impact on their work success. Using the framework of leader-member exchange (LMX) theory, which centers upon the employee-supervisor relationship, data were collected through interviews with 32 participants including those at a supervisory level and direct-care providers. Archival documents from 2 non-profit human service organizations that reflected upon relationships between supervisors and employees were also utilized. Using Clark and Braun's thematic analysis strategy for coding and analysis, results indicated that manager-employee relationships characterized by themes of respect, understanding, positive interactions, and open communication allowed employees to feel comfortable and valued at work, and that relationships characterized by mutual loyalty, respect, and clear, reciprocal communication were optimal for promoting job performance. This study's potential impact for positive social change includes recommendations to non-profit service organizations to develop future leadership policies and training programs to assist managers and supervisors in improving relationships with their subordinates.

Some employees perceive that supervisors do not accurately reflect employees' performance or effectively differentiate among employees' performances during performance appraisals (PAs). Other employees believe the performance feedback they receive is not valuable for supporting their career development (CD). Employing leader-member exchange (LMX) theory and the distributive and interactional justice dimensions of organizational justice theory as the theoretical framework, this correlational study examined the relationships among LMX and employee-supervisor relationships (ESRs) and the relationships' influence on employees' CD through the mediating effect of employees' perceived efficacy of the PA process. Participants consisted of 44 defense contractor employees in the United States who completed a combination of 4 validated survey instruments (LMX-7, Interactional Justice, Appraisal System Satisfaction, Perceived Career Opportunity) and 1 demographic instrument. Results from the structural equation model, using partial least squares analysis, indicated significant (p < .001) positive relationships between the independent variables of LMX and ESR, the dependent mediating variable PA, and the dependent variable CD. The results indicated that a positive relationship between LMX and ESR will influence employees' CD through the mediating effect of employees' PAs. The implications for positive social change include the potential to improve communications between employees and supervisors, increase organizational performance by increasing employees' job satisfaction, potential benefiting career development for improving employees' families' quality of life, and contributions to the communities.

Les personnes ayant un trouble du spectre de l’autisme (TSA) ont un taux d’emploi bien inférieur à celui de la population générale. Les difficultés éprouvées lors des interactions sociales sont l’un des facteurs principaux faisant obstacle à leur recherche d’emploi et à leur maintien en emploi. Pourtant, plusieurs personnes ayant un TSA possèdent des caractéristiques qui peuvent être valorisées sur le marché du travail. Notre étude évalue la mise en œuvre et les extrants d’un programme de soutien à l’emploi d’Action main-d’œuvre (AMO), un organisme communautaire situé à Montréal, conçu pour les personnes ayant un TSA sans déficience intellectuelle. Plus spécifiquement, nous nous sommes intéressée aux caractéristiques de leurs clients, aux services offerts, aux extrants du programme et à la satisfaction par rapport à leurs services. De plus, nous cherchions à comprendre comment se déroulait l’intégration des employés soutenus par AMO et quels facteurs influençaient le succès de cette intégration. Pour comprendre la mise en œuvre, les extrants et la satisfaction des clients d’AMO, nous avons commencé par recruter 37 participants recevant des services d’AMO. Ces participants ont rempli des questionnaires au début de leur accès aux services, ainsi qu’après 6 semaines en emploi ou après 6 à 9 mois de recherche d’emploi infructueuse. De plus, nous avons consulté leurs dossiers à AMO au cours des 12 mois suivant le début de leur participation à l’étude. Lorsqu’un participant ayant trouvé un emploi nous donnait l’autorisation de contacter son employeur, nous l’avons invité à remplir un questionnaire sur sa satisfaction quant aux services d’AMO et son appréciation quant à son employé. Onze employeurs ont accepté de participer à l’étude. Le premier article de cette thèse montre que les participants avaient des manifestations associées à l’autisme autant de niveau faible, que de niveau modéré ou grave. De plus, 38 % des participants avaient des capacités adaptatives sous la moyenne. Une grande proportion des participants (62 %) présentaient des niveaux élevés d’anxiété. Nos résultats indiquent que 62,1 % des participants ont obtenu un emploi rémunéré. Toutefois, seuls 59,2 % des participants ayant trouvé un emploi sont demeurés en emploi. Le temps de soutien consacré aux participants en emploi était très variable, soit de 0 à 21 contacts selon les dossiers des clients. Les conseillers devaient aussi à collaborer avec d’autres professionnels, comme les travailleurs sociaux ou des éducateurs spécialisés pour soutenir les besoins complexes des participants dans les autres sphères de leur vie. La satisfaction par rapport aux services d’AMO était élevée, autant chez les participants ayant un TSA que chez les employeurs. Pour comprendre le processus d’intégration en emploi d’une personne ayant un TSA dans une organisation et la contribution des facteurs organisationnels dans ce processus, nous avons rédigé neuf études de cas basées sur des entrevues auprès de 18 autres participants. Selon des critères permettant d’assurer la diversité des cas étudiés, nous avons d’abord recruté un échantillon de 4 gestionnaires en collaboration avec AMO. Par la suite, nous avons recruté un autre échantillon de 5 clients, ainsi que leurs conseillers en intégration, et leur gestionnaire (pour 4 de ces clients). Dans notre deuxième article, nous avons constaté que la qualité de la relation entre le superviseur et son employé était la dimension la plus importante expliquant le succès ou l’échec du processus d’intégration des employés ayant un TSA. Cette dimension était importante à toutes les étapes du processus, à partir de l’embauche et jusqu’à ce que l’employé soit en situation d’inclusion ou ne soit plus employé. Ce constat s’inscrit dans la théorie des échanges leader-membre (LMX) qui explique comment la qualité de la relation du superviseur avec chacun de ses subordonnés contribue à des résultats positifs pour lui-même et pour chaque employé. La qualité de cette relation était influencée par l’action du conseiller en intégration qui facilitait la communication entre le superviseur et l’employé. Le type et l’intensité du soutien variaient en fonction des difficultés de communication et d’interaction sociale propres à chaque employé. Les résultats de ces deux articles permettent de démontrer la diversité de la clientèle d’AMO et ses besoins en soutien ainsi que l’utilité des services pour permettre à sa clientèle de se trouver un emploi. Les résultats moins favorables en matière de maintien d’emploi et la compréhension des facteurs influençant l’intégration en emploi démontrent l’importance d’offrir du soutien aux clients ayant un TSA à plus long terme. / Individual with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have a much lower employment rate than the general population. Difficulties experienced during social interactions are some of the main factors hindering their job search and their job retention. However, many adults with ASD have characteristics that are valued by the labour market. Our study evaluates the implementation and the outputs of the employment program at Action main-d’œuvre (AMO), a community organization located in Montreal, offering employment services for individuals with ASD who do not have an intellectual disability. More specifically, we examined the characteristics of their clients, the services offered, the outcomes of the program and the satisfaction with their services. In addition, we aimed to understand the integration process into a new job of employees supported by AMO and what factors influenced the success of this integration. To understand the program implementation, outcomes and customer satisfaction at AMO, we recruited 37 participants receiving AMO services as a first step. These participants completed questionnaires at the start of their access to the services, as well as after 6 weeks of employment or after 6 to 9 months of unsuccessful job search. In addition, we consulted their files at AMO during the 12 months following the start of their participation in the study. When a participant who had found a job gave us permission, we invited their employer to complete a questionnaire on their satisfaction with AMO’s services and their appreciation of their employee. Eleven employers agreed to participate in the study. The first article of this thesis shows that the participants had autism manifestations of all possible levels: mild, moderate or severe. In addition, 38% of participants had adaptive abilities below the normal range. A large proportion of the participants (62%) had high levels of anxiety. Our results indicated that 62.1% of the participants obtained paid employment. However, only 59.2% of participants who found a job remained employed. The time spent on employed participants varied widely, from 0 to 21 contacts according to the files of the clients. Counsellors also had to work with other professionals to support participants’ complex needs in other areas of their lives, such as social workers and special educators. Satisfaction with services was high, both among participants with ASD and among employers. To understand the process of integrating an employee with ASD into an organization and the contribution of organizational factors to this process, we wrote nine case studies based on interviews with 18 other participants. According to criteria ensuring the diversity of the cases studied, we first recruited a sample of 4 managers in collaboration with AMO. Subsequently, we recruited another sample of 5 clients, as well as their counsellor, and their manager (for 4 of these clients). In our second article, we found that the quality of the relationship between the supervisor and his employee was the most important dimension explaining the success or failure of the integration process for employees with ASD. This dimension was important at all stages of the process, from hiring and until the employee was in a situation of inclusion or was no longer employed. This finding can be understood with the leader-member exchange theory (LMX), which explains how the quality of the supervisor’s relationship with each of his subordinates contributes to positive results for himself and for each employee. The quality of this relationship was influenced by the action of the employment counsellor (also named job coach) who facilitated communication between the supervisor and the employee. The type and intensity of support varied depending on the unique communication and social interaction challenges of each employee. The results of these two articles demonstrate the diversity of AMO’s clients and their support needs as well as the usefulness of the services in supporting them in finding employment. The less favorable job retention results and our understanding of the factors influencing job integration demonstrate the importance of providing support to clients with ASD in the longer term.