<p>This dissertation extends and contributes to the extant literature on social enterprise by examining the enterprise-beneficiary relationship in social enterprises with particular focus on performance measurement and social value creation. Ironically, while social missions and commitment to beneficiaries is what distinguishes social entrepreneurship from traditional entrepreneurship, little research has been conducted to examine this relationship. Utilizing a portfolio of 101 social enterprises based in New England, this study consisted of two phases: the development of a typology of social enterprise based on the enterprise-beneficiary relationships present in the portfolio, and a comparative case study closely examining six cases of social enterprise across the typology. </p><p> By examining beneficiary positioning, level of interaction, and relationship characteristics four archetypes of social enterprise were identified: general benefit enterprises, philanthropic enterprises, social business enterprises, and relational social enterprises. Examining these models, the concept of entwinement emerged. I define entwinement as the mutual reliance and commitment between two parties, in these cases the enterprises and the individual beneficiaries they seek to serve. These models fall along a continuum of entwinement, ranging from no entwinement in the general benefit enterprises to high entwinement in the relational social enterprises. By examining two cases each of philanthropic enterprises, social business enterprises and relational enterprises I found that entwinement has positive implications for stakeholder salience and depth of impact for individual beneficiaries. I also found that while funding requirements are a key driver of the development of formalized social performance measurement programs, the level of entwinement moderates that relationship. </p><p> This dissertation contributes directly to stakeholder theory and to the social entrepreneurship literature. It offers an explanation for how managers recognize the salience of their stakeholder groups by raising entwinement as a key mechanism through which managers recognize the legitimacy and power of the beneficiary group. By utilizing the capabilities approach from the development literature, this study also presents a framework through which depth of impact can be examined across issue are and business model design. Finally, this paper identified funder requirements as a key driver of social performance measurement systems, suggesting that even as social enterprises diversify their revenue streams and business models they still bear significant semblance to non-profit organizations. </p>

<p> Organizational leadership is the foundation that influences workforces and determines the overall success of organizations and employees. Prior to this study, research of Millennials&rsquo; wants and expectations from their organizational leaders lacked clarification and clear interpretation. A critical element in organizational survival is Millennial knowledge workers who create knowledge that supports sustainable, innovative, and successful organizations. Organizational leaders who want their organizations to succeed will capitalize on accuracy and precision in distinguishing Millennial knowledge workers&rsquo; wants and expectations of them. This study&rsquo;s central research question was, &ldquo;What do Millennial workers want and expect from their organizational leaders?&rdquo; Several subquestions further clarified the study&rsquo;s focus: &ldquo;What do Millennials want and expect, if anything, from their organizational leaders in terms of (a) their relationships with their leaders, (b) their perceptions of their leaders as role models, and (c) their leaders&rsquo; ethical behaviors?&rdquo; and &ldquo;What do Millennial workers want to avoid in their organizational leaders?&rdquo; The research methodology was a generic qualitative inquiry, utilizing thematic data analysis. This qualitative study utilized a 3-phase interview model and included semistructured questions and additional probing questions. The population of the study was Millennial knowledge workers. The study sample was recruited from U.S. businesses and organizations in various industries. The thematic data analysis comprised inductive and interpretive data and employed initial, theoretical, and focused coding. The study findings establish many wants and expectations of Millennial knowledge workers from their organizational leaders. These Millennial knowledge workers want and expect organizational leaders to demonstrate mutual respect, offer effective communication, behave ethically, and create and develop relationships with them. These Millennials expect leaders to provide coaching and guidance and to differentiate between work life and other unrelated life responsibilities. These Millennials expect leaders to be positive role models with emotional intelligence, and as a rule, they avoid unethical leaders. The findings benefit and support workplace partnerships and overall organizational efficiency and effectiveness, suggesting that organizational leaders must establish distinct and diverse understandings of Millennial knowledge workers&rsquo; wants and expectations.</p><p>

<p> Businesses fail in the absence of a sustainable engagement strategy with stakeholders who influence and are influenced by a company's business activity in communities where the company has a presence. The purpose of this multiple case study was to investigate factors that defined a framework regarding the creation of shared value when applying the Triple Bottom Line (TBL) of sustainable development as a corporate social responsibility (CSR) strategy between business, the community, and U.S. watershed initiatives to help resolve often conflicting stakeholder views. The specific problem was the lack of an existing framework regarding the creation of shared value when applying the TBL of sustainable development to CSR engagement initiatives between the firm, the community, and U.S. watershed initiatives to help resolve often conflicting stakeholder views. The theoretical framework was stakeholder theory integrated with the corporate imperatives of CSR, TBL, and shared value. The study focus was to compare shared value, CSR, and the TBL perspectives of 22 leaders and participants from two collaborative watershed initiative partnerships in one mid-eastern state. The study research question was: How do shared value, CSR, TBL define a community engagement framework between the firm, the community, and U.S. watershed initiatives to help resolve often conflicting stakeholder views? Two primary study conclusions emerged: (a) shared value, CSR, TBL were factors that defined a community engagement framework when integrated into a strategy between the firm, the community, and U.S. watershed initiatives to help resolve often conflicting stakeholder views; (b) the factors that contributed to creating shared value were interrelated and contributed to creating shared value when joined together in a Sustainable Community Engagement Framework to help resolve often conflicting stakeholder views.</p><p>

<p> The purpose of the research study was to predict managerial resistance to status quo bias given the presence of dissatisfaction, vision, and a process outlined for change in the environment. According to the 79 participants surveyed in the study, dissatisfaction, vision, and a process outlined for change provided a statistically significant model for predicting manager resistance to status quo bias for the sample studied. Leaders may be able to use the results of the study to determine manager readiness for change. However, at best the study found only 45.3% of the reasons that predict managerial resistance to status quo bias, providing an opportunity for future researchers to validate empirically other factors that may predict manager resistance to status quo bias.</p>

<p> Employees who remain with an organization because they want to, represent a positive&nbsp;organizational phenomenon known as affective commitment (AC). The purpose of this study is to investigate the predictive ability of strategic Human Resource (HR) practices to create AC in the context of federal knowledge workers, determine the role of SOAR in the relationship between strategic HR practices and AC, and the effect of AC on positive behavioral outcomes. SOAR stands for strengths, opportunities, aspirations, and results. </p><p> This mixed methods study explored the relationship among strategic HR practices, SOAR, AC, and behavioral outcomes. Data were gathered using a survey instrument containing 42 items. The population was federal knowledge workers in a science and technology field. 204 participants completed the study survey and a final sample of N = 188 surveys were used for analysis. </p><p> Quantitative analysis was conducted using descriptive and inferential statistics; qualitative analysis included thematic analysis. Results from the quantitative analysis suggested that strategic HR practices predict AC; the SOAR construct is a partial mediator of the relationship between strategic HR practices and AC; SOAR did not function as a moderator of the relationship between strategic HR practices and AC; and AC encourages the development of positive behavioral outcomes. Results from the qualitative thematic analysis suggested that there are seven prominent themes that sustain commitment in this federal organization and they are: accountability, career advancement, leadership, meaningful work, mission, reward/recognition, and training. </p><p> For federal organizations similar to this one, it is recommended that they engage the SOAR approach to increase the effectiveness of strategic HR practices in generating&nbsp;AC; implement strategic HR practices that encompass the seven major themes; a positive proactive way of viewing employee commitment by cultivating AC as opposed to studying turnover trends; and engage in conversations about strategic change using dialogical methods based on appreciative inquiry. Future research could include studies on how the federal government communicates strategic HR practices to their employees and whether or not they choose to adopt dialogical versus diagnostic approaches.</p>

<p> Assessing and developing organizational or collective resilience capacity is a strengths-based approach to managing continuous and unexpected change as a strategic capability. In this study, organizational resilience capacity is defined as a vital readiness that is built up by employee beliefs and behaviors. Human resource and management interventions have been recommended to strengthen this capacity. These are described as antecedents, enablers, and inducements designed to foster vital conditions that support relevant employee beliefs, feelings, and actions. Yet, there is little empirical evidence about which specific beliefs and behaviors to foster and no tool for assessing their strength. Interventions, then, cannot reliably be said to strengthen organizational resilience capacity. To address this gap, an exploratory, quantitative study was designed with two objectives: (a) identify specific employee beliefs and behaviors associated with this capacity from the organizational resilience literature and (b) design a scale using these items to explore how collective resilience capacity is constructed. After testing the Organizational Resilience Capacity Scale with employees in a manufacturing company (<i>n</i>=223), results suggested that there are specific beliefs and behaviors associated empirically with organizational resilience capacity. These can be assessed to support organizational understanding, direct evidence-based interventions, and provide a measure of accountability for impacting a latent, yet strategic, capability. The relationship between individual resilience capacity and organizational resilience capacity was also assessed, showing a small, but significant effect. That is, resilient individuals may contribute to vital conditions, but they do not create a resilient organization. </p>

<p> This case study explored how specific behaviors shape the connections between people within an inter-sector health collaborative as an important antecedent to achieving collaborative outcomes. The primary research question guiding this study was, &ldquo;How do individual complexity leader behaviors&mdash;a subset of complexity leadership behaviors&mdash;shape the connectivity of agents within a complex adaptive system made up of elected, unpaid volunteers immediately following their annual strategic planning retreat?&rdquo; Methods included observations, interviews, and document review. Individual complexity leader behaviors (CLBs) were found to shape the connectivity of agents within this complex adaptive system in a variety of ways that depended on the extant level of connectivity between agents. Specifically, when experiencing low-negative connectivity, the utility of CLBs shaped the extant connectivity in a negative manner. When experiencing low-neutral connectivity, the utility of CLBs shaped the extant connectivity in either a negative or a positive manner, or in a manner that reinforced the status quo. When experiencing moderate connectivity, the utility of CLBs shaped the extant connectivity in a manner that reinforced the status quo or the behavior made no impact on the extant connectivity. Lastly, when experiencing high/deep connectivity, the utility of CLBs shaped the extant connectivity in a positive manner, in a manner that reinforced the status quo, or the behavior made no impact on the extant connectivity. There were also a number of additional findings related to the nature of both CLBs and the indices of connectivity. These findings are critical given that the relative connectivity of agents within a complex adaptive system is predictive of that system&rsquo;s capacity to achieve outcomes. This study empirically supports and extends several core assumptions of complexity leadership theory; it also demonstrates that individual CLBs are identifiable and influential; that anybody can utilize CLBs; and that CLBs should be intentionally and mindfully utilized. Moreover, this study empirically supports the existence of non-linearity and (inter)connectivity in complex adaptive systems; it also demonstrates the versatility of connectivity and its indices. The results of this study have practical implications for inter-sector collaboratives&mdash;particularly related to how they utilize complexity leadership behaviors and achieve outcomes&mdash;and for capacity-building practitioners&mdash;specifically related to re-framing their conceptualization of leadership for their students.</p>

<p> Non-executive directors (NEDs) are external members of an organization&rsquo;s board of directors. These directors&rsquo; most significant contribution arguably is found in the quality of their strategic insights, as they ostensibly bring a fresh perspective and set of experiences to acts of strategy and sense making. This study examined NEDs&rsquo; contribution to the environmental scanning phase of an organization&rsquo;s strategic planning process. Data were gathered from a convenience sample of seven current NEDs. Findings indicated that the framing process used during the environmental scanning phase directly influenced how NEDs make sense of the environment. Additionally, NEDs were found to prefer an &ldquo;objective&rdquo; environment that is externally located. Finally, NEDs consciously appraise each other&rsquo;s contribution to the overall discussion. Study findings were incorporated into a conceptual model. Future studies should use a larger sample of NEDs, including peers from the same boards and those from across multiple industries.</p>

<p> This exploratory qualitative study was used to explore the perceptions of team leads and team members of globally dispersed virtual matrix cross-functional teams regarding the four constructs of interaction influence team performance as they work together to complete projects. The four constructs of interaction &ndash; technology, communication, trust, and understanding cultural diversity formed the basis for the research question and a series of interview questions that sought responses from globally dispersed virtual team leads and team members from around the world. Participants in this study came from Australia, Brazil, China, England, Greece, India, Ireland, Poland, Thailand, and the United States. The participants also represented individuals working in Information Technology, Sourcing, Consulting, Retail, Manufacturing, and a Religious organization who provided their perspective on their teams&rsquo; interactions. Using the responses from this cross-section of individuals from countries and industries the researcher found that the four constructs of interaction, when used correctly, are perceived to improve the performance of globally dispersed virtual teams. The strength of themes reported by team members through the interview process showed that the participants thought the four constructs improved team interaction. This study allowed the extension of a branch of non-goal organizational theory to include team level interactions to the performance of a globally dispersed virtual team.</p>

<p> In 2012 about 30% of the American workers were engaged at work and 70% of workers were either not engaged or fully disengaged. There have been numerous studies on determining employment factors that create engagement and the organizational benefits received from a highly engaged workforce. It has been shown that companies with highly engaged employees experience many organizational benefits including higher employee productivity, lower attrition, better quality, and superior financial results. However, there has been little research conducted on creating a direct linkage between a specific engagement driver and a specific organizational benefit. The purpose of this study is to identify drivers of engagement that positively impact productivity in highly engaged teams at CHG Healthcare Services. CHG Healthcare Services is a healthcare staffing company headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah. In 2014, it was estimated that 93% of its 1750 employee were engaged. Quantitative data was collected through a written survey from a random sampling of 98 employees from highly engaged sales and business partner teams. 46 employees completed the survey that asked them to choose the top factors that most positively impacted their individual and team productivity from a list of 23 established engagement drivers. In addition, 9 qualitative focus groups were held with survey participants to gain qualitative understanding into why participant&rsquo;s felt the chosen engagement factors impacted productivity. The findings demonstrated that for employees with over 1 year of experience, 4 engagement drivers made the most meaningful impact on individual and team productivity. These results were similar across all demographic groups reviewed. The engagement drivers most impacting employee productivity were having access to work-life balance, having a positive relationship with their team and leader, having work that is meaningful, and having the authority and autonomy of make decisions affecting their work. The research also showed that one group, first year employees, provided a different set of results. The study demonstrated that first-year employees value employment factors that help support them during the time they are establishing effective relationships in a new environment and building necessary job skills to contribute to the team and company.</p>