<p> The purpose of this quantitative survey research study was to test the ability of the Full Range Leadership Theory to explain a relationship between Transformational and Transactional Leadership Styles (independent variables) and Organizational Performance (dependent variable), when Transformational and Transactional Leadership Styles were moderated by Employee Job Satisfaction (moderating variable) for 119 full-time employees in government agencies within the United States (U.S.). Leadership styles have been positively linked to employee job satisfaction and various organizational outcomes; however, most studies on leadership styles, employee job satisfaction, and organizational performance had been focused on the private sector, with little focus on the public sector. The present study focused on public sector (government) agencies. The sample was made up of full-time, non-supervisory U.S. government employees who worked in agencies within the U.S. Qualtrics, Inc. was hired to draw the sample and three survey questionnaire instruments were used to collect the data. A linear multiple regression model was applied to the study and the data were analyzed using hierarchical multiple linear regression. Results of the study were statistically significant (<i>p</i> &lt; .05). Overall, the results lent support to theories that posit leadership styles and employee job satisfaction play a role in determining organizational performance. The results support arguments for adopting the transformational leadership style, and each of its dimensions, to reverse the decline of job satisfaction and enhance levels of organizational performance for U.S. government employees. Limitations of the study were discussed, as well as implications of the findings. Finally, recommendations for future research were offered.</p>

<p> <b>Purpose:</b> The purpose of this quantitative descriptive study was to identify transformational leadership skills exhibited by executives in mid-size companies, working in the fields of Marketing, Sales, HR, and IT. Additionally, this study also tried to identify top domains and skills for each group, and analyze the similarities and differences between groups. </p><p> <b>Methodology:</b> The study was structured around three research questions. As this was a quantitative study, self-rating data on 10 domains and 80 skills were collected using the Transformational Leadership Skills inventory instrument. These data were then analyzed using multiple statistical methods. </p><p> <b>Findings:</b> Analysis of data produced multiple findings in relation to top, middle, and bottom tier skills and domains for each group, thereby supporting the hypothesis that the situational context of job function is material for transformational leadership. </p><p> <b>Conclusions:</b> There were six conclusions that applied to all groups, thereby providing valuable insights in relation to similarities across job functions. Additionally, there were multiple differences found in the use of transformational leadership skills across Marketing, Sales, HR, and IT functions, leading to the creation of distinct transformational leadership skill portfolio for each group. </p><p> <b>Recommendations:</b> There were six implications for actions that were developed from the conclusions, ranging from hiring, to talent development, to succession planning. Additionally, eight recommendations for future research were also presented, ranging from logical extensions of this study into different verticals, to complementary new studies that would expand the body of knowledge, to longitudinal cross-sectional study that can be developed over time.</p>

<p> Owners of family businesses in the private sector must be cognizant of nepotism to reduce skilled employee turnover. Guided by Herzberg two-factor theory as the conceptual framework, the purpose of this multiple case study was to explore strategies used by family owned and operated business leaders to minimize nepotistic practices that reduce skilled nonfamily employees&rsquo; voluntary turnover. The population for this study included 3 family owned and operated funeral establishments in the Midwest region of St. Louis, Missouri. These participants had sustained their family businesses longer than 5 years while minimizing skilled nonfamily employees&rsquo; voluntary turnover. Data were collected from semistructured face-to-face interviews, the review of proprietary documents, and public information. Data analysis included a 5-step process: compiling the data, disassembling the data into common codes, reassembling the data into themes, interpreting their meaning, and then reporting the themes. Member checking and methodological triangulation increased the trustworthiness of interpretations. Five themes emerged from the data analysis: work environment, effective communication, education and training, promotion opportunities, and policies and procedures. The implications for social change include (a) reducing nepotistic employment practices in family owned and operated businesses; (b) increasing economic growth potential while simultaneously benefiting employees, families, and communities; and (c) decreasing the unemployment rate. Family owned and operated business leaders can use the results of this study to implement change and to motivate and retain their skilled nonfamily employees.</p>

<p> The management consulting profession in the United States is one of the fastest growing and most profitable industries in the world. Despite the industry&rsquo;s increasing popularity and growth, racial minorities remain disproportionately underrepresented in this industry.</p><p> This dissertation sought to shed light on the unique experiences of minorities in the management consulting industry by examining the experiences of Black management consultants and the relationships that exist between the centrality of race, authenticity at work, and the use of race-based impression management (RIM) strategies. This study also sought to contribute to theory by validating a conceptual model, which posits that the centrality of race moderates the relationship between RIM strategies and authenticity at work.</p><p> An online survey was developed using existing instruments designed to measure the centrality of race to one&rsquo;s identity, authenticity at work, and the use of RIM strategies. Quantitative data were gathered from management consultants who identified as Black and were currently or previously employed at a large multinational management consulting firm with 100,000 or more employees. Usable data were collected from 201 participants, and structural equation modeling was used to analyze the data.</p><p> This study found that the RIM strategy social recategorization was significantly related to the ability to be authentic at work, and regardless of whether the centrality of race to one&rsquo;s identity was high or low, the relationship between social recategorization and participants&rsquo; ability to be authentic at work was negatively related. No significant relationship was found between RIM strategy of positive distinctiveness and the ability to be authentic at work, regardless of the degree of racial centrality. The conceptual model developed for this study could not be validated due to low levels of variance around the construct of racial centrality.</p><p> Findings from this study provide empirical insights into the experiences of Black management consultants and contribute to theory, practice, and research regarding the challenges associated with navigating cross-cultural interactions in the workplace.</p>

<p> Leadership encompasses all types of organizations including for profit, not-for-profit, government agencies, and the U. S. military. The U. S. Army requires its leaders to provide leadership at the direct, organizational and strategic level in a variety of situations from preparing to deploy to combat, actions in combat, redeployment and continuing the cycle for the next deployment. Senior U. S. Army leaders identified that leadership development is a priority for the future. The purpose of this qualitative exploratory case study, which included 15 voluntary participants, was to understand if the U. S. Army's organizational leadership development process based on the 2012 revisions in leadership doctrine be improved based on the opinions and experiences of prior military leaders, and the analysis of U. S. Army doctrine, regulations and prior leadership surveys. Thirteen themes emerged answering the 3 research questions that included 6 attributes, 4 competencies, and 3 improvements to training and education. The attributes included the combined experiences, lessons learned, and history to make decisions. Other attributes of importance were flexibility, critical thinking skills, ethical leadership, self-development, and becoming a mentor. Competencies were sense-making, understanding leadership doctrine and its implementation, ability to prioritize requirements at the organizational level, and enforcing counseling standards. Improvements were to identify problems and recommend change, talent management, and fostering organizational change. The U. S. Army leadership development is marginally sufficient for leadership development; however, necessary revisions and changes to processes be developed and implemented to strengthen the organizational leadership development outcomes for the U. S. Army.</p>

<p> Trust is consistently identified as a key factor in the success of organizations. Despite its importance, public trust of U.S. institutions has fallen steadily over six decades. One exception is public trust of the U.S. military, which has increased. This qualitative Delphi study sought to answer the question: What are the perceived characteristics of the trust relationship between the U.S. military and the general public at the point interface where senior military leaders, their public affairs advisors, and national-security media representatives directly facilitate the relay of information between the military and the public? This study also sought to identify which, if any, of those perceived characteristics are unique in the literature, or if they are uniquely prioritized in the trust relationship between the U.S. military and the general public. The purpose of the study was to explore a favorable trust relationship in an effort to identify characteristics that might be beneficial to other leaders in their effort to establish, preserve, or strengthen public trust in their own institutions. The Delphi methodology was used to achieve consensus of opinion among three groups of subject matter experts who, in accordance with joint U.S. doctrine, act as a point of direct interface between the military and the public. Retired senior military officers, retired or former military public affairs officers (PAOs), and journalists who cover the national-security beat for national and international media organizations participated in the study. During three survey rounds, members of two independent groups identified, prioritized, and defined characteristics they perceived as contributing most to the favorable trust relationship between the U.S. military; anonymously reviewed input from other group members; and modified their own input. Overall consensus was reached among these two groups of subject-matter experts that prioritization of honesty, integrity, and credibility contributes most to a favorable trust relationship. Summative content analysis of the respective group&rsquo;s definitions of those terms revealed key themes of open communication and the critical importance of an organization&rsquo;s members doing and saying the right thing, regardless of consequences.</p>

<p> Organizations face challenges related to swiftly and successfully adapting their products and services to meet the changing demands of the external environment to achieve long-term success. These challenges have prompted the study of organization agility, an organizational capability defined as the ability to swiftly and successfully change in order to achieve long-term financial success (Worley, Williams, &amp; Lawler, 2014). Researchers have theorized that the behaviors and attributes of organization leaders impact organization agility (Worley et al., 2014; Holbeche, 2015). The purpose of this study was to conduct an inferential quantitative research study to determine if leadership behaviors predict organization agility. </p><p> The research sample included 126 U.S.-based business units within 47 organizations with greater than 1,000 employees. Organization agility was measured using the Agility Survey (short-form) developed by Worley, Williams, and Lawler (2014) to generate a Total Agility Score. The leadership behaviors and attributes of the business unit leaders were measured using the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ-5X; Avolio &amp; Bass, 2004). Confirmatory and exploratory factor analysis determined an alternative five-construct model of leadership behaviors and attributes for this data set. Simultaneous linear regression determined that the leadership behaviors found to predict higher levels of organization agility included (a) exploratory behaviors that support a culture of discovering new ways to solve problems and conduct business, (b) latitude behaviors that provide employees with a high degree of freedom and responsibility in achieving work results and resolving issues, (c) visionary behaviors that create a clear organization purpose and mission that define the &ldquo;why&rdquo; of the organization&rsquo;s existence, and (d) reflective behaviors that cause leaders to challenge their own assumptions and create mechanisms for the organization to do so as well. Simultaneous linear regression analysis also determined that leadership behaviors related to power and structure predict lower levels of organization agility. </p><p> In addition to the original research question, results were reported comparing the Total Agility Score for organization groups divided by type of organization, size of organization, and year founded; and for business unit groups divided by business unit leader gender and size of business unit. Inspection of these results&rsquo; means indicated that the Total Agility Score for for-profit organizations (<i>M</i> = 3.97) was significantly higher than the Total Agility Score for nonprofits/government agencies (<i> M</i> = 3.67), a difference of .30 on a 5-point Likert scale (<i> p</i> = .009) and with a larger than typical effect size (<i>d</i> = .77). Inspection of the results also indicated that the Total Agility Score for organizations with 1,000 to 6,000 employees (<i>M</i> = 3.99) was significantly higher than the Total Agility Score for organizations with greater than 6,000 employees (<i>M</i> = 3.83; <i>p</i> = .038) with an effect size between smaller than typical or medium (<i> d</i> = .37). </p><p> This research study contributes to the body of knowledge of organization agility by informing scholars, practitioners, and organization leaders as to the leadership behaviors and attributes that predict both higher and lower levels of organization agility. Several additional research studies are suggested that would enhance knowledge related to the conceptual frameworks and theories of organization agility and leadership.</p><p>

<p> This study examined the function of complexity leadership in the generative emergence of new ideas in a high-performance nonprofit organization. The conceptual framework for the study combines Uhl-Bien, Marion, &amp; McKelvey&rsquo;s (2007) Complexity Leadership Theory with Lichtenstein&rsquo;s (2014) concept of generative emergence in order to investigate the growth of new ideas in high performance nonprofit organizations. The study was conducted at Goodwill Industries of Central Indiana (GICI), a high performing nonprofit that is one of 162 local Goodwill member agencies that make up Goodwill Industries International (GII). </p><p> This empirical case study examined the emergence and successful operation of one innovative idea&mdash;the creation and operation of public charter high schools&mdash;with GICI&rsquo;s operating territory. Data was collected through interviews with GICI leaders, board members, and community leaders, well a review of documents pertinent to the case. Merrriam&rsquo;s (2009) case study framework guided the collection of the data, and coding followed the process outlined by Salda&ntilde;a (2013). </p><p> The study identified numerous specific leadership actions as they appeared through each stage of the generative emergence process. These were coded and analyzed through the lens of CLT in order to address the study&rsquo;s research questions. Case findings determined that, in high-performing nonprofits, the function of complexity leadership in the generative emergence of new ideas is to identify, interpret, and respond to specific system behaviors so that the idea has the best possible chance to reach its full potential. </p><p> The study shows that if a high performing non-profit organization is to employ complexity leadership to successfully grow and implement new, innovative ideas via generative emergence, a mix of administrative, enabling, and adaptive leadership actions must be employed during each phase of the process. The study has implications for both CLT and Generative Emergence because it provides specific, empirical examples of the elements articulated by each concept. The study offers implications for practice since the structure and definitions provided by both CLT and generative emergence may be helpful to organizations as they generate and manage the growth of new ideas.</p><p>

<p>This is a grounded theory study of how scholar-practitioners simultaneously help clients generate results and create new knowledge. Through a set of 41 interviews, it examines the roles of scholar-practitioners in organization development and medical translational research, compares the strategies and tactics they use in each field, and considers how they renew themselves professionally and personally. It shows how these professionals perform varying combinations of three roles: research, teaching and applied field work. They have developed different work habits, ways of thinking and even ways of being than their colleagues who focus on just one of those areas in either field, and have a set of personal characteristics including being agile/adaptive, collaborative, holistic, passionate and wise, which empower their use of self in helping their clients or patients. It shows how strategies and tactics are employed in the translation of theory to practice and vice versa, which had not been done previously, and develops a new Knowledge-Results Circular Flow Model to connect all the aspects of their work with their clients to generate client-determined results and new knowledge in an ongoing iterative process. Last, but not least, it shows that scholar-practitioners in these two fields are much more similar than different, and can learn from each other to strengthen both the knowledge they generate via their research, and the client/patient results that are the focus of their work. </p>

<p> The realization of growth synergies across products and services in a global multi-unit firm is a topic of discovery that has substantial implications for the profitability of multi-national corporations. A driver for the realization of this incompletely tapped potential is the influence of organizational design. The scholar comprehensively examines a singular case study in which a multidimensional organizational design is used to exploit growth synergies in a global multi-unit firm. For many firms, collaboration is connected to synergy realization, which is critical to growth in saturated and emerging markets. Cross-business unit strategy research has been largely focused on diversification rather than on synergies. Additionally, the literature addresses synergy realization in very turbulent or static markets; however, in this case, the scholar illustrates how a multi-unit firm in a moderately dynamic market attempted to exploit growth synergy opportunities through (a) focused action, (b) the application of an organizational design that exploits decentralized collaboration, (c) lateral support mechanisms that preserve business unit (BU) self-interest, (d) a designed relationship with the corporate center, and (e) a singular context with clients. The intent of these actions is to enhance profitability theory by analyzing rapid evolutionary change in an integrated global value chain. This study attempts to show whether or not a multi-unit firm made of business units that are related diversifiers can be combined, or recombined, to exploit complementary resources. Furthermore, this study advances emerging research on the exploitation of multidimensional organizational design, its dynamic capabilities, co-evolutionary organization-wide change leadership, and cross-unit innovation.</p>