<p> The literature on person-organization (P-O) fit has been plagued with inconsistencies in the conceptualization, operationalization and measurement of P-O fit. Despite numerous studies examining the relationship between P-O fit and outcomes, these inconsistencies in measurement and operationalization have led to mixed findings concerning specific individual outcomes. The goal of this dissertation was to address some of these inconsistencies by examining the relationship between P-O fit, using perceived and subjective measures of fit, and attitudinal and behavioral outcomes. In addition, previously unexplored mediators of the P-O fit-outcome relationships were examined. Although not formally hypothesized, it was believed that the magnitude of the relationships would differ such that perceived fit would have a stronger relationship with attitudinal outcomes than subjective fit, and that subjective fit would have a stronger relationship with job performance than perceived fit. </p><p> A sample of 188 entry-level managerial employees, working in a national transportation organization, was used to examine the relationship between P-O fit and job attitudes (i.e., job satisfaction, commitment, organizational citizenship behaviors and turnover intentions) and supervisor rated job performance. The results of this dissertation suggest that perceived fit is related to positive attitudes and better job performance. Furthermore, perceived organizational support partially mediates the relationship between perceived fit and the attitudinal outcomes studied, lending partial support for hypotheses. Role ambiguity was also examined as a potential mediator between fit and job performance, however, although perceived fit was significantly related to role ambiguity, the results did not support the relationship between role ambiguity and job performance. Tests of the specific hypotheses for subjective fit were not supported. Instead, the results indicated that organizational values, rather than fit between person and organizational values, were a strong predictor of attitudinal outcomes.</p>

Peer Reviewed by Christina R. Kalel / Edited by Dr. Brandy A. Brown and Romi C. Wittman / Veridian Consumer Services* provides consumers with prescription savings solutions, useful tools and decision support to close the gaps in prescription coverage for the insured, uninsured, and under-insured and their families. This project is Phase One in a study of Veridian’s internal processes and talent management system. The evaluation seeks to gauge Veridian leadership’s knowledge of the talent management life cycle; specifically, knowledge transfer and succession planning. Study results have shown that 83 percent of Veridian Directors and Executives feel the talent management practices at the company are effective. However, executive responses also show clear areas of improvement that are needed in order for the organization to adopt an effective succession planning process. Since this study only looked at one piece of the talent management life cycle, it has some limitations. With that in mind, a conceptual framework is presented for the talent management practices, as well as a process for creating a succession plan for key leadership positions at Veridian.

published_or_final_version / Real Estate and Construction / Master / Master of Science in Construction Project Management

published_or_final_version / Business / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

<p> Despite the increased rate of women in the workplace and more women acquiring advance degrees, there are still barriers in the workplace that hinders the advancement of women. The focus of this qualitative study was first to understand the perceptions and beliefs of six female managers' experiences during the developmental process of an all-female mentoring program. The second focus was to provide information on the importance of mentoring in the development and advancement of women in the workplace. Utilizing a phenomenological methodology, a descriptive approach was employed to examine and describe the thought processes and subjective views of the participants' role, understanding, and expectation of the program development. </p><p> The purpose of this applied dissertation was to examine and describe from the participants' perspectives the factors that hindered the successful development of the mentoring program. Based on the analysis of the data collected from the semi-structured interviews, four themes emerged: (a) purpose for mentoring program development, (b) perception of barriers to mentoring program development, (c) perception of management role in program development, and (d) perception of program outcome. </p><p> The data collected as a result of this study revealed five findings: (a) mentoring programs are an important human resource intervention, (b) the lack of top management support and commitment adversely affected the successful development of the mentoring program, (c) the successful development of a mentoring program requires the clear establishment of the program goals and objectives, (d) research does not fully support the findings that women in senior positions will advocate for women in lower ranking positions, and (e) the top management role is an essential component in the continued success of mentoring programs. This study offers insight into female managers' perceptions of the barriers that affect mentoring program development and insight into the development of successful mentoring program.</p>

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In recent decades, a renewed interest in the development of urban areas has resulted in tensions between various social, economic, and political interests that may be resolved through the process of urban planning, often in neighborhood-scale and community-based planning endeavors. As planning shifts to become more participatory and collaborative in practice, these processes must be closely examined to understand their value to, and impacts on, urban communities. This study focuses on issues of power and participation in a neighborhood revitalization planning process in a low-income urban neighborhood. The studys theoretical framework includes theories of social and systemic power, community development and empowerment, and participatory planning. An ecological analysis approach using qualitative methods, including semi-structured interviews and ethnography, is employed to examine the interactions between participants, facilitators, and the broader socio-spatial and socio-political contexts in which the process was situated. The study findings reveal a planning process that was generally inclusive and produced a neighborhood plan that reflected the communitys needs and interests, but implementation of the plans recommendations proved difficult due to several contextual factors, including a substantial change in local government administration and a lack of leadership and cohesiveness within the community. The findings contribute to participatory planning and community power theory by providing an in-depth empirical study of the role of contextual factors and power in shaping the structure and outcomes of neighborhood plans. Additionally, the findings inform planning practice by identifying barriers to implementation, and strategies for effectively structuring neighborhood planning processes to engage community members in decision-making and build community capacity.

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<p> This study was designed to determine what it is that Chief Learning Officers do to build the learning organization by examining interview data from current Chief Learning Officers using the constructs of change and leadership. The study sample included current Chief Learning Officers who work for U.S. based organizations within the U.S. and have been in their current Chief Learning Officer position for at least two years. </p><p> The study used a qualitative, exploratory methodology combined with phone or face-to-face interviews in order to gather data. The data was analyzed using the Systems Learning Organization Model (Marquardt, 2011). 20 Chief Learning Officers were interviewed for approximately 60 minutes each and asked the same series of questions in order to further explore how Chief Learning Officers use leadership and change to build the learning organization. </p><p> The study findings show that Chief Learning Officers do four things to build the learning organization: 1. They themselves collaborate with others inside and outside of the organization, and encourage others to do so as well; 2. They assess and measure their learning and development programs on a consistent basis; 3. They seek and secure funding and other resources for their learning and development opportunities; 4. They have a vision for their learning organization, and realize that vision through strategy development and implementation.</p>