Direct support professionals (DSPs) serve an important function in the daily supervision and care of clients with intellectual and developmental disabilities (ID/DD) through standardization of technical, cognitive, and ethical competencies for all DSPs. It is not clear, however, how these DSPs and managers perceive the implementation process and utility of these competencies or whether implementation results in meeting the desired outcomes for clients. Using Donabedian's quality of care model as the foundation, the purpose of this qualitative case study in New York State to understand how DSPs perceived the implementation of the DSP core competencies under the direction of front-line managers. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews with 12 DSPs and front-line managers. Data were inductively coded then subject to Braun and Clarke's thematic analysis procedure. Findings revealed that DSPs and front-line managers implemented the core competencies inconsistently because of organizational perceptions and experiences. The implications for social change stemming from this study includes recommendations to the National Alliance of Direct Support Professionals to add a practicum component to the core competencies training which may benefit people living in community residential group homes diagnosed with ID/DD through hands-on approach training that would allow full implementation of the DSP core competencies in various, every day real life situations.

The U.S. Army conducts extensive training on its core values beginning with initial entry training (IET), commonly referred to as basic training, in order to shape soldiers' behavior and decision making in combat and noncombat situations. This mixed methods study addressed the problem of limited empirical research on the effects of U.S. Army IET on soldiers' moral and character development. The purpose was to explore the effects of Military Police (MP) IET on soldiers in training through a mixed methods quantitative and qualitative model. The theoretical framework for this study was based on Rest's four component model (FCM) of moral development, Hart's model of moral identity, the schemas of the Defining Issues Test (DIT), and the U.S. Army's moral code consisting of the Army values, the Soldiers Creed, and the Warrior Ethos. The DIT was administered at the beginning and conclusion of MP IET to determine change in soldiers' moral judgment. Focus groups of MP IET soldiers identified perceptions of change in moral development. Data analysis using ANOVA and matched pair t tests of DIT scores revealed no significant changes in overall scores, no differences among age groups, and limited differences among genders and educational levels. Results showed significant decline in personal interest scores among females. Focus group results using qualitative content analysis revealed the relationship with drill sergeants as having a significant impact on moral development. This study provides feedback to trainers and leaders on designing effective moral and character education. Soldiers influence societies at home and abroad. This research shows that positive social change is more likely as soldiers receive moral and character education which focuses on developing moral expertise, not just memorization of rules, and which results in moral and trustworthy behavior.

The external competitive environments and internal group dynamics of organizations are increasing in complexity resulting in new challenges for organizational leaders to improve performance in underperforming teams. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to address what factors led to high-innovation outcomes in complex adaptive systems using a framework constructed from elements of complexity leadership theory and group dynamics research. An in-depth interviewing approach was used to collect data on the lived experience and meaning the participants attributed to their experiences regarding improved team performance. A total of 21 participants were selected from multiple business settings where their team experienced adaptive tension and improved group cohesion. Their stories were reduced into themes using an inductive process and later analyzed through the lens of complexity leadership theory. The factors that emerged in this study, leveraging tension in the group dynamics enabled through objectivity, roles, alignment, capability, execution, purpose, and work ethic that led to mutual respect, directness, and reliance, offer leaders an effective method for achieving sustained team performance. These factors can be used by organizational leaders to improve team performance and consistency in team outcomes over traditional command and control approaches with a work exchange that benefits individual team members. The findings from this study contribute to social change by improving not only team performance, but also member satisfaction. When leadership is viewed from the perspective of the whole system instead of from the perspective of the individual, the relationships between people emerge as the primary enabling factor for high-innovation outcomes.

Organizations invest a significant amount of time and money on training; however, most employees do not transfer what they learned in training to the specific tasks required in their job. While extant research suggests that supervisor support may facilitate training transfer, the influence of specific types or dimensions of support is still unknown. The purpose of this mixed methods sequential explanatory study was to examine how specific dimensions of support (mentoring, coaching, social support, and task support) influence training transfer. Organizational support theory and the theory of planned behavior served as the theoretical framework for this study. Quantitative data were collected first, via an online survey, from participants ( n = 48) who developed curriculum at a large, educational organization. The correlation analysis revealed significant positive relationships between the dimensions of support and training transfer. A bootstrap analysis revealed that transfer motivation mediates the relationships between mentoring, coaching, social support, and training transfer, but does not mediate the relationship between task support and transfer. Qualitative data were collected from additional participants (n = 10) at the organization, via in-depth interviews. A phenomenological analysis of the interview transcripts partially corroborated the quantitative results, suggesting that mentoring influences both transfer motivation and training transfer, coaching influences training transfer, and social support influences transfer motivation. Implications for positive social change include an increase in the transfer of learned knowledge and skills among employees who develop curriculum, which may help them develop higher-quality courses and degree programs that increase student learning and contribute to the integrity and success of universities.

Studies reveal a progressive net decrease in the nursing profession across four generations, creating a shortage that poses a critical threat to the health care delivery system and to the health and safety of patients within that system. Research also suggests that generational cohorts reflect social change in attitudes toward work-life balance, organizational commitment, personal-professional relationships, autonomy, focus on career advancement, and actions that represent organizational citizenship behavior (OCB). Previous research grounded in theoretical frameworks of organizational behavior, leadership, and social capital indicates that leadership support of workforce diversity and effectiveness in conflict management influence OCB. However, little research explores the links between intergenerational work-values conflict (IWVC), job satisfaction, and OCB. Accordingly, this exploratory correlational study investigated linkages connecting OCB, job satisfaction, and perceptions of leadership effectiveness in the management of IWVC among 89 perioperative registered nurses, who replied to an online adaptation of established survey instruments. Correlation and regression analyses indicated that higher levels of OCB reflected increased job satisfaction and were associated with perceptions of leadership effectiveness in management of IWVC. Findings support study hypotheses that leadership management of IWVC plays an influential role in OCB. This exploratory study extends existing research and presents a model for examining leadership, OCB, and social change in nursing. Increased knowledge and understanding of these relationships may serve as a catalyst for positive social change by improving intergenerational relationships, job satisfaction, nurse retention, and positive patient care outcomes.

Even though the current level of communication and information sharing is greater than it has ever been throughout the history of the construction industry, the problem under investigation stems from the results of current research that indicate that many major projects have difficulty in achieving client expectations, resulting in a negative image of the construction industry. The purpose of this study was to analyze the impact on the level of trust in the use of information systems between construction firms and their clients. The theoretical foundations of this research were based in interdependence and coordination theories. While information systems enable improved communication processes, coordination and interdependency are central to mutually successful completion of construction projects. However, there is a lack of a prescriptive view present in the literature regarding the role of trust in enhancing client satisfaction through the use of information systems. The research questions that underlay this study were based on discovering the extent and nature of mistrust between contractors and their clients. Through the use of a qualitative methodology, data were collected through responses from a semi-structured, open-ended questionnaire. By analyzing consistencies in the responses, the researcher used grounded theory to determine trends and consistencies. The results revealed that while contractors believed trust existed between contractors and clients, clients believed mutual trust was low despite the increased communication through emails and current information systems. By emphasizing the notion of mutual trust in the communication process, contractors can improve the image of the construction industry. The magnitude of social change could result in more successful and timely completion of projects saving millions of dollars.

Punctuated equilibrium, a theory of unexpected and sudden change arising out of evolutionary biology and paleontology, has been applied to decision sciences, physics, organizational theory, and group behavior but never to leadership emergence theories. The purpose of the study was to discover how leadership emerges during a period of punctuated equilibrium, a sudden and unexpected change event, using a naturalistic decision making framework. Thus, the research question probed how leadership emergence could be theoretically modeled in a critical event. This grounded theory study was particularly unique because it drew from, and helped unify the four scientific foundations of complexity science, leadership emergence, punctuated equilibrium theory, and naturalistic decision making. Data from 40 retrospective accounts, described in 15 interviews with critical incident intervention specialists, first responders, and wilderness leadership trainers residing in the northeastern region of the U.S. were supplemented by survey and observational data. Initial analyses employed a reflective coding matrix and a concept identification chart. Analysis of synthesized themes identified an event continuum model in which instinct, compassion, and responsibility served as motivating factors for leadership emergence that appeared in close proximity to the change event. Subsequent observable indicators of leadership emergence often included a sense of calm, quick situational assessment, and the tendency of individuals to ignore physical risk. This study found that punctuated equilibrium stimulated leadership emergence in individuals. The most profound implication for social change was that leadership arose in a time of need guided by compassion and a profound sense of responsibility toward one another regardless of formal position in the group.

published_or_final_version / Public Administration / Master / Master of Social Sciences

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Mississippi State University. Department of Management and Information Systems. / Title from title screen. Includes bibliographical references.

In hospitals in the United States, the ratio of nurses to patients is declining, resulting in an increase in work demands for nurses. Consequently, organizations face challenges with nurses' organizational commitment. Studies have revealed generational differences, as determined by birth year, in employee levels of organizational commitment in a number of organizational settings. However, there is a gap in the literature regarding the impact of generational cohorts on the organizational commitment of nurses. The purpose of this quantitative, nonexperimental, cross-sectional design was to address whether generational cohorts of nurses differed in their levels of organizational commitment, and to investigate whether licensed practical nurses (LPNs) and registered nurses (RNs) differed in their levels of organizational commitment. A purposive sampling method was used to recruit 132 nurses in Alabama for this study. A MANOVA was employed to test the mean differences in organizational commitment by generational cohort status and nursing degree. Results revealed that generational cohort status did not have a significant impact on nurses' levels of organizational commitment. However, the findings showed that LPNs had significantly lower levels of affective commitment than RNs. This study provided information that may be of use to hospital administrators and human resource managers in communicating the need for flexible incentive packages to address the needs of a diverse workforce. Results from the study may promote social change by providing information about how nurse credentials are associated with their organization commitment. This association is critical for building organizational stability, organizational effectiveness, and nurse recruitment and retention.