Thesis (M.A.) - Carleton University, 2007. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 79-93). Also available in electronic format on the Internet.

Thesis (M.S. in Leadership and Policy Studies)--Vanderbilt University, Aug. 2006. / Title from title screen. Includes bibliographical references.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / Research has repeatedly shown that when individuals anticipate they are capable of achieving positive outcomes, see outcomes as important, and feel they are on-track toward achieving desired outcomes they are more likely to have higher motivation and approach those tasks. Pleasant mood states have also been shown to influence behavioral motivation outcomes. Organizations have recognized the importance of managing and motivating employees in the workplace. In the current study, mood states were either manipulated in one of two experimental conditions or remained baseline in a control condition for 253 participants. Participants were randomly assigned into one of the three conditions, but all participated in a business game simulation whereby they assumed the role of the President of a Hollywood movie studio. Individuals that reported more pleasant mood states were more likely to approach tasks with the perception that they could achieve positive outcomes. They were also more likely to devote more effort and sustain effort devoted to tasks longer than participants that reported more negative affective states. Several mediating implications for the influence of mood states on behavioral outcomes were noted. Overall, the results did not suggest significant support that mood or affect influenced performance above and beyond motivation. Future research aims and implications are discussed.

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.

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Previous research on leadership as archetype considered archetype as metaphor and not as it is understood in other literatures as a collectively accepted and defined role within and across cultures. Archetypical theories are posited as useful because they help us understand universal aspects of human behavior; however, empirical research demonstrating archetypical thinking and behavior remains rare. Accordingly, this phenomenological study investigated whether a leadership archetype exists as a shared cognitive template and if so, what characteristics define it. The theoretical framework used to examine the phenomenon of leadership combined leadership theory, philosophy of the mind, Jungian psychology, social constructionist theory, and neuro-linguistic programming. Data were collected in semi-structured interviews from a convenience sample of 10 Midwestern subjects belonging to professional and social organizations and having an expressed interest in leadership. Interviews were coded and sequentially analyzed using a semiotic--phenomenological method that included thematic descriptions, reduction, and interpretation. Results failed to identify an archetypical view of a leader, but identified choice and attribution as key elements in selecting leaders and accepting their leadership. These findings suggested an explanation of leadership as a group consensus that emerges through a dynamic process rather than solely from leader behavior. Implications for positive social change result from the study's contribution toward further understanding of the psychology of leader selection and follower behavior. Given the multiplicity of existing leadership models, the insights gained from this research contribute to the scholarly literature highlighting group-dynamic influences and can lead to improvements in leadership training and leadership development outcomes.