Business intelligence (BI) involves transforming data into actionable information to make better business decisions that may help improve operations. Although businesses have experienced success with BI, how leaders of church organizations might be able to exploit the advantages of BI in church organizations remains largely unexplored. The purpose of the phenomenological study was to explore the perceptions of pastoral leaders concerning the potential usefulness of BI in church organizations. Conceptual support for the study was based on the premise that churches may also benefit from BI that helps improve decision making and organizational performance. Three research questions were used to examine the current role of BI in church organizations, the potential usefulness of BI in church organizations, and potential conflicts that might exist between spiritual and BI management objectives. Semistructured interviews were used to obtain data from 20 pastoral leaders. The data were analyzed using the modified Van Kaam method of analysis. The results indicated that pastoral leaders perceived that BI can be a useful technology in church organizations. Additionally, the pastoral leaders did not perceive any conflict between BI and church management objectives. Church leaders may be able to take advantage of BI to achieve their social outreach programs. As a result, local churches can have a greater social impact on the surrounding communities.

One of the objectives of the U.S. government has been the development of a nationwide health information infrastructure, including adoption and use of an electronic health records (EHR) system. However, a 2008 survey conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics indicated a 41.5% usage of the EHR system by physicians in office-based practices. The purpose of this study was to explore opinions and beliefs on the barriers to the diffusion of an ERH system using Q-methodology. Specifically, the research questions examined the subjectivity in the patterns of perspectives at the preadoption stage of the nonusers and at the postadoption stage of the users of an EHR system to facilitate effective diffusion. Data were collected by self-referred rank ordering of opinions on such barriers and facilitators. The results suggested that the postadoption barriers of time, change in work processes, and organizational factors were critical. Although the time barrier was common, barriers of organizational culture and change in work processes differed among typologies of perspectives at the postadoption stage. Preadoption barriers of finance, organizational culture, time, technology, and autonomy were critical. The typologies of perspectives diverged on critical barriers at the preadoptive stage. A customized solution of an in-house system and training is recommended for perspectives dealing with technical and organizational concerns and a web-based system for perspectives concerned with barriers of finance, technology, and organization. The social impact of tailoring solutions to personal viewpoints would result in the increased sharing of quality medical information for meaningful decision making.

Employee injury rates in U.S. land-based operations in the energy industry are 2 to 3 times higher relative to other regions in the world. Although a rich literature exists on drivers of safety performance, no previous studies investigated factors influencing this elevated rate. Leadership has been identified as a key contributor to safety outcomes and this grounded theory study drew upon the full range leadership model, situational leadership, and leader-member exchange theories for the conceptual framework. Leadership aspects influencing safety performance were investigated through guided interviews of 27 study participants; data analyses included open and axial coding, and constant comparisons identified higher-level categories. Selective coding integrated categories into the theoretical framework that developed the idealized, transformational leader traits motivating safe behaviors of leading by example, expressing care and concern for employees' well-being, celebrating successes, and communicating the importance of safety (other elements included visibility and commitment). Employee and supervisor participants reported similar views on the idealized leader traits, but low levels of these qualities may be driving elevated injury rates. Identifying these key elements provides the foundation to creating strategies and action plans enabling energy sector companies to prevent employee injuries and fatalities in an industry where tens of thousands of employees are subjected to significant hazards and elevated risks. Creating safer workplaces for U.S. employees by enhancing leaders' skills, building knowledge, and improving behaviors will improve the employees' and their families' lives by reducing the pain and suffering resulting from injuries and fatalities.

The purpose of this project was to translate evidence-based literature into policy and practice guidelines in order to improve leadership standards and skills among nurse managers and improve patient outcomes and the quality of care. Guided by the American Nurses Credentialing Center Magnet Model and Lewin's change theory, which sets the framework for creating exceptional nursing leaders, a literature search was conducted from studies ranging from 2010 to 2012 from several databases. Inclusion criteria were based on the presence of one or more leadership styles discussed in the articles and the impact of leadership style on nursing satisfaction. A total of 25 articles were found during the electronic search, but only 7 articles met the inclusion criteria for analysis. The results of this review revealed that transformational leadership enhanced nursing satisfaction rates, while transactional leadership and situational leadership contributed to low levels of nursing satisfaction rates. This project contributes to positive social change for nurse managers because there is limited research available that focuses on leadership styles and its implication for practice. This project will inform the work of nurse managers by illuminating the importance of leadership styles on nursing satisfaction and work environment conditions.

Healthcare providers increasingly recognize the importance of collaboration among stakeholders in cost-effective healthcare delivery. While collaborative relationships offer great advantages, little research has addressed their relevance in an international development aid context, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. The region is a major recipient of international development support, yet health indicators on HIV/AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis, and child and maternal mortality indicate the health of the region is among the weakest worldwide. This sequential mixed method, descriptive study of a USAID-funded community health program in Ghana examined the nature of collaboration among six stakeholders and impact of this collaboration on effectiveness of program implementation. Stakeholder and resource dependence theories provided conceptual frameworks for analysis. Data were collected through surveys and interviews of officers of participating organizations (POs) and community health officers (CHOs). Surveys were analyzed using means, standard deviations, and t tests, while coding and themes determination were adopted for the interview data analysis. Results from both sources were integrated. Findings indicate both POs and CHOs perceived human relationship factors as more critical than physical resources. Collaboration, shared decision making, and frequency of communication in the relationship were perceived to substantially improve CHO skills and rural healthcare quality. Recommendations include active development of strong trust and dialogue in future relationships. These results could have important implications for positive social change by identifying the bases for collaborative success in providing impoverished rural communities with cost-effective and quality healthcare to address critical community health needs.

Onboarding ensures learning success through sharing and acquiring knowledge to remain competitive. However, little is known about new Information Technology (IT) hires' learning needs in the absence of onboarding; therefore, the purpose of this case study was to examine, increase, and retain their technical knowledge at the Unified Communications Company (UCC). Following the theoretical model of knowledge management, which holds that knowledge is the key to confirm learning and knowledge sharing, the research questions were used to examine how the company assessed and increased their technical knowledge and how they taught their culture in the absence of onboarding. A qualitative instrumental case study design was employed with a purposeful sample of 4 former employees who were former new IT hires at the UCC. These employees contributed to the study using journals, surveys, and interviews drawn from their experiences as new IT hires at the UCC. Reoccurring themes regarding formal learning were extracted from the data, validated through peer and member checking, and then triangulated with each round of data collection and the themes described in the literature. The themes of culture, onboarding, training, and experience/feedback consistently emerged as areas needing improvement and indicated a need for formalized training. Based on these findings, a job aid was created to provide enhanced performance and learning to offer knowledge throughout training. Companies employing new IT hires can use the results from this study to provide onboarding in addition to their current orientation. The use of these data would positively affect social change by enhancing company competitiveness and job retention while reducing overall unemployment and the skills gap.

The number of orphaned children in many parts of Africa is increasing as their parents die from human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) or acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). The research problem addressed in this qualitative study was lack of understanding by others about how the managers of orphanages in 2 African countries -- South Africa and Zimbabwe - were responding to the emotional and social needs of these orphans. The purpose of this study was to develop an orphanage management theory or model that could replicate the African kinship environment in the orphanages under study. Nurturing leadership theory provided the conceptual backdrop for this study. The research design was informed by Glaser's grounded theory (GT) approach. Data collection involved a qualitative survey of 20 administrators in 2 orphanages in South Africa and Zimbabwe. Open coding, memoing, and selective coding of this data yielded a nurturing model for orphanage management in the cultural context of the African kinship system. From the viewpoint of social change, this research suggests development of a family-oriented orphanage management system to help the orphans live healthy and productive lives without the stigma of HIV and AIDS.

Technology firms with substantial cash reserves acquire smaller entrepreneurial firms for diversification. In 2006, 3 large firms acquired 28 organizations, with the combined deals exceeding {dollar}4.7 billion. The problem addressed in this study is that new start-up companies with innovative ideas may not mature when they are acquired by larger companies and do not fully articulate potential industry-transcending innovation. This is important because the unsuccessful integration of an acquisition can dismantle innovation and compromises economic inventiveness. Drawing from the disruptive innovation and the resource-based theories, the purpose of the quasi-experimental study was to examine the impact of acquisition by larger public technological organizations of smaller start-up innovative entrepreneurial organizations on patent generation, stock price trend, and stakeholder retention. The research questions in this study were designed to statistically test pre/post changes in these key innovation performance factors before and after an acquisition. Historical data on 71 acquisitions by 10 acquiring firms were gathered related to number of patents generated, stock price trends, and stakeholder retention. Paired t tests were used to confirm that there were significantly fewer patents and patents per year generated, and significantly fewer stakeholders retained after acquisition. Stock price fluctuation was examined using a cumulative abnormal return categorization approach that indicated only 31% of the acquired companies realized gains that reached the a priori threshold of significance. The results of this study could create positive social change through the development of business acquisition strategies that promote innovation, resulting in economic prosperity for the United States.

A study on corporate leadership failure in America by Vugt and Ronay has shown that the failure rate of business leadership in meeting profitability targets is as high as 60%. Most organizations fail to attain profitability targets due to limited experience and exposure to strategic leadership. The aim of this single case study design was to explore the role of strategic leadership in banking profitability. Twelve purposively selected senior bankers and members of the board of directors with over 10 years of experience in banking and profitability and 3 years in the top management team participated in the study in western Tanzania. The resource-based view framed the discussion regarding strategic leadership skills needed to enhance banking profitability. Data were collected through semistructured interviews using open-ended questions to elicit in-depth responses from the participants. Other data sources included social media, company websites, and annual reports. The modified van Kaam approach was used in the data analysis. Meaningful statements were grouped into larger units to form themes. Findings confirmed that strategic leadership skills development had an important influence on banking profitability. Five themes emerged from the study results including strategic leadership and organization performance, planning, risk management, training and skills development, and the unique resources. Findings may also help to improve banking profitability, create employment, and contribute to social change to the poor and unbanked communities in Tanzania.

Previous research has suggested that individuals differ in their accuracy of perceptions of the social environment, and some research suggests that powerful individuals in particular tend to be lazy, disinterested observers of the social world. A handful of field studies and lab experiments linking power with individuals’ perceptions of others’ social networks have generally supported this view. However, recent theory addressing the psychological consequences of power for the power-holder claim that in certain circumstances and for some kinds of social information, power is linked to increased accuracy of social information. This dissertation tests this idea by drawing on social network theory and the situated focus theory of power. I examine the relationship between individuals’ formal power and their perceptual accuracy of social network relationships. I propose that individuals’ perceptual accuracy is affected by 1) their formal power in the organization 2) the type of relationship being perceived (expressive/instrumental, positive/negative), and 3) the dependence relationship with the target of perception (whether the perceiver is dependent on the perceived to get their work done). Predictions were tested using cognitive social network data collected from a call center within a division of a large corporation in the US. Results showed that formal power was linked to increased accuracy for some relationship content (particularly negative expressive relationships), and managers tend to be more accurate when perceiving their own incoming relationships than non-managers.