<p> This study examined the listening behaviors of organization development (OD) practitioners that result in client transformation. Interviews conducted with eleven OD consultants with extensive experience in executive coaching pointed to engaged, focused attention as a core characteristic of their listening. OD practitioners regularly use three primary listening approaches (active, empathetic, and expansive listening) to drive insight and help clients transform their perspectives. Practitioners subsequently use two secondary listening approaches (critical and reductive listening) to anchor insight into action and help clients transform their behavior. Transformative listening describes the repeating process of inquiry that blends primary and secondary listening approaches and tends to transform client perspectives and behavior. Conversely, transactional listening describes a listening approach appropriate for the negotiation and execution of agreements in the transaction of routine business. Self-awareness and use of self foster sensitivity to client needs and practitioner agility in blending the listening approaches used in transformative listening. </p>

<p> Leading at a distance has emerged concurrently with complex global changes, resulting in the diverse use of technology, virtual teams, and collaboration as a way of solving problems and growing innovative and successful organizations. Little research has been done to explore the perceptions of individuals who lead virtual organizations. In the absence of such research, little is known about effective leadership processes in virtual environments. The purpose of this grounded theory study was to discover an explanatory theory, derived from data, which facilitates an understanding of effective virtual leadership systems and processes. This study used classic grounded theory methodology involving multiple extant data reviews (> 20) and a purposive sampling group of 77 virtual leaders, dispersed globally, who were interviewed using voice-over Internet protocol, phone contacts, and e-mail as data collection methods. The <i>grand tour</i> research question for this study examined issues leaders faced when leading/working virtually and the processes virtual leaders used to resolve the stated issues. Data were analyzed using open coding, sorting, memoing, constant comparative analysis, selective coding, and theoretical sampling. The key finding of this study was a generated <i> theory of seducing engagement,</i> addressing participants' main concern: the process of cultivating success in the virtual worker-learner. <i> Engagement</i> is viewed as a significant variable in successful virtual working, virtual leading, and organizational/company success. The results from this study might be used by global organizations to inform infrastructure and planning for virtual leading; to enhance the knowledge, training, and preparedness of virtual leaders; and to spur further research in a rapidly growing field.</p>

<p> Despite the vast amount of research on work motivation, theorists still lack consensus regarding what truly motivates employees; yet employee motivation is widely recognized as critical to organizational survival in the global marketplace. In the knowledge economy, knowledge workers are the key to knowledge creation and, thus, organizational survival and success. Thus, organizations that wish to survive in the current economy must find ways to capitalize on the strengths of knowledge workers by developing an understanding of the motivating forces driving knowledge workers. Research suggests differences in employee motivation across age groups and generations. As Traditionalists and Baby Boomers approach retirement and exit the workforce, Generation Y, born between 1981 and 1997, is becoming a major part of the workforce. Thus, organizational leaders must develop an understanding of what motivates knowledge workers from Generation Y to contribute to the organization's goals and objectives, thereby contributing to higher levels of organizational performance; however, scholarly research has yet to address the work motivation experiences of Generation Y knowledge workers. This grounded theory study explored the work motivation experiences of Generation Y knowledge workers through a review of key motivation theories and exploratory, in-depth interviews with Generation Y knowledge workers in the healthcare industry, toward an understanding of Generation Y's intrinsic and extrinsic motivators, demotivators, and process of and approach to work motivation. The data revealed that Generation Y knowledge workers in the healthcare industry have a strong desire to contribute, both to their organizations and to their communities. The desire for purpose, which can be achieved through the attainment of social acceptance and self-worth, served as the primary motivator for the research participants.</p>

<p> This study represented an initial effort to systematically examine the effects of the perception of servant-leadership attributes in union leaders on the commitment and participation levels of union members. Using Barbuto and Wheeler's (2006) Servant Leadership Questionnaire, and Gordon, Philpot, Burt, Thompson and Spiller's (1980) Commitment to the Union Scale, 535 members of a U.S.-based, national healthcare union rated their union leaders on servant-leadership attributes, and answered a series of questions designed to assess their level of union commitment. Additionally, demographic and participation information was collected. A combination of descriptive statistics, and Baron and Kenny's (1986) mediation methodology was used to determine the relationship between servant-leadership attributes, union commitment attributes, and an overall participation score. Demographic information was used to determine generalizability. The results of this study indicate that each attribute of servant-leadership showed a relationship with overall union member participation and with each attribute of union commitment. The only instance in which an attribute of union commitment consistently mediated the relationship between servant-leadership and overall union member participation was union loyalty. While the respondents in this study reported lower scores on those attributes of servant-leadership and union commitment that emphasize the personal over the collective, this does not negate the statistical significance of the impact on servant-leadership on union commitment. The results of this study confirms that, in the case of the sponsoring organization, servant-leadership is a viable leadership paradigm with the potential to increase both commitment to the union-as-organization, as well as increasing overall union member participation.</p>

<p> I facilitated an eight week Collaborative Inquiry research project with six members of an Alumni group holding diverse leadership roles. Influenced by Daniel Goleman's book <i>Focus</i> (2013), the purpose of the research was to enhance high performance leadership practice. The research group participated in four cycles of Action Research to enrich &lsquo;inner&rsquo;, &lsquo;other&rsquo; and &lsquo;outer&rsquo; awareness and practice directing personal and group attention. Methods to adapt habits and promote learning communities were articulated through the first half of the project, and then emphasis shifted to enabling transformation on a systemic level. Storytelling and scenario planning became keystone leadership practices the group experimented with and refined. This co-operative discovery connected theory to practice influencing an emergent paradigm of focus. New insights into leadership learning, development and transformation were produced. The research also informed how non-traditional educational communities can influence capacity development from the perspective of a rising generation of leaders.</p>

<p> This study examined stakeholders&rsquo;' perceptions of a leader identification process as a part of the launch of a leader development pool strategy within a large, U.S.-based corrections organization. Stakeholder perceptions included stakeholder expectations of, roles in, and contributions to the organization&rsquo;'s leader identification strategy and process, which were aimed at addressing a sparse leadership bench. </p><p> This single, descriptive case study centered around a leader identification initiative involving leaders and emerging leaders who were nominated for or applied to an accelerated development program. Fourteen leaders participated in the study. Their average tenure with the organization was 14.3 years. This study examined stakeholder perceptions around three phases of the initiative: the kick-off and communication phase (Phase 1), the talent review phase (Phase 2), and the disposition and development phase (Phase 3). </p><p> The study&rsquo;'s findings revealed agreement among stakeholder groups that (1) clearly defined roles and responsibilities were critical to building the leadership bench, (2) open and honest talent discussions were more important than the systems and processes designed to build leadership capacity, (3) the talent pool approach taken by the organization undermined true succession planning and targeted development, and (4) stakeholder expectations and involvement drove the need for planned changes in the leader identification and development strategy.</p>

<p> Demographic changes within the field of higher education have generated growing interest for the study of cultural intelligence and authentic leadership among academic leaders. The relationship between cultural intelligence (CQ) as a moderator to authentic leadership (AL) was examined through a quantitative study that included two surveys, the Expanded Cultural Intelligence Scale (E-CQS) and the Authentic Leadership Questionnaire (ALQ). Hypotheses were formulated to assess relationships between CQ and AL, and specific components of each set of data. The study's findings were directed toward academic leaders being equipped with both cultural intelligence and authentic leadership to effectively interact and support diverse multicultural populations within higher educational institutions.</p>

<p> Information systems can be used to increase competitiveness by increasing the effectiveness and speed of decision-making. Software as a Service (SaaS) is a subset of cloud computing that provides information systems functionality through a web browser. Organizations that adopt SaaS can receive value over time if they continue to use the SaaS solution after implementation. This study analyzed the extent to which SaaS adoption and continued use factors affect the continued use of SaaS in organizations. The research can help organizations maximize the value of SaaS by identifying success factors for continued use. The study determined the extent to which the independent factors of Rapport, Responsiveness, Reliability, Features, Security, Flexibility, and Marketing Effort affected the dependent variable of the decision makers' intent to continue use of SaaS within their organization. Participants in the study included IT managers and other technologists familiar with the use of SaaS in their workplace. Invitations were sent via email to IT managers and technologists working at a large aerospace organization. There was also an open invitation posted on a social media site used by customers of a large SaaS provider. The invitations resulted in 101 valid responses. The Extended SaaS-Qual model developed in this study is an extension of an earlier model developed to analyze SaaS continuance. The original SaaS-Qual model was extended to understand the effect of marketing on SaaS continuance intention. Statistical analysis including loadings, internal consistency, convergent validity, and discriminate validity showed strong support for the Extended SaaS-Qual model. The Extended SaaS-Qual model will help with the establishment of standardized measures for the benefit of both SaaS providers and SaaS users.</p>

<p> Over the past forty years, responsibility for addressing poverty has shifted to the private sector, a result of elite interests and a changing political culture. Policy changes have eroded the state's effort at providing a social safety net, and replaced this effort with a nonprofit sector that is dependent on a complex mix of private and public funding. Using resource dependency theory, this research considers how grantmakers and field-level actors influence policies within nonprofit organizations. Ethnographic research in Bloomington, Indiana, a community that takes pride in its active citizenry and its robust social service sector, serves as a case study for examining how this mix of private and public effort address poverty. Using data collected from 35 social service agencies and in-depth studies of four nonprofit agencies that reflect the range of funding models, this research examines how the external environment affects participation, governance, and advocacy efforts within agencies. In terms of participation, this research shows that some agencies that rely on volunteers and community donations reflect an empowerment organizational culture, but that the complexity of government funding presents a major challenge to agencies, requiring professional skills and knowledge that exceed what is found in the community. With regard to governance, as agencies have to devote more effort to securing and managing funding, missions shift, services are reduced, and empowerment cultures are threatened. Advocacy efforts, except when considered most broadly as securing additional resources for clients, are of minimal importance among agency directors and board members. </p>

<p> The United States increasingly calls upon elite teams of Special Operations Forces, like the Navy SEALs, to respond to the evolving asymmetric threats posed by terrorists and extremists. These teams must have the capacity to adapt as a collective unit in the most dynamic circumstance. This research explored the nature of collective adaptation by these exceptional action teams using a qualitative case study methodology and a lens of complexity theory. Specifically, data gathered from official documents and interviews with retired Navy SEALs expanded the understanding of dynamic instability as it relates to team adaptation in uncertain environments. A greater understanding of this phenomenon contributed to the scholarly literature by identifying and describing the critical factors used by teams to promote adaptive capacity through the appropriate usage of structure and innovative flexibility in a dynamically changing situation. The study produced the following conclusions: 1. Individuals in an action team mentally reference a combination of general simple rules and situation-specific simple rules when they adapt in an uncertain environment. &bull; Varying application of different types of simple rules correspond with different levels of environmental uncertainty. &bull; Simple rules provide the basis for a shared cognitive structure that enables greater collective adaptation. 2. Previous experience plays an important role in the adaptive capacity of an action team. &bull; Experience provides an individual with context to determine how simple rules can and should be applied. &bull; Experience strengthens the relationship (trust and familiarity) between team members which allows them to adapt more quickly and effectively as a collective. 3. Relationships between team members, grounded in previous experience and a shared culture, play an important role in the adaptive capacity of an action team. &bull; Trust between team members gives each individual the freedom and permission to take initiative and adapt as necessary. &bull; Familiarity between team members enables the action team to collectively adapt more quickly and effectively because they can predict how another teammate will react given a specific set of parameters without the need for extensive communication. 4. The ability of individual team members to control emotions, slow and simplify reactions, and focus communication promotes more effective adaptation by an action team in an uncertain environment. &bull; Individual decision-making is enhanced when individuals are able to control their reactions and react calmly in the midst of an uncertain environment. &bull; As environmental uncertainty increases, individuals who react by slowing down and simplifying their actions are capable of more effective adaptation. &bull; In an uncertain environment, action teams that focus communication, reduce potential distractions for team members. This reduced, but effective communication is possible because of trust and familiarity between team members. 5. An action team's ability to adapt is dependent upon its dynamic instability (the interplay between morphostatic and morphogenetic factors). &bull; Morphostatic factors that promote structure include simple rules, selection of team members, familiarity between team members, and perpetuation of a structured culture that regulates behavior. &bull; Morphogenetic factors that promote flexibility include previous experience, distributed leadership, trust between team members, and perpetuation of a permissive culture that encourages innovation.</p>