The study was an investigation into the motives, policies and practices of the Virginia Governmental Employees Association and the motivations, needs and desires of its membership. This was undertaken to determine the major forces which have prevented change in the operating practices or structure of the association. The research questions examined factors unique to the VGEA: the climate for public sector unionism in the state, the membership's needs and desires, and the practices and policies set forth by the VGEA. These areas represent the external environment, the perceptions of the membership, and the internal environment of the VGEA. A random sampling of the membership by survey was conducted to investigate the factors. Internal documents of the association were scrutinized in order to determine the factors that were specific to the association. Both qualitative and quantitative data was incorporated in the analysis. The study utilized empirical research into unions and associations, a descriptive study of the VGEA itself, and an analysis of the membership's responses to the survey instrument. The analysis concludes by identifying those factors most prevalent in preventing the association from becoming a union. The lack of collective bargaining, the prohibition of striking and right-to-work laws are major factors in the external environment. Internally, the past practices of the association, its reliance upon lobbying and its lack of political action all prevent change from occurring. The membership is not reflective of state employees overall, and the association continues to work only for the needs of its membership. / Master of Science

Interactions such as task assignments and communications between supervisors and subordinates have unintended negative consequences on subordinates such as alienation of subordinates that are not members of the 'in' group. These relations are determined by the quality of the leader-member exchange (LMX) between supervisor and subordinate. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of supervisor-subordinate exchange on state government employees by understanding the essence of these exchanges in state government agencies. The theoretical foundation of this phenomenological study was Graen and Uhl-Bien's conceptualization of LMX. Data were collected through 12 semi structured interviews with subordinates from the North Carolina Motor Vehicle Driver's License Section. This group of employees from the NC DMV were selected because of the geographical convenience to conduct interviews with participants. Supervisors were not interviewed for this study because the focus was the perceived effect on the employees' performance, motivation, and attitudes. The data were coded and analyzed using a modified Stevick-Colaizzi-Keen method. The results of this study supported that supervisor-subordinate exchanges can influence subsequent behaviors in government employees. This study may have future policy implications in that the results can be used to influence new policy or revise current policies concerning supervisor training within local, state, and federal government agencies. Organizations that comprehend how and why supervisor-subordinate exchanges impact them can revise training for both management and employees, improve communication and relationship skills, and reduce negative effects from these exchanges to promote positive social change.