<p> The deep-seated qualities of the psychological sense of community (PSOC) are sometimes considered vital to human function and without them we would suffer isolation, loneliness, depression, and alienation (Sarason, 1974; Pretty, Andrews, & Collett, 1994). In the late 1980s and early 1990s studies of the psychological sense of community began in the workplace (Pretty & McCarthy, 1991; Klein & D’Aunno, 1986. Understanding this phenomenon, what it is, and the implications for those who feel a sense of community and those who do not can be a strength or benchmark for teams and groups of geographically dispersed organizations to build models for improvement. While PSOC is generally measured by an individual’s perception of a referent community to which they belong, cohesion is the collective look at PSOC (Buckner, 1988; E. E. Sampson, 1988; R. J. Sampson, 1991). This study evaluates the sense of community in the context of a geographically dispersed community, where PSOC is both relational and locational. A mixed methods approach to the case study is done through the use of surveys, ethnographic observation, and interviews. Key findings in this study include 16 unique descriptive characteristics for FSPSOC, a strong linear correlation between cohesion and the PSOC, and ambiguity in the term <i>community</i>. In addition, it was established that employees perceive geographic dispersion as directly impacting PSOC. </p>
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:PROQUEST/oai:pqdtoai.proquest.com:10099664 |
| Date | 23 April 2016 |
| Creators | Peters-Van Havel, Karla Ruth |
| Publisher | Fielding Graduate University |
| Source Sets | ProQuest.com |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | thesis |
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