Master of Fine Arts, Miami University, 2021, Art

Discrimination toward people of color has a deep-seated past in American culture and workplaces, resulting in racial inequality rooted in systemic racism. While it became illegal for employers to discriminate based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin, some work environments evolved into covert racist practices. This research study explores ways to question institutional processes, systems, and programs to fight systemic racism within the workplace at Miami University. It looks to challenge racial majority employees to examine their privilege by addressing bias, unconscious bias, microaggression, and micro-inequities through modern diversity training techniques. This modern diversity, equity, and inclusion training includes intergroup dialogue, perspective-taking, and goal-setting insights personal reflection. Combining these techniques generates thought-provoking discussions that have the ability to produce personal growth, revising institutional practices, and perpetuate social movement. This study holds significant implications for modern workplace models that wish to create a culture of actionable allyship, address institutional racism, and reduce discrimination. By building empathy toward people of color, work environments can grow into being supportive and inclusive places of opportunities for all.

DNP, Kent State University, 2024, College of Nursing

Lateral violence (LV) in healthcare remains a critical issue, impacting both staff well-being and patient care quality. This quality improvement (QI) project aimed to raise awareness of LV and provide practical strategies for healthcare professionals to address it effectively. Educational sessions were developed to define LV, explore its causes and consequences, and teach Cognitive Rehearsal (CR) techniques to combat LV. The project also emphasized organizational policy reviews, scenario-based learning, and promoting a culture of safety through continuing education. The QI initiative was conducted in a 269-bed acute care hospital, with two educational sessions held: one virtual session open to all hospital employees and an in-person session with the Nursing Practice Council. In total, 33 healthcare professionals attended the sessions. Participants were provided with educational materials, including an infographic and a pocket card summarizing LV concepts and CR responses. Data collection involved interactive polls and post-session evaluations, with results indicating 70% of participants had experienced LV and 91% reported feeling more knowledgeable about its impact. Participants expressed increased confidence in recognizing and addressing LV, with 73% rating the sessions as excellent. The project's findings highlight the value of combining educational interventions with policy reinforcement to promote awareness and improve responses to LV in healthcare. Limitations of the project include small sample size, limited post-session feedback, and the short-term nature of follow-up, all of which restrict the ability to assess the long-term impact of the intervention. Despite these limitations, this project has demonstrated positive results in enhancing awareness and offering practical strategies to address LV. Future initiatives could expand participation, include long-term assessments, and incorporate simulation exercises to further strengthen staff competency in (open full item for complete abstract)

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2009, ED Physical Activities and Educational Services

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships among investment in workplace learning, organizational perspective on human resource development (HRD), organizational outcomes of workplace learning, and organizational performance using the 2005 and 2007 Human Capital Corporate Panel (HCCP) surveys in Korean companies. The conceptual model proposed that investment in workplace learning was assumed to influence organizational outcomes of workplace learning, which affect in turn organizational financial performance. In addition, organizational perspective on HRD was expected to moderate between investment in workplace learning and organizational outcomes of workplace learning. The current study utilized nationally-representative datasets from the 2005 and 2007 HCCP surveys in South Korea to examine these relationships specified in the model at organizational level. In addition, the data were analyzed using structural equation modeling. The results showed a significantly positive relationship between investment in workplace learning and organizational outcomes of workplace learning. The current research also found a significantly positive relationship between organizational outcomes of workplace learning and organizational performance. In addition, the mediating effects of organizational outcomes of workplace learning were identified between investment in workplace learning and organizational performance. However, the moderating effect of organizational perspective on HRD did not exist in the relationship between investment in workplace learning and organizational outcomes of workplace learning. Moreover, this study compared two groups, manufacturing industry and non-manufacturing industry, to determine whether the conceptual model proposed in this study was the same for both the manufacturing industry and the non-manufacturing industry, using multiple-group SEM models. The results showed that there was a statistical difference in terms of the fit in the (open full item for complete abstract)

PhD, University of Cincinnati, 2024, Arts and Sciences: Psychology

Research on workplace relationships with people with disabilities (PWD) has found mixed results on emotional responses, such as empathy, to PWD in the workplace (Carpenter & Paetzold, 2013; Hirschberger et al., 2005). Within the research, there is conflicting evidence regarding whether empathy is always beneficial for workplace relationships between non-disabled individuals and PWD (Cesare et al., 1990; Colella & Varma, 2001; Lyubykh, 2016). The current study investigates the role of empathy in behavior towards PWD in the context of relationships between coworkers by conducting interviews with employees with disabilities and their non-disabled coworkers. The research questions addressed by this study are: What is the lived experience of employees with disabilities working with non-disabled coworkers?, What role do empathy and sympathy play within these relationships?, and How does an individual's disability identity impact their relationships with non-disabled coworkers? The interviews with the disabled employees were analyzed according to interpretive phenomenological analysis (Moustakas, 1994; Smith, 2011). Dyadic analysis was also conducted on the non-disabled coworker interviews paired with the disabled employee interviews. The interviews provide valuable insight into the experiences unique to disabled employees working with non-disabled coworkers. The results reveal factors that are important to disabled individuals in their relationships with non-disabled coworkers. Empathic behaviors appear to play a beneficial role within relationships between disabled and non-disabled coworkers while behaviors based in sympathy can be harmful. Implications from the study on how organizations can integrate the beneficial behaviors highlighted in the interviews are also discussed.

PHD, Kent State University, 2024, College of Arts and Sciences / Department of Political Science

Expanding the number of employee-owned firms is becoming an increasingly popular strategy of governments aiming to provide quality jobs, increase community wealth, and decrease economic inequality. However, questions remain regarding how existing employee-owned firms shape the economic lives and political behavior of those who work at them. First, I investigate how employee-owned firms may shape the economic lives of workers by comparing them with both typical workers and union members across a wide range of measures including income, wealth, workplace benefits, layoff rates, and workplace participation. Second, I investigate how employee share ownership affects political behavior by focusing on whether employee attitudes, skills, and economic resources developed in employee-owned firms “spillover” and lead to increased individual political activity. Third, I investigate if and how the ownership of stock and higher levels of wealth associated with it are predictive of right-leaning political preferences. All three questions will be answered using the data from the General Social Survey and quantitative methods including multi-variate regressions and structural equation models. By investigating the economic and political impacts of employee share ownership this dissertation provides important information for practitioners, policymakers, and scholars concerned with both economic and political inequality and the relationship between economic resources and political behaviors and attitudes.

Ph.D., Antioch University, 2024, Leadership and Change

This dissertation connects the recent DEIB movement within organizations to larger social justice movements, specifically those that impact workers and the workplace. Critical human resource development (CHRD) professionals, who serve as “insider activists”, are highlighted due to their work to continue movement objectives within organizations. Through testimonios and critical platicas, this study explores how Black and Latino/x LGBTQ+ CHRD professionals, in particular, are experiencing the workplace, especially as it relates to their engagement with how DEIB is practiced within organizations. Through this study, these professionals provide insights into the ways that workplaces can be redesigned and reimagined to be more critically conscious and equitable spaces, especially for those from marginalized backgrounds. Their reflections can work to enhance the ways that DEIB is practiced within organizations. This dissertation is available in open access at AURA (https://aura.antioch.edu) and OhioLINK ETD Center (https://etd.ohiolink.edu).

Master of Arts (MA), Bowling Green State University, 2022, Psychology/Industrial-Organizational

The Workplace Social Courage Scale (Howard et al., 2017) was designed to measure ways in which people take interpersonal risks within the work context. Though the measure has been subjected to rigorous development and initial validation studies, there have been few attempts to evaluate how it performs across cultures. This study evaluated the cross-cultural measurement invariance of the Workplace Social Courage Scale across U.S. and Indian samples. A secondary goal of this study was to expand the nomological network of the WSCS by investigating the relationships between workplace social courage and Hofstede's cultural dimensions (2001), and how these relationships differ between the two cultural groups. The WSCS was found to be fully (conceptually) invariant at the configural level across Indian and U.S. samples, and to be partially invariant at the metric and scalar levels all levels using the CFA-based and IRT-based methods. Zero-order correlations between WSCS scores and cultural dimension scores largely followed theoretical rationale. Future directions are discussed.

Master of Science (M.S.), Xavier University, 2021, Psychology

In a study conducted by Shore et al. (2018), two management methods that aimed to promote diversity and inclusion were described: the management prevention orientation and the management promotion orientation. The management prevention orientation focuses on complying with employment law and avoiding litigation, whereas the management promotion orientation focuses on embracing and maintaining diversity and inclusion by adhering to six themes of workplace inclusion (feeling safe, involvement in the workgroup, feeling respected and valued, influence on decision making, authenticity, recognizing, honoring, and advancing of diversity). Using hypothetical vignettes, this study examined how inclusive and sincere minorities perceived the management prevention orientation to be compared to the management promotion orientation. It was hypothesized that minorities would find the management promotion orientation more inclusive and more sincere compared to the management prevention orientation. Using a sample of 79 minorities recruited via MTurk, the study's hypotheses were supported. These findings confirm that the six themes of workplace inclusion described by Shore et al. seem to be a reflection of an inclusive climate, and that sincerity matters when it comes to favorable perceptions of a management style. A noteworthy result was that most participants who met this study's requirements for being considered minorities did not self-identify as minorities, implying that although people may be considered a minority by others, they may not necessarily self-identify as a minority. Future research should explore more ways to determine who should be considered a minority, as well as further examine if the term “minority” may be outdated.

Master of Science (MS), Ohio University, 2021, Industrial/Organizational Psychology (Arts and Sciences)

While there is a substantial body of literature investigating personal experiences of sexism at work, less research has been dedicated to investigating witnessed sexism and how third parties respond to these occurrences at work. However, given the increased organizational reliance on third party intervention as a way to combat workplace sexism, it is important to understand how third parties appraise and react to sexism when they witness it. Further, the absence of research is even more pronounced for subtle forms of sexism, such as benevolent sexism, which contributes to an incomplete understanding of how third party responses may vary following different forms of sexism. Thus, this study explored differences between witnessed hostile sexism and witnessed benevolent sexism for three important third party responses: perceptions that the sexist event is a moral violation, moral anger, and reported intervention intentions. Results showed that hostile sexism was associated with higher mean levels of perceived moral violation and moral anger when compared to benevolent sexism. Additionally, the results supported a mediated model in which witnessed hostile sexism was associated with higher levels of perceived moral violation, which was then positively associated with moral anger, leading to greater reported intervention intentions than instances of witnessed benevolent sexism. These results contribute to the literature by highlighting how the subtlety of the sexism employees are exposed to impacts third party reactions. Current third party intervention trainings can also be improved through understanding how subtle discrimination differs from overt discrimination.

Master of Science (M.S.), Xavier University, 2021, Psychology

As a relatively new facet of the occupational health psychology literature, the Psychologically Healthy Workplace (PHW; American Psychological Association, 2015) incorporates five components: employee involvement, work-life balance, employee growth and development, employee recognition, and health and safety (Grawitch et al., 2006). This study examined the nature and degree to which job applicants are attracted to organizations promoting PHW practices utilizing these components. Specifically, it investigated whether self-reported participant health issues are related to attraction to organizations promoting a PHW. It also explored whether applicants were more attracted to some PHW components than others and extended Catano and Morrow Hines' (2016) findings by focusing on Openness to Change and its interaction with industry type. Results indicated that participants self-reported mental and physical health scores were significantly positively correlated with their overall attraction to organizations promoting the five PHW components. A significant overall mean difference on attraction based on PHW component was also found, in which mean attraction scores were highest for the work-life balance component and lowest for the health and safety component. There were significant mean differences for all component comparisons, except the mean difference between employee growth and development and employee recognition. Findings also indicated a significant effect for industry type and Openness to Change on organization attraction. Overall, these findings contribute to the limited PHW literature. Future researchers should investigate whether patterns emerge across the five components in terms of job applicant's attraction, or if attraction to certain components is dependent on other variables in work or personal environments.

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.), Bowling Green State University, 2019, Leadership Studies

The purpose of this qualitative hermeneutic phenomenological study was to explore how the public service millennial leader's lived experiences influence their workplace expectations as it relates to workplace longevity as public sector employees. 12 public service leaders within the City of Detroit were selected for this study because they voluntarily agreed to participate, they self-identified as a millennial, and they held a leadership position within the City of Detroit at the time of the study. Millennial leaders were chosen for this study because they are the future leaders of the U.S. workforce. By 2025, 75% of the workforce will comprise of millennials (Ng & Gossett; Fry, 2016; Henstra & McGowan, 2016). However, millennials are changing jobs every 18 months to 3 years, while many change industries completely. Local government is most threatened by this trend, reporting a 3-4% loss in workforce annually (Ng & Gossett; Fry, 2016; Henstra & McGowan, 2016). The existing literature indicates a disconnect between millennials who want to lead in the public sector, and their ability or willingness to be retained long-term. Key findings from the study indicate that millennials who work in the public sector have a defined life mission and purpose that is deeply rooted in familial and early life experiences. Millennials are also constantly seeking ways to fulfill their purpose and life's calling to serve. Adult development and public service motivational theories were used to frame the study. It was recommended that organizational leaders should understand the connection between familial influences and the millennial's mission, implement cultural honesty, understand what millennials are constantly seeking, provide clear pathways to success and goal attainment, and promote positive peer relationships. Recommendations for future research included understanding psychological contracts and their implications on unmet expectations, understanding millenn (open full item for complete abstract)

Doctor of Philosophy, Miami University, 2019, Educational Leadership

This manuscript describes a research study regarding supervisor influence in the workplace with potential effects on employee effort. It contributes to current literature because it focuses specifically on supervisor power and the effects on employee motivation through the moderation of supervisor gender and employee locus of control in a business context. Specifically, it discusses French and Raven's (1959) power dynamics as the basis for supervisor influence. Further examining employee motivation, Ryan, Williams, and Deci's (2009) self-determination theory and Rotter's (1966) locus of control assist in understanding the impact that supervisor influence has on employees. This manuscript hypothesized a positive relationship between supervisors using reward power and employee effort, as well as a negative relationship between supervisors exhibiting coercive power and employee effort. Gender (primary) and locus of control (secondary) were used as moderating variables. Results indicated a positive relationship existed between reward power and employee effort. Results also indicated a positive relationship between supervisors using coercive power and employee effort. The supplemental analyses revealed that female supervisors who influenced employees using coercive power was positively related to employee effort, but that this relationship was neutralized for male supervisors. To test the hypotheses, 155 full-time employees directly reporting to a supervisor, participated from a variety of organizations. In terms of theoretical contributions, this work contributes to gender and power literature, as it illustrates that supervisor gender dictates whether coercive power relates to motivation in the form of employee effort. In terms of practical implications, the findings illustrate that males and females should consider the manner in which they leverage their power (i.e., reward versus coercive) when attempting to influence employee effort.

Master of Arts (M.A.), Xavier University, 2016, Psychology

The purpose of this research was to determine if participation in a workplace health promotion (WHP) program has any influence on employees' awareness of and satisfaction with their body image, and whether or not those levels of awareness and satisfaction differ between male and female employees. It was hypothesized that individuals who participate in a WHP program would report higher body surveillance and lower body shame than those who do not participate in such a program. Exploratory hypotheses also questioned if there were gender differences in participants' experiences of surveillance and shame. Data was collected from a sample of 174 participants. Independent-samples t-tests were used to test the main hypotheses focused on participation, and ANCOVAs were used to test the exploratory hypotheses focused on gender. Neither of the main hypotheses yielded significant results, whereas the exploratory hypotheses yielded results in the opposite direction of what was hypothesized. This study contributed interesting findings to the literature on WHP and wellness programs, as well as two keys factors that contribute to the development of body image. Participating in, or at least being exposed to, a WHP program may lead some employees to experience varying degrees of body surveillance or body shame, but said participation did not yield a significant increase in surveillance nor a significant decrease in shame. Of greater interest is that although male WHP program participants and non-participants alike reported significantly more body surveillance, there were no significant differences between both male and female participants (and non-participants) in the experience of body shame. These results have significant implications for future discussions surrounding the development of body image and experience in WHP programs.

Master of Arts (M.A.), Xavier University, 2016, Psychology

The current study examined the effects of planning errors and organizational error management culture on occupational self-efficacy. A total of 223 participants were randomly assigned to one of four vignettes where they were asked to imagine themselves completing a project at a fictitious company. The vignettes were constructed using a 2 (planning error: present, not present) x 2 (error management culture: high, low) between subjects factorial design. In the planning error condition, the participant was described as making a planning error when completing the project, whereas in the no planning error condition, no error was made, and the project was completed on time. In the high error management culture condition, the company was described as being open to errors and emphasized communication and learning from errors, whereas in the low error management culture condition, the company was described as not being open to errors and penalized the participant if an error was made. After reading the scenario, the participants rated their level of occupational self-efficacy. Results showed a significant main effect of planning errors on occupational self-efficacy, such that occupational self- efficacy was lower in the planning errors condition than in the no planning errors condition. Future research should continue to explore additional consequences of planning errors and other errors in the workplace. Moreover, future research should further examine ways that organizations can reduce errors in their employees and ways to reduce the negative effects of the errors when they do occur.

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2015, Industrial and Systems Engineering

Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) have been recognized as one of the leading causes of workplace injuries. The economic burden of MSDs is estimated to cost up to $54 billion annually. Previous studies have shown that the development of workplace ergonomics interventions could reduce workers' exposure to physical stress and strain, consequently reducing workers' risk of developing work-related MSDs. Even with promising results demonstrating efficacy in laboratory-based studies, theoretically sound `changes' may be resisted or rejected by end users. The long term objective of this research is to improve adoption rates of theoretically sound safety-related changes in the workplace. The underlying hypothesis in this three phase study is that employing structured contemplating activities may result in better acceptance compared to traditional implementation processes. The specific aims of this study were to: 1) Systematically investigate and document how past safety-related workplace changes were implemented from the perspectives of managers and employees, 2) Explore the effect of three types of contemplative implementation approaches to influence an individual's intention and attitude towards adoption of a safety-related workplace change, 3) Compile an employee version of an `ideal' introduction-training program to be used when introducing a safety-related change in methods or equipment in a workplace, 4) Share, review (member checking) and validate findings related to Aims 1, 2, and 3 with industrial practitioners, and 5) Investigate how the presented findings and ideas for introduction-training program components might influence the industrial practitioners to possibly reconsider their strategies to introduce workplace safety-related changes in the future. Semi-structured interviews with managers responsible for implementing changes and employees who had experienced receiving changes were used to achieve the first aim. The second aim was achieved through a l (open full item for complete abstract)

Master of Arts (M.A.), Xavier University, 2014, Psychology

Extensive research has established a strong, reciprocal relationship between job satisfaction and OCB in the workplace. The aim of this study was to examine perceptions of OCB and the effect those have on perceptions of job satisfaction. It was hypothesized that perceptions of OCB would positively predict perceived job satisfaction. It was also hypothesized that attribution would moderate the relationship between perceived OCB and perceived job satisfaction. Finally, it was hypothesized that ratings of perceived OCB engagement would be positively related to perceived working relationship with the individual's supervisor. Data were collected from a sample of 85 participants. Simple linear regression was used to test the first hypothesis and it was found to be supported. Ratings of perceived OCB engagement did significantly predict perceived job satisfaction. A hierarchical regression was used to test attribution as a moderator but the results were not significant. A correlation was used to test the relationship between perceived OCB engagement and perceived working relationship with the supervisor and the results were significant, supporting the third hypothesis. The results have both theoretical and practical implications, which are discussed along with limitations and future research directions.

MS, University of Cincinnati, 2001, Engineering : Industrial Engineering

The Workplace Design and Evaluation Guide is meant to provide workplace designers and users with a step by step guide to Evaluate and Design a workplace. This checklist aims to help users find the relevant information at the right time and in the right format in the area of workplace design and evaluation using state of the art technology. The Workplace Design and Evaluation Guide is an interactive design tool, which uses a sequential methodology to analyze an existing workplace and aid in the design of a new workplace. The unrelenting pressure in todays workplace makes more and more demands on our physical and mental capabilities, thus resulting in more work related injuries. This guide can help prevent these injuries and provides the appropriate corrective measures to be taken to address workplace injuries.

PhD, University of Cincinnati, 2010, Arts and Sciences : Sociology

Very little is known about how flexible work policies affect the processes of work itself, yet many organizations resist flexible work arrangements due to operational concerns. This is occurring despite larger numbers of workers seeking flexibility at work. My dissertation examines how flexible work arrangements are designed and implemented, how work processes and job responsibilities are affected, and how workplace culture and structure shape these activities. I use a qualitative, grounded theory approach to conduct a case study of a large Midwestern U.S. workplace with a diverse hierarchy of jobs. Spatial analysis and semi-structured face-to-face interviews with both managers and non-managers in salary and hourly positions were used to gather data. Data analysis focused on identifying and examining themes and concepts indicative of the language and tools of flexible work arrangements and work process change associated with those arrangements. A focus on language allowed me to consider how respondents understood and talked about their workplace and flexibility, as well as work process and environmental changes made in the interest of flexibility. A focus on tools allowed me to consider structural and cultural mechanisms, both intended and unintended, that affected flexibility in the workplace. Findings provide insights into the practical aspects of flexible work arrangements and ways that workplace structure and culture can affect corporate organizations approaches to flexibility in ways that may not even be directly associated with flexible work arrangements in the minds of organizational members. I provide a snapshot of workplace structure and culture, discuss the state of flexible work arrangements at the organization, present structural and cultural factors that affect flexibility, outline tensions between what is seen as an optimal workplace versus a flexible workplace, and discuss ways that identity, place and process appear to shape all of these things. B (open full item for complete abstract)

PhD, University of Cincinnati, 2008, Nursing : Nursing, Doctoral Program

Workplace incivility is low-level deviant behavior with ambiguous intent to harm the target in violation of workplace norms (Andersson and Pearson 1999). Research has demonstrated that workplace incivility is associated with decreased productivity and negative health outcomes, but more information is needed about the underlying causes before interventions can be developed and tested. No research was found evaluating whether the level of workplace incivility has a single cause or multiple causes. If multi-causal, the level of incivility should fluctuate over time, whereas if it has a single cause, the level should remain stable until that cause is modified. The primary aim of this longitudinal study was to assess whether the level of workplace incivility fluctuated over time in a hospital setting. A secondary aim was to determine if demographic and employment characteristics were related to the level of incivility. Seventy-one randomly selected employees consented to participate and 85% (n=60) returned the Demographic/ Employment survey at baseline. Ninety percent of these participants were female, and 85% were Caucasian. The mean years of education were 13.86. The Incivility in Healthcare Survey (IHS) which consist of five scales measuring incivility from environmental, coworker, manager, physician, and patient sources and was distributed every month for 12 months to the participants. Women and younger employees reported significantly higher levels of incivility; whereas, those occupations reporting the lowest levels of incivility were the physicians and maintenance workers. A repeated measure ANOVA model indicated, while there was not significant fluctuations in the overall level of workplace incivility over 12 months (F=3.16 p<.0763), there were significant fluctuations in the level of workplace incivility from the coworker (F= 8.50 p=.0037) and environmental (F=5.70 p=.0174) sources. These differences in the findings regarding fluctuations over time may have been (open full item for complete abstract)

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Ohio University, 2013, Communication Studies (Communication)

As a result of the Great Recession and the sluggish recovery, a downturn in the economy led to mass layoffs, leaving employees in various industries in the for-profit sector feeling hopeless and marginalized. Those employees were left voiceless as companies made autocratic decisions to cut wages and jobs to remain economically viable. This period of uncertainty for employee led to questions of whether or not space for participation, voice, and democracy could exist in the for-profit sector. Little research has focused on alternative, democratic organizing in the for-profit sector; hence, this research posed the central question: Under what conditions can a for-profit organization create a democratic, participatory culture that thrives in a capitalist society? To answer this question, a critical ethnography case study was conducted on a small for-profit telecommunications business that claims to be democratic. Ten individuals from the company and an expert on democratic corporations were interviewed. Results suggest multiple strategies enable democratic practices in a corporate for-profit environment that can flourish in a downturn economy. These strategies consist of a shared democratic narrative among employees, scalable practices, and practicing transparency while holding employees accountable in the face of a downturn.