Doctor of Philosophy, Case Western Reserve University, 2024, Management

There is a growing body of literature highlighting the significance of adopting Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) principles, which contribute positively to an enterprise's value. The influence of stakeholder theory has prompted global organizations to increasingly embrace ESG principles, garnering heightened attention in recent years, a shift from the past. However, there is a paucity of literature on empirical studies investigating the impact of organizational behaviors on the decision-making process of adopting ESG principles. This dissertation employs a sequential mixed-method research design to explore the effects of leadership styles on the perceived importance of ESG factors in organizations. Initially, an exploratory qualitative inquiry, involving semi-structured interviews with thirty respondents, examines the factors influencing the decision to adopt and implement social-related issues in organizations. Subsequently, an archival study delves into the mechanisms through which ESG indirectly influences firm profitability via employee satisfaction. The research also investigates the direct effects of authentic and ethical leadership on perceptions of ESG. Informed in general by the upper echelons theory and the stakeholder theory of the firm, the study considers leadership authority as a factor driving the embrace and implementation of ESG principles. Leaders exert influence in allocating organizational resources to achieve desired outcomes. Additionally, other factors such as costs, regulation, and reputation play a role in the decision to adopt ESG-related policies. The second phase of the dissertation explores the direct and indirect effects of positive performance indicators of environmental, social, and governance aspects on corporate financial performance (CFP) through employee satisfaction (ES) among S&P 500 companies from 2015 to 2019. The findings indicate a significant positive impact of employee satisfaction on corporate financial perf (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Timothy Fogarty, Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Olubunmi Faleye, Ph.D. (Committee Member); Yunmei Wang, Ph.D. (Committee Member); Philip Cola, Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Management

PHD, Kent State University, 2019, College of Business and Entrepreneurship, Ambassador Crawford / Department of Management and Information Systems

Followers accept influence when target leaders meet their perception of what it means to be a leader. Impression management (IM) is an important means of influencing these perceptions. However, extant literature on leader IM is fragmented and lacks a clear explanation of how the influence process occurs. I unify the literature in this area by creating a multi-dimensional typology and multi-level model of IM in leadership. I examine the multi-dimensional nature of IM as composed of information processing, communicative, and goal-directed components, creating eight IM archetypes. Further, I develop an instrument used in experimental studies to test the IM model within transformational leadership theory, highlighting followers' cognitive categorization processes and testing how the addition of a moderator, ethical work climate (EWC), impacts causal predictions from the model. Across two empirical studies, I find that authentic IM behavior leads to greater transformational leadership perceptions (TL perceptions) than inauthentic and pro-social IM behavior leads to greater TL perceptions than pro-self. There is no significant difference between automatic and controlled IM behavior and TL perceptions. Also, an EWC strengthens the positive effects of authentic communication on TL perceptions. Finally, I provide a cognitive explanation for the IM influence process by showing that certain IM behaviors are implicitly associated with transformational leader behaviors. I integrate my results within existing literature and explain how the model can be used in future research.

Committee: Mary Hogue (Advisor); Pratim Datta (Committee Member); Greta Polites (Committee Member); Jennifer Wiggins (Committee Member) Subjects: Behavioral Sciences; Business Administration; Management; Organizational Behavior

Ph.D., Antioch University, 2022, Leadership and Change

Children benefit from engagement in early education and care (ECE) programs that support their learning and development while also providing a point of connection to critical resources for their families. For children from economically disadvantaged families, the lack of access to high-quality ECE results in a persistent achievement and opportunity gap (Garcia & Weiss, 2015). A significant portion of ECE occurs in home-based early learning environments, also known as family child care (FCC) programs, which play a critical role in supporting children from low-income and immigrant families (Layzer et al., 2007; Porter et al., 2010). Unfortunately, this sector of ECE has seen declining numbers of licensed caregivers over the past decade, due to increased regulatory requirements, low pay, competing commitments, low professional status, and working conditions involving long days in isolation from colleagues or peers (NSECE Project Team, 2016; Tuominen, 2003; Stitou et al., 2018). Using grounded theory methodology, this study explored the lived experience of successful FCC educators, examining the impact of professional identity, intentionality of practice, and management of competing demands on educators' efficacy, psychosocial well-being, and job satisfaction. The stories shared by educators in this study underscore the value of maintaining and supporting this sector of the ECE ecosystem. The findings provide a deeper understanding of the conditions and social processes that allow FCC educators to be effective and thrive in their work. This insight is the key to retaining high-quality programs, recruiting new professionals into the field, and developing strategies to support and strengthen FCC programs that serve young children and their families. This dissertation is available in open access at AURA (https://aura.antioch.edu) and OhioLINK ETD Center (https://etd.ohiolink.edu).

Committee: Elizabeth Holloway PhD (Committee Chair); Harriet Schwartz PhD (Committee Member); Rachel Gooze PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Early Childhood Education; Education; Education Philosophy; Education Policy; Educational Leadership; Educational Psychology; Educational Theory; Families and Family Life; Gender; Gender Studies; Occupational Psychology; Organization Theory; Personal Relationships; Preschool Education; Teacher Education; Teaching

BA, Kent State University, 2016, College of Arts and Sciences / Department of Psychological Sciences

The need for authentic leaders has been increasing due to corporate scandals, banking failures, and an overall lack of accountability within leadership positions. Corporations can measure authentic leadership using assessment centers. Our study aimed to answer whether leadership assessment center (LAC) measures measure underlying concepts of authentic leadership and whether these measures cluster together in ways consistent with the theory of authentic leadership. Our study consisted of 88 employees from the Hyland Software Company who volunteered to partake in a LAC experience that involved participating in scenarios, simulations, roleplays, and interviews over the span of three days while being evaluated by trained observers. Using a common factor analysis with a maximum likelihood extraction method and an oblique, oblimin factor rotation, results showed a four factor solution with good model fit and strong internal consistency. Thus, the assessment center measured the authentic leadership construct through four established factors labeled: “Communicating with Integrity,” “Leading Through People,” “Confident Problem Solver,” and “Task Project Oriented.” The implications and potential of leadership assessment centers are discussed along with the possible use of cultural assessments to tie organizational culture and leadership together into a cohesive unit.

Committee: Mark Whitmore Dr. (Advisor); Joel Hughes Dr. (Advisor); Elizabeth Howard Dr. (Committee Member); Steve Riczo Dr. (Committee Member); Clarissa Thompson Dr. (Committee Member) Subjects: Management; Occupational Psychology; Organizational Behavior; Psychology