Master of Arts (M.A.), Xavier University, 2018, Psychology

This study sought to examine the career advancement potential of mothers in the workplace in relation to other variables, including family-oriented workplace practices, work-family stress, career advancement self-efficacy, family-supportive organizational perceptions, and family-supportive supervisor behaviors. Additionally, this study analyzed the relationship between career advancement self-efficacy and family-oriented practices; work-family stress and family-oriented workplace practices; and career advancement self-efficacy and career advancement potential. Data collected from 101 participants showed that family-oriented workplace practices significantly predicted a mother's career advancement potential. Additionally, a significant correlation between career advancement self-efficacy and career advancement potential was found. Implications and future research directions are discussed.

Committee: Morrie Mullins Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Dalia Diab Ph.D. (Committee Member); Sjen Johnson M.A. (Committee Member) Subjects: Behavioral Sciences; Business Education; Families and Family Life; Individual and Family Studies; Occupational Psychology; Organizational Behavior; Psychology; Womens Studies

Doctor of Philosophy, Case Western Reserve University, 2022, Management

This research aims to look at the changes and inequities that minority women face in the financial services industry, specifically African American Women in Organizational Leadership. This research focuses on the differences and behavioral impact of these leaders, as well as the lack of representation at the “C-Suite” level, to better understand some of the challenges and barriers they faced that were unique from those faced by their peers, as well as success factors that allowed them to advance to senior-level management positions. Many consumers will unwittingly come across a section titled “Diversity and Inclusion” while browsing the websites of today's leading banks. Almost every bank in the world has made it a requirement to promote this relatively new policy, which aims to ensure that employees of all genders and backgrounds have an equal chance of being hired and progressing through their organizations in a fair manner. We've seen some progress in women's representation in corporate America over the last five years. Since 2015, the number of women in top leadership positions has increased. This is especially true in the executive suite, where female representation has increased from 17 percent to 21 percent. Although this is a step in the right direction, parity is still a long way off, particularly for women of color, who are underrepresented at all levels. Women's representation gains will eventually stall unless significant changes are made early in the pipeline. Women have a significantly harder time advancing in their careers than males due to gender bias. Gender bias, on the other hand, isn't the only roadblock to women's career advancement. Women whose social identities differ from the dominant workplace expectations—that is, women who are not White—face additional challenges, including navigating more precarious situations, being forced to conform to cultural norms that may contradict their social identities, and encountering biases other than gend (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Diana Bilimoria (Committee Chair); Yolanda Freeman-Hildreth (Committee Member); Corinne Coen (Committee Member); Paul Salipante (Committee Member) Subjects: African American Studies; Management; Womens Studies

Doctor of Business Administration (D.B.A.), Franklin University, 2024, Business Administration

The research explored the underrepresentation of minorities (racial/ethnic minorities) in leadership roles in the workplace. With the recent surge of diversity programs, minority representation has grown in lower-level roles; however, minorities are sparse in higher-status roles. The study utilized literature and a phenomenological qualitative design to collect participant data. Leaders and organizations must understand the behaviors that can help BIPOC people advance into leadership roles. The purpose of this study was to discover why there is a low representation of minorities in leadership roles and how current leaders can help them advance in their organization. The study utilized a qualitative methodology phenomenological design to collect data from 11 minorities (racial/ethnic minorities). LinkedIn community was used to find the sample for interviewing. Semi-structured questions were used to gather data from participants' experiences in the workforce. Atlas. It was implemented to help establish themes and codes from the interviews. Participants described their challenges when looking to advance and how they overcame them. In addition, they also share leadership behaviors that can assist minorities with career growth. Understanding the obstacles that minorities face and the behaviors to help them succeed can help organizations strategize and grow in markets they don't have representation. Additionally, it builds strength regarding the recruitment and retention of minorities and contributes to innovation.

Committee: Kathy Richie (Committee Chair); Sarah Jouganatos (Committee Member); Tonia Young-Babb (Committee Member) Subjects: Business Administration; Ethnic Studies; Social Research

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) in Organizational Leadership , Franklin University, 2023, International Institute for Innovative Instruction

This explanatory sequential mixed methodology study examined the impact of mentorship on African American female accountants' advancement to executive leadership positions. The target sample included mentored African American female accountants in the Accountants of Color (AOC) Facebook group, Alliance of Black Women Accountants (ABWA), Black Women in Accounting and Finance Network LinkedIn group, and the Accountancy Board of Ohio. The goal of the mixed methods study was to understand the mentoring relationships, perceived mentorship benefits, and social networks experienced by African American female accountants. Due to the small sample size for the quantitative portion of the explanatory sequential mixed methods approach, multiple regression analysis was not performed. Phenomenological interviews were conducted for the qualitative approach to gain insight into participants' lived experiences regarding the benefits of connecting with a mentor, which contributed to the findings. Aside from the benefits of connecting with a mentor, the study's findings identified obstacles experienced by African American female accountants as they climbed the career ladder. The study's findings highlight a need to enhance the recruitment and retention of African American female accountants, diversity at the executive-level in leadership positions, and organizational strategies within accounting firms to help shatter glass and concrete ceilings in order for African American female accountants to obtain executive leadership positions. The study's research contributions highlight the benefits of mentoring relationships, networking, and the promotion of diversity initiatives within the organizational culture of accounting firms. The study enriched existing research as it focused exclusively on the lived experiences of African American female accountants to examine if mentorship influenced career advancement.

Committee: Valerie Storey (Committee Chair); Shantelle Jenkins (Committee Member); Jennifer Harris (Committee Member) Subjects: Accounting; African Americans; Education; Womens Studies

Doctor of Organization Development & Change (D.O.D.C.), Bowling Green State University, 2023, Organization Development

African American women are actively advancing to senior leadership across various business sectors in the United States. Many extraordinary Black women have strategically navigated and overcome barriers to occupy influential positions in some of the country's most well-known companies. Although increasing numbers of African American women and other minority females are breaking through the proverbial glass ceiling or concrete wall, literature on African American women leaders primarily focuses on organizational and institutional barriers. This qualitive, phenomenological study focuses on 13 African American women leaders who successfully climbed the corporate ladder to senior or executive positions within their fields' professional leadership contexts. By learning from their unique, lived experiences, this study identified facilitators that contributed to their successful ascension. These facilitators were categorized by contextual and individual factors, and key themes that emerged from this study included (a) race and gender barrier and asset, (b) career success and motivation, (c) family influences, (d) cultivating a community, (e) investment in professional development, (f) personal brand management, and (g) personal board of directors and advocates.

Committee: Deborah O'Neil Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Margaret Brooks Ph.D. (Committee Member); David Jamieson Ph.D. (Committee Member); Chris Willis Ph.D. (Other) Subjects: African Americans; Management

PHD, Kent State University, 2022, College of Education, Health and Human Services / School of Foundations, Leadership and Administration

Guided by the three-dimensional narrative inquiry framework, this study explored the career experiences of women support staff with advanced degrees who work at higher education institutions. The researcher interviewed eight participants for this study. The participants also completed a written reflection detailing their career journeys. Two feminist organizational frameworks guided the data collection and data analysis procedures: Kanter's (1977) structural empowerment theory and Acker's (1990) gendered organizations theory, as well as Acker's (2006) notion of inequality regimes. The researcher found 11 themes across the participants' career experiences: (1) the challenge and reward of support staff work, (2) the disrespect and invisibility of support staff work, (3) uncertain career goals inside higher education, (4) openness to career goals outside higher education, (5) perceiving opportunity, (6) navigating absence of opportunity, (7) the value of networking, (8) the benefit of an advanced degree, (9) the benefit of woman identity, (10) the hindrance of woman identity, and (11) the influence of identities beyond gender. To assist in the career advancement of women support staff, the researcher recommends supervisor support, formalized institutional opportunity structures, and addressing the inequality regimes of higher education. Further inquiry is needed to explore career experience influences beyond women's gender identity. The findings are valuable to higher education administrators concerned with employee retention and support staff advancement.

Committee: Christa Porter Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Tara Hudson Ph.D. (Committee Member); Eboni Pringle Ph.D. (Committee Member); Amy Damrow Ph.D. (Other) Subjects: Gender; Gender Studies; Higher Education; Higher Education Administration; Organization Theory

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

Corporations began hiring Black people into management positions in the 1960s and 1970s following the passage of the Civil Rights Act (1964) which made it unlawful to discriminate in hiring based on race, gender, religion, or country of origin. Black men were the first to benefit from this change in the law and Black women began to appear in entry level management roles in the 1980s. Forty years later, there have only been four Black women CEOs in the history of the Fortune 1000, the largest American companies based on reported revenues. This level of representation is closer to zero than 1 % despite over 6 % of the American population self-reporting as Black or African American women. The purpose of this study was to explore the career advancement journey of Black women who achieved the executive level in Fortune 1000 companies to identify what events were most critical in helping or hindering their career advancement. The research design was an exploratory, qualitative study using critical incident technique (Flanagan, 1954). The study consisted of 20 participants, Black women who had achieved executive level in Fortune 1000 companies with a minimum of 15 years of management experience. The analysis of the data revealed two over-arching themes across the participants: the experience of being the first and/or only woman, Black person, or Black woman and a small group of sustaining beliefs shared by the Black women. These beliefs served to sustain them over their career advancement journeys. Consistent with the critical incident methodology, the antecedents or what led to the incidents, the incidents themselves, and the outcomes of the incidents were all analyzed for themes. The study data was reviewed to identify practical implications and recommendations for Black women leaders, people who advocate for Black women in leadership, leadership in companies, and people in positions in diversity, equity, and inclusion. This dissertation is available in open (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: A.E. Lize Booysen DBL (Committee Chair); Harriet Schwartz PhD (Committee Member); Kathleen Brown PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: African Americans; Black Studies; Ethnic Studies; Gender Studies; Management; Minority and Ethnic Groups; Womens Studies

Master of Science (M.S.), Xavier University, 2020, Psychology

Expatriates constitute a significant financial investment for organizations that utilize them, and expatriate failure can cost organizations even more. This study examined job satisfaction between American expatriates and domestic employees, along with the relationships between both expatriate and significant other adjustment and expatriate job satisfaction, and the relationship between perceived career advancement value of an international assignment and expatriate job satisfaction. All participants were asked to fill out demographic information and complete the Index of Organizational Reactions (IOR). Expatriates from dozens of countries spanning five continents were also asked about their adjustment, their significant other's adjustment if they had a significant other, and the perceived career advancement value of their international assignment. There were no significant differences in overall satisfaction between expatriates and domestic employees, although there were significant differences discovered in five of the eight facets of the IOR. The relationships between expatriate adjustment and expatriate job satisfaction and between significant other adjustment and expatriate job satisfaction were not significant, but there was a significant and positive relationship between perceptions of career advancement and expatriate job satisfaction. This study helps add to previous research, which has shown there are no significant differences in job satisfaction between expatriates and domestic employees.

Committee: Mark Nagy Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Morrie Mullins Ph.D. (Committee Member); Dalia Diab Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Management; Occupational Psychology; Psychology

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.), Bowling Green State University, 2017, Leadership Studies

The purpose of this dissertation was to examine the experiences in leadership advancement of African American women. Over 10 million African American women are in the civilian labor force (United States Department of Labor statistics, 2015). The population of African American women with degrees having significantly increased over thirty years, with 264% more Bachelor's degrees and 353% more Master's degrees being earned, however barriers to opportunities continue to exist (Nooks-Wallner, 2008). Although anti-discrimination laws have existed since 1964, covert discriminatory patterns continue and are often entrenched in workplace systems, which prevent advancement opportunities (Cook & Glass, 2013). Phenomenology was the qualitative research method utilized for this study. Phenomenology is a scholarly study method that provides meaning-making, to more effectively comprehend the perspective of an individual or group of individuals. Meaning is gained through attaining data about situations or events surrounding a specific phenomenon. The intention is to determine how and why it influences others as it goes beyond the surface to gain depth. This study gathered data through various methods, such as an advance questionnaire, semi-structured interview protocol, review of participant leadership samples, and resumes/curriculum vitaes. This study contributes to understanding the leadership advancement experiences from African American women who have ascended to director-level or higher positions, across various industries. The key themes in this study were strategic preparation, and self-determination and courage. The data collected illustrate these themes and ten associated sub-themes. The purpose is to gain understanding from the experiences that influenced the advancement of African American women within this study into leadership positions. Interviewing African American women who have ascended into leadership offered contextual insight into their lived experie (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Patrick Pauken PhD (Advisor); Paul Christian Willis EdD (Committee Member); Paul Johnson PhD (Committee Member); Dalton Jones PhD (Other); Angela Logan PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: African American Studies; African Americans; Black History; Business Administration; Business Education; Education; Educational Leadership; Gender

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Ohio University, 2017, Educational Administration (Education)

Challenges with institutional fit, burnout, overall job satisfaction and retention of female faculty in medical schools continue to persist. Fueling much of this is the omnipresent disparities between male and female faculty in senior and leadership positions, leaving junior female faculty little hope for advancement. Faculty development programs that include formal mentoring which can influence perception of culture have been shown to improve job satisfaction of female faculty, thus improving retention of this important resource. Descriptive and bivariate statistics were used to evaluate similarities and differences between female faculty members in medical schools who plan to stay employed at their current institution and those who plan to leave or are undecided. Personal and workplace status characteristics, as well as perception of job satisfaction, culture, career advancement opportunities, and participation in a formal mentoring program were the specific attributes studied. In addition, a binomial logistic regression was conducted to assess the predictive value of one or more of these variables with a goal of determining whether or not participation in a formal mentoring program can predict intent to stay. Results of the analysis showed statistically significant differences between female faculty who intend to stay and those who plan to leave their institution or are undecided. The model, including perception of global job satisfaction, interpersonal culture (fit/collegiality) and equal opportunity for all faculty members, coupled with participation in a formal mentoring program, was statistically significant and was able to predict intent to stay.

Committee: Yegan Pillay (Committee Chair) Subjects: Higher Education; Medicine; Organization Theory

EdD, University of Cincinnati, 2013, Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services: Urban Educational Leadership

Women are underrepresented in the most senior level administrative positions in intercollegiate athletics. This qualitative study is an analysis of the professional lives of nine women who hold Senior Associate AD positions in Division I intercollegiate athletics. They were interviewed about their career experiences and their intentions to pursue the athletic director position. Their experiences were examined for the persistence of previously identified structural barriers to advancement and predictions were made about their intentions to pursue the athletic director position using the theory of planned behavior (TPB). The findings suggest structural barriers do persist which prevent them from obtaining the position of athletic director, however, they are very aware of the structural barriers and are actively breaking down those barriers to get the experiences they need to obtain an athletic director position. When applying TPB, predictions were made that five of the nine will likely not pursue the role of athletic director. These conclusions indicate women are partially contributing to their own underrepresentation. However, implementing strategies that cultivate and value women's experiences would go a long way to equalizing the hegemonic male environment of intercollegiate athletics and decrease underrepresentation of women in the most senior level position in athletic administration.

Committee: James Koschoreck Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Ann Millacci Ed.D. (Committee Member); Brody Ruihley Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Sports Management

Doctor of Education (Educational Leadership), Youngstown State University, 2008, Department of Teacher Education and Leadership Studies

The purpose of this research was to identify personal and institutional factors utilized by school administrators to make career advancement decisions. A survey of 639 masters' of educational administration, licensure, and doctoral students that attended Youngstown State University from 2002 to 2007 was conducted in the spring of 2008. Responses yielded sufficient data from which to identify factors and draw conclusions regarding the issue of school administrator shortages across the country.Current literature provided substantial evidence that several states have encountered school administrator shortages. However, their efforts have not yielded specific factors contributing to the shortages nor have effective solutions been found to alleviate the problem. Analysis of the survey results identified factors contributing to the under representation of women in school administration, an untapped pool of potential candidates in areas where shortages exist. Political factors also emerged, exposing school boards and legislative bodies as contributors to environmental conditions and work-related expectations viewed by potential administrative candidates as negative factors. Identified factors were categorized according to six conceptual perceptions: economic, educational, ideological, physiological/psychological, political, and sociological. Political solutions specifically designed to improve school administrator working conditions and subsequent administrative expectations dominated the recommendations following the study.

Committee: Richard Baringer Ed. D. (Advisor); Gunapala Edirisooriya PhD (Committee Member); Patricia Hoyson PhD (Committee Member); Jennifer Jordan PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Education; School Administration

Bachelor of Science in Business, Miami University, 2006, School of Business Administration - Marketing

The present paper investigates the factors that influence female advancement in the workplace by comparing achieved and less achieved women in the workplace in order to understand how to aid other women interested in reaching an esteemed level in their places of employment. The purpose of this study was to explore and describe the aspirations, values, attributes, and actions of women currently serving as achieved women in the workplace. A triangulation of qualitative data, collection methods and data sources was utilized to assess what these women ascribe their achievements to in their careers. Among other factors, the results confirm that the achieved woman has higher self-esteem, higher self-efficacy, and more internal locus of control than the less achieved woman. The research also confirms that the achieved woman's father has the most influence on her success. Additionally, the study's results suggest that a female's likelihood of becoming achieved is based on her ability to be independent rather than dependent, organized rather than disorganized, rational rather than emotional, energetic rather than apathetic, and self-assured rather than insecure. Taken together, the findings indicate the need for the creation of an information medium that communicates to young, ambitious women, helping them cultivate the qualities required to become achieved. Advance, a business plan idea created by the researchers and other team members, will become this print medium.

Committee: Rose Marie Ward (Advisor) Subjects: