module 1 Activity 550

Abstracts of Completed MS-OGL Applied Projects *updated, 10/10/2021

“A Global Perspective: Factors to Building a Successful Online Business”

Mona Al Qadi, Summer 2021

As a result of the fast enhancement in digital technologies, many online businesses are sprouting all over the globe. The internet has made it easy for entrepreneurs to enter the business world that it is no longer controlled by a small group of people who have a large capital. As a result, thousands of new online businesses have been created in the past few years. The proliferation of success stories about online businesses has led many entrepreneurs to start online businesses believing that customers will find them automatically and sales will flow. However, research has shown that hundreds, if not more, of these online businesses have been forced to close and all high expectations for easy money have evaporated. Many studies have estimated that the failure rate among these businesses ranged between 80% -90%. The purpose of this case study is to explore the success factors that will help future entrepreneurs develop successful and sustainable online business. The methodology utilized in this study included interviews with twelve online business owners from different industries and countries. Data collected from each interview resulted in a series of themes that were identified and contextualized within existing research. Results indicated that there are a lot of misconceptions about what it takes to run a successful online business. New online business owners often underestimate the time, energy, and skill it takes to really succeed online. Most of online business owners indicated that business skills, technological skills, and communication skills are the main pillars fora long-term, sustainable, and profitable online business.

“Servant Leadership: Using Servant Leadership Best Practices to Improve Individual and Organizational Performance”

Tyler Baisch, Summer 2021

Servant leadership has been claimed as a common practice within organizations worldwide. While individuals and organizations often incorporate some of the behaviors of a true servant leader, they often fail to fully incorporate servant leadership into their practice and embed it within their mission, vision, and organizational philosophy to improve performance on both the individual and organizational level. The failure to recognize creates a gap of knowledge that could potentially influence operational performance and individual attitudes within the workplace. Through a content analysis of the governing documents and annual reports of 12 organizations that identify as valuing servant leadership, a series of themes on behaviors and characteristics were identified. This data was then further used to develop a succinct list of 10 essential best practices of servant leadership that are commonly known to improve individual and

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organizational performance. These best practices were then converted into a series of posters that are to be used in any organizational workplace looking to promote a servant leader value system.

“Postgraduate Mental Health: Athletic Identity’s Impact on Mental Health in NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball and Football Student-Athletes”

Meghan Boryeskne, Summer 2021

This study uses anonymous surveys to show the impact of athletic identity on mental health in former NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball and Football Student-Athletes. The report assists athletic administrators in recognizing the need to create environments that promote healthy identity development and determines how the various aspects of competing at the highest level in college athletics impacts the future career trajectories of student-athletes. Using a six-part survey, this study is broken into the categories of athletic identity, postgraduate psychological difficulties, postgraduate psychosocial difficulties, postgraduate occupational difficulties, postgraduate organization of post- sports life, and mental health stigma. Yielding 44 participants who have graduated from 18 different NCAA Division I institutions within the last 10 years, the findings support an immediate need to addressing organizational systems that serve student-athletes whose success beyond college requires more attention to their identity development, utilizing a holistic approach. This project concludes with a series of recommendations aimed at athletic support staff and advising.

“Policy Shift: The Art of Culture Transformation”

Kara L. Burr, Spring 2021

Airline X [name redacted] surveyed the top 87 leaders in the organization for their feedback on progressing Racial Equity in leadership and across the organization. That survey data led to the development and implementation of a program called “Safety Circles,” where individual contributors that are leaders in the organization’s business resource groups are teaching the top executives how to have conversations on racial equity, social justice and put the training tools into practice. This project is intended to assess the impact of this program by capturing the unique input of the coaches who are leading the organization's culture transformation. Using a mixed methods approach, this study collected qualitative and quantitative data through surveys and interviews to assess the effectiveness of the “Safety Circles” program. While not all of the data was available upon the conclusion of this capstone project, from what is available it is clear from the coach's point of view that this program has been effective in its effort to lead culture transformation for racial equity in the organization. The data also reflects some areas of opportunity to implement improvements and address some organizational norms that exist. The coaches that participated are passionate about this program and want to be part of the journey. There is consensus with additional practice and safe space, leaders can grow and help create an organization that is more racially equitable.

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“Brand Ambassador & Coach Handbook”

Joshua Callahan, Spring 2021

Company X [name redacted] is a general contracting firm that has been in business on the U.S. east coast for more than 40 years. The firm currently has 3 offices that work on various construction projects across 4 states. Over the 40+ years of business, Company X has been recognized by numerous name variations and logos. Although the current logo has been in use for many years, it was recently brought to the leadership team’s attention that some long-term customers were not aware what the official logo was. As a result, Company X decided that it was time to rebrand itself and retire all past logos, slogans, and images so that a new image could be introduced and make it easier for the company to be identified in our marketplace. The leadership of Company X understood that a successful rebranding occurs when there is employee buy-in. Over a series of focus group sessions, the rebranding team at Company X began to identify potential pitfalls that can negate the success of the rebrand. These pitfalls included: communication between internal and external stakeholders, team member buy-in, stakeholder input, and the effective distribution of the brand. From these pitfalls we created two positions that would work interchangeably as coaches and ambassadors for the brand. The “Brand Ambassador & Coach Handbook” was created as a means for the coaches and ambassadors to see what their responsibilities are as it relates to the company’s rebranding process and gives them clear direction on how to navigate their new positions for feedback and effective communication. It also allows for a successful rebranding and creates the possibility for continuous improvement to the organization’s culture.

“College Athletes Transitioning to Professional World”

Nicholas Cheema, Summer 2021

Sports are the identity of college athletes; they have time for school and sports and that is it. Once careers come to an end, they struggle with what to do next in life and have a hard time transitioning from collegiate sports into the professional world. They often must find gap jobs, such as working at fast food, Door Dash, or others that they do not want to do as a career. In this study, a series of interviews were conducted among former division one collegiate athletes to assess their experiences as they transitioned out of the university system. The findings revealed that those interviewed did not feel that they received enough support while in college or afterwards in developing a professional profile or pipeline to transition into. As a result, they struggled. The findings also emphasized the desire for more internships and applied learning that wouldn’t be compromised by athletics schedules and other schoolwork. Using the data collected from the interviews, a needs assessment report for academic advisors and athletics directors was developed to highlight some of the challenges and needs of college athletes and to offer a series of recommendations on how to better serve this population.

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“Communication Between Leadership and Employees”

Jerry Coronado, Summer 2021

JCPenney is an American retailer that has been in business for over 115 years with 650 locations across the United States and Puerto Rico. This study examines communication between leadership and store employees at one JCPenney location in Albuquerque, NM. Communication within an organization will always play an important role in the overall success of the store. The goal of this project is to try and identify any possible communication barriers within a particular branch between store leadership and store employees and to offer suggestions for improvement. This project was executed by carrying out a survey that was distributed to both store leaders and employees who have worked at the organization for one year or more. This survey was conducted over a four- day period, so it gave the participants time to think about their answers and what they wanted to say, and contained both multiple choice and open-ended questions. The results demonstrate a 50/50 split among those respondents who felt that there were communication barriers within the store and those who did not. This finding leads to more questions, but also contributed to a proposed series of communication channels that are more inclusive across the store.

“Networking Behaviors for Optimal Career Outcomes”

Danya Diaz, Summer 2021

Networking can be utilized as a career management strategy for employees to take responsibility for their own career trajectory. To better understand this process, this study duplicates a previous study by Forret and Dougherty (2004) that looked at the relationship between networking behaviors and career outcomes. However, their study is missing diversity as their sample consisted of 98% Caucasian participants. As a result, this present study surveyed 496 participants with a total of 10 control variables, 5 independent variables, 3 dependent variables and 1 moderator. While the findings weren’t as conclusive regarding comparisons across race, it did reveal that the effect on maintaining contacts in regards to promotion stays the same amongst male and female and that gender doesn’t moderate networking behaviors and promotion. This is important because it challenges some of the findings of other studies, calling for additional research. The outcome of this research was used to develop a training module for an organization to focus on the importance of networking behaviors and implementation of actionable items.

“Creating an Online LMS to Increase Knowledge Retention and Job Performance at the Feral Cat Coalition of Oregon”

Elizabeth Edwards, Fall 2021

One of the many responses to the COVID-19 pandemic was a shift toward working- from-home (WFH). Web-based learning has set the stage for providing work-related training from the safety of home for organizations that have shifted to WFH operations

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or are trying to reduce the number of people within their buildings. This research applied the principles of leadership practices, organizational innovation, employee training and development philosophy, and andragogical theory in conjunction with multiple focus groups with key organizational members. The collaboration resulted in a custom online learning management system (OLMS) to standardize the Feral Cat Coalition of Oregon (FCCO) and enhance knowledge retention and transfer among new staff and volunteer members. From the initial research, it was apparent that FCCO required a way to train multiple new members that didn't rely on the presence of a specific trainer. Additionally, the trainer's teaching methods and content varied each time they taught. These inconsistencies exposed the need for a standardized training system that could be applied to multiple trainees simultaneously, led to the establishment of focus groups with key stakeholders. The product of the focus groups with the Chief Operating Officer (COO), Volunteer Coordinator (VC), IT Manager (ITM), and front office supervisor (FOS) culminated in the creation of password-protected online modules located on the FCCO site. New trainees will work their way through the modules to learn about the organization and its mission, in addition to performing various front office duties. The first trainees have proven that implementing a standardized web-based training system to be a cost-effective and coronavirus-approved investment for FCCO. However, preliminary data shows that the OLMS content and quiz structure will need several iterations to maximize the participants' knowledge retention.

“Influence and Social Psychology Techniques for Client Interactions”

Marcelo Esquer, Fall 2021

Due to the rapidly evolving client and consumer requirements or some may say demands of providers, practitioners, and workers in general, communication during client interactions has become critical. From the business perspective, metrics, and goals are tacked on to everything, and client interactions do not manage to go unnoticed; NPS scores are a common metric at businesses that are client facing. Companies are concerned with how their client interactions are going, and they cling hard to NPS scores to understand those interactions as a whole. The purpose of this project is to provide a training session with curriculum and accompanying materials on influence and social psychology techniques to employees of a specific branch of retail tech support that operates out of a big box retail store. Influence and social psychology techniques were chosen as they are quite possibly one of the biggest factors that can impact client interactions, and thus impact NPS scores. Techniques highlighted in the training curriculum and materials are specific to the types of interactions that will be encountered by the branch of the retail tech support. Foremost, the findings of the training session showed that the employees felt they were well equipped to better control client interactions. Similarly, employees felt better equipped to yield more promoters and thus higher NPS score, as well as feeling equipped to convert potential detractors into passives (neutral interactions). Additionally, employees felt they now

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had a working knowledge of influence and social psychology techniques as it pertains to their specific role.

“City of Tempe Veteran Mentorship Program Proposal”

Jeremy Farr, Fall 2021

The aim of this program proposal was to provide an understanding to city leadership about the viability and benefits in establishing a city facilitated military veteran’s mentorship outreach program for the City of Tempe. The proposal utilized a mixed method approach in analyzing academic peer reviewed articles and surveys to address research questions relating to the central theme. Several articles provided both qualitative and quantitative data that supports mentorship in general as well as specifically for military veterans. The proposal includes a discussion of the findings and includes rationale as well as program recommendations. As a result of the evidence that supports the establishment of a mentorship program, the proposal furnished key deliverables to assist in the implementation and management of the program. This includes, a PESTLE analysis, curriculum development, sample course material, and program guidance. The proposal rationale concludes that establishment of the program will support veterans, the community, and align the city’s vision and goals to its initiatives.

“Best Practices for Leaders on Effectively Managing a Team and Maximizing Engagement in a Virtual Setting”

Elizabeth Giacobbi, Fall 2020

Leading a virtual environment team requires a different set of techniques to maximize communication and engagement between team members that one may not need in a transitional work setting. After spending the last three years in a virtual work environment, it is apparent that leaders need additional training and additional leadership skills to excel at managing a team in a virtual environment. Since many team members are isolated and cannot meet in-person to build relationships around cubical walls and watercoolers, leaders need to set the standard and strive for virtual collaboration. By utilizing the content of leadership scholarship and virtual leadership practices, pulling analytical data, and conducting informal interviews with four virtual leaders and five virtual colleagues, I have comprised a set of best practices. From the initial research, I have narrowed down the focus to the topic of engagement and communication. While these are important, the additional practices needed to be classified into three subsections: establishing a foundation, focusing on technology, and setting leadership accountability. These best practices are targeted for a virtual leader in a technology based, customer-focused, consulting industry. The practices can begin to start the conversation between virtual leaders and their organizations. Leaders can use this tool as a metric for self-reflection on their skills and methods. From here, we can build virtual leadership training and standards that will be reviewed for years to come.

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“An Examination of Job Description Alignment Within the Context of Organizational Missions and Values”

Stephanie Jones, Summer 2021

This study evaluates the alignment of organizational values within the language context of job descriptions by examining the propensity at which companies within a defined business sector align their organizational values to posted job descriptions. The study does not address one specific company, but rather a process overview of ninety companies is examined, thirty companies within each of three business sectors; B- Corporations, Fortune 500’s, and Non-Fortune 500’s. Further, the study analyzes the percentage at which companies in each of these three sectors vary the representation of company values within their job descriptions based on the level of position (entry level, middle management, and executive). The quantitative method of research is utilized while also including nuances from the qualitative method of research. These approaches include a pragmatic worldview with an advocacy approach. This chosen method is suitable as there is a need to quantify the data while also reviewing data results through a lens of social emergence and pattern identification. The consequences of not solving the problem of alignment of job descriptions to mission and values is an ongoing disconnect between corporate values and seeking out, weeding out, and hiring the people who espouse these values. The data reflects areas of opportunity for all companies to better align their talent search activities, via the job description. The data will provide companies with input to examine pertaining to entry level and senior level job descriptions. The study will add to the literature on business sector practices with its findings which address the trend presently evolving around adopting organizational values which focus on culture, the environment, and an inclusionary society. Moreover, this study will provide human resource professionals with key insights into hiring practices and the disparity of company value statement representation that exists between position level.

“Inclusive Leadership Actions”

Christian Klein, Summer 2021

Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company is a multinational insurance and financial services company ranking as one of the world's largest insurance organizations. Nationwide exhibits a culture committed to creating a diverse, innovative, and family- like inclusive culture focused on their customer's (members) needs. Recently, Nationwide Excess & Surplus (E&S) has suffered from higher-than-normal turnover. While Nationwide receives high marks for culture and creating a diverse workplace, we know diversity isn't enough to unlock a heterogenous workgroup's benefits. Inclusion is the key to unlocking these benefits and lowering turnover. Leadership has determined a study should be conducted in the E&S Finance division located in Scottsdale, Arizona. The study used a qualitative research method (virtual interviews) with fifteen diverse participants to discover specific leadership actions that impact the participant's feelings of inclusion. Utilizing a grounded theory approach, the study sought to understand

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inclusion through the eyes of the participants. The findings were foundational for creating a leadership training program highlighting specific actions to increase inclusion. This study also identified a mediating factor of inclusion termed professional authenticity, which may be studied further.

“The Arts: A Path to Liberation and Youth Empowerment”

Bernadette Little, Fall 2021

The arts have proven to be a pivotal tool in the education and facilitation of inter and intrapersonal skills in youth. Despite this our educational institutions have systematically divested from arts programs in favor of standardized testing and limited definitions of educational success. Through radical community activism the arts can be reinstalled an effective educational tool to cultivate our next generations of leaders. The arts have and been shown to be conducive to the cultivation of socio-political consciousness, activism, community engagement, and a pivotal critical awareness in youth participants necessary for the facilitation of leadership skills. Through conversation with ten Portland based arts programs, via surveys and recorded interviews, I explore the ways they use their arts programs to facilitate leadership skills in their participants. I additionally examine the ways in which their programs pivoted as the COVID 19 pandemic hit and the unique variables that effect their programs working with historically minoritized populations in the city of Portland, Oregon. A web-based solution is proposed using data from the impactful conversations, inspiration from the liberation schools of the 1960’s and academic theories around leadership which dissect our current conceptions of what true leadership is and what it means to hold power.

“Flourishing in a Virtual World: A Recommended Response to the Pandemic for AZTransfer”

Cien Luke, Summer 2021

AZTransfer, a quasi-governmental agency, is responsible for managing credit articulation between community and tribal colleges and the three public universities. Simply stated, their mission is to create pathways that ensure that students can transfer their credits earned at the lower level to public 4-year institutions without the need to duplicate coursework. The work is accomplished by facilitators on loan from each of the 15 statewide partner institutions/ districts. Facilitators complete tasks at the direction of AZTransfer staff, while respecting customs and cultures of their home institutions. The work is tedious and complex, and the turnover rate among facilitators is high. Success relies on collaboration between institutional facilitators. The work is challenging. It is conducted at great distances in a hybrid setting and relies on relationships and good will for the work to be prioritized. The COVID-19 pandemic further complicated the program because face-to-face experiences were eliminated, reducing opportunities to establish bonds while increasing the risk of misdirection. This project aims to reimagine specific aspects of the AZTransfer program to improve productivity in a way that empowers facilitators. The Chatlines, a directory of tools needed to complete transfer tasks, were

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reorganized to decrease instances of miscommunication. Verification checklists were established with deadlines for mundane but important tasks to establish expectations and standards. A training video library of “How To” videos, which demonstrate how to use facilitator-oriented tools on the website, were created to provide training on demand. The updated program was presented to the Steering Committee to help motivate facilitators to follow new protocols. Finally, the revised program was presented to facilitators in a facilitator training session to coordinate efforts of team members. This five-pronged approach allows facilitators to move at their own pace and receive immediate instruction for complex issues, which properly places the power of productivity in the hands of the front-line workers – the facilitators.

“Out on Bail: A Measure of Organizational Sustainability After Government Bailout Distributions”

James Mallard, Spring 2021

This case study examines the Auto Industry Bailout of 2009 to assess the efficacy of the monetary distribution over a decade later. Presenting and analyzing the data as part of a documentary narrative, this study is focused on two main questions: What long-term benefits do government bailouts have in regard to the sustainability of the receiving organization? And, how do bailout recipients perform long-term after receiving assistance, as compared to organizations in the same industry who reject the bailout? Using a transformative worldview, qualitative interview design method, and an analysis of government and company reports, this research concludes that bailouts are vital when the focus is centered around protecting the economy from economic downturn. By investing in large companies who have been deemed "too big to fail," the US government allows employers whose failure could severely impact the economic foundation of the country a chance to sustain their operations and prevent mass layoffs. Over a decade later, several major auto companies in the U.S. have outperformed following their 2009 bailouts, recouping their debt, paying back their respective loans, and improving their operations. While this study assists in better understanding the importance of bailouts to economic sustainability for the US, it also generates more questions about the current political process of saving failing companies during times of financial crisis and public perceptions surrounding the transparency of this process.

“Intercultural Competence for College Athletics”

Madeline McGillis, Fall 2021

College athletes are recruited from all over the country and frequently internationally as well. This leads to most teams consisting of people from multiple cultures. During a college athlete's career, it is highly likely that they will be on teams in which multiple cultures are present. This requires student-athletes to be able to interact with intercultural competence in order to achieve optimal efficacy and teamwork as well as develop as an individual. As an organization, teams that are competing together want to be able to achieve efficient teamwork which can be hindered if there is tension due to

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cultural differences. For this project, an interview was conducted with the coach of a colligate men's basketball team with the purpose of finding out what the team was needing in terms of intercultural competence. The findings from this interview showed that the team was lacking in understanding of intercultural competence which was affecting things such as communication and overall culture within the organization. In response to the findings of the interview, a training module was designed that could be used by the coaching staff to help cultivate intercultural competence amongst the team. The training was designed to provide the team with an overview of literature and theories that exist about intercultural competence. The training includes reflective questions to be discussed in a group setting to help promote organizational learning. The purpose is for the facilitator to provide the new knowledge, ask thought-provoking questions, and then allow the team to come to their own conclusion collectively as they discuss how they are impacted by the various components of intercultural competence.

“Teachers are Leaving: What Can You Do?”

Halezka Mullenbach, Fall 2021

Educators are leaving the profession due to teacher burnout resulting in a teacher shortage. Administrators play a significant role in shaping school climate, and their level of support significantly affects teachers. While prior research has examined the lack of administrative support and administrative leaderships' impact on teacher burnout and retention, there is an absence of research on how to overcome the challenges. The literature provides a basis for what leadership approaches are ineffective and what teachers are directly asking for from their leaders. There is a minimal exploration into what is working in educational leadership to be replicated, despite transformational and instructional leadership actions deemed effective and popular leadership styles. The purpose of this qualitative content analysis will be to explore and develop the actions administrators can do to retain teachers. This study reviewed 154 articles involving various leadership styles and their impact on teachers, trust, and principal leadership aspects highly correlated with school outcomes. Then 69 of the 154 peer-reviewed articles and case studies were systematically evaluated to explore the nuances of how school administrators lead their teachers, the teacher perception of their principals' impact on their work environment, and the differences between educational leadership and educational management/administration. Although every school leader is different and a need for there to be a balance between principal leaders managing and leading their teachers, a common theme found among researchers that studied how teachers perceive the burnout they experience comes back to what the administration didn't do for teachers. Teachers cited the lack of a supportive and empathetic school administration, lack of trust and autonomy as a teacher professional, a lack of constructive shared communication and decision making, and experiencing burnout. In conclusion, this study provides practical action examples that administrators can do to support their teachers, potentially reducing the administrative influence fueling teacher burnout and leaving the profession.

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“Youth Leadership Development Curriculum”

Larissa Price, Fall 2021

As the discussion around the importance of strong leaders becomes increasingly more relevant, the need for education around what it means to be a leader becomes more important. Poor leadership practices and ineffective leadership is a longstanding issue that has impacted organizations efficiency, culture, and overall opportunity for growth at every level and in every industry. Organizations will not have the capacity to reach their full potential if such issues are not addressed. This project offers a solution that will cultivate strong leaders and provide organizations with candidates that are better equipped and prepared to be leaders through the development of a leadership curriculum for high-school juniors and seniors as a solution to a gap in leadership education and development. The curriculum will be used to teach junior and senior high-school students three core aspects of leadership: Influence, Mentorship, and Innovation. After reviewing the various methods of instructing youth, it was decided a hybrid classroom- style and experimental teaching approach would be most effective. The curriculum also has a classroom lesson that will teach the students about each core principle of leadership, and will be paired with an activity or project that will engage them in what they have learned. This will help to bridge the learning gap and solidify concepts learned through the classroom lessons. The curriculum was developed based on literature discussed throughout the duration of this program, as well as external peer-reviewed sources that discuss influence, mentorship, and innovation as it relates to leadership. The hope with taking this unique approach will help to bridge the gap between the need for leaders and the development of the necessary skills to be one.

“Tools for the Modern Leader: A Guide for Creating a Culture of Accountability” Kayla Tally, Spring 2021 Accountability is a necessity for organizations to thrive, yet so many organizations are lacking it. Despite a multitude of existing literature about the topic, lack of accountability is plaguing many organizations today. Accountability has been shown to have implications to culture, finances, and deliverables within an organization. Although it is the perspective that horizontal accountability is advantageous to vertical accountability; it is the belief that organizational leaders need to do the background work to create this culture in their organizations. It is up to those in leadership positions to work to shift the culture and ensure that teams have the resources they need to foster and maintain this culture. This project utilizes a combination of literature content analysis and qualitative research in the form of interviews to understand what approaches leaders can take to foster this environment in their organizations. The interviews provided an understanding of the experiences of different organization members and gave perspective into real life examples of what accountability looks like in organizations. The common themes of these centered around collaboration, support, and psychological safety. The interviews and literature analysis culminated in a guide

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that takes leaders through the steps of assessing their current organization and implementing practices that support a culture of accountability, and more specifically horizontal accountability. This guide will help leaders understand the importance of accountability and the role it plays, as well as provides tools for assessing an organization, and approaches to overcome the challenges that are facing the organization. With this guide, organizations can take control of the challenge of accountability and help their organization become one that is accountable. “The 5th Dimension of Organizational Culture”

Navil Tinajero, Summer 2021

The Boston Consulting Group, Deloitte Consulting, Pricewaterhouse Coopers, Ernst & Young, and KPMG are leading consulting firms in the United States. The organizations form part of a quickly growing consulting industry that became widely known in the United States during the Industrial Revolution. Today the industry can be divided into six segments that include: strategy, management, operations, human resources, financial advisory, and technology. The purpose of this project was to identify, code, and analyze patterns among the self-identified cultural aspects that each of the selected consulting organizations proport. Using a content analysis to analyze 2020 annual reports, 46 codes emerged from data that applied to organizational culture and employee experience. The most frequently mentioned themes to emerge were diversity, inclusion, development, learning, support, wellbeing, and women. The codes were then combined to create four themes: diversity and inclusion, learning and development, wellbeing support, and women. The information indicates that managers must focus on creating a diverse and inclusive environment, inform employees about learning and development opportunities, offer wellbeing support, and promote gender equality for a successful organizational culture. Previous scholarship has only identified four types of organizational cultures within these contexts. However, the results of this study have pointed to a fifth possible dimension—a contemporary culture that is capable of improving the relationships among the employees and heightening performance and productivity. The results of this study were delivered as a practitioners’ report that describes the process of creating a “contemporary culture” and offers managers valuable recommendations.

“Communication Training [for the U.S. Navy]”

Gernando Wright, Fall 2021

Leaders within the military need to understand how to better communicate in order to further develop, refine and ultimately master their leadership style. This training was developed to teach basic communication training to a small group of participants. The objective was to help the participants identify their style of communication, their style of leadership and to learn about other styles of communication and another style of leadership. To accomplish this, training was conducted in three phases. Phase one was a pre-survey conducted to identify the level of knowledge on basic communication concepts that were going to be taught as the core of the training. Phase two was the

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communication training and leadership style training. Phrase three was a post-survey was conducted in an attempt to measure the training effectiveness. The overarching goal of the training was to help these sailors and future sailors understand the different communication styles in order to help them prevent cultural communication barriers. A secondary objective was to identify how these concepts relate to charismatic and transformational leadership styles. Armed with basic communication knowledge and the principles of charismatic and transformational leadership. The study utilized quantitative analysis as an attempt to measure the learning outcomes and overall effectiveness of training. While survey provided key insight, the long-term effects are more unknown than sustainable for research purposes. With this understanding, this study looks at setting a foundation of future communication training and the long-term effects. The training was provided and proved to be effective overall with sailors reflecting positively on the post-survey showing improved knowledge results based on surveys. “The Landscape of Arizona-Focused Corporate Social Responsibility”

Victoria Young, Fall 2021

This study analyzes the dynamics of strategic partnerships between corporations and nonprofit organizations throughout the state. In a national study, Arizona was ranked last within the country for total dollars given to charity in 2020. Arizona is home to 20,000 nonprofit organizations and 500,000 corporations. How can both industries best collaborate in maximizing their impact and bottom lines in raising this charitable ranking? Within my research, I conducted a mixed-methods study in having interviews with local leaders in corporate giving as well as their nonprofit counterparts. In addition, research from peer-reviewed articles, local impact reports, research from local and national industry leaders, and Arizona-specific economic reporting was collected for data analysis. It is the long-term goal that this report will serve as a seed project that can garner local interest in attracting funding in creating a hub of collective resources in which corporations may gain CSR support to which nonprofits can best collaborate with their charitable intent that promotes mutually beneficial outcomes. In the interim, my intention in conducting this research is to serve as a resource for both sectors in promoting sustainable partnership and encouraging the engagement of CSR efforts statewide.

*Note: Minor edits were applied to some abstracts to ensure clarity and to fit the scope of this listing.

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