Browsing by Subject "human resource development"

Now showing 1 - 5 of 5
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    Ethical Leadership Development: An Examination of the Effects of Spiritual Practices and Intercultural Sensitivity
    (2019-12) Byun, Sang Won
    Over the past decades, the widespread unethical behaviors of leaders have necessitated research on ethical leadership. Nevertheless, current literature provides limited insight into how leaders can develop ethical leadership. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of spiritual practices on ethical leadership development and the moderating effects of intercultural sensitivity on the relationship between spiritual practice and ethical leadership. This study also aimed to examine whether the theoretical structure of the ethical leadership construct is multidimensional or unidimensional. Data on a total of 103 leader-peer/follower dyads were collected through an online survey at various U.S. based organizations. The results of the validity test support the multidimensional model of ethical leadership. The regression assumption test results suggest that some relationships between spiritual practices and the sub-factors of ethical leadership might be curvilinear. Hierarchical multiple regressions were conducted to test the hypotheses about the direct effects of spiritual practices and the moderating effects of intercultural sensitivity. Except for hypotheses about the direct effects of gratitude practice on people-orientation and fairness, no other hypotheses were supported. However, the quadratic regression analyses revealed that four quadratic relationships between spiritual practices and the sub-factors of ethical leadership were significant. The results also indicate that intercultural sensitivity moderates the quadratic relationship. A plausible explanation for the quadratic relationships is discussed based on the concept of workplace spirituality continuum. Theoretical and practice implications are discussed, along with limitations of the study and directions for future research.
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    Exploring the Impact of Cultural Values on Employee Engagement in Chinese Organizations: The Moderating Role of HRD Culture
    (2024-07) Fang, Bo
    Employee engagement has been receiving increasing attention in the field of human resource development (HRD) over the past decades. Recently, the discourse around employee engagement has evolved into an interdisciplinary and international concept, prompting researchers to advocate for a pluralistic perspective to understand the situational conditions that cultivate engagement. Yet, there is limited knowledge about the relationship between cultural values and engaged behaviors, as well as the role of HRD in these dynamics. By focusing on individual perceptions of work-related cultural values, and organizational HRD culture, the purpose of this study is to explore the effects of Chinese cultural values on employee engagement and the moderating effects of HRD culture. Recruiting 677 participants from 16 Chinese organizations across multiple industries, this study collected employee responses on their belief in cultural values, work engagement, and perceived organizational support for HRD at two-time points: September 2023 and December 2023. The results indicated positive relationships between hardworking, tolerance, guanxi, harmony, loyalty, jingye, and HRD culture with employee engagement. Positive moderation effects of HRD culture were found in relationships between hardworking, tolerance, harmony, loyalty, and Jingye with engagement. Stronger organizational HRD culture amplified these impacts, while no interaction effect was found between HRD culture and the relationships of modesty and guanxi with engagement. These findings underscore the importance of cultural factors in shaping employee engagement in Chinese workplaces, advancing the understanding of engagement through a combined emic-etic approach. The evidence supports the universal applicability of Western theories of engagement in the Chinese context while elucidating culture-specific perspectives. Organizations should foster a culture of engagement recognized by all stakeholders, and leaders and HR practitioners should cultivate an organizational culture co-created by and beneficial to all members. This study provides valuable insights for HRD professionals to design and implement culturally relevant strategies, effectively promoting greater workforce engagement and organizational success. The study concludes with a discussion of several contributions and recommendations for future research.
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    Gig Working Relationships: A Grounded Theory Study on the Dynamics between Gig Workers and Digital Platforms in the U.S.
    (2024-05) Zhang, Panpan
    As the gig economy continues to grow, the relationships between gig workers and digital platforms become increasingly complex. Acknowledging a gap in our understanding of these dynamics, this dissertation aims to develop a theoretical framework of the psychological mechanisms underpinning gig working relationships in the U.S. context. By adopting a grounded theory method, this study conducted interviews with 19 gig workers across various sectors to explore their work experiences and perceptions of their psychological contracts and relationships with their platforms. Based on the findings, this study introduces a theoretical framework that delineates the establishment and ongoing refinement of gig working relationships, driven by the interplay of reciprocity mechanisms and power relations. This framework outlines how gig workers navigate power imbalances and accept the authority of digital platforms in the formation of their working relationships. A critical finding is the shift in gig workers’ perceptions regarding their non-employee status. Initially perceived as an entry cost, this status gradually becomes recognized as a potential source of exclusion, which marks a profound transition in gig workers’ understanding of their position in the gig economy’s power structure. This study advocates for increased human resource development (HRD) focus on creating training and development programs tailored for gig workers, as well as on refining algorithmic management practices, with the goal of systematically developing the gig workforce and fostering sustainable growth of the gig economy.
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    High-Quality Mentoring in Sport: Gendered Experiences
    (2024-07) Riley, Leila
    The sport industry is male-dominated (Acosta & Carpenter, 2014; Evans & Pfister, 2021; Hancock et al., 2017) thus women are more likely to be mentored by men. There simply are not enough women in decision making positions to provide mentorship to all aspiring women (Bower, 2009; Hancock et al., 2017; Ragins, 1989). Given the likelihood men will more often mentor women there is a dearth of information about men mentoring women (MmW) relationships in the sport industry despite calls to further the phenomenon (Hancock et al., 2017). Various facets of the mentoring relationship are impacted when women are mentored by men such as the amount of psychosocial support received in the relationship (Picariello et al., 2021) or gender-blind coaching (Hancock et al., 2017). Hancock and colleagues (2017) indicate gender does impact opposing outcomes and contrasting feedback, but little is known about why. Further, the usage of mentoring as a tool for change in sport has been vastly underestimated by the limited outcomes studied in average mentoring relationships. Like any relationship, mentoring relationships are on a spectrum of quality (Ragins & Verbos, 2007). Despite the positive connotation of mentoring, it is not always beneficial and in some cases can even be harmful to the career trajectory of one or both parties (Hancock et al., 2017; Ragins, 2011). Current literature on mentoring women in sport has focused on the developmental activities and outcomes of mentorship in typical or average mentoring relationships (Bower, 2009; Hancock et al., 2017; Picariello et al., 2021) but has not yet considered the quality of mentoring relationships. High-quality mentoring can drastically change the personal and professional lives of mentor and protégé (Ragins, 2011) and has the potential to “transform individuals, groups, organizations, and communities” (Ragins & Kram, 2008, p. 2). With mentoring playing an important role in the career trajectory of women in sport leadership (Hancock et al., 2017; Picariello et al., 2021; Wells & Hancock, 2017), it is essential that high-quality mentoring is explored in order to better harness this potentially life-altering force and improve gender inequalities within sport organizations. The succession of studies within my dissertation was developed to explore this novel area of mentoring research in the sport industry and support the use of mentoring as an instrument positive change. Study I sought to understand the process of high-quality (HQ) men mentoring women (MmW) relationships in a sport context. Using a portion of Ragins (2007; 2011) theory of relational mentoring centered on the relational cultural aspects of mentoring, mentors and protégés provided an in-depth understanding of how they felt mentoring relationships are developed and maintained in MmW relationships within the context of sport. The findings of Study I showed mentors taking more passive approaches to developing mentoring relationships leaving it to luck or the protégé initiative, while protégés felt the progression to mentoring was natural after considering if the man was a viable mentor and what they wanted from the relationship. Both mentors and protégés felt communication was important, but protégé got more specific about the necessity of fluidity in relationships as life season and sport seasons change. While both groups felt that fostering connections was important, the value mentors placed on boundaries had the potential to create misalignment because protégés prized authenticity. Study II integrated Britton and Logan's (2008) synthesis of Gender in Organizations into the context of mentoring. Findings indicated mentoring is a gendered experience when MmW women in sport and serves to reproduce and enforce hegemonic masculinity in sport. Lastly, Study III applied the Mentoring Schema’s portion of Ragins (2011, 2007) relational theory of mentoring to understand how participants, given the results of Study I and II, conceptualized HQ MmW relationships in sport. The data revealed mentors and protégés felt HQ MmW relationships involved open communication, mutuality, and seeing each other holistically, at the dyadic level. While mentor’s and protégés described the traits of HQ mentors (i.e., empathetic, advocates, emotionally intelligent, and ally), only mentors discussed the traits of HQ protégés. The results of all studies are discussed in relation to literature relevant to their content. Together the studies proved mentoring is a gendered experience where gender impacts what mentors and protégé expect from each other and how relationships are managed. The finding showcased the need not only to help women make the most out of mentoring, but help men understand how their hidden ideologies directly hurt women in the workplace. Further, the results offered mentoring as an instrument of community change through its potential to mobilize men as gender allies. Theoretical, empirical, and practical implications were offered with limitations and future lines areas of inquire discussed.
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    The Social Construction of CSR: A Relational View on The Role of CSR Consultants in South Korea
    (2019-08) Jang, Soebin
    While the notion of corporate social responsibility (CSR) has attracted wide attention from scholars and practitioners, little research has been conducted on the specific processes and mechanisms under which CSR is socially constructed and institutionalized. Existing research that links CSR and institutional theory has mainly focused on macro-institutional determinants and cross-national variations in CSR adoption and practice. Further, while increasing research has explored the processes and mechanisms by which actors, practices and strategies socially construct and institutionalize CSR, research has given lack of attention to the role of CSR consultants in socially constructing CSR; in particular, no related studies to date have been conducted in South Korea. This dissertation study aims to explore how CSR consultants contribute to the social construction and institutionalization of CSR in the context of South Korea. By adopting Bourdieu’s theory of practice as a theoretical lens, this study explores: (a) what factors influence the adoption of CSR in Korea; (b) what factors influence the CSR consulting industry and practices in Korea; and, (c) how CSR consultants perceive their role in socially constructing CSR. The study findings provide important implications for the scholarship and practice in the fields of CSR, human resource development (HRD) and organization development (OD), and contribute to the growing literature on applications of the institutional theory in HRD research.