Campus Location

Dallas Campus (Online)

Date of Award

5-2024

Document Type

Dissertation

Department

Organizational Leadership

Degree Name

Doctor of Education

Committee Chair or Primary Advisor

Dr. John Harrison

Second Committee Member or Secondary Advisor

Dr. Janet Tareilo

Third Committee Member or Committee Reader

Dr. Sandy Harris

Abstract

This qualitative case study explored the challenges faced by the cabinet-level administration of a South Texas K-12 public school district in navigating intragroup and intergroup identity dynamics, impacting leader-member exchange, follower obligation, organizational behavior, and citizenship. Poor integration led to silo mentalities due to a lack of communication skills and social identity awareness among leadership. The study explored the influence of leaders’ attitudes and behaviors on intergroup and intragroup identities by examining how positive leader-member exchange practices affected collective organizational behaviors. Employing the framework of social identity theory, this study contributed to understanding specific leadership domains and the effective motivation of followers within an organizational context influenced by their perceptions. Over three months, the researcher interviewed four cabinet-level leaders, observed eight direct reports, and reviewed artifacts. Thematic analysis revealed the importance of proximity in facilitating open communication and the challenges it introduced, such as perceptions of favoritism. Identified effective communication channels and quick responses are pivotal for fostering trust and organizational effectiveness. Followers’ perceptions highlighted the significance of trust, collaboration, and transparent communication in fostering ingroup dynamics and a positive sense of belonging, aligning with organizational goals. The study underscored the need for leaders to skillfully navigate complexities to foster purpose-aligned outcomes and cultivate a supportive environment in which team members feel empowered to contribute effectively towards shared objectives, thereby striving towards improvement.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.

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