Campus Location

Dallas Campus (Online)

Date of Award

7-2024

ORCID

https://orcid.org/0009-0007-4274-2095

Document Type

Dissertation

Department

Organizational Leadership

Degree Name

Doctor of Education

Committee Chair or Primary Advisor

Andrew Lumpe

Second Committee Member or Secondary Advisor

Misty Resendez

Third Committee Member or Committee Reader

Javier Flores

Abstract

This exploratory qualitative cross-case analysis was developed to investigate how diversity management strategies were implemented and whether they coexist with organizational resilience capabilities at three U.S. private, midsized Christian-affiliated institutions of higher education associated with the Council for Christian Colleges & Universities. The researcher collected data from a senior-level chief diversity officer at each institution to determine how their diversity strategy was managed and whether a mature diversity program was concurrently present with organizational resilience capabilities. Data were collected using two primary instruments: the Diversity Management Competencies Questionnaire and semistructured interviews focused on organizational resilience. The collected data were supplemented by institutional documents, enhancing the understanding of each institution’s strategies and processes. Data analysis followed an a priori coding method guided by the resilience enhancing diversity management theoretical framework, focused on diversity management attributes and organizational resilience capabilities. Key findings revealed that leadership’s commitment to sound diversity management and resilience is crucial, emphasizing the need for leadership to value sound diversity management and institutional crisis management strategies. The study highlighted the convergence of diversity management with organizational resilience, identifying essential themes, such as Christian-mission alignment and the importance of stakeholder communication and engagement. This study contributed to the literature by offering a nuanced understanding of the interplay between diversity management and organizational resilience within Christian higher education settings.

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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