Theses and Dissertations
Date of Award
2026
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Education (EdD)
Department
Abraham S. Fischler College of Education and School of Criminal Justice
Advisor
Steven Hecht
Committee Member
Dian Moorhouse
Committee Member
Kimberly Durham
Keywords
accountability, communication, communication skills, employee job satisfaction, employee perceptions, food processing industry, food safety, leadership, leadership styles, management, management training, open communication, organizational effectiveness, qualitative research, semi-structured interviews, situational leadership, stress management, supervisor training, supervisors, supportive leadership, transformational leadership, workplace stress, workers
Abstract
This applied dissertation was designed to investigate how leaders in the food processing industry perceive their management style and how they may alleviate some job related employee stress. There was no management training at the organization; the only training provided was for food safety for certification and licensure procedures. Once a year, the company listed a management course, but the supervisors had to pay for it without reimbursement. Further, although the course was available, most supervisors did not know of it.
The researcher developed semi-structured, in-depth interviews to answer the research questions regarding how supervisors perceived leadership styles, strategies, and practices used to enhance employee job satisfaction; and semi-structured, in-depth interviews foodplant workers’ perceptions of leadership and descriptions of supervisors’ efforts. The research revealed gaps in workers’ perceptions and supervisors’ perceptions of leadership styles.
An analysis of the data revealed that management training should be available to supervisors at the food plant. Themes that were developed from the data analysis included the need for (a) transformation and supportive leadership, (b) situational flexibility, (c) accountability balanced with fairness and compassion, and (d) clear communication. According to both the supervisors and worker participants, transformative leadership and open communication were the most important themes.
NSUWorks Citation
Latarshe McCuthin. 2026. How Leadership Styles Can Effectively Alleviate Some of the Organizational Stressors of Food-Plant Workers. Doctoral dissertation. Nova Southeastern University. Retrieved from NSUWorks, Abraham S. Fischler College of Education and School of Criminal Justice. (1178)
https://nsuworks.nova.edu/fse_etd/1178.