Date of Award
2003
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Education
Department
Programs for Higher Education
Advisor
Barbara Gerard
Committee Member
Steve Siplet
Committee Member
Barbara Packer
Keywords
Atlanta, GCEO, Georgia, Georgia Commission on Equal Opportunity, career growth, climate, coaching, competency, culture, development, diversity, diversity management, educational opportunities, employee development, employee motivation, employee retention, employee training, follow-up study, job satisfaction, leadership, managers, mentoring, organizational climate, organizational culture, organizational diversity, organizational leadership, performance ratings, positive reinforcement, problem-solving methodology, professional development plan, promotion, recruitment, retention plan, strategic planning, technology, teleworking, training, turnover rates, work schedules, workforce development
Abstract
This applied dissertation was designed to research the impact the organizational leadership has on selected factors--climate and culture, employee retention, and employee training and development--at the Georgia Commission on Equal Opportunity (GCEO) in Atlanta, Georgia. Over the years, the GCEO had implemented several privileges in an attempt to retain and motivate the employees. These privileges were compressed work schedules, teleworking, and maintaining a high level of technology. Other benefits that were offered were paid holidays, vacations, and sick days. The question became whether these were enough to retain quality employees. Although these benefits had created longevity in a few employees, they appeared not to be enough for the majority. In the case with the GCEO, it was the hope of the researcher to increase job satisfaction and employee motivation and to reduce employee turnover. Some employees needed targeted training and development that was based on individual needs. It was believed that other employees might have needed more and broader experiences and educational opportunities.
Problem-solving methodology was used to research the following questions: What steps should the leaders take to improve the organizational climate and culture? What measures should the organizational leaders pursue in retaining employees? What strategic planning should the organizational leaders take in providing employee development and training for career growth? What practices should the leaders use to increase their organizational diversity efforts?
One recommendation that resulted from this study was to develop an employee-retention plan that would measure the leaders’ efforts in retaining employees. Another recommendation was for the leaders to focus on individual employee development by creating a professional-development plan for each employee. In each plan, leaders would provide coaching and mentoring to facilitate the employee’s development in mastering each competency identified. A 3rd recommendation was to develop and implement a diversity-management plan to track the organization’s overall efforts in recruitment, training, development, promotion, turnover rates, and individual performance ratings. It was recommended that a follow-up study be done within 1 year of the implementation of the above recommendations.