Using Diffusion of Innovations Theory to Encourage Workers to Make Healthy Food Choices and Engage in Physical Activity

Employers want workers to be as healthy as possible, to reduce absenteeism and to boost productivity. The challenge is getting employees to adopt healthy behaviors, a daunting task in our obesogenic society, which promotes a sedentary lifestyle and a diet high in saturated fat, sodium, and sugar. We are seeing an epidemic of obesity and type 2 diabetes, two preventable diseases that impair quality of life and increase healthcare costs. Rogers' Diffusions of Innovations (DOI) theory explains how and why people adopt new behaviors. Rogers observed how some workers were resistant to change. He categorized people according to how long it took them to adopt an innovation. He found that certain attributes were characteristic of early adopters, the opinion leaders that organizations need to win over to facilitate acceptance of an innovation. This chapter explores how DOI theory can be applied to the workplace to promote healthy behaviors.

The Role of Strategic Leadership in Building the Geocentric Culture of Global Corporations

The purpose of the chapter is to discuss the role of strategic leadership in building and sustaining geocentric organizational culture. The geocentric organizational culture is a corporate culture of global corporations (Perlmutter, 1985). This culture has to go above and beyond different national cultures that employees bring with them and foster those beliefs and values that are “comprehensive and compelling” (Kets de Vries & Florent-Treacy, 2002, p. 299) to all employees. The chapter starts with an introduction to global companies and the geocentric culture. Then a review works around strategic leadership is followed by a discussion of the role of strategic leadership in building and sustaining the geocentric culture.

Strategic Use of Mindset and Efficacy Theory

Achievement theory and goal orientation have wide-ranging implications for every human endeavor because they speak to the motivation and responses to challenges that every person encounters. From the classroom professor to the operations manager, there is a need to understand the interaction of people's mindsets regarding achievement, and how those may influence the goals they set. Additionally, the interaction of the mindset, goal, and challenges that occur, creates responses as varied as quitting to responding with redoubled effort. After understanding this mechanism of motivation, leaders will need concrete practices that orient students/employees/volunteers towards mindsets and goals that enhance effort and perseverance while minimizing the practices that result in individuals giving up. This chapter will draw from the theories of Carol Dweck and Albert Bandura to provide a theoretical framework for the strategic design and implementation of practices to enhance positive goal setting and responses when the going gets tough.

Strategic Leadership in Higher Education

In the complex and turbulent task environments of the millennium, strategic leadership is enjoying exceptional popularity and enthusiastic adoption. Higher education is currently facing significant difficulties and many have suggested that strategic leadership provides a viable solution for these problems. However, what advantages might strategic leadership really provide in higher education? This chapter looks in particular at the service-orientated nature of higher education, at some of the inherent challenges in utilizing strategic leadership in such a service-orientated environment, and at the extent to which this leadership approach might provide benefits and advantages in restoring the value proposition to the market-driven US higher education system.

Strategic Leadership Competency Development

Breaking down the broad concept of leadership into competencies can facilitate leaders becoming self-aware of education or development needs to increase their performance. Leadership competencies can be viewed in terms of workplace success as skills that can be developed (Lombardo & Eichinger, 2002; Northouse, 2015). Competencies help organizations set clear expectations about the types of behaviors, capabilities, mind-sets, and values that are important to those in leadership roles” (Conger and Ready, 2004, p. 43). This chapter provides an overview and introduction to competency models. It includes a description of adult learning theories applicable for competency development and effective andragogy (adult education). Included are criticisms regarding leadership competency models. The chapter also includes an example of an innovative leadership competency development approach. The chapter will close with a discussion and recommendations for future research.

Big Data, Dashboards, and Data-Driven Educational Decision Making

Business Intelligence (BI) performance dashboards are reliant computer software solutions that enable leaders or companies to gain insight into its critical operations through reporting applications and analysis tools. These management tools gauge performance and progress toward specific operational goals. Fortuitously, educational leaders now have access to dashboards which can be designed and developed to address a wide range of objectives, from monitoring whether online course delivery outcomes are being met by the learner. Conversely, online learners can view their performance with a course dashboard that compares their performance vis-à-vis peers. By merging performance dashboards with online delivery, it is expected that performance goals will be impacted positively. Encyclopedia of Strategic Leadership and Management topics for this chapter include, but are not limited to, the following: Management, the ways CEOs lead, performance management, managing creativity, and decision making and leadership.

Women in Strategic Leadership and Management

Historically, strategic leadership positions and roles have been predominately male-oriented. This comprehensive review of contemporary and historical literature shows that gendering of leadership positions and organizations affect women's leadership success. First, societal pressures and gendered roles make it difficult for women to balance work and home life. Unlike male counterparts, women are usually unable to delegate familial responsibilities making it difficult for women to obtain, maintain, and ascend leadership and managerial positions. Second, gender specific leadership styles are evaluated differently due to the perceived masculinity of both leadership positions and the organizational environment. This chapter adopts Hopkins, O'Niel, Passarelli, and Bilimoria's (2008) leadership development strategy for women by attending to seven specific developmental categories: assessment, training and education, coaching, mentoring, networking, experiential learning, and career planning. Given that effective leadership development results in organizational success, the strategies proposed is an attempt to decrease some of the issues barring women from leadership success and in turn, increase success at the organizational level.

The Impact of Improved Organizational Citizenship on Employee Retention

Organizational leaders sought to reduce turnover by developing a loyal and stable workforce. Workforce stability is frequently expressed in two terms: turnover and retention. Turnover references both the voluntary and involuntary departure of an employee from an organization. Conversely, retention refers to the rate at which employees chose to stay employed by the organization. The organization featured in this study sought to improve retention by boosting organizational citizenship in key peer leaders. The organization's leaders implemented a leadership development program to enhance organizational citizenship. The leaders hypothesized a significant difference would exist in retention rates between the year prior to the development program (2013) and the year immediately following the program (2015). This study compared employee turnover data to determine what – if any – trends occurred.

Organizational Learning

In this information age, people are able to secure information, search for answers, and make informed decisions. Nonetheless, organizations are challenged to develop strong cultures and be agile to change. This paper initiates the exploration into organizational culture and the impact of employees' work culture. The focus is on working-class and societies having experienced social traumas and political changes, which ultimately formulate shared mental models and translate into work culture. By examining various societal scenes, questions are posed to deconstruct the impact of politics on workers and their work ethic. These scenes illustrate interactions and perspectives, which describe shared values by employees defined as work culture. Multiple levels of inquiry are presented to encourage further investigation into this possible opposing cultural dynamic within organizations. Suggestions of storytelling and meaning making are offered to support leaders in being strategic through staff development and organizational learning.

Navigating the Turbulent Waters of Career Transitions

Leaders, managers, professionals, and employees throughout organizations worldwide often face a large number of job transitions, many unexpected, in their careers. Job loss is widely recognized as one of life's more traumatic experiences. It is a stressful, life-changing event—one that can lead to negative mental and physical health consequences and jeopardize financial security and relationships. In addition, mid- and late-career job seekers face unique job-search issues and challenges. Career transition, however, can also be a positive event and growth opportunity, especially when one has prepared in advance for the possible personal impact of widespread organizational restructuring and downsizing. Advance preparation supports career and emotional resilience. This chapter presents challenges surrounding job loss, discusses proven strategies and processes for those in transition, and offers the research-based tool of guided imagery as a means to increase resilience, perceptions of personal control, and job search self-efficacy along with speed of reemployment.