Date
11-11-2026
Department
Graduate School of Business
Degree
Doctor of Philosophy in Business Administration (PhD)
Chair
Charlene Geisler
Keywords
veteran hiring, organizational leadership, employee selection, workplace integration, cultural fit
Disciplines
Business | Leadership Studies
Recommended Citation
Vranes, Jason, "A Qualitative Case Study on the Workplace Challenges Faced by Organizational Leaders in the Employee Selection and Hiring Process of Former Military Personnel" (2026). Doctoral Dissertations and Projects. 9091.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/9091
Abstract
The purpose of this qualitative, single case study was to explore organizational leaders’ experiences and perceptions in recruiting, selecting, and integrating former military personnel in a non-military organization in the Southeastern United States. The study addressed workplace challenges in those processes and used implicit bias theory, intersectionality theory, and attraction-selection-attrition theory as the conceptual framework. Three research questions guided the inquiry by examining leaders’ assessments of cultural fit and soft skills, practices used to detect and mitigate bias in selection, and support provided after hiring. Data were collected through 12 semi-structured interviews with organizational leaders, one human resource focus group, one veteran focus group, and analysis of organizational artifacts. Thematic analysis with constant comparison, analytic memoing, and triangulation produced five themes: (a) veteran recruitment occurred through informal rather than strategic organizational practices, (b) leaders valued veterans’ professional qualities but evaluated them as individuals, (c) hiring decisions balanced positive views of veterans with structured and equitable processes, (d) organizational culture influenced veteran integration and belonging, and (e) veteran integration succeeded through individual leadership and clear communication. The findings indicated that favorable views of military service did not produce planned recruitment systems or formal integration programs. Actionable implications for organizational leaders include building intentional veteran sourcing channels, retaining structured and multi-perspective selection practices, and moving integration support from individual supervisors to consistent onboarding, communication, and belonging practices.
