Date

11-17-2023

Department

Rawlings School of Divinity

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy

Chair

Leonard Momeny

Keywords

motivation, commitment, faith, influence, officer, enlisted

Disciplines

Leadership Studies

Abstract

The vast amount of current literature in the field of spiritual leadership focuses on corporate settings. The current literature highlights followers’ meaning of work, emotional commitment, and innovative work in spiritual organizations. However, current literature lacks data on leaders’ faith influence on followers in other than civilian organizations. The purpose of this hermeneutical phenomenological case study was to understand Air Force officers’ faith influence on followers’ motivation and commitment for Air Force enlisted members at an Air Force base in the Northwest of the United States. Nine Air Force enlisted members in the ranks of Airman First Class through Chief Master Sergeant, including one special duty First Sergeant were interviewed to gather data on their lived experiences of officer faith influence. Data collected was analyzed using hermeneutical coding identifying central themes and sub-themes from participants interviews. Thematic analysis revealed participants experience officer faith influence on their motivation as caring for people, positive attitude, and authenticity. Furthermore, participants experience officer faith influence on their commitment as purpose, belonging, and trust in the organization. The study suggests that a leader’s faith, whether spoken or not, impacts those around them; a leader’s faith influences their actions, and those actions or absence of actions will impact followers’ commitment and motivation.

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