Date

5-1-2025

Department

Graduate School of Business

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy in Organization and Management (PhD)

Chair

R. Mark Bell

Keywords

Adaptive leadership, empowerment, leadership styles, changing environments

Disciplines

Leadership Studies

Abstract

The inability of some leaders to adapt their leadership styles in changing environments is the problem addressed in this study. Questions and findings about the challenges, reasons, and practices of leaders adapting leadership styles in dynamic settings are described to understand this phenomenon. After developing a comprehensive conceptual framework to guide the research, conducting an extensive literature review to contextualize existing research, and creating wide-ranging coded themes from interviews with 25 leaders in a construction management company that were triangulated with 25 survey responses by team members reporting to these leaders, the study identified six key themes relating to the barriers, communication, empowerment, drive, style, and performance standards of adaptive leadership. A flexible, single-case study design explored this issue thoroughly. Key results of the study included findings that many participants are driven to compete and win in the marketplace, the emergence of leading by example as a shared leadership practice by most participants, and structured accountability as a strategic practice for leaders adopting adaptive leadership. The study contributes to the practical and theoretical understanding of adaptive leadership in complex environments and relates and integrates its business functions, Christian worldview, and a faith-driven approach that enhances conventional leadership norms.

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