Date

8-6-2025

Department

School of Behavioral Sciences

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology (PhD)

Chair

Patrick Thomas Slowinski

Keywords

African American female leaders, organizational commitment, spirituality, perceived insider status, workplace inclusion

Disciplines

Business | Physiology

Abstract

This quantitative study examined the relationships among spirituality, perceived insider status, and organizational commitment among African American female leaders within Fortune 1000 companies. Using a cross-sectional design, the research gathered data from 119 participants through online surveys that included the Spiritual Well-Being Scale (SWBS), the Perceived Insider Status Scale (PIS), and the Organizational Commitment Questionnaire (OCQ). Analyses included Pearson correlations and mediation modeling to address the research questions. The results revealed a strong, statistically significant relationship between perceived insider status and organizational commitment. Although spirituality did not directly predict organizational commitment, it demonstrated a small but significant mediating effect between perceived insider status and commitment. These results underscore the importance of perceived inclusion in fostering organizational commitment and suggest that spirituality may provide personal meaning and affirmation, particularly for African American women navigating spaces where belonging remains uncertain. This research contributes to theoretical frameworks on organizational commitment by emphasizing the importance of belonging and spiritual well-being within underrepresented leadership groups. Practical implications include the need for organizations to foster inclusive cultures that affirm the leadership of African American women and to support spiritual well-being through thoughtful workplace practices and policies.

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