Date
10-16-2025
Department
Graduate School of Business
Degree
Doctor of Philosophy in Organization and Management (PhD)
Chair
Katheryn Meagher
Keywords
burnout, clergy, executive leaders, religious organizations, stressors, well-being
Disciplines
Business | Religion
Recommended Citation
Zayas, David, "Job Burnout and Executive Leader Turnover" (2025). Doctoral Dissertations and Projects. 7545.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/7545
Abstract
Executive leadership roles are characterized by increasing organizational demands that necessitate substantial cognitive and physical effort, thereby elevating the risk of emotional exhaustion, diminished work engagement, decreased job satisfaction, and increased turnover intention. This study investigates the impact of organizational and occupational stressors on executive clergy leader burnout and turnover intentions. A qualitative single case study was undertaken to delve into the challenges faced by executive clergy leaders (senior, executive, or associate pastors) in the religious sector, where demanding workloads are exacerbating role ambiguity, creating work-life balance conflicts, fostering unhealthy work practices, and influencing job burnout. Three organizational theories (e.g., job demands-resource, organizational support, and social exchange) are used to evaluate the employee-employer dynamic and its influence on organizational stressors and behaviors, This qualitative study utilized purposive sampling to recruit 42 executive clergy leaders. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 26 participants, while a secondary group of 16 completed the CBI to facilitate data triangulation. Employing a flexible thematic analysis approach, the study identified nine overarching themes, supported by secondary and tertiary themes, that addressed the three primary research questions. Key findings highlight the prevalence of moderate emotional exhaustion among executive clergy, primarily driven by excessive workloads, role ambiguity, inadequate management support, and a growing emphasis on addressing the multifaceted aspects of clergy well-being. NVivo 15.2 supported data collection, analysis, organization, and visual representation of the results.
