The College of Education

Announces the Final Examination of

Chandra Alston

for the degree of

Doctor of Education

June 10, 2016 at 11:00 am

115 Browning Hall, University of Memphis

Memphis, TN

Biographical Sketch

Bachelor of Science, Business Administration, UT Martin

Master of Business Administration, Management, Union University

Advisory Committee

Jeffery Wilson, PhD, Associate Professor, Leadership, Committee chair

Colton Cockrum, EdD, Director of QEP, Academic Coaching and Support Services

Wendy Griswold, PhD, Assistant Professor, Leadership

Lamont Simmons, EdD, Assistant Professor, Social Work

Major Field of Study

Higher and Adult Education

Period of Preparation: 2009-2016

Comprehensive Examination Passed: April 23, 2012

Evaluating Leadership Frames, Employee Engagement, and Retention: A Study of Administrators in Higher Education

 Abstract

This study was an examination of administrators in higher education organizations in the State of Tennessee. Administrators were asked to identify their supervisors’ leadership styles. This information was then used to evaluate administrator’s levels of engagement and their intent to stay (retention). To describe the supervisors’ leadership styles, the researcher employed Lee G. Bolman and Terrence E. Deal’s Leadership Orientations Instrument (LOI) Other (1991b), while engagement level was measured using the A.B. Bakker and W.B. Schaufeli’s Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES) (2003). Retention was gauged by how long the administrator planned to remain in their position.

Respondents included 445 higher education administrators categorized into five groups: 1) top executive and senior institutional officers; 2) academic deans; 3) institutional administrators; 4) heads of divisions, departments and centers; and 5) academic associate and assistant deans. Based on the results of the study, there was a statistically significant relationship between leadership style and engagement. Therefore, leadership style did predict engagement. The structural leadership style had the strongest relationship with all the elements of engagement followed by the human resource leadership style. The political style had a significant relationship with the absorption aspect of engagement. Leadership style was not a predictor of retention for higher education administrators.