David A. Reaux completes dissertation in the School of Human and Organizational Development

Life on the Shop Floor: The Experience of Employee Involvement in Industrial Democracy – David A. Reaux

David is a Human Resources Specialist and Trainer working in the area of diversity and equal employment opportunity. He has also been an HR Generalist and Employee Involvement Specialist. He holds a Doctoral degree in Human and Organizational Systems [12/11] from Fielding Graduate University in Santa Barbara California. Additionally, he holds a Master of Science: Human and Organizational Systems from Fielding Graduate University, a Master of Science: Organizational Leadership from Chapman University and a Bachelors of Art degree in Business and Information Systems from the University of Phoenix.

Abstract:
Democracy for workers has been touted as a necessity for corporate America if businesses are to compete in the current manufacturing environment of the US marketplace and, indeed, the global marketplace. Current notions of democracy for workers claim to provide a balance of power between workers and managers, allowing workers the opportunity to shape how work is organized and perhaps fostering a sense of co-ownership of the labor process between workers, managers, and the owners of capital.

This research goes beyond the typical presentation of models of leadership and management by understanding how the laborer experiences employee involvement programs, and other forms of “industrial democracy” as they are presented by organizational theorists and management experts. I am interested in complementing the view of these theorists and consultants by exploring a shop floor view of what occurs when such a radical shift is attempted in industrial relations between capital and labor by asking the question, “How does the contemporary shop floor worker experience industrial democracy?” The view these workers present, based on their experiences, is significantly different than the expectations theorized by management gurus and OD professionals, offering a glimpse into the realities of how these programs affect the contemporary shop floor worker.

The idea of industrial democracy is construed as an economic arrangement that involves workers making decisions, sharing responsibility, and having authority in the workplace. The workers, however, present a different view. Based on their words and experiences, my research indicates that the intent of contemporary democracy programs is to increase production and alleviate employee strife that leads to work stoppages. Thus, current notions of industrial democracy, deployed by management consultants and popular organizational theorists, constitute just another method of employee control.

Keywords: Critical Discourse Analysis; Employee Involvement; Empowerment; Industrial Democracy; Labor Relations

Fielding faculty member Charles McClintock chairs workshop at the annual meeting of the Council of Graduate Schools

Quality and Economic Foundations for Successful Online Graduate Programs, Council of Graduate Schools, December 2011 -- Charles McClintock, Fielding Graduate University; David Wittrock, University of North Dakota; Deirdre Mageean, East Carolina University

Distance delivery methods have proven effective in providing quality academic graduate programs to place-bound and other nontraditional students. These delivery modes have provided new challenges for universities in areas of faculty development, orienting students and assessing their learning, and economic aspects of developing online programs. This workshop examines these key challenges and related issues associated with distance delivery of high quality graduate programs in these areas.

Fielding faculty member Charles McClintock chairs workshop at the annual meeting of the Council of Graduate Schools

Quality and Economic Foundations for Successful Online Graduate Programs, Council of Graduate Schools, December 2011-- Charles McClintock, Fielding Graduate University, David Wittrock, University of North Dakota, Deirdre Mageean, East Carolina University

Distance delivery methods have proven effective in providing quality academic graduate programs to place-bound and other nontraditional students. These delivery modes have provided new challenges for universities in areas of faculty development, orienting students and assessing their learning, and economic
aspects of developing online programs. This workshop will examine these key challenges and related issues associated with distance delivery of high quality graduate programs in these areas.

Guy Nasmyth completes dissertation in the School of Human and Organizational Development

Leadership as a system-wide construct: A narrative exploration of the collaborative process -- Guy Nasmyth

Guy is a self-employed consultant and trainer working in the area of leadership and organizational effectiveness. He works with public, private and not for profit organizations. He also teaches at Royal Roads University and the University of Victoria. His professional website is www.guynasmyth.com.

Abstract:
This research explored (a) the idea that leadership is a system-wide construct rather than a phenomenon that can be understood through a reductionist focus, and (b) the collaborative process experienced by members of groups and teams in which no individual played the role of leader. Employing a narrative approach, 13 individuals told their stories of collaborative experiences in different sociocultural contexts. The data were analyzed using both structural and thematic analyses following the directives of Catherine Kohler Riessman. A metastory is presented as a story of leadership as a system-wide construct. Themes from the data that were consistently reported as critical to the groups achieving success include (a) a belief in the importance of the mission, (b) putting relationships first, (c) adopting strengths-based practice, (d) demonstrating passion without ego, (e) accepting setbacks and moving on, (f) accepting an emergent process and an emergent outcome, (g) recognizing a collective identity, and (h) magic. Research insights surfacing from the thematic analysis are (a) the collaborative process is ubiquitous, (b) the collaborative process is emergent, (c) the duality of leader versus led is unnecessary and potentially limiting, and (d) balancing diversity and conformity is critical. A broader lesson is that the narrative process itself is energy giving and moves away from a limiting expert model, helping to focus on leadership as a complex process and not the role of one individual.

Suzanne S. McKann completes dissertation in the School of Psychology

Grandmothers in Multigenerational Households: Challenges and Rewards -- Suzanne Stephenson McKann

Abstract:
This interpretive phenomenological study investigated the experience of grandmothers who provide for their adult children and grandchildren in the grandmother’s home. The importance of this study relates to understanding the meanings of the grandmother experience in the context of this multigenerational setting. By gaining understandings of this phenomenon, clinicians and researchers can utilize the findings to develop meaningful supports designed to sustain grandmothers in multigenerational households. Aligned with the theoretical and empirical research, grandmothers in this study described an ebb and flow over time of negative, positive, and ambivalent feelings about their experience that ultimately provided meaning to their lives. Challenges to the grandmother experience were (a) economic pressures, (b) family problems, (c) health issues, and (d) loss. The rewards of the grandmother experience were enhanced by (a) family solidarity, (b) strength from their faith, (c) social connections, (d) control of household rules, (e) caregiving, and (f) child advocacy. When faced with problems, grandmothers in this study emerged as generous, resilient, and stable. Understandings gained from this study suggested grandmothers provided powerful resources that contributed to the stability of multigenerational living. Grandmothers’ interventions buffered family members from overwhelming psychological, physical, financial, and social problems. Without grandmothers’ support, these problems could have converged to precipitate extreme negative consequences for family members (Mirsky & Duncan, 2004).

Key Words: Grandmothers; Multigenerational Households; Resilience; Well-Being; Child Advocacy; Family Solidarity; Ambivalence; Adaptability

Alexander Renelt completes dissertation in the School of Psychology

Minimizing Cross-Cultural Test Bias Through Adaptation: Revisiting Rorschach Reference Norms -- Alexander Renelt

Alex currently works for the US Army as a clinical psychologist at Dwight D Eisenhower Army Medical Center (DDEAMC) in Fort Gordon, Georgia. He was commissioned as an Army officer last summer and, as a result, is known to most as Captain Renelt. At DDEAMC, Alex treats and assesses for a myriad of disorders that include a fair amount of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). He is certified in and relies larely on both Prolonged Exposure and Cognitive Processing Therapy in working with clients with PTSD.

A large percentage of his assessments and therapy are actually conducted in Spanish, since he is both bicultural (Cuban-American) and bilingual. Alex has an MA in Educational Psychology and Clinical-Bilingual therapy and has conducted numerous workshops, presentations, and research in the area to include previously developing and teaching an undergraduate course at Montclair State University in NJ for several years. He has also been an active member in various Latino professional associations to include serving on the Executive Board of the NJ Latino Psychological Association. Most recently, the Army has been using Alex to consult, assess, and treat a large component of predominantly Spanish-speaking National Guard soldiers that are stationed in Puerto Rico and serve throughout the world.

In addition to the PhD and MA at Fielding, Alex has a MA in Educational Psychology and Clinical-Bilingual Therapy and Assessment. He also has a BS in Psychology from St. Peter's College in Jersey City, NJ. While at Fielding, Alex was able to further develop his interests in Psychometrics and Personality Assessment and served as a Teaching Assistant for Lynne Saba teaching students to conduct SPSS statistical analysis.

Abstract:
A Mexican sample was utilized to assess measurement bias for Hispanics using the most recently revised Exner Comprehensive System Rorschach (CS) norms (Exner, 2007). One-way ANOVA tests compared Mexican CS scores of 96 Mexican university students with U.S. norms on 128 published variables. Based on the results of the ANOVAs, significant differences between the Mexican sample’s scores and U.S. norms were found for 84 of 128 or 66% of the CS variables with 64 out of the 128 or 50% deemed clinically significant based on effect sizes. To investigate if cultural reference norms would minimize measurement bias, T-scores were then calculated across all variables for the Mexican sample, Exner (2007) sample, and an international reference sample (IRS) compiled by Meyer, Erdberg, and Shaffer (2007) with Exner (2007) norms serving as the reference scores. T-score comparisons of the Mexican sample with Exner’s (2007) sample produced 71 clinically significant variable differences; whereas, comparisons of the Mexican group with the IRS produced 29 fewer clinically relevant differences. The general normalizing of the Mexican sample’s performance when compared to the IRS versus U.S. norms (Exner, 2007) was exhibited in analyses of eight CS cluster configurations. While IRS comparisons did not fully account for the differences in performance for the Mexican sample, the disparities between the study’s sample and the U.S. norms were generally mitigated by IRS scores. The reliable within-group similarities and between-group differences on the CS appear to be a testament to the CS’s foundation in cross-cultural research and Herman Rorschach’s intentions for the Rorschach as a tool for examining both psychopathology and culture’s influence on personality. Further development of reference norms more specific to Latino examinees seems warranted.