Organizational Work Groups Experiencing a Sudden and Unexpected Loss of a Member James A
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University of St. Thomas, Minnesota UST Research Online Education Doctoral Dissertations in Organization School of Education Development 2015 Organizational Work Groups Experiencing a Sudden and Unexpected Loss of a Member James A. Geither University of St. Thomas, Minnesota Follow this and additional works at: https://ir.stthomas.edu/caps_ed_orgdev_docdiss Part of the Education Commons, and the Organizational Behavior and Theory Commons Recommended Citation Geither, James A., "Organizational Work Groups Experiencing a Sudden and Unexpected Loss of a Member" (2015). Education Doctoral Dissertations in Organization Development. 45. https://ir.stthomas.edu/caps_ed_orgdev_docdiss/45 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the School of Education at UST Research Online. It has been accepted for inclusion in Education Doctoral Dissertations in Organization Development by an authorized administrator of UST Research Online. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Organizational Work-Groups Experiencing a Sudden and Unexpected Loss of a Member A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF THE SCHOOL OF EDUCATION OF THE UNIVERSITY OF ST. THOMAS By James A. Geither IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF EDUCATION May 2015 UNIVERSITY OF ST. THOMAS i We certify that we have read this dissertation and approved it as adequate in scope and quality. We have found that it is complete and satisfactory in all respects, and that any and all revisions required by the final examining committee have been made. Dissertation Committee David W. Jamieson, Ph.D., chair Rama Hart, Ph.D., committee member Kurt M. Gehlert, Ph.D., committee member Date ii Dedications Uncle Paul – Your sudden and unexpected loss to our family truly began this quest for me way back in 1975. I witnessed and observed in person just how trying and tumultuous this type of loss can be. Your presence is still very much felt and greatly appreciated. Cousin Brendan Gerard Blasius – Your sudden and unexpected loss to our family was very tumultuous, to say the least. In contemplating your sudden death, I think about the folly that society actively participates in by assuming that a shorter life is not as “fully lived” as a longer life. You are truly missed. Terry Kath – Terry was regarded as the rock band Chicago’s bandleader and best soloist; and his vocal, jazz, and hard rock influences are regarded as integral to the band’s early sound. He has been praised for his guitar skills and described by rock author Corbin Reiff as “one of the most criminally underrated guitarists to have ever set finger to fretboard.” Your group is still affected deeply by your loss. Thomas Scot Halpin – Good thing that you and your buddy bought those tickets from that scalper in San Francisco. Also good that you were given that shot of brandy before sitting down behind the kit. The Who’s Pete Townshend had asked the crowd, “Can anybody play the drums? Can anybody play the drums? I mean somebody good!” iii Acknowledgements I would never have been able to finish my dissertation without the guidance of my committee members, help from friends, and support from my family and spouse. I would also like to thank both of my parents and my younger brother, Jeff. They were always supporting me throughout my lifetime and encouraging me with their best wishes. Kelly – She was always there cheering me up and standing by me through the good times and bad. Thank you so very much for all of the love, support, encouragement, and dedication. I would be very remiss if I didn’t acknowledge the innumerable sacrifices made by my spouse and partner in shouldering far more than her fair share of the parenting and household burdens, while I pursued this final degree. It is greatly appreciated, and please know that you are deeply loved and cherished. Dr. David Jamieson – I would like to express the deepest appreciation and gratitude to my committee Chair, Professor Jamieson, who has the attitude and the substance of a genius: he continually and convincingly conveyed a spirit of adventure in regard to research and scholarship, and an excitement in regard to teaching. Without his guidance and persistent help, this dissertation would not have been possible. Thank you so very, very much that, as I was “boxing in the ring”, I was able to turn around and see that you were watching…you were paying attention…If I could make it to the bell, you would have this tremendous advice for me to get through this battle. iv Dr. Rama Hart & Dr. Kurt Gehlert – I would like to thank my dissertation committee, Dr. Rama Hart and Dr. Kurt Gehlert, for their support over the past two years, as I moved from an idea to a completed study. Thank you so very much for the friendly guidance, thought-provoking suggestions, and the general collegiality that each of you offered me. Of particular value and note, Organization Development, as you both know, is based upon “asking the provocative question”. Both of you were completely invaluable and timeless in that regard. These were stellar inputs to this study. To Morgan, Kayla, Kaela, James, Darcy, and Lola, each equally my pride and joy. Thank you for allowing me the time to complete this terminal degree. Morgan and Kayla particularly, thank you for helping out around the house and with the little ones while I was writing, in class, or out-of-town in Minneapolis or Ukraine. I love you both very, very much. Kaela – Seeing your very strong grades come through my daily e-mails was truly energizing to me. To see just how much your academic career meant to you was of significant value to me during some trying times. It deeply inspired me. I love you very, very much. James – Thank you so very much for your quiet, intellectual confidence. I also greatly enjoyed seeing just how you jumped through the necessary hoops while you showed your chickens at the County Fair. It inspired me at times where I would really need it in completing this dissertation. It was inspiring to me to calmly think about you hustling to v get to your next chicken, hit your marks, and calmly state just what you knew. In some desperate times, I would literally say to myself under my breath, “Jim, just hustle to get your next chicken, hit your marks, and calmly state just what you know about the topic. Oh! And don’t let the chicken poop on you while you’re doing it!” You have no idea just how much that helped me. You are truly inspiring. I love you very, very much. Darcy – Thank you so very much for “The Darcy Principle”. It truly was thought- provoking and made me deeply think about other ways to look at the information that was presented to me. “The Darcy Principle” really broke down some paradigms for me. I love you very, very much. Lola – Thank you, Lola, for your very blunt assessments and complete and total honesty in every single circumstance. With you particularly, this dissertation severely impacted some formative, developmental years for you, and I apologize for that. Just like in that movie, “Run! Lola! Run!”, you just keep on attempting things until you get them right. You never, never give up on things, and that truly inspired me during this dissertation. I love you very, very much. vi Abstract The purpose of this study was to generate a deeper understanding of the inner workings of a work-group that has experienced a sudden and unexpected loss of one of its group members. Using a grounded theory research design, the researcher conducted semi- structured interviews with six work-groups that have experienced a sudden and unexpected loss of one of their group members. vii Table of Contents Dedications ........................................................................................................................ iii Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................ iv Abstract ............................................................................................................................. vii List of Figures ................................................................................................................... xii Chapter 1: Introduction ...................................................................................................... 1 Topic and Research Problem .......................................................................................... 1 Research Concern and Purpose of the Study .................................................................. 1 Delimitations ................................................................................................................... 6 Group Definitions ........................................................................................................... 6 Dissertation Organization ............................................................................................... 7 Chapter 2: Literature Review ............................................................................................. 9 Tuckman’s Stages ........................................................................................................... 9 William Bridges’ Theories on Organizations in Transition .......................................... 11 Symbolic Interactionism ............................................................................................... 12 Peter Vaill’s Permanent White Water ........................................................................... 18 Self-Organization .........................................................................................................