Priests' Perceptions of the Leadership Styles of U.S. Catholic Bishops Aloysius Okey Ndeanaefo Walden University
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Walden University ScholarWorks Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies Collection 2018 Priests' Perceptions of the Leadership Styles of U.S. Catholic Bishops Aloysius Okey Ndeanaefo Walden University Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations Part of the Business Administration, Management, and Operations Commons, Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods Commons, Public Administration Commons, and the Public Policy Commons This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies Collection at ScholarWorks. It has been accepted for inclusion in Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Walden University College of Social and Behavioral Sciences This is to certify that the doctoral dissertation by Aloysius Okey Ndeanaefo has been found to be complete and satisfactory in all respects, and that any and all revisions required by the review committee have been made. Review Committee Dr. Dianne Williams, Committee Chairperson, Public Policy and Administration Faculty Dr. Gary Kelsey, Committee Member, Public Policy and Administration Faculty Dr. Anne Hacker, University Reviewer, Public Policy and Administration Faculty Chief Academic Officer Eric Riedel, Ph.D. Walden University 2018. Abstract Priests’ Perceptions of the Leadership Styles of U.S. Catholic Bishops by Aloysius Okey Ndeanaefo D. Min., Graduate Theological Foundation, 2010 M.Div., University of St. Mary of the Lake, 2005 B.Th., University of St. Mary of the Lake, 2003 B. Phil., Pontifical Urban University, 1997 Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Public Policy and Administration - Nonprofit Management Walden University June 2018 Abstract The United States Catholic bishops have used their authority to address the child sexual abuse scandal, but it has been problematic that no one has yet evaluated their exercised leadership styles. In this phenomenological study, I explored U.S Catholic priests’ perceptions of the bishops’ leadership styles related to how they handled the child sexual abuse scandal. Knowing the bishops’ leadership styles was paramount to fill the research gap. The theoretical frameworks underpinning this study were transformational leadership, transactional leadership, charismatic leadership, and servant leadership. Data collected through interviews with 11 Catholic priests revealed their perceptions of how the behavioral characteristics of each leadership style influenced the management of the child sexual abuse scandal. Collected data were deductively coded, then subjected to a thematic analysis procedure. The research findings highlighted the bishops’ predominant use of servant leadership style. The resulting themes were that (a) the bishops felt they were forced to listen, (b) they lacked the charisma to convince, (c) they were more interested in protecting the church, and (d) they paid remunerations to victims. The U.S Catholic bishops would benefit from this study as it reveals the remaining gaps in their predominant use of servant leadership style. The positive social change implications point to the bishops’ using this study to facilitate more effective leadership styles when handling and preventing similar future crises while collaborating with the clergy, the religious, the faithful, and law enforcement officials in creating and sustaining awareness of child abuse prevention policy to avert future harms. Priests’ Perceptions of the Leadership Styles of U.S. Catholic Bishops by Aloysius Okey Ndeanaefo D. Min., Graduate Theological Foundation, 2010 M. Div., University of St. Mary of the Lake, 2005 B. TH, University of St. Mary of the Lake, 2003 B. PHIL, Pontifical Urban University, 1997 Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Public Policy and Administration - Nonprofit Management Walden University June 2018 Dedication This dissertation is dedicated to my beloved and deceased dad, Mr. Michael Ndebueze Ndeanaefo, for everything you sacrificed for our family. May your gentle soul rest in the peace of God, Amen. In honor of my beloved mother Ezinee Theresa Chibogwu Ndeanaefo (Nee Afubera) for all your love and support to me and our family. Acknowledgments My acknowledgement is to everyone who helped me in achieving this academic success including my Committee Chair, Dr. Dianne Williams, committee member, Dr. Gary Kelsey, my URR, Dr. Anne Hacker, together with the Walden University faculty and staff, course mates, friends, Bishop Carle Kemme of Catholic Diocese of Wichita, Kansas, and all priest participants. Table of Contents List of Tables .......................................................................................................................v List of Figures .................................................................................................................... vi Chapter 1: Introduction to the Study ....................................................................................1 Introduction ....................................................................................................................1 Background of the Study ...............................................................................................2 Problem Statement .........................................................................................................7 Purpose of the Study ......................................................................................................8 Research Question (RQ) ................................................................................................9 Theoretical Framework ..................................................................................................9 Nature of the Study ........................................................................................................9 Definitions of Terms ....................................................................................................10 Assumptions .................................................................................................................12 Scope and Delimitations ..............................................................................................13 Limitations ...................................................................................................................14 Significance of the Study .............................................................................................16 Implications for Social Change ....................................................................................18 Summary ......................................................................................................................18 Chapter 2: Literature Review .............................................................................................20 Introduction ..................................................................................................................20 Literature Search Strategy............................................................................................23 Leadership Theory Foundation ....................................................................................24 i Transformational Leadership Theory ....................................................................26 Transactional Leadership .......................................................................................32 Charismatic Leadership .........................................................................................34 Servant Leadership.................................................................................................36 Transformational Theoretical Application .............................................................37 Research Theoretical Framework ................................................................................38 Leadership ..............................................................................................................39 Child Sexual Abuse................................................................................................49 Summary and Conclusions ..........................................................................................60 Chapter 3: Research Method ..............................................................................................62 Introduction ..................................................................................................................62 Research Design and Rationale ...................................................................................62 Research Question (RQ) ........................................................................................63 Role of the Researcher .................................................................................................63 Methodology ................................................................................................................64 Instrumentation ......................................................................................................65 Data Collection and Sampling Procedures ............................................................65 Population Size ......................................................................................................67