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Christian Nonprofit Ceos:Ethical Idealism, Relativism, and Motivation Western Kentucky University TopSCHOLAR® Dissertations Graduate School Spring 2016 Christian Nonprofit EC Os:Ethical Idealism, Relativism, and Motivation Sharlene Garces Baragona Western Kentucky University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.wku.edu/diss Part of the Applied Behavior Analysis Commons, Business Administration, Management, and Operations Commons, Business Law, Public Responsibility, and Ethics Commons, and the Industrial and Organizational Psychology Commons Recommended Citation Baragona, Sharlene Garces, "Christian Nonprofit EC Os:Ethical Idealism, Relativism, and Motivation" (2016). Dissertations. Paper 100. http://digitalcommons.wku.edu/diss/100 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by TopSCHOLAR®. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations by an authorized administrator of TopSCHOLAR®. For more information, please contact [email protected]. CHRISTIAN NONPROFIT CEOS: ETHICAL IDEALISM, RELATIVISM, AND MOTIVATION A Dissertation Presented to The Faculty of the Educational Leadership Doctoral Program Western Kentucky University Bowling Green, Kentucky In Partial Fulfillment Of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Education By Sharlene Sameon Garces Baragona May 2016 I humbly dedicate this work to my Creator, Lord of heaven and earth, Constant Provider, Ultimate Moral Law Giver, Loving Savior, and the Great I Am. Almighty God, You alone are worthy of all honor, glory, and praise. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The Lord has blessed me with wonderful people who helped me complete this doctoral degree. I could not take this journey without Earnest, my loving husband and best friend, by my side. God gave me more than I asked when Earnest came into my life. I have been very fortunate to have an excellent team of mentors who challenged and inspired me to succeed. Words cannot express my gratitude to Dr. Cecile Garmon, my dissertation committee chair, who has guided me with her wisdom and compassion. What a rare opportunity to learn from a dedicated educator for 54 years, and a wife of the same man for 57 years! I highly appreciate my advisor, Dr. Randy Capps, for his strong support since the Cohort IX orientation in 2012. He opened my eyes to the world of nonprofit research and taught me unforgettable leadership lessons, including humility and forgiveness. I extend my special thanks to my methodologist, Dr. Kimberlee Everson, for her great patience and guidance. She has an exceptional way of making statistics more interesting than ever. I will remember the times she coached me on Tuesdays or Thursdays. To Dr. Tony Norman, I will always be grateful for his Christian leadership and research interest in moral development, which truly made an impact on me. He is the top reason I chose WKU for this degree. My heartfelt thanks go to the CEOs of Christian Child and Family Services (CCFSA). Despite of their hectic schedules and the sensitivity of this research topic, they strongly participated in my survey. I also want to thank Sally Shanks for the updated information on CCFSA. iv Dr. Donelson Forsyth deserves a special mention for sharing free of charge his Ethics Position Questionnaire. His speedy permission to use the questionnaire was a nice Monday morning surprise. I am grateful to my classmates for their acts of kindness and encouragement. I admire their dedication and determination to do their best. Maraming salamat to the Minority Assistantship Program for providing me with some tuition funds. I am thankful for the prompt assistance of skilled librarians, particularly Dr. Bryan Carson, Roxanne Spencer, Selina Langford, and Ken Foushee. The interlibrary loan service was super. For being there for me, I sincerely thank Gaye Pearl, Grace Glenn, Beth Siddens, Drs. Ralph and Esther Borromeo, Geralyn Caplan, and Meena Mann. To my church family and everyone who prayed for me, a million thanks for your support. I am forever indebted to Papa Charlemagne and Mama Blandina, my beloved parents of 11 children, for their unconditional love and examples of walking by faith and not by sight. v CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES ...........................................................................................................x LIST OF TABLES ........................................................................................................... xi ABSTRACT ..................................................................................................................... xii CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................1 Problem Statement ....................................................................................................2 Purpose of the Study ................................................................................................4 Research Questions ………………………………………………………………..4 Significance of the Study ..........................................................................................4 Definition of Terms...................................................................................................4 Theoretical Framework .............................................................................................5 Research Design........................................................................................................6 CHAPTER II: REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE ......................................................7 Worldview and Ethics ................................................................................................7 Brief Historical Background of Western Ethics .......................................................9 Ethical Concerns in Organizations .........................................................................10 Ethical Concerns in Nonprofits ……….………………………………….…11 Ethical Concerns of Executives .….……………………………………...... 12 Ethical Leadership ................................................................................................16 Leadership in Nonprofits ......................................................................................17 Servant Leadership ……..……………………………………………………17 Transformational Leadership ….....………………………………………….19 Ethical Theories .....................................................................................................22 vi Metaethics …..……………………………………………………………….24 Normative Ethics ……..……………………...………………...………....... 24 Applied Ethics …………………………………..…………………………..30 Studies in Ethical Idealism, Relativism, and Motivation ……………………….31 Research Studies in Ethical Idealism …………….…………………………31 Research Studies in Ethical Relativism ….........…………………………….33 Research Studies in Inspirational Motivation ….....…………………………34 Ethics and Inspirational Motivation ……………..….. …………………….. 37 Summary ………………………………………………………………………..37 CHAPTER III: METHODOLOGY ..............................................................................39 Research Design.....................................................................................................39 Instrumentation ......................................................................................................39 Ethics Position Questionnaire ..........................................................................40 Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire Leader Form (5X Short) – Inspirational Motivation..........................................................................42 Demographics Questionnaire ...........................................................................43 Participants .............................................................................................................43 Data Collection ......................................................................................................44 Data Analysis ........................................................................................................45 CHAPTER IV: RESULTS .............................................................................................46 Demographics ........................................................................................................46 Findings Related to Research Questions ………………………………………...50 Summary of Results ...............................................................................................53 vii CHAPTER V: CONCLUSIONS ...................................................................................54 Summary of the Research Study ...........................................................................54 Literature Review …………………..………………………………………. 54 Review of Methodology ....……………..………………………………….. 57 Demographics ………………………….….……………………………….. 58 Discussion of Findings ………………………………………………………….58 Research Question 1 ……………………..………………………………….59 Research Question 2 …………………………..…………………………….60 Limitations ………………………………………………………………………61 Recommendations for Further Study ……………………………………………62 REFERENCES …………………………………………………………………………64 APPENDIX A: ETHICS POSITION QUESTIONNAIRE PERMISSION LETTER…..……………………………………………………………………….81 APPENDIX B: MULTIFACTOR LEADERSHIP QUESTIONNAIRE PERMISSION LETTER………………………………………………………… 82 APPENDIX C: NONPROFIT EXECUTIVES SURVEY …………………….....….83 APPENDIX D: LETTER FROM THE CHRISTIAN CHILD AND FAMILY SERVICES ASSOCIATION PRESIDENT TO THE RESEARCHER ..............91 APPENDIX E: LETTER FROM THE CHRISTIAN CHILD AND FAMILY SERVICES ASSOCIATION PRESIDENT TO HIS COLLEAGUES ………..92 APPENDIX F: LETTER TO THE CHRISTIAN NONPROFIT CEOS …………..93 APPENDIX G: IRB APPROVAL LETTER ………………………………...………94
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