Pepperdine University Pepperdine Digital Commons Theses and Dissertations 2017 Success strategies in emerging Iranian American women leaders Sanam Minoo Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.pepperdine.edu/etd Recommended Citation Minoo, Sanam, "Success strategies in emerging Iranian American women leaders" (2017). Theses and Dissertations. 856. https://digitalcommons.pepperdine.edu/etd/856 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by Pepperdine Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Pepperdine Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]. Pepperdine University Graduate School of Education and Psychology SUCCESS STRATEGIES IN EMERGING IRANIAN AMERICAN WOMEN LEADERS A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Education in Organizational Leadership by Sanam Minoo July, 2017 Farzin Madjidi, Ed.D. – Dissertation Chairperson This dissertation, written by Sanam Minoo under the guidance of a Faculty Committee and approved by its members, has been submitted to and accepted by the Graduate Faculty in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF EDUCATION Doctoral Committee: Farzin Madjidi, Ed.D., Chairperson Lani Simpao Fraizer, Ed.D. Gabriella Miramontes, Ed.D. © Copyright by Sanam Minoo 2017 All Rights Reserved TABLE OF CONTENTS Page LIST OF TABLES ......................................................................................................................... vi LIST OF FIGURES ...................................................................................................................... vii DEDICATION ............................................................................................................................. viii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ........................................................................................................... ix VITA ............................................................................................................................................... x ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................................... xi Chapter 1: Introduction ................................................................................................................... 1 Women in Iran: Origins of Traditional Culture and Prominent Figures ............................. 1 Statement of the Problem .................................................................................................. 11 Purpose Statement ............................................................................................................. 13 Research Questions ........................................................................................................... 14 Significance of the Study .................................................................................................. 14 Limitations and Assumptions ........................................................................................... 16 Definition of Terms........................................................................................................... 18 Chapter Summary ............................................................................................................. 20 Chapter 2: Literature Review ........................................................................................................ 22 Overview ........................................................................................................................... 22 Organizational Culture, Emotional Intelligence, and the Basis of Leadership ................. 22 Success Strategies ............................................................................................................. 75 Chapter Summary ............................................................................................................. 81 Chapter 3: Research Design and Methodology ............................................................................ 83 Introduction ....................................................................................................................... 83 Re-Statement of Research Questions ................................................................................ 84 Nature of the Study ........................................................................................................... 84 Methodology ..................................................................................................................... 88 Research Design................................................................................................................ 95 Human Subject Consideration ........................................................................................ 100 Data Collection ............................................................................................................... 101 Interview Techniques ...................................................................................................... 103 Statement of Personal Bias ............................................................................................. 110 Data Analysis .................................................................................................................. 112 Chapter Summary ........................................................................................................... 115 Chapter 4: Findings ..................................................................................................................... 115 Structure of the Chapter .................................................................................................. 116 Participants ...................................................................................................................... 117 Data Collection ............................................................................................................... 119 Data Analysis .................................................................................................................. 121 Inter-rater Review Process .............................................................................................. 123 Data Display.................................................................................................................... 123 Research Question 1 ....................................................................................................... 123 Research Question 2 ....................................................................................................... 137 Research Question 3 ....................................................................................................... 142 Research Question 4 ....................................................................................................... 148 Chapter Summary ........................................................................................................... 157 Chapter 5: Conclusions and Recommendations ......................................................................... 159 Overall Summary and Structure of the Study ................................................................. 160 Results and Discussion of Findings ................................................................................ 161 Key Findings ................................................................................................................... 173 iv Implications of the Study ................................................................................................ 175 Recommendations for Future Research .......................................................................... 182 Final Thoughts ................................................................................................................ 186 REFERENCES ........................................................................................................................... 189 APPENDIX A. INFORMED CONSENT FORM ...................................................................... 213 APPENDIX B. INTERVIEW RECRUITMENT E-MAIL SCRIPT .......................................... 217 APPENDIX C. IRB APPROVAL LETTER .............................................................................. 218 v LIST OF TABLES Table 1. Research Questions and Corresponding Interview Questions ...................................... 108 Table 2. Research Questions and Corresponding Interview Questions ...................................... 110 Table 3. Dates of Participant Interviews ..................................................................................... 121 vi LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1. IQ1: Qualities of a successful leader. This figure demonstrates the six that have emerged from the responses. The numbers represent the number of times that particular theme was mentioned. ..................................................................................................... 125 Figure 2. IQ 2: Leadership strategies used to create success. ..................................................... 129 Figure 3. IQ 3: Overcoming resistance to change. ...................................................................... 132 Figure 4. IQ 4: Overcoming challenges and barriers to success. ...............................................