Ronald Reidy

DISSERTATION TITLE:

RELATIONAL LEADING PRACTICES IN A PROJECT TEAM: AN EXPLORATORY CASE STUDY OF ORGANIZATIONAL COMMUNICATION

By Ronald Reidy
University of Twente
July 2018

“In this qualitative study, I explored the influence of relational leading practices on a project team’s organizational communication. The study took place within a global high-technology organization located in the United States. The project team was assembled in August 2015. Core project work was completed in March 2016. Post implementation stabilization monitoring of the software conversion functionality, and team member engagement, in a limited capacity, continued through July 2016 and November 2016 respectively. Team member interviews were held in July and August 2017. The 16 project team members in the study includes technical and non-technical personnel working to convert a major software application. My role in the project was that of program manager, peer, and researcher. Researching from a social constructionist worldview, an auto- and duo-ethnographic single case study design strategy was used. Thematic analysis with constant comparison was utilized as the primary data analysis tool for this study. Inductive analysis logic was used to identify themes and patterns. These findings were documented and categorized using thematic analysis guidelines and placed into three major categories: empowerment, open dialogue, and shared learning. All of the 16 practices in this study were discussed separately, then combined to create The Integrated Relational Leading Practices Framework.”