PSY 790 SNHU Module 10 Depression and Anxiety PPT and Reflection Paper PLEASE READ THE ENTIRE GUIDELINES AND RUBRIC DOCUMENT ATTACHED AND FOLLOW ALL REQUIR

PSY 790 SNHU Module 10 Depression and Anxiety PPT and Reflection Paper PLEASE READ THE ENTIRE GUIDELINES AND RUBRIC DOCUMENT ATTACHED AND FOLLOW ALL REQUIREMENTS VERY CLOSELY! THIS IS A HUGE GRADE WHICH DETERMINES IF I PASS OR FAIL THE ENTIRE COURSE!

I’VE ATTACHED THE FIRST 3 MILESTONES FOR YOU TO USE AS WELL.

I’VE ALSO ATTACHED AN EXAMPLE OF HOW THE FINAL PAPER SHOULD LOOK. PLEASE USE THIS TO HELP WRITE THIS PAPER, BUT REMEMBER, THIS IS AN EXAMPLE ONLY!

Instructions

Submit all of the elements of your final project: the proposal, the presentation, and the reflection. All three components will be evaluated as a whole with the same rubric.

As preparation for the peer review in Module Ten, post a copy of your presentation to the 10-1 Discussion.

For additional details, please refer to the Final Project Guidelines and Rubric document.

Guidelines for Submission: Your research concept paper should be 15–20 pages long and should follow American Psychological Association (APA) style. It should include a title page, a table of contents, references, and (if applicable) appendices. In the “real world,” there are usually no page-length requirements, so the given page range is a suggestion, and you should use your professional judgment regarding the length of your paper. You may include illustrations, photographs, graphs, charts, and other non-textual materials as needed to support your research concept, but please be sure to format all of these in APA style. Refer to the module resources and the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, sixth edition (required in previous courses) for guidance in APA style formatting. Running Head: COMMUNICATION AND EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT
Final Project: Communication and Employee Engagement
Name Here
Southern New Hampshire University
PSY 790
Instructor: Julie A. Thompson, PhD
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COMMUNICATION AND EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT
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Table of Contents
Introduction
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Literature Review
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Research Method and Design
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Strengths and Weaknesses
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Data Collection Tools
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Population and Sampling Procedures
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Collection of Data
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Data Analysis Process
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Statistical and Qualitative Analysis
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Limitations and Assumptions
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Dissemination of Findings
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Ethical Considerations
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Conclusion
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References
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Communication and Employee Engagement
Employee engagement is an employee’s motivation and willingness to be productive in
their role and it is extremely important to an organization’s bottom line. Research has found that
companies with engaged employees outperform other companies by 202% and that two key
drivers of employee engagement are relationship with direct manager and belief in senior
leadership (Dale Carnegie Training, 2012). The Society for Industrial and Organizational
Psychology revealed the top 10 Workplace trends for 2017 which included capturing the voice of
the employee and adapting to change effectively (SIOP, 2016). In a world where change is
constant and competition is extreme, organizations must proactively engage employees,
particularly during times of change, with purposeful and sincere efforts.
Relevance to the Field of Psychology
Consider the story of a news division created as an experiment at BBC, British media
giant. While the 200 plus journalists and editors employed to this division felt they gave it their
best to make it work, management decided to close the division. The first executive sent to
deliver the news did so in such a way that created dissention and discontent amongst the group,
so much so that he almost needed escorted by security. The next day, a second executive spoke
to the group, delivering the same news, but did it in such a way that the group cheered him on
and thanked him (Goleman, Boyatzis, & McKee, 2002). What invoked different outcomes for
two different executives delivering the same news? Message delivery and audience reception.
The SIOP, a Division 14 of the American Psychological Association (APA), defines
industrial and organizational psychology as the scientific study and application of working and
workplace issues that face individuals, teams and organizations (SIOP, 2017). Two of the top
trends for 2017, capturing the voice of the employee and adapting to change effectively (SIOP,
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2016), both focus on fostering, increasing, and maintaining employee engagement with the
intended result being increased employee retention and productivity.
Purpose of Proposed Research
In order for organizations to understand what is needed to foster, increase, and sustain
employee engagement, it is necessary to identify scientific methods that can be applied to
investigate issues of critical relevance to individuals, businesses, and society (SIOP, 2017). For
this particular research, a strong focus on the level and type of communication from leadership
will be studied and analyzed. The following research questions are proposed:
1. How do employee engagement levels correlate with level of communication between
employees and leadership?
2. How does leadership communication style affect employee engagement levels?
Literature Review
Existing research findings have concluded that employee engagement and acceptance to
change is affected by leadership interaction and communication as well as organizational
interaction, or culture. Prior to Martin Seligman, the study of psychology predominantly related
to medicine and the treatment of sick or dysfunctional psychosis. Seligman made the
observation that focusing on positive psychology, or things that made people happy, was an
almost unexplored concept. Positive psychology focuses on strengths versus weaknesses in
behaviors and mindset such as hope, vision, and happiness (Changing Minds, n.d.). Later
research discovered key emotions associated with positive psychology (hope, joy, gratitude,
interest, inspiration, and pride), indicating they can be self-driven, however can be influenced by
the support level of the organization (Froman, 2009).
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French and Holden (2012) also highlight the benefits of teaching business leaders to
impose Seligman’s positive psychology in the restructuring and delivery of messages, even the
most negative ones. Positive psychology’s purpose was to shift from the typical “disease-based”
problem solving model, to one that focused on utilizing positive resources. French and Holden
(2012) concluded that organizations with “healthy” organizational cultures, or cultures that value
positive organizational behaviors, are more effective at putting a positive spin on “bad news” or
negative situations by communicating them as opportunities versus threats. Some of the traits of
healthy organizational cultures and leaders include: hope, resiliency, and optimism.
Related to and encouraged by Seligman’s positive psychology theory is Richard
Boyatzis’ Intentional Change theory (ICT). Boyatzis & Akrivou (2006) conclude that ideal self,
or wanting to intentionally change to become a better person, is a more effective motivator than
negative feelings and attitudes. Boyatzis (2006) also noted that intentional change can be taught
and geared not only to individuals, but also to groups and organizations when successfully
coached and facilitated. Some of the key findings that promote sustainability of intentional
change both individually and collectively, is the recommended format of focus and coaching, all
pointing to positive emotional attractors versus negative emotional attractors (Boyatzis, 2006;
Boyatzis & Akrivou, 2006). Wanting to better understand the impact of ICT on larger scale
change at an organizational level, Van Oosten (2006) conducted an organizational case study and
identified the concept of appreciative inquiry (AI) in successful organizational change.
Along the same lines as Van Oosten’s research, Smith (2006) also concluded that in order
for change to be effective and sustainable, employees must be involved with the change process,
with managers and leaders genuinely role modeling active listening and two-way interaction.
Smith’s (2006) examination of extensive empirical research revealed five common, core rules
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that should be followed in order to achieve effective communication. The rules are as follows:
1) recognizing that groups and people differ, messages should be crafted and delivered in the
right way and at the right time for each intended audience, 2) listen to fully understand, not just
to respond, 3) provide the reasons for change in terms that everyone will understand, 4)
demonstrated commitment for open communication from all levels of leadership, from senior
level to front line managers, and 5) communicate the changes in at a pace that employees are
able to digest and understand.
Also recognizing that leadership communication style is important, Lou, Song, Gebert,
Zhang, & Feng (2016) identified five dimensions of leadership communication style based upon
the cognitive appraisal theory of emotions which contends that individuals cognitions and
emotions are closely interrelated, reinforcing each other. Lou et al. (2016) concluded that
subordinate, hope and support orientation all had significant positive effects on subordinates’
commitment to change, whereas reality and enforcement orientation had no significant
relationship to commitment to change.
Karanges, Johnston, Beatson, and Lings (2015) focus on the importance of internal
communications on employee engagement, not just from the organization, but also from the
supervisors and leadership. They concluded that both organizational and supervisor
communication positively affect employee engagement levels by strengthening relationships and
interactions based upon meaning and trust. Results of this study reinforce the concept that an
organization must have a plan in place to communicate change, not just from the top, but from
the front-line supervisory staff as well.
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While each of the research articles appear to support the research questions and topic, it is
important to note that each of the studies also present certain limitations for consideration, as
well as future implications that would support further analysis and study.
Limitations
While Boyatzis’ research and studies of ICT have provided some promising models to
consider for drivers of ideal self in change, and Van Oosten’s application of AI in organizational
case studies, more empirical research needs to be conducted at the group and organizational level
to ensure applicability and sustainability. Change at an organizational level takes into
consideration many more variables that can affect ICT such as individual and leadership styles,
as well as organizational culture and culture fit.
French and Holden (2012) argue that developing an organizational culture values positive
organizational behaviors that can transform negative news into well-crafted and received
messages. While this sounds promising in theory, empirical studies to test and support their
hypothesis are missing.
Smith’s (2006) guide for communicating during times of change provided some sound
advice and steps for leadership and organizations. The one area that could’ve strengthened this
paper was a more detailed literature review on the various empirical studies that the five rules of
communicating change were drawn from. While Smith indicated that the rules were extracted
from empirical research demonstrating the role of communication during change, the lack of
detail provides some question regarding reliability and validity of his recommended concepts.
Lou et al.’s (2016) research on how leadership communication style promotes employee
commitment to change is based on solid theory and empirical research and shows promise for
better understanding how leadership communication style is perceived and applied by different
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subordinates based upon their fears on change. The shortcomings of this study include the fact
that leaders must understand the fears of change their subordinates have in order to effectively
change their communication style. Since no emotional measures were used in this particular
study, it is difficult to determine if leaders would be able to read their subordinates fears and
adjust their styles accordingly. Lastly, because research was conducted in China, which is rooted
in different cultural beliefs, the results cannot be generalized over other populations, particularly
Western populations in which exist different cultural norms and beliefs within the workplace.
Understanding global cultural differences is paramount in replicated research studies within the
workplace, however internal cultural norms, or organizational culture, is equally important when
driving change.
While the results of Karanges et al. (2016) are positive and seem to support the first two
research questions regarding organization’s efforts toward change and open communication from
all levels, the results are somewhat limited in that this was a self-report analysis and the
participants were largely part of a service-driven industry which could affect generalization of
results in other industries. Perhaps an empirical study within multiple organizations in various
industries facing change currently would allow the results to be more authenticated and reliable.
Methodology, Design, and Data
Research Method and Design
Because true results for employee engagement connect to measurable data such as short
and long-term employee satisfaction, retention, and productivity, it will be necessary to utilize a
multi-pronged, longitudinal platform. This is in response to the most recent literature review
which found that while the results were promising, there was not enough evidence to provide
long-term validity and reliability. It will involve reviewing qualitative (employee satisfaction
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and engagement) and quantitative (employee retention and productivity) data/analysis. It is
crucial to include test subjects from companies with both healthy and unhealthy cultures in order
to truly measure and understand the effects of change in leadership communication and coaching
in each type of environment. Additionally, it will be important to understand leadership style as
it pertains to ability to effectively communicate to employees.
The data collection methods will include both current data trends of employee retention
and productivity for companies, self-report data of employee satisfaction, and self-report
assessments of leadership style. This will allow us to measure the current state of both a healthy
and unhealthy organizational structure, as well as determine some of the key reasons employees
are either engaged or disengaged. Instead of just measuring a short period of time, it will be
necessary to measure results from start to finish over a longer period of time to determine a true
measure on results. Additionally, fixed measures such as attrition and retention rates will
provide data to measure against company to company, as well as pre and post training/solution
delivery. The recommended length of the research study is two years with monthly reporting
from leadership on the effects of their communication with employees.
Strengths and Weaknesses
The strengths of these methods include increased reliability and validity due to the layers
of analysis to truly understand all the key variables that may affect how communication affects
employee engagement levels. Being able to sample from both healthy and unhealthy culture
organizations, as well as measure engagement and satisfaction levels of employees under
positive and negative leadership styles, should provide a stronger correlation between the two,
not just short term, but long term as well.
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Data Collection Tools
To measure engagement and satisfaction levels of employees currently, the Gallup Q12
meta-analysis will be utilized. The Gallup Q12 is an instrument that was designed, studied, and
implemented based upon 30 years of accumulated qualitative and quantitative research focusing
on employee engagement and satisfaction. It measures both attitudinal and actionable issues,
starting with an overall satisfaction rating, and then moving on to determine agreement levels of
actionable items such as feeling valued and developed at work (Harter, Schmidt, Agrawal,
Sangeeta, Plowman, & Blue, 2016). The results of the Q12 meta-analysis should predict
organizational culture health.
To measure leadership communication style, a Theory X and Theory Y inventory will be
utilized for leadership within each of the selected organizations. This instrument includes 17
items on a five-point Likert-type scale (Russ, 2013). According to McGregor’s Theory X/Y,
leaders with Theory X orientation presume that employees are unmotivated, irresponsible, and
cannot be trusted. The opposite is true with Theory Y orientation which presumes that
employees are self-driven, self-motivated, and competent, and should be part of collective
decisions. It is thought that either of these orientations affect the ability to communicate with
employees, with X being negative and Y being positive (Russ, 2013).
Intentional Change Theory (ICT) is purposed to elicit desired, sustainable change. While
it has mostly been researched on individuals, more focus is being placed on the effects on
organizational change. Part of self-organizing and sustaining growth or change is the relative
pull of two attractors, negative emotional attractors (NEA) and positive emotional attractors
(PEA). Basically, these two forces or attractors work as a form of self-coaching or self-talking
oneself into or out of a situation (Boyatzis, 2006; Boyatzis & Akrivou, 2006). Leaders chosen
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for this study will be taught how to coach and develop employees with PEA, or vision focused
communication. It is the assumption that leaders with Theory Y orientation already take this
approach, while leaders with Theory X orientation will face challenges with the suggested format
of coaching. Results will be tracked and studied utilizing observation methods, or watching the
leaders coach their employees.
Lastly, employee retention and productivity will be measured pre and post research in
order to determine measureable quantitative results prior to the study as well as effects on
changed leadership communication after the study.
Population and Sampling Procedures
Because sales and customer service organizations tend to face change on a fairly
consistent basis due to internal and external factors such as introduction of new products and
processes, customer supply and demand (ebb and flow of business), and competition, four large
companies will be selected with a focus on their sales and customer service departments. The
mean size of the sales and customer service department for each company is 359 employees,
with the respective count at each organization being 156, 312, 425, and 543. If every employee
agrees to participate, the total sample size could potentially be 1,436 which includes a mix of
male and female, and also leadership, age ranges from 18 – 66. All four companies have a
national footprint with branches across the United States and compose four different industries:
pharmaceutical sales, home security services, cable and phone services, and construction
equipment. This will allow for greater reliability due to a broadened sample.
Collection of Data
Once the organizations have been identified and approached and have agreed to
participate, individual consent forms will be provided to the participants prior to distribution of
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the first assessment tool, the Gallup Q12 meta-analysis. To avoid any misunderstanding and
increase chances of participation, executive leadership will schedule mandatory meetings with
their departments to allow a research representative come in and explain the research program:
reasoning, benefits, participants’ rights, and future direction. Each organization has agreed to
pay their employees a $200 stipend for participating in the study. They must agree to not
withhold or retract that payment if any employee at any time decides they no longer would like
to participate. These terms would be described as an addendum to the consent form with clear
understanding that the research group is not responsible for paying the participation stipend.
Participants would be guaranteed complete anonymity with regards to comments and
results, to ensure they do not feel threatened for leadership to know what they answered on the
Q12. The same will be true for leadership, results of their Theory X/Y inventory will not be
shared with executive leadership. Only the results of their coaching efforts will be shared with
executive leadership on an as needed basis.
Data Analysis Process
The Gallup Q12 meta-analysis assessment answers and results will go to and come
directly from the Gallup organization. The results will include data trends and summaries of
results. This tool has been utilized and refined many times over 30 years on thousands of
participants and studies, and therefore shows validity and reliability in results (Harter et al.,
2016).
The Theory X/Y inventory will be tracked through SPSS software to identify trends and
clearly define dominant leadership styles. This …
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