Date of Conferral

9-24-2026

Date of Award

September 2026

Degree

Doctor of Business Administration (D.B.A.)

School

Management

Advisor

Caitlin Byrd

Abstract

Failure to properly retain financial industry employees can cause a chain reaction of detrimental issues, including financial consequences, high turnover rates, and vulnerabilities to an organization’s overall health and success in the industry. Financial industry leaders may struggle to maintain an appealing organization for current and prospective employees, hindering their ability to retain talent profitably and sustainably and gain a competitive advantage in the financial industry. The purpose of this qualitative pragmatic inquiry project was to identify and explore effective strategies that financial industry leaders use to retain employees and remain profitable and sustainable. Using Herzberg’s two–factor theory of motivation, this project focused on data from semistructured interviews with nine research participants who are financial industry leaders in the United States and have three or more years of managerial experience implementing employee retention strategies. Using Braun and Clarke’s six-phase thematic analysis framework, five themes were identified: (a) leadership support, (b) career growth, (c) employee retention value, (d) organizational culture and engagement, and (e) collaborative communication. Key recommendations are for financial leaders to implement strategic efforts, such as bidirectional communication between employees and leaders, and to provide frequent leadership support to help employees perform their jobs more effectively. The implications for positive social change include the potential for financial industry leaders to promote bidirectional communication and leadership support, which may benefit financial industry employees by increasing job satisfaction, workplace stability, and sustained employment.

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