Date of Conferral
2022
Degree
Doctor of Business Administration (D.B.A.)
School
Business Administration
Advisor
Erica Gamble
Abstract
Organizational leaders find it challenging to determine what leadership strategies motivate and retain employees in their company, especially during a pandemic. Not knowing which leadership strategies would successfully motivate employees leads to higher turnover, less profitability, and higher costs to replace employees. Grounded in transformational leadership theory, the purpose of this multiple case study was to explore strategies corporate leaders use to motivate and retain employees in small and medium businesses (SMEs) in southeastern Wisconsin (WI). Data were collected from semi-structured interviews with eight participants from eight SMEs of southeast WI, as well as analyzing company documents. Yin’s 5-step process was followed, and four themes emerged: meeting employees’ individual needs, open communication and transparency, training and challenging employees, and increased compensation and benefits. A key recommendation is for organizational leaders to allow employees to work at home if they don’t feel safe going to work. The implications for positive social change include the potential for organizations to realize greater profitability and communities to prosper because of more people working.
Recommended Citation
Doescher, Shirley Jean, "Leadership Strategies to Motivate and Retain Employees in Small and Medium Enterprises" (2022). Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies. 13315.
https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/13315
