Date of Conferral

6-13-2024

Date of Award

June 2024

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Management

Advisor

Rick Dool

Abstract

This qualitative phenomenological study focused on the lived experiences of employees living and working in the Rio Grande Valley Texas border regions. The overall research problem was the general lack of employee engagement that has been highlighted in several studies. This research problem was further investigated to understand the lived experiences of employees in the healthcare industry and residing in border regions of Texas and how those experiences intersected with employee engagement. The purpose of this study was to explore and apply those lived experiences so that managers can use the information to better engage employees. The conceptual foundation consisted of concepts from the social learning theory and their intersections with lived experiences and employee engagement. In semi structured interviews, 10 participants shared their lived experiences with the phenomenon of interest. The interviews underwent coding and themes from the interviews emerged. Emerging themes included (a) positive sense of belonging, (b) positive leadership, (c) performance management, (d) employee recognition, (e) strong trust, and (f) intriguing work. The results showed that multiculturalism had no impact on employee engagement. This study provided practical information to enable managers to engage their employees better and drive positive social change in employee engagement. Engaged employees perform better and increase overall organizational profitability. Increased profitability can have positive social implications for the area, including a better quality of life and additional economic opportunities.

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