Date of Conferral

3-11-2026

Degree

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

School

Management

Advisor

Denise Land

Abstract

Unmotivated nonprofit organization (NPO) employees threaten NPO mission fulfillment. NPO leaders are concerned with poor employee motivation as it negatively correlates with organizational performance. Grounded in the integration of self-determination theory and Vroom’s expectancy theory, the purpose of this qualitative single-case study was to explore the leadership strategies that some NPO leaders use to motivate employees. The targeted population was five leaders of an NPO in the Tigray region of Ethiopia who implemented successful leadership strategies to motivate employees. The participants comprised five leaders, purposively selected from an Ethiopian NPO, who had demonstrated the ability to motivate their employees. Data were collected using semistructured interviews and organizational documents. Yin’s five-step model guided the data analysis of the case study, resulting in five emergent themes: (a) leadership behavior, (b) organizational policy framework and procedure, (c) measuring effectiveness of motivational strategy, (d) alignment with mission values, and (e) promoting employee participation and autonomy. A key recommendation is for leaders in the nonprofit sector to clearly communicate the organization’s mission, objectives, beliefs, and a compelling vision to engage employees’ passion in fulfilling the mission. The implications for positive social change include the potential to improve local society through higher employment rates, increased community volunteerism, and greater economic stability, which could enhance the worth, dignity, and development of individuals and communities.

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