Date of Conferral

4-22-2026

Degree

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

School

Management

Advisor

Charlie  Shao

Abstract

Employee retention remains a persistent challenge for rural small business leaders. The specific business problem addressed in this study was that some rural small business leaders lack effective leadership strategies to retain employees, which threatens organizational sustainability and workforce stability in rural communities. Grounded in transformational leadership theory, the purpose of this qualitative pragmatic inquiry was to identify and explore effective leadership strategies used by rural small business leaders in Northeast California to optimize employee retention. Data were collected from semistructured interviews with six rural small business leaders in Northeast California and were triangulated with publicly available documents, websites, and archived materials. Data were analyzed using inductive thematic analysis. Five themes emerged: human-centered leadership, employee empowerment, adaptive management, community-integrated culture, and strategic flexibility in seasonal economies. The findings suggested that employee retention was influenced by relational and ethical leadership behaviors rather than compensation alone, supporting and extending transformational leadership theory within rural small business contexts. Based on these findings, rural small business leaders consider implementing relational engagement practices, structured empowerment approaches, and proactive seasonal workforce planning to strengthen retention outcomes. The implications for positive social change include the potential for rural small business leaders to adopt relational leadership practices that enhance workforce stability, improve employee well-being, and contribute to the economic resilience of rural communities.

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