Date of Conferral

2019

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Management

Advisor

Donna Brown

Abstract

There is an unwarranted number of men and women that experience an unwanted sexual contact occurrence while on active duty, that is not reported through the military's sexual harassment or sexual assault system channels. A reporting system that is cumbersome and ineffective may hinder a leader's perception in implementing effective sexual harassment and sexual assault policies and procedures. The purpose of this descriptive multiple case study was to explore the ways a reporting system influenced the decision making processes of leaders and the importance of a fluent information flow through communication channels regarding the reporting system for sexual misconduct within an organization. The conceptual framework for the study was comprised of Freire's dialogical pedagogy theory, leadership decision making, and Bandura's social cognitive theory in cultural context. The research questions addressed the perceptions of 10 retired, senior military leaders, regarding how a leaders' decision making processes may be influenced by a reporting system. The data sources included interviews, observations, journaling, and historical documents. The results suggested that leaders' decision making processes were motivated by the following factors: (a) reporting process, (b) leader decision making processes, (c) gender in the workplace setting, (d) reporting deterrent factors, (e) hostile work environments, (f) leader contributions, and (g) social comparisons. The results of this study contribute to positive social change through their potential to be used to deter or eliminate sexual misconduct at the individual, organizational, and societal levels.

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