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Understanding the varied effects of leadership on employee retention in high stress work environments
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Understanding the varied effects of leadership on employee retention in high stress work environments
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Running head: Retention in High Stress Work Environments 1
Understanding the Varied Effects of Leadership on Employee Retention in High Stress Work
Environments
A Dissertation Presented to the
FACULTY OF THE USC ROSSIER SCHOOL OF EDUCATION
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
In Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the Degree
DOCTOR OF EDUCATION
May 2019
Copyright 2019 Lance Legree
RETENTION IN HIGH STRESS WORK ENVIRONMENTS 2
Acknowledgements
Going through this program and through this process has been a unique and rewarding
challenge. There is no way that I would have been able to go through this process without the
understanding and support of my family. I would like to like my wife, LaKesha for her support,
patience and love as we navigated this doctoral journey. I am grateful for you being you and for
all of your encouragement as I charted my way through this process. I would also like to thank
my daughter, Lael for her continuing to be my inspiration and for being a wonderful daughter! I
would like to thank my parents, Frank and Emily Legree, and sisters, Keila and Leasa for their
prayers and support as I went through the various phases of this process. Lastly, I would like to
thank all of my family, friends, peers and coworkers who supported me, encouraged me and
helped me throughout this process, providing advice and insight as I worked to meet the goals in
this program.
I would also like to thank my USC family - my peers with whom I spent the last several
years in the trenches with, as well as all of the wonderful professors and support staff with whom
I have had the privilege of working with and learning from at the Rossier School of Education. I
would like to extend a special thanks to Dr. Helena Seli, my committee chair for her support and
guidance through the ups and downs of my dissertation process. I would also like to thank Dr.
Bill Bewley and Dr. Kim Ferrario for serving as advisors on my dissertation committee and for
their support.
RETENTION IN HIGH STRESS WORK ENVIRONMENTS 3
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Acknowledgements 2
List of Tables 4
List of Figures 5
Abstract 6
Introduction to Problem of Practice 7
Organizational Context and Mission 8
Importance of Addressing the Problem 9
Purpose of the Project and Questions 10
Organizational Performance Goal 10
Stakeholder Group of Focus and Stakeholder Goal 11
Review of the Literature 13
High Stress, High Performance Organizations 14
Leader and Team Member Relationship 15
Advantages of Effective Leadership 17
Potential for Dysfunctional Leadership 17
Early Childcare Provider Knowledge, Motivation and Organizational Influences 18
Knowledge Influences 19
Motivation Influences 22
Organizational Influences 27
Interactive Conceptual Framework 32
Data Collection and Instrumentation 34
Interviews 34
Artifacts 35
Interview Data and Artifacts Analysis 36
Interview Findings 38
Artifact Analysis Results and Findings 52
Summary of Findings 53
Recommendation for Practice 54
Knowledge Recommendations 54
Motivation Recommendations 58
Organization Recommendations 62
Conclusion 67
References 68
Appendix A: Participating Stakeholders with Sample Criteria for Interviews 85
Appendix B: Interview Protocol 87
Appendix C: Artifact Analysis Protocol 90
Appendix D: Ethics 91
Appendix E: Integrated Implementation and Evaluation Plan 93
RETENTION IN HIGH STRESS WORK ENVIRONMENTS 4
LIST OF TABLES
Table 1: Organizational Mission, Global Goal and Stakeholder Performance Goals 13
Table 2: Knowledge Influences 22
Table 3: Motivation Influences 26
Table 4: Organizational Influences 31
Table 5: Statistic Scores for Background Characteristics of Early Childcare Providers 37
Table 6: Distribution of CAG Early Childcare Providers by Education 38
Table 7: Mastery Approach and Aligned Coping Strategy Examples 42
Table 8: Overview of CAG Employee Engagement Survey Results 52
Table 9: Summary of Knowledge Influences and Recommendations 54
Table 10: Summary of Motivation Influences and Recommendations 58
Table 11: Summary of Organization Influences and Recommendations 63
Table 12: Outcomes, Metrics and Methods for External and Internal Outcomes 95
Table 13: Critical Behaviors, Metrics, Methods and Timing for Evaluation 96
Table 14: Required Drivers to Support Critical Behaviors 97
Table 15: Evaluation of the Components of Learning for the Program 100
Table 16: Components to Measure Reaction to the Program 101
RETENTION IN HIGH STRESS WORK ENVIRONMENTS 5
LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1: Defining knowledge, motivational and organizational influences linked to
organizational outcomes directly related to early childcare provider retention. 33
Figure 2: LEAD!First program dashboard. 104
RETENTION IN HIGH STRESS WORK ENVIRONMENTS 6
Abstract
The research focus of this study examines the effects of leadership on organizational outcomes
within high stress work environments. It has been shown that within work environments that
imbrue demanding work conditions, including challenging demands related to stressful work
condition including need for accuracy, meeting efficiency demands and stress from demands to
meet high expectations. These types of environments have been shown to have a potential for a
high rate of negative organizational outcomes which include employee burnout, emotional
exhaustion and employee attrition. Specific to this study, early childcare was focused on for the
high stress characteristics of work environments that exist within the industry. The findings
suggest that early childcare providers motivation and organizational commitment is driven by
their passion for the children as well as the level of perceived sense of community and
engagement within the organization. The findings also suggest that provider level of
commitment to the organization was moderated by the level of leadership engagement and
potential opportunities for professional and career development. Key recommendations for the
organization include recommitting to employee engagement through strategic leadership
development initiatives and programs.
RETENTION IN HIGH STRESS WORK ENVIRONMENTS 7
Introduction to Problem of Practice
Workplace environments with high stress and high-performance characteristics are prone
to having a negative impact on the organizational outcomes (Kanupriya & Singh, 2013; Mathieu,
Fabi, Lacoursière & Raymond, 2016). These negative outcomes, which include employee
burnout, low job satisfaction, absenteeism and employee attrition, all can have a significant
effect on an organization’s overall productivity and performance (Goalman & Guo, 1998; Haar,
2006; Kanupriya & Singh, 2013). Organizations where high stress, high performance work
environments potentially exist have been shown to have higher rates of employee dissatisfaction
and organizational disenchantment (Carson, Baumgartner, Matthews, & Tsouloupas, 2010).
Organizations with characteristics of high stress, high performance workplace environments,
which exist in industries including manufacturing, healthcare, accountancy, airline, sports,
hospitality and education, all have been prone to negative organizational outcomes, with
employee retention existing as one of the primary challenge faced by their leaders (Butler, 2007;
Cartwright & Holmes, 2006; Haar, 2006; Jacobs & Roodt, 2001; Ramlall, 2003). As a talent
management issue, employee retention is a common challenge organizations face, as
approximately 58% of organizations have been shown to have experienced difficulty retaining
employees (Hale-Jinks, Knopf & Knopf, 1998; Ramlall, 2003). In addition, the costs associated
with replacing displaced employees equates to approximately 150% of an employee’s annual
compensation cost to the organization (Bliss, 2004; Ramlall, 2003). Employee retention
challenges being further magnified by organizations with characteristics of HSHP work
environments, which can place additional pressures on an organization’s ability to manage
attrition due to work environment factors affecting employees including, poor leadership
effectiveness, employee disengagement and job role related stress (Abbasi & Hollman, 2000;
RETENTION IN HIGH STRESS WORK ENVIRONMENTS 8
Choi, Goh, Adam & Tan 2016, Nikolaou & Tsaousis, 2002; Shader, Broome, Broome, West &
Nash, 2001; Padilla, Hogan & Kaiser, 2007; Pienaar & Willemse, 2008).
Organizational Context and Mission
The Childcare Academy for Growth (CAG, a pseudonym) is an early childhood center
organization that provides year-round developmental and care services for children ranging in
age from pre-kindergarten to twelve-years old. The mission of CAG is defined by its ability to
create enrichment for those who are engaged by the organization, which include the children and
parents serviced, in addition to the employees within the organization. The organization opened
its doors in 2007 and has grown from one location in 2007 to currently three center locations,
servicing approximately 500 children in the southeast region of the United States. Of the
approximately 500 students who attend the school, sixty percent of the students participate in a
state-funded subsidy program designed to help low-income families afford safe, quality
childcare. (CAG Executive Director personal communication, October 5, 2016). The
demographic breakdown for the students that attend the three locations is seventy percent
African American, twenty percent Hispanic, and ten percent Caucasian (CAG Executive Director
personal communication, October 5, 2016). A total of 53 early childcare providers are employed
between the 3 center locations, ranging in professional education background from having the
minimum requirement to be employed as a childcare provider to having obtained an Associate or
Bachelor degree (CAG Executive Director personal communication, October 5, 2016). The
leadership staff consists of two founders who lead the organization and six directors, two for
each of the organization’s locations who oversee the day-to-day management of each center
location. The organization was chosen as the place of study because of its organizational
challenges with retention among its early childcare providers. The characteristics of an early
RETENTION IN HIGH STRESS WORK ENVIRONMENTS 9
childcare organization’s work environment aligned well with the context of my broader problem
of practice of how leadership could be impactful in moderating organizational outcomes within
workplace environments with similar challenges and demands.
Importance of Addressing the Problem
It was important to examine CAG’s organizational leadership as it relates to decreasing
the level of attrition within the organization. Early childcare organizations are increasingly
facing talent pressures due to various factors that relate to employee commitment and intention
to stay in the profession. High turnover has been shown to challenge organizations in several
areas including a potential decrease in company innovation and a loss of consistency in the
standard of service provided to customers (Abbasi & Hollman, 2000). This research also points
to factors tied to employees increased likelihood to leave their organization citing salary,
ineffective leadership, lack of challenges, lack of opportunity and recognition as primary factors.
In the case of early childcare organizations, these are challenges that have put unique demands
on hiring and retention of early childcare providers. These challenges have been shown to affect
the provision of childcare services as well, with teacher turnover having been shown to have a
significant impact on the socio-emotional development of children in care (Cryer, Hurwitz &
Wolery, 2001). Additionally, high turnover has been identified as having a negative impact on
early childcare organizations’ ability to provide high-quality childcare education, focusing
primarily on developmental and psychological factors (Holochwost, Demott, Buell, Yannetta &
Amsden, 2009; Hossain, Noll & Barboza, 2012; Noble & Macfarlane, 2005). Specific to the
child development, identifying solutions to help meet the needs of early childcare providers is
critical given their role in setting the basis for pre-school children cognitive le///arning, language
skills, preliminary math skills and formulation of social behavior (Hale-Jinks, Knopf & Knopf,
RETENTION IN HIGH STRESS WORK ENVIRONMENTS 10
2006). Gaining a greater awareness into how high turnover affects early childcare organizations
and early childcare provider’s performance will help to broaden the overall context of their
intentions to stay in the role, in addition to providing insights into potential solutions that could
help address the issue.
Purpose of the Project and Questions
The purpose of this project was to determine the knowledge, motivation and organizational
influences that are barriers to increasing employee retention by 50%. While a complete gap
analysis would focus on all stakeholders, for practical purposes, the stakeholder group that was
chosen for this analysis was CAG’s early childcare provider stakeholder group. The analysis was
guided by the following research questions to support the scope and overall direction of the
research:
1. What is the early childcare provider’s knowledge and motivation related to committing to
at least a second-year contract to extend their career with CAG?
2. What is the interaction between CAG’s organizational culture and early childcare
provider’s knowledge and motivation?
3. What norms exist within CAG’s organizational culture that are affecting early childcare
provider satisfaction?
4. What are the recommendations for CAG in the area of knowledge, motivation and
organizational resources?
Organizational Performance Goal
It is the CAG’s goal that by the fourth quarter 2019, the organization will reduce ECP
attrition among its early childcare provider population by 50% to 16%. As of 2017, attrition
within the organization was approximately 32%. The Executive Director established the target to
RETENTION IN HIGH STRESS WORK ENVIRONMENTS 11
reduce attrition to 16% was based on increases in employee turnover from 2012 to 2017, where
increases fluctuated between five to ten percent per year. The performance goal to reduce
attrition by 50% is also benchmarked against several factors supported by research focused both
on teacher attrition within early childcare and K-12 education, as well as employee retention
within organizations with work environments that display high stress, high performance
characteristics. Examining attrition rates in K-12 from 1971 to 2001 indicated that attrition
averaged approximately 50 percent over those years (DeAngelis & Presley, 2011). An analysis
on early childcare providers in the United States from 1996 – 2000 indicated that over half of
those working in early childcare organizations left their role within four years (Whitebook &
Sakai, 2003). Additional insights on teacher retention have shown that one fifth of early
childcare providers completely left the profession within two years of working in an early
childcare teaching role (Whitebook, Sakai, Gerber & Howes, 2001). Gaining a broader
understanding by fully assessing the processes and systems in place to understand and examine
leadership style, employee engagement and employee satisfaction provided additional insights
into the drivers of attrition within CAG.
Stakeholder Group of Focus and Stakeholder Goal
CAG has three primary organizational stakeholders: executive leadership, center location
directors, early childcare providers. The executive leadership stakeholder group consisted of the
executive director and the director of programs, who both co-own the organization, and provide
senior leadership, and drive the overall mission and vision for the organization. The center
location director stakeholder group, consisted of mid-management leadership employees serving
in the director and assistant director role at each of CAG’s early childcare centers. Center
location directors are responsible for the day-to-day management at each of the CAG’s three
RETENTION IN HIGH STRESS WORK ENVIRONMENTS 12
locations and provide leadership for the local early childcare population and other staff positions
at their respective location. There are six directors within the organization, with two directors
each aligned to one of the three locations. Lastly, the early childcare provider stakeholder group
consists of 53 early childcare providers who serve as the primary conduit for development and
leadership of students within the organization. While each of the three stakeholder groups are
critical in achieving the stakeholder goal of reducing attrition by 50%, the early childcare
provider stakeholder group was the focal stakeholder for this study, and was examined to
understand key factors and influences associated the organizational problem.
The early childcare provider stakeholder group was chosen for several reasons. First, the
executive director of CAG wanted to evaluate the various characteristics of the work
environment across its center locations. Second, given the population size of the early childcare
provider stakeholder group of 53 members, it was advantageous to examine the group given the
potential variance in feedback that could be analyzed for this study. CAG leadership placed
significant importance on reducing the level of attrition within the organization because of the
negative impacts it experienced from a financial perspective, given the costs associated with
employee training, and from an organizational commitment perspective, given the effects on
employee morale and child education quality. The risks that face the organization if the
performance goal is not addressed include continued high attrition levels with downward effects
on the financial well-being and overall workplace satisfaction throughout the organization.
Table 1 provides an overview of CAG’s organizational mission, organizational performance
goals, highlighting the stakeholder performance goal for Early childcare providers.
RETENTION IN HIGH STRESS WORK ENVIRONMENTS 13
Table 1
Organizational Mission, Global Goal and Stakeholder Performance Goals
Organizational Mission
The mission of CAG is to enrich the lives of every child, parent and employee that is in
interaction with the organization
Organizational Performance Goal
By 4
th
quarter 2019, CAG will reduce employee attrition among its early childcare provider
population from 32% to 16%
Executive Leadership Group Location Director Group Early Childcare Provider
Group
By 4
th
Quarter 2018, define
call-to-action for organization
aligned with findings from
early childcare provider
engagement process.
By 1
st
Quarter 2019, each
director will have engaged every
teacher and staff member within
their center to define career goals
in alignment with overall
mission.
By 4
th
quarter 2019, each
teacher will commit to at
least a second-year
contract to extend their
career with CAG.
Review of the Literature
Leadership effectiveness has been shown to have an impact on employee satisfaction
within work environments with high stress, high performance characteristics (Hallet, 2003;
Kaiser & Hogan, 2007; Northhouse, 2016). Primarily, research has focused on the negative
impact dysfunctional leadership can have within these types of environments (Butler, 2007;
Cartwright & Holmes, 2006; Haar, 2006; Jacobs & Roodt, 20011; Ramlall, 2003). To gain a
more perspective of on the potential effect variant leadership practices have within high stress,
high performance environments, importance was placed on defining and understanding the
context of a high stress, high performance organizations where these challenging work
RETENTION IN HIGH STRESS WORK ENVIRONMENTS 14
environments exist. Context gained through this analysis provided evidence to support a broader
understanding of how leadership affects knowledge, motivation of employees in these
environments and provide insights into challenges to greater leadership and alignment for greater
positive organization outcomes. Highlighted focus was also placed on understanding the
stressors placed on leader and subordinate relationships within these environments, and lastly
understanding how leadership plays a moderating role on the culture within these environments.
High Stress, High Performance Organizations
For the purpose of this study, a high stress, high performance workplace environment is
defined as an organization with workplace dynamics aligned with high-stress work conditions
which manifest because of factors including work demand, role specialization, and leadership
responsibility (Harris, Harvey & Kacmar, 2011; Padilla, Hogan & Kaiser, 2007). The problem is
not an anomaly to a single industry, rather researchers have examined organizational leadership
and leadership styles within workplace environments with high stress, high performance
characteristics across a wide breadth of industries, including the military, accountancy, fashion,
education, sports, airline, technology and healthcare industries (Butler, 2007; Cartwright &
Holmes, 2006; Haar, 2006; Jacobs & Roodt, 20011; Ramlall, 2003). In each of these
environments, there are distinct characteristics that make these organization’s workplace
environments more prone to the challenges of occupational stress. Harris et al. (2011) illustrated
characteristics of the types of job roles within these types of workplace environments, providing
evidence that show job roles with an emotional element, job roles requiring accuracy, job roles
with continuous production / performance requirements, and job roles with policy requirements
as examples where employees are faced with a heightened level of stress and performance
requirements than other occupations. Focusing on these characteristics in the context of the
RETENTION IN HIGH STRESS WORK ENVIRONMENTS 15
workplace environments within early childcare organizations provides additional evidence, with
factors including inadequate working conditions, misaligned job duties, low wages, arduous
administrative tasks and lack of workplace status serving as precursors to high attrition, job
dissatisfaction and burnout among early childcare providers (Fenech, Sumsion, Robertson &
Goodfellow, 2007). Additionally, the level of leader interaction and engagement has been
identified as a predictor of an early childcare provider’s intention to stay in their role and
profession (Holochwost, Demott, Buell, Yannetta & Amsden, 2009; Torquati et al., 2007). With
the various internal and external pressures workforce participants experience in high stress, high
performance work environments, the emphasis on displacing dysfunction and low morale within
these environments has led researchers to examine how variant types of leadership places
modifies norms and cultural models within these types of organizations.
Leader and Team Member Relationship
To better understand the variant types of leadership styles utilized within high stress
work environments, researchers have focused on how the roles of supervisors and subordinate
employees interplay to affect organizational outcomes. Directly aligned with the importance of
leadership engagement, Russell, Williams and Gleason-Gomez (2010) portended that early
childcare providers considered their perception of their organizations’ leadership as a
determinant factor on their tenure in their role. These factors were identified as antecedents of
early childcare provider’s intention to leave their role and to having an effect on an early
childcare organization’s workplace climate. Supervisors with positional authority within these
work environments can become unilateral in their decision making, creating an environment
where employee satisfaction is dependent on the leader’s moral authority (Schein, 2017). This
phenomenon is often seen when an organization is experiencing instability or change, where
RETENTION IN HIGH STRESS WORK ENVIRONMENTS 16
leaders are given carte blanche to make business decisions, and are able to perform
independently without discretion (Padilla et al., 2007; Schein, 2017). Specific to early childcare
organizations, a teacher’s perceptions of their leader’s effectiveness to support their work
satisfaction has been shown to correlate with their willingness to stay in the profession (Russell,
Williams & Gleason-Gomez, 2010).
Subordinate employee satisfaction. In recent years, researchers have turned their
attention to the impact leadership interaction has had on the subordinate employee, specifically
how subordinate employees perform and cope in work environments dependent on the leadership
approach and style. Subordinate employees can be susceptible to the negative impact of
inconsistencies within high stress work environments because of their lack of seniority and
position, which means they are unlikely to seek assistance, or retaliate. (Harris et al., 2011).
Focus has also been placed on subordinate employees and their ability to implore coping
mechanisms within environments with a lack of or ineffective leadership may exist. The
potential for emotional battery associated with subordinate employees coping with ineffective
supervision has been shown to lead to higher occupational stress and resulting in subordinate
employees leaving those work environments (Klausner, 2014). Emotional burnout has also been
seen as a characteristic of a high-performance work environments, with the management of both
the physical and emotional stress that the role requires from early childcare providers (Goalman
& Guo, 1998). Often in these environments, when ineffective leadership exists, employees have
developed coping strategies to withstand potential pressures placed on them by dysfunctional
leadership and its effect on the culture within their respective workplace environment.
RETENTION IN HIGH STRESS WORK ENVIRONMENTS 17
Advantages of Effective Leadership
Given the impact organizational leadership can have on employees working within high
stress work environments, effective leadership has been shown to have a distinct effect on
performance and employee engagement (Hallett, 2003). This context is critical as it is important
to understand how leadership plays a role in an early childcare provider’s intention to stay in the
early childcare roles and profession. Leadership interaction has been shown to be a contributing
factor to perceptions on workload fulfillment, with effective leadership being positively
correlated with organization commitment and job satisfaction (Boyd, 2013; Seery & Corrigall,
2009). It has been shown that early childcare providers working in learning environments often
exhibit collective or distributed leadership characteristics, which is leadership that is shared as
situations warrant team members to demonstrate influence in the work environment, and
subsequently withdrawing when necessary to allow other team members to establish influence
(Hulpia, Devos, & Van Keer, 2011). Bligh, Pearce and Kohles (2006) also assert the benefits,
focusing on how shared leadership promotes social learning and is directly correlated with team
members having greater task interdependence, better management of complex tasks and stronger
organizational commitment. It has been shown that perceptions of team leadership within a work
environment can have a direct impact on an employee’s perception of organizational
commitment and organizational goal alignment, both of which can be negatively moderated by
employee turnover (Ehrhart & Kuenzi, 2017).
Potential for Dysfunctional Leadership
Increased emphasis has also been placed on understanding how dysfunctional leadership
can potentially have detrimental effects on work environments where high stress, high
performance, and high productivity are characteristic. Dysfunctional leadership creates unique
RETENTION IN HIGH STRESS WORK ENVIRONMENTS 18
challenges within these high stress environments, which include negative organizational
outcomes manifesting from the stress to perform while maintaining strong organizational
commitment (Abbasi & Hollman, 2000; Oh & Oh, 2016; Patra & Singh, 2012; Ramlall, 2003).
The range of dysfunctional leadership has been described from a narrow, individualistic
phenomenon to a broader, organizational issue, providing insights on the inter-organizational
structures and processes that create a culture embedded with dysfunctional characteristics
(Holochwost et al., 2009; Klaussner, 2014; Liefooghe & Davey, 2010). Leadership style, albeit
positive or negative, can affect the effectiveness of systems, policies that help increase
performance in high stress, high performance environments, primarily because of various factors
including a leader’s position of power, disposition and role authority (Kaiser & Hogan, 2007;
Mclean & Elkind, 2005).
Early Childcare Provider Knowledge, Motivation and Organizational Influences
To gain a better understanding of the issues that play a moderating role in provider well-
being at Childcare Academy for Growth (CAG), it was important to consider the knowledge,
motivational and organizational literature pertinent to areas defined in this study. This section
provides an in-depth review of literature that focuses on knowledge-related influences most
important to the achievement and performance of CAG’s early childcare provider population.
Knowledge, motivational and organizational influences all play a critical role in understanding
the business issues that affect organizational performance. These influences create the basis of an
employee’s potential success in their role, in addition to providing goal-driven activity that helps
to reduce potential inhibitions to seeking greater alignment with their respective organizations
(Bandura & Locke, 2003; Pintrich, 2003).
RETENTION IN HIGH STRESS WORK ENVIRONMENTS 19
Examining knowledge, motivational and organizational influences also helps
organizations to react more effectively by creating optimal environments where learning can be
maximized and leadership approaches are more palatable (Crotts, Dickson & Ford, 2005). It is
important for organizations to overcome myths that are associated with the function of
organizational learning, with organizational learning being more of a process or “check the box”
task versus strategic business-need, and as a function not having direct correlation with the
performance of the organization in which the function exists. Establishing organizational
learning practices as a primary business function also has been shown to have a positive impact
on a firm’s perception of financial performance (Yasir Ali & Ameer, 2016). Evidence has also
shown that companies that prescribe to organizational learning see more innovation and
engagement among their employee workforce (Kalmuk & Acar, 2015). In analyzing alignment
between CAG’s early childcare provider population and the organization, it was important to
understand the primary knowledge, motivational and organizational influences that directly
affect their performance and engagement within the organization.
Knowledge Influences
Directly linked to engagement issues within CAG, this study focused on potential
knowledge factors that were relevant to understanding CAG early childcare provider’s likelihood
to extend their contractual agreement for extended employment with the organization. The
knowledge influences relevant to the analysis of the early childcare provider stakeholder group
are modeled through the revised Bloom Taxonomy aligned to cognitive processes, and includes
factual knowledge, procedural knowledge, conceptual knowledge, and metacognitive knowledge
(Krathwohl, 2002).
RETENTION IN HIGH STRESS WORK ENVIRONMENTS 20
Factual knowledge, which provides need-to-know information often is defined as
knowledge that is terminology-based and provides a baseline understanding of concepts and
definitions that can support the learning of a particular subject. Pre-assessment tests are examples
of assessment resources used to understand an individual’s ability and understanding of factual
knowledge. A classic example of procedural knowledge in the form of a learning aid are the
instructions on the side of a fire extinguisher, which in the case of an emergency, provides the
user with the ability to perform the task more easily. A more relevant example to organizational
learning can be seen in e-learning, where processes and job -specific policies linked to
organizational functioning that can be accessed by learners when needed to complete tasks is an
example of procedural knowledge within organizations.
Conceptual knowledge creates the expectation for the learner to expand on the factual
knowledge they possess, to perform tasks that require cognitive extension and linkage in their
understanding of learning schema including categories, cause and effect, theories and principles
(Clark & Estes, 2008; Rueda, 2011). In high performance organizations, employees are often
tasked with using conceptual knowledge to discern different pieces of information in stressful
situations to affect outcomes. Examples of this are often demonstrated by provider athletes, who
make split-decision judgement calls to change course of direction to achieve a greater outcome.
Another great example of this are the tactical decisions placed on physicians as they are
performing medical procedures, connecting several pieces of knowledge they have acquired
throughout the course of medical school, residency and training within the emergency room.
Lastly, metacognitive knowledge focuses on an individual’s ability to be self-reflective,
and to have an understanding of how effective their ability is to learn a specific task or role
(Clark & Estes, 2008; Rueda, 2011). Understanding the various types of knowledge influences
RETENTION IN HIGH STRESS WORK ENVIRONMENTS 21
within CAG provided more awareness of the underlying influences that should be addressed to
achieve the goal of getting commitment from early childcare providers within the organization
agreeing to extend their contractual alignment with the organization.
Early childcare provider knowledge of the organizational mission. To fully achieve
the stakeholder goal of increasing the number of early childcare providers who commit to the
CAG contractually for at least two years, importance was placed on understanding the employee
population’s current alignment with CAG’s organizational mission. Evidence indicates that the
more closely aligned individual goals are to an organizational purpose and mission, the more
performance-related outcomes an organization will be able to achieve (Crotts, Dickson & Ford,
2005). Specific to early childcare provider employee populations, educational organizations that
place their focus on helping early childcare providers achieve goals help to improve perceptions
about their organization, in addition to promoting more self-motivation toward their role and
individual outcomes (Butler, 2007). Gaining a better understanding of how CAG’s early
childcare provider population aligns with the organizational goals provided additional insight on
how CAG as an organization should best engage the stakeholder group.
Early childcare provider knowledge of where to seek assistance and expertise.
Support-seeking is an important indicator to understanding the level of engagement an
organization has with employees. (Hossain, Noll & Barbosa, 2012; Jeon, Buettner & Hur, 2016;
Torquati et al., 2007). Hossain et al. (2012) provided an example of this importance in a study
that examined the early childcare job satisfaction in the United States. They found that colleague
interaction, as well as access to resources and training, were all effective in moderating attrition
and quitting behaviors. The autonomous nature of the teaching role, where challenges related to
child well-being, teacher leadership and creating alignment with organizational goals can create
RETENTION IN HIGH STRESS WORK ENVIRONMENTS 22
challenges for Early childcare providers. Employees within workplace environments where
support seeking is encouraged and facilitated from an organizational perspective have been
shown to have a stronger problem solving and emotional coping abilities (Parker, Martin,
Colmar & Liem, 2012). In addition, given the high performance and challenging demands of
working in an early childcare setting, many teachers are often working and making decisions in
isolation (Noble & Macfarlane, 2005). This research provided evidence of a need to gauge the
early childcare provider population’s understanding of their access to provider support resources
within CAG.
Table 2 provides an overview of the organization mission and goals in alignment with the
knowledge influences that was tested in this study.
Table 2
Knowledge Influences
Knowledge Influence Knowledge Type
Early childcare providers need to understand
how their work is aligned with the
organizational mission.
Declarative (conceptual)
Early childcare providers need to understand
the procedure to seek assistance and expertise
from their `
Procedural
Motivation Influences
To fully understand the issues related to employee attrition within CAG, it was important
to examine how early childcare provider’s motivational factors play as a potential precursor to
the negative organizational outcomes currently in the organization. While motivation
conceptually has been broadly examined across many industries and organizations, researchers
have placed significant importance on understanding motivation in the context of early childcare
employees, and the potential adverse effects it can have on early childcare provider performance
RETENTION IN HIGH STRESS WORK ENVIRONMENTS 23
and organizational issues including attrition and employee burnout (Hall-Kenyon, Bullough,
Mackay & Marshall, 2014; Harter et al., 2002; Wagner & French, 2010). To examine
motivational factors within CAG, the study focused on the effects of three motivational levers on
employee performance: self-efficacy, goal-orientation, and expectancy value.
Self-efficacy places emphasis on an individual’s belief to be able to complete specific
tasks (Bandura, 2008; Pajares, 2006). Often difficult to discern, self-efficacy is hard to measure,
given it is a cognitive driver that is internalized and processed by each person individually
(Bandura, 2005). Goal orientation focuses on how an employee is driven toward meeting goals,
is focused on either a mastery orientation or a performance orientation (Pintrich, 2003). Having
either a mastery orientation, in which an employee is focused on mastering tasks in contrast to a
performance orientation, in which an employee is focused on besting his peers more
competitively within the workplace, can have moderating effects on organizational cultures not
equipped to manage both orientation styles (Pintrich, 2003; Wolters & Daughtery, 2007; Yough
& Aderman, 2006). Lastly, expectancy value theory is a significant motivational model in work
environments given the organizational focus needed to drive personal interest to maintain high
performance expectations (Eccles, 2006). Understanding how employees value the various tasks
related to their work provided insights into the level of organization engagement needed to
facilitate employee value needs.
Self-efficacy. Early childcare employees can have varied self-efficacy awareness that can
impact overall motivation and performance, and in the context of this study, their motivation to
renew their contract by at least two years of additional employment. According to Pajares
(2006), unless there is a direct link between what employees believe they can accomplish and the
outcomes they desire, their incentive to accomplish motivational goals and organizational goals
RETENTION IN HIGH STRESS WORK ENVIRONMENTS 24
can be affected. Specific to early childcare providers, several factors can play into an early
childcare employee’s evaluation of his or her self-efficacy, which includes resources, training,
peer support and overall organizational culture (Hossain et al., 2012). In an analysis on how
Early childcare providers perceive their identities as childcare employees, it was found that those
who had a more positive perception of their ability perform the tasks associated with their role,
the more likely to possess positive self-efficacy attributes (Erickson & Pinnegar, 2017).
Goal orientation. Understanding how well individual and organizational goals within
the organization are aligned will provide awareness into the overall goal attainment for Early
childcare providers employed by the company. Goal orientation has ancillary effects on various
organizational outcomes within childcare organizations, including attendance and work
avoidance, and is directly related to teacher attrition and engagement (Nitsche, Dikhauser,
Fasching & Dresel, 2013; Retelsdorf, Butler, Streblow & Schiefele, 2010). Goal orientation is a
mentality towards achieving goals, and is generally segmented into two classes: an individual
having either a performance orientation or mastery orientation, and an individual having either
an approach focus or avoidance focus (Pintrich, 2003). Each of the descriptions are linked to
factors that drive motivation, which include understanding what factors and motivational drivers
are aligned to an individual’s approach to achieving goals. Individuals with a performance goal
orientation are motivated primarily by measurable and normative standards, and motivational
drivers are often based on extrinsic and ego-driven incentives (Van Yperen, Blaga & Postmes,
2014). A performance goal orientation has also been linked to an individual’s pursuit excellence
in relation to their peers or others (Daniels, Stupnisky, Pekrun, Haynes, Perry & Newall, 2009).
Individuals with a mastery goal orientation utilize intrinsic motivation and align their preferences
to imbrue motivation to complete tasks and job duties (Ranellucci, Hall, & Goetz, 2015).
RETENTION IN HIGH STRESS WORK ENVIRONMENTS 25
Examining the dimensions related to focus, Van Yperen et al. (2014) stated an individual with an
approach focus demonstrated an affinity towards “attaining positive outcomes and desirable
events, that is improvement and development, related to mastery goals, versus outperforming
other individuals, related to performance goals” (p. 2). In contrast, an individual who is
motivated with an avoidance focus is driven through the context of negating inferiority, and non-
mastery of tasks. Analysis of the primary goal orientation demonstrated by early childcare
providers through the lens of the Pintrich matrix (Pintrich, 2003) indicate that mastery-approach
goal orientation is a primary motivational factor in early childcare provider’s meeting the
expectations of their job role.
It has been shown early childcare providers are more inclined to have a mastery-approach
goal orientation given the moderating factors on motivation working within early childcare,
including low salary, challenging work demands, and lack of incentives and benefits (Goelman
& Guo, 1998; Papaioannou & Christodoulidis, 2007; Torquati et al., 2007). Practices that help to
employ greater mastery-approach orientation within educational settings have been shown to
increase job satisfaction, role autonomy-seeking, autonomous motivation and increased teacher
innovation (Roth, Assor, Kanat-Maymon & Kaplan, 2007). Mastery-approach goals has been
shown to positively predict satisfaction, achievement and adversely impacted negative thoughts
and boredom, which can be precursors for early childcare providers intention to stay in their role
(Daniels et al., 2009). Gaining an understanding of CAG early childcare provider motivations
toward meeting their goals and completing task as employees within the organization will
provide awareness on the factors driving attrition.
Expectancy value. Understanding how early childcare providers value their role as
providers and as stewards within the community will provide additional understanding of their
RETENTION IN HIGH STRESS WORK ENVIRONMENTS 26
motivation to perform in role. Eccles’ (2006) argued that focusing on aligning values, albeit
personal or situational, is critical for successful value alignment within an organization. Value
alignment conceptually aligns the values of an organization with the values of its individual
employees, and as an organizational concept, promotes a stronger culture and less negative
organizational outcomes (Hoffman, Bynum, Piccolo & Sutton, 2011). Early childcare provider
expectancy values and beliefs have been shown to be a derivative of their effectiveness in
meeting student needs and successfully implementing classroom strategies related to learning
and student engagement (Green, 2002). Attention has also been given to how early childcare
providers’ values align with their psychological well-being, with perceived recognition and
greater role involvement viewed as moderating factors affecting their ability as childcare
providers (Royer & Moreau, 2015). Table 3 provides an overview of the various motivation
influences to be examined through the performance analysis of this study.
Table 3
Motivation Influences
Self-Efficacy
Early childcare providers need to believe that they are capable of performing as educators and
caregivers for the children in their care.
Goal Orientation
Early childcare providers need to have internal motivation to meet their goals while employed
by CAG as an early childcare educator.
Expectancy Value
Early childcare providers need to see the value of the role as a childcare provider and service
the community in which they serve.
RETENTION IN HIGH STRESS WORK ENVIRONMENTS 27
Organizational Influences
Understanding the role an organization plays in relation to knowledge and motivational
factors has been shown to be important to help mitigate negative organizational outcomes. The
effectiveness of engagement tools utilized by organizations, which include organizational
communication, leadership engagement, incentives, and provider development, each can have a
distinct effect on how an organization meets and combats challenges to the systems and
processes needed to manage and drive performance (Markova & Ford, 2011; Mueller & Lee,
2002; Northouse, 2015; Smidts, Riel, Pruyn, 2000; Schein, 2017). Similar to employees who
work in high stress, high performance work environments, early childcare providers are
challenged with high accountability for their work, and often are limited in the organizational
resources provided to support their ability to perform at the standards need to achieve goals
(Schein, 2017). Organizational influences are often neglected in comparison to knowledge and
motivational influences because of leaders being more reactionary when approaching employee
problems, focusing on designing trainings that address misdiagnosed knowledge and
motivational influences (Clark & Estes, 2008). Misguided attempts unfortunately often translate
into unwanted norms that define the organizational climate and become embedded into the
cultural setting of an organization (Clark & Estes, 2008). With culture existing as the connective
tissue within an organization, examining culture through the lenses of the various cultural
settings and models that exist can provide a window into the various norms that either negate or
promote organizational performance (Schein, 2017). While cultural norms manifest themselves
in various ways within an organization, independently and collectively between individuals,
teams and across peer groups, it is at the organizational level that these norms can be addressed
to create more effective change downstream throughout the organization.
RETENTION IN HIGH STRESS WORK ENVIRONMENTS 28
Organizational communication. Examining the importance of effective organizational
communication is an important factor to consider when defining organizational gaps directly
related to attrition at CAG. Research suggests that the better understanding and alignment
employees have to an organization’s vision and goals, the more attuned they are to the purpose
of their roles and the duties needed to meet those goals (Petrou, Demerouti, & Schaufeli, 2016).
In addition, organizational communication has been seen to be a moderating factor for
organizations that are experiencing an organizational change, with effective communication
often seen as the most important factor as a modicum of change (Clark & Estes, 2008; Petrou et
al., 2016). Effective organizational communication is also seen as a primary driver for increasing
organizational citizenship behavior. Griffin, Neal and Parker (2007) provided research to support
this, surmising that positive work behavior in uncertain and interdependent contexts were
directly moderated by the effectiveness of organizational mechanisms in place to communicate
strategy, job clarity and adaptation to changes in the work environment. Research by Eatough,
Chang, Miloslavic and Johnson (2011) also suggests that effective organizational and leadership
communication helps to alleviate common issues including role ambiguity, interpersonal conflict
and work exhaustion, all factors prevalent as contributing factors to attrition among Early
childcare providers. Utilizing feedback as a mechanism to engage early childcare providers has
also been shown as an effective leadership communication tool, as (Russel, Williams, Gleason-
Gomez, 2003) supported indicating that early childcare providers who experienced consistent
feedback in their workplace environments experienced increased overall satisfaction in their role.
Effective communication plays an important role in the perception of trust within the culture of
an organization (Schein, 2017). Employees that have a greater perception of trust have been
shown to be more proactive and engaged in the process of their work, seeking more resources to
RETENTION IN HIGH STRESS WORK ENVIRONMENTS 29
do their jobs effectively and seeking more challenges as a result of a well-defined organizational
communication strategy (Petrou et al., 2016). Given the importance communication plays as a
moderator of organizational alignment for optimal performance, it was important to examine
these factors in CAG’s work environment.
The impact of professional development on retention. Leadership development
initiatives in the context of early childcare provider’s development is an importance facet of
organizational engagement activities because its usage has shown to be a moderator for their
intention stay in the early childcare profession. Leadership development as a process helps to
advance an employee’s ability to function more effectively in the core competencies needed to
perform tasks associated to their role (Day, 2001; Schein, 2017). Given the unique role early
childcare providers must play within early childcare organizations as versatile, multi-tasking
caretakers, their leadership needs requirements are multi-dimensional, with competencies to
perform in both informal and formal leadership capacities. Day (2001) asserted this, listing
several competency-based skills that are often defined in leadership development initiatives,
which include relational skills including mutual respect, team orientation, conflict management
and empathy as skills needed to be addressed from both an informal and formal capacity. In the
early childcare industry, research has supported a need for a greater prevalence of leadership
development for teachers in the profession (Muijis, 2016). Research has also asserted that a
primary challenge in the early childcare industry are early childcare providers’ perception of
their roles, which are more so focused on as educators and child developers, and less focused on
their participation as leaders in the management of their respective organizations (Aubrey, 2011).
Neuman and Cunningham (2009) also provided insight into how professional development for
early childcare providers helps to foster greater teacher engagement and performance. Their
RETENTION IN HIGH STRESS WORK ENVIRONMENTS 30
research suggests that using coaching as a leadership development tool could help to improve
both provider and interpersonal skills. It has also been shown that organizations that focus on
empowering employees through leadership and provider development create higher instances of
organization citizenship behavior and job crafting, which is defined as proactive engagement by
employees to continually define and advance their ability to perform the job duties assigned to
them (Neissen, Weseler & Kostova, 2016). In their research, Neissen et al. (2016) found that job
crafting was more prevalent within organizations where employees had positive self-worth and
self-image toward the work jobs they were aligned to, and that engagement through leadership
and provider training helped to support strong self-efficacy among these employees.
Organizational systems and procedures. Understanding how CAG as an early
childcare organization creates and supports its culture is an important organizational influence to
examine because of the nature of the organization operating as a business in addition to its
purpose as an institution for early childcare development. The various processes that take place
in the daily functioning of CAG as an organization, which include talent management, decision
processes and procedures, and incentive practices all play a significant factor in the overall
climate and culture of the organization. Research has supported a need for early childcare
organizations to establish strong HR and talent management practices. For example, specific to
hiring practices, Barnett (2003) provided research that indicates that organizations with strong
hiring practices tend to hire teachers with stronger qualifications and had greater overall student
performance. Given the low barrier to entry for early childcare providers, with early childcare
teaching experience and level of education as moderators, examining hiring practices will
provide additional insights on challenges the organizational faces with teacher attrition (Tsigilis,
Zachopoulou, & Grammatikopoulos; 2006). Policies and procedures associated with the role
RETENTION IN HIGH STRESS WORK ENVIRONMENTS 31
responsibilities of early childcare providers is also important given the complexities of the day-
to-day management of their responsibilities, which include managing contacts with parents, peer-
to-peer relationship management, staff support and budget management (Muijs et al., 2016). The
current processes and procedures needed to manage these relationships contribute to the overall
climate and culture of CAG, and understanding how they contribute to the overall culture of the
organization helped to define the overall needs to address retention.
The following table (Table 4) provides an overview of the various organizational
influences that were examined through the performance analysis of this study.
Table 4
Organizational Influences
Cultural Model Influence 1
The organization needs to emphasize leader and organizational communication as a
mechanism to drive greater role clarity and commitment among early childcare providers.
Cultural Model Influence 2
The organization needs to engage early childcare providers with provider development
practices to support key job-related competencies; i.e., managing classroom behavior,
increasing individual child performance.
Cultural Setting Influence 1
The organization needs to emphasize self-leadership and problem solving instead of reliance
on escalating issues through management.
Cultural Setting Influence 2
The organization needs to examine processes that help support the business to ensure their
effectiveness; i.e., decision processes, talent management practices.
RETENTION IN HIGH STRESS WORK ENVIRONMENTS 32
Interactive Conceptual Framework
The conceptual framework of this study provided structure for the data collection and
resource gathering within the organization. The various influences, which can be attributed to
informal and formal knowledge; in addition to motivational and organizational factors, should be
examined to determine the basis for a viable solution to help address negative organizational
outcomes associated with employee retention (Clark & Estes, 2008). A conceptual framework
provides a structured visual to help demonstrate the relationship of concepts that are used to
support the function of research (Maxwell, 2013). Defined through the understanding of existing
theory, the conceptual framework also provides the theoretical basis to support the foundation
and premise of the research being performed (Locke, Silverman & Spirduso, 2009). While a
conceptual framework helps to pinpoint and define the criteria most pertinent to evaluating
knowledge, motivational and organizational influences effectively, research has shown largely
that conceptual frameworks can have limitations and are not all encompassing of the various
factors that could be addressed while performing an analysis on an organization (Becker, 2007;
Dressman, 2009; Greene, Caracelli, & Graham, 1989). It will be important to utilize the
conceptual framework to help maintain the scope of the study, but not to limit the direction of the
research process. To that end the conceptual framework will support the study through the
influences of knowledge motivational and organizational factors at play within CAG’s work
environment. The following conceptual framework (figure 1) represents the interaction between
the organization and the primary stakeholders, the early childcare teachers, and the various
cultural setting and cultural models that exist within the organization.
RETENTION IN HIGH STRESS WORK ENVIRONMENTS 33
Figure 1. Defining knowledge, motivational and organizational influences linked to
organizational outcomes directly related to early childcare provider retention.
The proposed conceptual framework helped interpret the various organizational,
knowledge and motivational influences that are moderating organization engagement measures
aligned to CAG early childcare provider’s perception of strong individual engagement within the
organization. These factors were gauged against their effect on organizational outcomes which
include job satisfaction, provider development and emotional burnout. Anecdotally through
CV
Organizational Influences
• Employee Engagement and Organizational Communication
• Professional & Leadership Development
• Organizational Systems And Procedures
Knowledge Influences
• Mission Alignment
• Support Seeking
Awareness
Motivation Influences
• Self-Efficacy
• Mastery Orientation
• Expectancy Value
Knowledge Drivers
Motivational Drivers
Positive Organizational Outcomes
• Emotional Exhaustion
• Employee Burnout
• Organizational Commitment
• Organizational Climate
• ECP Performance
• Job Satisfaction
Stakeholder Goal
Increase the number of at least 2 year contractual
commitments to CAG
RETENTION IN HIGH STRESS WORK ENVIRONMENTS 34
conversations with leadership at CAG, these influences play a contributing factor into early
childcare provider’s intention to stay in their roles within the organization. While experiential,
research supports this synopsis as well, as defined in a study by Wells (2016) on early childcare
provider’s psychological job attitudes toward their job role. The research indicates that early
childcare provider’s job attitudes were directly related to the supportive knowledge and
motivational factors they perceived existed in their work environment. These factors play a
critical role in an employee’s intention to stay in their role as an early childcare provider, and
connectively contributes to the overall attrition within the organization.
Data Collection and Instrumentation
To help clarify and understand the organizational and cultural influences that exist within
CAG, several data collection methods were utilized. For the purpose of this study, data
gathering was done through interviews, and review of organizational documents and artifacts to
understand the various cultural models and influences within CAG. Specifically, studying the
ECP stakeholder group helped to provide insights aligned with the research purpose of this
study, which focuses on the influences affecting teacher intention to stay in an early childcare
role within the CAG organization, gaining a baseline understanding of the interaction between
CAG’s culture and teacher knowledge and motivation in their role, and lastly, providing clarity
on potential performance or leadership gaps that can be addressed through recommendations to
address solution areas. Gaining awareness of interactions between Early childcare provider’s
and the leadership locally at their childcare location as an example will provided insight into
broader leadership practices across the organization.
Interviews
RETENTION IN HIGH STRESS WORK ENVIRONMENTS 35
A semi-structured format was used to help gain a greater understanding of the
organizational, leadership climate within the organization. As the researcher, I utilized an
interview guide to help frame the questions throughout the interview process. In addition, open-
ended questions were used to help examine the potential positive or negative influences in the
workplace environment. Utilizing a semi-structured, open-ended process provides the
participants the opportunity to provide broader, more contextual answers, and helped to create
greater depth in the potential themes that arise from their experiences (Merriam & Tisdell, 2015).
The organization provided each participant with the ability to participate in the one-hour
interview during the workday or post workday. The interview time was be agreed upon prior to
the week in which data collection will take place. Interviews was performed one at a time and
were randomly selected to provide additional variety in contextual information gathered. 15
teachers were interviewed during the data collection process. The interviews were used to help
triangulate key ideas and themes that arise from other data collection methods including CAG’s
historical employee engagement documentation. Research has shown that triangulation is an
effective method to help provide justification and validation for information that is presented
from other data collection methods (Creswell, 2014; Merriam & Tisdale, 2015). The questions
that were asked began with probing questions to gain a deeper understanding of the various
organizational, knowledge and motivational influences that are aligned to the research purpose of
this study. More detailed questions were asked as information by participants and their answers
present leading ideas to derive more clarify questions. Notes were taken to capture the interview
responses and were recorded for supporting analysis.
RETENTION IN HIGH STRESS WORK ENVIRONMENTS 36
Artifacts
Artifacts were also analyzed as data collection sources for this research study. Reviewing
documents and artifacts provides researchers a static, nonintrusive means to gain more
understanding of the influences within an organization (Merriam & Tisdell, 2015). To help gain
an understanding of the influences related to CAG teacher intention to stay in their role as early
childcare providers, historical documents including employee engagement results were
examined. Historical employee engagement data was also reviewed to gain insight into broader
organizational measures including teacher efficacy, job satisfaction and organizational
engagement. All information requested was provided from the organization de-identified to
provide greater anonymity for participants and to ensure ethical usage of the participants
information. The organization shared data that provided an overview of its monthly engagement
survey results over the previous 12 months to support this study. The data provided was
summarized across all three locations, and was focused on and evaluated from an organizational
perspective to assess various factors of engagement within CAG.
Interview Data and Artifact Analysis
The data collected from the interviews conducted provided several insights into
characteristics of CAG’s work environment and the various influences affecting CAG early
childcare providers’ intentions to committing long-term to the organization. The interviews
provided an opportunity to gain insights into cultural norms and models within CAG’s work
environment and to be able to gain an understanding of how leadership moderates the potential
challenges that exist. After completing the interviews, the transcripts were assessed for clarity
and analyzed using axial coding to aggregate similar ideas and comments that imbue patterns in
the interview responses. The patterns identified through the coding process were used to support
RETENTION IN HIGH STRESS WORK ENVIRONMENTS 37
themes that demonstrated early childcare providers’ perceptions employed by CAG. The data
was analyzed using analytic methods defined by Corbin and Strauss (2008), which included
looking the context associated with interviewees’ emotions that expressed their job role and
workplace environment, in addition to the use of questioning to probe for additional
understanding and clarification. As purported by Patton (2002), effective qualitative analysis
helps to drive the process of transforming data, and that challenge is met by researchers to help
define patterns and themes. Several themes were identified from the data collected, and each
theme was analyzed through the knowledge, motivational and organizational scope as defined by
the conceptual framework for this study.
Participant characteristics. Table 5 and table 6 provide an overview of the age, work
tenure and education characteristics of the participants in the interviews conducted. CAG early
childcare providers who participated in the interview process for this study demonstrated several
characteristics. Participants ranged in age from 21 to 50 years of age with a mean age of 28.87.
Participants also averaged four years of service working within the early childcare profession,
and three years working within their current role with CAG. Of the participants, 66% had some
level of associated degree or college education. Of the 15 participants interviewed, four had
been employed by the university less than a year, six participants had been employed by the
organization between two and three and one half years, and five participants had been with the
organization longer than three and one half years.
Table 5
Statistic Scores for Background Characteristics of Participating Early Childcare Providers
Mean Standard Deviation Range (years)
Age 28.87 7.85 21 – 50
RETENTION IN HIGH STRESS WORK ENVIRONMENTS 38
Years in early
childhood education
4.27 3.19 1 – 12
Years working at
CAG
2.8 1.68 1 – 7
Table 6
Distribution of CAG Early Childcare Providers by Education
High school Some college Associate
Degree
Bachelor
degree
Graduate
classes
Master’s
degree
3 2 6 2 1 1
Interview Findings
Theme 1: CAG early childcare providers lack strong awareness of the
organization’s mission and values. Interviewees provided a view of their understanding and
promotion of CAG’s values and mission. Analysis of the data demonstrated that CAG early
childcare providers as a collective do not have a strong awareness of the mission and values of
their organization. CAG early childcare providers provided responses that suggest an increase
organizational communication would be beneficial in fostering greater teacher commitment and
efficacy for the organization. Longer tenured teachers provided feedback suggesting greater
focus was placed on driving the values and mission of the company through leadership and
organizational communication earlier in their tenure, but the focus on driving the values of the
organization was not as prevalent as it was in previous years. An example was provided by one
of the interview participants who had been with the organization for five years. In her response
to a question asked to gauge an understanding of her knowledge of CAG’s mission, she
responded, “…I would not be able to repeat the mission of the organization verbatim… however
3 years ago I was able to repeat it verbatim.” She goes on to provide her perspective to why,
RETENTION IN HIGH STRESS WORK ENVIRONMENTS 39
stating, “There has been a lack of communication of the mission the last few years because of the
amount focus placed on looking after the kids.” For this interview participant, she directly related
the lack of employee awareness and alignment with overall mission of the organization with the
challenges that CAG has faced with the high levels of attrition. Interviewees indicated that there
was an opportunity for CAG leadership to engage early childcare providers and create more
alignment with the staff and the organization. While the data demonstrated that CAG early
childcare providers did not have a keen understanding of the organization’s mission,
interviewees provided evidence that support those values were demonstrated organically through
their organizational commitment the employees had with the organization. Feedback shared by
an interviewee provided examples that demonstrate her values, which are aligned with creating
enrichment for the children and parents that are customers of CAG. In a response to a discussion
on CAG values and the primary motivator of her love for the children within the organization,
the interviewee responded:
I love to see the parents bringing the kids to our center to start their day. I love to see
their face light up when they see me. It makes me so happy if the kids learn how to stand
up on their own or like knowing that I helped them walk, help them say a word or just
learning new things. It's just amazing to me how a child's mind works and how I am like
the first person that that may be learned from, other than parents.
Their responses can be interpreted that while there is a need for increased communication and
awareness of the vision and mission of the organization, there is a foundational alignment
between the CAG early childcare providers and the organization’s mission and values. There
was some variance in the responses that were provided. Analysis of feedback provided by more
tenured teachers who had been with the organization longer than two years indicated that they
RETENTION IN HIGH STRESS WORK ENVIRONMENTS 40
personally had a stronger alignment and baseline understanding of how the organization’s
mission and vision and demonstrated organizational commitment when providing their
responses.
Theme 2: CAG early childcare providers’ motivation is aligned to passion for
children. Analysis of the data suggests that CAG early childcare providers’ passion for working
at CAG and in their profession is driven by their passion for the children in care, and aligns with
their intention to stay in their respective job role. Interviewees provided evidence to demonstrate
their passion for working with children, providing insights into how they were intrinsically
motivated to meet the children’s development needs as early childcare providers. Examples of
evidence from the interviews included an interviewee describing how their passion toward
developing children was a primary factor to “…get up for work every day.” Providing an
illustration of the positive qualities of her job duties and responsibilities, another interviewee
shared that working with the children in her classroom “...is what brings me the most joy
working at CAG.” These responses demonstrate CAG early childcare providers having a mastery
orientation toward their tasks and shows alignment with the organizational values of enriching
the lives of children in care at CAG. In an account provided by one of the interviewees, evidence
supporting the level of employee satisfaction CAG early childcare providers gained working
with children was provided, and how it directly fueled their passion to choose a career in early
childhood education. The interviewee stated, “I think it comes from just choosing this career
choice. You have to love the kids. The kids are what drives you because you have a passion for
it.” The interviewee goes on to provide insights demonstrating how having a mastery-approach
orientation is an important to coping and meeting the needs of the job role. She shares, “Once
you step into this role, your passion has to be there. So that passion and that love has to come
RETENTION IN HIGH STRESS WORK ENVIRONMENTS 41
from the teachers’ life, kids, and just being with them, loving what you do.” The responses
support the interpretation that within CAG, early childcare providers’ having a passion for
children provided a strong predictor of organizational commitment and overall job satisfaction.
Consistent with research that focused on early childcare providers’ motivation as aligned with a
mastery orientation toward providing care for children, interviewees consistently shared
responses that demonstrated a focus toward their work’s importance in the child development
(Torquati et al., 2007). Research specific to early childcare providers’ passion for children is
positively correlated with commitment to stay in their job role, of which their level of
commitment can be impacted by common challenges in the early childcare industry including
low income and lack of benefits (Hossain et al., 2012). Being an integral part of a child’s
development during their early years is demonstrated in the following account as an interviewee
opines about her love working with children in their care:
I have a passion for kids. A lot of the babies that come in new holler and cry because
they've never been away from their parents. But it feels so good to me. Like I feel really
gifted because the kids don't scream when I am with them...They laugh, they play with
the other kids I guess they feel really comfortable with me... I just feel very gifted to be
able to make them comfortable and get him through a new process or a new transition in
the early stages of their lives.
The interviewee’s affinity for her work demonstrates alignment with a mastery approach
orientation, where her motivation toward achieving her job duties is directly linked to her
intrinsic excitement towards working with children within the organization.
RETENTION IN HIGH STRESS WORK ENVIRONMENTS 42
Theme 3: Early childcare providers with defined, longer-term goals had more
gratification working at CAG. Insights from the interviews indicated that CAG early childcare
provides who demonstrated a mastery orientation were more inclined to have greater
commitment to their job roles as early childcare providers. Those employees that demonstrated
values related to having a mastery orientation seemed to demonstrated greater awareness of the
many complexities and challenges that come with working in an early childcare provider role.
Analysis of the data also suggests that CAG early childcare providers with a mastery approach
orientation to their job duties and tasks demonstrated greater awareness and ability to cope with
the many complexities and challenges related to working in the early childcare profession,
including expectations from the job role, the work environment or level of engagement from the
organization. The following table (table 7) provides a summary of these themes and comments
that supported the overall identification of each.
Table 7
Mastery Approach and Aligned Coping Strategy Examples
Alignment with Mastery Orientation Aligned Coping Approach
“There are times when the things that
challenge you here: low pay, stress with kids
become overwhelming, but the passion I have
for the kids helps me to push through.”
“While I understand the challenges working
as an early childcare provider, I have learned
to emotionally center myself to manage the
challenges of the environment”
“Because I want to own an early childcare
center myself one day… I learn from my job
duties and try to tweak them to better myself
as a teacher”
“I know that this job is a stepping stone for
me, and it is important for to go through this,
in this environment, to learn the ropes of early
childcare.”
“When I am unable to obtain feedback, I have
learned to analyze the situation and solve
issues on my own.”
“I have worked here long enough to where I
know what I am going get (in regards to
feedback, direction), I have learned how to
manage outside of the purview of my director
or executive director”
RETENTION IN HIGH STRESS WORK ENVIRONMENTS 43
The comments provided by the interviewees demonstrated their commitment to their job
roles within the organization, supported by alignment between her identified career goals and the
goals aligned to her job duties as a CAG employee. The focus on mastery and achievement of
goals has been identified as positive indicators of job satisfaction (Papaioannou &
Christodoulidis, 2007). An assertion can be made that fostering greater mastery goal
development through talent and professional development practices could increase overall
efficacy and greater intention to stay in their role with the organization. Longer-term focus on
mastery goals was demonstrated in the following response by interviewee to a question asked to
understand how she has learned to deal with the perceived challenges working as an early
childcare provider:
I guess everyone deals with it a different way. So that is how I internalize everything
when it comes to working here, there are challenges here just like it probably is at other
centers, I'm pretty sure other teachers are not hooping and hooraying about working here
at CAG... I look at it like this as a stepping stone for me to be in grad school. This job is
helping me to learn and to get me over my hurdle, so most other teachers may not be in
my predicament. They may want to grow with the company and make it better and make
this their foundation.
The interviewee’s response demonstrates how she leverages both positive self-efficacy
attributes as well as a mastery-approach toward meeting the challenges related to her job duties.
As supported by Daniels et al. (2009), mastery-approach goals have been shown to relate to
positive emotional workplace outcomes that could serve as a prequel to an early childcare
provider’s intention to stay committed to their respective job role. This theme was broadly
evident across the responses.
RETENTION IN HIGH STRESS WORK ENVIRONMENTS 44
Theme 4: Leadership communication is perceived to impact overall employee
morale and organizational commitment. Several of the interviewees contended that CAG
leadership is working to increase engagement that could help to alleviate some of the perceived
shortcomings as it relates to poor incentives and benefits working as early childcare providers.
Feedback from interviewees that aligned with the need for increased leadership engagement
included requests for “…more support for staff” and “increased focus on team leadership,” as
well as increased instances of “…providing staff feedback.” Analysis of the data collected
suggests the CAG early childcare providers craved more engagement and visibility from
leadership given challenges inherent with their work as early childcare providers. Russel et al.
(2010) suggest the impact of an early childcare provider’s perception of administrative support
can be seen as an antecedent to teacher intention to stay within their role. The following excerpt
is the response from an interviewee answering the question, “How do you obtain leadership
feedback when needed?” In her response, the interviewee suggests that there is a greater need for
leadership access, availability and more effective organizational communication. She states her
approach to gaining feedback from here location director, “…sometimes she knows, sometimes
she doesn’t. Many of those times the questions are more for upper management, … she may not
be equipped to provide the answer or feedback needed to resolve the situation.” The
interviewee’s response provides awareness of her perceptions toward obtaining administrative
support to meet her needs as an early childcare provider. It has been shown that an early
childcare providers’ intention to stay within their respective role is impacted by their perception
of their administrator’s ability to broker challenges and provide solutions in support of one’s job
duties and tasks (Russell et al., 2009). The research also has also been shown that early childcare
providers adjust their likelihood to leave their current jobs and commitment to their respective
RETENTION IN HIGH STRESS WORK ENVIRONMENTS 45
organization based on the administrative support they received (Russel et al, 2010). An example
provided during one of the interviews brings to light the notion of lack of access to leaders
within the organization. The interviewee provided context in regards to her need for leadership
engagement, stating, “… sometimes just 10 minutes of time to show that there is concern about
their well-being. We all are often working 10-12 hours… there could be more of an effort put in
place to increase the amount of communication.”
The evidence provided indicated that CAG early childcare providers who had established
rapport with CAG leadership were more inclined to provide responses aligned with stronger
affirmation for their role. Those providers who had established rapport with CAG leadership
were also more self-directed and placed less focus on the need for leadership support to meet
their expectations as an employee. An interviewee sharing her approach working within CAG as
an early childcare provider gives context to how she demonstrates autonomy as a result her
having a clear understanding of the CAG leadership approach to engagement. She provides, “I
think because I have had the opportunity build a relationship with my director and leadership, it
makes it easier for me as opposed to a newcomer who would may not have had the opportunity
to get to know them.” Viewed through the lenses of leader-member exchange theory, this
evidence helps to heighten awareness for CAG leadership in their approach to engaging
employees within the organization to avoid creating perceptions that relate to dysfunctional or
laisse-faire leadership (Hinkin & Schrieshein, 2008; Ilies, Morgeson & Nahrgang, 2005). While
indications of motivation-noncommitting was evident in the analysis of the responses, there was
also evidence of motivating – committing engagement among CAG early childcare providers.
Responses including an interviewee providing her perception of the support
RETENTION IN HIGH STRESS WORK ENVIRONMENTS 46
Theme 5: While there is a sense of community among the early childcare providers
that work at each of the locations, CAG early childcare providers seek greater personal
and collective identity within the organization. Data demonstrated that CAG early childcare
providers indicated a perception of a sense of community and collective efficacy working within
the organization. Awareness of the value of collective support and collaboration was often stated
by the interviewees as a determinant in their alignment with the organization and ability to
manage the challenges in meeting their job role requirements. Examples and experiences
provided by the interviewees suggest that the sense of community that existed within CAG,
while supported by the organization, was primarily organic, and more emphasis could be placed
on creating opportunities for collaboration, sharing of best practices and development of policies
and procedures. The following excerpt from one of the interviewee’s responses to a question
regarding the organizational culture that exists within CAG. She shared, “… this isn't just work,
it's not just a job, but it's kind of home.” She goes on to state, “To me, working at CAG is
calming… I can say that [CAG leadership] is very encouraging and they always have a constant
ear if anything went wrong as well as the other workers.” These interviewee comments and
analysis of the data collected suggests that challenges to increase overall engagement within the
CAG included immediate focus and adjustment to meet business needs as a result of high
attrition, in which immediate day-to-day center needs were often prioritized over collaborative
decision-making or alignment on job duties. Insights from the interviews demonstrate that CAG
early childcare providers, were aware of the effects of turnover at the centers and the impact on
the meetings and other means or organizational communication. In the following excerpt, an
interviewee provides awareness of the challenges the amount of turnover has caused within the
organization, and the effect it has have on overall communication and strategy alignment. In
RETENTION IN HIGH STRESS WORK ENVIRONMENTS 47
response to a question to gain an understanding of how daily duties are communicated, an
interviewee responded, “[our location director] may walk in first thing in the morning and she
will tell us, hey, I need you guys to do this... and our whole plan and daily responsibilities
changes in an instance.” She goes on to provide her perception on the potential limitations to
utilizing this organization communication approach stating, “I do think it's working and is
effective for now, but I think that having more meetings would be better, because we'll have
more time to plan.” The interviewee also goes on to share how she and others rationalize
unexpected change, and the potential opportunity that exists for CAG from an engagement
perspective. She purports, “…you might have to make a change and drop of a dime, but most
things can be communicated, other staff opinions about how we can change things for the better
and not just one person's idea.”
The data also demonstrates that CAG early childcare providers recognized the values of
the organization, and there is a collective purpose to promote and amplify these values both
internally and externally within the community they serve. While this is a positive indicator for
the organization in regards to overall culture, the response also highlighted a level of concern in
that lack of acknowledgement and recognition for early childcare providers who demonstrating
organizational commitment. Lack of recognition and acknowledgement practices has been
shown to negatively moderate employee morale and inadvertently have an adverse effect on
teacher intention to stay in their role. (Cartwright & Holmes, 2006). An example provided by
one of the interviewees illustrates the desire by teachers to be recognized for an example of
organizational citizenship by the employees at their center location, where she stated, “…the
teachers at each location identified as group that the building needed to be painted and we
painted it. We painted the whole building on a Saturday and a Sunday. I sat here and watch these
RETENTION IN HIGH STRESS WORK ENVIRONMENTS 48
teachers paint this building which would roughly cost a person, $5000... and your teachers did it
out of self-care, wanting to see it more vibrant and there was not much acknowledge from the
organization or leadership, and that was a problem for me and many of the teachers that helped
out to paint the building.”
The interviewee’s feedback provides a view into the overall level of organizational
commitment demonstrated by CAG early childcare providers. Aligned with additional
feedback provided by the interviewees, focus on utilizing the peer community that exists within
CAG as a means of driving their own collective identity and alignment helped support greater
organizational commitment and collective efficacy.
Theme 6: CAG early childcare providers are negatively affected by the lack of
recognition and rewards provided to them as employees, which directly affects the level of
organizational commitment and intention to stay employed by the organization. Evidence
provided from analysis of the interviews indicates that inadequate levels of employee recognition
are seen as a driving factor of CAG early childcare providers’ disenchantment with their tasks
and job duties, and they present as indicators in early child childcare providers’ intention to
commit long-term with the organization. Interviewees provided feedback that aligned with their
need for recognition. An example provided by an interviewee who had been with the
organization for two years provided feedback describing her need for recognition and support as
“… a pat on the back every now and then.” In the following excerpt, an interviewee opined
providing an example of how she envisioned a workplace environment where recognition and
reward was fostered and championed:
As simple as like a sticky note and we can do that math and we can ask the Internet And
I'm like, what do you like to eat? Or what do you like to do? And present that to that
RETENTION IN HIGH STRESS WORK ENVIRONMENTS 49
person, right? You know you're doing a good job. I know you like coffee. So here's the
little coffee mug. Hey, you're doing a good job. Here's a little gift card for $25. Here's a
gift certificate to a day spa. I mean, now I'm not saying that somebody has to pay all that
money, but I'm just saying it's all about the little things. I would love to see a sticky note
on my door, saying, “Have a great day.” Two years ago, a couple of parents on my
birthday, they got me a cupcake, a dozen of cupcakes and some flowers and I was
shocked because I wasn't expecting anything… it was just another day to work and it just
kind of made me feel not necessarily special, it just let me know that I was doing a good
job. So definitely accolades. I think the organization can provide more accolades for
employees across the organization.
The comments provided by the interviewees support the notion that the current level of
rewards, recognition systems and processes that exist were not effective in supporting employee
motivational needs and helping to foster strong cultural norms to promote a strong organizational
climate within the company. Themes identified from the data suggest that rewards and
recognition would be beneficial in creating greater emotional well-being among CAG early
childcare providers. Andrew (2015) provided insights to support this, purporting that early
childcare organizations that place emphasis on the rewards and recognition create increased
emotional capital and well-being among their respective employees. Focusing on fostering
greater emotional capital among CAG employees as a means to increasing positive experiences
within its work environment was also demonstrated in comments by an interviewee who had
been employed in the organization for two years. She stated, “I think one of the things that is a
challenge is that some of the staff is the level of communication from leadership and their
availability to them as employees of CAG.” She goes on to provide her perception of why it is
RETENTION IN HIGH STRESS WORK ENVIRONMENTS 50
important stating, “I mean they don't want a diamond ring or gold, they just want, a "hey, I
appreciate you." or "Thank you for working for me." Just something as simple as that.”
The comments provided evidence for CAG early childcare providers’ perception for
more focus from the organization to incorporate recognition as part of the broader focus within
their workplace environment. Supported by Griffin et al. (2007), organizations that place focus
on promoting positive work behavior can be impactful on not only on an individual’s motivation
and performance, but also on their perception of job clarity and ability to adapt to emotional
challenges within their work environment. “Establishing a mechanism to ensure reward and
recognition practices” and “ensure promotion of successes” were more prevalent themes that
were identified and establish from analysis of the data.
Theme 7: Continuity of early childcare workforce has had a direct effect on overall
teacher morale as well as the morale of children in CAG’s care. Analysis of the data suggests
there was an overall concern that the level of attrition is having a negative effect on both
employee morale and the well-being of children in care. Specific to the negative effects placed
on employee morale, it can also be interpreted that the additional pressures placed on staff as
teachers left the organization were directly with the level of emotional burnout within CAG’s
work environment. It has been shown that early childcare provider turnover can introduce
unpredictability into routines and schedules, potentially causing emotional exhaustion and
undermining the quality of care within the organization (Hale-Jinks et al., 2006). Analysis of the
data suggested that CAG’s early childcare teacher staffing changes often happen abruptly, and
both classroom responsibilities and business-related responsibilities have to be redelegated
among the remaining staff to meet the daily business needs of the organization. In describing
how the level of attrition was impacting employee morale, the interviewee provided awareness of
RETENTION IN HIGH STRESS WORK ENVIRONMENTS 51
the pressures placed on the teacher community as the business adjusts to meet the needs of the
children and the day-to-day tasks managing the business:
It definitely affects the overall staff... it puts pressure on the staff that are already here. ...
we have had like a lot of staff leave so with there not being a plan to replace people
leaving and not hiring other people to replace them, Then their duties become the next
person's duty. Now the classroom has doubled. Now I'm doing two classes and having to
take on more business duties because no one can do it.
As it relates to the well-being of children, CAG early childcare providers had a
heightened awareness of the affect attrition has on children in CAG’s care. Consistent across all
interviews was concern related to teacher-child interactions and the negative impact it has on
children emotional well-being. An excerpt provided by one of the interviewees provides some
insight into the more prominent perception of the early childcare providers interviewed. She
stated in regards to the impact on children in care within the organization stating, “...they end up
being abruptly when the classroom's permanent teacher has left that had been with those children
for the whole year now they have someone new, and the adjustment is difficult for some kids.”
In the context of caregiver and child relationship, the level of attachment between them has been
shown as potentially having a moderating effect on children’s social, cognitive, and emotional
development (Hale-Jinks et al., 2006). Additional evidence on the impact immediate changes
have on children was provided by an interviewee who described how the level of employee
turnover was having a negative impact on the CAG children who had become acclimated with
their respective teacher. She provided, “When you have a certain teacher that have been with the
kids for a whole entire year, it takes approximately six months for most kids to adjust, and for
teachers to establish the foundations of the classroom.” As illustrated by the interviewee, the
RETENTION IN HIGH STRESS WORK ENVIRONMENTS 52
attachment between early childcare provider and the children in care has been identified as a
factor in moderating a child’s perception of a safe environment. A child’s perception of security
and connection toward a caregiver has been shown to have an effect on a child’s willingness,
openness and ability to learn (Herzenberg et al., 2005). Awareness of the impact on the children
within CAG’s learning environment is important as provides credence to the overall impact on
the mission and values of CAG that align with providing quality childcare services.
Artifact Analysis Results and Findings
Specific to CAG leadership’s demonstration of its core values, an average of 65% of
respondents suggested their level of trust working within CAG was high. The data also revealed
that an average of 84% of respondents over the 12-month period felt the organization
demonstrated its core values. In regards CAG to early childcare provider perception of feeling
appreciated by executive leadership and location-specific leadership, respondents tallied at 72%
and 78%, respectively. Lastly, aligned with the focus on organizational communication, CAG
early childcare providers responded with a level of satisfaction of 75% and 88% for executive
leadership and location-specific leadership, respectively. Table 8 provides an overview of the
engagement survey data.
Table 8
Overview of CAG Employee Engagement Survey Results
Engagement Survey Areas of Focus Questions
Average Level of
Staff Satisfaction
Satisfied with the level of trust in the organization
65%
Perceived CAG leadership demonstrates CAG core values
84%
Felt appreciated by CAG executive leadership 72%
RETENTION IN HIGH STRESS WORK ENVIRONMENTS 53
Felt appreciated by location director 78%
Satisfied with the clarity, frequency and level of
communication by the CAG executive leadership
75%
Satisfied with the clarity, frequency and level of
communication by location director
88%
Summary of Findings
Through the process of interviewing CAG early childcare providers, the themes identified
helped to validate the research contributing to the understanding the knowledge, motivational
and organizational influences as related to challenges faced within early childcare work
environments. The data collected and analyzed from the interviews helped to identify several
gaps contributing to the level of attrition within CAG. Specific to knowledge influences, CAG
early childcare providers shared feedback to help conclude that the lack of awareness and focus
on fostering CAG’s mission had an impact on the level of organizational commitment
demonstrated within the organization. In addition, the data also demonstrated that through
increased administrative support and knowledge awareness of where to seek guidance as related
to job duties was broadly a critical factor in CAG early childcare provider’s perception of
employee engagement and commitment to collective efficacy as members of the organization.
Specific to the motivational influences examined in this study, several gaps were
identified based on CAG early childcare providers’ understanding of limiting factors working
within early childcare, which included their needs from an organizational engagement
perspective to help bridge gaps between the values of the staff and that of the organization.
Examining the organizational influences in relation to the findings suggest that CAG early
childcare providers ability to meet the needs of the organization – which primarily focused on
meeting the development needs of the children in care and to drive organizational impact within
RETENTION IN HIGH STRESS WORK ENVIRONMENTS 54
the community they served, was directly impacted by the level of organizational communication,
engagement and systems in place to foster greater efficacy and commitment. To address the gaps
defined from, several recommendations aligned to the knowledge, motivational and
organizational influences are proposed to engage CAG early childcare providers and challenge
negative perceptions of working for the organization.
Recommendations for Practice
The following recommendations are aligned to the knowledge, motivational and
organizational influences and support actions that can be taken by the organization to meet
address the themes outlined from the insights garnered from the interview participants. The
influences that emerged are important to developing a strategy to addressing the gaps and
barriers that exist within the organization
Knowledge Recommendations
Table 9 provides an overview of the knowledge influences that were examined and
emerged as knowledge gaps during the collection of data and implementation of the
recommendations provided. The knowledge influences were reviewed through the scope of the
conceptual framework and review of data collected during the early childcare provider interview
process for alignment with the potential recommendations. The Clark and Estes (2008) gap
analysis framework was utilized throughout to guide the interviews and analysis of the
information collected. The assumed knowledge influences provided align to identified principles
and potential recommendations that will used to address the gaps as identified within the
organization. Table 9 provides an overview of the knowledge influences and recommendations.
RETENTION IN HIGH STRESS WORK ENVIRONMENTS 55
Table 9
Summary of Knowledge Influences and Recommendations
Knowledge Influence Principle and Citation Context-Specific Recommendation
CAG Early childcare
providers need to
understand how their work
is aligned with the
organizational mission.
(D)
Information learned meaningfully and
connected with prior knowledge is stored
more quickly and remembered more
accurately because it is elaborated with
prior learning (Schraw & McCrudden,
2006)
Social interaction, cooperative learning,
and cognitive apprenticeships (such as
reciprocal teaching) facilitate
construction of new knowledge (Scott &
Palincsar, 2006).
Present provider training to explain
competencies and assist early
childcare providers to understand
alignment between job tasks and
organizational goals
Provide training opportunities tha
encourage peer-to-peer learning, and
scaffolding resulting in greater
alignment between CCP work and
organizational mission
Early childcare providers
need to understand the
procedure to seek
assistance and expertise
from their superiors. (P)
To develop mastery, individuals must
acquire component skills, practice
integrating them, and know when to
apply what they have learned (Schraw &
McCrudden, 2006).t they have learned
(Schraw & McCrudden, 2006)
Job aids and training should be
provided to support early childcare
providers in understanding the correct
processes to follow when escalating
issues within the organization
Establish practices that promote greater awareness of CAG’s mission to foster
greater commitment and intention to stay with the organization. Data indicated that CAG
early childcare providers’ lack of awareness of the organization’s mission affected their ability to
foster greater commitment and intention to stay with the organization. To fully support the
business needs of CAG, early childcare providers need to understand how their job role within
the organization is aligned with the organizational mission. Since the company’s inception,
CAG’s leadership has worked to infuse its mission, defined in the context of this study as factual
knowledge, which is information that is retrievable to support learning ability, as the primary
driver of its values and business orientation both internally and externally (Chong, 2011;
Krathwohl, 2002). This alignment is important, as research suggest that performance-related
outcomes can increase if there is alignment between an organization’s strategic goals and the
RETENTION IN HIGH STRESS WORK ENVIRONMENTS 56
goals of its employees (Crotts, Dickson & Ford, 2005; Paarlberg & Lavigna, 2010). In addition,
as provided in the supported principle, information learned meaningfully and connected with
prior knowledge is stored more quickly and remembered more accurately because it is elaborated
with prior learning (Schraw & McCrudden, 2006). This evidence supports the notion that the
more aligned CAG early childcare providers are with the mission of the organization, there will
be more recall of its importance as they perform duties aligned to their role. Research supports
the notion that creating social interaction, cooperative learning, and cognitive apprenticeships,
such as reciprocal teaching, facilitate construction of new knowledge (Scott & Palincsar, 2006).
Creating opportunities for early childcare providers to take advantage of peer-to-peer learning
opportunities will help facilitate greater alignment and knowledge of the organization’s
mission. Given this context, it is recommended that CAG implements a solution that works to
create learning and training opportunities for early childcare providers to better align with the
organizational mission and objectives outlined by CAG’s leadership.
To address potential gaps that may exist between early childhood providers’
understanding and alignment with CAG’s mission, it will be important for the organization to
create learning solutions to raise help raise awareness among early childcare provider’s role
alignment with tasks aligned with supporting CAG’s business interests. The literature supports
this notion, with employee learning and motivation toward meeting organizational expectations
becoming more enhanced if employees are aware of how their job duties and values align with
that of their organizations (Eccles, 2006). Furthermore, insights supported by Egan, Yang and
Bartlett (2004) show that placing a focusing on organizational learning has positive effects on
job satisfaction and motivation, which both have a negative effect on turnover intention. The
evidence presented by the literature helps to support the implementation of the proposed
RETENTION IN HIGH STRESS WORK ENVIRONMENTS 57
recommendation to support greater alignment between the early childcare providers’ goals and
the broader goals of the organization.
Ensure practices exist to align teacher needs with proper access to feedback and
information gathering. Insights provided from the data suggest CAG early childcare providers’
lack of access to feedback channels and wantingness for greater leadership engagement is
affecting their ability to meet the needs of their job roles. Early childcare providers need to
understand the procedure to seek assistance and expertise from their superiors. Organizations
that foster greater awareness of key processes and procedures has been shown to be directly
related with an employee’s ability to perform in role effectively and efficiently (Jeon, Bueettner
& Hur, 2016). Additionally, organizations that provide organizational support to meet the
problem-solving needs of its employees have been shown to have greater abilities to meet the
challenges of their roles (Parker et. al., 2012). Furthermore, the literature also states that focusing
on increasing knowledge through employee awareness of performance development processes is
an effective way for organization to promote visibility and foster greater alignment of its mission
(Butler, 2007). A recommendation to increase the level of awareness around key procedures to
address organizational issues is important to help meet the needs of early childcare providers
within CAG.
Specific to creating greater awareness of processes and procedures, how an individual
analyzes influences has a direct effect on how they internalize their alignment and engagement
with the organization (Schraw & McCrudden, 2006). Establishing a review structure of business
process as procedures as an organization’s business need changes helps to provides greater
awareness and alignment for employees who are charged with creating efficiencies within the
business (Egan et al., 2004). Providing literature that supports the need to manage CAG early
RETENTION IN HIGH STRESS WORK ENVIRONMENTS 58
childcare providers’ perceptions of administrative support in the workplace, Russell, Williams
and Gleason-Gomez (2010) purport that addressing teachers’ perception of administrative
support has an impact on reducing turnover intention. Results of the study indicated that teachers
perception of their current job and commitment to their organization was significantly predicted
by their overall perceptions of the resources related to coordination and process definement by
their organization.
Motivation Recommendations
Table 10 provides an overview of the motivational influences that were examined during
the collection of data and implementation of the recommendations provided. Each motivational
influence was reviewed through the scope of the conceptual framework and review of data
collected during the early childcare provider interview process for alignment with the potential
recommendations. The Clark and Estes (2008) gap analysis framework was utilized throughout
to guide the interview and analysis of the information collected. Recommendations will be
made to address the assumed motivational gaps based on the research-based principles outlined.
Table 10
Summary of Motivation Influences and Recommendations
Motivation Influence Principle and Citation Context-Specific Recommendation
Self-Efficacy
Early childcare
providers need to
believe that they are
capable of performing
as educators and
caregivers for the
children in their care.
Learning and motivation are
enhanced when learners have
positive expectancies for
success (Pajares, 2006).
Feedback and modeling
increases self-efficacy
(Pajares, 2006).
Use models that build self-efficacy and enhance
motivation for early childcare providers. Identify and
increase engagement between high performing early
childcare providers and low performing early childcare
providers to enhance positive expectancies
Provide goal-directed practice to reinforce early childcare
provider performance, coupled with frequent and
targeted feedback to foster greater self-efficacy.
Goal Orientation
Early childcare
providers need to have
Goals motivate and direct
employees (Pintrich, 2003).
Designing performance goals
that are novel, varied,
Use task, reward, and evaluation structures that promote
mastery, learning, effort, progress, and self-improvement
standards for early childcare providers.
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intrinsic motivation to
meet their goals while
employed by CAG as
an early childcare
Providers
diverse, interesting, and
reasonably challenging
promotes mastery orientation
(Yough & Anderman, 2006).
Focus on self-improvement - build into PMP process 1
personal, self-improvement goal to foster greater goal
orientation.
Expectancy Value
Teachers need to see
the value of the role of
a childcare provider
and their service in the
community in which
they serve.
Rationales that include a
discussion of the importance
and utility value of the work
or learning can help learners
develop positive values
(Eccles, 2006; Pintrich,
2003).
Activating personal interest
through opportunities for
choice and control can
increase motivation (Eccles,
2006).
Include rationales about the importance and utility value
of the tasks aligned to early childcare providers’ role and
CAG’s role in the community in which they serve.
Ensure materials and activities are relevant and useful to
early childcare providers, connected to their interests and
based on real world tasks.
Promote and foster practices that promote greater positive self-efficacy among CAG
early childcare providers. The data suggests that among CAG early childcare providers, their
perception of leadership engagement is minimal, and it has had an impact on their level of
efficacy toward meeting the requirements of their job role. CAG early childcare providers need
to believe that they are capable of performing as effective educators and caregivers for the
children in their care. Research has shown that learning and motivation are enhanced when
learners have positive expectancies for success (Pajares, 2006). In addition, employees who
have a strong identity alignment with the duties of their role tend to have stronger positive
perception of their jobs and are more likely to have positive self-efficacy attributes (Erickson &
Pinnegar, 2017). Evidence is also provided by Bandura (2005), showing that work motivation is
directly linked to confidence gained from well-aligned tasks to an employee’s needs as a
provider. My recommendation is to create opportunities for early childcare providers to
encourage increased positive attributes toward their job roles through modeling and coaching
activities within CAG.
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Clark and Estes (2008) indicate that a consideration to be made when addressing
employee self-efficacy is to assign short-term attainable goals to encourage greater ownership
and alignment of goals for employees. Their research also supports the concept of active choice,
which aligns with a person’s subconscious choice to attain and achieve set goals. Creating
models where employees can learn and see how to complete tasks can be beneficial in creating
greater self-efficacy. Identifying solutions that provide opportunities for the organization to
create greater alignment with early childcare providers’ values will also help to create greater
organizational commitment within CAG. This evidence supports the recommendation to utilize
modeling and development practices aligned to role mastery to promote greater efficacy job
duties and responsibilities.
Establish alignment between the organization’s strategy and the motivational needs
of CAG early childcare providers driven by mastery-goal attainment to demonstrate
engagement. The data provided insights that suggest the lack of focus on fostering CAG early
childcare providers’ mastery approach orientation has had an effect on overall employee
satisfaction and intention to stay with the organization. There is a need with CAG for early
childcare providers to have a mastery orientation to foster greater organizational commitment
and alignment within the company. Organizations that focus on promoting factors that positively
effect mastery orientation can be effective in increasing employee satisfaction, mastery of task,
learning, and increased employee motivation (Yough & Anderman, 2006). Clark and Estes
(2008) talk specifically about creating environments where persistence is a primary factor
aligned with motivation. Mastery approach goals have been shown to be effective in lowering
task disengagement, which was indicated from the analysis of the data collected during the
interviews, was a predictor of employee commitment and intention to stay in their job role. A
RETENTION IN HIGH STRESS WORK ENVIRONMENTS 61
recommendation to help overcome these challenges is to incorporate goal development as part of
performance mastery for CAG early childcare providers.
An approach that could help create greater motivation among early childcare providers is
to align their job duties and responsibilities to goals that are achievable and attainable. In a study
analyzing early childcare providers’ intentions to stay in the early childhood profession, Torquati
et al. (2007) determined that providers who perceived opportunities for advancement linked to
accessible, attainable tasks had a greater intention to stay within the early childcare field. In
addition, research has shown that organizations that create work environments where mastery
goals are consistent and are supported by constant feedback can be beneficial in driving
motivation organizationally (Clark & Estes, 2008). Specific to teacher motivation, focusing on
mastery-approach orientation is effective in negating disenchantment within teacher populations
and helps to foster opportunities to attain goals (Papaioannou & Christodoulidis, 2007). The
literature presented further supports the organization focusing on goal orientation to drive greater
employee engagement.
Drive awareness of CAG strategic goals, dynamically communicating CAG early
childcare providers’ successes while promoting the values of the organization both
internally and externally. Review of the data suggests that the lack of focus on alignment
between the organization’s strategic goals and CAG early childcare providers’ values has had an
overall impact on expectancy to meet demands of the job role. Aligning early childcare
providers’ job duties and responsibilities to goals that are achievable and attainable is important
to driving and increasing overall motivational attributes among employees within CAG.
Rationales that include a discussion of the importance and utility value of the work or learning
can help learners develop positive values (Eccles, 2006; Pintrich, 2003). Given the close
RETENTION IN HIGH STRESS WORK ENVIRONMENTS 62
alignment of early childcare organizations with the communities they serve, creating congruency
between early childcare providers, their organizations and their communities is important to help
foster greater collective motivation. Teacher expectancy values and beliefs have been shown to
be directly related to their ability to effectively provide services to the students in which they are
charged to serve (Green, 2002). Aligned with this rationale, it is recommended that CAG create
programs and initiatives that demonstrate the value it defines as an organization and how that
value is aligned to the overall goals of the organization as leaders in the community.
Providing awareness of positive examples aligned to teacher and student outcomes within
the community has been shown to help drive teacher organizational commitment (Epstein &
Sanders, 2006). Alignment of early childcare providers’ values with the values of the
organization that communicated within their respective community, which includes sharing and
promoting the recognition garnered as a product of early childcare provider success has been
shown to have positive psychological effects on their ability and focus in role (Royer & Moreau,
2015). In addition, creating awareness and aligning teachers with parents in partnership programs
has been shown to help drive greater teacher expectancy and efficacy within their roles. In a
study examining programs aligning educational institutions to their respective communities
through outreach programs, Epstein (2005) concluded that linking teacher provider development
to pre-service activities aligned to the families fostered greater organizational citizenship
behavior and helped drive greater provider alignment between teachers and their job
roles. Creating continuity between CAG’s early childcare providers’ perception of overall utility
as educators and value promoted within the communities the organization serves will help to
foster greater relevance for the providers in their role.
RETENTION IN HIGH STRESS WORK ENVIRONMENTS 63
Organizational Recommendations
Table 11 provides an overview of the organizational influences that were examined
during the collection of data and implementation of the recommendations provided. Each
organizational influence was reviewed through the scope of the conceptual framework and
review of data collected during the early childcare provider interview process for alignment with
the potential recommendations. The Clark and Estes (2008) gap analysis framework was utilized
throughout to guide the interview and analysis of the information collected. The assumed
knowledge influences provided align to identified principles and potential recommendations that
will used to address the gaps as identified within the organization. Table 11 provides an
overview of the organizational influences and recommendations.
Table 11
Summary of Organization Influences and Recommendations
Organization Influence
Principle and Citation
Context-Specific
Recommendation
The organization needs to
emphasize leader and
organizational communication as
a mechanism to drive greater
role clarity and commitment
among early childcare providers.
(CM)
Effective leaders are aware of various
types of communication, non-verbal
communication, storytelling, person-
centered communication, and how these
communication modalities influence
change and the environment within the
organization (Conger, 20111; Denning,
2005; Lewis, 2011).
Be aware and establish a process
to ensure the Executive Director
is communicating the elements of
the vision and mission when
communicating broad directive to
early childcare providers.
The organization needs to
engage early childcare providers
with provider development
practices to support key job-
related competencies; i.e.,
managing classroom behavior,
increasing individual child
performance.
(CM)
Organizational effectiveness increases
when leaders insure that employees
have the resources needed to achieve the
organization’s goals (Waters, Marzano,
McNulty, 2003).
Align the allocation of resources
with the goals and priorities of
the organization.
Provide peer to peer learning
training and coaching to support
competency development for
underperforming early childcare
providers.
The organization needs to
examine processes that help
support the business to ensure
their effectiveness; i.e., decision
processes, talent management
practices (CS)
People are more productive when goal
setting and benchmarking are essential
to evaluating progress and driving
organizational performance and
accountability (Dowd, 2005; Levy &
Ronco, 2012).
Distinguish between peer-based
and standards-based
benchmarking as two ways to
benchmark organizational
performance within CAG.
RETENTION IN HIGH STRESS WORK ENVIRONMENTS 64
Accountability as a relationship
(Hentshe & Wohstetter, 2004).
Identify and describe the
components of an accountability
system that will promote
organizational improvement
within CAG.
Emphasize leader and organizational communication as a mechanism to drive
greater role clarity and commitment among early childcare providers. Evidence from the
data suggest that a lack of leadership communication has had an impact on CAG early childcare
providers’ ability to meet the tasks of their job role and on overall organizational commitment.
The better communication and alignment employees have to an organization’s goal, the more
attuned they are to the purpose of their roles and duties needed to meet those goals (Petrou,
Demerouti, & Schaufeli, 2016). Effective leaders utilize various types of communication, both
verbal and non-verbal communication, storytelling, person-centered communication, to influence
change and the culture within an organization (Conger, 1991; Denning, 2005; Lewis, 2011). To
meet the needs of the organization, CAG Executive Leadership can promote greater awareness of
the organization’s mission through effective communication and alignment to the needs of the
early childcare providers within the organization. To meet these needs, it is recommended CAG
Executive Leadership take a structured approach to promoting and communicating the
organization’s mission and goals as it relates to driving employee engagement and overall
business performance.
CAG executive leadership, utilizing a structured organizational communication approach
to raising awareness of CAG’s mission, can help to increase overall awareness of short and long-
term objectives of the organization. Petrou et al (2016) indicate that employees who have a
strong awareness of an organization’s mission and goals, are more engaged by that organization
and are more aligned to meeting the duties aligned to their role responsibilities. In addition,
RETENTION IN HIGH STRESS WORK ENVIRONMENTS 65
organizational citizenship behavior increases when ambiguity specific to the leadership direction
in work environments when effective communication is utilized to support greater awareness
into how job roles align to those initiatives (Griffin et al., 2007). Given these insights, it appears
the literature supports meeting the needs of the organization through a well-planned,
organizational communication approach.
Engage CAG early childcare providers with developmental resources and initiatives
to support key job-related competencies and professional development. The data indicated
that a lack of more diverse organizational communication practices to engage CAG early
childcare providers has had an impact on the level of awareness of direction of the organization.
Organizational effectiveness has been shown to increase when leaders insure that employees
have the resources needed to achieve the organization’s goals (Waters, Marzano & McNulty,
2003). Leadership development as a process helps to advance an employee’s ability to function
more effectively in the core competencies needed to perform tasks associated to their role (Day,
2001; Schein, 2017). In the early childcare industry, research has supported a need for a greater
prevalence of leadership development for teachers in the profession (Muijis et al, 2004). Given
this importance, it is recommended that CAG support early childcare provider development by
leveraging organizational resources such as performance reviews to align individual performance
goals to provider development needs. In addition, it is also recommended that peer-to-peer
training and coaching be utilized to support competency development for early childcare
providers within the organization.
The literature supports providing leadership and provider development resources to help
employees within organizations to address competency gaps that may exist in relation to
performing job duties effectively and efficiently (Day, 2001). In addition, King (2014) provides
RETENTION IN HIGH STRESS WORK ENVIRONMENTS 66
awareness of both the organizational and provider impact of teacher provider development. His
research posits that provider development resources not only have positive effects in helping
teachers address developmental areas, but also has a direct effect on increasing positive student
outcomes for the respective organization (King, 2014). Given the insights garnered by the
literature, building provider development practices into CAG engagement practices will be
effective in increasing overall alignment within the organization.
Develop talent engagement practices that encourage CAG early childcare providers
to demonstrate self-leadership and to engage in collective leadership across the
organization. Insights from the data suggests that CAG early childcare providers crave
processes to encourage greater collective leadership and practice sharing within the organization.
The organization needs to examine processes that help support the business to ensure their
effectiveness; i.e., decision processes, talent management practices. CAG is mission-driven
institution focused on providing exceptional childcare services within the community in which
they serve. Research indicates that people are more productive when goal setting and
benchmarking are essential to evaluating progress and driving organizational performance and
accountability (Dowd, 2005; Levy & Ronco, 2012). In addition, increased accountability helps to
create broader awareness and alignment between the organization and its employee population
(Hentshe & Wohstetter, 2004). As a recommendation, focus should be placed on creating peer-
based and standards-based benchmarking criteria to increase accountability of outcomes related
to early childcare providers meeting both internal and external outcomes aligned with childcare
enrichment and business performance goals. Selden and Sowa (2004) provides evidence support
this, showing that organizations that place increased focus on accountability through multi-
dimensional benchmarking practices are more effective at meeting broader organizational goals
RETENTION IN HIGH STRESS WORK ENVIRONMENTS 67
(Selden & Sowa, 2004). Their evidence points toward focusing on both management structures
and the benchmarking of program initiatives as target areas when designing accountability
practices for an organization. In addition, creating accountability standards that align with
policies and procedures associated with the role responsibilities of early childcare providers will
be important given the complexities of their day-to-day job duties, which include managing
contacts with parents, peer-to-peer relationship management, staff support and budget
management (Muijs et al., 2016). Given the insights provided in the literature, the usage of
accountability and benchmarking practices are supported and should be examined within CAG’s
business environment.
Conclusion
The research conducted for this study was developed to gain a clear understanding of
how varied types of leadership play in work environments that have increased stressors for those
within those environments. Framing this analysis in the context of early childhood education,
where these challenges across the context of the industry, organizations have a tremendous
responsibility to meet the needs of its workforce from an engagement perspective. The
challenges leaders of early childcare providers face place tremendous pressure on the
effectiveness and quality of care for the children they serve. Evident as a result of the analysis
performed for this study are challenges that while local to the CAG, inflicts many early childcare
organizations and causes challenges that can undermine organizational performance and
workplace culture. It is incumbent on CAG leadership to create and leverage resources that will
meet the needs of early childcare providers to encourage greater alignment and employee
satisfaction within the organization. Addressing these needs will help to create greater
organizational commitment and will support achieving the stakeholder goal of each early
RETENTION IN HIGH STRESS WORK ENVIRONMENTS 68
childcare provider committing to extending their employment with CAG. Recommendations
provided will support the overall attainment of this goal.
RETENTION IN HIGH STRESS WORK ENVIRONMENTS 69
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Appendix A: Participating Stakeholders with Sampling Criteria
for Interviews
Early childcare providers are the stakeholder group of focus within CAG. The group
consisted of 53 early childcare providers and cut across several demographic backgrounds and
ages. The ages of the teachers within the organization range from 21 to 40 years of age. Teachers
within CAG joined the organization at various stages in their provider careers and have
education backgrounds that range from early childcare provider certification programs to
graduate-level education. Given the overall access provided to conduct this study within the
organization, purposeful sampling was used to understand the challenges facing the stakeholder
group overall and to gain understanding of the knowledge, motivational and organizational
influences effecting CAG’s work environment. Supported by Johnson and Christensen (2014),
when defining sampling strategies with moderately sized populations, utilizing the entire sample
population to support data collection can help to increase the validity and reliability of the
overall research being performed. In alignment with the conceptual framework presented, this
research study focused on the various knowledge and motivational influences that define the
work environment in CAG that affect organizational outcomes within the CAG linked to
employee retention. This study used a random sampling design, using qualitative interviews to
gain a deeper understanding of those influences (Johnson & Christensen, 2014). The following
information presents the criterion and subsequent explanation defining the overall structure of
the sampling approach.
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Interview Sampling Criteria and Rationale
Criterion 1. Simple random sampling with maximum variation was used to select 15
interviewees from 53 the early childcare providers employed by CAG to participate in the
interview process.
Criterion 2. Teachers were selected from across each of the organization’s franchise
locations.
Interviewees were selected in a simple random sampling process, with 15 teachers chosen
to be interviewed for the study. A simple random sampling approach was chosen as a criterion to
ensure randomization and credibility in the employee selection process. Each subset of early
childcare providers within the organization had an equal chance of being selected to participate
in the study. In addition, as a criterion, participants were chosen from across each of the
franchise locations to ensure a broad perspective of the knowledge, motivational and
organizational influences within the organization. The interview approach was used to allow
interviewees to provide detailed context from their perspective on the influences within the
organization and helped provide additional insights into the various beliefs and motivations that
contribute the culture within CAG. As defined by Johnson and Christensen (2015), allowing
interviewees the freedom to discuss issues unabated in a non-confrontational, unbiased
environment can provide unique insights that would not be provided in other data collection
methods. Probing these areas throughout the interview process were key in helping to develop an
optimal approach to address potential influences affecting retention in the organization.
RETENTION IN HIGH STRESS WORK ENVIRONMENTS 88
Appendix B: Interview Protocol
Interviews took place on location at the franchise locations in which the selected
participants work. One hour was allotted for each interview, and participants were asked to
engage in a face-to-face interview where questions were asked from a script over the course of
the allotted time. At the beginning of each interview, an overview was provided of the purpose of
the study and instructions on how to participate in the interview session. Each participant also be
made aware of the data collection methods which included notetaking and audio recording to
support data collection accuracy. As part of the interview process, each participant was provided
the option to participate at the beginning of the interview process, to insure informed consent
standards are maintained.
Interview Introduction and Questions
I would like to thank you for taking the time to participate in this interview. I understand
that you are very busy and you had to take time out of your busy schedule to meet with me, so
thank you for your time. This interview will take about 45 minutes, although we have allocated
an hour for some cushion on time. I am currently enrolled in a doctoral program at USC and am
conducting a study to understand leadership and culture in high-stress workplace environments.
I am focusing on how this directly affect teacher retention within CAG and within similar
organizations that have the similar workplace characteristics.
Today, I am here as an independent researcher, I am not here not as an employee of this
organization to make a provider assessment or judgment of your performance as a leader. The
information you share with me will be placed into my study as part of the data collection. In
addition, this interview is completely confidential and your name or responses will not be
disclosed to anyone or anywhere outside the scope of this study and will be known only to me
RETENTION IN HIGH STRESS WORK ENVIRONMENTS 89
specifically for this data collection. While I may choose to utilize a direct quote from you in my
study, I will not provide your name specifically and will make the best effort possible to remove
any potential identifying data information. I will gladly provide you with a copy of my final
product upon request.
During the interview, I will be utilizing a recording device to assist me in capturing ayour
responses accurately and completely. This recording will not be shared with anyone outside the
scope of this project. The recording will be transferred to my password-protected files on a
cloud file storage account and deleted from the recording device immediately upon transfer. The
recording will then be destroyed after two years from the date my dissertation defense is
approved.
With that, do you have any questions about the study before we get started? If not, I would
like your permission to begin the interview. May I also have your permission to record this
conversation?
1. Describe your typical day at work. (M)
2. Describe your favorite tasks aligned to your role and the reason why you deem them
important. (SE, GO)
3. How do you define CAG’s values? (CE, OC)
4. Describe your values as a teacher. How do they relate to the values of CAG, if at all?
(SE, EI, EV)
5. What brings you the most joy as an early childcare provider working at CAG? (GO, EV)
6. What do you feel discouraged about, if anything? (GO, EV)
7. Tell me of an instance when you said, “Wow, I am making a difference in the work that I
do.” (EI, EV, SE)
RETENTION IN HIGH STRESS WORK ENVIRONMENTS 90
8. If so, tell me about that instance. (EI, EV, SE)
9. What provider development resources, if any, have been provided to you as a teacher to
increase your ability as an early childcare provider? (PE, MA, GO)
10. How do the provider development resources that are available to you affect your ability
to perform in your role? (PE, OC)
11. What job duties do you have as an early childcare provider that align well with your
perception about the role of an early childcare provider? (CE, SE, MA)
12. How important are these job duties to your overall work? (EI, SE, MA)
13. What effect, if any, has the number of teachers leaving the organization had on the
overall morale of the organization? (CE, SE, OC)
14. How are potential daily issues that arise, resolved?
15. What is your standard protocol to resolving those issues?
16. What is your perception of career growth within CAG? (SA, EI, GO)
17. Do you get feedback, if any from leadership in your role as an early childcare provider?
If so, what type of feedback have you received? (EV, SE, PE)
18. What feedback methods from leadership do you deem most effective? (OC, PE, JS, MA)
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Appendix C: Artifact Analysis Protocol
Documents, including employee engagement survey results were reviewed as part of the
data collection process. To ensure trustworthiness and credibility, the organization removed all
employee identifiable information from the data. Information provided was only be analyzed for
themes that may arise from the information provided. Data was provided on secure data transfer
from the organization and will be examined over a three-week period. All data was stored on a
cloud-based file and was deleted at the end of the three-week period. In addition, CAG partly
utilized paper surveys to administer their employee engagement survey process, that information
was reviewed onsite at the organization.
1. Where is the engagement data located?
2. When was the engagement survey administered and data collected?
3. What questions were used to develop the engagement survey?
4. What process was implemented to collect the information?
5. How was the information disseminated to employees?
6. Does the information provide insights to support themes derived from the interviews
performed with early childcare providers?
7. Does the information provide potentially preemptive insights that point to employee
dissatisfaction?
8. Does the information provide insights into overall employee motivation as an early
childcare provider?
9. Does the information provide insights into how the organization engages employees?
RETENTION IN HIGH STRESS WORK ENVIRONMENTS 92
Appendix D: Ethics
My goal as a researcher was to gain a full context of the various influences driving the
organizational issues within CAG. As a researcher, it is important to maintain a strong ethical
standard as I engage CAG employees and utilize them as interview and survey participants.
Using proper ethical standards while conducting research is important during the data gathering
process to ensure my respect to the research environment as an external researcher entering into
the context of CAG’s business practices (Glesne, 2011). At the beginning of the research and
data collection process and throughout the duration of the study, ethical standards were
continually be reinforced to ensure participants of their independence and volunteerism. The
targeted stakeholder group in this study was provided informed consent, which was provide
information about the voluntary nature of their participation in addition to how their participation
were to be used to help create alignment within the CAG as an organization (Creswell, 2013).
Furthermore, standards around confidentiality and privacy were established, and information
about how data was collected, stored and analyzed was provided to increase overall awareness of
the study.
Given alignment by CAG Executive Leadership and their support of this research effort, I
took additional steps to provide an overview and scope of the research that will be conducted
during data collection and will continue to provide baseline awareness of progress. Given the
importance of establishing a strong understanding of rules and guidelines that help to safeguard
the rights and welfare of CAG employees participating in this study, I will submit and gain
approval from the University of Southern California Institution Review Board (IRB) and adhered
to its rules and guidance. Participants were provided with understanding of their confidentiality
while participating in this study. Also, as a researcher, I worked to set precedence early as an
RETENTION IN HIGH STRESS WORK ENVIRONMENTS 93
advocate for CAG’s employee needs in addition to the organizational needs and will work to
ensure ethics in my representation as a researcher. When a researcher takes on the role of an
advocate, as posited by Glesne (2011), the researcher focuses on presenting himself as both a
champion for the needs of employees as well as the betterment of the company. In addition, to
ensured that I gained gaining rapport with my primary stakeholders throughout the research
effort, I provided updates on findings to both executive leadership and to the ECP stakeholder
group during my engagement with the organization.
Circumstances were very favorable for me as a researcher; CAG’s executive leadership
afforded me full-range access, providing support to engage CAG employees to participate in this
study. Given the research access that has been provided, it was even more critical for me to fully
gauge my interactions with CAG employee population with respect and with veracity.
Supported by insights provided by Creswell (2013), which include anticipating potential ethical
issues, it was important for me as a researcher to adapt as much as possible to the norms that
exist within CAG’s culture, given the overall access that I was provided. Any disruption to the
normal flow of business and processes would have been detrimental not only to the success of
my research study but could also cause misalignment to the culture within the organization. It
was important to respect the norms and charters that exist within CAG to help ensure the
relational aspects between myself as a researcher and CAG’s employee population. My
introduction to the organization was communicated to key stakeholders though various channels
by executive leadership and was cascaded to impacted primary and secondary stakeholders in the
organization.
RETENTION IN HIGH STRESS WORK ENVIRONMENTS 94
Appendix E: Integrated Implementation and Evaluation Plan
Implementation and Evaluation Framework
The New World Kirkpatrick Model (Kirkpatrick & Kirkpatrick, 2016) was used to
integrate the implementation and evaluation plan for the chosen solution for this study. Through
4 levels of evaluation, which include Level 1, Reaction; Level 2, Learning; Level 3, Behavior;
and lastly Level 4, Results, practitioners are provided with a tool that builds on evaluating the
applicable knowledge, skills, attitudes of learners to help validate defined metrics to support
programs and initiatives (Kayser & Kayser, 2016). The New World Kirkpatrick Model, a
derivative of the original Kirkpatrick model framework, places greater focus on programs built
on strong alignment juxtaposed between goals, tasks and behaviors, and the desirable outcomes
established for the organization. Each of the 4 levels of the model will be applied throughout the
implementation and integration of the recommended solution.
Organizational Purpose, Need and Expectations
The Childcare Academy for Growth (CAG, a pseudonym) is an early childcare
organization that provides childcare services year-round to children that range from infant-age to
kindergarten-age children. The mission of CAG is defined by its ability to create enrichment for
the children and families engaged in the community it serves, in addition to creating
organizational value through the effectiveness of its employees who help facilitate learning and
caregiving within the company. The goal of this study is to examine the organizational issues
related to early childcare provider retention within CAG. CAG has experienced attrition at an
average of 32% from 2013-2017, and has provided an opportunity to investigate the potential
knowledge, motivational and organizational influences that may attribute to the high rate of
attrition.
RETENTION IN HIGH STRESS WORK ENVIRONMENTS 95
The objective supporting the research and analysis for this study is to reduce the rate of
attrition by 50%, focusing on a stakeholder goal of getting assurance from early childcare
providers to commit to at least a second-year contract and extend their career with the
organization by 4th quarter 2018. This goal was chosen primarily given the organization wanted
to better understand and evaluate the various influences that are contributing to low retention of
early childcare providers within the company. Continuity within the teacher population in
regards to employment is critical, given the adverse effects the lack of continuity can place on
the delivery childcare services, in addition to creating gaps in organizational commitment
(Holochwost et al, 2009; Hossain et al., 2012).
The expectation for desired outcomes from the recommendations presented to the CAG
Leadership is to provide several layers of validation supporting the findings of this study and
provide a multi-dimensional approach to reengage the early childcare providers within the
organization to increase organizational commitment. These outcomes are directly aligned with
the organizational goal of reducing employee attrition by 50%.
Level 4: Results and Leading Indicators
Table 12 provides an overview of the Level 4 requirements, indicating results and leading
indicators to support the goals of this evaluation. Key indicators are defined by both the external
and internal outcomes aligned to the knowledge, motivational and organizational influences
affecting attrition within CAG. Achieving the internal and external outcomes defined will
support the organization’s effort to increase engagement within the early childcare provider
stakeholder group and will support the organization in achieving its goal of reducing overall
attrition by 50%.
RETENTION IN HIGH STRESS WORK ENVIRONMENTS 96
Table 12
Outcomes, Metrics, and Methods for External and Internal Outcomes
Outcome Metric(s) Method(s)
External Outcomes
CAG is able to increase
community awareness of
organizational mission and
employee satisfaction
Percentage customer satisfaction on
questions analyzing the organization’s
community awareness
Review quarterly customer
satisfaction survey results to
assess percentage change
CAG is to able to increase
external organizational
desirability through employee
referrals
Assess percentage increases in employee
referrals through current employees
Quantify month-on-month
employee referral applications
Internal Outcomes
CAG is able to increase job
role clarity and autonomy for
early childcare providers
within the organization
The percentage engagement satisfaction
on questions related to job satisfaction
Review monthly engagement
survey results aligned to role
clarity, in comparison to assess
percentage change
CAG is able to increase
competency and job role
expertise for early childcare
providers within the
organization. `
The percentage engagement satisfaction
on questions related to organization
resources promoted and provided by
CAG
Review monthly engagement
survey results aligned to resources
provided to support provider
development to assess percentage
change
CAG is able to demonstrate
greater efficiencies related to
processes and procedures
among early childcare
providers
The percentage engagement satisfaction
on questions related to the organization
effectiveness of policies and procedures
to support operations and management of
CAG business
Review monthly engagement
survey results related to
organizational changes to key
processes to assess percentage
change
CAG is able to increase
awareness of the
organizational mission and
alignment with individual
The percentage engagement satisfaction
on questions related to the early childcare
provider alignment to the organizational
mission
Review monthly engagement
survey results related to alignment
with the organizational mission to
assess percentage change
CAG is able to increase overall
employee satisfaction within
the organization
The percentage engagement satisfaction
on questions related to early childcare
provider overall job satisfaction
Review monthly engagement
survey related to employee
alignment to organizational
mission and assess percentage
change.
Level 3: Behavior
Critical behaviors. Several key behaviors will be examined to help support the
development of Level 3 behavior results. CAG early childcare providers will be engaged through
informal and formal meetings, training, and evaluation at key milestones aligned to programs to
drive provider development. Each critical behavior will be examined to help attain the results
RETENTION IN HIGH STRESS WORK ENVIRONMENTS 97
aligned to the implementation of the assigned programs. Table 13 provide a summary of the
critical behaviors, metrics, methods and timing for the evaluation items.
Table 13
Critical Behaviors, Metrics, Methods, and Timing for Evaluation
Critical Behavior Metric(s)
Method(s)
Timing
1. Early childcare providers
will participate in
organizational meetings to
provide an opportunity to
engage executive leadership
on organizational objectives
and mission alignment
100% participation by early
childcare providers in
feedback participation during
all-hands meeting
Participants will be
engaged in large and small
group sessions with a
requirement for feedback
from each small group
participant to be
documented
Quarterly for all
CAG early
childcare
providers
2. Early childcare providers
will participate in a peer-to-
peer training and coaching to
garner feedback on role
clarity and to promote social
learning
100% participation of early
childcare provider will
participate in peer-to-peer
training workshop and
coaching program
Trainers will engage early
childcare providers
through coaching program
to align peer-to-peer
coaching opportunities,
matching employees based
on assessed gaps
Annually as an
output of
performance
evaluations and
ongoing coaching
3. Early childcare providers
will be engaged during
performance review to
provide goals aligned to
provider development
100% participation of early
childcare providers will
participate as part of
performance review meetings
Early childcare providers
will be engaged by
leadership to provide a
provider development
goals aligned to growth in
the profession
Annually as part
of performance
review
Semi-annually to
assess goal
attainment
4. Early childcare providers
will be evaluated to better
understand their engagement
with the organization
100% participation of early
childcare providers as part of
CAG monthly engagement
survey
Early childcare provider
will be engaged to answer
survey questions and
written feedback to provide
awareness of themes
related to overall employee
efficacy
Annually as part
of CAG
engagement
survey
RETENTION IN HIGH STRESS WORK ENVIRONMENTS 98
Required drivers. Early childcare providers will be engaged via several critical
behaviors, and it will be important for CAG leadership to support drivers related to reinforcing,
encouraging, rewarding and monitoring their progress toward meeting the critical behaviors
aligned to the influences and research questions for this study. A summary of the required drivers
is provided in Table 14.
Table 14
Required Drivers to Support Critical Behaviors
Method(s) Timing
Critical Behaviors
Supported
1, 2, 3 Etc.
Reinforcing
Job aid document to support key alignment solutions and task alignment as an
outcome of all-hands meetings
Quarterly 1, 2, 3, 4
Feedback tool for early childcare providers to provide continuous feedback to
organization
Ongoing 1, 2, 3, 4
Organization Newsletter to promote best practices and alignment with defined
organizational objectives
Bi-
Monthly
1, 2, 3, 4
Encouraging
Executive leadership and directors will communicate and model best practices
via informal and formal meetings to drive greater organizational performance
Ongoing 1, 2, 3, 4
Leadership will engage early childcare providers via an organization-wide
newsletter to provide awareness and actions aligned to defined organizational
objectives
Monthly 1, 2, 3, 4
Rewarding
Provide incentive for informal feedback within organization; incentivize
participation via feedback channels including suggestion boxes, peer
suggestions, etc.
Monthly 1, 2, 3, 4
Provide incentives for ideas supporting best practices and organization
improvement
Quarterly 1, 2, 3, 4
Monitoring
Provide written feedback and updates via peer-to-peer coaching to support
competency development and alignment with organizational goals
Quarterly 1, 2, 3, 4
Formative survey to gauge early childcare provider’ alignment with
organizational mission and objectives at CAG franchise locations
Ongoing 1, 2, 3, 4
Post-event survey to assess employee engagement Quarterly 1, 2, 3, 4
Organizational support. To successfully achieve these critical behaviors, CAG
Leadership will be responsible in directing the overall development of the required drivers to
support the implementation plan. It is recommended that the organization utilizes a steering
committee consisting of location leadership and a cross-section of early childcare providers to
RETENTION IN HIGH STRESS WORK ENVIRONMENTS 99
support the development of the chosen program. Location leadership consists of 2 director-level
personnel at each of the three franchise locations, and their role is aligned as second-level
leadership within the organization. The steering committee will be responsible for developing
and managing the rollout of each of the designated drivers to engage the early childcare provider
stakeholder group. The committee members at each of the three franchise locations will monitor
and gauge effectiveness of each of the critical drivers, and will provide ongoing feedback to
CAG Executive Leadership to ensure alignment and successful integration of the defined
drivers.
Level 2: Learning
In alignment with the New World Kirkpatrick Model Level 2 guidelines, the goal of the
implementation plan is to assess the degree to which early childcare providers acquire the
prescribed knowledge and skills as participants in the recommended program. The learning goals
listed are broadly aligned to the research questions and directly aligned to the knowledge,
motivational and organizational influences as defined in the implementation plan. All
participants will be evaluated as aligned to the learning goals assigned.
Learning goals. Upon participation and completion of the recommended training
program, CAG Early Childcare Providers will acquire skills aligned to knowledge, motivational
and organizational principles to be able to:
1. Apply knowledge of the CAG’s mission to increase role clarity
2. Utilize feedback and support resources to assist in meeting job duties and requirements
3. Utilize self-reflection to support confidence building in job role
4. Engage peers and leaders within CAG to drive provider development and continuous
learning
RETENTION IN HIGH STRESS WORK ENVIRONMENTS 100
5. Assist and provide a voice in the development of CAG organizational objectives and
direction
Program. To meet the established learning goals, an organization-wide leadership
program named LEAD!First will be utilized to increase engagement among early childcare
providers and to promote greater organizational alignment. Directly linked to the goal of
reducing attrition within CAG, the program will be aligned to the knowledge, motivational and
organizational influences as outlined. The program will be facilitated over the course of one year,
aligned to kickoff prior to the start of organization’s annual performance review process. The
program will be visibly led and communicated by CAG Executive Director, who will work with
a steering committee consisting of the franchise location directors and a cross section of early
childcare providers within the organization. The design of the program will be focused on
creating opportunities for early childcare providers to participate in an organizational
engagement process, providing an opportunity to participate in developing organizational
objectives. In addition, the program will be used to facilitate increasing social learning within the
organization, with portions of the program focused on peer-to-peer learning and foster increased
sharing of best practices and provider development. Lastly the program will be aligned with
community-aligned engagement to increase awareness of the work the organization is doing to
support the communities it serves.
Engagement through the duration of the program will be focused on 3 important
touchpoints. At the leadership level, the executive director of the organization will drive the
program via strategic communication and will engage early childcare providers via the quarterly
all-hands meetings which will take place over the course of the initiative. CAG Executive
Director will introduce and align the goals of the leadership program and engaged early childcare
RETENTION IN HIGH STRESS WORK ENVIRONMENTS 101
providers on the various aspects of the program to promote broader engagement within the
organization. Additional meetings and check-ins will take place periodically and will be led by
the executive director and members of the steering committee to align and update location
employees on the progress made toward meeting the goals of the program. Second, early
childcare providers will participate in a peer-to-peer coaching program in alignment with the
objectives defined by the LEAD!First program, to drive best practices and feedback
opportunities between employees. There will be requirements to meet informally and formally as
part of the peer-to-peer coaching program. Lastly, early childcare providers will be engaged via
their performance review and goal setting conversations with their leaders, to identify at least
one provider development goal to support their continuous learning. At the conclusion of the
year long program, additional engagement activities will put in place to maintain momentum
gained through participating in the program.
Evaluation of the components of learning. To evaluate the effectiveness of the
program, several methods will be used to analyze the program components that will be used to
meet the learning goals. Both formal and informal feedback will be garnered to evaluate the
program, and the program will be assessed through the usage of formative resources throughout
the duration of the program. Table 15 provides an overview of the evaluation methods that will
be used.
Table 15
Evaluation of the Components of Learning for the Program
Method(s) or Activity(ies) Timing
Declarative Knowledge “I know it.”
Survey to assess understanding of strategic goals as align to
organizational mission (D)
Post-meetings. Also periodically
Survey understanding of current procedures and guidelines to
support CAG business
Quarterly, formally. Periodically, informally.
Procedural Skills “I can do it right now.”
Informal and formal feedback on processes and procedures Ongoing
RETENTION IN HIGH STRESS WORK ENVIRONMENTS 102
Recorded videos from exemplary early childcare providers to
support modeling and scaffold learning throughout the
organization
Ongoing, informally and formally
Attitude “I believe this is worthwhile.”
Formative feedback during participation in meetings Post meetings. Periodically
Formative feedback via informal feedback resources Ongoing
Confidence “I think I can do it on the job.”
Feedback provided during peer-to-peer meetings Ongoing, formally and informally during
peer-to-peer meetings
Feedback provided during one-on-one leadership meetings Bi-annually during performance review
meetings and informally
Incentives, feedback and encouragement provided for
successfully completing individual tasks
Ongoing, during all-hands meetings and peer-
to-peer meetings and informally
Commitment “I will do it on the job.”
Validating commitment during small group discussions at
quarterly meetings
During all-hands meetings and informally
Program survey item that promotes commitment to role and
organizational mission
Post-training and all-hands meetings
Level 1: Reaction. To gauge initial reaction to the various program components, the
program will be assessed on its ability to support the skill development, insights and attitudes of
early childcare providers. The program will be assessed via various components aligned to Level
1 components which gauge engagement, relevance and employee satisfaction of the program.
Table 16 provides an overview of the Level 1 components aligned to this program.
Table 16
Components to Measure Reactions to the Program
Method(s) or Tool(s) Timing
Engagement
Attendance at meetings and training events Post meetings
Attendance in peer-to-peer coaching sessions Ongoing, informal and formal
Engagement Survey results Monthly
Relevance
Pulse check early childcare provider engagement level During meetings, and peer-to-peer formal meetings
Spot check effectiveness of leadership messaging Post meetings
Employee Satisfaction
Satisfaction surveys Ongoing, monthly formal
Observations and informal feedback Ongoing, informal and formal feedback
RETENTION IN HIGH STRESS WORK ENVIRONMENTS 103
Evaluation Tools
Immediately following the program implementation. At the conclusion of meetings
and training events aligned to the LEAD!First program, early childcare providers will be
surveyed to gauge various factors related to goals of the overall program and effectiveness of the
engagement activities. The post-event survey is designed to provide awareness to leaders on the
various aspects of the engagement activity, potential knowledge gained and level of motivation
early childcare providers imbue as a result of participating in various aspects of the program. The
survey will be administered electronically, and the information will be analyzed by leadership
and the steering committee team to provide insights into potential improvements for the program.
Important to note that the steps aligned to the New World Kirkpatrick Model (Kirkpatrick &
Kirkpatrick, 2016) can occur non-sequentially, as organizational prioritization based on program
and project needed can create need-level inputs at different times during the overall project
lifecycle. It will be important for leadership and the steering committee to make adjustments
based on the stakeholder needs for the duration of the program, to promote visible engagement to
the early childcare providers participating in the program. Appendix A provides an example of
the post-event survey.
Delayed for a period after the program implementation. To fully assess the
effectiveness of the program and to gain a broader understanding of the application of the
learning that is being affected, a survey will be present to early childcare providers on a delayed
time table after key events. The evaluation instrument will be provided electronically and will
serve as a resource for the executive leadership to assess the broader effectiveness and
application of learning within the program, and will provide the steering committee with
RETENTION IN HIGH STRESS WORK ENVIRONMENTS 104
awareness on the application of targeted objectives supporting the learning goals. Appendix B
provides an example of the delayed evaluation tool.
Data Analysis and Reporting
To keep CAG’s executive leadership abreast of the progress and effectiveness of the
program, the steering committee will provide an overview of key results as they relate to the
defined objectives and learning goals of the program. The results will be tabulated and discussed
monthly among the program steering committee, and will be structured to communicate the key
findings aligned with the program. An illustrative example of the dashboard level of the results,
as provided in figure 2, will be one of the primary means of delivering the results on a monthly
basis. The dashboard provided insight into the early childcare providers stakeholder group’s
overall perception of the effectiveness of the program, examined through key themes that support
the learning goals of the program, which include mission alignment, knowledge application,
leadership engagement, social learning and overall organizational engagement.
RETENTION IN HIGH STRESS WORK ENVIRONMENTS 105
Figure 2. LEAD!First program dashboard. This figure demonstrates feedback received.
Summary
As stated in Kirkpatrick and Kirkpatrick (2016), business leaders most often evaluate the
success of programs by assessing them through four criteria or hurdles, seeking to understand the
program’s relevance, credibility, ability to compel and efficiency related to resources used to
engage a targeted population. The New World Kirkpatrick Model provides an established
framework in which to evaluate programs and initiatives, and it also provide me as a practitioner
the ability to build an effective, scaled case around imbuing knowledge, attitude, skills and
behaviors within CAG in a systematic, functional fashion that provides measurable results. As a
practitioner supporting this organization in the development of this program, it will be incumbent
to engage all stakeholders within the organization on the effectiveness of the structure of the
RETENTION IN HIGH STRESS WORK ENVIRONMENTS 106
model. Awareness building on the model and its effectiveness as a program evaluation
framework will be important.
In addition, an effective implementation of the LEAD!First program utilizing the New
World Kirkpatrick Model will provide the organization with a myriad of data, both qualitative
and quantitative in which to evaluate the program’s success against its learning goals, and
ultimately the success of meeting the goal of reducing retention and increasing employee
engagement among its early childcare provider stakeholder group. Establishing the right tone in
which to engage the organization on the data collected will be critical to the overall success of
the program and culmination of the research conducted.
Abstract (if available)
Abstract
The research focus of this study examines the effects of leadership on organizational outcomes within high stress work environments. It has been shown that within work environments that imbrue demanding work conditions, including challenging demands related to stressful work condition including need for accuracy, meeting efficiency demands and stress from demands to meet high expectations. These types of environments have been shown to have a potential for a high rate of negative organizational outcomes which include employee burnout, emotional exhaustion and employee attrition. Specific to this study, early childcare was focused on for the high stress characteristics of work environments that exist within the industry. The findings suggest that early childcare providers motivation and organizational commitment is driven by their passion for the children as well as the level of perceived sense of community and engagement within the organization. The findings also suggest that provider level of commitment to the organization was moderated by the level of leadership engagement and potential opportunities for professional and career development. Key recommendations for the organization include recommitting to employee engagement through strategic leadership development initiatives and programs.
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Asset Metadata
Creator
Legree, Lance
(author)
Core Title
Understanding the varied effects of leadership on employee retention in high stress work environments
School
Rossier School of Education
Degree
Doctor of Education
Degree Program
Organizational Change and Leadership (On Line)
Publication Date
02/19/2019
Defense Date
12/19/2018
Publisher
University of Southern California
(original),
University of Southern California. Libraries
(digital)
Tag
collective leadership,early childcare,high stress work environments,leadership communication,leadership development,OAI-PMH Harvest,talent development,teacher development,workforce development
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Advisor
Seli, Helena (
committee chair
), Bewley, Bill (
committee member
), Ferrario, Kim (
committee member
)
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llegree@usc.edu
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Tags
collective leadership
early childcare
high stress work environments
leadership communication
leadership development
talent development
teacher development
workforce development