Date of Award

2026

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Department

Organizational Leadership

First Advisor

Jonathan Greenberg

Second Advisor

Marilyn Saucedo

Third Advisor

Lisa Simon

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this phenomenological study was to describe how exemplary middle school principals in Riverside, San Bernardino, and San Diego counties lead from the heart using Crowley’s (2011) four principles (building a highly engaged team, connecting on a personal level, maximizing employee potential, and valuing and honoring achievements) to accomplish extraordinary results in their organization.  Methodology: This phenomenological study identified and described the lived experiences of eight middle school principals using the qualitative phenomenological research method to gather and draw conclusions. All eight interviews were conducted virtually using the Zoom platform. After the interviews, transcripts were completed and then coded for themes to collect data.

Findings: Examination of phenomenological data from the middle school administrators participating in this study indicated a variety of findings. Throughout the course of the interviews, 12 major findings were relevant to the study as all eight of the participants mentioned them. The most identified finding for the research question of building a highly engaged team was intentional structures, collaboration, and accountability. The most identified finding for connecting on a personal level was personal presence and direct communication. The most identified finding for maximizing employee potential was individualized coaching and descriptive feedback. The most identified finding for valuing and honoring achievements was frequent and visible acknowledgement.

Conclusions: From these findings, three conclusions were made from the study. First, principals need to connect with the staff, have direct communication, and be invested with them personally to build relationships with their teams. Second, principals need to build systems that allow for collaboration and accountability for all participants. Last, to build highly effective teams, principals need to provide their teams with individualized coaching and descriptive feedback for their staff to grow in their individual performance.

Recommendations: Further research is recommended to replicate the study in Northern California to explore whether the results are the same. Another study should be conducted throughout the entire state of California. Last, a study should be conducted that includes the perspective of the staff to see whether the principals are as relational as they claimed and appeared to be.

Download

Share

COinS