Date of Award
Spring 4-26-2022
Document Type
Dissertation - University of Massachusetts Global access only
Degree Name
Doctor of Education (EdD)
Department
Organizational Leadership
First Advisor
Cindy Petersen
Second Advisor
Jonathan Greenberg
Third Advisor
Peggy Ohlhaver
Abstract
A Phenomenological Study to Describe How Exemplary Entrepreneur Women Leaders of Small Business Use Mark Crowley’s Four Heart-Led Principles
by Stephanie Herrera
Purpose: The purpose of this phenomenological study was to describe how exemplary entrepreneur women leaders of small business lead from the heart using Mark Crowley’s 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 organizations.
Methodology: In this phenomenological study, interviews were used to capture the lived experiences of exemplary entrepreneur women leaders of small business to describe the importance of the lead from the heart principles.
Findings: Examination of qualitative data in this study indicated various findings from the participating exemplary entrepreneur women leaders of small business. Analysis of data resulted in 12 themes among Crowley’s four heart-led principles. From these 12 themes, key findings emerged.
Conclusions: The study described the lived experiences that exemplary entrepreneur women leaders of small business do to lead their small businesses with Crowley’s four heart-led principles (building a highly engaged team, connecting on a personal level, maximizing employee potential, and valuing and honoring achievements). The researcher drew four conclusions for staff engagement by (a) communicating authentically, (b) having a shared vision, (c) being vulnerable with your team, and (d) leading by example.
Recommendations: It is recommended that a phenomenological study be conducted across a larger population of women small business owners in the United States to examine the commonalities of how they lead from the heart. Furthermore, it is also recommended to replicate this phenomenological study with the following populations: (a) women entrepreneurs leading large businesses to examine what practices they use to lead from the heart, (b) women leaders of small business that only have an online platform to examine what practices they use to lead from the heart, (c) women leaders of small business with less than 10 employees, and (d) it is recommended to replicate this phenomenological study using female leaders of microbusiness and how they lead from the heart.
Recommended Citation
Herrera, Stephanie, "A Phenomenological Study to Describe How Exemplary Entrepreneur Women Leaders of Small Business Use Mark Crowley’s Four Heart-Led Principles to Accomplish Extraordinary Results" (2022). Dissertations. 474.
https://digitalcommons.umassglobal.edu/edd_dissertations/474