Date of Award

7-1-2025

Document Type

Abstract

Degree Name

Doctor of Strategic Leadership (DSL)

Department

Organizational Leadership

First Advisor

Dr. Joshua Henson

Second Advisor

Dr. Jennifer Carter

Abstract

Project Type

Organizational Consulting Project, Organizational Design or Change, Seminar or Workshop

Project Overview

This capstone project involved the design, facilitation, and evaluation of a strategic leadership workshop developed for mid to senior-level enrollment leaders at Southeastern University. Grounded in Self-Determination Theory (SDT), Innovative Work Behavior (IWB), and Transformational Leadership, the workshop offered a diagnostic and developmental experience designed to motivate innovation across generational teams within a Christian higher education setting. The workshop was structured to transition from research-based theory to data-informed strategy, helping leaders translate organizational insights into actionable plans.

Project Themes

Core themes included intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, generational leadership, transformational leadership, innovation theory, and faith-aligned innovation. The workshop emphasized contextual relevance by incorporating pre- and post-workshop survey data, including validated motivation and innovation behavior scales drawn from Gen Z employees at Southeastern University.

Contributions to the Field of Leadership

This project contributes to the field of leadership by integrating academic theory with institutional data to present a replicable, faith-informed model for fostering innovation in mission-driven organizations. It demonstrates how leadership behaviors, when grounded in relational, motivational, and generational insights, can measurably impact workplace innovation, culture, and engagement. Additionally, this capstone presents a scalable and replicable model for leadership development that reframes innovation as vocational stewardship, aligning evidence-based strategy with spiritual formation. It contributes a diagnostic framework that can be applied across organizational departments to assess innovation climate and leadership efficacy.

Real-world Implications

The workshop generated immediate and measurable outcomes, with post-workshop evaluation data indicating high participant satisfaction, strong confidence in applying concepts, and early implementation of learned strategies. Leaders reported using the workshop frameworks to enhance feedback culture, refine motivation assessments, improve onboarding protocols, and foster interdepartmental collaboration. Several participants indicated plans to adapt the model further for emerging leader development and departmental diagnostics, underscoring the project’s scalability and long-term institutional potential. The initiative helped shift innovation from an individual responsibility to a shared organizational priority, emphasizing adaptive leadership, psychologically safe environments, and structured mentorship, particularly for Gen Z employees navigating challenges related to visibility and advancement. The integration of organization-specific data reinforced the relevance of applied theory, enabling leaders to design context-specific interventions tailored to their unique needs and circumstances. The personal action planning component catalyzed behavioral change, supporting the translation of insights into measurable leadership outcomes.

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