Date of Award
Summer 2026
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Department
Organizational Leadership
First Advisor
Dr. Joshua Henson
Second Advisor
Dr. Bethany Peters
Third Advisor
Dr. Katrina Hutchins
Abstract
Child welfare organizations continue to experience high rates of case manager turnover, disrupting continuity of care and negatively affecting outcomes for children and families. Although previous research has established that supportive supervision influences case manager retention, little was known about child welfare supervisors’ perceptions of the organizational support they receive or how adaptive leadership behaviors demonstrated by organizational leaders influence those perceptions. This qualitative phenomenological study explored the lived experiences of 13 supervisors employed in Florida nonprofit child welfare organizations. Guided by Adaptive Leadership Theory and Perceived Organizational Support Theory, the study examined supervisors’ perceptions of organizational support, organizational silence, and adaptive leadership behaviors. Data from the Adaptive Leadership Questionnaire and semistructured interviews were analyzed using Braun and Clarke’s six-phase thematic approach. Findings indicated that flexibility, development and training, leadership support, leadership relationships, leadership presence, psychological safety, and employee voice shaped perceptions of support. Participants associated adaptive, responsive, and collaborative leadership with greater trust, engagement, and commitment, whereas compliance-driven or disconnected leadership weakened support and contributed to stress and intentions to leave.
Recommended Citation
Higgins, S. (2026). Adaptive Leadership: The Pathway to Increase Child Welfare Retention Through Perceived Organizational Support of the Supervisor’s Voice. [Doctoral dissertation, Southeastern University]. FireScholars. https://firescholars.seu.edu/org-lead/74