Personnel management.

The purpose of this research was to determine if a relationship exists between
McGregor’s Leadership Theory and subjective states of well-being among higher
educational leaders in state and community colleges in Florida. The underlying
supposition was that the preference for what Douglas McGregor called Theory X or
Theory Y assumptions, indicate intrinsic assumptions about human nature and are linked
to subjective happiness. Quantitative data were collected through electronic
administration of two surveys and demographic questions to higher educational leaders at
28 state and community colleges in the State of Florida. These instruments measured
levels of well-being through the PERMA-Profiler instrument and preferences for Theory
X or Theory Y using the Theory X and Theory Y Managerial Assumptions Inventory.
Multiple correlation and regression analyses were used to address the research questions.
This study detected no relationship between well-being and happiness in this sample.

This dissertation examines how different United States Department of the Interior
(USDOI) employees’ perceive fairness and support for diversity. The USDOI is an
agency with numerous STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) employees
who have the opportunity to influence future generations through their STEM internship.
Specifically, this dissertation examines the relationship between: (1) the perceived
fairness of performance appraisals and the empowerment index, demographic
characteristics, satisfaction, accountability and recognition; and (2) the perceived support
(or lack thereof) of departmental programs and supervisors to foster diversity in the
workforce and the empowerment index and demographic characteristics.
This dissertation accomplishes several things. First, it provides a review of
literature relating to gender diversity. Second, it provides a brief history of organizations
that were created and acts/executive orders that were passed in order to support women in their fight against gender discrimination. Fourth, it provides a review of the USDOI’s
recruitment, promotion, and employment policies. Finally, it presents an analysis of how
USDOI employees’ perceptions of diversity differ by gender.
This inquiry utilizes a theoretical framework based on Thomas and Ely’s (1996)
and Selden and Selden’s (2001) four diversity paradigms; “discrimination and fairness,”
“access and legitimacy,” “learning and effectiveness,” and “valuing and integrating.”
These paradigms suggest that the true benefits of diversity can only be realized in the
valuing and integrating paradigm where employees’ individual differences are used for
the betterment of the organization.
It is found that women tend not to perceive that their organization supports
diversity. It is also found that the empowerment index, federal tenure, pay category,
satisfaction, accountability and recognition are important in explaining employees’
perceptions of fairness and that the empowerment index, federal tenure, supervisory
status, gender, and minority status are important in explaining employees’ perceptions of
support for diversity.