University of Phoenix College of Doctoral Studies releases a new white paper, “Can Leaders’ Grit and Passion Spread Organizational Toxicity?,” authored by Juana Lang, Ed.D., M.Ed., associate faculty, and fellow in the University’s Center for Leadership Studies and Organizational Research (CLSOR), and Lucinda Hines, DHA, MBA, associate faculty, which leverages findings from the University of Phoenix Career Institute® 2024 Career Optimism Index® study to better understand the state of organizational leadership.
According to the 2024 Career Optimism Index findings, 73% of workers are willing to quit their jobs, with 44% willing if offered severance, and 29% even without having another job lined up. Concurrently, 65% of organizational leaders have expressed concerns about their companies’ turnover rates.
“Given the critical role of organizational leaders and leadership practices in shaping the success and well-being of the workforce as a whole, it’s critical to identify effective leaders and leadership practices,” states Lang. “There is great admiration for the quality of grit among our leaders, but it’s important to temper passion and grit with a value system including ethics in order to foster employee satisfaction and workforce stability.”
The white paper highlights the concept of grit among leadership and examines leaders’ passion (harmonious and obsessive) as a component of grit, as well as theoretical implications of passion through the lens of the Virtue Ethics and Path-Goal theories. The white paper then offers guidelines for cultivating harmonious passion in leadership roles.
“Leading an organization driven by sheer passion stemming from grit without strong theoretical foundations can lead to overwork and burnout among the workforce, as the drive for success overshadows personal well-being,” shares Hines. “It’s important for leaders to model self-reflection, self-awareness, and foster virtue and integrity to cultivate their grit into harmonious passion.”
Lang is an associate faculty in the University of Phoenix College of General Studies and now serves as editor for the College of Doctoral Studies’ Phoenix Scholar™ publication. She was a full-time K-12 educator with an extensive career in Texas and Florida schools for over 25 years. A research fellow in CLSOR, she also works on different research teams in association with the Center for Educational and Instructional Technology Research (CEITR) and is part of the mentorship program developed by the University’s College of Doctoral Studies. She earned her doctorate and master’s degrees in education with University of Phoenix.
Hines serves as associate faculty in the College of Health Professions at University of Phoenix. A health care executive with 30 years of health care administration experience with the Department of the Air Force, Air Force Reserve, and the Department of Veterans Affairs, Hines served in an array of leadership roles including Chief, Superintendent of Medical Operations/Inspector, Manager of Medical Readiness, Facility Lead for Credentialing and Privileging, and the Air Force lead for Professional Medical Staff Management. Hines has a Master of Business Administration degree from Charleston Southern University and earned her doctorate in Healthcare Administration at University of Phoenix. Hines is affiliated with CLSOR.
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