Date of Graduation

7-2020

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education in Adult and Lifelong Learning (EdD)

Degree Level

Graduate

Department

Rehabilitation, Human Resources and Communication Disorders

Advisor/Mentor

Kit Kacirek

Committee Member

Michael T. Miller

Second Committee Member

John W. Murry, Jr.

Keywords

9-1-1 Telecommunicator, Leadership, Organizational Commitment, Public Safety Answer Point

Abstract

The performance of 9-1-1 telecommunicators can mean the difference between life and death for the person on the other end of a phone. Effective leadership is critical to the success of the public safety answer point (PSAP) and the organizational commitment of the 9-1-1 telecommunicator. Bass and Riggio’s (2006) Full Range of Leadership Theory (FLRT) is the basis for the current study. The FRLT covers leadership styles from laissez-faire to transformational (Matikainen, 2019).

The purpose of conducting the study was to identify and describe the 9-1-1 telecommunicator’s organizational commitment based on the PSAP leadership categories. The study made use of this non-experimental, quantitative, descriptive, correlational research to fulfill this purpose. Using an online survey, a total of 81 9-1-1 telecommunicators from northern Florida completed the survey instrument. Transformational, transactional, and laissez-faire leadership styles (independent variable) were measured using The Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ 5X-Short). Organizational commitment (dependent variable) was measured using the Organizational Commitment Questionnaire (OCQ).

The results provide future researchers with replicable procedures with which to examine the FRLT. The data provided practitioners and PSAP administrators with actionable guidance on leadership behaviors that positively influence 9-1-1 telecommunicators’ organizational commitment in their communities and the field of emergency medical dispatch. The results of the study have implications for social change by providing data for PSAP administrators to improve leadership training and future leadership selection criteria. Putting the results into practice from the study provides an increase of effective leaders who proactively align the agency’s vision with societal expectations, thus improving the PSAP’s public perceptions and ability to save lives while maintaining the proper workforce.

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