Date of Award

2025

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

First Advisor

Jeffery Moore, PhD

Abstract

People with disabilities experience unemployment and underemployment more frequently than those without disabilities and encounter obstacles to becoming supervisory leaders (Harlan & Robert, 1998; Krzeminska et al., 2019; Roberson et al., 2021). The American workforce is significantly impacted by this problem, as more than one in four people have a disability (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2024). This hermeneutic phenomenological research utilized interviews to collect data from three participants to answer the research question to explore the problem: what are leaders with disabilities’ lived experiences in overcoming barriers to achieving supervisory roles using an adaptive leadership lens? The research also addressed the sub-questions: how do leaders with disabilities adapt their behaviors to achieve supervisory leadership positions, and how do leaders with disabilities’ experiences in achieving supervisory roles reflect adaptive leadership? A qualitative assessment established themes that pointed to leader behaviors, enablers, and experiences that led to the successful attainment of leadership roles. Furthermore, the analysis identified the presence of at least one adaptive leadership theory domain in participants’ responses. The focus areas provided an opportunity to expand beyond the current scope of understanding and create new knowledge to benefit people with disabilities. Exploring how leaders with disabilities leverage adaptive leadership behaviors in the workplace can also help equip rising future leaders with disabilities, those in leadership programs, the development of diversity and inclusion policies, and youth education.

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