Date of Award

2024

Degree Type

Open Access Dissertation

Degree Name

Public Health, DPH

Program

School of Community and Global Health

Advisor/Supervisor/Committee Chair

Jessica DeHart

Dissertation or Thesis Committee Member

Jay Orr

Dissertation or Thesis Committee Member

Brett S. Goldberg

Dissertation or Thesis Committee Member

Brett S. Goldberg

Terms of Use & License Information

Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0 License.

Rights Information

© 2024 Vir-Iaesta Maniquiz Vergel de Dios

Keywords

LYTE Foundation, nonprofit, organizational theory, WHOLE Assessment

Subject Categories

Health and Medical Administration | Organizational Behavior and Theory | Public Health | Quality Improvement

Abstract

Although patients are living longer or are surviving breast cancer, the side effects of treatment still leave patients struggling with quality-of-life issues. The lack of whole-person care leaves patients unequipped after treatment is complete, searching for answers and a way to survive on their own. The unintended consequence becomes a dramatic shift from the weekly/daily medical appointments during active treatment to a silence that can be daunting for many to navigate. Living Your Truth Empowered, shortened to LYTE Foundation, is an antiauthoritarian minded and anti-hierarchal nonprofit created to address the needs of the growing breast cancer survivor population. LYTE is focused on six areas: charter network, education and training, research and evaluation, marketing, development, and partnerships. Each area is not meant to be inherently distinct, but rather work collectively to create a transdisciplinary approach to breast cancer survivorship care. LYTE Foundation, Inc. was incorporated on September 22, 2022, officially launched to the public on December 9, 2022, and received nonprofit 501(c)(3) status on May 4, 2023. LYTE is now in need of long-term organizational support. The primary goal of this dissertation was to identify organizational best practices and provide LYTE Foundation’s leadership with tangible recommendations to implement. As such, the main project objective was to provide a strategic plan to LYTE Foundation’s Board of Directors on best practices for long-term organizational sustainability. Through my research, I encountered a lack of information surrounding organizational assessment rooted in anti-hierarchal and anti-authoritarian leadership. To fill this gap, I developed WHOLE ( W ell-being and H ealth of O rganizations, L eaders, and E mployees ) Assessment , a comprehensive framework I used to assess the health and long-term sustainability of LYTE Foundation through the lens of its employees and leadership. WHOLE combines Organizational Development Strategy, the McKinsey 7-S Framework, the PERMA Model, and Strategic Planning. I developed WHOLE Assessment to examine LYTE at its current stage, in order to pinpoint ongoing successes and opportunities for improvement. I used a purposive sample of current LYTE leadership and employees, and included two organizational industry experts, as my data set. Data collection included ten semi-structured interviews and one focus group, totaling twelve participants. Immediate results from the interviews covered the L eadership and E mployees acronyms of WHOLE Assessment . Deeper analysis of the results brings WHOLE together—specifically the words W ell-being and H ealth and how it relates to the entire O rganization. To be inclusive, transparent, and vulnerable, one must be able to communicate. Focusing on being open, accountable, consistent, and purposeful in communications increases the chances of an inclusive work environment. Enacting transparency builds trust and a commitment to the organization. Collaboration is achieved by breaking down barriers. Finally, flexibility is achieved by leadership and employees being continuously communicative so that all workers believe themselves to be an integral part of the team. Results of this study formed the final deliverable for this project—a strategic plan. I used the results from applying WHOLE Assessment as a jumping off point for setting up LYTE’s strategic plan. By and large, my research emphasizes a shift towards a more holistic approach to employee wellbeing in the workplace. I created WHOLE Assessment to feature employee and leadership voices in a not-for-profit organization. Although WHOLE was created for a nonprofit organization, its application can be utilized by any organization looking to incorporate employee wellness in its overall systemic review. By highlighting employee wellness, organizations will develop a company culture based on high morale, leading to increases in structural effectiveness.

ISBN

9798382579702

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