Date of Award

5-2026

Document Type

Open Access Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Leadership Studies

First Advisor

Elizabeth Fisher Turesky, PhD

Second Advisor

Elizabeth Goryunova, PhD

Third Advisor

Daniel Jenkins, PhD

Keywords

Organizational Culture, Feedback Culture, Feedback Effectiveness, Employee Growth, Professional Development, Employee Engagement, Employee Perceptions, Organizational Communication, Qualitative Research, Phenomenological Research

Abstract

Organizational culture plays an essential role in shaping how employees experience feedback and whether feedback supports professional growth. While feedback processes have been widely studied, less emphasis has been placed on how employees interpret the organizational culture conditions that influence feedback effectiveness. This qualitative phenomenological study explored employee perceptions of how organizational culture shapes feedback experiences and their impact on professional development, satisfaction, and engagement. Grounded in Schein’s Model of Organizational Culture and supported by Social Exchange Theory, this study investigated how values, underlying assumptions, and artifacts interact with relational dynamics such as trust, reciprocity, and fairness. Analysis of eight semi-structured interviews revealed that feedback effectiveness is not driven by isolated managerial behaviors or tools, but by organizational culture conditions that signal whether professional growth is genuinely supported. Findings identified four interdependent organizational culture elements that determine whether feedback functions as a developmental practice: specificity, timing, trust, and empowerment. When embedded within organizational culture, feedback was experienced as supportive and

growth-oriented; when absent, feedback was often perceived as threatening or compliance- driven. This study conceptualizes feedback as an organizationally embedded relational process

and offers practical guidance for designing feedback systems that support learning and engagement.

Comments

Elizabeth Fisher Turesky, PhD, Committee Chair

Elizabeth Goryunova, PhD Daniel Jenkins, PhD Carol Nemeroff, PhD

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