ORGANIZATIONAL TRANSPARENCY, EMPLOYEE PERCEPTIONS, AND

EMPLOYEE MORALE: A CORRELATIONAL STUDY

by

Harroll J. Ingram, JR

A Dissertation Presented in Partial Fulfillment

of the Requirements for the Degree
Doctor of Management in Organizational Leadership

University of Phoenix

January 2009
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ABSTRACT

Surveys released in 2007 reported that only 57% of Homeland Security employees were

satisfied with their jobs and only 67.5% of employees across the Federal Government

rated their jobs as satisfactory (Losey, 2007). This quantitative correlational study

addressed the problem that leader’s use of hiring and promoting practices may influence

employee perceptions of fairness and morale. The study, conducted with civilian

employees at an Army organization in Florida, examined the relationships between

transparency, employee perceptions of fairness, and employee morale. The results of the

current research study revealed a strong correlation between hiring and promoting

practices and employee perceptions of fairness/employee morale. The

findings indicated that increased transparency in hiring and promoting processes can

enhance employee perceptions of fairness and morale.

Summary

The current research study used a quantitative correlational research method to

examine the relationships between organizational transparency, employee perceptions of

fairness concerning organizational hiring and promoting practices, and employee morale.

Sixty-four Federal employees were surveyed to address the research hypotheses and

research questions posed in the current research study. The results of the data analyses of

the responses given by the 64 subjects supported the hypotheses that a correlation exists

between employee perceptions of fairness concerning leaders’ use of fair hiring and

promoting practices and employee morale and that increased transparency in

organizational hiring and promoting processes greatly fosters employee perceptions of

fairness.
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The implications derived from the results of the current research study suggested

that changes in leadership practices designed to foster employee fairness perceptions and

improve morale might augment organizational relationships and productivity. Improved

organizational transparency and morale might foster open communication and trust and

reduce lawsuits relative to organizational hiring and promoting practices. Reduced

organizational lawsuits might result in lower tax debt for the USA and lower tax burdens

for U.S. citizens.

Future research suggested in the current research study included the addition of a

qualitative aspect to the research method. Instrument improvements were also suggested

to increase demographic data to identify any gender or race-based organizational issues.

Increasing the population to improve the significance of the study results was suggested

in chapter five.

Leaders should develop and openly share policies explaining internal controls

governing the organization, take actions to foster employee perceptions of fairness, and

employ practices that positively influence leader-follower relationships. These leadership

actions, the Ingram transparency-perception of fairness-morale model, and the 13

nurturing leadership practices for organizational improvements proposed in the current

research study (see Appendix G) might curtail any potential negative effects related to

employee perceptions of unfairness. The current research study recommended that

leaders seek periodic feedback concerning organizational and leadership performance to

gauge the effectiveness of any improvement practices employed to foster organizational

transparency, employee perceptions of fairness, and morale.

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