Date of Award

2016

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Specialization

Communication and Leadership

School or Department

School of Leadership Studies

First Advisor

Dr. Michael Hazel

Second Advisor

Dr. Andrea McCracken

Abstract

Paper mills can be a dangerous place to work; therefore, effective leadership by the mill manager and front line leaders are crucial to the safety of their employees. Leaders within all mills encompass many methods of leading and communicating with their teams. However, research on the consistency in these methods across the two levels of leaders is lacking. To help fill the gap, the author engaged in a case study and collected data through an online survey and guided interviews to examine their personal experiences with their leadership and communication styles within the mill environment with Mead’s (1934) Symbolic Interactionism Theory used as a framework for this study. The results suggest that mill managers and front line leaders believe they each utilize different methods of leadership and communication to lead their subordinates and team members. Those leadership methods range from authoritative leadership to leading by example. Similarly, communication methods used range from habitual interpersonal communication to situational interpersonal communication. The findings of this study will help guide future research on the leadership styles of mill managers and front line leaders within a paper mill. The research presented in this thesis will also contribute to the general field of research pertaining to leadership.

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