A descriptive single case study of the female field regional manager experience in automotive aftermarket retail.

Aftermarket automotive parts stores have traditionally been male-dominated employers. Organizations show increased financial results, hiring, and retention when improving female representation. While automotive aftermarket retailers have increased the number of females employed in-store positions, the field director-level regional manager position remains overwhelmingly male. The purpose of this case study was to explore how the experiences of female field regional managers shaped their perceptions of the social system in a Fortune 300, national, male-dominated, automotive after-market retailer. This descriptive single-case study examined the lived experiences of four female regional managers as they prepared for and worked in the field regional manager role. Guided by a qualitative approach to data collection, I used semi-structured interview questions to interview the participants, reflective journals to gather written responses, and work history reviews to explore the organizational culture, psychological safety, and the regional managers' actions to improve their performance. Thematic analysis was used to identify commonalities across the data. As part of this research, I also performed an in-depth literature review revealing the need for additional research on female leaders in male-dominated automotive aftermarket retailers. I used Bandura's (1986) social cognitive theory as the underpinning for the theoretical framework of this study. He proposes that humans observe and interact with their social surroundings to learn appropriate behaviors. The focus of this study was to analyze participants' responses and use constructivist and transformative worldviews to determine if an organization could benefit from changing the experience of female regional managers. The implications of this study indicate a necessity for an expanded and structured training program tailored for director-level field management roles, augmenting the current mentoring strategy. The findings revealed that company leadership, the training department, and women's business resource groups have the potential to positively impact female employee development for leadership positions. An organization's success in fostering and sustaining employee development hinges significantly on the presence of a robust company culture such as the one evident in this organization.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ed.D.

Level thesis:degree_level

Doctoral

Grantor

Baylor University.

Year dc:date.issued

2024

Author dc:creator

• Hill, Kay E., 1964-

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Earl, Julia Collier.

• Retail.
• Women.
• Company culture.
• Psychological safety.
• Automotive aftermarket.

Statement dc:rights

• Baylor University works are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. Contact libraryquestions@baylor.edu for inquiries about permission.

Language dc:language.iso

en

Handle dc:identifier.uri

https://hdl.handle.net/2104/13193

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:baylor-ir.tdl.org:2104/13193