Choosing a Ph.D. Thesis on Leadership: How Do I Refine My Research Focus?

I have completed my BE and MBA (HR) and am planning to pursue a Ph.D. in Management. I have chosen leadership as the base topic and want to refine a final thesis statement. Please guide me in this regard.

I am sure that you have studied Research Methodology while completing your MBA (HR) and also know how to use the Funnel Approach to narrow down from a general topic to make the research viable. Also, I am sure you know that to succeed with any project or research, two primary conditions are your deep interest and access to conduct research to gather primary data. At the Master's level, you may not be required to add anything new to the knowledge bank. For Doctoral research, you have to add something new to the knowledge repository, and the research has to be current and not outdated. Hence, my sincere suggestion is to kindly access the web and study some recent articles to assess what others have done, how, and why in that way, etc., and then find out where a GAP exists and then tell us what you intend to do.

As you suggested, I studied an ample number of articles and decided on the dissertation topic as "An exploration of the relationship between leadership styles, emotional intelligence, and organizational excellence" in the NGO where I am working. Is this fine, or should I consider a different approach? Please guide me further.

Thank you,

Siva

Dear Sir, thanks for the quick response and related documents. Please find the reply and clarity needed further.

Aim of the Study

The study aims to investigate the relationship between various dimensions of behavioral styles of middle and higher-level managers and the phenomenon of organizational effectiveness.

Objectives of the Study

1. To study the management principles and practices of different NGOs.
2. To examine the competencies of middle and higher-level managers.
3. To analyze the various factors and adaptation of other managerial skills to the performance of the organization.
4. To suggest the needed leadership style of middle and higher-level managers to accomplish the organization standards.

Primary Data: Questionnaire

Population Size: 600-700

Sampling Method: A survey to be conducted in my organization (NGO) to assess the importance of the topic (inclusion of higher, middle managers, and their subordinates).

I got my guide at an Indian government university, but he asked me to choose the title.

So please resolve my preliminary questions:

1. Are the topic, aim, and objectives aligned or not?
2. Is the topic apt for the current situation?
3. Is the way I coined the title and the usage of words fine or not?

Any suggestions are welcome in choosing the title, etc. Waiting for your reply to proceed further.

Thanks,
Siva

Thank you for the private message seeking some pointers that will help all PhD aspirants. I will do that in a few days, as I am tied up with grandchildren.

Study Alignment

Coming to your study, the aim and objectives seem to be aligned. However, Objective 1 will not be met using your study plan. Could you please explain why I have said that? To do that, kindly study both the statements with care.

Also see Nagpur University appoints fake degree holder as supervisor for PhD aspirants - The Times of India.

Also see Notes On The PhD Degree, which is a guide for PhD students in computing.

Also see http://www.qaa.ac.uk/Publications/In...rate_Guide.pdf and http://www.qaa.ac.uk/Publications/In...cteristics.pdf.

Regards

I am very thankful for the steps taken to reply to the mail.

Responses:

1. I plan to study at Bharathiar University, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, with valid guidance from the university itself.

2. As you mentioned in objective 1, if the research is to be conducted within the organization itself, please provide your thoughts on that.

3. Thank you for your response to question 1. I am eagerly awaiting your answers to the remaining two questions and objectives.

I look forward to your reply.

Thank you,

Siva

Sorry for the delay. It saves me time having to go up and down the page to check exactly what you are referring to. If you can raise the questions in your new posts, that would be helpful. Have you shown your revised aims and objectives to your guide at the BU? If you have not, kindly show him; he gets paid to guide you.

Regards,