Jennifer Forney, instructor of hospitality management at the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford, received her doctor of philosophy degree after successfully defending her dissertation at Iowa State University.
Forney earned her doctorate in hospitality management with a concentration in leadership. In her dissertation, she studied whether leaders’ behaviors and organizational culture influence how employees perceive their workplace.
Forney surveyed employees at a hotel company in New York state, asking them questions about the behavior and leadership style of their direct manager or supervisor, their expectations for how they should be treated in their workplaces and their actual perceptions of their workplaces. Most employees surveyed worked in housekeeping or maintenance or staffed a front desk at a hotel.
Forney found that the leadership behaviors that correlated with a positive relationship on organizational culture were leading by example and inspiring a shared vision.
She also found that leadership behaviors did not correlate with employees’ perceptions about their workplace. “That was really surprising,” she said, noting that what did correlate with employees’ perceptions of how well they are served by their employer was how long they had worked with the company. The longer an employee had been with the company, the more positive their perception of it.
Forney leads the hospitality management program at Pitt-Bradford and teaches in the business management program as well.
A Pitt-Bradford alumna, she has spent more than 20 years in the hotel industry, working with companies such as Marriott, Hilton, Wyndham and Carlson Hotels. She holds a Master of Science in Education from Canisius College and holds certifications in hospitality education and hotel industry analytics.
Forney lives in Olean, N.Y., with her husband and eight children. She serves as the president of the Parent Teacher Association for Archbishop Walsh Academy/Southern Tier Catholic Schools.