This dissertation develops grounded theory on how respect is received and internalized in organizations, and the personal and work-related outcomes of receiving respect. A company that employed inmates at a state prison to perform professional business-to-business marketing services provided a unique context for data collection, as respect is typically problematic in a prison environment but was deliberately instilled by this particular company. Data collection took place in three call centers (minimum, medium, and maximum security levels) and included extensive non-participant observation, semi-structured interviews, and archival documents. My sampling strategy focused on the experience of new employees as they went through the training and socialization process, a time when the experience of respect was particularly novel and salient to them. The emergent theoretical model suggests that receiving respect was experienced in two distinct ways, which were labeled generalized and personalized respect. These two types of respect were directly related to outcomes for the receivers ’ well-being and

Abstract High-quality connections (HQCs) are short-term, dyadic, interactions that are positive in terms of the subjective experience of the connected individuals and the structural features of the connection. While previous research has shown that HQCs are associated with individual and organizational outcomes, we advance theory by identifying cognitive, emotional, behavioral mechanisms and aspects of the context that build and strengthen HQCs in organizations. We discuss the implications of uncovering these mechanisms for understanding processes such as relational formation and relational resilience, relational theories such as exchange theory, organizational moderators for these mechanisms, and the implications for individual agency. We close the chapter with suggestions for selecting methods and research designs that will enhance our understanding of the development and impact of HQCs at work. Keywords Connections, relationships, mechanisms, cognition, emotion, behavior, organizational context High Quality Connections 3 Our chapter explores theory and research behind the building of high-quality connections at work. "High-quality connections" (HQCs) is the term we use to designate short-term, dyadic positive interactions at work. The positivity of high-quality connections is known by how they feel for both persons involved, what they do, and the beneficial outcomes they produce. The feeling of an HQC can be experienced as the uplift felt when encountering someone who expresses genuine concern for how you are doing after a grueling meeting or work shift. The way HQCs function can be known through how you are thinking more clearly and acting more competently during a particular conversation with a colleague before entering a meeting. A focus on these kinds of quality connections is part of a broader interest in understanding the foundations and the impacts of positive interrelating at work (Dutton & Ragins, 2007), which include individual and collective flourishing and thriving

I, the undersigned, hereby declare that the work contained in this assignment is my own original work and that I have not previously in its entirety or in part submitted it at any university for a degree.