Dr. Kara Dellacioppa, a sociologist, is the director of the Faculty Development Center at California State University, Dominguez Hills. She is the author of “This Bridge Called Zapatismo: Building Alternative Political Cultures in Mexico City, Los Angeles, and Beyond” (Lexington Press, 2009) and “Cultural Politics and Resistance in the 21st Century” (Palgrave, 2012).

Dr. Dellacioppa has written articles on social change and political theory for academic journals such as Social Justice, Latino Studies and the International Review of Modern Sociology. Recently, she presented a paper at the European Group for Organizational Studies Conference in Edinburgh, Scotland, “Women, Leadership and Social Entrepreneurship,” co-authored by Dr. Anne-Laure Winkler.

“An Interest-based Approach to Leadership”

Meaning is central to productivity in the workplace. Employers too often forget to create environments in which employees can discover and create meaning. Rediscovering essential human interests can help employees find meaning in the workplace, leading to greater commitment and work productivity. Leaders can learn to create meaningful workplaces by exploring interests to create meaning, particularly in situations involving workplace conflicts.