Three Bethel Alumni Receive Research Awards

McKENZIE — Bethel University announces three of its distinguished alumni, Dr. Mark Bell (MBA ’12), Dr. Lisa Tyler (MBA ’11), and Dr. Tiffany McCutcheon (MBA ’09), were awarded the prestigious Martin S. Bressler Distinguished Researcher Award by the Institute for Global Business Research. IGBR is a non-profit organization dedicated to the advancement of learning and scholarly research in all areas of business. Its goal is to provide outlets through conferences and journals for researchers to share their body of knowledge with a global audience.

This honor recognizes their exceptional contributions to business research and education, specifically for their groundbreaking study titled “Healthy Leadership: Qualitative Research Towards Theory and Scale Development.”

The Martin S. Bressler Distinguished Researcher Award is bestowed upon individuals who have made significant advancements in the field of business research, demonstrating both academic excellence and a profound impact on the industry. The award celebrates those who excel in the creation of new knowledge and its application to real-world business challenges.

Dr. Bell, Dr. Tyler, and Dr. McCutcheon’s collaborative research presentation of the concept of Healthy Leadership is presented and described as the antithesis of Toxic Leadership. Healthy Leadership consists of the following six dimensions: respectful oversight, volitional leadership, altruism, stable consistency, follower advocate, and sincere integrity in contrast to the five dimensions of Toxic Leadership: authoritarian leadership, narcissism, unpredictability, abusive supervision, and self-promotion. This research details a qualitative study conducted for the purpose of facilitating the eventual development of a validated survey instrument to measure Healthy Leadership.

About the Awardees:

Dr. Mark Bell is Assistant Professor of Management at Wayland Baptist University and serves as a faculty member in WBU’s Doctor of Management program. Mark holds an M.B.A. and a Ph.D. in Organizational Leadership. Mark’s research interests include effective followership and ineffective leadership. Mark served as the lead researcher on this project.

Dr. Lisa Tyler is an Assistant Professor of Business at Bethel University and serves as a faculty member in BU’s College of Professional Studies. She is also the Director of Institutional Effectiveness for Bethel University. Lisa holds an M.B.A and a D.B.A in Marketing. Her research interests include consumer behavior and retention of nontraditional students in online degree programs. In her spare time, she actively participates in domestic violence awareness and advocacy initiatives in Northwest Tennessee.

Dr. Tiffany McCutcheon, also from Paris, Tenn., is a Technology Foundation instructor at Tennessee College of Applied Technology Henry/Carroll and serves as an adjunct faculty member in Bethel University’s College of Professional Studies program. Tiffany holds an M.B.A. and a D.B.A. in Social Impact Management. Tiffany’s research interests include effective leadership strategies and employee engagement.

Bethel University is immensely proud of these alumni and their remarkable achievements. Their work exemplifies the high standards of excellence that Bethel University instills in its students and underscores the university’s commitment to contributing to the advancement of business knowledge and practice.