| The economic recession of 2008 elevated unemployment rates across the United States to 9.8%, peaking in California at 12.1% (Employment development department, 2010). The purpose of the phenomenological qualitative study was to examine the phenomenon of the influence of leadership on California's high-tech and software firms' recovery from the recession of 2008. The main research question of the study was: how does a leader operate to create and preserve jobs and lead an organization through recovery in periods of extreme economic downturn? The perceptions of 30 leaders from three high-tech and software organizations in California's Silicon Valley were obtained from face-to face interviews and analyzed by the van Kaam's phenomenological method of analysis. Emerged from interviews, three supportive themes were: (a) job creation and job security, (b) workplace stability, and (c) positive environment. These themes became a structural framework for a new model, developed as outcome of the study results. The first supportive theme included such sub-themes as reconstruction, internal and external hiring, and global presence. The second supportive theme incorporated innovation, crisis management, and competitive landscape. The third supportive theme included system design and stress reduction. A model, based on study results may assist leaders of other high-tech and software organizations lead their organizations through recovery. |
