Research
Who Am I?
David Hite is currently an assistant professor of business at Bluefield College which is located in Southwest Virginia. His current research areas are in rural small business development, adventure tourism, and social entrepreneurship.
Previously, he was Manager of Training and Organizational Development for Roadrunner Markets which had over 750 employees in 90 stores in TN, VA, NC, and SC. He taught and also served as a business consultant over the past 20 years. He has worked with dozens of small businesses as well as helped organizations, such as Volkswagon, Eastman Chemical Company, Tennessee Valley Authority, and The University of Tennessee, enhance their operations through the use of human resource development strategies and web technology. His accomplishments in innovative business strategies and tactics have helped a broad range of organizations define and attain
Throughout my career, research serves as a constant driver for my teaching and consulting. Over the years, I’ve worked on various research projects ranging from in-depth culture studies to new methods of training for workforce development.
Currently, I’m working on my doctorate in executive leadership and organizational learning. My active research is exploring the ways narrative storytelling can develop deeper interaction with learners and employees. Storytelling can be one of the most effective ways to engage employees, improve organizational culture, and develop leaders.
Check out some of the new research I'm doing for my graduate classes at GWU:
Learning – As a teacher and a consultant for organizations, I feel strongly that learning is the way to improve society and organizations. I value the learning opportunities that I’ve had in life and enjoy exploring new methods of teaching others. Areas such as experiential and problem based learning theories have a significant impact on the learning environment and are a focus on many of my organizational and classroom teaching strategies.
Leadership – Why is leadership important? Without it, you do not get results. As a facilitator and coach, I think the most important skill to have in this world is leadership. I’ve designed and taught many programs that have the goal to develop strong leaders and supervisors, but the more I learn about the deep theoretical base to leadership, the more I realize that it is a topic that is very complex. I’ve worked with organizations ranging from small rural Appalachian companies to International companies like Volkswagen. Through my teaching and training journey, I approach from a diverse perspective that blends servant and authentic leaderships that have a transformational impact not only on the organization but the community and society.
Culture The importance of organizational culture on employee performance and outcomes is important to understand. It is the environment where we exit. Culture is history, symbols, values, ambiguity and is constantly being influenced by subcultures. My biggest projects that involve understanding organizational culture have been through the study of safety culture and employee engagement. In order to change a culture, you must understand it.
Change – This final area of my studies and work is mainly focused on process. Many consider change as a force that advances an individual or organization from one state to another. I approach change mainly from the process perspective. Whether improving individual performance or moving an organization to a different level of activity, I see change as the integration of leadership, learning, and culture that requires a process that explores each of these areas.