Shawn Brogan Diddy is a Management PhD candidate at Walden University whose work explores humanistic management and emotional literacy through the intersection of grief and bereavement, human dignity, and organizational leadership. Her dissertation investigates how managers navigate between organizational imperatives and the human needs of bereaved employees. Using narrative inquiry, she examines how dignity can be upheld or violated in these emotionally charged contexts and how grief literacy can strengthen organizational cultures.
Drawing from management theory, psychology, organizational studies, and communication, Shawn’s research is grounded in Pirson’s humanistic management paradigm, Hicks’ dignity framework, attachment theory, and Stroebe and Schut’s dual process model of bereavement. This interdisciplinary approach offers an innovative lens on leadership, compassion, and workplace well-being.
Professionally, she bridges academia and practice as a scholar-practitioner, trainer, and speaker, translating her findings into actionable strategies that foster psychological safety, resilience, and retention in the workplace.
Her work contributes to positive social change by equipping leaders to recognize and respond to the hidden costs of grief—estimated at $75 billion annually in U.S. companies—and by shaping more compassionate, human-centered organizations. Through scholarship, facilitation, and advocacy, she advances IHMA’s mission to protect dignity and promote well-being in management worldwide.