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Abstract
The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore the perceptions and lived experiences of native leaders in Indian gaming to gain an understanding of the phenomenon of native gaming leadership. Participants included 20 native leaders from tribally and third party managed Indian gaming enterprises in the Eastern United States. Through interviews, participants revealed thematic perceptions of native leadership experiences. A constructivist, phenomenological approach for examining and translating the raw data resulted in four themes and three conclusions about the phenomenon of native gaming leadership. The results of the study suggested that (a) leadership perceptions were similar among native gaming leaders regardless of management structure, (b) culture positively and negatively influenced native gaming leadership, and (c) native leaders operated in two worlds, native and corporate.
