Organizational Behavior and Theory Commons^™

Understanding The Impact Of Emergent Conflict On Communication And Team Cognition: A Multilevel Study In Engineering Teams, Francisco Cima

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The development of team cognition is crucial for fostering high-performing teams. In cognitive-intensive fields like engineering, effective communication serves as a primary precursor to team knowledge development, enabling group members to effectively retrieve and utilize each other's expertise. Despite the critical role of communication, there is a lack of empirical research examining how conflict situations, which are critical emerging factors inherent to teamwork, interact with communication processes to constrain team knowledge development and utilization. This study, rooted in information processing theory, investigates how emerging conflict shapes multilevel team knowledge structures by interacting with communication processes in engineering project teams. Prior …

A Multi-Level Longitudinal Investigation Of Transformational Leadership Influence On Team Members Development In Engineering Project Teams, Nathapon Siangchokyoo

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of the current study is to contribute to the existing Transformational Leadership literature. Despite the overwhelming support that Transformational Leadership theory has garnered over the recent years, the underlying mechanisms and processes by which these leaders exert influence on their followers have yet to be adequately examined. More importantly, while the majority of advances in leadership research can largely be attributed to traditional areas of management and social sciences, studies of leadership in the context of engineering still remain relatively unexplored. Drawing on previous empirical research as well as the concept of Core Self-Evaluations, this study sets out …

Systems Theory Based Architecture Framework For Complex System Governance, Bry Carter

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to develop a systems theory based framework for complex system governance using grounded theory approach. Motivation for this research includes: 1) the lack of research that identifies modeling characteristics for complex system governance, 2) the lack of a framework rooted in systems theory to support performance of complex system governance functions for maintaining system viability.

This research focused on answering: What systems theoretic framework can be developed to inform complex system governance and enable articulation of governance function performance? The grounded theory research approach utilized three phases. First, the literature in systems theory, management …

An Analysis Of The Relationship Between Military Leaders' Operational Adaptability And Knowledge Transfer, Vahap Kavaker

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

A variety of research underlines the increasing need for adaptable leaders in the military and enhancing operational adaptability is accepted as one of the crucial factors for achieving success in future military operations. In general terms, operational adaptability is the ability to successfully respond to unforeseen changing situations during military operations. However, this study reveals that operational adaptability is not clearly conceptualized and supporting factors are not investigated in detail in the literature. Among possible factors, knowledge transfer is claimed to be an important practice that increases personal performance and effectiveness.

This research conceptualized operational adaptability and investigated the relationship …

Assessing Organizational Effectiveness Through The Competing Values Framework A Data Envelopment Approach, Raghavender Macherla

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

This study proposes a model to diagnose organizations using the mathematical principles of data envelopment analysis (DEA) to the variables generated using competing values framework (CVF) in order to evaluate overall organizational effectiveness. The notion of organizational effectiveness is abstract and difficult to measure due to its complexity and multi-functional nature. Over the years, measurement of organizational effectiveness has remained a challenge due to the lack of agreement on the factors that should be assessed to determine effectiveness. This research is aimed at shedding some light into this topic by using data envelopment analysis as a tool to measure relative …

Operational Knowledge Transfer In Municipal Utility Organizations, G. Christian Guvemator Iv

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Municipal water and wastewater utility systems experience several challenges related to maintaining an experienced operations workforce. One of these issues is the loss of operational knowledge as the current experienced workforce reaches the age of retirement. The future success of system operability depends upon a process that transfers the knowledge of the experienced employee into the organization before he or she retires. Recent investigations highlight the importance of, and the methods for, knowledge transfer; however, current literature does not include significant information on the municipal utility industry. The objective of this investigation is to identify how operational knowledge is being …

An Empirical Investigation Into The Relationships Between Emotional Intelligence, Use Of Knowledge Transfer Methods, And Project Performance, Brent Michael Decker

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Increasingly, the use of project teams is becoming commonplace within organizations as the primary means to accomplish complex tasks. While the literature has long acknowledged that the knowledge transfer process is a key component in achieving organizational success and ultimately sustaining a competitive advantage, very little has been written that specifically examines the knowledge transfer process at the project team level. In an attempt to increase the understanding of knowledge transfer processes at the project team level, the effect that a relatively new construct, termed emotional intelligence, has on the use of knowledge transfer methods is examined. The relationships between …

Determination Of The Impact Of A Human Capital Decision Cost Model On The Economic Performance Measures Of A Technical Services Company, Jeffery A. Temple

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Human Capital has a major impact on cash flow management decisions in a Technical Services company. Decisions to hire or terminate employees to meet contract requirements affect the company's economic value. The objective of this research is to develop a model that assists management in establishing a starting point in making, as efficiently as possible, those decisions that impact employees' lives. To understand that impact, the operations and economic parameters of a Technical Services company are compared with those of a manufacturing company. This analysis establishes two · essential points for Technical Services organizations; first, that the capital investment decision …

The Noaa Corps A Participant Action Research Of A Uniformed Service Facing Termination, Richard Eugene Marriner Ii

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The NOAA Corps is a uniformed service of the Federal Government. It is composed of officers commissioned by the President of the United States as are the officers of the Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marines, Navy, and Public Health Service. "NOAA" is the acronym for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, an agency within the U.S. Department of Commerce.

On January 24, 1996 the Clinton administration formally proposed that the NOAA Corps be terminated on October 1, 1996. If this were to become reality it would be the first time in U.S. History that a uniformed service has been …

Developing Methods To Measure And Project Levels Of Combat Readiness In A Naval Aviation Squadron At The Unit Level, Michael Lawrence White

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Among the various missions and levels in a military organization, the term "Combat Readiness" is defined in many ways. To a unit-level command, such as an aircraft squadron, it simply refers to the unit's capability to perform its assigned mission when called upon. The proof of that capability is evident in the aftermath of combat, however, it is too late at that point to address any shortcomings that may exist. The problem is, how can the unit effectively define, continuously measure, and confidently forecast its ability to perform in combat? A quantitative model based upon historical data that encompasses all …

Cross-Cultural Issues In The Management Of German-Owned Business Subsidiaries In Hampton Roads, Teja Ulrich

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

'Culture' can be described as patterns of thinking, feeling and acting that distinguish one cultural group from another. Cultural diversity is therefore likely to introduce variety to organizations in which individuals from different national backgrounds are working together. Although this variety bears the potential for an improvement of the cognitive development in the organizations, managers of multicultural business organizations tend to perceive cultural diversity as a disadvantage. This thesis attempts to identify the impact of cultural differences between Germans and Americans on organizations in which German managers work with American employees. German managers of eight business subsidiaries in the Hampton …

Cultural Transposition: Exploring Meanings Of And Strategies For Cross-Cultural Transfer Of Organizational Practices, Yongming Tang

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The research objective is to study the phenomenon of transferring organizational practices which are conceptualized in one culture to another different culture. The purpose of the study is (1) to understand how cultural values and beliefs are manifested in behavior; (2) to explore how the Western organizational practices are interpreted and assimilated into an organization in an Eastern culture; and (3) to explore strategies for the fit between local cultural orientations and imported organizational practices. A qualitative, interpretive, and reflexive research methodology was developed to conduct this study.

The study was conducted in two phases. The first phase was designed …