Responding To Contestation In Teaching And Learning Projects In The Centres For Excellence In Teaching And Learning In The United Kingdom, David Gosling, Rebecca Turner

Plymouth Institute of Education

Government-funded teaching and learning projects have emerged as a favoured tool of policymakers to motivate change in teaching and learning. This strategy pays limited heed to the complexity of higher education and the contradictions, tensions and conflicts that need to be negotiated to change practice. This process of negotiation creates sites of contestation, which can lead to not only conflict but also creativity. Drawing on the Centres for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL) initiative, we examine the sources of contestation project teams encountered, and consider how this influenced their work. The findings are based on a longitudinal study of …

A Discursive Institutionalist Approach To Understanding Policy Change: Ireland And Mexico In The 1980s, John Hogan, Brendan O'Rourke

Conference papers

Employing the critical juncture theory (CJT), a discursive institutionalist approach, this paper examines the nature of the changes to Irish industrial policy, and Mexican macroeconomic policy, during early the 1980s, a time when both countries went through economic crises. Did these policy changes constitute transformations, or were they simply continuations of previously established policy pathways? The CJT consists of three elements – economic crisis, ideational change, and the nature of the policy change – that must be identified for us to be able to declare with some certainty if the policy changes constituted critical junctures. Our findings will help explain …

The Pain Of (Organisational) Change, Philomena Hanlon

Conference papers

Abstract

Ireland is the third most globalised nation in the world - Ernest and Young 2013 report

This reflective paper addresses key drivers of organisational change (including globalisation as referred to in the quote above) and what this means at the level of the organisation and at the level of the Lacanian subject[1] (individual employee). It looks at strategies organisations are adopting to survive in a hyper competitive environment and how these strategies are interpreted / responded to by the subject. The paper utilises a Freudian / Lacanian lens to interrogate subjective responses to organisational change. For some subjects …

Good News For A Change, Eric Shoaf

South Carolina Libraries

Technology, user needs and expectations, and the evolving role of the library in society are all driving a pace of change not seen previously in the library world. As library workers confront this environment of flux, many seek to understand the change process and their response to its pervasiveness. This article adapts a model of change developed in a different sphere and proposes its use in the library environment in order to assist library workers and provide a process that can alleviate some of the stress of change.

Introducing Agile Principles And Management To A Library Organization, Daniel Forsman, Peter Hansson

Proceedings of the IATUL Conferences

Libraries are pressured to adapt to changing conditions due to user demands, behavior, emerging technologies and a need for cost-efficient solutions. Software companies have turned to agile development to stay competitive and to deliver working solutions in a short timeframe. Agile processes are built upon co-operation, iterative workflows and delivering working solutions with a high business value. Agile development and management in an agile organization constitutes a controlled framework of principles with a promise to ensure that the organization focuses on the right things and is able to adapt to new needs.

The Library at Chalmers University of Technology in …

Are Non-Profit Immigration Organizations Ready For A Comprehensive Immigration Reform?, Sandra Lizeth Molina, Deserae Leanna Quezada

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore whether non-profit immigration organizations are ready for a comprehensive immigration reform. Social workers need to recognize that a lack of readiness among non-profit immigration organizations for a comprehensive immigration reform will lead to a lack of required services for undocumented populations. The sample consisted of twelve religious and non-religiously affiliated non-profit immigration organizations. A qualitative research method was used to analyze the data.

The results of the study concluded that non-profit immigration organizations are not ready for a CIR. Although the organizations are not ready, several factors were found to affect their …

Using An Initiative To Focus Programming Efforts: A Case Study Of The Ohio 4-H Workforce Preparation Initiative, Graham R. Cochran, Theresa M. Ferrari, Nate Arnett

Journal of Extension

Extension is facing many challenges, including increasingly complex and changing societal conditions. One method to address these challenges is to implement targeted efforts around programmatic or organizational themes organized as an initiative. We use the Ohio 4-H Workforce Preparation Initiative as a case study to illustrate how the process of focusing and redirecting programming efforts can be an effective strategy for addressing issues important to Extension clientele. We also describe in general the benefits of using a change process or model to organize such efforts and specifically how Kotter's (1996) model fits well with our concept of an initiative.

The Vital Role Of Ideas In Industrial Policy Changes In Ireland During The 1980s, John Hogan, Brendan O'Rourke

Conference papers

Employing a discursive institutionalist approach in the form of the critical juncture theory (CJT), this paper examines the nature of the changes to Irish industrial policy in the mid 1980s, a time when the country went through one of its worst economic crises. Did these policy changes, ushered in by the Telesis Report of 1982, constitute a transformation in industrial policy, or a continuation of a previously established policy pathway, and if so why? To answer this question the paper explores the roles played by various change agents, and their ideas, in altering the industrial policy that had been established …

Working Towards School Goals At Lion Elementary: A Phenomenological Study, Benjamin Butcher

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this hermeneutical phenomenological study was to understand the perspectives of educators regarding school goals at Lion Elementary. Perspectives concerning school goals were generally defined as the importance of competing priorities as described by participants. This research can inform educators about whether perspectives regarding school goals were aligned, and provide insight regarding the reasons behind similarities and differences by having considered several questions: (a) What were the perceptions of the principal and teachers regarding school goal priorities? (b) What were the main challenges they perceived for meeting school goals? (c) What factors contributed toward schools successfully meeting goals? …

Talent Retention In Organizations Facing Staff Reductions Via Layoffs, George Edward Lightfoot

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

High voluntary attrition threatens the future of downsizing organizations. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore how employee layoff announcements reduces the perception of organizational commitment to experienced, skilled workers in central Wisconsin. The conceptual framework integrated stress response theories including Cannon's cognitive activation theory of stress. Face-to-face interviews were conducted with 20 journeyman level artisans who had witnessed the layoff process within 50 miles of Wausau Wisconsin. These interviews were analyzed via the modified van Kaam method to code, cluster, and group the findings into significant themes. Nine themes emerged from the analyses suggesting layoff implementation strategies …

Capacities Facilitating School Change Involving Project-Based Learning At The Middle School Level, Lee Shane Browder

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

With schools continuing to fall short of No Child Left Behind standards and with future challenges just around the corner, educators must identify and make positive changes in schools. Researchers must work to recognize and exhibit how student achievement is fostered and inform educators of options on how to move in a positive direction according to research. The purpose of this qualitative, multiple-site case study was to examine what capacity-building factors were in middle schools identified as successfully implementing project-based learning. This study focused on the capacities that are consistently implemented leading to successful school change with the Schools to …

Manager Influence On Collaborative Change Initiatives, Ron Milam

Theses and Dissertations

Ensuring all residents in Southern California have access to healthy food is one of many examples of an issue too complex and challenging for any one organization to change on its own. More and more, organizations work in collaboration and designate individuals to manage these collaborative change initiatives. This research uncovers the specific influence managers of collaborative change initiatives have in shaping positive outcomes for the collaborations they serve. Based on interviewing 11 managers and funders from six leading collaborative change initiatives, there are two contextual ways in which managers influence collaboration: their position itself carries influence and their ability …

Strategies For Creating A Unique Culture In Preparation For Campus Relocation: A Process Evaluation, Dana Ague

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The relationship between a college and its founding church changed as the college developed its liberal arts programs and leaders sought to create an independent new culture from the church. Using Clark's organizational saga framework, the purpose of this study was to assess the effects of culture change on this institution. The research questions examined strategies that leaders used to transition the campus to its new reality. A formative, qualitative, process-oriented evaluation was used to collect interview data from 22 institutional leaders and other key stakeholders; data were also collected from institutional documents. The data were then coded and analyzed …

Examining The Words And Actions Superintendents Used To Lead An Educational System Through A Culture Shift Following The Occurrence Of A Scandalous Critical Incident, Dale Ross Fisher

Dissertations

The dissertation examines the words and actions district superintendents used to lead an educational system through a culture shift following the occurrence of a scandalous critical incident. This qualitative study deeply investigated the specific words and actions as offered by the superintendents of two educational systems and members of their respective leadership teams. Those actions were then filtered through two lenses. The first lens was John Kotter's eight steps for change, and the second lens was Thomas Sergiovanni's five sources of authority. The study generated five themes of specific actions taken by the superintendents, determined that four of Kotter's eight …

Understanding Relational Agility: Exploring Constructs Of Relational Leadership Through Story, David M.I. Mclean

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Organizational storytelling was used within Tri Fit, a Canadian health promotion and fitness company, to explore relational leadership practices. Through 27 confidential one-on-one interviews and an interview of the four-person leadership team, the research attempted to examine how relational agility, a new leadership construct, exists, how it is defined, and to describe its organizational impacts. Two hundred and forty unique stories were shared through this process, out of which nine storylines emerged. The distillation of these revealed three cultural themes: a culture of relational connection; a culture of nice and a culture that values positivity. Demonstrations of transformational leadership, authentic …

The Cultural Dimension Of Mergers And Acquisitions, Paulina Gawryszewska

Studia i Materiały Wydział Zarządzania Uniwersytet Warszawski

The article is a review of the literature on the importance of organizational culture in mergers and acquisitions (M&A) processes at international companies. The author presents research on culture in organization and management fields and also discusses reasons for carrying out M&A. On the one hand the author considers culture one of main factors contributing to failure to merge on the other she shows its untapped potential in complicated conditions of changes in a company. Additionally the author defines what a successful integration process in M&A is giving examples of practical tools and theories which can be used in daily …

Expanding The Application Of Appreciative Inquiry Based On Its Principles Of Human Systems, Vatusha Howard

The Qualitative Report

This review serves to examine The Power of Appreciative Inquiry: A Practical Guide to Positive Change by Diana Whitney and Amanda Trosten - Bloom (2010). It will introduce the topic of Appreciative Inquiry, giving supporting information from the book, and discuss its adaptability. The authors discuss Appreciative Inquiry as a positive approach to change, introduces the 4D cycle associated with it, and uses it to explain how Appreciative Inquiry is carried out in many capacities at the organizational level. Furthermore, this review includes a look into the basic premise of Appreciative Inquiry and how this premise alone affords this Appreciative …

The Effectiveness Of Servant Leadership In Bringing About Change, Daniel R. Tureman

Senior Honors Theses

Servant Leadership is unique when compared to other styles of leadership. The idea that a leader should serve his followers is a paradoxical concept that confuses many people. Even so, when trying to produce change, servant leadership is still an effective way to motivate followers. Its unique emphasis on concern for people’s well-being can bolster its success for creating change and leave one’s followers changed professionally and personally. This paper seeks to demonstrate how servant leadership differs from other types of leadership as well as how to produce change within an organization and how a servant leader can be effective …

A Mentor’S Manifesto: Moving From Legacy To Innovation, Antje Mays

Dacus Library Faculty Publications

Current library trends and ongoing shifts are driven by numerous factors including macroeconomic environments, technological impacts, and institutional changes. Strategic needs are as varied as the many individual libraries and their circumstances, but the need is universal for thoughtful leadership in navigating change. While worldlows adapt to changing environments in the short term, long-term shifts require thoughtful leadership and long-range thinking. As libraries and collection management navigate continuing shifts, businesses face similar challenges; this article distills strategies' philosophical underpinnings from library and business scholarship.

A Quantitative Analysis Of Business Process Reengineering And Organizational Resistance: The Case Of Uganda, Samali Violet Mlay, Irina Zlotnikova, Susan Watundu

The African Journal of Information Systems

ABSTRACT

Despite efforts by many organisations to redesign their processes, many of them have not succeeded. The main objective of the study was to analyse the extent to which organisational resistance impacts on the implementation of BPR. We used survey methodology using a questionnaire for data collection. Descriptive analysis of factors that cause resistance was conducted and results showed that only 30.4% of BPR in Uganda have been successful. The results showed that the factors that impact on BPR implementation include; users’ awareness of BPR project, level of emotional response, organisational resistance, and failure of management to create awareness among …

Leadership For Change: Insights Gleaned From One District’S Implementation Of An Educational Innovation, Crystal V. Shelby-Caffey Ph.D., Ronald A. Caffey Ph.D.

Online Journal for Workforce Education and Development

The research reported here is extracted from a larger study aimed at describing the challenges and barriers to implementing the two way immersion (TWI) program at Stark Elementary School (a pseudonym). While Stark’s TWI program is used as the backdrop for the current discussion the perspective taken here is to examine the actions (and lack of action in some instances) of Stark’s administrators and describe how those actions impacted other stakeholders and led to challenges during the implementation process. The findings illuminate the need for leaders to gain support for proposed changes while maintaining dialogue with stakeholders and developing other …

Taking Nonprofits At Their Word: The Role Of Conflict Over Mission In Organizational Change And Response To Environmental Pressures, David Gregory Berlan

Public Administration - Dissertations

Central to any nonprofit is a mission; a defining purpose and set of values that provide its exempt purpose, differentiate it and motivate action by the organization and others on its behalf. Even the most formal and established mission is subject to redefinition, interpretation and different ideas over achieving it. This dissertation addresses the question of what role these interpretations of mission play in the processes by which nonprofits change, not just mission but also leadership, strategy and structure. Two distinct theoretical models are examined for fit with empirical results: (1) change processes as a response to external pressure moderated …

Technological Change Within Union Environments: An Examination Of Existing Change Management Literature, Union Culture, And Critical Factors For Implementation Success, Bryan Altknecht

Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses

In today’s business climate, organizational change is a perpetual challenge for those in leadership positions. Despite the substantial academic conversation surrounding successful management of change, one aspect which has received little research is technological change within the context of union populations. This project utilizes multiple theoretical frameworks to present critical components for success including; understanding reluctance toward change, the role of leaders, managing technology change, and specific implementation considerations for union populations. It then synthesizes those components into a formal training course designed to teach organizational leaders the skills necessary to overcome the challenges of implementing technology changes within union …

How Does A Principal Use Intention And Strategy In The Enactment Of Advocacy Leadership, Lisa Marie Grant

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

District and school leadership are essential to the success of our students and our schools. While extensive conceptual literature describes leadership characteristics, there are few empirical studies that address the daily reality of schools. In addition, additional research is needed describing how principals maneuver within the context of schools and school districts. This phenomenological study explored how one elementary school principal understands and enacts leadership and to what extent she employs intentional strategies to facilitate change. The purpose of the study was to offer a rich profile of one elementary school principal's practice to understand how a principal constructs meaning, …

Change Required: Chinese Businesses In Singapore, Singapore Management University

Perspectives@SMU

Today, Chinese businesses play an important role in Singapore’s economy. They make up 99.3 per cent of all small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and employ 51 per cent of workers in the country, contributing 40 per cent of value add to the economy. However, the world economy has become more competitive and Chinese businesses in Singapore have been forced to look at modernizing and changing the way they do business.

Stories And Storytelling In Extension Work, Scott Peters, Nancy K. Franz

Journal of Extension

Deep budget cuts, increased accountability, and the growth of anti-government and anti-intellectual sentiments place Extension systems in a defensive position. In response, we're engaging in organizational change exercises, restructuring, regionalizing, rewriting mission statements, and developing strategic plans. We're spending considerable time counting and measuring our efforts to defend the public impacts and value of our work. In this article we argue that we also need to become better storytellers by learning how to craft and strategically communicate stories that capture important truths about the public value, meaning, and significance of our work.

An Emerging Hispanic Serving Institution Looks Toward The Future: A Case Study On A Collaborative, Community-Based Systemic Change Effort At An Urban Land-Grant College, Eric Dunker

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Many higher education organizations face the issue of structural isolation (Ruben, 2004) based on a lack of integration and functional coordination between faculty, staff, and students. Community-based research (CBR) offers higher education a more collaborative, wider reaching avenue of organizing a variety of stakeholders around social change. The CBR model is an atypical change model due to its interdisciplinary, participatory, and collaborative structure that values multiple sources of knowledge and focuses on social justice action. As opposed to serving as the 'experts' who were performing research on a community of people, academics and community members who utilize CBR focus on …

Extension's Future: Time For Disruptive Innovation, Nancy K. Franz, Ronald A. Cox

Journal of Extension

Extension has been considered change averse by some scholars and practitioners, and they claim this inhibits organizational growth and relevance. Pockets of individuals and teams across the nation have worked independently as entrepreneurs to enhance Extension's relevance by introducing organizational processes and programs that greatly differ from past practices. However, every Extension system, team, and worker has a role to play in the disruptive innovation process. This may include exploring, implementing, or evaluating disruptive organizational innovations, or removing barriers, resourcing, or supporting a culture of innovation to enhance relevance and sustainability.

A Church In Reformation: The Anglican Church Of Canada Responding To Missio Dei, Susan Titterington

Doctor of Ministry

No abstract provided.

Secondary School Science Department Chairs Leading Change, Julie Ann Gaubatz

Dissertations

Secondary school department chairs are content area specialists in their schools and are responsible for providing students with the most appropriate curricula. However, most secondary school department chairs have limited authority to institute change unilaterally (Gmelch, 1993; Hannay & Erb, 1999). To explore how these educational leaders navigate the change process within their departments, this study examined the change stories of six secondary school science department chairs who had led change attempts. In total, these department chairs shared six stories of successful change attempts and four unsuccessful change attempts. The topics of leadership and change were accessed through department chair …