Digital Commons Network^™

Exploring Organizational Learning Of The Louisiana Cooperative Extension Service: A Qualitative Study Involving Parish Chairs Of Less Than Three Years Experience., Cathy Hirsch Hamilton

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

This qualitative study was designed to facilitate the description, analysis and utilization of continual learning within the Louisiana Cooperative Extension Service (LCES). The research linked exploration of a learning culture within an organization with the reflective practice of participatory action research methodology. Learning organizations promote knowledge sharing that allows for individual learning to make the transition into collective organizational learning. In order for transformative learning to occur, individuals must reflect on their actions to make sense of an experience. Explaining and thinking about what one is doing makes tacit knowledge explicit, therefore able to be shared and used for change. …

Downsizing : An Analysis Of Organisational Strategies And Human Resource Management Outcomes, Cecil A. Clabaugh

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The objective of this research was to examine the relationship between loss and retention of key employees in downsizing organisations and organisational performance. The purpose of this was to develop an understanding of the organisational performance that results when downsizing organisations are unable to retain their key workers. The secondary objective of the research was to examine the factors that make up a downsizing organisation's employee selection process in order to determine how these factors affect loss and retention of key workers. The research was guided by a theoretical framework developed by Kozlowski et al (1993) and Thornhill and Saunders …

To What Extent Can Knowledge Management Systems Build And Reinforce Consensus Around Initiatives For Change?: A Self-Reflective Analysis Of Professional Practice, Guy A. Duczynski

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This thesis reports on my attempts to 're-align' the purpose, behaviour and underlying culture of a large military organisation through heuristic, self reflective enquiry - to 'find its future' - with and through its people. I use the word re-align with great care as I recognised that change would have been too ambitious and would (probably have) result(ed) in failure. Whilst I cannot claim total success, I have made new and valuable discoveries in knowledge elicitation and methods of integrating the views of a large number of people to 'build and reinforce consensus around initiatives for change'. In the process …

Mgmt 3601 Course Proposal Fall 2000, Curriculum Committee

Curriculum Committee Reports

No abstract provided.

Virtual Teams: An Investigation Of The Determinants Of Team Effectiveness And The Contribution Of Managerial Behavior Control., Gabriele Piccoli

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

Information Technology is providing the backbone for development of new organizational forms. Virtual teams represent one such organizational form that has the potential to change the workplace and provide organizations with increased levels of flexibility and responsiveness. Many organizations are recognizing these potential benefits and are implementing virtual teams. A gap exists in the current Information Systems literature. No previous study has looked at the role of managerial control mechanisms in fostering virtual team effectiveness. This study contributes a model of virtual team effectiveness based on an extension of research in traditional environments. The contribution of managerial behavior control practices …

A Map Through The Minefield: Church Merger As A Strategy For Starting New Faith Communities, Kelly D. Mcclendon

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

From Warriors To Wingtips: The Leadership Transition Of Retired Officers Into The Public Sector, Lynn M. Eldred Edd

Dissertations

For personal and financial reasons some retired military officers seek second careers in the public sector. In entering local government, they are leaving a unique organization, and encountering a very different organizational culture. This study used grounded theory methodology to identify the key military leadership strategies and behaviors learned by military officers and to examine their applicability to local government. It focused on eleven retired naval and marine officers who served twenty or more years, attained a rank of lieutenant commander or major and above, and had worked in local San Diego government at the mid-management or executive level less …

Organizational Culture| A Perspective That Yields Dividends, M. Jane Redeau-Ogle

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

No abstract provided.

Hardiness And Job Fitness For The Intensive Family Preservation Specialist: A Correlational Study, Sandi Fisher

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

It is costly to train the counselors who serve in intensive Family Preservation Services (IFPS). The hiring agency must pay for traveling expenses in addition to any fee paid for training. When an IFPS worker chooses to terminate employment before the end of two years of employment, this puts a strain on an already tight budget. This problem could be alleviated by finding an efficient pre-hire screening instrument. The three personality traits described in Hardiness Theory literature: commitment, challenge, and control, are traits often used to describe the ideal IFPS worker. This study assessed IFPS workers to determine if the …

Why Teams? : Assessing The Incorporation And Development Of Teams At J.P. Morgan's Delaware Private Client Group-Operations, Christine M. Wang

Honors Theses

J.P. Morgan Services, Inc. implemented teams into its Private Client Group-Operations (PCG-Ops) located in Wilmington, Delaware during the summer of 1996, in an initiative the company called Realignment. The goal of my senior project is to explore the use of teams in corporate settings. By assessing how consistent the Private Client Group's Realignment initiative is with the current team development, organizational change, and organizational development literature. In this project four main concepts will be examined:

l . The reasons why JP Morgan changed from a traditional hierarchical structure to one that is team based.

2. The results of the six …

A Cause-And-Effect Relationship Between Leadership And Corporate Culture: An Educational Perspective, Shane C Blum

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this exploratory research was to examine the relationship between the corporate culture of four-year hospitality management programs and the leadership styles of individuals responsible for leading these programs. Separate instruments were used to survey faculty and program heads of four-year hospitality management programs in an attempt to explore numerous research questions. Certain questions focused on the leadership styles of individuals in positions of authority within the program's administration. Other questions were geared toward evaluating the strength of the program's culture measured along a number of criteria. By examining these questions a theoretical relationship between leadership and culture …

Managing Change Without Changing Managers: An Investigation Of Influences On Decision Making Performance Of Public Sector Managers Within Novel And Complex Environments, David Clark-Murphy

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This study examines relationships between the cognitive and decision making styles of individual managers, and their decision making performance , within public sector environments during structural and cultural reform. The main purpose is to develop a more effective means of matching managers to their novel and complex working environments, to minimise staff turnover and improve productivity.

Implementing Total Quality Management In Business And Academe: A Case Study, Nancy O. Bartell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Total quality management (TQM) is a philosophy and process that has been successfully implemented in many business firms. Other organizations, including institutions of higher education, have become increasingly interested in adopting it. It is likely that facilitators need to be cognizant of organizational differences and adjust facilitation methods and strategies accordingly. This dissertation is an exploratory study designed to examine the role of the TQM facilitator in diverse settings. Specifically, the study is an in-depth two-case research study of TQM implementation in an international manufacturing firm and a regional institution of higher education. The primary foci of this dissertation are …

The Role Of Leadership And Cultural Contingencies In Total Quality Management In Central America, Asbjorn Osland

Faculty Publications, School of Management

No abstract provided.

The Performance Effects Of Strategy, Top-Management Characteristics, And Environment: An Integrative Study Of Firm Decline And Turnaround., Franz Theodore Lohrke

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

Despite accumulating evidence, unresolved issues remain as to how the components of strategy, top-management characteristics, and environment, as independent variables, combine to affect a firm's success or failure in turning around declining performance. To address such issues, this dissertation developed and tested a series of hypotheses that investigates the effects of strategy, top-management characteristics, and environment on performance. Findings show that turnaround strategy alone is insufficient to explain differences in performance among firms. They also provide some support for the importance of TMG-strategy interaction and show a limited role for the environment in a firm's turnaround. Additionally, the findings show …

Reengineering Of The National Organization Of The General Association Of General Baptists , John L. Comer

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Report To The Colorado Department Of Natural Resources And The State Board Of Land Commissioners, University Of Colorado Boulder. Natural Resources Law Center, Colorado. Department Of Natural Resources, Colorado. State Board Of Land Commissioners

Books, Reports, and Studies

1 v. (various pagings) ; 28 cm

Virginia Commonwealth University's Plan For A Diverse Community, Matthew T. Corkern

Honors Theses

Having always been intrigued by academic administration, it is only appropriate that I chose to study leadership perspectives within this traditional, yet ever changing context. Desiring the challenge of intellectual development as well as an opportunity to bring an effective change, I researched and assembled a pilot project. With use of this procedure, the Office of Academic Planning at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), may now analyze the implementation of various directions and components of their Strategic Plan over the next months for the September 1995 deadline.

An Approach For Representation Of Organizational Mental Models Using System Dynamics, Jörg-Peter Theissen

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The concept of mental models has received much attention within recent years, especially within the context of organizational learning. This research is based on and departs from the Organizational Learning Process as developed by Keating, Robinson, and Clemson (1994). That process, which is based on a verbal representation of mental models, does not call forth the kind of change that is desired in Organizational Learning. This research investigates if mental models can be represented in the form of system dynamics models and inquires if this representation is beneficial to the process of Organizational Learning.

The research was designed as a …

Organizational Culture: How Changes Impact Attitudes Toward Job Satisfaction, R. M. Browder

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to examine how a shift in elements of organizational culture impacted attitudes toward job satisfaction in a medium-sized, consumer-owned electric utility over a period of 13 years. The unit of analysis was a municipal utility distributing electrical energy to approximately 27,000 customers. Data collection included the Science Research Associate Employee Inventory, a review of the organization's documents, and a subjective Job Satisfaction Questionnaire. A one-tailed z-test was performed to test whether or not the proportion of employees answering favorable in one survey was greater than the proportion answering favorable in the other survey. It …

Economic Restructuring And Emerging Patterns Of Industrial Relations, Stephen R. Sleigh Editor

Upjohn Press

This book's essays analyze innovative responses by unions, corporations and governments to job loss caused by economic restructuring, drawing on examples from Western Europe and the U.S.

Bicultural Women In Monocultural Organizations: Professional Hispanic Women's Experiences Of Diversity And Their Recommendations For Organizations, Carmen Mestas Bárcena Edd

Dissertations

The composition of the work force in this country is changing from one in which the White male was dominant to one in which by the year 2000 women and ethnic minorities will be dominant. Work force diversity will impact organizations at all levels, including top management, which has been closed to women and minorities, and in particular, minority women. The diverse work force's expectation for advancement into top levels of management will present challenges to organizations. Some organizations have recognized that to remain competitive they need to manage a more diverse work force. The purpose of this study is …

The Management Of Change: A Case Study, Stephen A. Raper, Richard Neal Callahan

Engineering Management and Systems Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

A literature review was conducted to identify some of the requirements for competitiveness and change that are being promoted by leaders in the manufacturing field. A survey was developed based on the literature review and was subsequently administered, via the case study method, at a midwestern US agricultural chemicals firm to determine the company's degree of compliance with the literature''s recommendations. To a large degree, the company complied with the requirements.

Using The Accreditation Process To Improve Services At The Greene Valley Developmental Center, Robert G. Erb

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

In March of 1989. Greene Valley Developmental Center was found substantially out of compliance with the standards of care required by its voluntary accreditation agency, the Accreditation Council for Parsons with Developmental Disabilities (ACDD). This Major Applied Research Project (MARP) documents the causes of that noncompliance and presents a methodology for Improving services and switching from the ACDD accreditation to another more appropriate accrediting agency, the Council on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARP).

Of major significance in this project is the documentation and discussion of how organizational and societal expectations changed over time. How. on a national scale, many residential …

Interpreting And Responding To Strategic Issues: The Impact Of National Culture, Susan C. Schneider, Arnoud De Meyer

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Perceptions of environmental uncertainty and organizational control influence strategic behavior. As national culture influences these perceptions we expect to find cultural differences in interpretation and response to strategic issues. Given a case describing an issue concerning deregulation of the U.S. banking industry, managers completed questionnaires rating interpretations and responses to that issue. National culture was found to influence interpretation and responses. In particular, Latin European managers when compared with other managers were more likely to interpret the issue as a crisis and as a threat. Latin Europeans were also more likely to recommend proactive behavior. This study indicates that different …

Management Decision Making And Political Viability Criteria In Large Corporate Organizations, Kalman J. Kovach

Theses

This thesis focuses on the magnitude of political viability in managerial decision making in large corporate organizations . Political viability ls defined as perpetuating shrewdness to flourish one's career within an organization.

Recent economic conditions and global competitiveness have forced corporations to examine their traditional managerial roles. As a result, many corporations have totally revamped goals and objectives in an attempt to present a clear and unobstructed vision of their mission.

Over the last decade research done by organizational psychologists, consultants, independent ·think· tanks, and decision experts have bombasted corporations with many management philosophies . Decision making is an integral …

Staff Development Towards Optimizing Experience And Enthusiasm In The Provision Of Residential Care, D Wayne Kyte

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

Due to the wear and tear of years of experience, the staff were unable to muster the enthusiasm necessary to take the risks involved in establishing bonding relationships with the clients.

The author designed and implemented a three phase strategy to generate enthusiasm. The first phase involved presenting workshops on stress and critical incident trauma to alert the staff to the hazards of their work. The second phase was the development of an Employee Assistance Program to support the staff and the final phase was the provision of a Career Planning Program to the Clients by another agency's staff to …

Are Bonuses Compatible With The Deming Philosophy?, F. Case Whittemore

Master's Theses

This paper examines the philosophy of Dr. W. Edwards Deming to determine what principles of that philosophy should apply to selecting a bonus compensation plan. All types of bonus plans, including the following incentive bonus plans individual incentive, group incentive, gain sharing, profit sharing and pay-for-knowledge are examined to determine which meet the Deming principles.

A Retail Branch Profitability Measurement Model For The Thrift Industry, Rex L. Smith Iii

Master's Theses

Deregulation of the financial services industry has created a need for management to adapt a different approach to operations. Drastic regulatory and environmental changes have forced thrifts and banks to concentrate on increasing efficiency and core profitability from the retail branch network. Once considered to be highly bureaucratic, financial institutions are trimming back off ice review and focusing on a more decentralized leaner operation. Expensive mergers and large conglomerate financial powerhouses have created a need for increased management controls and reasonable methods of measuring the true profitability of the individual business units within a financial services company.

Preparing For Change: Management Concepts For The Future—Ideas From Supermanaging By Brown And Weiner, Ladonna Mcmurray Geddes

Association for Communication Administration Bulletin

This article reviews concepts from Brown and Weiner’s Supermanaging and considers their application to communication administration in higher education. The discussion highlights rapid social and technological change, the growth of continuing education, and shifting demographics, all of which demand flexible and future-oriented management. Key ideas include environmental scanning, “error-embracing” leadership, and the importance of marketing strategies for organizational survival. Middle managers are urged to redefine their roles by fostering self-motivating environments, networking, anticipating issues, and demonstrating unique contributions. The article also stresses the significance of social contracts, balancing responsibilities to employees, clients, communities, and funding agencies. Applying these concepts to …