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Organizational Behavior and Theory

University of Massachusetts Boston

Critical and Creative Thinking Capstones Collection

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Full-Text Articles in Business

Reimagining The Role Of Physical Space In Future Human Thriving, Adrian Young May 2021

Reimagining The Role Of Physical Space In Future Human Thriving, Adrian Young

Critical and Creative Thinking Capstones Collection

As a positive psychology practitioner and residential planner, I divide energy and effort into two distinct fields; one focused on human welfare and the other on optimal aesthetics and functionality of our physical surroundings. This text explores a philosophical shift in motivation for space design prompted by the experience and new potential that result from COVID-19. Rather than space as a means to epitomize style and serve utility, I urge considering the full complexity of the human experience and what would be most conducive to general well-being as a new leading priority. What influence can environmental design bring to generalized …


Systems Thinking: The Organisation As A Living System, Kate Mills May 2021

Systems Thinking: The Organisation As A Living System, Kate Mills

Critical and Creative Thinking Capstones Collection

Systems thinking is a paradigm that challenges the dominant paradigm of linear, or mechanistic thinking. It is a paradigm based on the perspective that everything in a system is inter-connected and interrelated and that the interplay of components in the system creates an emergent quality with its own behaviour and characteristics. Systems thinking as such is suited to be used for analysis of organisations, as organisations can be seen as a system where the interplay of its components create emergent qualities such as the culture of the organisation. Within systems thinking there are living and non-living systems. Living systems, such …


Counterpoint: Laying The Groundwork For The First Geospatial Red Team, Rachel Parkin May 2021

Counterpoint: Laying The Groundwork For The First Geospatial Red Team, Rachel Parkin

Critical and Creative Thinking Capstones Collection

The goal of this synthesis has been to develop a set of principles or strategies to guide the establishment of a permanent red team within the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA). Over the course of a decade spent working at NGA, I discovered a passion for analytic tradecraft and looking for ways I can push the agency toward a culture that allows critical and creative thinking to thrive. This paper combines my research about organizational culture and reflective narratives about events and observations that shaped my understanding of NGA’s current organizational culture. I identify significant blind spots in our organizational approach …


A Critical Perspective To Managing Generational Diversity In The Workspace In East Asia, Debra Moh Yunni May 2018

A Critical Perspective To Managing Generational Diversity In The Workspace In East Asia, Debra Moh Yunni

Critical and Creative Thinking Capstones Collection

The paper takes a look at the cultural themes that influence behavior and decision-making processes in East Asia, highlighting dimensions of hierarchy, collectivism and saving face. The social constructs that are shaped by these dimensions cultivate an organizational culture that is top-down and group-oriented. To delve into a more meaningful understanding of the generational conflict in East Asia, an analysis of generational theory and the changing work environment provides an insight into the widening generational gap and the domains of tension experienced by those sharing a multi-generational workspace. The author suggests that managing generational diversity has its roots in fostering …