The independence of the health and social care agencies makes the coordinated delivery of inter-related and inter-dependent services very difficult. Collaboration in health and social care has been a goal of policy makers for many decades, but it has not been achieved to the degree or to the extent of the aspiration. This thesis examines collaboration in the context of the NHS and Community Care Act 1990, which marked a new stage in the development of community care policy and in collaborative working between health and social services. The thesis takes the form of a case study set in Sunderland during 1990-1994, from the passing of the Act to the first anniversary of the implementation of its community care elements. It considers firstly, collaboration at a strategic planning level between Sunderland Health Authority and the Local Authority Social Services Department in the development and implementation of community care policy; secondly, the evaluation of a collaborative project at an operational level, in the attachment of a social worker to a general medical practice; and thirdly, the evaluation of a project which tried to strengthen collaborative working within the health service, among district nurses, health visitors and general practitioners. The thesis sets these three pieces of work in a number of contexts: the political setting of the NHS and Community Care Act and the changes it introduced; the literature of collaboration; and a description of Sunderland and its need for health and social care. The case study showed how difficult it is for organisations to work together. Relationships between individuals tended to be more collaborative than relationships between corporate bodies, but it is important to see the relationship between those individuals in the context of relationships between organisations. The study also found that for the success of joint projects to be sustainable and generalisable, collaboration needs to be present at all levels of the organisations. The thesis also showed that there is as much need for collaboration within the health service as between the health and social services. The thesis used as a measure a framework of factors which promote collaboration, and found that many elements were lacking in Sunderland. However, in the real world it is necessary to settle for a notion of "pragmatic collaboration" in which joint working is possible even when full collaboration is absent.

<p>The use of one form or another of team based work organization (TBWO) management policies and practices by firms with the aim of improving organizational performance and employee morale is well documented in popular literature. Empirical research has however found that the implementation of TBWO management policies and practices such as TB training, TB incentive schemes, participation in decision making, work teams etc. had minimal influence on the performance of firms (Locke and Schweiger, 1979).<br /> This research investigated the factors, which account for the effective implementation of TBWO management policies and practices with specific emphasis on three firms in the metal fabrications sector. The reason behind the choice of the three firms in the metal fabrication sector in the Western Cape was that these sites offered a rare opportunity to study the process of the implementation of TBWO. It was a rare opportunity because not many firms have embarked on implementing TBWO in South Africa. It was envisaged that the lessons that emerged from this study would be invaluable for firms that intended implementing workplace change. The level of analysis was the shop floor level at the firms as research has shown that this is the level that plays a critical role in the effectiveness of the TB management policies and practices implemented by the firms.</p>

This thesis investigates whether certain practices improve the use of video-mediated communication; specifically video-mediated gazing (the act of looking directly into the camera) and face-to-face familiarisation prior to video-mediated meetings. This is done through comparisons of conditions where such practices are employed and control conditions. The successful adoption of these practices is assessed using a multi-level approach: investigating the communicative process, participant perceptions and task outcome. Participant perceptions are directed towards assessing the media, assessing other participants using the media, perceptions of task performance and communicative success, and perceptions of social co-presence. In cases where task outcome is assessed, an objective measurement of performance is taken. Communicative process is assessed through investigating participants use of gazing behaviour and verbal aspects of process: for example turn length, dialogue length and the numper of interruptions. Verbal aspects of process are also measured using Conversational Games analysis, where the functions of participants' utterances are assessed. The results show that participants who gaze at the camera are perceived more favourably. Accompanying speech with video-mediated gazing also results in improved recall of information. Face-to-face familiarisation alters participant perceptions of others using the media and feelings of social co-presence. It is concluded that for certain applications (specifically social tasks) and with an appropriate level of training (specifically with the use of video-mediated gazing) the use of such strategies benefits video-mediated communication.

In the study of team-based organizations most of the research has focus on the internal make-up and structure of teams. Recently there has been more interest in the effects that environment has on teams. With this new focus Support Systems in organizations have become an area of interest. Examining the perceptions of workers with respect to support systems of organizations could give insight into performance. This study specifically examines the interaction between a team's shared perception of the support in their environment and the level of support in their environment. The interaction between the two does seem to have a strong relationship with perceived performance. How do the two concepts interact, and what does this mean for organizational designers? Both questions are discussed.

Using a manufacturing setting that is organized into self-managed teams, the current study identified and measured key leadership behaviors within the teams. Questions that were asked include: are some team leadership behaviors more critical to a team's level of functioning than other behaviors? and do successful self-managed teams rely on formal leadership to a lesser extent than members of less successful teams? These questions were asked in the context of leadership as a process, not an individual.

An abundance of theories exists on what constitutes appropriate team leadership; What seems to be lacking is how the "followers" react when exposed to their tenets. This particular study involves testing a contemporary model (Stewart & Manz, 1995) via interview statements that seem to indicate that a certain form of team leadership is taking place. Once determined, the effectiveness of the leadership "style" that is in effect is assessed using ten different performance dimensions to determine if that style is successful (or detrimental) in any of those areas. Leadership "tools" from other theories and models are examined as well.

A Virtual Software Development Team (VSDT) is a group team of Information Technology (IT) professionals working together to produce a software product and collaborating remotely with the use of information communication technology. In a VSDT, face-to-face contact is seldom required in order for these teams to fulfil their tasks. VSDTs in the software development business offer advantages compared to co-located teams which include the availability of a global talent pool, lower costs and a global presence. However, many aspects of managing these teams are still undiscovered and under-researched. Among them is the influence of cultural diversity on the work, productivity and sustainability of a VSDT. The purpose of this research was to define the main factors of the influence of cultural diversity on the effectiveness of a VSDT. The research was undertaken from an interpretive perspective. In agreement with this paradigm, the effectiveness factors were limited to the internal effectiveness of a team as perceived by its members. In order to define the factors of cultural diversity, existing theories of cultural diversity in a co-located workplace were used. I have conducted interviews with software developers, support professionals and their managers to probe the relevance of the existing theories in a virtual software development environment and to find other possible factors. In this research, a specific ’internet nerd’ culture was discovered which exists among the members of the virtual (internet) community. The members of this culture comfortably accept virtual work and share a lot of common context. The findings show the importance of frequent communication, emotional sharing and occasional face-to-face contact in bonding the team, building trust and understanding. From the team management perspective, there is evidence that agile methodologies can be used successfully in the virtual environment. The results of this research are beneficial for businesses looking to implement VSDTs, and can be used as a basis for the development of a theory of cultural diversity in a virtual environment.

A Thesis submitted to the Faculty of Humanities, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in fulfilment of the requirements of the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Johannesburg, 2015 / Sensemaking is the process through which people construct meaning around issues or events that are novel, ambiguous, confusing, or in some regard run contrary to expectations. Drawing on key insights from the work of Karl Weick on sensemaking, the aim of this study was to explore how staff members and volunteers at a non-profit human service organisation make sense of and enact the idea of quality in their environments. The study employed an interpretive approach and took the form of a single-case holistic case study. Using thematic analysis, several themes emerged from the data, which suggest that in order to deconstruct the idea of quality, as it exists in the minds and behaviours of organisational members, it is critical to obtain insight into the social and context driven processes that influence sensemaking. The findings also suggest that existing models and approaches to quality in the literature are incomplete in terms of their lack of a sensemaking focus. Practical recommendations are made for human services organisation administrators and managers to improve and monitor quality in their respective environments. The study concludes with a discussion of limitations as well as possible avenues for future research in light of the findings

Kwok, Tak Yee. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2009. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 99-115). / Abstract also in Chinese; appendix II-IV in Chinese. / ABSTRACT --- p.i / 摘要 --- p.iii / ACKNOWLEDGEMENT --- p.iii / TABLE OF CONTENTS --- p.iv / LIST OF TABLES --- p.vi / LIST OF FIGURE --- p.vii / Chapter CHAPTER 1 --- INTRODUCTION --- p.1 / Chapter CHAPTER 2 --- LITERATURE REVIEW --- p.6 / Overview of Climate --- p.6 / Content of Climate --- p.10 / Outcomes of Climate --- p.12 / Individual Processes Linking Climate and Outcomes --- p.14 / Deriving Climate from Perception of Human Resource Systems --- p.16 / Climate for Commitment - Perceptions of Commitment Human Resource Systems --- p.74 / Overview of Goal Orientation --- p.28 / Dimensionality of Goal Orientation --- p.30 / Trait versus State Goal Orientations and their Antecedents --- p.32 / Outcomes of Goal Orientation --- p.34 / Overview of Job Performance --- p.37 / Team Role Performance --- p.40 / Predictors of Team Role Performance --- p.43 / Chapter CHAPTER 3 --- MODEL AND HYPOTHESES DEVELOPMENT --- p.46 / Theoretical Underpinnings of Model --- p.46 / Model Development --- p.50 / Hypotheses Development --- p.54 / Climate for Commitment and Team Role Performance --- p.54 / Mediating Role of Learning Goal Orientation in the Relationship between --- p.54 / Climate for Commitment and Team Role Performance --- p.58 / Chapter CHAPTER 4 --- METHODS --- p.68 / Sample and Procedures --- p.68 / Measures --- p.70 / Chapter CHAPTER 5 --- RESULTS --- p.76 / Factor Structure of the Measures --- p.76 / Descriptive Statistics and Correlations --- p.80 / Test of the Hypothesized Model --- p.82 / Chapter CHAPTER 6 --- DISCUSSION --- p.86 / Theoretical Implications --- p.88 / Practical Implications --- p.91 / Limitations --- p.92 / Future Directions for Research --- p.95 / Conclusion --- p.98 / REFERENCES --- p.99 / APPENDIX --- p.116 / Appendix I: Measurement Items for this Study --- p.116 / Appendix II: Questionnaire for Subordinate at Time 1 (Chinese) --- p.118 / Appendix III: Questionnaire for Subordinate at Time 2 (Chinese) --- p.124 / Appendix IV: Questionnaire for Supervisor (Chinese) --- p.130

A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Arts, University of the Witwatersrand, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts. / Teams have, over the last decade, become a popular feature of workplace design. The basis for this trend Is the belief that teamwork allows Individuals to satisfy more of their work-based needs and should therefore, ultimately, improve performance. Despite the increased implementation of teams across a broad spectrum of organisations, empirical research on teams is still in its formative stages and precisely what contributes to team effectiveness remains elusive. Addressing this need, the present study embodies an exploratory empirical investigation of teams as they are practised at the rock face of a gold mine. The research involved examining a sample of these teams using three specific variables which It was hypothesised, may explain the differences In performance between these teams. More specifically, this study Investigated the impact of Job satisfaction, internal work motivation and perceived psychological participation on team performance. Each of these individual variables was examined using a previously-validated scale. The variables were incorporated into a single questionnaire which was administered In a group session with each Individual in the teams sampled. A team performance measure (m2/man) was obtained directly from the mine. Statistical analysis of this data followed a logical progression. At the outset, a one-way ANOVA was run to assess whether statistically there were significant differences between the teams on each of the factors. Indicating that differences do indeed exist, the results justified the reduction of Individual scores in each team to a single aggregate of that variable for the team. Correlation tests were then run between each of the variables and the team performance measure. The results of this study suggest that there Is a significantly positive relationship between Job satisfaction and team productivity (r=.6376). This runs contrary to much of the previous research examining job satlsfactlon and Individual productivity, although it supports some researchers' suggestion that performance should be more broadly defined. This notion is / AC 2018