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Many clients drop out of therapy before reaching their goals, (Bohart & Wade, 2013) though research shows that being in therapy is more effective in producing change than not being in therapy, (Lambert, 1992). Little is known about what makes therapy effective (Davis & Piercy, 2007a, b; Pinsof & Wynne, 2000). The purpose of the present study was to understand what clients believe is productive about therapy, and how clients’ assessment of therapy productiveness impacts their decision to remain in therapy or to drop out of therapy. For the qualitative strand of this simultaneous convergent mixed methods study, grounded theory was used to inductively develop a common-factors informed model describing how productive change processes influence intended retention. The convenience sample consisted of 19 current clients in therapy with a marriage and family therapist. For the quantitative strand, participation involved completing a semi-structured interview and quantitative survey. Direct, binary logistic regression analyses were conducted to determine whether perceived productiveness, goal attainment and therapeutic alliance, predicted intended treatment retention or intended dropout. The convenience sample for quantitative analysis included the 19 qualitative participants, and continued sampling until adequate statistical power was reached with 72 participants. Mixed analysis strategy was data comparison for the purpose of triangulation. Qualitative results span three categories emerged from qualitative: client factors, therapy process factors and evaluation of progress. Client factors, including presenting problem factors, expectations and motivation were considered when participants made decisions about staying in therapy or dropping out of iii therapy. Therapy process factors, including therapists’ understanding of the presenting problem, therapeutic alliance, therapists interventions and the pacing and timing of those interventions were also considered when participants made decisions about staying in therapy or dropping out of therapy. When participants evaluated the progress made because of therapy, they evaluated changes in the presenting problem, symptom reduction, and noticed this progress took place outside of therapy. Quantitative results showed that goal attainment, therapeutic alliance and productiveness significantly predicted intended retention when each was tested as an individual predictor. When tested in a full model, containing goal attainment, therapeutic alliance and productiveness; only the task domain of therapeutic alliance emerged as significant. Results confirm the importance of therapeutic tasks to clients’ decision to stay in therapy or to drop out of therapy. Results contribute to the importance of common factors in keeping clients in therapy until they reach their goals. Further, results inform research, clinical practice and training in the MFT field. / Ph. D.

The ability to maximise learning efficiently is of concern to all who are involved in an educational environment. The process of learning that will facilitate change is well documented. This documentation suggests that: (1) the understanding of what is occurring in the process of change is essential for it to be successful, and (2) this process includes certain specific traits that will facilitate change. In this study, a design to acquire data from individuals involved in this process of change is developed. To acquire the data sought in this study, observation was made of ten trainees involved in a skills enhancement programme at Caloola Farm; a training centre sponsored by the Federal Government and operated through the Baptist Community Services (A.C.T.). The conclusion reached supported the original premise that recognisable traits exist and aid in the process of accepting change.

Objectives. The empirical qualitative study explored Older People’s (over 65 years of age) perceptions of psychological change and the processes by which these occurred. It also aimed to add to understanding of the barriers to therapeutic change. Subsequently, a systematic review of the current literature pertaining to older people’s attachment styles, and how attachment is measured within this population, was conducted. This scrutinised the literature regarding role of attachment (as a trans-diagnostic construct) in old age, as this may influence their change processes. Design. As the empirical study was exploratory, it adopted a Grounded Theory methodology, influenced by the constructivist perspective as described in Charmaz (2014). Data was obtained via semi-structured interviews, with the later interview schedule grounded in emergent codes and memos of earlier interviews. Literature pertaining to older people, attachment, and how attachment is measured, was obtained from a systematic review. Method. Twelve participants were interviewed using a semi-structured interview, following discharge from an Older Peoples Psychological Therapy Service, for the empirical project. Participants were aged 65 years or over and had received varying models of therapy over varying durations. Those reporting improvement, or no change, as a result of receiving psychological therapy, were approached to participate. Through detailed analysis, a tentative model of older people’s psychological change processes was constructed. This model was further checked by some participants for quality control. Subsequently the systematic review explored a key theme of attachment (as suggested by the categories highlighted in the empirical project). Literature regarding attachment, older people and how attachment is measured within this population, was obtained through a systematic search through major databases, compared against a checklist, constructed for this review, with all analysis prorated by qualified clinical psychologists supervising this study. Results. Interview transcriptions were analysed in line with a constructivist perspective of grounded theory. A non-linear model of psychological change, grounded in the data, was constructed. The main concepts of the model were Age as Context, Seeking Help and Entering the Therapeutic Environment, Building a Therapeutic Relationship, Developing a New Understanding, Therapeutic Changes and Post Therapy Reflections and Commitments of Continuation. In addition, some similar processes were highlighted across different therapeutic modalities, thus supporting trans-theoretical models of psychological change. In addition, the model highlighted a theme of models of relationships having continuity through the lifespan (as evidenced in the concepts of Seeking Help and Building a Therapeutic Relationship). This echoed the trans-therapeutic concept of attachment. Therefore, a systematic review of attachment in older people was conducted. Overall the quality of the literature pertaining to attachment, older people and how attachment is measured within this population was poor. There was a paucity of evidence of minimisation of bias reported in either design or analysis. Conclusions. The empirical project demonstrated the process of psychological change in older people is non-linear in nature. Some constructs of change were similar to those found in the adult literature, but there were also some constructs relating specifically to ageing, and the theoretical developmental stage of old age. This supports suggestions that age specific constructs should be held in mind when working therapeutically with older people. The systematic review found research exploring attachment in older people is a growing field of research, but one which is still in its infancy compared to other clinical populations. In addition, several studies had serious methodological issues and therefore readers are encouraged to interpret their results with caution.

The purpose of this qualitative study was to describe the processes of change for female victims of intimate partner violence (IPV) who successfully completed a domestic-violence focused couples treatment (DVFCT) program with their male partners. Enhancing our understanding of the change processes for women who choose to remain in their relationships helps therapists develop more effective IPV treatment models when both partners are involved in treatment. While a goal of DVFC treatment is to end the violence, this study highlights the changes women victims made and how they evolved throughout the treatment process. This study describes those changes in order to develop targeted interventions to bring these changes about more purposefully. Two women were selected from a pool of 30 women who successfully participated in a 12 session DVFC treatment program. Videotapes of 12 couples therapy sessions were analyzed using modified analytic induction (Manning, 1991). The Transtheoretical Model (TTM) (Prochaska & DiClemente, 1982, 1984) processes of change guided the analysis. Using modified analytic induction, we described participants changes in attitudes and behaviors and the identifiable markers of these changes. Findings highlight a relational change process between spouses. / Master of Science

The amalgamation of Broadland House C.E.G.G.S. and the Launceston Church Grammar School was announced, as a fait accompli, in April 1982. The merger was to be in two stages; the separate operation of both schools under the one Headmaster from June 1982 and the completely merged schools from the beginning of 1983. Both Broadland House and the Launceston Grammar claim to be the oldest continuing schools in Australia, having been founded in 1845 and 1846 respectively. The fact that many families had been involved with either or both schools for four or five generations led to period of bitter conflict and resistance to change, which was largely overcome by the end of the first year of operation. Diminishing enrolments at both schools had been brought about largely through the rural recession in Tasmania during the 1960's, together with the provision of better school facilities and roads in the rural areas of Tasmania. The Launceston Church Grammar had become co-educational in 1972, largely as a means of survival. Previous approaches to Broadland House, by the Grammar School, to consider amalgamation had been rejected. This study endeavours to determine the strategies which led to the almost total acceptance of the amalgamation between the Broadland House Church of England Girls Grammar School and the Launceston Church Grammar School, and to explain those strategies through reference to the literature on the management of change. This involved rationalising resources, setting up new academic courses, providing physical facilities, considering the traditions of both schools, the gaining of financial, support and of developing acceptance of the change within the school community and within the community at large. The study follows the period covering the eight months of preparation prior to the amalgamation together with its first 5 years of operation, during which time the School has grown considerably and enjoys wide confidence and support. As amalgamations are occurring more regularly across the nation, it is hoped that the lessons learned through this educational innovation will be of benefit to others.

There is now considerable controversy concerning the role that incremental change plays in the process of organizational transformation. Some scholars assert that incremental change is the primary source of resistance to more radical re-orientations, while others argue that on occasion, ongoing incremental change can produce dramatic transformation. To help reconcile these competing perspectives, in this paper I report the results of an inductive study of one firm's successful attempt to improve continuously and incrementally its core manufacturing process. The principal results of this effort are: (1) to challenge the current view of the source of change in process-oriented improvement initiatives; and (2) to offer an alternative characterization of the mechanisms through which competence-enhancing, incremental change actually occurs. The theory emerging from this analysis provides one path to resolving the dilemma posed by incremental change processes that can, on occasion, produce organizational transformation, but more often limit the organization's ability to adapt to its environment. / MIT Center for Innovation in Product Development under NSF Cooperative Agreement Number EEC-9529140

Ofta hävdas nödvändigheten av en strategi när man framgångsrikt skall driva en verksamhet. Ibland förekommer dock fall där ett företags omgivning blivit så komplex och så föränderlig att det är mycket svårt att formulera trovärdiga strategier. I denna studie ställs frågan om vad som utmärker situationer av "extrem strategisk osäkerhet" och vad det innebär att leda ett företag under sådana förhållanden? Hur uppkommer dessa situationer och hur förmår ledningar att framgångsrikt hantera dem? Boken bygger på två fallstudier inom den lantbrukskooperativa delen av svensk slakterinäring och beskriver den turbulens som kännetecknade branschen under slutet av 1980-talet. Verksamhetsförutsättningarna hotades då i grunden till följd av avregleringen av det statliga prisregleringssystemet – med dess gränsskydd och interna marknadsreglering – samtidigt som utvecklingen av det internationella handelsområdet skärpte konkurrensen inom livsmedelsbranschen. Analysen visar att de studerade företagen kom att uppleva en extrem situation med ett vakuum i strategiskt hänseende där ledningsuppgiften måste koncentreras kring hanteringen av det utsatta läget. Mot bakgrund av fallstudierna utvecklas en begreppsapparat för ledning av ett företag under "extrem strategisk osäkerhet". Resultaten visar att ledningens företroendekapital och legitimitet kommer i fokus och att hantering av en strategisk vakuumsituation nödvändiggör "strategiska samtal" med ägarsidan. Författaren framför tesen att det åtminstone på kort sikt går att med framgång driva ett till synes "strategilöst företag / <p>Diss. Stockholm : Handelshögsk.</p>

This is a dissertation (consisting of two volumes) dealing with industrial marketing change processes. The study explores a key theoretical and practical problem in industrial marketing; how to create major organizational marketing change in large and complex industrial companies. The study focuses on the interplay between longitudinal, strategic changes in marketing operations and the moving contexts in which they emerge. On theoretical and empirical grounds a number of perspectives on industrial marketing change processes become apparent. In the analysis of a set of focal marketing change episodes, several structural-contextual and temporal focuses are featured. Marketing change episodes are viewed as embedded in a set of concurrent change processes. They are also part of marketing system transitions, building on, while breaking with, the structures of prior changes, moving towards new states of functioning. Marketing change episodes are also viewed as embedded in more long-term, historical processes of change. Putting in focus the industrial marketing change processes, the study embraces the idea of an inseparable relationship between change and stability. The study of the dynamic interplay between marketing change agency and moving contexts concludes with a set of theoretical and managerial issues. The empirical part of the study describes a set of marketing organization changes in Pharmacia Biotech AB between 1989 and 1993. These reorganization processes are the focus of a historical study of the company covering the period 1959-1995, including a prologue starting in the 1930s. This volume complements a separate case study volume entitled "The Emergence and Change of Pharmacia Biotech 1959-1995 - The Power of the Slow Flow and the Drama of Great Events". / Utgör jämte författarens: The emergence and change of Pharmacia Biotech 1959-1995 diss. Stockholm : Handelshögsk.

About 50-70 % of all change initiatives fail and one reason for this is soft barriers, which mainly depend on people. These barriers are challenging to manage because individuals react to change in different ways. Due to these difficulties, companies look for help from consultants, who are perceived to have wide knowledge about change. Hence, the authors have studied the change process and the soft barriers from an external change agent perspective by interviewing nine experienced consultants. The results indicate that no phase in the change process is prominently more problematic than another, instead each phase is the outcome of prior phases. If the critical barriers in each phase are considered the change can be successful. Several soft barriers to change have been identified; lack of goals and vision, no demand for measurements and follow-ups, and a too large and homogenous project group without relevant competence or a clear driver of the change. Additionally, the findings suggest that top management is specifically problematic due to that they are often not united, are impatient and struggle with power and politics. Thus, the study indicates that resistance often starts from the top, which affects the rest of the organization and the outcome of the change.