The objective of this research is to evaluate Human Resources managerial/development effectiveness (HRM/DE) of frontline managers from the perspectives of managers themselves and stakeholders in the public health sector (PHS) of Ghana. The study did this through the development of a conceptual framework which combined the use of integrated organisational and management theoretical perspectives and contextual variables. The study employed the mixed methods research methodology which combined both empiricism and post post-positivists' views with critical realism as the underpinning philosophy. A total of 18 district directors of health, from two regions were purposively sampled and interviewed utilising an in-depth open ended questionnaire through the discussion. Additionally, key policy makers were interviewed and focus group discussions held and a structured questionnaire completed by another group of employees, who assessed managers' capabilities. Discourse analysis was used for the analysis with the aid of Nvivo 7 for the qualitative material whilst quantitative data were analysed using simple descriptive statistics. Findings were triangulated using Marquart and Zercher's (2000) cross-over track analysis framework. Findings show research questions were answered. Majority of district directors lack managerial competencies; are less interested in HRM/D activities, less confident of their human resource skills and less sure of the political and representational skills required of managers. In particular, it is necessary to take account of the political structure of the PHS of Ghana; significant differences exist in power, individual or group interests, values, assumptions and expectations. However, most district directors have tried to indigenise HRM/D practices as a way of motivating and retaining staff. Core Human resources managerial competencies from the perspectives of the three sampled groups have been compiled. It is the first time such a study has been conducted in the PHS of Ghana and which has therefore made inroads in the existing literature and has contributed to HRM/D literature information in Africa particularly Ghana. It also paves the way for understanding management in the African context and perspective and specifically in health care settings. This study has gone beyond the two groups of respondents and proved that the use of multiple respondents generates rich findings and unveiled what would normally have not been possible if single respondents were used.

Frontline managers in the banking industry support geographically dispersed employees and face significant obstacles in communicating effectively to motivate their virtual team members. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore communication strategies frontline managers in the banking industry used to motivate virtual team members. Vroom's expectancy theory was the conceptual framework for the study. Participants consisted of 5 frontline banking managers in Michigan who had successfully implemented communication strategies to motivate virtual team members. Data were collected using face-to-face semistructured interviews, a review of company documents, and a review of company websites. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis following Yin's 5-step process of compiling, disassembling, reassembling, interpreting, and concluding the data. The 3 emergent themes were a clarification strategy, a technology strategy, and a motivation strategy. Frontline banking managers leading virtual teams might use the findings from this study to improve the clarity of their communications with team members, make effective use of technology in their communication strategy, motivate team members through consistent messaging, and offer adequate rewards and facilitating peer competition among team members. The implications of this study for positive social change include the potential for frontline banking managers to improve job satisfaction and motivation among virtual team members, resulting in higher employment rates, improved local economic stability, and enhanced rapport and volunteerism within their local communities.

Första linjechefer inom LSS-bostäder ansvarar enligt arbetsmiljölagen, 1977:1160(AML) för att säkerställa arbetsmiljön för medarbetare, samtidigt som de skasäkerställa att insatser enligt lag 1993:387, om stöd och service för vissafunktionshindrade (LSS) är av god kvalité och möter stödanvändares behov.Detta, tillsammans med förekomst av utmanande beteende hos de boende, antyderatt första linjechefer har en komplex arbetssituation. Syftet med studien var därföratt undersöka hur första linjechefer inom LSS-bostäder, där det förekommerutmanande beteende, upplever relationen mellan arbetsmiljöåtgärder och detpedagogiska arbetet. Studiens fokus var att identifiera faktorer som verkarfrämjande respektive hindrande i arbetsmiljöarbete och pedagogiskt arbete.Empiri för studien samlades in med hjälp av semistrukturerade intervjuer med sjuförsta linjechefer. Genom tematisk analys har två huvudteman identifierats:upplevelser av yrkesrollen och upplevelsen av relationen mellan arbetsmiljö ochpedagogik. Resultatet har analyserat utifrån Michael Lipsky teori, Street-levelBureaucrats. Resultatet visar att praktiknära ledarskap upplevs centralt för attupprätthålla god kvalité i det pedagogiska arbetet, som i sin tur bidrog till bättrearbetsmiljö. Studien identifierar komplexitet och utmaningar i relationen mellanarbetsmiljöarbetet och det pedagogiska arbetet inom tre kategorier: (1)organisatoriska faktorer; (2) första linjechefens yrkesroll; och (3) bristandekunskap hos personalen. Vidare forskning kan därför behövas om hur praktiknäraledarskap påverkar kunskapsnivån i verksamheten och bemötandet avstödanvändare, samt hur det påverkar både arbetsmiljön och första linjechefersyrkesroll och arbetsuppgifter. / Frontline managers for LSS-housing are responsible according to the WorkEnvironment Act, 1977: 1160 (AML) to ensure adequate the workingenvironment for employees, and at the same time ensure the work provided are ofgood quality and meets the needs of the clients according to Act 1993: 387concerning Support and Service for Persons with Certain Functional Impairments(LSS). This, together with the presence of challenging behavioramong residents, this is suggested to be complex work situation for frontlinemanagers. The purpose of the study was therefore to investigate how frontlinemanagers for LSS-housing, where challenging behavior occur, experience therelation between work environment and the pedagogical work. The focus of thestudy was to identify factors that appear to promote and obstruct the efforts toensure adequate work environment and pedagogical work. The empirical data forthe study were collected using semi-structured interviews with seven frontlinemanagers. Through thematic analysis, two main themes have been identified:experiences of the professional role and the experience of the relation betweenwork environment and pedagogy. The result has been analyzed with MichaelLipsky theory, Street-level Bureaucrats. The result shows that practice leadershipis perceived as being vital to maintain good quality in the pedagogical work,which in turn contributed to a better working environment. The study identifiescomplexity and challenges in the relation of work environment and pedagogicalwork in three categories: (1) organizational factors, (2) frontline managersprofessional role; and (3) lack of knowledge of the staff. Further research istherefore needed on how practice leadership influences the level of knowledge inthe organization and how it affects the support work with the clients, as well as itaffects, the work environment and the frontline managers professional role andduties.

The finding of a positive relationship between a set of well-configured commitment human resources practices and performance outcomes at multiple levels of an organization is a well-documented in the strategic human resource management (HRM) literature (e.g., Combs, Lui, Hall, and Ketchen, 2006; Kehoe and Wright, 2013). However, several recent empirical studies (e.g., Liao, Toya, Lepak, and Hong, 2009) find a significant gap between the HR practices organizations report they use and the HR practices employees report they experienced. These more recent findings call into question the extent to which formal HR programs reported by organizational leaders are actually understood and implemented by lower level managers. To the extent that formal HR programs are not fully implemented as intended suggests many organizations may not be getting the full benefits from their HR program investments. The present study addresses this issue by focusing on the problem of HR practices implementation. Drawing on attribution theory, I examine how frontline managers (FLMs) and employees recognize, interpret, and react to commitment HR practices adopted by their organization. Additionally, I tested the influence of the self-transcendence values of FLMs and employees on their attributional processes. In doing so, three models (frontline manager, employee, and multi-level models) were proposed and the hypotheses based on these models were tested. Data collected from 195 employees nested in 61 workgroups provided mixed support for the hypothesized relationships. In the frontline manager, tests of hypotheses revealed that FLMs' awareness of commitment HR programs affected their commitment HR attributions and implementation of commitment HR practices. The employee model showed that employees' awareness of commitment HR practices influenced their commitment HR attributions and organizational citizenship behavior (OCB). However self-transcendence was not a significant moderator in both models. Finally, the multi-level model suggested that FLMs' implementation of commitment HR practices is a significant predictor of employees' commitment HR attributions. The findings contribute to the strategic HRM literature by demonstrating how organizations can implement commitment HR practices to attain unrealized potential benefits of commitment HR practices. The failure to demonstrate the moderating effect of self-transcendence values on attributional process of commitment HR practices presents a continued challenge for future research. / Ph. D.