This thesis seeks to understand how informal awareness, the presence and availability information of coworkers, can be provided in remote contexts through technology. Based on a workplace study, it was discovered that informal communication is an important part of work and is inadequately supported by current technology. Through research, it was suggested that information on presence and availability is that which facilitates informal communication. In order to design for this situation, this thesis features six interactive peripheral display prototypes which seek to provide informal awareness in an unobtrusive and effortless way to geographically distributed coworkers. Going beyond monitors, these prototypes seek to utilize natural human sensory-motor capabilities to ease perception and interaction. The results suggest such devices are appropriate at mediating awareness and have the potential to facilitate informal communication.

Purpose: The purpose of this thesis is to investigate Stena Metall’s values and how they are communicated within the organization. Background: In the Fall of 2008, the world was shocked by the worst financial crisis in decades. The crisis had deep effects on the Swedish economy, and many companies suffered heavily. The recycling and environmental service company Stena Metall experienced their first negative result in 30 years, and 900 employees had to leave the company. An action program, including an altered culture was established with the purpose to adapt the operations to the new business environmental conditions. Values, which are a part of the organizational culture, were decided to be an important part of the change. To implement these in the entire organization a well-structured communication process is needed. Within these subjects; values and communication, a qualitative study at Stena Metall has been conducted. Method: To fulfill the purpose, a qualitative method has been used. Thirteen interviews were conducted to collect data from different levels of the organization. The interviews were designed differently based on the employee’s level of responsibility in the organization. The theoretical framework used when analyzing the empirical material includes earlier research in the areas of culture, with emphasis on values, and communication. Conclusion: Two set of values have been identified, core values and aspiration values. The findings indicate a gap in the communicational process at Stena Metall. Part of the new information communicated about Stena Metall´s values is lost on its way from the management to the lower levels in the organization. The perception of what the values mean, both core and aspiration values, differs depending on level in the organization.

The rapid growth of Science and Technology has made the use of scientific information a problem of international concern. To keep abreast of current research the scientist and engineer can use a multitude of information sources. In this study the problem of information use is analysed and a theoretical framework is developed and applied in several case-studies of formal and informal communication. The case-studies include surveys among scientists, engineers and social scientists in different R&D-settings. Information about research is looked upon as a fundamental resource for R&D activities. It is demonstrated that information use and communication behavior are related to research productivity. However the use of both written and oral information sources is limited by barriers related to the individual user, his position in the social structure of the research community and organisation as well as the availability of information resources. In order to improve the use of knowledge it is necessary to integrate the information and documentation functions with the planning and conduct of research. In this context user education and marketing of information resources are important prerequisites. Information search and library use in higher education are analysed and discussed in relation to pedagogical methods and the maintainance of professional competence. Special attention is also given to computerized reference retrieval services and their evaluation. / digitalisering@umu

¡mAbstract¡n This research examines six presses of Kaohsiung journalists', China Times, Liberty Times, United Daily News, Taiwan Times, Taiwan Shin Wen Daily News, and Public Daily News, the intra-organization media usage for Media Richness and Social Influence Model. It tests four media which are face to face, telephone, e-mail, and written document, and tests which one is suitable for Kaohsiung journalists use in formal communication and informal communication. The result is that the most journalist use face to face as their intra-organization media. Not only testing media usage, this research is also examining the prediction of media usage by Media Richness and Social Influence Model. The result is except downward communication media usage which lacks sufficient samples, the other communication flows' media usage prediction are Media Richness explanation of predicting media usage is better than Social Influence Model. For each press, face to face is the main choice for six presses' journalists in upward communication, horizontal communication and downward communication flow. However, United Daily News' journalists use written document as the main media in informal communication, but the other presses' still use face to face The finding in formal and upward communication, the prediction of media usage by Media Richness and Social Influence Model in Liberty Times doesn¡¦t have significant level. Meanwhile, Liberty Times and Taiwan Shin Wen News' prediction of media usage in horizontal communication don¡¦t have significant level. At last, there are only Liberty Times and Public Daily News's media usage prediction have significant level in informal communication. Keywords:intra-organization, media usage, face to face, telephone, e-mail, written document, formal communication, informal communication, upward communication, horizontal communication, downward communication, Media Richness, Social Influence Model.

<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>The purpose of this thesis is to investigate Stena Metall’s values and how they are communicated within the organization.</p><p><strong>Background: </strong>In the Fall of 2008, the world was shocked by the worst financial crisis in decades. The crisis had deep effects on the Swedish economy, and many companies suffered heavily. The recycling and environmental service company Stena Metall experienced their first negative result in 30 years, and 900 employees had to leave the company. An action program, including an altered culture was established with the purpose to adapt the operations to the new business environmental conditions. Values, which are a part of the organizational culture, were decided to be an important part of the change. To implement these in the entire organization a well-structured communication process is needed. Within these subjects; values and communication, a qualitative study at Stena Metall has been conducted.</p><p><strong>Method: </strong>To fulfill the purpose, a qualitative method has been used. Thirteen interviews were conducted to collect data from different levels of the organization. The interviews were designed differently based on the employee’s level of responsibility in the organization. The theoretical framework used when analyzing the empirical material includes earlier research in the areas of culture, with emphasis on values, and communication.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Two set of values have been identified, core values and aspiration values. The findings indicate a gap in the communicational process at Stena Metall. Part of the new information communicated about Stena Metall´s values is lost on its way from the management to the lower levels in the organization. The perception of what the values mean, both core and aspiration values, differs depending on level in the organization.</p>

Submitted by Renata Lopes (renatasil82@gmail.com) on 2017-01-16T12:29:39Z No. of bitstreams: 1 danieladeoliveiracanin.pdf: 654229 bytes, checksum: b1f0601259b871d1808b3fd24ce8fff2 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Adriana Oliveira (adriana.oliveira@ufjf.edu.br) on 2017-02-02T12:08:23Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 danieladeoliveiracanin.pdf: 654229 bytes, checksum: b1f0601259b871d1808b3fd24ce8fff2 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Adriana Oliveira (adriana.oliveira@ufjf.edu.br) on 2017-02-02T12:08:37Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 danieladeoliveiracanin.pdf: 654229 bytes, checksum: b1f0601259b871d1808b3fd24ce8fff2 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-02-02T12:08:37Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 danieladeoliveiracanin.pdf: 654229 bytes, checksum: b1f0601259b871d1808b3fd24ce8fff2 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-08-29 / A dissertação tem a proposta de observar a relação entre os processos de comunicação interna e a autolegitimação da organização. Conhecer a concepção e a relevância da comunicação, seus termos gerais e específicos, e o real significado dos canais que a dinamizam estão entre os tópicos tratados no texto. Adota-se como base o Paradigma da Complexidade, que aponta para as visões inter-relacional e sistêmica dos fenômenos de comunicação. A revisão teórica articula conceitos relacionados à “comunicação organizacional”, “comunicação interna”, “cultura organizacional”, “interação e linguagem”, dentre outros. Uma análise de situação observada a partir da comunicação interna na Fundação de Apoio ao Hospital Universitário – da Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora – envolveu também pesquisa qualitativa e realização de grupo focal com supervisores e funcionários lotados na sede da instituição e nas duas unidades de saúde geridas na região. Depoimentos dos participantes corroboram dois eixos primordiais da pesquisa: a de que a comunicação interna assume, em geral, um caráter instrumental/operacional, isto é, capaz de transmitir informação – embora exista o reconhecimento de que a comunicação pressupõe o diálogo; e que, por meio de canais formais e informais, desenvolvem-se prioritariamente relações interpessoais. Nas considerações finais, observa-se, entre outros pontos, que a comunicação interna é uma ferramenta de gestão que legitima a organização para a própria organização, desde que suas ações sejam pensadas de forma integrada. / This thesis intends to observe the relationship between the processes of internal communication and the self-legitimacy of the organization. Knowing the conception and the relevance of communication, its general and specific terms, and the actual meaning of the channels that give dynamism this are among topics covered in this text. The research is based on the Paradigm of Complexity, which points to the motion and systemic interrelation visions of the communication phenomena. The theoretical review articulates concepts related to "organizational communication", "internal communication", "organizational culture", "interaction and language", among others. An analysis of situation observed from the internal communication at the Fundação de Apoio ao Hospital Universitário, da Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora – also involved qualitative research and conducting a focal group with supervisors and employees whom work at the headquarters organization’s and at two other health units managed in the region. Testimonials from participants indicate two axes of research: the primordial, that internal communication takes, in general, as an instrumental character/operational, that is, capable of transmitting information – although there is the knowledge that communication assumes the dialogue; and that through formal and informal channels, developing interpersonal relations as a priority. In the final considerations, it is observed, among other points, that internal communication is a management tool that legitimizes the organization to the organization itself, since its actions are designed as in an integrated manner.

Onlineutbildning har blivit alltmer populär studieform dels då den är billigare att bedriva och utgör större flexibilitet och tillgänglighet för studenter. Däremot har onlineutbildningar visat sig vara problematiska när det gäller studenters avsaknad av sociala interaktioner, vilket i sin tur leder till ett lägre engagemang och färre som fullföljer sin utbildning. För att tillförse sociala interaktioner och ett ökat engagemang behöver studenter ges möjlighet att kommunicera informellt med varandra. Studien avser därför att undersöka hur lärplattformar i onlineutbildningar kan designas för att stötta informell kommunikation mellan studenter. Inledningsvis har en litteraturstudie genomförts för att identifiera designmål som sedan adresserats i en prototyp med designade funktioner. Prototypen utvärderades av testdeltagare genom kvalitativ metod, och genom analys baserat på kriterier framtagna ur litteraturstudien kunde fem designförslag presenteras, som stöttar informell kommunikation på lärplattform. Resultatet visade emellertid att det finns yttre faktorer som påverkar användandet av de föreslagna funktionerna och därför lyfts också frågan om enbart tekniska lösningar är tillräckliga för att lösa ett socialt beteende. Eftersom yttre faktorer som påverkar upplevelsen förändras utifrån individen. Detta leder till förslaget för vidare forskning att fokusera på att utforska en digital motsvarighet för campusförlagd “nollning”. Det är en samling av sociala event anordnade av svenska universitet som äger rum under de första veckorna av ett program, utformat för att introducera studenter till institutionen och för varandra. / Online education has become increasingly popular because it is cheaper to conduct and it gives a certain degree of flexibility to students, which does not exist in a standard on-campus curriculum. Despite this, online education has proven to be problematic regarding students’ lack of social interactions, which leads to reduced commitment and an increase in student dropouts. To provide opportunities for social interactions and increased commitment, students must be given opportunities to communicate informally with eachother. The study, therefore, intends to examine how Learning Management Systems in online education can be designed to support informal communication. Initially, a literature study has been performed to identify design goals. These design goals have been addressed in a prototype by designing features that have been evaluated with the help of participants using a qualitative method. The results of the evaluation were analyzed using criterias produced from the literature, which resulted in five design proposals that support informal communication within LMS. However, the results showed that there are external factors that affect the use of the design proposals and should be considered, as this study has not been able to explore them. This study raises the question on whether technical solutions can be used to solve social behavior issues in an online environment. This is because external factors that affect the experience differ between individuals, which makes the challenge more complex. There is a need for further research into a digital equivalent for, as an example, “Nollning”, a collection of social events organized by Swedish universities that takes place during the first few weeks of a program, designed to introduce students to each other.

This study focuses on agile systems development teams which work remotely during the COVID pandemic. Purpose: To identify the missing topics in informal communication and the relationship between them and team collaboration. Method: Survey is used to collect nominal data, ordinal data and qualitative data of text. 101 people participated in the survey. Analysis: An independent T-test, Spearman's rank correlation and content analysis are conducted. Result: There is a lack of discussion topics on personal information (e.g. a deeper insight into a person’s private life), social conversations (e.g. greetings and questions about weekend plans), support (e.g. giving tips and asking for help) and complaints (e.g. frustration regarding work) when they are teleworking during the COVID pandemic. Conversational topics on personal information, social conversations, support and complaints have a weak positive association with teamwork. Topics on personal information and social conversations are more strongly associated with teamwork than topics on support and complaints. The most striking results are the lack of social conversations in the age group between 30 and 39 years and those whose years of experience are between one and three years. Discussion and Conclusion: It is possible that the magnitude of topic shortages changes depending on the age and years of experience of team members, which may be a factor in how well team collaboration works. It may also become a factor determining the quality of team collaboration that causes teams to take proactive steps to increase the amount of informal communication. This study proposes to increase the amount of topics of personal information and social conversations and take serious measures to increase the amount of social conversations if the team is based on many team members whose age is between 30 and 39 years and whose years of experience are between one and three years.

Följande studie är skriven på svenska och lägger fokus på chefers kommunikation och hur den kan användas för att uppmuntra till engagemang och motivation hos anställda. Arbetet tar upp vikten av att som chef bibehålla en frekvent och öppen kommunikation samtidigt som man bör prioritera relationsbyggande kommunikation, i form av relationell kommunikation. Något som bäst görs genom att som chef upprätthålla en informell kommunikation. Studiens empiriska material består av 12 stycken semistrukturerade intervjuer med chefer i olika roller på Stena Metall AB. Studiens resultat visar vikten att som chef anpassa sin kommunikation efter mottagaren samt bibehålla en tydlighet för att undvika misskommunikation. Relationell kommunikation anses spela en större roll än förväntat och ha en direkt påverkan på medarbetarnöjdheten och den informell kommunikation var mer närvarande än vad som först gavs sken av i en hierarkisk organisation. Sammantaget visar studien hur viktig kommunikation är för att inspirera till en arbetsplats med högt engagemang och motivation hos de anställda. Det är genom de intervjuer som genomförts det blivit tydligt att chefer anser att det är dem som bär ett ansvar i att tillföra och skapa en miljö där anställda är motiverade och engagerade i sitt arbete. / The following study is written in Swedish and focuses on managers' communication and how it can be used to encourage employee engagement and motivation. The work addresses the importance of maintaining frequent and open communication as a manager, while at the same time prioritizing relationship-building communication, in the form of relational communication. Something that is best done by maintaining informal communication as a manager. The study's empirical material consists of 12 semi-structured interviews with managers in various roles at Stena Metall AB. The results of the study show the importance of adapting one's communication to the recipient as a manager and maintaining clarity to avoid miscommunication. Relational communication is considered to play a greater role than expected and to have a direct impact on employee satisfaction and informal communication was more present than first appeared in a hierarchical organization. Overall, the study shows how important communication is to inspire a workplace with high commitment and motivation among the employees. It is through the interviews that have been carried out that it has become clear that managers believe that it is they who bear the responsibility in adding and creating an environment where employees are motivated and engaged in their work.

Välfungerande kommunikation är något otroligt viktigt för företag och särskilt inom produktutvecklingsprojekt. Historiskt sett har mycket av kommunikationen varit uppbyggd kring fysisk närhet, även om det förändrats något på senaste tiden i samband med globalisering och digitalisering där företag använt sig mer av kommunikation på distans. Utbrottet av covid-19 pandemin har kraftigt ändrat förutsättningarna för företag att kommunicera, vilket tvingat många företag till snabba anpassningar i hur de kommunicerar. Syftet med denna rapport äratt studera vilka kommunikationskanaler som använts under produktutvecklingsprocessenföre och under covid-19 pandemin. Fokuset ligger på om det skett förändring i hur kommunikationskanalerna används, om nya tillkommit och i så fall konsekvenserna av detta. Rapporten är en litteraturstudie i samband med egna intervjuer för att samla in information kring kommunikationen inom produktutvecklingsprocessen. Litteraturstudien har gett en grund för hur kommunikation fungerat inom företag innan pandemin. Intervjuerna har fokuserat mer på hur kommunikationen ser ut nu, under pandemin och hur kommunikationen förändrats på grund av denna och vilka effekter dessa förändringar haft på arbetet. Tre organisationer av olika storlek har studerats. Två av dessa nämnde hur pandemin kraftigt ändrat hur de kommunicerar med varandra vilket haft effekter som att den kreativa delen av arbetet blivit svårare och att mycket av den informella kommunikationen har minskat drastiskt. Trots stora omställningar nämner dock båda organisationerna att mycket har fungerat ändå och båda beskriver att delar av kommunikationen blivit bättre. Exempelvis att ha möjligheten att hoppa in och ut ur möten samt att personalen har fått en högre mognad till digitala kommunikationskanaler. Den tredje organisationen har fortsatt med arbete på plats och därmed inte haft några större förändringar i kommunikationen. / Well-functioning communication is very important for companies, and especially in product development projects. Historically, communication has been built around physical contact, even if it has changed recently in conjunction with globalization and digitalization where companies have used more communication at a distance. The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has drastically changed the conditions for companies to communicate, which have forced many companies to make quick changes to adapt how they communicate. The purpose of this report is to study which communication channels have been used in the product development process before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Focus on changes in how channels are used, if new channels have been added and the consequences. The report is a literature study in conjunction with our own interviews to gather information about communication within the product development process. The literature study has given a ground for how communication works inside of companies before the pandemic. The interviews have been focused on how the communication is presently, during the pandemic and how the communication has changed because of it, and what effects the changes have done to the work itself. Three organizations of different sizes have been studied. Two organizations experienced a big change because of the pandemic, in how they communicate and what effects it has done to their work, where the creative segment has been a challenge and the informal communication drastically diminished. Despite large readjustments, both have managed the situation well. Even some improvements with the communication are mentioned. For example, the opportunity to jump in and out of a meeting and the digital growth for employees of communication channels. The third organization has continued working in place and has not experienced any drastic changes correlated to the communication.