Effective communication among team members in software development projects is increasingly significant for the success of the project. Successful software projects are the catalyst for achieving profitability objectives and creating shareholder value in organizations. The purpose of this single case study was to investigate communication strategies information technology (IT) project managers used for successful team collaboration in software development. The population for this study comprised senior IT project managers. The project managers had supervision responsibilities from a midsized IT company in Alberta, Canada. The sociotechnical theory guided this study as the conceptual framework. Data were collected from semistructured interviews with 13 senior IT project managers on their experiences using effective communication strategies for team collaboration. A review of 11 company documents was conducted. Using methodological triangulation and member checking of original interview transcripts served to establish the trustworthiness of final interpretations. Through thematic analysis, 4 significant themes emerged from the study: effective communication, attributes of communication, the importance of social and emotional intelligence, and the impact of postwork activities for team collaboration. The findings of this study might bring about positive change by supporting senior project managers use of communication strategies for team collaborations in midsize IT companies to increase job satisfaction and project completion.

Information technology engages users in a variety of ways. No longer confined to information systems in organizational contexts, technology has become much more pervasive and personalized. As individuals are increasingly exposed to the types of triggers that prompt automatic technology engagement, technology use has moved beyond the bounds of intentionality. This leads to the development of technology-use behaviors that may become automatic or difficult to control. Individuals can begin to develop spontaneous-use behaviors and feel compelled to interact with the systems they use. This new type of system use is called compulsive technology use. Compulsive technology use is defined as spontaneous interaction with an information system or technology that is unintentional, uncontrollable, effortless, and efficient. Compulsive technology use is effortless and efficient in that it does not interfere with other cognitive processes. Compulsive technology use is unintentional in the sense that no act of will is required to initiate it. Compulsive technology use is uncontrollable in that a person has difficulty controlling the process once it has been initiated. But little is known about what drives compulsive technology use. This dissertation explores the phenomenon of compulsive technology use in the context of mobile applications. The roles of technology habit and perceptions of sunk costs in the development of compulsive technology use will be addressed. In addition, identifying the technological drivers of technology habit will contribute to the understanding of how the characteristics and features of technology influence compulsive technology use. / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Management in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Spring Semester, 2014. / April 4, 2014. / Automatic, Compulsive, Habit, Mobile Apps, Sunk Costs, Triggers / Includes bibliographical references. / Ashley Bush, Professor Directing Dissertation; Charles Hofacker, University Representative; David Paradice, Committee Member; Deborah Armstrong, Committee Member.

Although deception research in the communication field has a long history, it is a relatively new topic of research in management information systems. Deception detection research has expanded to include lies transmitted via computer-mediated communication. Recent studies have only begun to look at the influence of media richness, training, and warning on deception detection accuracy. Studies on the effect of training on deception cue recognition with cross-media comparison are scarce. In addition, few studies have been conducted on the effects of training with warning on deception detection. This study examines the effects of media richness, training, warning, and the combination of training and warning on deception detection accuracy. To test the hypotheses, a laboratory experiment, in which deceivers were interviewed based upon deceptive information in their enhanced resumes, was conducted. Results of the study indicate that training in deceptive cue recognition improves deception detection success. / A Dissertation Submitted to the Department of Management Information Systems in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Summer Semester, 2005. / June 24, 2005. / Media Richness, MIS, Training, Deception, Warning, Computer-mediated Communication / Includes bibliographical references. / Joey F. George, Professor Directing Dissertation; Gerald R. Ferris, Outside Committee Member; David B. Paradice, Committee Member; Michael H. Dickey, Committee Member; Pamela L. Perrewe, Committee Member.

Emotion regulation at work has been receiving an increasing amount of research attention in the literature over the past two decades. The management literature has focused primarily on emotion regulation in the service sector, with emotional dissonance as the explanatory variable predicting primarily negative intrapersonal outcomes, such as experienced stress and burnout. An emerging stream of research in other literatures, such as developmental psychology and social psychology, however, views emotion regulation in a more positive way as being essential for personal growth and positive social relationships. Building on this stream of research and previous literature on emotional labor, it is proposed that both intrapersonal and interpersonal mechanisms are important factors that determine the consequences of emotion regulation. By integrating interpersonal mechanisms of emotion regulation in the theory building, and by examining individuals' emotion regulatory behaviors beyond the service sector, this study seeks to present a clearer picture as to the influences of emotion regulation on one's work life than has been previously examined. Integrating previous research, the dissertation presents a comprehensive model of the antecedents, mediators, moderators, and consequences of emotion regulation. Both situational and individual differences factors that influence individuals' tendency to regulate their own emotions are considered. Further, emotion regulatory strategies and political skill are argued to play important roles in determining the effectiveness of emotion regulation. Both intrapersonal mechanisms (i.e., emotional dissonance) and interpersonal mechanisms (i.e., peer perceived authenticity, liking, trust, and social support) are proposed to mediate the influences emotion regulation has on such work related outcomes as affective well being, job satisfaction and job performance. Matched survey data were collected from 108 pairs of employees from a hospice organization. Hierarchical regression and structural equation modeling were used to test the hypotheses. Additional analyses were also conducted based on the hypotheses testing results and prior research. Results provided support for a number of the hypotheses set forth regarding the antecedents of emotion self regulation, including the positive influence of emotional self awareness, and negative influence of social status, on the frequency of emotion self regulation. The majority of the moderating hypotheses did not receive support from the data. The data also failed to provide adequate support for the interpersonal mechanisms of emotion self regulation. However, further analyses of the main effects of emotion regulatory strategies revealed some interesting relationships between emotion regulatory strategies and relationship quality and affective well being, and further, with job satisfaction, trust, and social support. The additional analyses also found evidence for main effects of political skill on work related outcomes including affective well being, job satisfaction, and job performance. A discussion of the results includes an evaluation of research limitations, suggestions for future research, contributions to the literature, and practical limitations. / A Dissertation Submitted to the Department of Management in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Fall Semester, 2006. / May 19, 2005. / Emotion in Organizations, Emotion Regulation / Includes bibliographical references. / Pamela L. Perrewé, Professor Directing Dissertation; John Corrigan, Outside Committee Member; Gerald R. Ferris, Committee Member; Bruce T. Lamont, Committee Member.

Within the last decade, researchers and managers in organizations have become increasingly interested in understanding knowledge and the processes through which knowledge is created, distributed, and exchanged. The recognition that knowledge is a valuable resource has emerged within an increasingly complex business environment, one in which advances in technologies have enabled the exchange of knowledge in unprecedented ways. Thus, the link between technology and knowledge exchange is a significant topic of interest, and one that has important implications for how technology is implemented to support knowledge work. The purpose of this dissertation is to further the understanding of knowledge exchange within organizations, and how technology has influenced this exchange, by examining the dyadic relationships between people by mapping how knowledge flows from one person to another. A key extension of prior research is the inclusion of both face-to-face exchanges and email exchanges. Using a social network approach, this study was based on theories of social capital to develop hypotheses describing how an individual's centrality in one network, e.g. the email communication network, is related to his/her centrality in the knowledge network. We then developed hypotheses relating to centrality in the knowledge network to individual performance, both in terms of creativity and efficiency. Data were gathered and analyzed in network form, and we used SNA (social network analysis) and SEM (structural equation modeling) to test the hypotheses. Although intended to increase the effectiveness of knowledge exchange, technology may actually inhibit the exchange of certain types of knowledge. For example, Davenport and Prusak (2000) suggest that the use of CMC (computer-mediated communication) can diminish the personal contact that is often required for the effective exchange of more tacit-related knowledge. Thus, the key contribution of this study is to understand how technology affects the exchange of different types of knowledge, and how an individual's position in the knowledge network affects performance. The findings from this research suggest some important modifications to our theoretical understanding of knowledge exchange and performance. First, individuals sharing knowledge do not see it as simply tacit/explicit, but also consider its sensitivity. Face-to-face channels with trusted sources are the most preferred method for exchanging sensitive knowledge. Second, the communication channel is not an important consideration in the exchange of research knowledge – this requires knowing where expertise resides and if that expertise will be made available. Finally, the findings suggest that embedding knowledge workers in more knowledge flows does not result in a uniform increase in individual performance. Some work tasks, such as teaching, require practice over long periods of time and innate abilities. So how does the structure and quality of relationships impact knowledge exchange and performance? It depends on the sensitivity of the knowledge more than the tacitness of the knowledge, and the type of tasks being performed. / A Dissertation Submitted to the Department of Management Information Systems in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Fall Semester, 2009. / June 30, 2009. / Social Network, Knowledge Exchange, Individual Performance, Social Capital / Includes bibliographical references. / Molly Wasko, Professor Co-Directing Dissertation; David Paradice, Professor Co-Directing Dissertation; Pamela Perrewé, Outside Committee Member; Deborah Armstrong, Committee Member.

Open Source Software (OSS) has exploded over the last few years as a means of producing high-quality software. The members of OSS project communities develop and support the software on a mostly volunteer basis, usually with no financial remuneration. This software is then made freely available (in both monetary terms and licensing terms) to those who wish to utilize it. Much has been written about the use of OSS in business, motivations of the volunteers, OSS software quality and how OSS communities are organized and governed. Two aspects of OSS that remain unexplored revolve around how an OSS project community is sustained, and whether such a community is necessary for the success of the software. These questions form the basis for this study. In this study, OSS is first demonstrated to have many properties of a public good, with the associated attributes of non-rivalry and non-excludability. Unlike typical public goods, OSS is not subject to underproduction as it may be disjunctively produced. It is not subject to overutilization either, since multiple copies may be made for essentially zero cost. The key issue to be investigated in OSS is neither production nor consumption of the public good, but rather how to sustain the project community which writes, supports, and improves the software. Sustaining this community is possible due to network effects – that is, the software becomes more useful as more individuals use it. Among this body of users are some individuals who are willing to donate their time and talents to the community. A model of community success which proposes that resources furnished by project members are converted into benefits to the community through communication activities is utilized to answer the research questions driving this study. A community must maintain access to a pool of resources such as the time, energy, knowledge and material resources of its members. These resources are converted into benefits for the community through communication activities. Increased communication activities about support and development issues relating to the software lead to a more successful software product and a more successful community, as indicated by higher levels of social capital within the community. A more successful OSS project – in terms of both software and community – will be able to grow through retention of existing members and attraction of new members. These individuals in turn increase the resources available to the community. / A Dissertation Submitted to the Department of Management Information Systems in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Spring Semester, 2007. / March 12, 2007. / Open Source, Virtual Communities, Software Development, Open Source Software, Free Software / Includes bibliographical references. / David Paradice, Professor Directing Dissertation; G. Stacy Sirmans, Outside Committee Member; Molly Wasko, Committee Member; Katherine Chudoba, Committee Member.

Today's business organizations emphasize the importance of teamwork and collaboration within work groups more than ever before. Unfortunately, group interaction is not always positive. Very little research has been conducted to investigate the behavior and judgments of group members who are belong to group in which one of the members is deceptive. This study is one of the first attempts to look at this phenomenon, from both the deceiver and receiver sides. Groups of three student subjects engaged in a group negotiation task, with one of the group members randomly assigned the role of deceiver. Groups varied by the availability of computer-supported communication for discussion purposes, their physical proximity with one another, and the number of group members who were warned about the possibility of deception. Hypotheses were developed to predict the amount of deceptive activity and the level of deception detection displayed by group members in each of these circumstances. Results indicated that individuals lied more when using computers to communicate with others and when both of their group partners had been warned. Group members were not proficient at detecting lies in any of the conditions. Implications of these findings and their potential implications for research and practice are discussed. / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Management Information Systems in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Summer Semester, 2004. / June 17, 2004. / Groups, Computers, CMC, Dispersion, Deception / Includes bibliographical references. / Joey F. George, Professor Directing Dissertation; Gerald R. Ferris, Outside Committee Member; Katherine M. Chudoba, Committee Member; David B. Paradice, Committee Member.

Although much research related to deceptive behavior and its detection has been conducted in the last several years, little of it has focused on deception outside of a North American context. Similarly, most deceptive research has investigated face-to-face verbal communication and neglected computer-mediated communication. As a result, this dissertation is an effort to better understand how computer-mediated communication and espoused cultural values affect deceptive behavior and deception detection. The proposed research model posits relationships between computer-mediated communication media, cue detection, media familiarity, national culture, espoused cultural values, veracity judgment success, and deceptive behavior. An experiment was conducted which looked across two national cultures, Spain and the U.S. Participants served as judges by viewing stimulus tapes via a computer and giving veracity judgments either within or between cultures. Data were collected from a total of 210 subjects and analyzed using structural equation modeling, general linear modeling, and t-tests. Results suggest that Spanish judges were better able to detect deception within their own culture, whereas American judges were better able to detect deception across cultures. Furthermore, the espoused cultural values of masculinity and universalism increased deceptive behavior. Finally, computer-mediated communication was found to increase deceptive behavior relative to face-to-face communication. / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Management Information Systems in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Summer Semester, 2009. / June 30, 2009. / Deception, CMC, Culture / Includes bibliographical references. / Joey F. George, Professor Directing Dissertation; Lee Stepina, Outside Committee Member; David B. Paradice, Committee Member; Ashley A. Bush, Committee Member.

Models are widely used for communication and documentation purposes. They also tend to be used as parameters for code generation. Because these models have to be complete, consistent and correct we have to support modellers in keeping their models clean. The modeller should have the choice to select the preferred view and the needed level of detail for his modelling and model maintenance tasks. This paper proposes a model architecture named AMABULO for a model driven development process of business logic for information systems. The model architecture consists of a meta model, corresponding visual diagrams and an interchange format. With the use of AMABULO the development process for business logic is supported from analysis until code generation.

Countries no longer contest solely on monetary capital and strength for survival, sustainable growth, development and advancement, but rather on creation, accumulation and strategic use of cutting-edge knowledge. A winning knowledge management (KM) programme makes innovations feasible, enables better and faster decisions, and increases staff productivity, product and service quality and deliverable consistency by capitalising on intellectual and knowledge-based assets, thereby enhancing organisational performance. Eager to reap the benefits of KM, many organisations leap into a knowledge management solution; however, implementation of KM can be a challenge. The challenges emanate from failure to effectively incorporate and manage the crucial elements that determine the successful implementation of KM as an organisational tool that engages people, strategy, corporate culture and information technology. This interpretive case study focuses on Zimbabwe’s electricity supply industry, which is on the verge of losing knowledge from its experienced employees owing to employee retirement and employee mobility. The Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission and Distribution Company (ZETDC), a state-owned company, is accountable for transmitting electricity from power stations, distributing it and retailing it to end users. The recent revival of the economy in Zimbabwe has increased demand and there is much pressure on the power generation capacity of ZETDC to meet demand from the industry and private households. This pressure affects the ZETDC’s operating model and therefore, organisational tools such as KM must be applied to manage its impact. Secondary data was collected through a review of the relevant literature and questionnaires and semi-structured interviews in ZETDC. Data collected was analysed and the themes that emerged were reported on. The study found that the ZETDC might suffer knowledge drain because of lack of an adequate system and procedures to manage its knowledge assets. Therefore, a proper KM system and strategy are required to ensure that both tacit knowledge and explicit knowledge are effectively passed on to the remaining and future employees. Furthermore, the electricity supply industry must integrate, build and remodel its internal and external capabilities through KM activities to improve application of KM as an organisational tool for enhancing performance in the fast-changing environment in which it operates. / Dissertation (MIT)--University of Pretoria, 2020. / UP Postgraduate Masters Research bursary / Informatics / MIT (Information Systems) / Unrestricted