In organisations today, it has become more important to work with quality development, to be able to handle and meet the rapid changes in the society. For this report, a case study has been done on a unit that works with development and administration for a Social administration, to see how they work with quality development today, and how it can be improved. Theories on quality development and continues improvements, together with research made on how to lead change has been applied in this study. The result shows that a key factor that needs to be improved, to be able to work with quality development, is to make clearer definitions of the projects from start, so that they can be analysed and developed when finished. The presented recommendation for this is to use a more structured work methodology when starting a new project. This could help the employers to get a better definition of the expectations of the project, along with a plan for follow-up, that needs to be done to keep evolving in the unit. This methodology can hopefully lead to that the culture, that today is focused on doing, can shift towards prioritizing more time for planning and development. This is central if the organisation wants to work with continues improvements. / Att arbeta med kvalitetsutveckling iorganisationerhar blivit allt mer centralt, för att försöka att möta den snabba förändring som sker, och samhälletsförväntningar. I denna rapport har en enhet som arbetar med utvecklingsuppdrag och administrativa uppgifter i en socialförvaltning undersöktsgenom en fallstudie, för att se hur de arbetar med kvalitetsutveckling,och hur detarbetetskulle kunna utvecklas. Teorier kringHörnstensmodellen och att bli en lärande organisation, samtforskning kring att leda förändring, har legat till grund för arbetet. Resultatet visar att det är framförallt svårigheter kring att få till en klar definition av uppdragen som gör att det blir svårt att arbeta med offensiv kvalitetsutveckling, då det blir svårt att följa upp och utveckla, när inga klara förväntningar är preciserade från början.Det förbättringsförslag som är presenterat handlar om ett mer strukturerat arbetssätt i uppstarten av uppdragen, som kan leda till att dedefinieras tydligare. Den mall som rekommenderas att fyllas i vid start, ska dessutominnefattauppföljningsplaner och ger möjlighet till enkel uppföljning av det egna arbetet. Mallenkan förhoppningsvis leda till att kulturen som idag fokuserar på att göra, kan börja gå mot att mer planering och uppföljning också innefattas i arbetet. Det är väsentligt att enheten försöker att bli bättre på att följa upp och utveckla, om de ska kunna arbeta med offensiv kvalitetsutveckling på ett mer givande sätt i framtiden.

Communities of Practice have been utilized with great success by organisations in the business and manufacturing sectors to help in the management of their knowledge. Not much research have been done on their application in learning organisations such as academic libraries, however. The aim of this study was therefore to determine how knowledge can be managed through Communities of Practice in a learning organisation such as an academic library. The investigation was build around the concepts knowledge management, learning organisations and Communities of Practice and the interrelationship between these concepts. The role Communities of Practice play in the management of knowledge in a learning organisation is investigated as well as the development stages in the implementation of Communities of Practice to support knowledge management. This is followed by an investigation of the factors critical to the success of Communities of Practice in a learning organisation. The investigation consisted of a literature study to help define the key concepts and to lay a framework for the research design, and is followed by an empirical study where interviews were held with some of the staff members of the Academic Information Service (AIS) of the University of Pretoria, South Africa. In conclusion it was found that the AIS was considered a learning organisation and that the AIS was in the beginning stages of knowledge management. A number of Communities of Practice in the AIS were identified that existed internally and externally, and the small number of internal Communities of Practice in the AIS were linked to specific inhibiting factors. The study also showed that Communities of Practice can be found in learning organisations, and that learning organisations are characterised by knowledge management. Knowledge managed through Communities of Practice was also shown to help in the development of learning organisations. Communities of Practice in the AIS were shown to be in the beginning stages of development. The role of management, incentives and rewards for participation, information technology/tools, attention to newcomers, knowledge capturing/sharing techniques, trust and a proper knowledge management framework were shown to be essential for the success of Communities of Practice in the AIS. / Dissertation (MIS)--University of Pretoria, 2006. / Information Science / unrestricted

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / In concluding this dissertation I am reminded of Patton's (1990) contention that in order to decide what the appropriate unit of analysis is in a study, you need to decide what it is you want to be able to say something about at the end of the study. The unit of analysis of this study was the characteristics of and strategies for developing a successful school. At the end of this study, in relation to the South African education context, I wanted to say something about what a successful school looks like and, with special reference to school OD, how a school can become successful by examining Modderdam's success story (the case) in relation to TIP's school OD model (the intervention), international and local research on successful schools (the literature), and' current South African education policies and reform initiatives (national education reform). I was particularly concerned with saying something about the implications of this study for education reform in South Africa and, where possible, other contexts. These intentions were based on the two broad aims of this study which were: The nature of this study was illuminative and not scientifically absolute. Based on the principle of learning from success it endeavoured to deepen our understanding of what constitutes a successful school and how a school can become successful. The particular context is the South African education reform process. As such, it aimed to provoke insights rather than definitive answers in response to the aims of this study. The insights that have been generated by this study have manifested at different levels of 'depth'. Chapter eight discussed emerging insights which ranged from findings such as the striking similarity between the case study's successes and the twelve generic characteristics of a successful school based on the literature, to the contention that, unlike schools in a developed context, a school in the South African context cannot be the primary unit of change. Chapter nine consolidated these emerging insights into three key insights which have in some respects gone beyond the aims of this study by, for example, proposing a framework of core conditions for an enabling school level environment. In summarising this study's insights I have attempted to portray the iterative nature of propositional order. In accordance with its two broad aims, the table below summarises this study's main insights and the implications of these insights for education reform in South Africa and beyond. the analysis process by starting with those which are of a more basic, 'findings' level and finishing with those which are of a more deeper,

This thesis aims to examine the learning organisation with regard to safety within Stora Enso’s division Packaging Solutions. This aims to identify areas where improvements can be made and provide suggestions on how to achieve this. The study also explores whether an improved learning organisation leads to better safety and productivity. The thesis covers five factories across three countries and involves the conducting of eight interviews with safety managers and production engineers. The data collected is analysed using thematic analysis and triangulated with answers from the operators via an anonymous survey regarding the safety work and with document analysis. The thematic analysis is based on five main components: Personal Mastery, Team Learning, Mental Models, Shared Vision, and System Thinking. Within these, 26 sub-themes that describe Packaging Solutions' learning organisation have been identified and analysed inductively. The analysis reveals the learning organisation of Packaging Solutions' strengths and weaknesses. The main weakness identified is a need for more proactive communication, though there is a strong desire to improve collaboration, a well-established vision, and high competence. To address these issues, recommendations are made to improve knowledge sharing and communication between and inside the mills. The thesis indicates that a strong learning organisation also leads to stronger safety culture, as key aspects of a strong safety culture, such as psychological safety, knowledge sharing, and good leadership, are also important within a learning organisation. Additionally, knowledge sharing and proactivity are essential for productivity, making a strong learning organisation beneficial for both safety and productivity. / Denna studie syftar till att undersöka hur lärande organisationen inom säkerhet ser ut inom divisionen Packaging Solutions på Stora Enso. Detta görs för att hitta utvecklingsområden för att förbättra lärande organisationen och förslag ges på hur detta skulle kunna göras. Därtill görs även kopplingar till om en förbättrad lärande organisation ger bättre säkerhet och om detta påverkar produktiviteten. Arbetet har innefattat fem fabriker i tre länder där åtta intervjuer med säkerhetschefer och produktionsledare har utförts. Data från detta har analyserats med tematisk analys och triangulerats med svar från operatörerna via en anonym enkät gällande säkerhetsarbetet och en dokumentanalys. Den tematiska analysen utgår deduktivt från ett ramverk med fem huvudkomponenter Personligt mästerskap, Teamlärande, Mentala modeller, Gemensam vision och Systemtänkande. Inom dessa har 26 underteman som beskriver Packaging Solutions lärande organisation analyserats fram induktivt vilka visar på styrkor och svagheter där den övergripande svagheten är brist på proaktiv kommunikation medan det finns en stark vilja till förbättrade samarbeten, en väl förankrad vision och hög kompetens. Utifrån dessa ges förslag på förbättringar för att öka kunskapsdelningen och kommunikationen mellan och inom enheterna. Studien visar att en stärkt lärande organisation stärker säkerheten då flera aspekter som definierar en stark säkerhetskultur, psykologisk trygghet, kunskapsdelning och gott ledarskap, alla är viktiga inom en lärande organisation och förbättras när företagsledningen arbetar mot en stärkt sådan. Därtill visar sig kunskapsdelning och proaktivitet vara viktiga byggstenar även inom ramverk som används främst för att stärka produktiviteten och en stärkt lärande organisation förväntas därför inte bara stärka säkerheten men även ha potential att öka produktiviteten.

Modern organisations are increasingly seen as knowledge-based business ventures in which proactive knowledge management is important for competitiveness. The interest in knowledge management seems to have surged across world. In the increasingly competitive and global marketplace, firms are especially keen to integrate and capitalise on the knowledge of their employees and make it available when and where it is needed. In addition, many firms realise the need to educate and indoctrinate new hirelings into the organisation quickly due to the scarcity of global resources and an aging workforce (Teicholz, 2004). As a result, many organisations implement knowledge management initiatives in an attempt to combine and exploit their knowledge assets. It is therefore necessary to critically evaluate Sasol on these terms. How the knowledge management strategy supports organisational processes is investigated along with collective learning and collaborative decision making within the organisation. An in depth literature study was conducted to gain insight into KM concepts and strategies. It also provided a reference to current best practices. Above all, the literature study helped to gain perspective on the complexities of measuring a phenomenon like KM in an organisation. Performance measurement techniques are discussed and reference made to the eras of knowledge management. A short section makes reference to another organisation considered to be a global leader in integration of knowledge management systems. The research design method that was chosen to authenticate the research objectives is qualitative. The interpretive methods employ an inductive approach that starts with data and tries to derive a theory about the phenomenon of interest from the observed data. Results were obtained from a combination of two methods. Published and available secondary data mainly obtained from Sasol resources. The second was structured interviews conducted from a criterion based sampling strategy conducted on employees to obtain primary data. Sasol employees are supportive of the Sasol KM systems and are (to some extent) using it. Many believe that Sasol is a learning organisation and therefore benefitting from the systems in place. However, the people of Sasol are generally not aware of the full functionality of the deployed systems. Therefore the current state of the Sasol KM system integration is the consequence. Organisational Knowledge, unlike personal knowledge, is only of value if it is shared with others who need it (KMI, 2010). In order to enhance collective learning, learning organisations establish specific learning processes that become embedded in work processes. This is the basis of the outcomes and the recommendations of this research. / MIng (Development and Management Engineering), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

Modern organisations are increasingly seen as knowledge-based business ventures in which proactive knowledge management is important for competitiveness. The interest in knowledge management seems to have surged across world. In the increasingly competitive and global marketplace, firms are especially keen to integrate and capitalise on the knowledge of their employees and make it available when and where it is needed. In addition, many firms realise the need to educate and indoctrinate new hirelings into the organisation quickly due to the scarcity of global resources and an aging workforce (Teicholz, 2004). As a result, many organisations implement knowledge management initiatives in an attempt to combine and exploit their knowledge assets. It is therefore necessary to critically evaluate Sasol on these terms. How the knowledge management strategy supports organisational processes is investigated along with collective learning and collaborative decision making within the organisation. An in depth literature study was conducted to gain insight into KM concepts and strategies. It also provided a reference to current best practices. Above all, the literature study helped to gain perspective on the complexities of measuring a phenomenon like KM in an organisation. Performance measurement techniques are discussed and reference made to the eras of knowledge management. A short section makes reference to another organisation considered to be a global leader in integration of knowledge management systems. The research design method that was chosen to authenticate the research objectives is qualitative. The interpretive methods employ an inductive approach that starts with data and tries to derive a theory about the phenomenon of interest from the observed data. Results were obtained from a combination of two methods. Published and available secondary data mainly obtained from Sasol resources. The second was structured interviews conducted from a criterion based sampling strategy conducted on employees to obtain primary data. Sasol employees are supportive of the Sasol KM systems and are (to some extent) using it. Many believe that Sasol is a learning organisation and therefore benefitting from the systems in place. However, the people of Sasol are generally not aware of the full functionality of the deployed systems. Therefore the current state of the Sasol KM system integration is the consequence. Organisational Knowledge, unlike personal knowledge, is only of value if it is shared with others who need it (KMI, 2010). In order to enhance collective learning, learning organisations establish specific learning processes that become embedded in work processes. This is the basis of the outcomes and the recommendations of this research. / MIng (Development and Management Engineering), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

The thesis examines two interrelated topics; the perception of management theory in general, and the efficacy of the learning organisation in particular. The purpose of this thesis, therefore, is to compare the rhetoric espoused in the learning organisation literature with a survey of senior managers in large, commercial organisations. The results revealed a positive disposition towards business and management theory in general. The survey also demonstrated that leadership is considered the most important variable in the success of a company. This is facilitated through the attraction and retention of the appropriate staff and creating sufficient space for them to operate. Learning is embedded by anticipating the future, learning from the past and enabling good communication. However, the latter is balanced through change management. This is derived through legitimate authority and a reliance on planning. Finally, a strategy of experimentation is balanced by challenging industry rules. Themes involving politics, corporate alignment and corporate longevity were found to have relatively little convergent validity. The third section of the questionnaire reveals a positive disposition towards the learning organisation. The contribution of this thesis is in three areas. First, it is the only work to evaluate the anti-guru school. Second is the development of a syncretic model of learning organisation concept using structural equation modelling. Finally, it explains and examines the largely misunderstood concept of management fashions.

<p>There are voices in the research field suggesting that universities should become learning organisations in order to be more competitive and efficient. However, the proposal is mainly based on theoretical and normative discussions rather than on empirical research. Therefore, this study has explored and reviewed in what way a university organisation has organised its inner life and illuminate in what way its local organisation matches the characteristics of a constructed theoretical model of a learning organisation. The study has furthermore explored in what way the organisational characteristics interact with one another in order to find out whether they support or hinder organisational learning.</p>

Dagens arbetsmarknad präglas av flexibilitet och ständiga förändringar som ställer höga krav på organisationers förmåga till omställning och utveckling. Syftet med studien är att undersöka hur chefers ledarskap kan främja organisatoriskt lärande mot visionen lärande organisation inom en statlig myndighet. Studien genomfördes i en organisation där det finns ett krav på ständigt lärande för att klara av sitt uppdrag. Genom en kvalitativ metod med djupintervjuer och fenomenologisk analysmetod klargjordes åtta respondenters upplevelser av ledarskapets främjande av medarbetarens lärande och utveckling. Resultatet visade att chefers ledarskap kan främja medarbetarens lärande och utveckling genom att ge individuellt stöd, vara lyhörd samt främja dialogen både på grupp- och organisationsnivå. Slutsats: De tre essenserna: ge individuellt stöd, vara lyhörd samt främja dialogen går att ställa mot huruvida de kan tillämpas på individuell- eller organisationsnivå. Individuellt stöd och lyhördhet berör främst ledarens agerande på individnivå. Dialogen däremot behöver främjas av ledarskapet både på individuell- och organisationsnivå för att bidra till en högre nivå av lärande i organisationen. / The labor market of today is characterized by flexibility and constant changes that place high demands on organizations' ability to change and develop. The purpose of the study is to investigate how the leadership by managers can promote organizational learning towards the vision learning organization within a state authority. The study was conducted in an organization where there is a requirement for continuous learning to fulfill its mission. Through a qualitative approach with deep interviews and phenomenological analysis method, eight respondents' experiences of leadership's promotion of employee learning and development were clarified. The results showed that the leadership by managers' can promote employee learning and development by  providing individual support, being responsive and promoting dialogue at both group and organizational levels. Conclusion: The three essences:  providing individual support, being responsive and promoting dialogue can be asked whether they can be applied at individual or organizational level. Individual support and responsiveness primarily concern the conduct of the leader at the individual level. Conversely, the dialogue needs to be promoted by leadership at both individual and organizational levels to achieve a higher level of learning in the organization.

Individuals and organisations need to do much more if sustainable development is to be achieved. Appropriate environmental vocational education and training (EVET) is essential for current decision makers. Crucial decisions need to be made before the present generation of school and college students achieve significant positions of authority. An increasing range of EVET courses and course providers are available within the UK. However, availability is not synonymous with suitability for either the attendee and/or his/her (future) employer. Previous research indicates that, as a component of lifelong learning, EVET courses should and the methods used to evaluate them should be student-centred. This thesis describes the development and validation of a new studentcentred evaluation framework. Preliminary literature reviews identified six fundamental issues which needed to be addressed. Existing academically productive evaluation models were examined and critically appraised in the context of these problems. The output from this process was used to develop a bespoke research methodology. Empirical research on four commercial EVET programmes revealed distinct personal, teaching and work-based presage factors which influenced course attendance, individual learning and subsequent organisational learning. Modified versions of Biggs¿ 3P model and Kirkpatrick¿s Four level Evaluation Model were shown to provide an effective student-centred evaluation framework for EVET courses. Additional critical elements pertaining course utility and the student¿s long(er) term ii retention of knowledge/skill were derived from previous research by Alliger et al (1997). Work-based presage factors and the student¿s return on expectation were added as a direct consequence of this research. The resultant new framework, the Presage-Product Evaluation Framework, was positively received during an independent validation. This confirmed inter alia that the framework should also be capable of adaption for use with other VET courses. Recommendations for additional research focus on the need to demonstrate this through further empirical studies.