Servant leadership är ett begrepp som visar potential inom ledarskapsforskningen, framförallt för att förklara meningsskapande ledarskap, hur ledaren leder sig själv samt hur ledarskap kan accepteras utan auktoritet. Problemet är att forskningen hittills varit alltför okritisk. Begreppets validitet har bevisats i kvantitativa mått, men dess implikationer för själva ledarskapsutövandet eller ledaren är oklara. Syftet med uppsatsen är att testa begreppet servant leadership som verktyg för ledarskapsstudier. Kan begreppet konkretiseras och mätas? Kan man vara säker på vad man mäter? För att besvara dessa frågor omfattar uppsatsen en granskande litteraturstudie och en tillämpande fallstudie i tre delar. Resultaten antyder att begreppet servant leadership kan brista i precision och tillförlitlighet. Vissa viktiga faktorer avspeglas inte i enkätresultat, medan andra okända eller irrelevanta påverkar desto mer. Enkätstudier av servant leadership kan, i sin nuvarande utformning, inte bidra med någon förståelse för vad man faktiskt har mätt. Servant leadership kan dock vara värdefullt genom att lyfta intressanta frågor om ledarskap, oaktat mätbarhet. Fallstudien har genomförts i tre delar: En liten replikerande enkätundersökning bland soldaterna i en spaningsgrupp, en omfattande deltagande observation vid en av gruppens övningar, samt en intervju med gruppens chef. Uppsatsen behandlar huvudsakligen teorier om servant leadership (Robert Greenleaf, Larry Spears, Page och Wong) utifrån teorier om meningsskapande ledarskap (Lars Svedberg) samt self leadership (Crossan och Mazutis). / Servant leadership is a concept that shows potential in leadership research, in particular to explain management of meaning, self leadership and acceptance of leadership without authority. The problem is that research this far lacks a critical perspective. Validity of servant leadership measurements has been proven statistically, but its implications for the leadership or the leader remain unclear. The purpose of this paper is to test the concept of servant leadership as a tool for leadership studies. Can it be concretized and measured? Can one be certain as to what is measured? To answer these questions, this paper includes an auditing study of literature and a practical, utilizing case study in three parts. The results indicate that the concept of servant leadership might be lacking in precision and reliability. Some important factors are not reflected in survey results, while other unknown or irrelevant ones have too great of an impact. Survey studies of servant leadership, in their current form don’t seem provide any understanding as to what is actually being measured. This being said, servant leadership can be valuable through raising interesting questions about leadership, regardless of measurability.

According to many, the legal industry is currently suffering from a professionalism problem. The following dissertation is a response to the question, "What can be done about incivility in the practice of law in Florida?" It begins by exploring the literature examining ethics and professionalism, specifically focusing on the role communication plays in the production and reification of patterns of meaning and action. After contextualizing the professionalism problem socio-culturally and historically, the dissertation next provides an overview of some relevant aspects of the Coordinated Management of Meaning (a theoretical communication framework employed to help make sense of the existing state of affairs) and examines how legal scholars and practitioners can begin to communicate their way out of the problem. Following the literature review, the dissertation outlines four research questions and addresses the study's use of the World Cafe design principles and methodology for examining the "professionalism problem." Finally, the dissertation concludes by relating four key findings and an observation as well as addressing five ways in which the research has practical and theoretical implications. In embracing CMM to analyze the conversational patterns and practices of law as they relate to ethics and professionalism, this research theoretically aligns primarily with the sociocultural tradition with some critical and cybernetic overtones. While there are many ways one might examine the professionalism problem, CMM offers an exemplary lens with which to both analyze the problem and proffer a discursive pathway out of the problem. From a communication perspective, the problematics of ethics and professionalism in the practice of law can be understood to originate in the inherent polysemy of language and the incommensurability of moral orders deriving from alternative forms of communication.

The business environment is currently typified by rapid and ongoing change, which causes the future to be increasingly unpredictable and unsettled. Companies are struggling to maintain their competitive edge and to survive. It is therefore important that management should ensure that the necessary competencies and abilities are available to enable the coordination of both diversified and specialised functions within the company. This underlines the importance of effective teamwork in organizations. The purpose of this study is to examine the role of team leadership in the effectiveness of management teams. In order to attain this goal, the primary focus of the literature study was team leadership. Chapter 2 comprehensively discusses the most important aspects determining effective teams and team efficiency in organizations. The analysis of the literature was focused specifically on the general factors determining team efficiency and twenty critical factors were identified. In chapter 3 team leadership is discussed. A comprehensive literature study was done in order to identify the characteristics of an effective team leader, as well as the roles he/she is expected to play in the team. Qualitative analysis of the literature indicated 17 discernable roles which are discussed comprehensively in this chapter. Qualitative as well as quantitative research methodologies were used in order to achieve the objective of this study. Qualitative methodology was used mainly to analyze the available literature. Quantitative research involved a random sample of 19 teams, which were selected from all divisions of the organization. A dual criterion, consisting of an evaluation of the group dynamics in the teams and also of quantifyable team output was used. On the basis of the criterion these teams were divided into nine effective and ten ineffective teams. The team leaders were assessed by means of a 360° questionnaire. The head of the team, team members and the team leaders themselves were required to do the assessment according to five identified dimensions describing team leadership. The effective and ineffective teams were compared using the Mann-Whitney U-test to determine whether any significant differences between the teams exist in terms of the following five dimensions: "management of attention" (dimension 1); "management of meaning and motivation" (dimension 2); "management of trust" (dimension 3); "management of self" (dimension 4) and "management of empowerment" (dimension 5). From the comparison between the effective and ineffective teams the following results were apparent: There is a clear tendency to indicate that in the case of effective teams, when assessing the team leader, the assessment by team members and team leaders coincide. In the case of ineffective teams, leaders tend to rate themselves considerably higher than the team members do. This leads to the conclusion that leaders of effective teams have a realistic view of their ability as team leaders. Significant differences were also discernable in the following dimensions: "management of attention" (dimension 1); "management of trust" (dimension 3); "management of self" (dimension 4) and "management of empowerment" (dimension 5). The most significant differences were found in terms of dimensions 3 and 5. Results indicate that leaders of effective teams have a realistic concept of their ability; that they have the ability to purposefully lead their team members; that they can inspire trust in their team members; that they manage themselves effectively and that they empower their team members in all areas and aspects. / Thesis (MCom (Human Resources Management))--University of Pretoria, 2004. / Human Resource Management / unrestricted

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Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / The city of Austin is a small community in Southern Indiana that experienced a large HIV/AIDS outbreak which infected over 180 people. Due to rapid spread of the disease from shared needles during intravenous drug use, a public health emergency was declared in March 2015. This epidemic was a symptom of the overall communal health issues within the area related to drugs, crime, prostitution and poverty. These problems affect residents’ physical and mental health, however, often go unaddressed due to limited resources, healthcare and education. Organizations within the area were affected by the epidemic, and many provided a response to help combat the issue. The purpose of this study is to examine how organizations respond to a health crisis from a communication perspective. Research question one is, what was the level of coordination between the seven organizations during the HIV/AIDS epidemic? Research question two is, what was the public’s response to the effort made by the seven organizations? This study interviewed seven participants and a thematic analysis was conducted that discovered four themes: coordinated response, uncoordinated activities, response time, and inadequate response. In response to research question one, the levels of coordination were infrequent with the seven agencies. Research question two found multiple areas that indicated the agencies approach ineffective in adequately informing the public. The agencies’ efforts displayed a lack of coordination and poor timely response to the crisis. These issues show it is imperative that we develop a resilient health system to operate systemically. By implementing communication for whole health, it would provide a resilient system for agencies to understand and develop coordination and collaboration between each other. With a sense of coordination, they would then be able to execute ways of promoting and living out better physical and mental health (Parrish-Sprowl and Parrish-Sprowl, 2016).

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / This study seeks to elucidate the concept of resources at risk as detailed in the Coordinated Management of Meaning (CMM) theoretical framework. Risk is the possibility that a communicator’s resources are in jeopardy of change, and this study seeks to explicate how a communicator places his or her resources at risk. An undergraduate spring break study abroad program was selected as the context for this examination, with six students participating in before and after interviews. Results showed that three types of resources at risk were identified, with a fourth type unable to be identified through transcript analysis. This study demonstrates theoretical and practical implications that further the understanding of CMM and its execution. In addition, limitations and areas for future research are discussed.

Women are being elevated into more leadership roles in society - roles that have long been primarly held by men. Women are also rising within male-dominated professions, and recent studies indicate that more women are being placed in key management positions. In order to gain credibility in leadership, women must find a management style that exudes authority, but also corresponds with the expectations of appropriate female behavior within masculine organizational contexts. In examining women in roles that are traditionally held by men, we conducted an interview-study to investigate and analyze the communication strategies of female managers in male-dominated companies. The study included analysis of communication strategies used by women as compared to their male colleagues. We note that research in this area has previously been done, but there has been a fairly limited focus examining only female communication strategies. Our study shows that the women use a variety of communication strategies, rather than a single strategy, and the main conclusion we can draw is that the women are proficient in changing communication strategies and methods depending on their audience. The study also shows an unexpected fact that goes against the published research on female communication in typically male dominated roles: Women in male-dominated professions choose to take on the communication style of men, using straight, simple and factual communication, rather than detailed, less direct communication styles generally associated with women.

<p>The starting point for this study is the question of why organizational visions are often interpreted by employees as unintelligible and insignificant. The knowledge gap in this area makes the study of communication about vision and goals both urgent and interesting.</p><p>Accordingly, the purpose is to advance knowledge on communication processes in organizations through description and analysis of communication about strategy, encompassing vision, strategic objectives and common values, in a company.</p><p>A case study design was chosen and a longitudinal qualitative study was conducted in the company, from April 1998 to January 2000. A combination of methods were used, including participant observation, discourse analysis and interviews.</p><p>Communication about the strategy followed a typical top-down model, starting on group level and ending on department level. In this process, Balanced Scorecard was used as a tool to communicate the strategy.</p><p>It was concluded that visions formulated by top managers met different realities constructed by managers at lower levels in the company. Managers’ attitudes, knowledge and interpretations were important individual factors that influenced communication about the strategy. Employees did not have the same detailed knowledge of the strategy as the managers, nor were they given the same opportunities to obtain it.</p><p>The discourse analysis reveals power structures, conflicts, individual attitudes and perspectives. The study thus results in a deep understanding of communication problems in the organization.</p>

The starting point for this study is the question of why organizational visions are often interpreted by employees as unintelligible and insignificant. The knowledge gap in this area makes the study of communication about vision and goals both urgent and interesting. Accordingly, the purpose is to advance knowledge on communication processes in organizations through description and analysis of communication about strategy, encompassing vision, strategic objectives and common values, in a company. A case study design was chosen and a longitudinal qualitative study was conducted in the company, from April 1998 to January 2000. A combination of methods were used, including participant observation, discourse analysis and interviews. Communication about the strategy followed a typical top-down model, starting on group level and ending on department level. In this process, Balanced Scorecard was used as a tool to communicate the strategy. It was concluded that visions formulated by top managers met different realities constructed by managers at lower levels in the company. Managers’ attitudes, knowledge and interpretations were important individual factors that influenced communication about the strategy. Employees did not have the same detailed knowledge of the strategy as the managers, nor were they given the same opportunities to obtain it. The discourse analysis reveals power structures, conflicts, individual attitudes and perspectives. The study thus results in a deep understanding of communication problems in the organization.

Communication / MA (Communication)