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The study of organisational development is central to the discipline of management. Despite an array of models, our systematic knowledge of how organisations grow remains limited, with the dominant models of organisational development offering, at best, partial explanations of firm growth. The dominant schools of organisational development generally emphasise one source of change drivers (e.g., internal vs. external), as opposed to providing a more holistic and complete account of organisational development. There is also a lack of focus in the organisational development literature on the phenomena of continuous change. The literature remains dominated by examinations of radical, second order or discontinuous change, which often provides useful information on how firms deal with crises, but provides little by way of advice on how to avoid such crises in the first place. / PhD Doctorate

This research suggests that to model the complex dynamics of the organisational change in a firm evolving as it implements internet technologies requires capturing diverse independent and interdependent processes across multiple temporal and spatial context both within and external to the firm. This presents both an ontological and epistemological challenge as dominant research methods are either atemporal in nature and attribute action to disembodied variables or are simply storytelling. To provide explanatory legitimacy requires going deeper to capture the action of actors 'acting' within multiple levels of context and to pinpoint deeper 'rock-bottom' causal mechanisms that drive the higher order processes that give rise to the 'organisational life' we observe. To accomplish explanatory legitimacy I develop an analytical method that makes processuality fundamental and allows for the examination and theorising about mechanisms. The first essential element of this method is a framework that guides the researcher in the systematic gathering together of what we already know from the multidisciplinary and eclectic research in e-business, and in the intensive work of gathering empirical evidence. I apply a new methodology I call narrative sequence analysis, that combines process tracing and sequence analyses to make processes intelligible and help illustrate how mechanisms drive these processes. I use this method to develop an explanatory account of the process of e-business development covering three episodes of change within the Commonwealth Bank of Australia from 1995 to 2006. The research finds that the firm evolves over time as it develops new capabilities and identifies and pursues development opportunities by assembling and committing resources to e-business though both technology development and business application. It draws on past experience and gradually learns to develop, integrate and implement technology into existing business operations, discovers new innovative opportunities in which to apply the technology or is drawn into new areas by others who identify opportunities in which to apply the firm's knowledge, resources and technology. The path to development depends on the firms starting position and the timing of the sequence of events encountered along the way. It is a coevolutionary process where the firm interacts, cooperates, adapts and responds to the actions and interactions of other actors, balanced by the uncertainty of e-business and business operation risk.

The study of organisational development is central to the discipline of management. Despite an array of models, our systematic knowledge of how organisations grow remains limited, with the dominant models of organisational development offering, at best, partial explanations of firm growth. The dominant schools of organisational development generally emphasise one source of change drivers (e.g., internal vs. external), as opposed to providing a more holistic and complete account of organisational development. There is also a lack of focus in the organisational development literature on the phenomena of continuous change. The literature remains dominated by examinations of radical, second order or discontinuous change, which often provides useful information on how firms deal with crises, but provides little by way of advice on how to avoid such crises in the first place. / PhD Doctorate

A large number of studies suggest that the content of strategy becomes more multifaceted and elaborate and characterised by progressive development over time. Recently, a growing number of researchers argue that strategy can become simple, stable and inert over time. This study investigates how changes of sociocognitive processes at individual, group and organisational levels influence organisational processes and strategic decisions. It adopts configurational approach to strategy development and its concepts (configurations, transformations, archetypes) as a framework. Thus, the purpose is to provide a characterisation of strategy development by analysing the integration of four key research dimensions (social, cognitive, organisational performance and contextual) into one coherent theoretical structure - the model of organisational archetypes. This four-dimensional model is developed from the analysis of fifty one Ukrainian organisations using quantitative and qualitative research methods (questionnaire, interview and group interview) according to the logical structure of configurational research (modelling the sociocognitive basis, modelling the "fit between research dimensions and modelling configurations and archetypes). Following on from this, the model of organisational archetypes is validated in four other organisations through the development of a test of organisational internal creative environment in order to identify their configurations (current conditions) and archetypes (strategic perspectives). The procedure of this test includes the following sequence of actions: identifying sociocognitive characteristics of organisational members and the organisational internal creative environment, identifying periods of transformation and configuration in the process of organisational development, researching characteristics of the business-environment, and identifying appropriate organisational archetypes. The model of organisational archetypes developed in this thesis allows the identification of current and prospective organisational conditions and making relevant strategic decisions that reflect and anticipate changes in organisational internal and external environments. Thus, changes in the organisational internal creative environment (sociocognitive characteristics of organisational members) reflect changes in the business-environment and organisational performance and transform the characteristics of strategic decisions from multifaceted and elaborate to simple and inert and vice versa.

Yes / In England, care homes for older people have been subject to four different regulatory bodies within the last six years (see Table 1). The government has announced further change with the creation of a new regulator of adult health and social care in 2009 (CSCI, 2007). The current regulatory body, the Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI) will merge with the Healthcare Commission and the Mental Health Act Commission to create the Care Quality Commission. The Department of Health (DOH) is currently reviewing the future regulation of health and adult social care in England (DOH, 2005; DOH, 2006a) and the way that CSCI carries out the regulation and inspection of a range of social care agencies including care homes for older people. Substantial reforms of the regulatory system of regulation and inspection were embodied in the Care Standards Act (CSA) 2000 that was part of the wider Government agenda to modernize health and social care services. The Act established new regulatory bodies for care services and workers and along with the regulations and mandatory National Minimum Standards (NMS) created a framework to ensure greater consistency of quality and to better protect vulnerable children and adults (Engelman and Spencer, 2003). The impact of these changes for both inspectors and providers of care services has been significant. Regulators have had to adjust and adopt new ways of working whilst carrying out their statutory responsibilities. Care providers have had to respond to the revised changes in standards and requirements of registration. This article examines inspection as a mechanism for improving the quality of care standards. It reports on a study conducted in 2004 that sought the views of managers of care homes for older people about the NMS and the inspection process at that time. The role of inspectors will be considered in light of the findings and published literature.

<p>Cracks in the Spirit of Community is a study of a Swedishtrade union in a period of change. Increasingly, traditionaltrade unions´ work based on collective solutions has comeinto question, and the customer perspective of trade unionactivities is becoming more prominent. At the same time, ageneration of mainstay trade union supporters at ourcountry´s workplaces are approaching retirement age. Howdo these - now ageing - children of Sweden´s"people´s home" hand over our society´s institutionsand pass on its traditions to a new generation? Is there a riskthat knowledge will be lost? And is anyone in the newgeneration ready to receive this knowledge?</p><p>A systematic and structured dialogue with participants fromSif, Sweden´s leading white collar union, helped developthis complex of problems. The work focused on the interactionbetween people to build up a community of understanding, whichwas at the core of earlier trade union tradition. Broadeningthe present pattern of action allows more long-term trends tobe traced. A disregard for matters of common concern, andunstated dissension, cause cracks in the spirit of community,cracks that undermine the power of collective action inpolitical matters. This dissertation poses complex questionsabout democracy, participation and common responsibility.</p><p>The case study was carried out as a series of dialogueseminars with a carefully-selected group of people from Sif.The dialogue seminar method was developed to bring to the foretacit knowledge in skills research. By focussing onvalue-based, shared human knowledge, the dissertation puts tothe test a new application of the dialogue seminar method. Thisstudy illustrates a shift from common interests to individualinterests. It points out general trends in the development ofour society - a trade union member, an employee and a citizenis often one and the same person.</p>

This study focused on whether empowerment at individual, organisational and community levels was evident in the context of a school development planning programme. A contextualist, multi-method approach to the study was used, combining quantitative and qualitative data. A School Development Planning Evaluation Scale was developed to assess organisational empowerment in a school context. Quantitative data measuring variables associated with empowerment were also examined to establish whether involvement in the programme was associated with empowerment at the individual (locus of control and general and specific efficacy) and organisational (participation and leadership) levels. An ex post facto analysis based on a post-test only comparison group evaluation design was conducted to explore the impact of the programme. Focus groups and interviews were conducted to establish whether school staff reported that involvement in the programme had led to their personal empowerment and the empowerment of their schools. Archival data relating to the schools were also examined. Relationships between the variables were explored using multiple regression and structural equation modelling. A model of school development was developed and tested. The results indicated that extent of involvement in the programme was not a significant influence on level of empowerment. More important was the influence of school leadership, and in particular the leadership style exercised by the principal. Impact and relationship matrices, integrating the quantitative and qualitative analyses, indicated that the programme had effects on both individuals and schools, and that the process of school development planning was related to aspects of organisational empowerment. Issues of organisational internal capacity and contextual support, however, influenced implementation of school development planning. The study suggests that school development planning is a process which is contextually related, and confirms and refines the nomological network of II organisational empowerment. The results indicate that a variety of individual, organisational and contextual factors impact on individual and organisational empowerment and that a multi-level perspective is necessary for understanding the school development process. The study also suggests that community psychology, and empowerment theory in particular, offer useful frameworks for theorising and researching school development issues at individual, organisational and community levels.

The information technology (IT) industry in South Africa has undergone major technological changes, and continues to do so. These changes are dynamic and demand significant interventions on the part of the workforce. If an organisation is to change, then systemic and sustainable changes are essential. Hence, a prerequisite is that employees within this industry need constantly to improve their knowledge and skills. The study was conducted within the broadcasting information technology (BIT) unit of a broadcasting company in South Africa. The aim of the research was to determine if skills development and training promotes professional and organisational development. A case study methodology within the qualitative paradigm was employed. Data was collected through a questionnaire, interviews, observations and document analysis. The research explored crucial issues in training and development in relation to professional and organisational development. The research findings indicated that perceptions of the success of skills development programmes far outweighed perceptions of failure. The research concluded that skills development and training programmes promote professional development. Organisational development, however, was promoted only to the extent that employees remained in the employ of the organisation. In addition, this research suggests that there is scope for future research in this field.

Purpose: The focus of this research is to understand the impact of diversity on global leadership performance. Design/methodology/approach: From the literature review the researcher developed the components of the LEAD³ tool as well as, devised the questions for the in-depth semi-structured interviews that would test the tool. The questions centred on the three constructs of leadership, diversity and organisational factors and interviews were conducted between 2009 and 2010. The sample consisted of 79 senior leaders from seven companies across seven differing sectors and covered 22 different countries across 5 continents. A case study research strategy using a hybrid of open coding, thematic analysis and content analysis was employed. Findings: A series of themes were found under the three constructs: For Global leadership – competencies, connecting, rigour, stakeholder satisfaction, value based professional, influences. For Diversity – inclusivity, performance measures, role modelling, positioning diversity and innovation. For Organisational factors – organisational way of being, facilitating diversity, behavioural practices, ways of working, issues of concern and driving diversity. Issues emerging from the comparative analysis consist of cultural dimensions, engagement and learning. Research Limitations: Issues on reliability and validation, translation in measurement, environmental inconsistency, interviewer/interviewee bias, and ecological fallacy often levied at qualitative research. Research Contribution and Value: The findings tested against the tool, confirm the robustness and relevancy of the LEAD³ as an operational tool that will enable leaders to focus and integrate their diversity efforts. LEAD³ is encapsulated within an integrated change management framework and proposes a multi-level and multi-dimensional approach to global leadership and diversity that also includes performance drivers, stakeholder groupings, performance outcomes and organisational activities (change interventions). Future Research:Finally, an attempt is made to develop a competency framework for leadership and diversity from data emerging from findings. This is named the Global Leader Index for Diversity (GLIDE) – a framework that recognises the diverse aspects of a global leader’s role and identifies associated skills and behaviours that global leaders of the future need to develop.