<p> The current state of the global economy is in constant transformation. This transformation results in new industries, technologies, and markets. In order to effectively maintain relevance throughout these transformations, organizations must be equipped with the ability to manage change and foster innovation. An organization that is unable to adapt to the rapid changes taking place in this economy will be at greater risk for failure. Context, whether it be cultural, geographic, social or a mix of several overlapping dynamics, is the silent decider of organizational paradigms. The process of transferring organizational assets, such as strategy or culture, from one context to another, is known as recontextualization. This thesis seeks to address the significance of recontextualized organizational assets within a Multinational Corporation (MNC) and the impact on its employees and management structures. The case study will examine how recontextualization shapes a French Headquarter (HQ) - US subsidiary relationship, and more specifically how this contextual dynamic impacts the reception of a HQled change management mission. The conclusion of this thesis will provide perspective for future attempts at collaborative change must integrate greater awareness of recontextualization, particularly during their planned strategic organizational transformation. The supporting research presented throughout this work encompasses interviews with organizational development leaders, cross-cultural management and recontextualization experts, as well as employee testimonials and an autoethnography illustrating the complexities of the HQ-subsidiary relationship.</p><p>

<p> The purpose of this study was to explore organizational forgetting processes in an organization after acquisition. The different causes of forgetting, the organizational considerations that prevent knowledge from being stored, and why some new knowledge is integrated while some is not still remain uncharted. Understanding the phenomenon of forgetting in the context of acquisitions is also important, since acquisitions continue to be a popular growth strategy despite their high rate of failure. Specifically, between 2004 and 2015, the value of acquisitions globally grew from $1.9 trillion to almost $5 trillion, yet 50% to 80% of all acquisitions fail and performance after acquisition is varied at best. </p><p> A qualitative single site case study was conducted of an acquired organization&rsquo;s human resources (HR) department in the pharmaceutical industry. One or two semistructured interviews were conducted with seven HR department staff, including the vice president of HR, HR managers involved in or overseeing HR routines, and other HR administrative staff. In addition, archival sources relating to a change in a routine or process were reviewed. Data were entered into Atlas.ti and coded. The focus was on organizational routines as a type of organizational knowledge. The variation, selection, and retention of new practices and patterns of actions within routines occurring on a daily basis within organizations allow for a wide range of outcomes and the impact of the process of organizational forgetting.</p><p> Four primary findings emerged from this study: social and personal power influenced organizational forgetting; employees from the acquired organization were required to unlearn aspects of their pre-acquisition performance management and evaluation routines; the frequency of routines impacted organizational forgetting; and enterprise-wide technology changes, such as implementation of a new software program, were key in unlearning. </p><p> Theoretical contributions to the organizational forgetting literature included clarification and greater articulation of the four modes of forgetting and the relationship between the modes. Conclusions and implications for practice are discussed, including ideas on how to manage the organizational forgetting processes to potentially increase the success of an acquisition.</p>

<p> The world of work today calls for individuals to be active participants in designing their careers. This study focuses on the relationship between one&rsquo;s beliefs (mindset) about intelligence and employability. Quantitative data were collected using the implicit theory of intelligence (self-theory scale) from 75 participants of a high-technology company in Milpitas, California. Participants were divided into two groups of mindsets, growth and fixed. Twenty participants were randomly selected for a semi-structured interview where qualitative data were gathered and analyzed. The study found that individuals with a growth mindset emphasize newness as a variable in their career decisions, look at their careers in the broader context of organizational impact, and are more likely to view their careers using their own lens. Alternatively, individuals with a fixed mindset are more likely to be influenced by other people in making career decisions. Also, the difference in mindsets does impact employability orientation.</p><p>

<p> Literature on corruption focuses on the phenomenon through the perspective of the causes and potential remedies. The majority of research on corruption is based upon the definition provided by Transparency International (2013) that corruption is the abuse of position for personal gain. Based on this definition, research focuses on either perceptions of corruption, or a specific and limited operationalization of corruption. This work proposes a process model of corruption. The model is based upon the results of a multi-dimensional scaling analysis defining corruption behavior across the five dimensions of <i> Gain / Responsibility Avoidance, Exploiting Relationships, Lack of Oversight, In-Group / Out-Group,</i> and <i>Information Control.</i> Utilizing these five dimensions, along with the view of corruption through a systems perspective, allows for the creation of a new framework for understanding corruption.</p>

<p>ABSTRACT The effects of transformational leadership on organizational financial performance were examined using mixed methods with a sequential research design. For the qualitative phase of the study, 24 participants, eight leaders and 16 followers, described their experience, thoughts, and feelings about the phenomenon of transformational leadership as it pertains to organizational learning, organizational innovation, and followers? behavior during telephone interviews. Organizational learning, organizational innovation, and followers? behavior were considered as the contributing factors of organizational financial performance. For the quantitative phase, 17 leaders and 48 of their direct followers (N = 65) completed the (MLQ-5X) short survey developed by Bass and Avolio (1995). The correlation between the contributing factors of organizational financial performance and organizational performance as measured by ROI, ROE, and EPS were examined. A psycho dimension of transformational leadership was introduced with the paradox of self-conception, self-perception, and perception. A unified approach of transformational leadership with an emergent approach of communication was proposed. The study invites leaders and followers to operate in the realm of self-awareness and the awareness of the I or me concept, which requires a persistent dynamism from both leaders and followers. This persistent dynamism requires leaders and followers to learn from their psychological environment and the psychological tension in the workplace. When leaders and followers begin to apply these recommendations, they will be more equipped to assume the leadership role and exert a more positive influence on their neighborhood, community, society, organization, country, and the World.

<p> Change and stability are critical to the sustained competitive advantage of organizations. Emerging research shows the relationship that exists between human agency and institutions, but also the inter-relationship to the dynamic of change and stability. This study examines the concepts of stability and change in regard to organizational change and institutional theory, and the influence of macro- and meso-structuring mechanisms in processes of institutional reproduction and change. Specific reference is made to institutional orientations toward stability and change as primary dimensions in the analysis of micro-level explanations that contribute to understanding adoption of new organizational practices.</p><p> This participative mixed-methods study was conducted in 12 community rehabilitation programs within New York State. It showed how both agency and institutional orientations toward stability and change are influenced through structuring mechanisms, and can be identified and discerned through patterns. The depiction of these orientations were identified by conceptual mapping and pattern matching, a research method emerging in both the change and institutional theory research. The new understandings gained regarding these agency and institutional orientations will contribute to new insights as to how micro-level actions occur and contribute to macro-institutional orientations toward stability and change. This study also supports the conclusion that macro- and meso-structuring mechanisms can become strange attractors which limit organizational potential for change, and that gaining an understanding of these attractor cages can assist organizations in mapping alternative futures.</p>

<p> Organizational agility represents a new field of organizational study that is not well examined. In the past organizations had an unmatched competitive advantage due to low competition and higher barriers to entry into their markets. As a result, many organizations dominated their industries. However, in the era of globalization, individuals with an internet connection and the right skills can start new organizations that can compete on a global level. Consequently, organizations now are facing more competition that they experienced in the past. Another reason for increase competition is new technology. Technology is improving increasingly faster than any time in history. Therefore, organizations that are not agile could not survive in the current environment. </p><p> Agile entities realize that they have to become flexible and nimble to withstand competition. Accordingly, the researcher in this study proposes an organizational agility model and this proposed model is the focus of the study. The proposed model significant arises from the fact that currently there are limited numbers of models that help organizations in becoming agile entities. The characteristics in this study were based on Worley and Lawler (2010) &ldquo;Agility and Organization Design: A Diagnostic Framework&rdquo;. The study conducted a survey utilizing an instrument developed by Dr. Worley and Dr. Lawler that contains 15 agility characteristics. The survey uses all 15 characteristics to determine if the organization is agile. In addition, the study utilizes three of the 15 agility characteristics to determent if a relationship occurs between the study variables. </p><p> This quantitative study examined the relationship between change capability, learning capability, shared leadership and organizational agility. Moreover, understanding these relationships could assist scholars and practitioners in producing change programs that emphasize certain behaviors that make an organization agile. The study surveyed 116 participants and found that focusing on change capability, learning capability and shared leadership could contribute in creating agile organizations. Consequently, after evaluating the study results, a new agility model emerged. This model shows that organizations can achieve agility by developing change capability, learning capability, shared leadership, shared purpose and flexible resources. Ultimately, achieving agility could help organizations compete and endure now and the future.</p>

<p> Health care technology workers play an increasingly important role in meeting regulatory requirements, improving patient care and containing health care costs. However, their perceptions of work and job satisfaction are lightly studied in comparison to other health care workers such as physicians or nurses. This exploratory study used heuristic inquiry to investigate the perceptions of health care technology workers with regard to their feelings of task significance, mission valence, work meaning, and job satisfaction. </p><p> Nine research participants representing three not-for-profit, secular hospital systems which were selected to have variation in geographic scope and organization size were interviewed. All participants were full-time, senior professional, non-executive, employees with a minimum of five years of experience in health care technology and three years with their current employer. </p><p> Thematic analysis revealed themes within four categories: organization culture, organization mission, interactions with clinicians and perceived contribution. These organizations have strong cultures in which staff members police the cultural norms. The inculcation to the culture includes helping health care technology workers connect to the organization&rsquo;s mission of patient care, and these employees perceive the mission to have high valence. While these employees feel that the mission of patient care is important and valuable, they have a conflicted relationship with physicians who they perceive as resistant to the adoption of new technology. Finally, health care technology workers recognized that their work tasks may not directly impact patient care; however, they felt their contribution was meaningful, in particular when they were able to contribute their unique talents. </p><p> Study conclusions and recommendations included how job rotations allowing health care technology workers to work at a care provider site provides an opportunity for health care companies to increase workers&rsquo; feelings of task significance and task identity, and therefore, job satisfaction. Contributing one&rsquo;s unique gift is perceived as meaningful, and workers seek opportunities to do so. Recognizing the importance of these workers and facilitating improved interactions between health care technology workers and physicians particularly with regard to adoption of new technology is seen as critical for ensuring effective and efficient health care delivery.</p>

<p>This dissertation takes on a key and persistent challenge within teacher education: pre-service teacher learning in field experience. I approach this historical problem through its local manifestations, and this study examines an intervention that brought together three university supervisors and six classroom mentor teachers from one university-school partnership for seven meetings over the six months of student teaching. Framed by Cultural-Historical Activity Theory, the emergent design of the Mentoring Study Group intervention aimed to provoke expansive learning (Engestr&ouml;m, 1987; 2001) to transform how practitioners understand their work and to support them in constructing new tools and concepts for practice for themselves. Qualitative methods were used to examine the key problems of practice participants identified, the new tools and concepts for practice they developed, and to interpret learning in terms of the expansive learning conceptual model to understand how features of the model design enabled the group to broaden their understanding and coordinate their work. Results demonstrate that through participation in the structured collaboration offered by the emergent professional development approach, participants were able to uncover a fundamental contradiction embedded within teacher preparation, between goals of helping pre-service teachers develop ambitious instructional practice and preparing pre-service teachers to lead &ldquo;formula lessons.&rdquo; In attempting to confront and resolve this contradiction, the Mentoring Study Group devised a shared tool to coordinate their work, The Five High-Leverage Math Practices +1 Protocol and field-based pedagogical practices to guide modeling, observations, and feedback on teaching. This model of structured collaboration for teacher education practitioners holds promise for university-school partnership efforts to come together to develop shared approaches to mentoring and a common language of practice for the purpose of preparing beginning teachers for ambitious practice in the field. </p>

<p> Dialogue is a useful organizational strategy that supports a shared understanding that is useful in the solving complex problems. A community hospital challenged with publicly transparent quality metrics and the associated financial and reputation penalties developed a culture supportive of dialogue and participation and was the setting for this research. </p><p> The purpose of the research was to explore the decisions and messages an executive leadership team implemented that support the practice of dialogue and facilitated a culture of participation. This retrospective, qualitative study reviewed documents and artifacts over a seven-year time span from 2007-2014. two sources, 1) the Operation Committee meetings and 2) The all- employee forums provided by the senior leadership were reviewed. These source were coded utilizing a predetermined coding scheme based upon information from 3 theories, 1) Isaac&rsquo;s dimensions of dialogue, 2) Isaac&rsquo;s action theory of dialogue and 3) Fischer&rsquo;s levels of participation. These three theories when integrated provide a three dimensional perspective that supports the practice of dialogue. </p><p> The conclusions of this study are that 1) A single theory of dialogue is not sufficient. 2. An effective model for communication must include, at a minimum, contain an aspect of action theory, a dimension of dialogue, and a level of participation. 3. Delaying decision-making in order to obtain feedback allows for the prolongation of deliberation and for the emergence of dialogue and deliberation and 4. Expansion of the deliberation time is a mechanism that helps the group to suspend assumptions and is a methodology supportive of dialogue. This research recommends a three step, <i>how to</i> approach to supporting dialogue and a culture of participation. The recommended pattern is to 1) ask for feedback thus 2) delaying the decision, and 3) listening to the feedback.</p>