Within the ephemeral world of fad products and activities (such as teenage fashion and the hula-hoop) things come and go quickly. In such a competitive market many new products become obsolete from the moment they reach the market. It is therefore essential to launch new products on the market as soon as possible in order to sustain business and profits. / With activities that can easily become passing fads and fashions, such as going to a Karaoke box, it is important to sustain the novelty value of the leisure-time pursuit by keeping customers motivated and interested in coming back for more. A failure to operate successfully in a fad business seriously threatens profit margins, return on investments and ultimately the lifespan of the product. / Thesis (DBA(DoctorateofBusinessAdministration))--University of South Australia, 2006.

Development of a learning organisation is the most powerful approach for increasing organisational capability and further pursuing competitive advantage. Empirical researchers such as Ellinger et al. (2002) and Lien, Yang and Li (2002) showed a positive association between the presence of a learning organisation and a firm's financial performance. Another area of increasing focus is performance management. The profusion of literature on the balanced scorecard combining financial and non-financial measures demonstrates the interest in both professional and academic circles with improving effective feedback for performance in this area. In particular, the balanced scorecard is viewed as the performance measurement system most likely to encourage the development of a learning culture and managing organisational learning. Taking organisational learning and the balanced scorecard together, a primary research is to investigate whether a link exists between learning organisations and the use of the BSC measures. Survey research has been conducted in Australia and Taiwan. / A positive relationship between learning organisations and the BSC measures is significantly supported by the management practices of Australia and Taiwan. The financial and non-financial BSC measures are highly associated with the learning dimensions in the Taiwanese firms, whereas the Australian firms only use the non-financial BSC measures to assess and manage some learning dimensions. Although the balanced scorecard usually includes learning as part of the learning and growth perspective, it appears that organisations struggle with this dimension. The findings from this study imply that learning & growth perspective is the key driver for improvement of learning dimensions in the organisations. The findings imply that national cultures, like Western and Chinese, are as the main factors affecting the learning dimensions and they apply the BSC measures differently. A whole system considered which learning dimensions may increase the use of the BSC measures, continuous learning and system connection which are shown in the Australian firms, whereas team learning and embedded system are demonstrated in the Taiwanese firms. Considering learning at three levels of organisations, both countries have agreement that learning at individual and organisational levels are significantly associated with the BSC measures. In particular, team learning in the Australian firms disappears when associated with the BSC measures, but the Taiwanese firms show the link to a moderate degree. The findings imply that national culture is a crucial factor affecting the development of a learning organisation, and performance measurements differ from one country to another. / Thesis (PhDBusinessandManagement)--University of South Australia, 2006.

My aim in this thesis is to improve understanding of the contributions of organizational climate to organizational effectiveness. Climate is defined as the shared perceptions of the work environment (Schneider & Reichers, 1983). First, I developed and empirically validated four targeted climates ??? climates for involvement; mission-alignment; consistency; and adaptability ??? reflecting a broad range of management perspectives. These climates are based on Quinn and Rohrbaugh???s Competing Values Framework (1983a), and extend the work of Patterson et al. (2005). Using secondary data from 2027 business-units from diverse industries, worldwide, these climates were, as expected, inter-related, yet distinct. Second, I explored the relationships between multiple climates and stakeholder outcomes (staff motivation, perceived customer loyalty and perceived business performance) using structural equation modeling and discriminant function analysis. Separate but matched manager and employee samples from 620 business-units were used to assess relationships linking the four climates and three effectiveness outcomes within a single model. The findings indicated that employees??? perceptions of workplace characteristics influence important organizational outcomes. Overall, key findings were: (1) a climate for mission related directly to perceived business performance; (2) climates for consistency and adaptability both related to higher business performance through their positive link with customer loyalty; (3) a climate for involvement also related to business performance, but only when the context was uncertain; (4) while climates for involvement and mission related to staff satisfaction, staff satisfaction did not uniquely predict business performance; (5) the most effective business-units, with high scores on all three outcomes, had a balance of high levels of all four climates. The thesis discusses the implications of these results for both theory and practice, as well as suggestions for future research. In particular, the comprehensiveness and empirical integrity of this multiple-climates model indicates its potential to provide new insights about the relationships between perceived organizational characteristics and outcomes. Furthermore, my research suggests that organizations can foster high levels of all four climates concurrently, and in doing so achieve better outcomes for a diversity of stakeholders. This has implications for change management: specifically that organizations should embed and integrate multiple approaches concurrently rather than move from one to the next.

Modern organizations require new structural forms to cope with uncertainties arising from the challenges of global competition and rapid technological and environmental changes (Clarke and Clegg, 1998). One of the most important developments in the area of planned change has been on how to work with large systems so as to initiate and sustain change over time. It was from such contexts that the matrix concept emerged. During the 1950s the term matrix emerged in the United States aerospace industry and, as it has developed through the years, the term has come to be accepted in both business and academic circles. In the 1960s the matrix was sought as a fundamental alternative for dealing with unique management problems of coordination, communication and control (Davis and Lawrence, 1977). In the 1970s and 1980s interest in matrix organizational structures peaked. Since that time, research and literature on the matrix has diminished; contrarily, organizations continue to adopt the matrix as a viable alternative to deal with their increasingly complex business environment. In the recent past, some of the companies that applied a complex global matrix structure have included Asea Brown Boveri (ABB), Zurich (1991); Brown & Root (BR), UK (1999); Hatch (1999) – Formerly BHPE and Kaiser mergers; IMC (1999); Parsons Brinckerhoff (PB), (1999); and Sinclair Knight and Merz (SKM), (2002). These companies have used matrix structures to achieve worldwide economies of scale, combined with local flexibility and responsiveness. The purpose of this study was to investigate the validity of political theories of organizations in major international companies that have implemented matrix structure, with a focus that includes identifying: i. The key factors behind the strategic decision to change the corporate organization in international companies to a matrix structure. ii. The weaknesses and strengths of these matrix structures for subsequent organizational performance. iii. The effects of transition to matrix structure on organizational performance. iv. The factors used to maintain a power balance between divisions. v. A model that seeks to diminish or reduce matrix structure weaknesses to increase organizational effectiveness. The research was conducted in the form of a questionnaire survey and semistructured interviews. To illustrate the implementation of the matrix structure that occurred in a real world environment, SKM has been researched as an intensive case study. Preface As a professional engineer I have had opportunities to be involved with major projects in various international organizations. I have also had opportunities to observe organizations and to analyse their operations by exploring existing procedures and manuals. It was noticeable that the overall success of the projects relied very much on organizational decision making. This observation led my paradigm shift from projects to organizational studies and to the idea of conducting research that aims to investigate the weaknesses and strengths of matrix structures for organizational performance. Introduction Thesis structure This thesis presents a detailed account of the research activities undertaken by Nursen Saracoglu and the outcomes of that research. The purpose of this research is to investigate the validity of political theories of organizations in major international companies that have implemented matrix structure. Data has been collected using a combination of methods, including questionnaires, semistructured interviews, and direct examination of library catalogues and databases. The structure of this thesis is designed as follows: Chapter 1 introduces, and describes the background to the research project. The theories that provide a background to the various factors involved in organizations choosing to change to matrix structures, and the resulting positive and negative effects on the organization, are presented in this chapter. Chapters 2 reviews and analyses the literature review that has been conducted to focus, especially, on how changes to the structure and design of power in matrix organizations can have important implications and consequences. The literature review looks in detail at different organizational theories, particularly theories on power within organizations, which have a bearing on the effect of a matrix structure on an organization. Each theory is critiqued in terms of its relevance to matrix structure analysis. Strategic Contingencies Theory (SCT) and Resource Dependency Theory (RDT) best explain the effect of different levels of power inside a matrix structure. Chapter 3 details the research design and methodology. This chapter describes the advantages and disadvantages of quantitative and qualitative approaches and presents the rationale of selecting research methodology. The participating organization, SKM, is described in terms of its history and its matrix structure is outlined. Chapter 4 illustrates the results of research that defines potential areas of concern associated with matrix structures. The discussion mainly centres on the methods used to analyse the data and then focuses on the different dependent and independent variables derived from the data that are used in the analysis for correlation purposes. The aim of this chapter is to explain the various statistics used to analyse the data and to list the variables that came up as a result of answers to questionnaire. These variables are then analysed against each other in order to develop a sense of the effectiveness of the matrix structure in SKM. In Chapter 5 the qualitative data was examined using the responses obtained from interviews with the top managers of SKM. This chapter aims to identify the themes that have emerged from these interview responses and present them in order of most to least common within each area of research, illustrated with comments from some of the respondents. Chapter 6 discusses the survey and interview results in order to exploit quantitative findings to identify patterning in qualitative data. In parallel with SCT and RDT, the relationship between power and performance in matrix organizations is presented. The new concepts that emerged based on the research findings are introduced and discussed according to the relevance to the research objectives. Chapter 7 This chapter concludes the research and presents research limitations, boundaries, the contribution to the body of knowledge and a summary of future research opportunities. The case studies give a sense of how various elements of Matrix structure that outlined in this research were actually applied by other particular organizations are exhibited in Appendix A.

Modern organizations require new structural forms to cope with uncertainties arising from the challenges of global competition and rapid technological and environmental changes (Clarke and Clegg, 1998). One of the most important developments in the area of planned change has been on how to work with large systems so as to initiate and sustain change over time. It was from such contexts that the matrix concept emerged. During the 1950s the term matrix emerged in the United States aerospace industry and, as it has developed through the years, the term has come to be accepted in both business and academic circles. In the 1960s the matrix was sought as a fundamental alternative for dealing with unique management problems of coordination, communication and control (Davis and Lawrence, 1977). In the 1970s and 1980s interest in matrix organizational structures peaked. Since that time, research and literature on the matrix has diminished; contrarily, organizations continue to adopt the matrix as a viable alternative to deal with their increasingly complex business environment. In the recent past, some of the companies that applied a complex global matrix structure have included Asea Brown Boveri (ABB), Zurich (1991); Brown & Root (BR), UK (1999); Hatch (1999) – Formerly BHPE and Kaiser mergers; IMC (1999); Parsons Brinckerhoff (PB), (1999); and Sinclair Knight and Merz (SKM), (2002). These companies have used matrix structures to achieve worldwide economies of scale, combined with local flexibility and responsiveness. The purpose of this study was to investigate the validity of political theories of organizations in major international companies that have implemented matrix structure, with a focus that includes identifying: i. The key factors behind the strategic decision to change the corporate organization in international companies to a matrix structure. ii. The weaknesses and strengths of these matrix structures for subsequent organizational performance. iii. The effects of transition to matrix structure on organizational performance. iv. The factors used to maintain a power balance between divisions. v. A model that seeks to diminish or reduce matrix structure weaknesses to increase organizational effectiveness. The research was conducted in the form of a questionnaire survey and semistructured interviews. To illustrate the implementation of the matrix structure that occurred in a real world environment, SKM has been researched as an intensive case study. Preface As a professional engineer I have had opportunities to be involved with major projects in various international organizations. I have also had opportunities to observe organizations and to analyse their operations by exploring existing procedures and manuals. It was noticeable that the overall success of the projects relied very much on organizational decision making. This observation led my paradigm shift from projects to organizational studies and to the idea of conducting research that aims to investigate the weaknesses and strengths of matrix structures for organizational performance. Introduction Thesis structure This thesis presents a detailed account of the research activities undertaken by Nursen Saracoglu and the outcomes of that research. The purpose of this research is to investigate the validity of political theories of organizations in major international companies that have implemented matrix structure. Data has been collected using a combination of methods, including questionnaires, semistructured interviews, and direct examination of library catalogues and databases. The structure of this thesis is designed as follows: Chapter 1 introduces, and describes the background to the research project. The theories that provide a background to the various factors involved in organizations choosing to change to matrix structures, and the resulting positive and negative effects on the organization, are presented in this chapter. Chapters 2 reviews and analyses the literature review that has been conducted to focus, especially, on how changes to the structure and design of power in matrix organizations can have important implications and consequences. The literature review looks in detail at different organizational theories, particularly theories on power within organizations, which have a bearing on the effect of a matrix structure on an organization. Each theory is critiqued in terms of its relevance to matrix structure analysis. Strategic Contingencies Theory (SCT) and Resource Dependency Theory (RDT) best explain the effect of different levels of power inside a matrix structure. Chapter 3 details the research design and methodology. This chapter describes the advantages and disadvantages of quantitative and qualitative approaches and presents the rationale of selecting research methodology. The participating organization, SKM, is described in terms of its history and its matrix structure is outlined. Chapter 4 illustrates the results of research that defines potential areas of concern associated with matrix structures. The discussion mainly centres on the methods used to analyse the data and then focuses on the different dependent and independent variables derived from the data that are used in the analysis for correlation purposes. The aim of this chapter is to explain the various statistics used to analyse the data and to list the variables that came up as a result of answers to questionnaire. These variables are then analysed against each other in order to develop a sense of the effectiveness of the matrix structure in SKM. In Chapter 5 the qualitative data was examined using the responses obtained from interviews with the top managers of SKM. This chapter aims to identify the themes that have emerged from these interview responses and present them in order of most to least common within each area of research, illustrated with comments from some of the respondents. Chapter 6 discusses the survey and interview results in order to exploit quantitative findings to identify patterning in qualitative data. In parallel with SCT and RDT, the relationship between power and performance in matrix organizations is presented. The new concepts that emerged based on the research findings are introduced and discussed according to the relevance to the research objectives. Chapter 7 This chapter concludes the research and presents research limitations, boundaries, the contribution to the body of knowledge and a summary of future research opportunities. The case studies give a sense of how various elements of Matrix structure that outlined in this research were actually applied by other particular organizations are exhibited in Appendix A.

Modern organizations require new structural forms to cope with uncertainties arising from the challenges of global competition and rapid technological and environmental changes (Clarke and Clegg, 1998). One of the most important developments in the area of planned change has been on how to work with large systems so as to initiate and sustain change over time. It was from such contexts that the matrix concept emerged. During the 1950s the term matrix emerged in the United States aerospace industry and, as it has developed through the years, the term has come to be accepted in both business and academic circles. In the 1960s the matrix was sought as a fundamental alternative for dealing with unique management problems of coordination, communication and control (Davis and Lawrence, 1977). In the 1970s and 1980s interest in matrix organizational structures peaked. Since that time, research and literature on the matrix has diminished; contrarily, organizations continue to adopt the matrix as a viable alternative to deal with their increasingly complex business environment. In the recent past, some of the companies that applied a complex global matrix structure have included Asea Brown Boveri (ABB), Zurich (1991); Brown & Root (BR), UK (1999); Hatch (1999) – Formerly BHPE and Kaiser mergers; IMC (1999); Parsons Brinckerhoff (PB), (1999); and Sinclair Knight and Merz (SKM), (2002). These companies have used matrix structures to achieve worldwide economies of scale, combined with local flexibility and responsiveness. The purpose of this study was to investigate the validity of political theories of organizations in major international companies that have implemented matrix structure, with a focus that includes identifying: i. The key factors behind the strategic decision to change the corporate organization in international companies to a matrix structure. ii. The weaknesses and strengths of these matrix structures for subsequent organizational performance. iii. The effects of transition to matrix structure on organizational performance. iv. The factors used to maintain a power balance between divisions. v. A model that seeks to diminish or reduce matrix structure weaknesses to increase organizational effectiveness. The research was conducted in the form of a questionnaire survey and semistructured interviews. To illustrate the implementation of the matrix structure that occurred in a real world environment, SKM has been researched as an intensive case study. Preface As a professional engineer I have had opportunities to be involved with major projects in various international organizations. I have also had opportunities to observe organizations and to analyse their operations by exploring existing procedures and manuals. It was noticeable that the overall success of the projects relied very much on organizational decision making. This observation led my paradigm shift from projects to organizational studies and to the idea of conducting research that aims to investigate the weaknesses and strengths of matrix structures for organizational performance. Introduction Thesis structure This thesis presents a detailed account of the research activities undertaken by Nursen Saracoglu and the outcomes of that research. The purpose of this research is to investigate the validity of political theories of organizations in major international companies that have implemented matrix structure. Data has been collected using a combination of methods, including questionnaires, semistructured interviews, and direct examination of library catalogues and databases. The structure of this thesis is designed as follows: Chapter 1 introduces, and describes the background to the research project. The theories that provide a background to the various factors involved in organizations choosing to change to matrix structures, and the resulting positive and negative effects on the organization, are presented in this chapter. Chapters 2 reviews and analyses the literature review that has been conducted to focus, especially, on how changes to the structure and design of power in matrix organizations can have important implications and consequences. The literature review looks in detail at different organizational theories, particularly theories on power within organizations, which have a bearing on the effect of a matrix structure on an organization. Each theory is critiqued in terms of its relevance to matrix structure analysis. Strategic Contingencies Theory (SCT) and Resource Dependency Theory (RDT) best explain the effect of different levels of power inside a matrix structure. Chapter 3 details the research design and methodology. This chapter describes the advantages and disadvantages of quantitative and qualitative approaches and presents the rationale of selecting research methodology. The participating organization, SKM, is described in terms of its history and its matrix structure is outlined. Chapter 4 illustrates the results of research that defines potential areas of concern associated with matrix structures. The discussion mainly centres on the methods used to analyse the data and then focuses on the different dependent and independent variables derived from the data that are used in the analysis for correlation purposes. The aim of this chapter is to explain the various statistics used to analyse the data and to list the variables that came up as a result of answers to questionnaire. These variables are then analysed against each other in order to develop a sense of the effectiveness of the matrix structure in SKM. In Chapter 5 the qualitative data was examined using the responses obtained from interviews with the top managers of SKM. This chapter aims to identify the themes that have emerged from these interview responses and present them in order of most to least common within each area of research, illustrated with comments from some of the respondents. Chapter 6 discusses the survey and interview results in order to exploit quantitative findings to identify patterning in qualitative data. In parallel with SCT and RDT, the relationship between power and performance in matrix organizations is presented. The new concepts that emerged based on the research findings are introduced and discussed according to the relevance to the research objectives. Chapter 7 This chapter concludes the research and presents research limitations, boundaries, the contribution to the body of knowledge and a summary of future research opportunities. The case studies give a sense of how various elements of Matrix structure that outlined in this research were actually applied by other particular organizations are exhibited in Appendix A.

Diss. Örebro : Örebro universitet, 2007.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Adelaide, Dept. of Economics, 2001. / Bibliography: leaves 350-402.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Antioch University, 2008. / Title from PDF t.p. (viewed February 19, 2009). Advisor: Carolyn Kenny, Ph.D. "A dissertation submitted to the Ph.D. in Leadership and Change program of Antioch University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy 2008."--from the title page. Includes bibliographical references (p. 163-171).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Canterbury, 2008. / Typescript (photocopy). Includes bibliographical references (p. 139-149). Also available via the World Wide Web.