This study examined the dynamics of an inter-organizational national disaster management organization (NDO) in the Caribbean. It sought to provide a better understanding of network structure, functions, and member relations, which provided a foundation for understanding member roles and leadership styles. This dissertation's primary research question was: How do members participate in the national disaster management network in the Caribbean? In personal interviews, network members identified the NDO as a semi-open network system, incorporating both hierarchical and collaborative characteristics. This analysis argued the network constitutes a dynamic system that shifts its governance structure to adapt to circumstances confronted during the disaster management cycle. This study also found network structure affects member positions and those views reciprocally affect how the NDO is organized. One participant clearly claimed a central network position and served as "network broker," while several other members formed two high density groups within the NDO. Network members played a range of formal and informal roles in the collaboration, including coach and coordinator. The central NDO member played several primary roles: fundraiser, change agent, manager, and informer. This analysis also suggested leadership styles shaped the network's hybrid governance structure: some members employed a directive or delegative style, while others relied upon a participatory approach. This mix of styles underscored the importance of shared leadership in a disaster context. The Saint Lucia government has endeavored to engage citizens in disaster management planning through an extensive NDO committee structure. This study yielded insights into that decentralized decision-making structure and process. The NDO, as a public policy network, has served as a "new governance" form of government action. At the national level, non-governmental organizations have used the structure to work to frame disaster management issues, while citizens active at the grassroots levels have participated in the nation's disaster preparedness and response planning processes. This new governance mechanism may be deemed participatory but not yet representative democracy. Overall, however, Saint Lucia's networked and engaged approach to disaster response and mitigation has encouraged deeper mutual awareness of shared challenges among government units, participating third sector organizations, for-profit entities, and the nation's citizens. / Ph. D.

The environmental and economic consequences of climate change are severe and are being exacerbated by increased global carbon emissions. In the United States, buildings account for over 40% of all domestic and 7.4% of all global CO2 emissions and therefore represent an important target for energy conservation initiatives. Even marginal energy savings across all buildings could have a profound effect on carbon emission mitigation. In order to realize the full potential of energy savings in the building sector, it is essential to maximize the energy efficiency of both buildings and the behavior of occupants who occupy them. In this vein, systems that collect and communicate building energy-use information to occupants (i.e. eco-feedback systems) have been demonstrated to motivate building occupants to significantly reduce overall building energy consumption. Furthermore, advancements in building sensor technologies and data processing capabilities have enabled the development of advanced eco-feedback systems that also allow building occupants to share energy-use data with one another and to collectively act to reduce energy consumption. In addition to monitoring building occupant energy-use, these systems are capable of collecting data about specific conservation actions taken by occupants and their interactions with different features of the eco-feedback system. However, despite recent advancements in eco-feedback and building sensor technologies, very few systems have been specifically designed to enable research on the effectiveness of different behavior-based energy conservation strategies in commercial buildings. Consequently, very little research has been conducted on how access to such systems impacts the energy-use behavior of building occupants. In this dissertation, I describe how my research over the past three years has advanced an understanding of how eco-feedback systems can impact the energy-use behavior of commercial building occupants. First, I present a novel eco-feedback system that I developed to connect building occupants over energy-use data and empower them to conserve energy while also collecting data that enables controlled studies to quantify the impacts of a wide variety of energy conservation strategies. Next, I present a commercial building study in which this eco-feedback system was used to investigate the effects of organizational network dynamics on the energy-use of individuals. I then introduce a new set of metrics based on individual energy-use data that enables the classification of individuals and building occupant networks based on their energy-use efficiency and predictability. I describe the principles behind the construction of these metrics and demonstrate how these quantitative measures can be used to increase the efficacy of behavior-based conservation campaigns by enabling targeted interventions. I conclude the dissertation with a discussion about the limitations of my research and the new research avenues that it has enabled. / Ph. D.

The Generation Connection Program (GCP), an intergenerational program transfer initiative, was examined as the focus of this study in order to determine how an enabling agency approach can advance the implementation and sustainability of innovative intergenerational programs throughout a community. Teachers and long term care staff from three sites with active programs and staff from two sites that had disbanded programs participated in this study. Additional data included field notes from intergenerational program activities and orientations observations, journal articles, implementation package materials, newspaper articles, and the GCP s internal written documents. This study was largely exploratory, as the critical factors for the successful transfer of social programs are not clearly understood. Five themes emerged from the data: the process of program transfer as a continual process, the transfer of knowledge and skills, building collaborative relationships between long term care staff and teachers, continual innovation, and building capacity through networks. The findings suggest that a community-based managed network approach, combining central agency leadership with capacity in long term care centers and schools/child care centers, can advance the implementation and institutionalization of intergenerational programs. / Master of Urban and Regional Planning

In order to compete with the global giants, enterprises are concentrating on their core competencies and collaborating with organizations that compliment their skills and core activities. The current trend is to develop temporary alliances of independent enterprises, in which companies can come together to share skills, core competencies and resources. However, knowledge sharing and communication among multidiscipline companies is a complex and challenging problem. In a collaborative environment, the meaning of knowledge is drastically affected by the context in which it is viewed and interpreted; thus necessitating the treatment of structure as well as semantics of the data stored in enterprise repositories. Keeping the present market and technological scenario in mind, this research aims to propose tools and techniques that can enable companies to assimilate distributed information resources and achieve their business goals.

Desenvolve bases conceituais para análise sistêmica de processos de interdependência organizacional e tecnológica. Parte de evidências de campo e de contribuições teóricas para construir um referencial de análise hierarquizada em 4 níveis de processos, identificando os papéis críticos a serem desempenhados por organizações envolvidas em redes interorganizacionais. É apresentado o conceito de desacoplamento entre níveis e conclui que qualquer processo de análise, desenho ou de gestão estratégica de redes de organizações passa pela consideração conjunta do sincronismo entre estes níveis, de forma a identificar mecanismos compensatórios para manter uma dada organização em equilíbrio sinergético na estrutura definida pela rede. O modelo referencial é aplicado a casos de interdependência organizacional e tecnológica levantados pelo autor. Conclui-se que os processos e técnicas de intervenção organizacional que não atuem nestes 4 níveis de processo não levam a resultados efetivos. / It develops conceptuals bases for systemic analysis of organizational interdependence processes. Under field evidences and literature survey builds a reference four levels processes hierarchical model and identify critics roles to be played by organizations in interorganizational networks. The “decoupling" concept between levels is presented and one concludes that every analysis, design or strategic management process has to jointly consider the synchronization between levels in order to identify compensatories mechanisms and to reach sinergetic balance by a particular organization. The reference model is applied to organizational and technological interdependence cases developed by the author. One concludes that the organizational intervetion techniques and processes have to jointly consider all the four levels in order to be effective.

This paper is aiming to discover the conditions and processes that facilitate and influence an efficient knowledge transfer in knowledge networks such as the inter-organizational SAP network SAPSA. Knowledge is a strategically important source for companies, not only because it fosters internal growth, but also because it leads to competitive advantage. In the last years the importance of knowledge networking has considerably increased and especially inter-organizational learning is considered to present a factor having critical influence on the success of a company. Through the participation in networks individuals are able to trade their knowledge and information with others experiences, ideas and expertise. Knowledge sharing and networking should hence be considered a highly social process, which is influenced by various factors and conditions. Through interviews with the different members and participative observation in the focus groups of the SAPSA network the importance and effect, these facilitating conditions were evaluated, drawing valuable conclusions on how to enhance the knowledge sharing process. It was found that the main problem of SAPSA was the low activity in the focus groups, which had a negative influence on the knowledge sharing processes. The problem however was not that the members did not consider knowledge networking per se as useful, in contrast almost all respondents regarded knowledge networking as highly beneficial stressed the advantages of knowledge sharing. This led to the assumption that the problem had to lie in the implementation of the knowledge sharing process. It furthermore was detected that for sharing different kinds of knowledge such as tacit and explicit knowledge, different forms of meeting proved to be more efficient than others and that form of knowledge and the conversion mode should be taken into consideration when deciding on the type of meeting. Various conditions were found to have impact on the efficiency of the knowledge sharing process, such as an optimal group size, the level of trust and commitment and the composition of a group and knowledge base. Furthermore communication was regarded to present an important issue having a big impact on the quality of the knowledge exchange. Management support from SAPSA and the respective user companies proved to be essential in order to increase motivation and commitment in the focus groups. Some strategic changes were considered to have a positive influence on the knowledge networking processes within SAPSA. The establishment of a clear consistent vision capturing all the different groups within the network would provide benefits in order to be able to motivate members to participate. Here the focus should lie on the decision makers, since those were the ones to have the ability to set incentives and provide resources for the users. In this process the difficulties to measure the positive outcomes of knowledge networking and the subsequent danger of an underinvestment into knowledge networking should be taken into consideration. SAPSA should increase their influence on the focus groups and provide more guidance, in order to assure the quality of the knowledge exchange in the meetings. A new communication strategy should be developed with focus on an Internet based forum, where users and management could interact with each other. Further research in other knowledge networks is necessary in order to increase the transferability of the gained results.

Desenvolve bases conceituais para análise sistêmica de processos de interdependência organizacional e tecnológica. Parte de evidências de campo e de contribuições teóricas para construir um referencial de análise hierarquizada em 4 níveis de processos, identificando os papéis críticos a serem desempenhados por organizações envolvidas em redes interorganizacionais. É apresentado o conceito de desacoplamento entre níveis e conclui que qualquer processo de análise, desenho ou de gestão estratégica de redes de organizações passa pela consideração conjunta do sincronismo entre estes níveis, de forma a identificar mecanismos compensatórios para manter uma dada organização em equilíbrio sinergético na estrutura definida pela rede. O modelo referencial é aplicado a casos de interdependência organizacional e tecnológica levantados pelo autor. Conclui-se que os processos e técnicas de intervenção organizacional que não atuem nestes 4 níveis de processo não levam a resultados efetivos. / It develops conceptuals bases for systemic analysis of organizational interdependence processes. Under field evidences and literature survey builds a reference four levels processes hierarchical model and identify critics roles to be played by organizations in interorganizational networks. The “decoupling” concept between levels is presented and one concludes that every analysis, design or strategic management process has to jointly consider the synchronization between levels in order to identify compensatories mechanisms and to reach sinergetic balance by a particular organization. The reference model is applied to organizational and technological interdependence cases developed by the author. One concludes that the organizational intervetion techniques and processes have to jointly consider all the four levels in order to be effective.

This dissertation examines organizational level outcomes within a whole network--the national network of fusion centers. Fusion centers are state and local organizations that fuse threat-related intelligence and information by working with federal, state, and local law enforcement as well as other security partners in the public and private sectors. This research will ask why outcomes at the fusion center level vary within the network by exploring unique configurations of conditions at multiple levels of analysis. The results of the research will present evidence that suggests whole network effectiveness cannot be fully comprehended without first examining sub-network level impacts, such as the training or experience of analysts, organizational capacities, and the roles of relationships between network actors. This line of inquiry has ramifications for inter-organizational network theory building because it will demonstrate the individual importance of these factors, and how they interact with other factors at multiple levels within a network to influence outcomes. For practitioners in the domestic intelligence community this research will provide important insights and present paths taken by organizations in a national network to achieve a desired or undesired outcome. / Ph. D.

Este estudo teve como objetivo analisar o processo de transmissão de conhecimentos em arranjos produtivos locais por intermédio da experiência do aglomerado inter-organizacional calçadista de Birigui (SP). Na estrutura teórico, foram abordados temas referentes à contextualização da formação de redes entre empresas, as concepções de alianças e parcerias, o capital social e a abordagem institucional. Através da formulação de um questionário que compreendeu os processos de transmissão de conhecimentos e abrangeu os elementos necessários para se impulsionar esta transferência, estabeleceu-se um roteiro de entrevista que foi utilizado em pesquisa de campo a fim de se estudar por meio de entrevistas em profundidade a experiência de Birigüi. Os principais resultados obtidos foram de que o caso de Birigüi carece de um aparato institucional capaz de respaldar um ambiente propício à transmissão de conhecimentos e que o tradicionalismo dos empresários da região atua como empecilho para geração de uma consciência de coletividade e de inovação, fatores estes fundamentais para uma transferência de conhecimentos eficiente. / This study has the objective to analyse the knowledge trasmission process in cluster arrangements through the Birigüi?s (SP) shoes arrangement experience. In thetheoretical framework, it was accosted themes related to context of networks formation, alliances and partnerships conceptions, social capital and institutional approach. Through a questionnaire that comprehends the knowledge transmission process and that included fundamental elements to support this kind of transfer, it was set up an interview guide used in field research in order to study by deep interviews the Birigüi?s experience. The main results collected were that the Birigüi?s case lacks an institutional pomp able to support a propitious environment to knowledge transmission and that local managers? traditionalism act as a barrier to the generation of collective sense and innovation, fundamental factors to and efficient knowledge transfer.

Na atual conjuntura, a competitividade das empresas passou a ser condição sine qua non para a permanência no mercado. Ademais, a competitividade deixou de depender da empresa por si só e passou a ser resultado da competitividade de toda a cadeia de valor em que a empresa está inserida. Neste contexto, surge no Brasil o Programa Nacional de Encadeamento Produtivo que visa, dentre outros objetivos, desenvolver a cadeia de valor de empresas para aumentar a competitividade de pequenos, médios e grandes negócios. O Programa Nacional de Encadeamento Produtivo atua em cinco focos estratégicos, sendo um deles o foco em Rede de Aprendizagem. O foco Rede de Aprendizagem, por fortalecer as ligações e interações entre os membros de uma cadeia de valor, ajuda no desenvolvimento dos outros focos estratégicos do programa. Possui, assim, importância singular em todo o processo de encadeamento produtivo. Mesmo com tamanha importância, as redes ainda estão aquém do potencial de desenvolvimento que elas podem gerar. Deste modo, o trabalho teve como objetivo geral propor referências para auxiliar o desenvolvimento de redes organizacionais. Para tanto, realizou-se pesquisa qualitativa baseada em entrevistas em profundidade. As entrevistas foram realizadas em oito redes organizacionais. Com base nas boas práticas existentes, nas diferentes formas de atuação, na cultura de cooperação entre os membros das redes e no impacto efetivo que cada uma das redes visitadas produz nas empresas, foram propostas referências para nortear o desenvolvimento das redes de aprendizagem. Os principais resultados foram referências sobre estrutura de gestão, processos internos, funções dos membros, métricas de desenvolvimento, dentre outros norteadores de atuação. / Nowadays, the competitiveness of enterprises has become an indispensable condition for surviving in the market. Furthermore, competitiveness no longer depends on the company itself, but rather became a result of the competitiveness of the whole value chain. In this context, the National Program for Productive Linkage was established in Brazil. This program aims, among other objectives, at developing the value chain of companies in order to increase the competitiveness of small, medium and large businesses. The National Program for Productive Linkage act on five strategic foci, one of them being the focus on Learning Network. The Learning Network focus, by strengthening the connections and interactions among members of a chain value, enhances the development of the other strategic foci of the program and, thus, has a singular importance in the whole process of the productive linkage. Despite being so important, the networks are still below the potential for development that they can generate. Therefore, the main objective of this study was to propose references to support the development of entrepreneurial Learning Networks. To this end, a qualitative research was done, based on in-depth interviews. The interviews were conducted in eight organizational networks. Based on: (i) the existing good practices; (ii) the various ways of working; (iii) the cooperational culture among their members; and (iv) the effective impacts that Organizational Networks produce in the enterprises; references have been proposed to guide the development of Learning Network. The main results were references to management structure, internal processes, functions of members, development metrics, among other guides for better performance.