Abstract Keeping the key individuals in a post merger and acquisition situation is vital to preserve the value of the investment. Yet it is not uncommon, in relation to mergers and acquisitions, that key individuals not only leave the organization but assumes a position with a competitor or even start a competing business. This problem was highlighted as a sug-gested topic for this thesis by Nordic Construction Company (NCC). Findings from interviews with 4 key individuals at NCC and 6 individuals with a combined experience of the human resource management aspect of the merger and acquisition process and its aftermath, show that the primary reasons why key individuals leave is, even if the deciding factor differs, strongly linked to uncertainty that can be reduced with a suffi-cient communication strategy. This thesis suggests a number of potential actions of improvement to the NCC merger and acquisition process and its aftermath. The following human resource influences should improve the NCC merger and acquisition process in order to prevent the loss of key individuals • Introduce the human resource aspect into the strategy discussion during the merger and acquisition preparation phase. • Infuse human resource related enquiries into the discussion with the target organization’s owners, during the initial due diligence phase. • Conduct qualitative and quantitative human resource research that relate to the set human resource management strategy, during the due diligence phase as soon as access to the workforce individuals have been granted. • Implement extraordinary PLUS conversations with key individuals shortly after the closing of the deal process. • Modify the welcome package that is communicated in relation to the merger or ac-quisition so that it includes a list of communication channels, a contact information list and a message in alliance with the human resource strategy. This message should put the individual in the center by focusing equally on the expectations flowing from the individual to the new organization and vice versa.

<p>Abstract</p><p>Keeping the key individuals in a post merger and acquisition situation is vital to preserve the value of the investment. Yet it is not uncommon, in relation to mergers and acquisitions, that key individuals not only leave the organization but assumes a position with a competitor or even start a competing business. This problem was highlighted as a sug-gested topic for this thesis by Nordic Construction Company (NCC).</p><p>Findings from interviews with 4 key individuals at NCC and 6 individuals with a combined experience of the human resource management aspect of the merger and acquisition process and its aftermath, show that the primary reasons why key individuals leave is, even if the deciding factor differs, strongly linked to uncertainty that can be reduced with a suffi-cient communication strategy.</p><p>This thesis suggests a number of potential actions of improvement to the NCC merger and acquisition process and its aftermath. The following human resource influences should improve the NCC merger and acquisition process in order to prevent the loss of key individuals</p><p>• Introduce the human resource aspect into the strategy discussion during the merger and acquisition preparation phase.</p><p>• Infuse human resource related enquiries into the discussion with the target organization’s owners, during the initial due diligence phase.</p><p>• Conduct qualitative and quantitative human resource research that relate to the set human resource management strategy, during the due diligence phase as soon as access to the workforce individuals have been granted.</p><p>• Implement extraordinary PLUS conversations with key individuals shortly after the closing of the deal process.</p><p>• Modify the welcome package that is communicated in relation to the merger or ac-quisition so that it includes a list of communication channels, a contact information list and a message in alliance with the human resource strategy. This message should put the individual in the center by focusing equally on the expectations flowing from the individual to the new organization and vice versa.</p>

The purpose of this action research study was to understand the research training climate in anesthesiology at the University of Saskatchewan, and to collaboratively determine strategies for addressing persistent challenges to resident research training. Whilst there have been a number of published research training programs, influence over priorities has been top-down. Medical educators have lacked a model for collaboratively enhancing the research climate for trainees in anesthesiology. A three-phase, sequential mixed methods design was employed. In phase one, residents completed the revised Research Training Environment Scale as a quantitative measure of the research climate. In phase two, ten residents and six faculty mentors participated in semi-structured interviews to explore the underlying reasons for lower-scored items, and to generate suggestions for improvements to guide three simultaneous action research cycles. An advisory group collaboratively decided upon three actions for improvement of the research training climate. Phase three followed the initiation of three simultaneous action research cycles to reflexively evaluate the impact of these actions. The use of action research to identify shortcomings, generate solutions, and collaboratively choose actions for improving the research training program inspired changes to the research climate including: 1) the addition of research presentations by senior residents and faculty mentors at the research orientation for first-year residents to enhance communication of ongoing and new research ideas, and provide earlier exposure to faculty, 2) the creation of an online repository of research resources for enhanced communication of research ideas and to offer examples of past study-related documents, and 3) the encouragement of resident collaboration by offering a range of options such as involvement in individual projects, new team projects, and ongoing projects. Furthermore, during the course of this research, residents and faculty engaged in reflection-on-action and highlighted several additional suggestions for future action research cycles. This research offers two main contributions to theory. First, this study produced a model whereby action research could be used by others in pre-existing resident research training programs. Second, this study further conceptualized research culture in one postgraduate medical education, specifically by elucidating some of the underlying assumptions that formed the essence of the culture.

Diss. Linköping : Univ., 2002.

Much has been written in academic and popular publications about organizational change. Topics have ranged from case studies to anecdotal stories of how leaders can change an organization. There is little written on changing the culture and vision of a profession at the macro level. This dissertation shows that one key to effecting change within a profession is to educate those at the entrant level and thereby effect change with the profession. Over time, these new entrants to the profession will rise to senior positions and be able to effect greater change through the hiring, training, and mentoring processes inherent in the professions and the organizations for which they work. One way to effect change in these entrants is through education in college and professional schools. This study is specifically focused on effecting change in the interdisciplinary field of engineering and public policy. Public policy involves countless infrastructure issues at all levels of government. Engineers are well-versed in dealing with the technical issues of infrastructure but their voice is often lacking at the policy level. Similarly, political scientists are well-versed in policy but are often lacking in a thorough understanding of the technical aspects of the policy. Through an introductory course in engineering and public policy, undergraduate students from the seemingly disparate fields of engineering and political science were placed in a common classroom and through lectures, writings, presentations, and guided discussions their attitudes on key areas were changed. Areas studied were professional interest, legitimacy, deference, the public policy process, and education outside of a specific field. Through the process of education, changes in each of these areas was possible. Further, the movement was towards making students in each discipline more open to the input, opinions, and attitudes of others, and specifically in shifting engineers toward a more positive view of the public policy process. Being exposed to these topics and to each other’s thought processes, changes in professional attitudes were made. While there is not a specific profession for which any research has been done, the military is used, in places, as an analog to the profession of engineering.

The purpose of the dissertation was to explore the impact of regulating dynamics on the process of organizational change in non-profit sport organizations. Regulating dynamics are the factors which enable or constrain organizational change. Four regulating dynamics were targeted based on previous literature: capacity for change, organizational culture, organizational politics, and digital technology. To address the purpose, four research objectives were developed: (1) To explore how capacity for change enables or constrains organizational change in non-profit sport organizations; (2) To explore how organizational culture enables or constrains organizational change in non-profit sport organizations; (3) To explore how organizational politics enables or constrains organizational change in non-profit sport organizations, and (4) To explore how digital technology enables or constrains organizational change in non-profit sport organizations. Through a constructivist epistemology, a collective case study methodology of five Canadian national sport organizations was employed. Data collection included semi-structured interviews conducted with 49 staff and Board members and 151 documents. Data were transcribed verbatim and analyzed thematically. Overall, the findings demonstrate how regulating dynamics impact organizational change as they enable and/or constrain change in non-profit sport organizations concurrently and sequentially. All four regulating dynamics examined appeared to enable organizational change while only three – capacity for change, organizational culture, and organizational politics – constrained change. Thus, digital technology appeared to only enable change. The dissertation also demonstrates the impact of regulating dynamics not only at the organization level, but also how systemic and individual level dynamics influence organizational change. The dissertation addresses recent calls by several scholars to examine the “how” of change or, in other words, the change process. In addition, the dissertation extends existing understandings of regulating dynamics beyond the context of organizational design change. In doing so, the author highlights how regulating dynamics impact different types of changes such as governance, structure, processes, culture, and people change. Practically, through regulating dynamics, this dissertation can help explain why change initiatives fail, whether it is because of a lack of capacity for change, poor organizational culture, complex political dynamics, or failing to capitalize on the benefits of digital technology.

One response to calls for broadening participation in engineering was the establishment of minority engineering programs (MEPs). Since their inception, MEPs have taken many forms with various functions and can be classified as engineering student support centers (ESSCs). Some ESSCs can be considered race-conscious, meaning they specifically focus on race/ethnicity in their support of engineering students. Prior literature points to race-conscious ESSCs as integral to the recruitment and retention of minoritized students in engineering. Despite their importance, race-conscious ESSCs have been met with various direct and indirect barriers threatening their organization's survival. To understand how race-conscious ESSCs have survived given consistent challenges, I conducted a multiple case study focused on exploring race-conscious ESSCs through the lens of organizational resilience. In this study, I interviewed founding and current directors, with a cumulation of 70+ years of experience, of three race-conscious ESSCs at large, public, predominately-white, R1 institutions. The findings from this study provide insight into the types of events, actions, and outcomes that inform the forms and functions of race-conscious ESSCs. I identified six types of events and four types of developments that were salient in leaders' descriptions of their ESSC's history. When considering the relationship between events and developments, some event types only occurred in connection with one type of development while others were in connection with two or more types of developments. This study aims to be a historical documentation of race-conscious ESSCs and events they have endured to remain a resource to racially minoritized engineering students. Additionally, this study contributes to the holistic understanding of ESSCs by using Kantur and Íserí-Say's Integrated Framework of Organizational Resilience as a tool for identifying the factors that enable these organizations to be resilient amid disruption. Lastly, this study adds to efforts calling for policy-makers, researchers, and practitioners to be mindful of the tradeoffs being made by race-conscious ESSCs in the name of resiliency and the unintended consequences of these actions. / Doctor of Philosophy / Since the 1970s, there have been national calls to broaden participation in engineering. One response to these calls was the establishment of minority engineering programs (MEPs) to recruit and support Black engineering students. Over time, MEPs have changed and taken new forms that can be classified as engineering student support centers (ESSCs). Some of these organizations are race-conscious and focus on race/ethnicity in their support of engineering students. These crucial support systems for Black engineering students have encountered obstacles threatening their organization's survival. I conducted a multiple case study to understand how three race-conscious ESSCs have survived so long despite these challenges. After talking to current and founding directors of these organizations, I found six types of events and four types of developments that were salient in their descriptions of their ESSC's history. Directors most frequently discussed how funding changes and engaging with members of their communities had impact on both themselves as the director and the organization. This study contributes to our understanding of how race-conscious ESSCs remain a resource for racially minoritized engineering students. Additionally, this study calls on policymakers, researchers, and practitioners to be mindful of the tradeoffs being made by race-conscious ESSCs in order to survive and the unintended consequences of these actions.

Title: "You get what you ask for” - A comparative study of two organizations and how they, with the help of communicative strategies, work with their employer brands. The purpose of this study was to compare how two organizations use communication strategies as a part of their employer brand strategy. The study is based on the fact that today it has become increasingly important for organizations to work with their employer brands. Globalisation has led to new competitive situations for organizations and therefore the need for communication has increased. The two organizations in this study have different preconditions regarding recruitment. One organization is a part of the public sector and has large recruitment needs. The other organization is smaller and privately owned and do not have the same recruitment needs. The study also aims to identify if the communication strategies differ depending on the differences between the organizations and how much competition there is for jobs. To succeed with this, theories related to marketing, organizational theory, organizational culture and organizational communication was used. Semi-structured interviews were conducted and six employees were interviewed. The analysis showed that both organizations thought it was important to work with their employer brands but they worked in different ways to strengthen them. One organization had a stated strategy and the other had not. One thing both organizations had in common was that they considered their employees to be important assets, but they worked a little different to strengthen their organizational cultures. In the external communication one organization were more cautious while the other organization argued that they needed to be more daring to be able to strenghten their employer brand. The result indicates that the strategies differ between the organizations. The difference is mostly due to the different preconditions the organizations had right from the start. The fact that one is part of the public sector and the other one is a private organization is a thing that matters. Their sizes and their different working areas also influence their work with the employer brand. Keywords: Employer branding, organizational theory, organizational communication, marketing, word of mouth, Backhaus and Tikoo

<p>The aim of this work is to define the party structure of Feministic Initiative (FI). We want to examine the structure of an organization that doesn’t start out with a hierarchical order. We further intend to examine the party’s leadership; whether or not it is equal, between the three spokespersons.We find it interesting as a topic from a democratic point of view as well as to see if a flat structure could work in practice. We use several theories among them Michel’s “iron law of oligarchy” and Holmberg’s and Söderlind’s theory on flat organizations. There is modest research on leadership in Swedish political science; we therefore consider it important to highlight. Shared leadership is interesting to examine, for it might be an alternative to the traditional order.We use a mixed-methodology based upon qualitative interviews and text analysis. We have interviewed the three spokespersons and examined materials like official weekly letters written by the spokespersons and the party’s constitution.The result shows that a flat structure is hard to carry out in practise and it appears that some form of hierarchical order appears in the party structure. Despite efforts towards equality the shared leadership is not totally equal.</p>

Syftet med studien var att undersöka skolkuratorers upplevelse av arbetet med nyanlända elever inom skolans organisation. Fem skolkuratorer som arbetar i en kommun med många nyanlända elever intervjuades i en kvalitativ undersökning genom en fokusgruppsdiskussion. Resultatet har analyserats med hjälp av organisationsteori och har jämförts med tidigare forskning. Resultatet visade att skolkuratorerna i denna undersökning saknar tydliga rutiner från organisationen i arbetet med nyanlända elever. Kuratorerna arbetar självständigt och har diffusa riktlinjer från ledningen som ändras regelbundet. Språkförbistringar och problematik i samband med tolk anses utmanande. Genom en tydligare styrning och struktur från ledningen skulle en högre grad av samsyn mellan olika professioner och andra organisationer möjliggöras i arbetet med nyanlända elever.  Avslutningsvis diskuteras skolkuratorernas möjligheter att bidra till att inkludera elever och hur samverkan skulle kunna förbättras. / The aim of the study was to examine school counsellors experience of working with newly arrived immigrant students within the school’s organisation. Five school counsellors working in a municipality with many newly arrived immigrant students were interviewed in a qualitative study through a focus group discussion. The results were analysed using organisational theory and compared with previous research. Results showed that the school counsellors lacked explicit organisational routines in the work with newly arrived immigrant students, and that the counsellors worked independently but the guidelines from management were vague and changed on a regular basis. Linguistic confusion and interpretation issues were considered challenging. With more distinct control and structure from management a higher degree of consensus between different professions and other organisations would be made possible in working with newly arrived immigrant students. Finally, school counsellors contribution on how to include students and how collaboration could be improved were discussed