The managers of professional performing arts organisations are faced with a unique dilemma. They must support their artistic personnel, who are typically driven by the quest for new, challenging and experimental works, while achieving the economic success necessary for the continued viability of their organisations. Failing to effectively manage this artistic-economic dichotomy can result in a conflict between artists and managers that threatens the long-term survival of these organisations. There is a clear need, therefore, for arts managers to foster an organisational climate that minimises conflict, while promoting organisational citizenship behaviours (OCBs) such as sportsmanship (a willingness to tolerate less than ideal circumstances without complaining) and courtesy (a willingness to show sensitivity towards others and actively avoid creating problems for co-workers). The main aim of the present study was to examine the extent to which factors such as organisational structure, organisational culture and employees’ motivational orientation influence people’s perceptions of their job scope (as indicated by high levels of task variety, task identity, task significance, autonomy and feedback from the job), a construct which has been found to reduce organisational conflict and increase employees’ propensity to display OCBs. While these relationships have been suggested in previous research, they have not been tested in a performing arts industry context. The data analysed in the present study suggested an enjoyment motivational orientation, a challenge motivational orientation, an organic culture and formalisation positively influenced perceptions of job scope, which, in turn, positively influenced both OCBs (sportsmanship and courtesy). A challenge orientation also had a positive impact on sportsmanship, while sportsmanship positively and directly influenced courtesy. Centralisation was negatively related to perceived job scope and sportsmanship, although it had a positive impact on courtesy. Conflict was negatively influenced by formalisation and by an organic culture, but was positively influenced by a hierarchal culture.

Objective: To assess the feasibility of applying Quality Management philosophies and techniques to pathology laboratories. Design: Series of case studies. Setting: Two tertiary referral pathology laboratories in Australian University teaching hospitals. Intervention: Application of Continuous Quality Improvement techniques to complex laboratory processes; Implementation of formal Quality Systems into laboratories; Introduction of a new Laboratory Information System. Measurement: Measurement of changes in key performance indicators. Results: Statistically significant improvements in a variety of key performance indicators, reduction in frequency of incidents, and improvement in surrogate clinical outcomes were achieved using Quality Management approaches in pathology laboratories. Comparison of environments associated with introduction of a new Laboratory Information System identified the presence of a formal Quality System as a key factor associated with superior laboratory performance. Conclusion: Quality Management can be applied successfully to a variety of pathology laboratory environments, and can result in significant improvements in product and service quality. A key success factor in implementing Quality Management may be the introduction of a formal Quality System.

The dissertation contends that an instrument developed through using a model of complex adaptive systems as a generative metaphor will assist members of an organisation to better understand their organisation. Using an action research methodology, six Air Force Management Services Teams were exposed to six overlapping attributes of complex adaptive systems through focus group workshops with an aim to determine whether they, as experienced management consulting practitioners, saw value to themselves and their Air Force clients of using aspects of complex adaptive systems for organisational understanding. The overlapping attributes of complex adaptive systems were distilled from the literature reviewed. Whereas the focus group workshop participants found the attributes valuable in understanding the dynamics of organisational behaviour, they found the new way of thinking challenging on a number of different perspectives. Some aspects of the Air Force organisation, like its high levels of organisational experience, will make the introduction to and use of complex adaptive systems thinking simpler, while other aspects of the Air Force organisation, like its sensitivity to complex adaptive systems terminology, will make the introduction and use of complex adaptive systems more challenging. Notwithstanding the challenges, both the complex adaptive systems model, and the use of action research were found to be useful ways of introducing organisations to complex adaptive systems thinking.

This study adds to the limited empirical research evidence about the use of group facilitation in organisations. It analyses data collected from managers and facilitators to identify the critical contingency factors that influence the use of group facilitation. The data was analysed using an iterative process of grounded content analysis. The findings identify four primary contingency factors that influence the use of group facilitation. Chief among these is the 'outcomes-oriented' worldview that characterises the theories-in-use of both managers and facilitators. Group facilitation is used when managers perceive that it is likely to be an appropriate intervention which will enable the achievement of certain desired organisational goals. A parallel finding is that the relationship between managers and external facilitators is frequently 'instrumental' in nature. These findings have significant implications for both the theory and practice of group facilitation, especially concerning the field's dominant view of facilitation as a 'neutral' intervention. It extends the perspective proffered by a minority of scholars and writers in this field. The other primary contingency factors identified in this study include the complexity of the group's task; the need to challenge or otherwise alter the way a group is thinking in relation to its task; and the need to have open discussions about issues pertaining to the work or life of the group when the expertise to enable such discussions is not otherwise available. In addition to the implications regarding the neutrality of facilitation, the findings of this study have implications for the management of groups within organisations. Facilitation is demonstrably a useful means of building trust and enhancing relationships in numerous situations. It is also clearly perceived to be an appropriate means of enabling groups to structure and manage complex tasks. This includes tasks that are both objectively complex in nature, and those that group members subjectively experience as complex tasks. Given the increasing complexity of business environments, the complexity of many group tasks, and the increasing propensity for organisations to utilise teams and groups to get work done, facilitation is emerging as an important means of assisting organisational effectiveness.

"January 2004" / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 252-273) / xxiii, 276, [6] leaves : ill. ; 30 cm. / Title page, contents and abstract only. The complete thesis in print form is available from the University Library. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Adelaide, Dept. of Social Inquiry, 2004

The overarching purpose of this study is to examine the communication implications of a self-proclaimed consensual organization (IT) within a classical organizational environment. The literature review of relevant theory and research covers both hierarchical and consensual organizations viewed via the classical, human relations, and system perspectives. The researcher compares organizational theory to practice by using communication to describe a consensual organization. The analyses of the research questions show that the IT organization, although a self-proclaimed consensual organization, does not obtain as many consensual qualities as the organization perceives. Organizational theorists have positioned bureaucracies and consensual organizations at opposite ends of the task-relational continuum. However, the findings from this thesis study suggest that consensual organizations should be positioned much closer to the task-oriented bureaucracies. / Graduation date: 1997

Thesis (B.Psy.Sc.(Hons.)) - University of Queensland, 2006. / Includes bibliography.

Current demographics indicate that populations of color are on the rise across the United States. Although enrollments of students of color are increasing, first year retention rates are lower compared to their peers. Consequently, systemic changes are needed to produce changes in services and programs required by these students. Despite the modest gains in enrollment, students of color remain underrepresented at every degree level in higher education. Despite volumes of research, institutions still disregard the seriousness of the problem and continue to address retention with isolated programmatic approaches to change administrative, instructional, and advising practices with little evaluation. The purpose of this study was to develop an instrument assessing the organizational readiness of state and land-grant universities to retain students of color in colleges of agriculture as well as determine what definitions of retention were used to support existing retention programs and services. Since state and land-grant institutions previously engaged in retention strategies, an ex post facto study was conducted. A census of the population was conducted, where close to half of the population responded and expressed interest in seeing study results. State and land-grant colleges were selected as participants due to their unique inability to reach higher than average retention rates of students of color, specifically in agricultural fields. Statistical tests such as t-tests and analysis of variance were used to analyze data and further refine the instrument. Reliability for each of the instrument scales was high. However, further refining must be done before the instrument will more precisely indicate where gaps are in each readiness area in colleges of agriculture. This study determined that more information is needed on which definitions of retention are used to support programs and services within the college. Further investigation should be done to ascertain why more organizational diagnostic assessments are not done in this area considering the fiscal impacts on priorities such as retention. Although respondents indicated satisfaction with the college of agriculture to meet the academic needs of students, departmental administrators and faculty were still unclear of their role with retention. These findings indicate more research in this area should be conducted.

Clinical information systems are being introduced into nurses’ work at an alarming rate. These systems are implemented with limited input from nurses who provide direct patient care, and without considering human factors in the systems design and implementation process. The need for nurses to be involved at every level of decision-making as it relates to technological innovation into their work is imperative to mitigate system failure and truly support their work. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is two-fold: 1) to discuss evidence that suggests that the nurse is not really viewed as an end user in most clinical information systems implementations and 2) to describe the implications of this misperception to the nurse, organization, and nursing profession.

<p>Although subgroups are a central component of work teams, they have remained largely unexamined by organizational scholars. In three chapters, a theory and measure of subgroups are developed and then tested. The theory introduces a typology of subgroups and a depiction of the antecedents and consequences of subgroups. The measure, called the subgroup algorithm, determines the most dominant configurations of subgroups in real work teams--those that are most likely to influence team processes and outcomes. It contrasts the characteristics within a subgroup or set of subgroups versus the characteristics between subgroups or a set of subgroups for every potential configuration of subgroups on every work team in a given sample. The algorithm is tested with a simulation, with results suggesting that it adds value to the methodological literature on subgroups. The empirical test uses the subgroup algorithm to test key propositions put forth in the theory of subgroups. First, it is predicted that teams will perform better when identity-based subgroups are unequal in size and knowledge-based subgroups are equal in size. Second, it is predicted that, although teams will perform better with an increasing number of both identity-based and knowledge-based subgroups, there will be a discontinuity in this linear function for identity-based subgroups: teams with two identity-based subgroups will perform more poorly than teams with any other number of identity-based subgroups. The subgroup algorithm is used to test these predictions in a sample of 326 work teams. Results generally support the predictions.</p> / Dissertation