The purpose of this study is to develop the construct of organizational hardiness which is thought to distinguish organizations that thrive under conditions of turbulence and uncertainty from organizations that whither under these same conditions. This new construct is based on individual hardiness which is a constellation of personality dispositions that a large body of empirical work has suggested supports individual performance under conditions of turbulence and uncertainty. Paralleling the individual hardiness dispositions of challenge, commitment, and control, organizational hardiness is posited to consist of the organizational level constructs of sensemaking, organizational identification, and enactment. The development of organizational hardiness is supported by literature reviews of individual hardiness, organizational stress, sensemaking, organizational identification, and enactment. To support the theoretical development of this construct, this study includes a content analysis of the CEO letters to shareholders for the 20 largest commercial banks in the United States during the years 2000-2009. Using generalized least squares estimation techniques, the current study demonstrates a positive relationship between organizational hardiness, sensemaking, organizational identification, and enactment and multiple measures of organizational performance. Furthermore, organizations demonstrating higher levels of organizational hardiness demonstrate higher levels of organizational performance on three out of four measures. The study concludes with a discussion of theoretical and managerial implications concerning the development of this new construct.

"Strong situations" have been shown to decrease behavioral variability, thereby attenuating the criterion-related validity of non-ability individual differences for criteria such as job performance (Barrick&Mount, 1993; Meyer, Dalal,&Bonaccio, 2009). However, it has been suggested that individuals, based on individual differences in implicit motives, may impute discrepant psychological meaning to social stimuli like situational strength--a process sometimes known as differential framing (James&McIntyre, 1996). If different psychological interpretations are attached to strong situation stimuli (e.g., Meyer, Dalal,&Hermida, 2010), an interesting behavioral "double-edged sword" is possible. On the one hand, behaviors pertinent to "primary criteria" (i.e., criteria for which external situational influences and pressures lead to targeted behavioral homogeneity) may occur among those who would not normally engage in them. But, at the same time, behaviors pertinent to "secondary criteria" (i.e., unintended, unforeseen, and potentially reactionary behaviors and/or attitudes) might also increase for some individuals (i.e., those with certain implicit motive characteristics). In other words, high situational strength may simultaneously constrain behavioral variability in primary criteria while serving as a stimulus for differential framing, thereby expanding variability on secondary criteria. The purpose of the present dissertation was twofold: 1) to explore the degree to which situational strength is differentially framed, and 2) to ascertain how the differential framing of situational strength may lead to unintended secondary outcomes. Study 1 findings indicate that, to a partial extent, situational strength is differentially framed by individuals with different implicit motives. Study 2 findings are largely consistent with extant situational strength theory, though partially inconsistent with study predictions.

Thesis (DBA(DoctorateofBusinessAdministration )--University of South Australia, 2004

Thesis (DBA(DoctorateofBusinessAdministration )--University of South Australia, 2004

No description available.

No description available.

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.

Thesis (DBA(DoctorateofBusinessAdministration )--University of South Australia, 2004

Thesis (PhD)--Macquarie University, Macquarie Graduate School of Management, 2005. / Bibliography: p. 241-260. / Introduction -- Literature review -- Development of the KM Spectrum -- Research design and method -- Results -- Discussion of results -- Conclusions and implications. / There is growing consensus in business research and practice that knowledge is increasingly the driver of competitive advantage. This thesis focuses on one aspect of the issue by identifying factors that affect the adoption of Knowledge Management (KM) applications by individuals in an IT Services organisation. The study considers the adoption decision by individuals once senior management have decided to invest in IT enabled KM applications (KMA) and KM systems (KMS). -- In the thesis, a framework, the KM Spectrum, is developed that differentiates between the varying characteristics of KMAs and frames the research. The thesis identifies 32 potential success factors for KM adoption proposed in the reviewed literature. These factors are related to the disciplines of organisational science, diffusion theory and adoption models. -- The methods used in the research: secondary data study, interviews and the electronic survey, combined with the representativeness of the survey sample, triangulate to provide confidence in the empirical understanding of the factors that influenced the adoption of KM within the specific knowledge-based organisation. -- In developing the theoretically-informed view of the factors that affect individual adoption of KMAs the research concludes that studying KM adoption at an individual level and across multiple KMAs identifies influences on adoption masked by adoption research conducted at a KM system and/or organisational level. By studying KM adoption at an individual level this thesis finds that the adoption by individuals of KMAs is primarily a diffusion phenomenon and that the factors that influence KMA adoption vary with the type of KMA being adopted. The empirically identified factors that affect adoption at an individual level build to a staged model of KM adoption, called the enhanced KM adoption (EKMA) model. The EKMA model represents four phases of KM adoption and differential influences that apply across the adoption lifecycle. Additionally, the study provides some indications of further research topics and proposes a checklist to assist practitioners with the deployment of KMAs and KM systems. / Mode of access: World Wide Web. / xx, 330 p. ill