<p> Code for America Fellowships pair technologists with local city governments to develop digital tools that support how governments provide service to their communities. The lack of project sustainability following these Fellowships has been a source of dissatisfaction for both Fellows and clients. Code for America supports each Fellow with technical training, but provides no training on consulting techniques that help clients sustain the changes or new technology being introduced. The purpose of this action research study was to determine the efficacy of a collaborative consultation module for the Fellows at Code for America. To gather data, surveys, interviews and analysis of Fellow and client project satisfaction were conducted. Findings will inform improvements to future consultation skills training and identify activities or approaches that can enhance project sustainability.</p><p>

<p> The environment in which higher education institutions are situated has been impacted by a number of disruptive forces since the early 1990s, including acceleration in the capability of information technology (Beagle, 2006; Bennett, 2003; Foster, 2014), changing attitudes about learning pedagogy (Barr &amp; Tagg, 1995), and calls for accountability from government and the public (Appleton, Stevenson, &amp; Boden, 2011; Forrest &amp; Bostick, 2013). Innovative leaders in academic librarianship have been empowered by their institutions to lead efforts to create transformative library learning spaces that can effectively leverage the opportunities presented through these disruptions to aid the institution in meeting its goals, now and in the future. </p><p> The theoretical framework for this study was grounded in planned (Lewin, 1951) and emergent change (Bess &amp; Dee, 2012; Burnes, 2004, Leslie, 1996) theories, which are both needed to foster sustainable and transformative outcomes (Mossop, 2013). The following research question guided this study: </p><p> <i>How do organizational leaders experience engagement with stakeholders during the creation of library learning spaces, from visioning through planning, implementation and evaluation?</i> </p><p> This basic, interpretive, qualitative study employed individual, semi-structured interviews with (<i>N</i>=11) library leaders who possessed primary responsibility for leading others to facilitate creation of library learning spaces at their institution. Projects serving as subjects for the study were completed between 2011 and 2016. Leader subjects were identified through intentional and emergent sampling. Themes were inductively identified through open and axial coding methods (Merriam &amp; Tisdell, 2016). Artifacts related to the library space projects were analyzed to corroborate findings. Elite interviews with (<i>N</i>2) professionals from varied backgrounds who have expert knowledge on library learning space design were implemented to integrate additional perspectives into findings. </p><p> Five principal findings were identified that framed the process of leadership engagement through a library space project: 1) Input: Leadership Characteristics &amp; Project Ignition; 2) Project Drivers: Institutional Authority, Mission, &amp; Needs; 3) Building on Relational Capital; 4) Persistence through Planned Change; and 5) Maintaining Sustainable Spaces. This study may contribute a greater understanding of leadership requirements for library space design projects, as well as identify activities associated with project success. </p><p>

<p> Trauma-informed care (TIC) is an approach to service delivery based on the understanding of the prevalence of psychological trauma among service users, knowledge about the impact trauma has on engagement to services, and recognition that service settings can be re-traumatizing. For more than a decade, momentum has been building on this topic. Practitioners are pursuing the knowledge and skills needed to implement trauma-informed service delivery, while organizations are building infrastructure and processes aimed at supporting this approach. Disciplines across many human service sectors are eager to incorporate TIC into policy and practice. Despite this enthusiasm, implementation efforts are slow. Acquiring foundational knowledge about TIC has typically been recommended as a first step when implementing a trauma-informed approach. However, slow progress in implementation suggests knowledge may not be enough. This study investigated the individual characteristics that impact a commitment to TIC, with specific attention to the relationship between foundational knowledge about trauma-informed care and commitment to TIC. Other variables of interest included perceived principal support, TIC self-efficacy, beliefs about trauma and its impact, and organizational strain. Survey data were collected from 118 participants working in mental health, public health, and early childhood. Results from structural equation modeling suggest that foundational knowledge predicts affective commitment to TIC both directly and with the partially mediated paths through principal support, TIC self-efficacy, and beliefs about trauma. Organizational strain does not moderate these effects. However, group differences based on high and low levels of perceived organizational strain were observed and discussed. These findings add to the growing literature on TIC and should be considered as organizations strive to implement TIC. </p><p>

M.Comm. / The purpose of this study was to investigate whether storytelling can be used as a strategy to uncover organisational culture. This investigation was prompted by a debate between scholars on whether a quantitative or qualitative approach should be adopted to assess culture. Based on Schein’s (2009) perspective on culture assessment a qualitative approach was adopted. Schein suggests that culture is unique and therefore cannot be assessed using a survey as surveys have predefined constructs that may not uncover certain critical cultural elements. The research methodology was informed by the interpretivisim paradigm. Conducted in a Consulting Firm semi-structured interviews were conducted with six senior members in order to gather their stories. For the data analysis and interpretation, thematic analysis was the chosen technique. Here themes were first extracted according to common stories, archetypes and behaviours identified. These were then interpreted for shared underlying assumptions which were uncovered when common behaviours observed could not be explained by espoused values or other artifacts. The interpretation of results uncovered six core underlying assumptions and five secondary underlying assumptions. The core underlying assumptions operate at the deepest level of the organisations unconscious and are “Sales Orientated,” “Dominance,” “Client First,” “Innovation,” “Adaptability and Nimbleness,” and “Individualism.” Secondary underlying assumptions are enablers of the core underlying assumptions and are “Work Centricity,” “Role Variety,” “Opinion Based Reward,” “Technology Consulting Identity” and “Global versus Local Skill.” The outcomes of the interpretation revealed patterns of underlying assumptions that drive organisational behaviour. To conclude, this study has managed to reveal important elements of the Consulting Firms culture and therefore is in support of a qualitative approach to assess culture. There are limitations of the study; most noticeably the limited number of participant’s interviewed. It is therefore recommended that future culture assessments consider storytelling as a strategy to uncover culture but that an increased number of participants are utilised.

D.Litt. et Phil. / The moral tone and ethical consciousness of an organisation are often reflected in everyday spoken discourse. Discourse (both written and verbal) sends a message about how an organisation does business. Ethical discourse, in turn, sends a message about the ‘right’ and ‘wrong’ way of conducting business, which helps people make better decisions. When business related ethical issues are openly and honestly discussed it propels ethical awareness which in turn may inspire responsible action. Ethical awareness increases responsiveness and sensitivity to ethical issues, as well as enhanced ethical decision-making. The notion of “moral” talk in organisations, i.e. talking about ethics, or organisational “ethics talk” (OET), has however, been scantily addressed in business ethics research and literature (the exception being the work of Waters and Bird in the late 1980s). It can be postulated that OET may be a powerful vehicle for the institutionalisation of ethics in the organisations. For it to be utilised optimally, it has to be placed under theoretical scrutiny before it can be applied in organisational ethics management initiatives. The primary objective of this research was to design an appropriate conceptual framework from which to develop a substantive model for (OET) in an attempt to clarify the concept and its components. A qualitative methodology with grounded theory as a research strategy was employed to develop the substantive model. Eight ethics experts (N=8) were purposively selected to partake as research participants, chosen because of their knowledge, education and experience in the field of business ethics. The research participants’ perceptions, experience and understanding of OET were explored to develop the substantive model. The primary data collection method was semi-structured interviews, which generated rich and descriptive data. The data was systematically analysed using grounded x theory. An in-depth literature review was undertaken following the fieldwork. This was integrated with results of the data analysis once the theoretical directions had become clear. Member checking was executed throughout the research process and a focus group was conducted to verify interpretations and substantiate the initial OET model. The outcomes of the focus group discussion resulted in the drafting of the final model for OET. Based on the findings, OET was defined as intra-organisational spoken or written articulation that reflects the consideration of the ethical interests of (a) the ‘self’ (e.g. organisation, the well being of its members in particular context), and (b) the ‘other’ (e.g. other internal and external stakeholders, other organisations, society). The central elements of the model consist of the following themes: enabling contextual factors, potential catalysts, barriers to OET and effects thereof, categorisation of OET, forms of OET, purposive and unintentional OET, motivations for OET and resulting effects (i.e. outcome versus no outcome).

No description available.

<p> United States hospitals are faced with fulfilling the triple aim, which require high quality, safe practices, and at lowered cost. The payment model for the Center of Medicaid and Medicare Services and many commercial payers has moved toward a fee-for-value based model, which was a deviation from the traditional fee-for-service system. The new models are either incentivizing healthcare providers for achieving or exceeding quality, safety, and service outcomes; or penalizing them for not adding value or achieving expected outcomes. Ultimately, hospitals are required to be efficient and bend the cost curve or suffer the consequences in their fiscal performance. Surgical services are hospital departments that have the potential to achieve the highest net revenue if efficiency is achieved and sustained. Hospital leaders often contract consultants to support business process change (BPC) efforts with the main goal of attaining long-term sustainable improvements to their operational processes through effective knowledge management. The following study was a retrospective examination of the BPC initiative through the perspectives of a cross section of two case sites surgical service members. The researcher compared and contrasted the surgical team&rsquo;s perceptions of their BPC execution, their journey, and the post initiative performance. Questionnaires, interviews, and document collection were used to collect a rich overview of the BPC phenomenon. The data showed that there are multiple factors that influenced the long-term culture of change, which included transformational leadership, effective knowledge management, and the prioritization of the change initiative. In addition, the participants implied that physician leadership is required to achieve behavioral alignment to expected performance. The outcome of this research resulted in the following recommendations to direct future research. First, further investigation is needed to determine if the Lean methodology is an effective approach to business process change for healthcare organizations, or are there other methods that would prove more beneficial for the healthcare arena. Second, there needs to be more investigation on how healthcare systems can optimize knowledge management processes for retention and transition so when key leaders and knowledge experts leave organizational learning continues. Lastly, there needs to be further investigation into physician leaders&rsquo; influence on business process change, which would include a gap assessment of their current clinical competencies against the business acumen domain of healthcare administration, operational management, and business development.</p><p>

<p> This dissertation examines perceptions of purpose in family foundations and the impact of differences in those perceptions on family foundation board composition/function and on grant making activities. One of the primary decisions facing the donor who creates a private foundation relates to governance. Here, the donor arguably faces a deeply personal choice: to what extent should the donor&rsquo;s family be involved? Related to this choice is the question of the degree of focus on the mission-related aspects of the organization or the family-related aspects of the organization. This dissertation explores whether family foundation trustees view family purposes and social impact purposes as meaningful for the foundation they represent and whether trustees differ with regard to the degree to which they emphasize one or the other. If family foundation trustees do meaningfully differ in this regard, what difference does an emphasis on family or social impact purposes make on board composition, grant making focus and stability, similarity to one&rsquo;s peers, and other factors? Through a combination of survey, interview, and review of publicly available material, this dissertation explores this question for a sample of family foundation trustees in two Midwestern states. Eugene Tempel, Ph.D., Co-Chair Leslie Lenkowsky, Ph.D., Co-Chair</p>

<p> The subject of this quantitative research is the effect organizational commitment and job satisfaction have on retention and turn-over. This study seeks to determine validity and reliability of the three-component model of organizational commitment and job satisfaction survey as predictors of retention in the military. The population of this study was 20,108,332 current and former uniformed service members and civilian employees working for the military. Binary logistic regression and linear multiple regression were used to analyze predictors of respondents&rsquo; intent to remain and additional years of service. Results did not support a rejection of the null hypotheses. Post-hoc Pearson bi-variant correlation analysis was conducted to measure covariance between intent to remain and each independent variable: affective commitment, continuance commitment, normative commitment, and job satisfaction. Future studies should control for the variable of involuntary (forced) separation and use a more detailed tool such as commitment profiles.</p>

Magister Commercii - MCom / The 21st century has awakened a call for new leaders to cope with the demands of the rapidly changing world of work which emphasises flatter structures, and a more democratic style of leadership. When looking at the changing competencies of the new leader, it is postulate that leadership takes into consideration the emotional attributes as well as the rational aspects of the individual. From this it becomes evident that the leaders of the 21st century would have to be emotionally intelligent to motivate employees to achieve organizational goals. The aim of this study was to investigate if there is a relationship between emotional intelligence and leadership styles in middle to senior managers. / South Africa