Universiẗat, Diss.--Bamberg, 2007. / Literaturverz. S. 227 - 253.

Thesis (MScEng (Industrial Engineering))--University of Stellenbosch, 2008. / Call centres form an increasingly important part of the modern day business environment and perform an important role in the strategic and operational aspects of organisations. Call centres have emerged and developed to provide efficient and cost effective communication channels between organisations and their customers. Call centres are often the largest or only channel used to access customers or for customers to access organisations. Early call centres were seen as cost centres and operated in a similar manner, often resulting in poor and unsatisfactory performance. Modern call centres are being approached in a different way. They are aligned with the strategic objectives of the organisation and are seen as performance centres and revenue drivers. Modern call centres are dynamic and complex organisations, both technologically and operationally. Performance objectives are often conflicting and controlling parameters have to be finely balanced in a volatile environment. It is therefore imperative to utilise call centres effectively and efficiently. This can only be achieved by a structured and scientific operations research based approach. The research was initiated by the requirement of a call centre design and implementation as part of a larger business process reengineering project. The thesis provides an overview of the call centre environment and operational aspects. A structured call centre design model is reviewed and two aspects namely workforce management and performance management are found to form the core of the design and operations activities. The call centre design model is then integrated with the proposed workforce management and performance management models. These models are developed using scientific operations research approach. The structured modelling approach is then used to guide the design, operation, and optimisation of the call centre of the case study. The structured and scientific operations research based approach proved to be of great significance when confronted with the dynamic and complex call centre environment. Through using the structured approach the design, operation, and optimisation activities could be conducted successfully and performance objectives were reached.

Thesis (MEcon (Industrial Psychology))--University of Stellenbosch, 2007. / Over the past decade we have seen an emerging consensus on the importance of performance management as the mechanism to improve the contribution of individual employees to the overall success of the organisation. The predicament, however, is that performance management efforts often appear to be perceived to lack relevance, to constitute a waste of time or perceived to be faddism. To address possible scepticism and the need for greater prioritisation, answers must be found on the extent to which performance management enhance those attitudes and employee responses that underpin work performance. The main purpose of this research study was to empirically examine the relationship between performance management practices (i.e. providing employees with context, focus, resources, development, monitoring/feedback, and consequences) and the achievement of specific desired employee outcomes (i.e. employee job satisfaction, intention to quit, perception of fairness, organisational commitment, employee empowerment, and team cohesion). For the purpose of this study a theoretical model (Shirley, 2005) depicting the relationship between performance management practices and desired employee outcomes has been empirically tested. The sample (n = 1016) consisted of employees working in the financial services sector in South Africa. The data was acquired through the High Performance Practices Survey (Shirley, 2004), which measured employee perceptions regarding the extent to which the performance management practices were implemented within their operational unit; and the extent to which they experienced the above mentioned attitudes or responses. The results of the reliability analyses revealed Cronbach’s alpha values ranging between 0.68 and 0.93 on nine sub-scales. After being subjected to exploratory factor analysis which was conducted by means of the Principal Component extraction method, five of the sub-scales satisfied the uni-dimensionality test whilst the remaining four presented a clear, relatively easy interpretable two-factor orthogonal factor structure. Despite certain shortcomings, the reliability and construct validity analyses seemed promising, thereby enhancing the usability of the High Performance Practices Survey (Shirley, 2004) for future research and commercial use purposes. The statistical analysis of the data was conducted through correlation and regression analyses. The results corroborated the hypotheses that performance management practices correlate positively with job satisfaction, perceptions of fairness, organisational commitment, employee empowerment and team cohesion. Surprisingly, no convincing empirical support could be found for the hypothesised relationship between the management practices and intention to quit. The findings of regression analysis supported that all the desired employee outcomes could each be significantly predicted by at least three performance management practices. Important insight was gained into the relative importance of the performance management practices to promote desired employee outcomes. In view thereof that a discussion of performance in organisations is incomplete without reference to the construct of organisational culture, this study also provided propositions to prompt further research on the role of performance management in reinforcing a high performance organisational culture. Insightful conclusions were drawn from the results obtained and recommendations are made for future research.

Modernas provedoras de serviços de TI estão sob constante pressão para aumentar sua competitividade. Meios de reduzir os custos e aumentar o desempenho (i.e., produtividade e qualidade) dos serviços oferecidos são temas centrais na indústria de TI. Contudo, apesar de todos os esforços feitos até hoje, modelar e otimizar processos de TI que envolvem operadores humanos continua sendo uma tarefa complexa. O humano pode ser influenciado por inúmeros fatores e executar o processo de uma forma diferente a cada vez, portanto, introduzindo uma significativa variabilidade no resultado final do processo. Apesar de todas as pesquisas feitas até hoje terem introduzido melhorias significativas no gerenciamento de serviços, ainda restam muitos desafios (e.g., mudanças rápidas, limites orçamentários, falta de conhecimento, complexidade dos sistemas, atuais e futuros requisitos dos usuários e finalmente aumento nas expectativas dos usuários) que não foram completamente resolvidos pelos esforços atuais. Dentre todas as tecnologias disponíveis atualmente, uma em especial, conhecida como Web 2.0, ainda não foi investigada pela indústria e pela acadêmia no contexto da gerência de serviços de TI. Dentre todas as tecnologias e aplicações que definem aWeb 2.0, uma é de especial interesse nesta tese: os mashups. Mashups sao aplicacoes Web criadas a partir da composicao de recursos disponiveis online (e.g., mapas interativos, Web services, paginas HTML). Facilidade de uso, extensibilidade e desenvolvimento específico de contexto são exemplos de características apresentadas pelos mashups que os candidatam como uma solução viável para aprimorar o gerenciamento de serviços de TI. Desta forma, o objetivo desta tese é investigar a aplicabilidade de mashups como uma solução efetiva para melhorar o desempenho (i.e., em termos de produtividade e confiabilidade) de atividades de gerência de serviços de TI que envolvem operadores humanos. Em particular, esta tese tem como objetivo definir soluções de gerenciamento necessárias para melhorar e avaliar o desempenho de processos de TI. Especificamente, esta tese foca nos passos do processo que podem ser medidos através de observação ou intrumentação e que podem ser aprimorados através de projeto e automação. As soluções de gerenciamento introduzidas são investigadas através de um estudo de caso real, relacionado ao processo de Cumprimento de Requisição. O foco deste estudo de caso é nos operadores humanos com a responsabilidade de receber as requisições dos clientes e encaminhá-las paras administradores de sistema responsáveis por resolver as requisições. Neste contexto, os mashups são investigados como uma solução efetiva para lidar com ineficiências e erros introduzidos pelos operadores humanos enquanto executam suas atividades diárias relacionadas à gerência de serviços de TI. Foi realizada uma extensa investigação das tarefas realizadas por um grupo de especialistas em um centro global de suporte e entrega de serviços de TI. Os resultados demonstram a viabilidade da tecnologia de mashups como solução para aprimorar a gerência de serviços de TI. / Modern IT service provider organizations are under a continuous pressure to increase their competitiveness. Ways to reduce costs while improving performance – in terms of productivity and quality – of services are a key focus area for companies in the IT industry. However, despite all the solutions that have been proposed, modelling and optimizing human-centered processes remains a burdensome task. The human operator may be influenced by multiple factors and execute the process in a different way each time, thus introducing a significant variability in the final process outcome. Although the research proposed so far have introduced improvements on service management, there are several challenges (e.g., rapid change, budgetary constraints, skill shortages, system complexity, current and future user requirements, and growing user expectations) that are not completely covered by the current efforts. Among the new technologies available today, a set of novel ones, referred to as Web 2.0, has not yet been investigated by both industry and academia in the ITSM context. In the myriad of technologies and applications that define the Web 2.0, one is of special interest in this thesis: the mashups. Mashups are Web applications created through the composition of preexisting Web resources (e.g., interactive maps, Web services, traditional HTML pages, or even Flash presentations). Easiness of use, extensibility, and context specific development are examples of characteristics presented by mashups that candidate them to be a viable technology for improving IT Service Management. Therefore, the goal of this thesis is to investigate the feasibility of mashups as an effective approach to improve performance (i.e., in terms of productivity and reliability) of human-centered ITSM activities. In particular, this thesis aims to define management solutions required to deliver and demonstrate improvements in performance of humancentered ITSM processes. Specifically, the focus is on individual steps in the process that can be assessed through instrumentation or observation, and can be improved through design and automation. The analysis of exogenous events are not addressed, such as answering telephone calls or other interruptions. The introduced management solutions are examined through a real case study, related to the Request Fulfillment process. The focus of this case study is on dispatch, an activity centered on human operators called dispatchers, with knowledge of standard fulfillment procedures. In this context, mashups are analyzed as an effective approach to cope with inefficiencies and errors introduced by human operators while performing their daily activities in the context of ITSM. An extensive analysis of tasks performed by a group of Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) in a global IT Service Support and Delivery organization was performed. The results demonstrate the viability of the mashups technology as a means for improving IT Service Management.

The research aims to establish a framework whereby performance management systems can be assessed in terms of its effectiveness. The industry in which research is conducted is the call centre industry in South Africa. / The field of Performance Management is receiving more attention today than ever before. This is due to the fact that many companies are becoming more and more frustrated by the ‘disconnect’ that exists between formulating their strategy and successful delivery against it. The aim of this research is to determine how performance is managed in organisations, but more importantly, how it should be managed. To this end, this research considers the total endeavour required to manage performance as a system, and wishes to contribute towards specifying how this system must ‘hang together’. This research is conducted against the backdrop of the call centre industry in South Africa. The call centre industry is an area of potential growth in South Africa and in need of evaluating and improving their performance results to meet or exceed the international benchmarks. This level of global pressure makes call centres an appropriate subject of analysis on a topic such as Performance Management. The nature of this research was mostly exploratory, by firstly reviewing existing theory and literature relevant to this subject. Subsequent to this, two assessment instruments were used to assess the desired situation with regards to Performance Management Systems in South African call centres. The one instrument was developed as a result of the theory and literature reviewed during this research project (the PMSAI). Another, existing, instrument, the PMA®, (De Waal, 2004) was also used to provide a different view and provides an opportunity to triangulate this project. It also addresses the current status of Performance Management Systems in South African call centres to highlight shortcomings as a basis to review and improve these systems. The main findings of this research are that a successful Performance Management System should take cognisance of a number of factors in- and outside of the organisation as well as the interplay between ‘hard’ and ‘soft’ elements in the system. Examples of these factors are the industry and focus of the organisation, as well as what the Performance Management System must be used for. Examples of ‘hard’ vs ‘soft’ elements are responsibilities for performance targets (hard) and the level of buy-in to achieve the targets (‘soft’). In the end, a perfect ‘answer’ to Performance Management is elusive and is likely to remain so mainly due to the inherent complexity and level of variety that this system must cater for.

Modernas provedoras de serviços de TI estão sob constante pressão para aumentar sua competitividade. Meios de reduzir os custos e aumentar o desempenho (i.e., produtividade e qualidade) dos serviços oferecidos são temas centrais na indústria de TI. Contudo, apesar de todos os esforços feitos até hoje, modelar e otimizar processos de TI que envolvem operadores humanos continua sendo uma tarefa complexa. O humano pode ser influenciado por inúmeros fatores e executar o processo de uma forma diferente a cada vez, portanto, introduzindo uma significativa variabilidade no resultado final do processo. Apesar de todas as pesquisas feitas até hoje terem introduzido melhorias significativas no gerenciamento de serviços, ainda restam muitos desafios (e.g., mudanças rápidas, limites orçamentários, falta de conhecimento, complexidade dos sistemas, atuais e futuros requisitos dos usuários e finalmente aumento nas expectativas dos usuários) que não foram completamente resolvidos pelos esforços atuais. Dentre todas as tecnologias disponíveis atualmente, uma em especial, conhecida como Web 2.0, ainda não foi investigada pela indústria e pela acadêmia no contexto da gerência de serviços de TI. Dentre todas as tecnologias e aplicações que definem aWeb 2.0, uma é de especial interesse nesta tese: os mashups. Mashups sao aplicacoes Web criadas a partir da composicao de recursos disponiveis online (e.g., mapas interativos, Web services, paginas HTML). Facilidade de uso, extensibilidade e desenvolvimento específico de contexto são exemplos de características apresentadas pelos mashups que os candidatam como uma solução viável para aprimorar o gerenciamento de serviços de TI. Desta forma, o objetivo desta tese é investigar a aplicabilidade de mashups como uma solução efetiva para melhorar o desempenho (i.e., em termos de produtividade e confiabilidade) de atividades de gerência de serviços de TI que envolvem operadores humanos. Em particular, esta tese tem como objetivo definir soluções de gerenciamento necessárias para melhorar e avaliar o desempenho de processos de TI. Especificamente, esta tese foca nos passos do processo que podem ser medidos através de observação ou intrumentação e que podem ser aprimorados através de projeto e automação. As soluções de gerenciamento introduzidas são investigadas através de um estudo de caso real, relacionado ao processo de Cumprimento de Requisição. O foco deste estudo de caso é nos operadores humanos com a responsabilidade de receber as requisições dos clientes e encaminhá-las paras administradores de sistema responsáveis por resolver as requisições. Neste contexto, os mashups são investigados como uma solução efetiva para lidar com ineficiências e erros introduzidos pelos operadores humanos enquanto executam suas atividades diárias relacionadas à gerência de serviços de TI. Foi realizada uma extensa investigação das tarefas realizadas por um grupo de especialistas em um centro global de suporte e entrega de serviços de TI. Os resultados demonstram a viabilidade da tecnologia de mashups como solução para aprimorar a gerência de serviços de TI. / Modern IT service provider organizations are under a continuous pressure to increase their competitiveness. Ways to reduce costs while improving performance – in terms of productivity and quality – of services are a key focus area for companies in the IT industry. However, despite all the solutions that have been proposed, modelling and optimizing human-centered processes remains a burdensome task. The human operator may be influenced by multiple factors and execute the process in a different way each time, thus introducing a significant variability in the final process outcome. Although the research proposed so far have introduced improvements on service management, there are several challenges (e.g., rapid change, budgetary constraints, skill shortages, system complexity, current and future user requirements, and growing user expectations) that are not completely covered by the current efforts. Among the new technologies available today, a set of novel ones, referred to as Web 2.0, has not yet been investigated by both industry and academia in the ITSM context. In the myriad of technologies and applications that define the Web 2.0, one is of special interest in this thesis: the mashups. Mashups are Web applications created through the composition of preexisting Web resources (e.g., interactive maps, Web services, traditional HTML pages, or even Flash presentations). Easiness of use, extensibility, and context specific development are examples of characteristics presented by mashups that candidate them to be a viable technology for improving IT Service Management. Therefore, the goal of this thesis is to investigate the feasibility of mashups as an effective approach to improve performance (i.e., in terms of productivity and reliability) of human-centered ITSM activities. In particular, this thesis aims to define management solutions required to deliver and demonstrate improvements in performance of humancentered ITSM processes. Specifically, the focus is on individual steps in the process that can be assessed through instrumentation or observation, and can be improved through design and automation. The analysis of exogenous events are not addressed, such as answering telephone calls or other interruptions. The introduced management solutions are examined through a real case study, related to the Request Fulfillment process. The focus of this case study is on dispatch, an activity centered on human operators called dispatchers, with knowledge of standard fulfillment procedures. In this context, mashups are analyzed as an effective approach to cope with inefficiencies and errors introduced by human operators while performing their daily activities in the context of ITSM. An extensive analysis of tasks performed by a group of Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) in a global IT Service Support and Delivery organization was performed. The results demonstrate the viability of the mashups technology as a means for improving IT Service Management.

A renovação da administração pública brasileira tem se caracterizado por significativas reformulações, principalmente, no que se refere aos instrumentos e às práticas de gestão. Nesse contexto, temas relacionados à gestão do desempenho têm tido papel fundamental para a modernização do setor público. No entanto, implantar um sistema que mensure os resultados frente aos objetivos e contribua na definição de ações de melhorias ainda é um grande desafio para a lógica segmentada da gestão pública. Nesta perspectiva, este trabalho buscou construir e implantar um sistema de medição, baseado em indicadores de desempenho, para os processos de gestão de pessoas de uma universidade pública federal. Para isso, baseou-se no modelo de gestão de desempenho de processos de Heckl e Moormann (2010), com o desenvolvimento das seguintes etapas: (i) identificação dos processos de gestão de pessoas, (ii) definição dos objetivos e fatores críticos de sucesso dos processos, (iii) identificação dos indicadores de desempenho dos objetivos e fatores críticos, (iv) avaliação e seleção dos indicadores, (v) definição da forma de apuração dos indicadores, (vi) definição do modelo de sistema de medição de desempenho, (vii) alimentação do sistema, e (viii) validação do sistema. Os problemas relacionados à disponibilidade e extração de dados se revelaram como a maior dificuldade para o desenvolvimento do trabalho. Apesar disso, o sistema foi avaliado positivamente quanto as suas propriedades e procedimentos, assim como quanto aos seus propósitos. / The renewal of Brazilian public management has been characterized by significant reformulation, mainly regarding management instruments and practices. In this context, themes related to performance management have played a fundamental role to modernize the public sector. However, implementing a system to measure results against objectives and contribute to define improvement actions is still a considerable challenge considering the current segmented logic observed in the public management. In this perspective, this research aimed to build and implement a measurement system, based in performance indicators, designed to support people management processes in a public federal university. For this, the study was based in the processes performance management model from Heckl and Moormann (2010), comprising the development of the following stages: (i) people management processes identification, (ii) definition of processes objectives and critical success factors, (iii) identification of performance indicators based on the objectives and critical factors, (iv) indicators evaluation and selection, (v) definition of indicators’ calculation method, (vi) definition of the performance measurement system model, (vii) system’s data feed, (viii) system’s validation. The problems related with the data availability and extraction proved to be the greatest difficulty for the development of this research. Nevertheless, the system was positively evaluated in relation to its properties and procedures, as well as its purposes.

Information explosion, globalisation and the reduction of trade barriers have led to the emergence of global production markets and broader access to a range of products for customers. For manufacturers this has led to managing fragmented networks to deal with more polarised markets with wider variety of products at reduced costs and shorter lifecycles in an increasingly competitive environment. This coupled with the pressure to create shareholder value calls for a dynamic approach in the design and management of their supply chains. Market responsiveness is ability to anticipate and react purposefully within appropriate timescale to changes in the market place in order to maximise shareholder value and customer value. The aim of this research is to develop a model for market responsiveness that will enable organisations to deal with the changing needs of the market. To achieve this aim the research methodology was designed to primarily collect qualitative evidence from three distinct supply chains within different industrial contexts. Contrasting across these contexts has helped to determine if the model is generic enough to be applicable in other contexts. The findings were that value gaps exist between interfaces within organisations and their supply chains. At such gaps value is either created, maintained or lost. Value gaps are the primary reasons why organisational tensions exist as the entities involved are focused on conflicting strategic objectives that lead to behavioural misalignment and ultimately poor response. Therefore the research concludes within a market responsiveness model within which there are frameworks for business performance management and managing the value execution point of which maximum shareholder value and customer value can be created.

This dissertation focuses on the interactions between local public sector organisations and institutions in the development of performance measurement (PM) targets and indicators. The research is grounded in the performance measurement and management literature and adopts a joint new institutional and resource dependence perspective. Empirically, the research, which is qualitative and theory-building, consists of case studies undertaken in local public sector organisations in England. The iterative comparison of theory and data has enabled the investigation of a number of relevant themes. In the last decade, the British Government has placed great emphasis on the consistency of objectives, targets and indicators from national to local levels with the aim of enhancing performance, transparency and accountability, and of driving behavior. However, this research shows that the influence of several organizations and the co- existence of various PM initiatives generate confusion and overlaps locally. Moreover, in the cases considered the unmanageable number of indicators and the lack of clarity regarding the drivers and purposes of PM have led to confused massages and counter- productive approaches to the measurement and management of performance. From a theoretical view-point, the favourable comments expressed by interviewees regarding the current PM regime contrast with critics of New Public Management. Furthermore, legitimacy-seeking and efficiency-enhancing rationals have emerged as intertwined and loosely coupled. This is in opposition to what is maintained by early new institutional theorists. In line with resource dependence theory, PM systems were found to be significant components of power systems in organisations. Through the examination of the roles of PM and the investigation of relevant concepts such as 'golden thread' and performance culture, this research aims to make an impact on policy-making and to improve the ways in which targets and indicators are set and used, hence having a positive effect on the services delivered.

A inteligência competitiva é reconhecida como um processo sistemático, composto de fases inter-relacionadas que visam a análise de dados e informações, para suportar tomadas de decisões estratégicas. Contudo, a utilização dos resultados gerados pela inteligência competitiva está associado à cultura da informação, ligada aos valores, normas e atitudes com relação à informação e à aprendizagem organizacional. Esse conjunto de variáveis pode estar relacionado ao desempenho das organizações que atentam para o processo de inteligência competitiva. Dado ao evidente relacionamento destes constructos, a presente dissertação possui o objetivo de analisar a relação entre a inteligência competitiva, a cultura da informação, a aprendizagem organizacional e o sua influência no desempenho em empresas do setor vitivinícola. A pesquisa foi realizada com uma abordagem quantitativa, natureza aplicada e com objetivos descritivos, junto às empresas vitivinícolas localizadas nos municípios da Serra Gaúcha. O procedimento adotado foi o levantamento do tipo survey, por meio de instrumento de pesquisa de escalas validadas em estudos anteriores. Os resultados indicaram a existência da relação entre a inteligência competitiva, cultura da informação, aprendizagem organizacional e desempenho, no entanto, atitudes e comportamentos relacionados a consciência da inteligência competitiva, com vistas a promover um ambiente e processos propícios ao desenvolvimento da aprendizagem, servirão suporte ao processo de inteligência competitiva e, consequentemente, na melhora do desempenho da empresa. / Submitted by Ana Guimarães Pereira (agpereir@ucs.br) on 2017-09-29T17:55:17Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertacao Juliano Uecker de Lima.pdf: 1478158 bytes, checksum: 5a22cc441e130bc9004659c1306fb5e0 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-09-29T17:55:17Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertacao Juliano Uecker de Lima.pdf: 1478158 bytes, checksum: 5a22cc441e130bc9004659c1306fb5e0 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-09-29 / Competitive intelligence is recognized as a systematic process, with interrelated phases that aim to analyze data and information, in order to support strategic decision making. However, the use of the results generated by competitive intelligence is conected to information culture, linked to values, norms and attitudes regarding information and organizational learning. This set of variables may be related to the performance of organizations that engage in the competitive intelligence processes. In this context, this dissertation aims to analyze the relation between competitive intelligence, information culture, organizational learning and performance. The research was carried out with a quantitative approach and descriptive objectives, in the wine companies located at Serra Gaúcha, with the support of the Brazilian wine institute. The survey procedure was adopted, with research instrument validated in previous studies. The results showed that there is a relation between competitive intelligence, information culture, organizational learning and performance, however, attitude and behaviors related to the awareness of competitive intelligence, aimed to promote an environment and processes to develop learning, will sustain the process of competitive intelligence and, consequently, improving the company's performance.