The process of communicating new ideas—diffusion—transpires over time along communication channels in a social system. In education, much stands to be gained from successful innovation. The process is a perilous course with high rates of casualty. As viable innovations fail, our schools bear the consequences. This dissertation includes a process study of the diffusion of an innovation at a state department of education and in two school districts. The study was framed by Rogers' model of innovation in organizations (1995) to determine if the diffusion of a comprehensive career development program verified theory. Through instrumental case studies, the process of diffusing career development was traced. The investigative procedure included the examination of temporal patterns that, when sequenced, indicated operational links in a multi-dimensional process of innovation. Findings indicated five stages as delineated by Rogers (1995) but more broadly defined. Additionally, the stages emerged in interactive looping patterns unlike Rogers' linear model. Different outcomes were evidenced in each case. The state department of education was the only agency that verified the problem-based foundation of Rogers' initiation stages. The model's implementation components were found to be too linear, precluding the recycling patterns that occurred during the on-going mutual adaptations between the innovation and the organizations. Rogers' model of the innovation process in organizations attempts, unsuccessfully, to reach beyond the complex communication networking that his descriptions of diffusion categorize. To attempt to spread the strength of the theoretical implications of actual diffusion is to misuse the assets and unjustly ascribe an inadequacy to them. Diffusion of innovation in individuals and in organizations involves different complexities that are not accounted for in Rogers' organization model. Rogers' model for individuals is deployable to the organization innovation process as explanation of individuals acting within a greater body, yet explaining the parts of a whole does not necessarily explain the whole. Rogers' model lacks content explanation and complexity explanation of the process of organizational innovation. / Ph. D.

Research into the phenomenon of change has attracted interest from a range of management disciplines; organizational, management, behavioural and operations. Each discipline brings with it a perspective which informs the theoretical debates and empirical research, resulting in different ideas, meaning and approaches taken in studying the phenomenon of change. Ideas about the meaning of the content of change, why contextual factors might influence the process of change and, how does the process of change unfold over time, are three important aspects to understanding the phenomenon of change. This literature review draws on the three concepts of the content, context and process of change to explore the extant change literature. Evidence based literature reviews have a strong tradition within the medical field and have been shown to be a rigorous method for determining efficacy of clinical trials. This review applies the principles of this method but within a management research context and reviews 52 papers. Variations in the aspects of organizational context and process of change empirically studied confirm that context plays a significant and influential role in processes of change and change outcomes. There is little evidence to support the idea that the content of change influences the process of change activities and this is an area that needs further research. Further research is also needed to develop the idea of the importance of emergent change activities within planned change frameworks.

Accomplishing desired benefits from investments in planned change is problematical for organizations, their leaders and the change agents charged with delivery. This is despite a well-developed literature, replete with advice on how change should be achieved. Examination of this literature shows the primary focus on change agents and their practices. This research widens the focus by observing the influence of change agents, change recipients and line managers on organizational routines undergoing planned change. It examines the interplay between stability and change in organizational routines, adopting a social practice perspective, and the routine intended to change as the unit of analysis (Feldman and Pentland, 2003, 2005). The research builds on claims that to understand the patterns of action within routines requires the internal dynamics – the claimed duality between ostensive (in principle) and performative (in practice) aspects - to be examined. A research method to operationalize the study of this claimed duality was devised following the principles of Strong Structuration (Stones, 2005). This method enabled a unique conceptualization of the study of routine dynamics, focused on planned change from the perspective of multiple, interdependent actors. Two cases of change agents following the advice in the planned change literature were explored. In one case, stability of the routine persisted when change was intended. In the other, change was relatively easy to achieve irrespective of change agent actions. The primary contribution is the demonstration of how the attitudes to change of change recipients, line managers and change agents influence the internal dynamics of routines undergoing planned change. Other contributions pertain to the method of ‘unpacking’ organizational routines and its potential for shaping future practice. This research does not offer new ‘normative’ advice but instead sensitizes planned change practitioners to the level of analysis they need to carry out to ensure that their interventions are suitably designed.

Syfte: Verksamheten har ställda mål som de inte uppnår, därför har en omorganisation genomförts. Syftet med undersökningen är att få kunskap om hur mellancheferna beskriver sitt arbetssätt med att utveckla sin personal och hur omorganisationen har påverkat mellanchefernas arbete. Frågeställningar: Hur beskriver mellancheferna sitt arbete med att utveckla sin personal mot övergångar? Hur upplever mellancheferna implementeringen av omorganisationen och dess påverkan på övergångsarbetet? Metod: I vår studie används främst teorier som berör ledarskap och förändring. Vi har utgått från ett fenomenologiskt perspektiv och en kvalitativ metod med en abduktiv ansats. Sammanlagt har tretton intervjuer genomförts. Vi har utgått från semistrukturerade intervjuer med öppna frågor, med en intervjuguide som grund. Huvudresultat: Undersökningen har visat att individer vågar ta steget ut på arbetsmarknaden genom att de upplever egenmakt. Chefer behöver dock tid och resurser för att de skall kunna arbeta för att skapa egenmakt bland personalen. För att få motiverade medarbetare krävs det av ledarna att ha tydliga mål och uppmuntra. Genom delegering av makt till driftledare utvecklas individer i sin arbetsroll och tid frigörs. För att en omorganisation skall implementeras fullt ut krävs målstyrning, där ledning och mellanchefer tillsammans definierar de nya rollerna. / Purpose: The organization do not achieve the goals, therefore, a reorganization has taken place. Our purpose with this survey is to gain knowledge about how the managers describe their approach to developing the staff to venture out onto the labor market and how the reorganization has affected their work. Questions: How do you describe the managers' efforts to develop their staff to leave the organization? How managers experience the implementation of the reorganization and its impact on the transition process? Method: We ́ve used theories that involve leadership and change. We have used a phenomenological perspective and a qualitative method with an abductive approach. Thirteen interviews has been conducted. We have used semi-structured interviews with an interview guide as a basis. Results: Individuals venture out onto the labor market when they feel empowered, but managers need time for it to be possible. To get motivated employees, leaders need to encourage and have clear goals. By delegation of authority to employees, individuals develop in their role and time is released. Management by objectives is required for a reorganization to be fully implemented, where managers and middle managers together define the new roles.

Accomplishing desired benefits from investments in planned change is problematical for organizations, their leaders and the change agents charged with delivery. This is despite a well-developed literature, replete with advice on how change should be achieved. Examination of this literature shows the primary focus on change agents and their practices. This research widens the focus by observing the influence of change agents, change recipients and line managers on organizational routines undergoing planned change. It examines the interplay between stability and change in organizational routines, adopting a social practice perspective, and the routine intended to change as the unit of analysis (Feldman and Pentland, 2003, 2005). The research builds on claims that to understand the patterns of action within routines requires the internal dynamics – the claimed duality between ostensive (in principle) and performative (in practice) aspects - to be examined. A research method to operationalize the study of this claimed duality was devised following the principles of Strong Structuration (Stones, 2005). This method enabled a unique conceptualization of the study of routine dynamics, focused on planned change from the perspective of multiple, interdependent actors. Two cases of change agents following the advice in the planned change literature were explored. In one case, stability of the routine persisted when change was intended. In the other, change was relatively easy to achieve irrespective of change agent actions. The primary contribution is the demonstration of how the attitudes to change of change recipients, line managers and change agents influence the internal dynamics of routines undergoing planned change. Other contributions pertain to the method of ‘unpacking’ organizational routines and its potential for shaping future practice. This research does not offer new ‘normative’ advice but instead sensitizes planned change practitioners to the level of analysis they need to carry out to ensure that their interventions are suitably designed.

Change is a prominent feature of the organizational life. Nowadays companies rely on implementing large-scale Information Technology (IT) systems in order to enhance their organizational performance. Such technochanges, similarly to planned organizational changes, unfold in stages and have an impact on the organizational members. They, however, are not immune to failures. In this respect, the process of communication has been recognized as a critical success factor and an integrative part of every change initiative. Therefore, this study has investigated the communication practices during technochange, how employees perceive them and eventually, how the communication can be enhanced in order to assure the employees’ engagement. This has been done by conducting a case study at an office of a company in Stockholm, Sweden. The study was carried out through a combination of qualitative data collection methods. The data was analyzed with a help of a theoretical framework and sorted in themes that emerged from the collected empirics. The findings indicate the process of communication has been considered and acknowledged by the case organization. The use of several communication channels for disseminating of  hange information and collecting employees’ input have formed the employees’ perception of the change and communication processes. Specifically, intranet and meetings accommodate the applied one-way communication channels, while workshops and trainings represent the applied more participative communication methods. Furthermore, the study illustrates that the non-implementers are not a homogenous group and different stakeholders perceive the  hange in different ways that in turn creates different communication needs. Those findings lead to identification of improvement areas and practical suggestions for implementers and managers. From a theory perspective, this thesis makes an attempt to gain deeper understanding of specific communication approaches and their effect on employees in the context of technochange.

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Higher education today faces a conflict between increasing societal demands and decreasing budgets. Innovation and change in higher education occur in the face of limited institutional resources. Meeting the challenges confronting colleges and universities is best accomplished by applying planned change efforts that recognize tacit culture (underlying assumptions and beliefs) and incorporate these cultural components into the change process. To date, however, change theory in higher education provides limited insight into institutional culture and how culture interacts with change. This is complicated by the fact that there are very few acknowledged methods for revealing tacit components of culture in higher education. This study provides the fields of change theory and institutional culture with, first, knowledge about revealing culture in higher education and, second, a model of change grounded in a single institution’s assumptions and beliefs. Using a variation of Sackmann's (1991) open-ended, issue focused interview method for uncovering tacit components of culture in corporate organizations, this study reveals cultural assumptions and beliefs about a planned change project in a two-year community college. Further, a model of change is constructed from the revealed assumptions and beliefs that explains the role of this tacit culture in the probable outcomes of the change project. / Ph. D.

Extension agents are tasked with disseminating educational content, announcing events, and promoting the outreach efforts of Extension. Social media can be a powerful resource for Extension agents (Skrabut, 2014). Integrating social media into outreach efforts can be an efficient way for agents to meet increasing work demands (Gharis & Hightower, 2017). Still, many Extension agents are not fully integrating social media as a means to communicate with their audiences (Garcia et al., 2018). To address this, Extension communication units are developing social media technical support efforts to increase the agents’ social media activity (Garcia et al., 2018, Newbury et al., 2014; Kinsey, 2010.) Social media competency influences a professional’s willingness to integrate social media as a function of their employment (Zhu et al., 2018). If communication units wish to provide Extension agents with technical support efforts, such as trainings and professional development opportunities, to assist them with integrating social media as one of their duties, we should assess the influence of these support efforts on their perceived social media competency. The purpose of this study is to describe Mississippi State University Extension agents’ perceived social media competency levels and explore the effect that a variety of technical support efforts have on their perceived social media competency.

The purpose of the study was to explain the proportion of the variance in the level of implementation of the Performance Planning, Counseling, and Evaluation (PPC&E) program that could be attributed to the nine Probability of Adoption of Change (PAC) model constructs. Level of implementation was operationally defined as the degree to which county directors implemented the many elements of the PPC&E program. The nine PAC model constructs included: advantage probability, championship, circumstances, idea comprehensibility, opposition, practicality, strategies, superintendency, and value compatibility. / Ph. D.