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In light of the growing worldwide competition among industrial manufacturers as developing nations become more technologically viable, it becomes imperative that we, as a nation, become more conscious than ever of quality and productivity. Our most serious competitors, the Japanese, have developed a nationwide sense of quality consciousness and have evolved a management and manufacturing system to achieve their goals of superior quality that is currently unrivaled. One important element of their productive system is the concept of Quality Control (QC) circles; generally described as a problem solving group of working people, who as members of a team, identify, solve, and implement solutions to work-related problems. Circles have served to tap a vast reservoir of energy, productivity, and ingenuity among the Japanese workforce, aiding them in their quest for manufacturing and quality superiority. We must learn more about these circles, what they are, how they operate, what they can do for us, and how we, as a nation can apply them to our manufacturing problems. They have already been successfully transplanted into America by many firms and are achieving excellent gains in productivity, quality, and worker-management relations.

This study examines how gender as a socio-cultural construction factors in the currently occurring change from a bureaucratic work organization to more interactive and team-based structures. Informed by Joan Acker's theory of gendered organization, I identify processes that produce and reproduce gendered relationships of domination and subordination in self-managing teams, despite the premise that self-managing teams foster more egalitarian workplace relations. In a multiple case study, using in-depth interviews and participant observation, I examine four currently functioning, mixed-sex, self-managing teams in two service sector organizations and one manufacturing plant. The objective of the study is to uncover how and in what ways gender is present in teamwork and shapes various routine work processes. The so-called “gendered processes“ I found to occur in the four case-study teams include a gender division of team tasks that required women to perform clerical work even when teams were supposed to implement cross-functional task sharing. Gendered processes also took place through interaction and team metaphors of “family“ and “football team.“ I illustrate how the construction of emotions in teamwork marginalized women's contributions and how women and men consciously employed strategies to fit into expectations of gender-appropriate behavior. Despite these gender divisions, I suggest that one possible way for teams to improve organizational gender equality is that they emphasize non-hierarchical spatial arrangements. Finally, although I found gendered processes in all four teams, the ways in which gender shaped teamwork varied according to the organizational status position of a team. Also self-management proved the most comprehensive in teams that functioned at the higher organizational levels. I thank the Finnish Work Environment Fund, The Foundation for Economic Education, and Ella and Georg Ehrnrooth's Foundation, all of Helsinki, Finland, for their financial support towards the completion of this dissertation. This study was also supported by dissertation grants from Eemil Aaltonen's Foundation of Tampere, Finland and Oskar à flund's Foundation of Espoo, Finland, for which I am grateful. / Ph. D.

With the increasing involvement of state and local governments in the professional sports industry over the last quarter of a century, the debate has arisen over whether the luring of a professional sports franchise or the construction of a stadium for a professional sports franchise provides any type of significant economic stimulus to a city. There are those who have engaged in this debate who believe the potential impact of these events to be significant and positive for a city. There are others who believe the potential impact of these events to be insignificant and/or negative for a city. The goal of this thesis is to add to the debate by presenting an econometric analysis of whether or not introducing a professional sports franchise and/or constructing a stadium for a professional sports franchise has any effect on a city's employment level. Our research based on taking data for each of the four major professional sports (Basketball, Baseball, Football, and Hockey) for various cities from 1979 to 1999 provides some very interesting results. The results of our econometric analysis suggest that building a new football stadium in a city or luring a basketball or hockey franchise into a city has a negative impact on a city's employment growth rate. However, our results also indicate that building a new basketball or hockey arena in a city for a current franchise or attracting a new football franchise to a city has a positive impact on a city's employment growth rate. Our research concludes that depending on the professional sport and the event involved the impact on employment in a city may be positive, negative, or not significant at all. Results that to a certain degree contradict previous econometric studies on the subject. / Master of Arts

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Thesis (MBA)--Stellenbosch University, 2001. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Team effectiveness will be crucial to the success of managers and their organisations in the twenty first century. Managers will have to determine the effectiveness of their teams with the help of valid and reliable measurement instruments. This study project was undertaken to design and develop a team effectiveness assessment instrument that has been proven to be internally valid and reliable, for use by managers in order to identify and develop team effectiveness in their work teams. The construction of the Team Effectiveness Measure (TEM) depended largely on the identification of the elements that are needed for a team to be effective. This was achieved by researching existing literature and extracting a list of elements that was common to effective teams. The resultant Team Effectiveness Criterion Instrument, used in conjunction with practical experience, was then used to construct the Preliminary TEM. The methodology used in constructing and validating the TEM consisted of five steps. The concept of team effectiveness was specified, by using the results of the literature study, which identified eight discernible dimensions of team effectiveness. These dimensions are: balanced composition, clear objectives and focus, positive climate, dynamic culture, effective relationships, open communication, sound procedures and effective leadership. The next step was to create a pool of items by using the findings of the literature study. This resulted in a total pool of one hundred items, which were included in the Preliminary TEM. The format of the TEM was then constructed, consisting of demographic information and a Semantic Differential Scale, with a seven point bipolar rating scale. The next step was to determine the construct validity of the TEM. Applying the Preliminary TEM to a sample group of one hundred and ninety six people, and subjecting the results to statistical analysis achieved this. The Item Total Correlation and Coefficient Alpha was determined, followed by a Factor Analysis, which led to the refinement of the Preliminary TEM. The end result was the final TEM, which consisted of three main factors and a total of thirty elements. The results of the analysis of the final TEM, being an extremely high Cronbach Coefficient -Alpha of 0.94, and a consistently high Item Total Correlation, is evidence of the internal consistency of the TEM. The results of the factor analysis, a loading of more than 0.6 on all items, reflect positively on the construct validity of the TEM. Only the items with the highest level of reliability were retained. The final conclusion, based on the results, was that the contents of the TEM were sufficiently validated and was usable as an instrument for assessing team effectiveness. This means that the results obtained from the use of the instrument can be trusted and used for making recommendations on the development of a team. It must however, be noted that the TEM needs to be subjected to further reliability and construct validity testing. This does not however, detract from the fact that the TEM can be used effectively as a measure for managers for team effectiveness, team functioning, identifying symptoms of poor team work that prohibits performance and for measuring the "temperature" of the team. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die sukses van bestuurders en organisasies in die een-en-twintigste eeu is deels afhanklik van die sukses en die effektiwiteit van hul werkspanne. Bestuurders sal geldige en betroubare meetinstrumente nodig hê om te bepaal op watter vlak van effektiewe werking hulle spanne is. Die doel van hierdie studie projek was om 'n meetsinstrument vir spaneffektiwiteit te ontwerp en ontwikkel, wat getoets is vir interne geldigheid en betroubaarheid. Die meetinstrument moet gebruik kan word deur bestuurders om spaneffektiwiteit te indentifiseer en ontwikkel. Dit was belangrik om eers die elemente wat nodig is vir spanne om effektief te funksioneer, te identifiseer, deur gebruik te maak van 'n literatuurstudie oor spaneffektiwiteit. Die bestaande literatuur is gebruik om 'n lys van elemente te identifiseer wat algemeen in effektiewe spanne voorkom. Hierdie lys van elemente, sowel as praktiese ervaring, is gebruik om die Voorlopige Spaneffektiwiteits Meetinstrument (TEM) op te stel. Die metedologie wat gebruik is, is om 'n vyf stap benadering te volg in die ontwikkeling van die TEM. Eerstens is die konsep van spaneffektiwiteit gespesifiseer, deur gebruik te maak van die resultate van die literatuur studie. Agt dimensies is as volg geidentifiseer: Gebalanseerde samestelling, duidelike doelwitte en fokus, positiewe klimaat, dinamiese kultuur, effektiewe verhoudinge, oop kommunikasie, gevestigde prosedure, en goeie leierskap. In die volgende stap is 'n poel van items saamgestel deur gebruik te maak van die bevindinge van die literatuurstudie. In totaal is 100 items ingesluit in die Voorlopige TEM. Volgende aan die beurt was die opstel van die formaat van die TEM, wat bestaan het uit demografiese inligting, sowel as 'n Semanties Differensiële Skaal met 'n sewe punt bipolêre skaal. Dit is gevolg deur die vastelling van die konstruk geldigheid van die TEM, deur die toepassing van die vraelys op 196 mense en die statistese verwerking van die resultate. Die Item Totaal Korrelasie en die Koëffisient Alfa is bepaal en dit is gevolg deur 'n Faktor Analise. Hierdie resultate is gebruik om die TEM te verfyn tot 'n instrument met drie hoof faktore en 'n totaal van dertig items. Bewyse vir die interne konsekentheid van die TEM is verkry deur die hoë Cronbach Koëffisient van 0.94, en 'n deurlopende hoë Item Totaal Korrelasie. Die resultate van die Faktor Analise was 'n deurlopende hoë telling van meer as 0.6, wat positief reflekteer op die konstruk geldigheid van die TEM. Slegs die items met die hoogste vlak van betroubaarheid is gekies vir insluiting in die finale TEM. Dit alles dui daarop dat die resultate wat vekry gaan word deur die toepassing van die TEM op spanne, vertrou kan word en gebruik kan word om aanbevelings te maak vir die ontwikkeling van die span. Daar moet egter genoem word dat verdere betroubaarheid en konstruk geldigheid studies nodig sal wees op die TEM, aangesien die TEM slegs vir interne geldigheid getoets is. Die resultate van die analise is egter bevredigend genoeg dat die TEM met vertroue gebruik kan word deur bestuurders om die vlak van ontwikkeling en effektiwiteit van hul spanne te kan bepaal.