Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Masters of Commerce (M Com) at the University of the Witwatersrand, February 2017 / Information systems development (ISD) project teams are involved in requirements elicitation, analysis, development, testing and deployment of various information technology solutions. These teams often compete with each other for limited resources in an attempt to fulfil their organisational mandate. As a result, project teams can exert power over each other and employ various influence tactics in attempt to gain and maintain positions of power which allow them to control key resources and influence decision making processes. This study examined the strategic environmental and structural conditions of fulfilment which influence the power of ISD project teams, and the extent to which influence tactics can impact on team power level. Data was collected using a structured questionnaire instrument. A sample of 106 teams from five companies was obtained. The companies operate in the financial services and government sectors. A single key informant responded on behalf of their team. Correlation and regression analysis was used to test the hypothesized links between power and the structural conditions of fulfilment namely centrality and substitutability, as well as, the environmental condition of coping with uncertainty. The moderating effects of influence tactics on these relationships was tested via hierarchical moderated regression. Results indicated that the strategic condition of coping with uncertainty significantly and positively affects perceived team power, whilst substitutability significantly and negatively affects perceived team power. Support for the structural condition of centrality was not found to be significant. Additionally, the influence tactic of rational persuasion was found to moderate the relationship between power and coping with uncertainty such that rational persuasion interacts with coping with uncertainty to affect power. Results also indicated that the influence tactic of collaboration was not a moderator but rather has significant direct effects on perceived team power. The study concluded that ISD project teams who cope with project uncertainties and whose tasks and functionalities are difficult to replace, as well as, those who effectively collaborate with other teams will have greater power within project settings. Moreover, ISD project teams can combine rational persuasion tactics with coping with uncertainty to exert even stronger effects on power. The outcomes of this study help to bring an understanding of the impact of the strategic conditions factors on perceived team power within ISD project settings, as well as the role of specific influence tactics in the formation of power. / GR2018

The researcher explored interpersonal trust (a construct from the fields of psychology and sociometry) in the context of engineering work groups. The study explored the potential antecedents of trust and the relationships among trust, creativity, communication, emotional empathy and positive affect. The study attempts to argue that 1) trust is deeply involved in the neurological development of humans from a very early age, 2) the level of trust is an important factor in the development of a person's emotional experience, 3) an individual's level of trust can improve with experience, 4) higher levels of trust can streamline task team performance, especially when creativity and communication are important, and 5) in industries that use task teams and that require innovation, high levels of interpersonal trust can be a source of competitive advantage. Analysis of the literature of social and industrial psychology leads to the hypothesis that trust is positively and significantly correlated with creativity, communication, emotional empathy and positive affect. Sociometric survey research of engineers (n=43) employed at a medical device manufacturing company fails to show support for this hypothesis. / Graduation date: 1998

Although teams are a common method of structuring work activities, there is still much concern over their effectiveness. The primary purpose of this study was to describe the current state of teamwork training in Oregon and to identify critical training design activities, situational barriers and demographic variables related to the perceived success of workplace teamwork training programs. A self-administered questionnaire, based on the literature and a Delphi panel, was mailed to over 500 members of two professional training associations (The American Society for Training and Development and The National Society for Performance and Instruction) representing workplace trainers in Oregon. Of the 319 questionnaires returned, 134 indicated they provided teamwork training in the workplace. Data analysis included computing descriptive statistics on the frequency with which respondents actually performed 61 design and delivery/facilitation activities, the importance they placed on these activities, and the barriers they faced. Factor analysis was used to reduce the items, and correlational methods, including regression and ANOVA, were used to determine the relationships between derived factors and success and the relationship between demographic variables and success. Descriptive analyses indicated that these respondents place highest priority on activities related to a systemic, yet traditional view of teams within an organization. They pay close attention to the potential impact of organizational variables, primarily management support and goal alignment; lesser attention to rewards. They place lower priority on items relating to the task and technology used by the team. Respondents employ participative, problem-solving approaches, encouraging total, voluntary participation, and focus on clarifying individual responsibilities, team goals, and decision-making. Aspects of a systems approach to training (performance objectives, task and person analysis, and continuous evaluation) are among the less frequently performed activities. According to this study, successful teamwork training programs are performance-based, utilize constructive feedback and address individual attributes. Dysfunctional management practices are negatively correlated with success. Management must define clearly what teamwork means and then model desired behaviors. Implications and recommendations for further research are also included. / Graduation date: 1995

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Open University. BLDSC no. DX219765.

Thesis (M.S. in Modeling, Virtual Environments, and Simulation)--Naval Postgraduate School, March 2004. / Thesis advisor(s): Rudolph P. Darken, Susan G. Hutchins. Includes bibliographical references (p. 167-168). Also available online.

Thesis (M. Sc.)--University of Hong Kong, 2001. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves [72-75]).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2003. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references. Available also from UMI Company.

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