As the nation faces a worsening shortage of qualified teachers, it becomes as important as ever for educational leaders to foster strong school environments in which faculty members devote their careers. Research shows that the cohesiveness of individuals within a group, like a school faculty, has the power to enhance member experiences and support the team in reaching their goals. Studies examining groups within a variety of fields identify personal, leader, group and environmental factors as contributing to the development of group cohesion. This study applies these theoretical models of group cohesion to the world of education, identifying the behaviors and characteristics of leaders, teachers, and the school environment that develop, maintain, and enhance the cohesiveness of a faculty. Phenomenological interviews were conducted with seventeen teachers and thirteen principals to identify the factors that serve to influence cohesion best among a school faculty. The research produced five themes of behaviors and traits influencing cohesion including the presence a leader has in the school, the respect shown by a leader’s affect, the empowerment of staff, an investment in socialization, and the fostering of a culture for learning. Evidentiary quotes and examples directly from the lived experiences of study participants support each of these themes as impactful. The discussion of findings highlights the theoretical underpinnings of the themes, provides recommendations for future study, and equips school leaders with practical steps to consider in their daily work of developing healthy school environments for all staff. / Educational Leadership

En viktig arena för samspel kring känsliga gränssnitt (marknad – konstruktion – produktion) i industrin är olika möten där arbetsgrupper kommer samman kring uppgifter. Syftet med avhandlingen är att bidra med kunskap om samspel som sker inom och mellan arbetsgrupper i deras hantering av uppgifter i mindre industriföretag (SME) och vilken betydelse samspelet har för lärande och effektivitet i verksamheten. Studien har närmare bestämt fokus på följande frågeställningar: 1. Vad karaktäriserar samspelet inom och mellan arbetsgrupper som det kommer till uttryck i olika möten? 2. Vilka faktorer underlättar respektive försvårar samspelet inom och mellan arbetsgrupper? 3. Vilka konsekvenser får olika typer av samspel för lärande och effektivitet i arbetsgrupper och i organisationer? Studien utgår från ett kritiskt realistiskt perspektiv på lärande i organisationer samt tidigare forskning om lärande, kommunikation och effektivitet i grupper och organisationer. Studien genomfördes under perioden 2008-2010 och var upplagd utifrån en kvalitativ och interaktiv forskningsansats. Datainsamlingen baserades på intervjuer, observationer av videofilmade möten samt frågeformulär. Analysen rör sig mellan två nivåer: samspel inom grupper samt mellan grupper på organisationsnivå. Samspelet inom och mellan grupper analyserades utifrån kontextuella faktorer och med fokus på i vad mån olika kommunikationsmönster kunde kopplas till olika typer av lärande och effektivitet i verksamheten. Ett rationalistiskt effektivitetsperspektiv utmanas till förmån för ett humanistiskt perspektiv där lärandet är en viktig aspekt. Tre slutsatser dras: Effektivitet grundar sig i att kommunikationsmönster och ledning anpassas efter det behov uppgiften för stunden kräver - utförande eller utveckling. Återkoppling och personliga länkar mellan grupper behöver översyn och ledningsrutiner för att underlätta samspelet. Diskrepanser (motsättningar, konflikter och störningar) som synliggörs i organisationen leder till utveckling. De som förblir i det dolda stör utförandet. / Important arenas for interaction on critical interfaces (sales – design – production) in industrial firms are the various meetings where groups come together around a common task. The purpose of this dissertation is to contribute knowledge about the interactions that occur within and between work groups in their handling of their tasks in small industrial companies (SME’s) and the significance of these interactions on learning and effectiveness. The thesis focuses especially on the following questions: 1. What characterizes the interaction within and between work groups as they are expressed in various meetings? 2. What factors facilitate and hinder the interaction within and between work groups? 3. What are the consequences of different kinds of interaction regarding learning and effectiveness in work groups and in organizations? The study takes a critical realistic perspective on learning in organizations and is based on previous studies on learning, communication and effectiveness in groups and organisations. The study was conducted during 2008-2010 and used a qualitative and interactive approach. The collection of data was based on interviews, observations of video filmed meetings and on questionnaires. The analysis moves between two levels: interaction within groups and between groups at an organizational level. The interactions within and between groups were analysed based on contextual factors in order to understand whether different communication patterns were related to different types of learning and effectiveness. A rationalistic concept of effectiveness was challenged in favour of a humanistic approach where learning is an important aspect. Three major conclusions were drawn: Effectiveness presupposes that patterns of communication and management are tailored to the task at hand – performance or development. Feedback and links between groups need revision and steering to facilitate interaction. Discrepancies (contradictions, conflicts and disturbances) that are made visible in the organization may lead to development. Those remaining in the hidden disturb the performance.

A indústria brasileira de calçados tem sido profundamente afetada pela pressão da competitividade global causada pela maior abertura do mercado. Ela possui características peculiares de produção. Esta dissertação relata os resultados de incremento de produtividade em uma indústria de calçados orientados pelos princípios da filosofia just in time, de forma especial através do gerenciamento visual da produção e do trabalho em grupos. / The brazilian shoe industry has been deeply affect by the pressure of global competition caused by the opening of our market. It has very peculiar characteristcs concerning the production. This dissertation relate the results to improve productivity in the shoe industry oriented by the principles of just in time philosophy, in a very particular way the implementing of visual management and work groups.

En viktig arena för samspel kring känsliga gränssnitt (marknad – konstruktion – produktion) i industrin är olika möten där arbetsgrupper kommer samman kring uppgifter. Syftet med avhandlingen är att bidra med kunskap om samspel som sker inom och mellan arbetsgrupper i deras hantering av uppgifter i mindre industriföretag (SME) och vilken betydelse samspelet har för lärande och effektivitet i verksamheten. Studien har närmare bestämt fokus på följande frågeställningar: 1. Vad karaktäriserar samspelet inom och mellan arbetsgrupper som det kommer till uttryck i olika möten? 2. Vilka faktorer underlättar respektive försvårar samspelet inom och mellan arbetsgrupper? 3. Vilka konsekvenser får olika typer av samspel för lärande och effektivitet i arbetsgrupper och i organisationer? Studien utgår från ett kritiskt realistiskt perspektiv på lärande i organisationer samt tidigare forskning om lärande, kommunikation och effektivitet i grupper och organisationer. Studien genomfördes under perioden 2008-2010 och var upplagd utifrån en kvalitativ och interaktiv forskningsansats. Datainsamlingen baserades på intervjuer, observationer av videofilmade möten samt frågeformulär. Analysen rör sig mellan två nivåer: samspel inom grupper samt mellan grupper på organisationsnivå. Samspelet inom och mellan grupper analyserades utifrån kontextuella faktorer och med fokus på i vad mån olika kommunikationsmönster kunde kopplas till olika typer av lärande och effektivitet i verksamheten. Ett rationalistiskt effektivitetsperspektiv utmanas till förmån för ett humanistiskt perspektiv där lärandet är en viktig aspekt. Tre slutsatser dras: Effektivitet grundar sig i att kommunikationsmönster och ledning anpassas efter det behov uppgiften för stunden kräver - utförande eller utveckling. Återkoppling och personliga länkar mellan grupper behöver översyn och ledningsrutiner för att underlätta samspelet. Diskrepanser (motsättningar, konflikter och störningar) som synliggörs i organisationen leder till utveckling. De som förblir i det dolda stör utförandet. / Important arenas for interaction on critical interfaces (sales – design – production) in industrial firms are the various meetings where groups come together around a common task. The purpose of this dissertation is to contribute knowledge about the interactions that occur within and between work groups in their handling of their tasks in small industrial companies (SME’s) and the significance of these interactions on learning and effectiveness. The thesis focuses especially on the following questions: 1. What characterizes the interaction within and between work groups as they are expressed in various meetings? 2. What factors facilitate and hinder the interaction within and between work groups? 3. What are the consequences of different kinds of interaction regarding learning and effectiveness in work groups and in organizations? The study takes a critical realistic perspective on learning in organizations and is based on previous studies on learning, communication and effectiveness in groups and organisations. The study was conducted during 2008-2010 and used a qualitative and interactive approach. The collection of data was based on interviews, observations of video filmed meetings and on questionnaires. The analysis moves between two levels: interaction within groups and between groups at an organizational level. The interactions within and between groups were analysed based on contextual factors in order to understand whether different communication patterns were related to different types of learning and effectiveness. A rationalistic concept of effectiveness was challenged in favour of a humanistic approach where learning is an important aspect. Three major conclusions were drawn: Effectiveness presupposes that patterns of communication and management are tailored to the task at hand – performance or development. Feedback and links between groups need revision and steering to facilitate interaction. Discrepancies (contradictions, conflicts and disturbances) that are made visible in the organization may lead to development. Those remaining in the hidden disturb the performance.

A indústria brasileira de calçados tem sido profundamente afetada pela pressão da competitividade global causada pela maior abertura do mercado. Ela possui características peculiares de produção. Esta dissertação relata os resultados de incremento de produtividade em uma indústria de calçados orientados pelos princípios da filosofia just in time, de forma especial através do gerenciamento visual da produção e do trabalho em grupos. / The brazilian shoe industry has been deeply affect by the pressure of global competition caused by the opening of our market. It has very peculiar characteristcs concerning the production. This dissertation relate the results to improve productivity in the shoe industry oriented by the principles of just in time philosophy, in a very particular way the implementing of visual management and work groups.

Denna studie undersöker ledarskapets betydelse för arbetsgrupper inom fältet boendestöd för personer med neuropsykiatrisk funktionsvariation, med fokus på det relationella ledarskapet och utifrån en socialkonstruktivistisk teori. Varför och hur ledare får komplexa verksamheter att fungera väl och med god kvalitet, för både brukare och personal, är frågor som legat till grund för arbetet. Studien är kvalitativ och bygger på intervjuer med fem boendestödjare och fem chefer, verksamma i fyra olika verksamheter. Resultatet visar att boendestödjarna och cheferna har en samsyn om att god kommunikation inom verksamheten och gemensam målbild kan förbättra stödinsatserna, men att dessa förutsättningar inte alltid finns. Resultatet belyses med hjälp av Karaseks och Theorells teori om krav-kontroll-stöd. I diskussionen jämförs chefernas och boendestödjarnas perspektiv på det relativa ledarskapet och huruvida resultatet indikerar samband mellan faktorer som kommunikation, motivation och trivsel för boendestödjare och chefer. Faktorer som påverkar om man vill vara kvar i boendestödjaryrket diskuteras också, samt att studien inte kan belägga ovan nämnda samband, men uppmanar till vidare forskning på området. / This study examines the importance of leadership for working groups in the field of housing support for people with neuropsychiatric disabilities, focusing on relational leadership. Issues such as how and when leaders get a complex structure to work well and with good quality, for both users and staff, are issues that are the basis for the work. The study is qualitative and based on interviews with five housing assistants and five managers, active in four different activities. The results shows that the residents and managers have the consensus that good communication within the issues of work and common target image can improve support efforts, but this is not always done. The result is illustrated by Karaseks and Theorell's theory of demand-control-support. The discussion section compares the perspectives of leaders and housing supporters on the importance of relative leadership and that the outcome indicates relationships between factors such as communication, motivation and well-being for housing supporters and managers. Factors that affect if you want to stay in the housing support profession are also discussed, and that the study can not cover the above-mentioned relationship, but calls for further research in the field.

Derived from sociotechnical systems theory, autonomous or self-managed work groups are a form of work design in which employees are multi-skilled, take responsibility for the group's tasks, and have discretion over the decisions which impact group performance. Previously collected survey data from 602 employees of a southwestern manufacturing firm were examined via factor analyses and multivariate analysis of variance. Significant differences were found for self-managed work group members versus traditional job holders regarding enhanced organizational involvement and enhanced work responsibility. However, there was no evidence of an age effect nor interaction regarding age. This study provides evidence to other action researchers and organizational decision makers that an "older" work force should not be considered a barrier to implementing this type of work design

No description available.

Ce mémoire a pour objet l’influence du groupe informel sur la relation entre le leadership transformationnel et le climat organisationnel. Dans un premier temps, nous examinerons la théorie sur le leadership transformationnel. Le lien entre ce style de leadership et le climat organisationnel est à l’étude, car il semble que ces deux variables sont liés aux perceptions qu’ont les employés de leur vécu en organisation. Les résultats de notre étude confirment effectivement cette première hypothèse. L’objectif central de notre recherche consiste à voir comment le groupe informel agit sur la relation entre le leadership transformationnel et le climat organisationnel. D’abord, nous nous intéresserons sur l’appartenance à un groupe informel comme variable modératrice de la relation entre nos deux autres variables. Par contre, les résultats des analyses présentés n’ont pas réussi à confirmer ce modèle. Ensuite, nous étudierons le groupe informel en tant que variable médiatrice, où le chemin entre le leadership transformationnel et le climat organisationnel serait plutôt indirecte. Nos analyses démontrent que nos trois variables sont corrélées entre-elles, mais qu’en contrôlant pour l’effet du leadership transformationnel, le groupe informel n’est plus lié au climat organisationnel. Nous sommes amenés à proposer que le leadership transformationnel contribue à un contexte organisationnel qui satisfait aux besoins des employés, de sorte que le soutien social fourni par le groupe informel ne comble pas un manque. Ceci viendrait nuancer la dynamique à l’intérieur d’un groupe informel par rapport à ce qu’il apporte à ses membres. / The purpose of this study is to examine how informal work groups influence the relationship between transformational leadership and organizational climate. First, transformational leadership theory will be presented in order to highlight its growing importance in today’s workplace. This particular leadership style and its relationship with organizational climate will be examined, as it would appear that both these concepts play a role in how employees perceive their experiences in the work environment. The results of our study confirm this hypothesis. The central objective of this study is to explore how informal work groups affect the relationship between transformational leadership and organizational climate. We are interested in whether simply belonging to an informal work group can moderate the relationship between transformational leadership and organizational climate. Our results did not succeed in confirming this model. In addition to this, we explore a more indirect pathway, where informal work groups mediate the relationship between our two other variables. We were able to establish correlations between our three variables. Interestingly, when controlling for the effect of transformational leadership, organizational climate and informal work groups are no longer linked. We thus conclude that an organizational situation where transformational leadership is present is better suited to respond to employees’ needs, and that such a situation reduces the necessity of having one’s needs met by informal work group members. If this is the case, the way that informal work groups function may need to be reexamined in regard to the extent that they benefit their members.

This thesis is about communities of practice [hereafter: CoPs], learning and knowledge sharing within the geographically dispersed organization Komatsu in Chile, which is an emerging economy in Latin America. Chile is characterised by a unique cultural and macroeconomic context and thus particularly suitable to broaden the scope about CoP theory. The research questions revolve around the forms that CoPs take within this context as-well-as their contribution to learning and knowledge sharing. The literature review sheds light on the aspects of learning, knowledge sharing and CoPs in a comprehensive manner. It suggests that it is unsuitable to think of a single CoP that spans across geographically dispersed organizations, but rather to consider multiple interconnected CoPs. The boundary processes constitute the pivotal aspect in fostering learning and knowledge sharing among them. This exploratory case study about shovel maintenance within Komatsu Chile, conducted within the social constructionism paradigm, provides evidence that CoPs are organised within a hierarchically-structured network. Extending beyond the premise that CoPs are bound together by shared practice (Brown & Duguid, 1991, 2001b), the research puts forward the argument that CoP Glue, (meaning a reified abstraction, known and accepted throughout the network of CoPs) constitutes the mechanism that holds them together. As part of the revised theoretical framework, it is advocated that CoP Alterity, along the dimensions of practice, domain and community (Wenger, 2011), is the aspect according to which CoPs can be differentiated. This revised theory opens up an interesting field of future academic enquiry. From a practitioner perspective the research has generated interesting findings and suggestions, which ought to be considered by those wishing to enhance learning and knowledge sharing within geographically dispersed organizations.