The focus of this thesis is to explore the composition of the Skunk works’ innovation team, which directly influences team performance. Such research is important in order to understand how the Skunk works team deals with innovation. Specifically, how the team’s size, diversity and the roles of team members can influence its performance and have an effect on its success. During the time when we were looking for the definition of Skunk works we mostly found that it is a small group of highly qualified and skilled people in different fields. However, we did not find so many theories about the composition of Skunk works teams. This was due to the high level of secrecy in this field, because Skunk works was originally used only for military purposes. To have a more clear view, we decided to use theories from different research fields, such as research about Skunk works itself, and about team and team composition. We found that it is quite easy to find literature about the role of the leader as a member of the innovation team, who can also be known as the “champion”. However, on another hand we found that it is quite difficult to find information about the whole team, specifically about roles in the team. We believe that, even though the leader has a key role, a well-balanced combination of roles should be also taken into consideration in such teams. The research method deployed in this thesis is multiple-case study, where we have used three cases which are operating in different companies and industries, such as entertainment, scientific research and industrial manufacturing, as well in different geographical positions, such as Sweden and Spain. We have collected data via interviews and secondary data, where we interviewed a representative of these three companies via personal interviews and by e-mail. The findings from this thesis provide evidence that the team composition elements, such as roles in the team, as well its size and diversity can influence on further efficiency of the team. During our research we found that all three companies, especially teams in those companies, could be good examples of Skunk works. Moreover, during the research we found that our findings can be in line with existing studies, that it is unnecessary that the project should be in total secret or fully mandated and that there are a lot of other types of Skunk works teams as well. Also during the research we confirmed with other present studies required characteristics for the “champion” and for other team members. Another finding was about the optimal number of team members in a Skunk works team. The main conclusions drawn from this thesis are that firstly, the composition of a Skunk works team can influence the further team productivity and success of the project. Secondly, that the optimal size of team should not exceed ten people. Thirdly, we can conclude that properly chosen roles as well as characteristics of team members can have an influence on the further success of an innovation project. / Antonio Estevez Luna

Darbe atlikta teorinė komandinio darbo ypatumai statybinėje organizacijoje „Žemda“ analizė. Iškelta hipotezė, kad komandinio darbo rezultatai žymiai lenkia atskirai dirbančių individų darbo rezultatus. Anketinės apklausos metodu buvo atliktas tyrimas, kurio tikslas išanalizuoti komandinio darbo ypatumus statybinėje organizacijoje UAB „Žemda“ ir pateikti priemones darbo organizavimo gerinimui. Atlikta statistinė duomenų analizė. Tyrime dalyvavo 68 respondentai iš statybos organizacijos UAB „Žemda“. 28 respondentai buvo administracijos darbuotojai ir 40 respondentų darbininkai. Svarbiausios empirinio tyrimo išvados: 1. Komandinis darbas šiuolaikiniame pasaulyje – vienas pagrindinių įmonės sėkmę lemiančių veiksnių. Organizacijos, kurios skatina savo darbuotojus už asmeninius pasiekimus, kuria aplinką, kurioje išlieka tik stipriausieji, sunkiai persiorientuoja prie komandinio darbo, nes komandinis darbas neleidžia išryškinti asmeninių pasiekimų. 2. Didžioji dalis administracijos darbuotojų ir darbininkų teigia, kad komandos nariai bendradarbiauja tarpusavyje padeda vieni kitiems, komandos nariai pasitiki vieni kitais, gali atvirai išsakyti savo mintis todėl galima teigti, kad organizacijoje labai svarbus yra komandinis darbas. Gera komanda sujungia savyje bendradarbiavimo ir konkurencijos elementus. Tokios komandos nariai, veikdami išvien, padeda vienas kitam pasiekti geriausių asmeninių rezultatų. Efektyvi komanda turi dirbti kartu ir būti atsakinga už reikšmingų užduočių... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / An analysis of a team work peculiarities of a building enterprise „Žemda“ was made in this work. The risen hypothesis states that the results of the team work are much better than the results of an individual work. A questionnaire was used in order to analyze the peculiarities of the team work of the building enterprise „Žemda“ and to suggest several means to improve it. So a statistical data analysis was fulfilled. There were a total number of 68 respondents from the „Žemda“ (28 simple workers and 40 office workers). The main conclusions of the empirical part of this work: 1. The team work nowadays is one the leading factors influencing the success of the enterprise. Organizations encouraging workers for their personal achievements create a milieu where only the strongest exist. However, such workers have a difficulty to work in a team because a team work does not allow personal features to show up. 2. The majority of the office and simple workers states that the teamwork signifies in an organization because it gives an opportunity to collaborate with each other, learn to help and trust and openly express ideas. A good team unifies the elements of the communication and competition. A member of such team helps to achieve the best personal results for the other member and him/herself as well. An efficient team has to work hand in hand and be responsible for important assignments. Besides, the members of the team have to be motivated to work. That motivation comes with... [to full text]

"Substitutes for leadership" is a new emerging leadership model of organizations within turbulent environments. Employee might minimize the "need for leadership" by "shared values", "self-managed work teams" and "cynicism". These substitutes would have further direct impacts on job outcomes as well. This study suggests that the higher the extent of shared values, self-managed work teams or cynicism, the lower the extent of the need for leadership. Also except cynicism, the higher the extent of shared values or self-managed work teams, the higher the extent of job outcomes. Data used were collected in two Kaohsiung companies, including an insurance agent and a semiconductor company. After statistic analyzes the results are stated as bellow: ¢¹. Differences of all variables due to characteristics of individuals. 1. The insurance agent: Employee are graduated from senior high schools have the higher extents of job outcomes than those are graduated from colleges. Sales have the higher extent of shared values, self-managed work teams and job outcomes, and the lower extent of cynicism than clerks. 2. The semiconductor company: No characteristics of individuals make a difference of variables. ¢º. Relationships between substitutes and the need for leadership. 1. The insurance agent: The higher the extent of shared values the higher the extent of the need for leadership. The higher the extent of self-managed work teams the higher the extent of the need for leadership. The higher the extent of cynicism the higher the extent of the need for leadership. 2. The semiconductor company: The same as the above. ¢». Relationships between substitutes and job outcomes. 1. The insurance agent: The higher the extent of shared values, the higher the extent of job outcomes; the higher the extent of self-managed work teams, the higher the extent of job outcomes; the lower the extent of cynicism, the higher the extent of job outcomes. 2. The semiconductor company: The same as the above. The empirical results show that although the substitutes regression model can offer explanation of job outcomes, the higher extents of shared values and self-managed work teams do not lead to the lower extent of the need for leadership. The reason that hypotheses are not approved seems to be the sampling. The insurance agent is an organization of the tight leader-follower relationship; the subordinators of the newly established semiconductor company of course strongly depend on the experienced leaders. Or shared values and self-managed work teams would not be the substitutes for leadership in deed. Or leadership could not be replaced at all!

The main object of this thesis is to consider the importance of communication and operation of work teams. In the first part of my thesis I have concentrated on the theme of communication in general, on the problem of communication in organization and upon the role of management in finding the solutions to these communication problems. The next part of this thesis is focused upon the theme of work teams, specifically the problem with their formation, the importance of team roles and also about the barriers which are encounter by the operation of these teams. The practical part of my thesis is deals with the company ESSOX s.r.o.. The object of interviews, that have occured there, was to do some subjective evaluation of the level of communication within this company and consider if this company works really in teams. The resulting outcome of this investigation is that this company has some major communication problems. These deficiencies don{\crq}t have any specific relevant character. In other words, it means that this company turns to the matter of team work. My recommendations have been given at the end of this thesis. That mission is to give instructions as to how to make the team work more effectively.

Orientador: Olivio Novaski / Dissertação (mestrado profissional) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Engenharia Mecanica / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-07T00:42:00Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Orsi_JoseAntonioDonizeti_M.pdf: 6142367 bytes, checksum: 1f5852217f37223e812bc80aacf3758f (MD5) Previous issue date: 2006 / Resumo: Neste trabalho procurou analisar o desenvolvimento de grupos semi-autônomos para as atividades de caldeiraria no ambiente produtivo de bens de capital sob encomenda, caracterizando o ambiente produtivo e as características do trabalhador desta atividade. A pesquisa foi desenvolvida com um estudo de simples caso motivado pela dificuldade de encontrar organizações que disponham desta forma de organização do trabalho e pela profundidade necessária ao estudo. Nove empresas foram pesquisadas as quais permitiram desenvolver os objetivos de caracterização do ambiente e do trabalhador. A análise dos resultados constatou a eficiência na aplicação da organização do trabalho em grupos semi-autônomos tendo como base de sucesso o aproveitamento da mão de obra com polivalência de funções e a manutenção de uma tensão positiva nos participantes proveniente das interações entre as características desta forma de autonomia e os fatores motivacionais que são desenvolvidos / Abstract: This research has tried to analyze the progress for semi-self work team on steel fabrication built by order activities, hereby pointing out the production environment and the worker's characteristics. Due the difficulties to find organizations which have such kind of work administration and also from the depth needed to consolidate this type of study a single case was applied. In order to achieve the objectives, nine companies have been studied and gave the basis to describe the worker' s characteristics and the production environment. The results allow us to understand how semi-self work team works and how it creates the interaction between the properties and the motivation factors. The success is based on the empowerment developed by taking advantages in not exchanging workers for different tasks, the resultant synergy that comes from the motivation created by application ofthe self-work / Mestrado / Planejamento e Gestão Estrategica da Manufatura / Mestre Profissional em Engenharia Mecanica

In today’s kindergartens, there is a shortage of resources in terms of small working teams and lack of time. This problem has forced the working teams to hire new personnel and regroup themselves, compared to many other professions. This has created unstable working groups where the staff is replaced frequently. Therefore, it is of great importance that the new employees are integrated quickly to maintain a good spirit between co-workers. This sociological study intends to investigate new staff-member’s entry to these unstable work-teams, how to forge a well-functioning working-team and how it relates with the employee’s job satisfaction. The data in this research has been gathered through a qualitative research method, where interviews with kindergarten personnel were conducted concerning their own experiences. The result has uppermost been interpreted through Goffman’s dramaturgical perspective regarding how people act to get acceptance from co-workers and how they receive each other. Further the theory developed by Randall Collins concerning interaction rituals as well as the concept of socialization was used to understand the issue further. The result of the study indicates that high demands is placed on the staff, both on those who enter the work-teams as well as the existing personnel. It is of great importance that successful socialization is present in the working teams to be able to perform a good work together and enjoy the workplace. To be accepted in a work-team, application of social strategies is required. Mainly, its necessary to make an active adjustment concerning the workplace current norms and values. The social relations between co-workers is crucial for how the teams evolve which is due to the lack of structure in the kindergartens institutions.

No description available.

This qualitative study is based on interviews with ten preschool teachers. The theoretical viewpoint is based on social constructivism. It means that we all become in interaction with others. Meaning that we all are depended of each other to be able to construct ourselves as individuals. The intention was to analyze how ten preschool teachers from five different cities in Sweden describes their experience, of being a part of a large work team. We also wanted to see if there were any underlying ideas and constructions about children in the choice of organizing themselves as a large work team. The main questions in this study were: How do the preschool teachers describe the organization and structure in a large work team? What are the preschool teachers perceptions of their existence in a large work team through a preschool teachers point of view? How do the preschool teachers perceive the children´s experience in a large work team through the children´s point of view? What aware and unaware ideas about children and their abilities can we see through the preschool teachers statements? This study has shown several positive aspects as well as negative through the children´s and the preschool teachers point of view. The positive aspects is that children gets more influence and the preschools can become more flexible. The negative aspects is that everything depends on how the organization works. The organization requires a persistent structure to make everything work. The structure of a large work team is build on the idea of children as competent and independent. The result of the study also points out that the preschool teachers have different ideas about children and their abilities. They see them as dependent and fragile as well as independent and competent. The preschool teachers perspective on children effects how they treat them and they transfer unaware expectations on to the children. Our conclusion is that the idea and vision works well in reality if the preschool teachers have been involved and motivated through the whole process. The foundation must be solid enough to hold up an organization of this size otherwise it can lead to great chaos.

Syftet med den här studien var att ur ett lärarperspektiv synliggöra problematiken med att få till stånd ett gemensamt synsätt vad gäller barns utveckling, kunskap och lärande mellan lärare i förskoleklassen och grunskolans år ett. Frågeställningen var: Vilka faktorer anser lärare främjar respektive hindrar utvecklingen av ett gemensamt synsätt? Studien var kvaltitativ och genomfördes med hjälp av inspelade intervjuer av sex lärare varav tre är verksamma i förskoleklass och de andra tre i årskurs ett. I studiens resultat framkom en mängd faktorer som anses utgöra hinder och/eller möjligheter för att främja en gemensam syn. Det mest primära var att lärarna i arbetslaget för en dialog om verksamheten. Andra viktiga faktorer var till exempel arbetslagets sammansättning, samt att tid avsätts för att kunna föra diskussioner kring barnen, deras kunskap och utveckling. Det visade sig också att det inte räcker med att en faktor uppfylls- om exempelvis tid finns men viljan till smatal inte finns nås inget resultat i sig. Det visade sig att den ena faktorn inte utesluter den andra, samt att de faktorer som ses som hinder även kan framsrå som möjligheter. / The purpose of this study is to present the complexity of creating a shared platform around the work among teachers in pre-school and the first year of school concerning promoting the children´s development, knowledge and learning. The subject for our study is: What "tool" contribute or hinder the process of creating a shared plarform around the work accordning to teachers? This qualitative study is based on taped interviews with pre-school teachers and three teachers in firts year of compulsory school. The result of the study revaels a number of tools either contributing or hindering reaching a shared plarform around the work. The single most imprtant tool in implementing the curriculum is the joint reflection but also tools like the make-up of the work team and the setting aside of time for planning and reflection are of great importance. The result also shows that different approaches and various working experience among the members of the work team create different interpretations which might either contribute or hinder the development towards a shared platform.

<p>Syftet med den här studien var att ur ett lärarperspektiv synliggöra problematiken med att få till stånd ett gemensamt synsätt vad gäller barns utveckling, kunskap och lärande mellan lärare i förskoleklassen och grunskolans år ett. Frågeställningen var: Vilka faktorer anser lärare främjar respektive hindrar utvecklingen av ett gemensamt synsätt?</p><p>Studien var kvaltitativ och genomfördes med hjälp av inspelade intervjuer av sex lärare varav tre är verksamma i förskoleklass och de andra tre i årskurs ett.</p><p>I studiens resultat framkom en mängd faktorer som anses utgöra hinder och/eller möjligheter för att främja en gemensam syn. Det mest primära var att lärarna i arbetslaget för en dialog om verksamheten. Andra viktiga faktorer var till exempel arbetslagets sammansättning, samt att tid avsätts för att kunna föra diskussioner kring barnen, deras kunskap och utveckling. Det visade sig också att det inte räcker med att en faktor uppfylls- om exempelvis tid finns men viljan till smatal inte finns nås inget resultat i sig. Det visade sig att den ena faktorn inte utesluter den andra, samt att de faktorer som ses som hinder även kan framsrå som möjligheter.</p> / <p>The purpose of this study is to present the complexity of creating a shared platform around the work among teachers in pre-school and the first year of school concerning promoting the children´s development, knowledge and learning. The subject for our study is: What "tool" contribute or hinder the process of creating a shared plarform around the work accordning to teachers?</p><p>This qualitative study is based on taped interviews with pre-school teachers and three teachers in firts year of compulsory school.</p><p>The result of the study revaels a number of tools either contributing or hindering reaching a shared plarform around the work. The single most imprtant tool in implementing the curriculum is the joint reflection but also tools like the make-up of the work team and the setting aside of time for planning and reflection are of great importance.</p><p>The result also shows that different approaches and various working experience among the members of the work team create different interpretations which might either contribute or hinder the development towards a shared platform.</p>