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.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the dynamics of bullying behaviors of parents towards teachers in the workplace-the school. The topic of parent bullying is under-researched, thus, this study seeks to address and examine the gap in the research. The target population of 130 teachers was taken from a Mid-Atlantic State in suburban Excellence High School . Teachers were provided a survey questionnaire to investigate the extent to which confrontational parents try to bully teachers. Teachers (117) served as respondents and used survey methodology to record their responses. An exploratory, descriptive and confirmatory analysis was used to answer the research questions posed. Specifically, this study sought to answer the following five questions: (1) What types of parent bullying behaviors at school do teachers experience? In what form and how often? (2) What consideration has been given to leaving the teaching profession after a parent-bullying episode? (3) What types of parent bullying behaviors are seen as subtle or blatant by teachers? (4) What triggers initiate a parent-bullying incident? (5) Do teachers' experiences of bullying parents vary according to age, gender, ethnicity, grade level and teaching experience? Nine types of parent behaviors and the demographic variables of teachers were compared which included the teacher's age, gender, ethnicity, number of years of teaching experience, and the teachers' current teaching level were compared. Face-to-face survey administration was used to collect the data. Statistical procedures were conducted and included: One Way ANOVA, Cronbach's Alpha Test for Reliability, and Chi Square . Frequency and percentages were calculated to determine the statistical significance of the findings. The findings indicated a statistical significance between physical assault and male teachers. Further, statistical significance was revealed between property vandalism and gender of teacher, ethnicity, and age variables. Teachers are more likely to be verbally abused by parents ho try to confront teachers. Bullying incidents most often occurred on the Internet, classroom, or school office. Triggers that caused confrontation that indicted statistical significance were: (1) student removal of a student from a sports team, (2) had homework issues, (3) showed low grades on a report card, (4) low scores on a test, and (5) low attendance rates. Teachers reported blatant, out in the open, and in your face behaviors to describe the bullying incident committed by parents. However, despite encountering incidents of bullying by parents, teachers did not consider leaving the profession. Almost half of the teachers surveyed reported experiencing some form of abuse directed toward them by a parent. / Ed. D.

Researchers have long studied the precursors to the reporting of deviant workplace acts. Previous research has often relied on descriptive studies utilizing survey research and/or simplistic models with one or two narrowly defined antecedents and demographic proxy variables. Results of these studies have resulted in inconsistent and even conflicting findings. The current study aimed to examine the causal antecedents of deviant act reporting in a more holistic way. Policy capturing was utilized to study intentions to report workplace deviant acts. Policy capturing is an idiographic approach where scenarios are used to establish the differential weighting of cues in judgment formation or behavioral intentions. Three causal antecedents were investigated. The locus of aggression and seriousness of the offense antecedents were based on the Robinson and Bennett (1995) typology of deviant acts. The third antecedent was the manipulation of the workplace offender (e.g., supervisor or peer). Subfacets of the Big Five characteristics previously found to be correlated with deviant behaviors were chosen for inclusion. Participants were educators or administrators in higher education and were asked to rate how likely they would be to report a deviant incident via two different reporting options (e.g., internal vs. external). Each participant completed several demographic items, three subfacet personality inventories, and 32 hypothetical scenarios. Hierarchical linear model was utilized for the analyses. Results showed support for the hypotheses predicting that the three situational cues would affect intentions to report. For the internal model, the three situational cues and two-way interactions accounted for a 48.2% reduction in error variance; a 52.3% reduction for the external model. The minor/serious situational cue had the highest relative cue weight for both reporting avenues. Personality variables had little effect on reporting intentions. The only significant result was found in the internal model where more cooperative individuals were more likely to report an infraction. This study serves as a baseline for future research on deviant act reporting. By utilizing the Robinson and Bennett (1995) typology, this research took an innovative approach to examining the reporting of acts within a classification system as opposed to previous studies which only examined specific behaviors. / Doctor of Philosophy / The interest in understanding deviant act reporting stems from the fact that deviant incidents are high, there are negative effects on other employees, and organizations can incur substantial financial ramifications. However, these acts are often not reported by other employees and, subsequently, behaviors are never addressed or rectified. Research in the area of reporting deviant acts has been inconsistent and has often lead to contradictory findings. The current study examined workplace deviant act reporting more holistically. A technique called policy capturing was utilized to determine which aspects of deviant acts are most likely to impact reporting intentions. Three aspects of the deviant act were examined. The locus of aggression (interpersonally directed vs. organizationally directed) and seriousness of the offense (minor vs. serious) were based on a typology of deviance developed by Robinson and Bennett (1995). The third aspect of the deviant act to be examined was the manipulation of the offender (supervisor of the witness or a peer of the witness). In addition, the impact of three personality aspects (cooperation, dutifulness and assertiveness) were examined. Participants were educators or administrators in higher education and the scenarios were based on potential scenarios applicable to this setting. Participants were asked to rate the likelihood they would report the deviant act either internally or externally. Results showed that all three aspects of the deviant act played a role in reporting intentions via both reporting channels. By far, the seriousness of the offense was the most important aspects in individuals' decision to report. Personality variables had little effect on reporting intentions with cooperative individuals being more likely to report an infraction through internal channels. This study serves as a baseline for future research on workplace deviant act reporting.

No / Mental ill health in the workplace is a high profile issue, but what are the starting points for successful policies and interventions?

One of the problems in organizations, especially in hospitals, is that injury rates are increasing because most safety programs lack the essential safety measures for accident reduction in the workplace. The study examined the safety measures that played a role in accident and injury reduction in the workplace. Specifically, the old and new safety programs of an anonymous company was investigated to identify the safety measures that distinguished both programs, their impact on injury rates, and whether the variables of safety program and the variables of safety performance are independent. Data were described by a narrative method, displayed by descriptive statistics, and analyzed by chi square test of independence. The results showed that: (1) The new safety program had twenty-one additional safety measures more than the old safety program; (2) The old safety program increased the recordable injuries by an average of 85%, increased lost workday cases by an average of 14%, and increased incidence rates by an average of 31%; (3) The new safety program decreased the recordable injuries by 48%, decreased lost workday cases by 3%, decreased incidence rates by 51%, and decreased lost workday rates by 12%; and (4) chi square test of independence showed that the safety performance for the recordable injuries and lost workday cases were different across the old and new safety programs. X² (1, N = 1259) = 29.76, p < 0.001. The researcher concluded that: (1) The new management at the company was committed to safety performance improvements; (2) The new safety program performed better than the old safety program; and (3) safety performance variables were dependent of the safety program variables. The researcher recommended that the new management finalize pending policies and also, to perform facility safety inspections semi-annually rather than annually in selected areas so that hazards can be identified more quickly. Lastly, this study and the results thereof, provided useful information to safety professionals and organizations that plan to develop and implement a successful safety program that will reduce accidents and injuries in the workplace.

The purpose of this study was to capture employers' and recent high school graduates' perceptions of employability skills in a rural region in southwestern Virginia. The specific objectives of this study were: a) to describe the employers' perceptions of expected proficiency levels of workplace readiness skills for new employees in the New River Region; b) to describe the recent high school graduates perceptions of the importance of workplace readiness skills for new employees in the New River Region; and c) to describe employers and recent high school graduates; perceived skills gap for new employees in the New River Region. The study used a multi-method QUAN + QUAL methodology. The data were collected using a researcher-created survey instrument and focus groups. The results from this study revealed that employers' perceptions concerning workplace readiness skills are consistent with skills mentioned in the literature. Work ethics was identified as the highest priority need for employers. Other priority needs identified from the literature were accountability, dependability, empathy, punctuality, and work ethic. One pedagogical implication of the study is that career and technical education teachers should emphasize workplace readiness skills because they are essential for securing and retaining employment. / Doctor of Philosophy / The purpose of this study was to determine employers' and recent high school graduates' perceptions of workplace employability skills in the New River Valley region of southwestern Virginia. The objectives of the research were to: a) examine employers' views of expected proficiency levels of workplace readiness skills for new employees; b) investigate recent high school graduates' perceived levels of their workplace readiness skills; and c) assess the gap between employer expectations and recent high school graduates' levels of job readiness. Data were collected using a researcher-created survey instrument and focus groups. The results indicated that employers' views regarding necessary workplace readiness skills are consistent with those emphasized in the literature. Employee work ethic was identified as the highest priority need among employers. Other priority needs identified in the literature, including employee accountability, dependability, empathy, punctuality, and emotional intelligence, were supported by the research. The study underscored the need for career and technical education teachers to focus on workplace readiness skills to assist students in securing and retaining employment.

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.

Research has established that workplace aggression leads to a multitude of negative outcomes for individuals and organizations. This study aimed to determine if certain coping strategies could assuage the negative impact of workplace aggression on two outcomes: job satisfaction and psychological well-being. A study of nurses explored their experiences with being the target of verbal, passive, and physical workplace aggression, their job satisfaction, psychological well-being, and their coping strategies. Results indicate that coping style does indeed moderate the relationship between being the target of workplace aggression and negative outcomes. Implications for the workplace are discussed.

A conflict exists between student desire for a pragmatic education leading to gainful employment and our desire to teach them to think critically about the world. This study argues the necessity of both and concludes—through the voices of three workplace writers—that students must become avid life-long learners and researchers in order to keep pace in an age of exponential information growth. This study presents three workplace writers‘ self-reports in the post process era. Arguing the validity of writers‘ self-reports, this study moves research of workplace writers beyond process, which is typically considered invention, drafting, revising, and editing, by expanding the lens through which we consider workplace writers. Specifically, this study examines their history as writers, the preparation they received, their motivation to write on the job, their acquisition of job specific literacy, how they manage multiple audiences, the corporate identities and voices they must assume, the process they employ to accomplish their writing, their revision strategies, how they manage writer‘s block, and, finally, the survival skills they utilize in order to become proficient workplace writers. The addition of these facets to the standard process model seeks to push research beyond post process. Bartholomae suggests students will ―invent the university‖ in their writing. This study suggests that they will one day invent the workplace in much the same way. The three writers studied here describe steep learning curves before they felt adept at writing in their workplaces, highlighting the importance that students identify as life-long learners and researchers. They privilege grammar and mechanics, yet they acknowledge the importance of collaboration, solid research skills, and audience. They offer survival strategies for getting their writing done amidst the chaos of workplace demands and occasional writer‘s block. Finally, this study suggests a pedagogy that seeks more intentionality in teaching students about writing while teaching them to write in order to provide them with a meta-awareness of the act of writing that will carry them successfully into the workplace. / Dr. Patrick Bizzaro Dr. Resa Crane Bizzaro Dr. Jeannine Fontaine

Thesis (M.B.A.) - Carleton University, 2002. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 114-120). Also available in electronic format on the Internet.