More and more organizations are making use of teamwork. Effective teams are also important from an Information Technology (IT) perspective, since teamwork forms an integral part of all software development activities. It is therefore extremely important that IT students are able to work together as an effective team. These statements lead to the following questions – How can IT student project teams be effective and what obstacles need to be overcome in order to ensure effectiveness? This dissertation reports on an exploratory study of second and third year IT project teams and exposes factors that lead to ineffectiveness. Firstly, the problems experienced by the groups seem to have the largest detrimental effect on effective team functioning. Secondly, the project mark is also affected by the priority issue that is associated with the particular task. Thirdly, the issues of time management, communication, conflict management, compromise, social loafing and group cohesion also play an important role in team effectiveness. This dissertation sets out to prove that the key to "effectiveness" lies in empowering the student to deal with all possible dilemmas that may be faced when working in teams in the tertiary team situation. The benefits of these actions will hopefully lead to the realization of “effectiveness” in the tertiary team situation and ultimately, in the student’s work environment.

Bystander approach is widely used in violence and bullying prevention programs as it encourages the witnesses to become aware of abusive conducts and take action against them. Given the recent implementation of this approach in organizational contexts, the present work aims at understanding factors supporting or discouraging witnesses to intervene on behalf of the victims of workplace bullying.Organizational ethics literature highlights the prominent role of morality in fostering bystander intervention at work. This moral component is discussed in the theoretical part of this doctoral dissertation, along with moral courage, a concept that corresponds to the ability to take moral actions despite knowing that they lead to adverse consequences for the intervener. Because of its characteristics, we claim that moral courage is as a particularly appropriate construct to help bystanders stopping workplace bullying. Therefore, we analyzed this concept and developed a scale to measure it, namely the MC@W scale.Afterwards, we used some of the concepts previously discussed to analyze bystander intervention against bullying as the result of a process that involves personological and contextual factors. In a frst study, drawing from vignette methodology, we explored the relationship among personological antecedent factors, such as moral courage, and different typologies of bystander intervention. As a stimulus, in this study we used a video that we designed and shot to represent a workplace bullying episode.In a second study, we developed and validated a model explaining the process that leads workplace bullying bystanders to act or not. Based on works about the “bystander effect”, the BI@W model highlights the key role of individual factors, such as assumption of responsibility and moral identity, and contextual ones, such as socio-moral climate, in influencing the behavioral process of intervention.These studies follow the research line that seeks to better understand witnesses’ behavior with the practical purpose to help HR professionals and organizations to develop more effective strategies against workplace bullying. / Doctorat en Sciences psychologiques et de l'éducation / info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished

Regardless of numerous accomplishments and appreciable rewards of the collaboration in cross-functional teams, the impacts of cross-functional teams has deteriorated in the eyes of business, its ability to deliver having been questioned - businesses often fail to reap the promised benefits. While previous research has concentrated on collaboration in cross-functional teams of new product development, it neglected the outcomes of collaboration in crossfunctional teams and the leader behaviours that impacts and maintains the collaboration in cross-functional teams. This research aimed to understand the perspectives of leaders and subordinates on how leader behaviours could improve the impacts of collaboration in cross-functional teams. First by exploring the outcomes of collaboration in cross-functional teams, confirming importance to business, and then exploring current failures; secondly, by identifying the key leader behaviours that impacts collaboration in cross-functional teams. Preceding initiatives have been ineffective in reviving the value of collaboration in cross-functional teams, due to focal point being new product development collaboration of cross-functional teams and failed to focus on leader behaviours in cross-functional teams. This research, therefore, probed the necessities for collaboration entered into and maintained, looking particularly at leader behaviours which is effective in encouraging collaboration and involvement of stakeholders in cross-functional teams. From the research outcomes, the Leader behaviours Impact Model was designed to set out how collaboration can be established and maintained, optimising the impacts of the leader behaviours while also diminishing its many failures of collaboration in crossfunctional team. / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2013. / pagibs2014 / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / MBA / Unrestricted

La cervicalgia es un problema de salud ocupacional en los odontólogos y está presente desde las prácticas del pregrado. Se realizó un estudio cuasi experimental para evaluar el efecto de un programa de gimnasia laboral en todos los estudiantes de cuarto año de un escuela de odontología de Lima para reducir la prevalencia de cervicalgia. El programa duró seis semanas, consistía en dos charlas para que realicen ejercicios de estiramiento de 5 minutos 3 veces por día y un recordatorio diario por mensaje de texto. 31 estudiantes fueron evaluados al inicio y final de la intervención, 13/31 manifestaron no haber realizado los ejercicios. Se encontró que la prevalencia de cervicalgia en las últimos 4 semanas se redujo de 90,3% a 71,0% (p=0,034) y la intensidad del dolor se redujo de 5,4 a 3,6 (p=0,009). El programa demostró reducir la cervicalgia, futuras intervenciones deben buscar alternativas para incrementar la adherencia.

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Psychology / Ronald G. Downey / The harmful workplace behavior field, although relatively new, is fragmented. Despite a few collaborative efforts (Fox & Spector, 2005; Keashly & Jagatic, 2003; etc.) there is no agreement on the correct terminology to employ. The current paper corrects this by developing a new scale that is a combination of similar, but previously distinct, variables and concepts. This new scale is comprehensive and based off of an intensive review of the literature.

Directors need to guide and govern companies on behalf of and for the benefit of shareholders and stakeholders (Adams, Hermalin, & Weisbach, 2010; “Duties of directors,” 2011), but questions remain in academic literature (Carter, D’Souza, Simkins, & Simpson, 2010; Jhunjhunwala & Mishra, 2012; Nielsen & Nielsen, 2013) whether boards with higher levels of diversity amongst directors are better equipped to fulfil their fiduciary duty than boards with lower levels of diversity. This research report set out to determine if increased levels of diversity within boards is associated with improved financial performance of companies. To accomplish that literature was reviewed to confirm the function of boards, determine dimensions of diversity that could affect board performance and to identify theoretical frameworks that could explain why increased diversity might lead to improved board performance. Share price, dividend payout and directors’ demographic data was collected for a sample of 40 companies listed on the JSE from 2000 to 2013 and subjected to tests using Muller and Ward’s (2013) investment style engine in a quasi-experimental design combining cross-sectional and longitudinal methodologies. Graphical time-series representations of cumulative portfolio market returns were analysed to determine if diversity dimensions tested were associated with improved company financial performance. The results showed that for the selected sample, racial diversity within boards does not contribute to improved financial performance. Increased gender diversity and decreased average board age were shown to have strong associations with improved company performance. / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2013. / lmgibs2014 / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / MBA / Unrestricted

This study identified and defined leader behaviors with two levels of leadership in a self-managed team organization. Job analysis methodology was used. A comparison of task importance values was made within groups and between hierarchical levels in the organization. Identified leader behaviors were compared with effective, traditional leader performance. Qualitative data collected throughout the investigation clarified an integrative model for effective organizations developed from the literature. The model included leader characteristics and team member behaviors when using self-managed teams.

Andrew Pampallis

M.Ed. / The problem in this study is informed by dysfunctional Soweto schools underperformance in terms of academic excellence and financial management. This research study is motivated on a large scale by the political changes that have taken place in South Africa, which impacted on transformation of the education system. The whole education system is democratic and allows for legitimate participation of all stakeholders on issues that concern the school. The main aim of this research was to investigate the existence of teamwork in the management of dysfunctional Soweto schools, the extent to which participants in decision making are involved in decisions affecting them and to gather their opinions on managing with teams. A combination of qualitative and quantitative study has thus been undertaken in an attempt to gain an understanding of the current situation as perceived by teachers, principals, parents and learners. The methods used have included the use of individual interviews and focus group interviews. A randomly selected sample of data was collected from five principals, twenty teachers, five parents and a focus group of learners from five dysfunctional Soweto schools. The idea was to obtain views from a broad cross sector of educators, parents, and learners. According to McMillan and Schumacher inductive analysis means that categories and relationships emerge from the data rather than being imposed on data prior to data collection. The researcher has therefore compiled categories and relationships from the data. From the research study conducted, it is clear that the concept “teamwork” is known by all involved in school matters. The respondents indicated that teamwork should be implemented in each school. It is also clear from the data collected and analyses that a highly involved management is needed, built on shared understanding on new ways of working and commitment to the improvement of performance. This means that managers and educators are to be empowered in as far as teamwork is concerned. The researcher recommends that the task of running the schools should not be the sole responsibility of the principal as it was in the past and that a collaborative effort of all stakeholders in education is important. / Prof. J.R. Debeila

D.Ed. / Please refer to full text to view abstract