This thesis focuses on the internal problems for companies changing customer service system and how to best avoid these problems and make the implementation of the new system as efficient as possible. The reason for focusing on the customer service systems was since more and more companies are transcending to e-commerce and having some form of customer service is common. As the technology is changing so does the requirements for the system and thereby companies are in need for constant change. The problem area is wide and the results can be applied to almost any company undergoing changes of customer service systems. In order to find the internal problems and how to avoid these to efficiently implement the new system, interviews were carried out with companies that had undergone some form of change in their customer service. Theoretical studies were also carried out in order to confirm the interviews. The results of the study were that companies need to involve the affected employees and work with employee involvement. Doing otherwise would in many cases make the employees resistant to change. Furthermore, the IT changes being carried out need to have a more humanistic perspective rather than technological perspective, as the case was. The main finding was that there was a clear connection between the level of employee involvement and the level of efficiency when changing to a new system. In addition, educating employees on the new system and information sharing about the system already before start would create efficient implementation.

The restructuring and reorganization of governmental organizations is a frequent occurrence in the human service sector. During the past decades, the literature has indicated that numerous states located throughout the nation have been reforming their human service delivery systems (Annie E. Casey Foundation; Frumkin, Imershein, Chackerian, & Martin, 1983; Polivka, Imershein, White & Stivers, 1981; Ragan, 2003; Ragan with Nathan, 2002; Rockefeller Institute for Government). In 2004, the Vermont Agency of Human Services (AHS) joined this trend and began a reorganization effort of its own. This dissertation examines one aspect of the larger restructuring effort: the creation of a Field Services Division (FSD) within AHS. The organization of the FSD included placement of key leadership positions, known as Field Services Directors in each of the 12 regions of Vermont. This new management structure was intended to provide AHS leadership at the local level, and assist with transformation of AHS’ human services delivery system towards a model of service integration. This study explores the perspectives of the policy executives and field directors who were charged with visioning and implementing human service reforms in Vermont. The research employs a mixed-method, user-focused evaluative case study and survey approach (Patton, 2002; Russ-Eft & Preskill, 2001) to examine the organizational change strategies, processes, and perceived outcomes related to the FSD initiative. Findings indicate there have been successes and challenges associated with the initiation of a FSD within AHS. While field directors were designated as agents of change, data suggests that without further structural and system supports, service integration will not be easily achieved. Service coordination, consumer participation and development of community supports appear to offer the most promising practices in improving outcomes. This study also reveals that a local level of leadership offers promise in devising and implementing policy changes to improve human service delivery. The study informs future evaluations about the opportunities, challenges and paradoxes in human service reform efforts. The project contributes to the literature regarding organizational change and human service integration and suggests areas for future research. In addition, the analysis provides a framework to assist AHS in understanding the limitations and possibilities associated with this organizational change effort. Finally, it provides descriptive research with which to support continued improvement in the delivery of human services in Vermont. This dissertation research was supported by the Vermont Research Partnership; an endeavor which aims to study and improve the effectiveness of the collaborative, community-based initiatives of the Agency of Human Services, the Department of Education, the University of Vermont and the Vermont Association of Regional Partnerships.

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M.Comm. / The environment in which a South African business operates are distinguished by change. Businesses must on a continuous basis adopt to the demands of change in their environment. This study focus on the unseen or invisible components of a business, such as the structure, culture, leadership and human resource compliment, which enable the business to implement the formalised strategy, which in turn assist the business in adopting to the change in environment. Chapter two contains a short summary of strategy formulation and implementation. As soon as the strategy has been formalised and implementation of strategy must take place, the emphasised is moved to the unseen components of business. From Chapter three to six a iscussion on the resources required to support and manage the implementation of strategy, follows. In these chapters the following is raised: the structure that is required to ensure that strategy objectives are achieved; the required leadership, with emphasis on the role of leaders vs managers in a business; the relationship of strategy and culture; and the optimal composition of the human resource complement to ensure the implementation of the strategy. A summary of the recommendations of the study are the following: develop a suitable structure to support the strategy of business and tend to move to flatter organisational structures; obtain and develop leaders in the business; build and encourage a strong corporate culture; and Top Management must ensure and commit them to obtain the required human resource compliment in the business. In conclusion a recipe to the successful implementation of a strategy "Be customer focused and get the basis right.

M.Phil. / The important role that research and development (R&D) plays in the economic well being of a nation, and by implication the profitability of a business enterprise, has long been recognized. In this era, in which the world live in turbulent times, technology advances at an ever-increasing pace and customers needs are constantly changing. Global competition has reached unprecedented levels. Globalisation brings new economic powers and opportunities constantly. The global marketplace has emerged as a battlefield of the world, were many competitors are fighting for a share. These factors urge the need more than ever for new products, processes and services to be able to enter this battlefield and emerge as a victorious. The way to these new products, processes and services is the adaptation of an effective program of R&D. It is therefore important to appreciate the many aspects of the R&D function, which is the subject of this work. This research stresses the benefits that R&D brings to the nation and what measures that nation can adopt to promote R&D programs. The work also stresses the importance of R&D to private firms, and how the performance of such firms is linked to their use of technology and to the intensity of their R&D programs. Firms sustain economic growth and secure a competitive position by creating new products and new services, and these are the natural results of the R&D process. In the course of executing their R&D programs, firms are faced with many barriers and constraints that impede successful R&D activities. Many barriers have been identified and classified into different categories. Firms function in different environments, have different sizes, and different affiliations, hence it is difficult to suggest that there is a fixed set of R&D management practices that will fit all kinds of firms. In this research many general R&D management practices are recommended, which if implemented may lead to a successful R&D results. R&D is one of the important functions of the business; hence its strategy should be a natural extension of the business and should support this strategy. The concept of business strategy and why firms need to develop business strategy are discussed. Also elements needed to develop a best R&D strategy are recommended.

Organisational change, particularly turnaround strategies have always been perceived differently, and received with mixed feelings by employees. The primary aim of this research was to explore the perceptions of SABC employees about the organisation’s turnaround strategy. The study employed a qualitative research design and conducted semi-structured interviews with ten employees and four key informants from the SABC’s radio-park in Auckland Park. A thematic content analysis was used to analyse the data that was received from the participants. Employees’ perceptions that emerged from a thematic content analysis of the study were, a need to balance organisation’s needs with the needs of all employees, employees’ concerns about their job security, relationships and communication gaps between management and general employees and employees’ different and vague understanding of the turnaround strategy. The main findings of this study were, SABC employees understood and perceived the turnaround strategy to be a cost cutting mechanism by the organisation to reduce its operational costs, the participants also indicated that they did not participate in any decision making regarding the turnaround strategy. The main conclusion drawn from the study is that the SABC should have allowed its employees to fully participate in the entire process of the turnaround strategy and use the strategy as a learning opportunity for its employees.

Thesis advisor: Deborah Piatelli / This study serves to contribute to the growing literature on the effectiveness of diversity trainings. Previous studies on diversity training have produced inconclusive results for diversity training goals, evaluation techniques, and success. These studies rely largely on quantitative methods and large data sets looking at representation, biases, and economics. This study examines the impact of diversity trainings from a different lens. Specifically, in a society that increasingly adheres to a post-racial ideology, diversity trainings can serve as a tool to deconstruct the basis for racial power and privilege and expose the persistence of racism in the workplace. This qualitative, inductive study allows diversity trainers and managers to discuss in-depth their views on diversity and diversity training. Diversity trainers delineated five diversity training models, all of which discuss power and privilege in different ways or not at all. The presence and nature of this discussion becomes a product of a diversity trainer’s personal beliefs and the culture of the organization where training will occur. Manager interviews showed that individual differences in racial awareness entering the training can mediate how managers respond and react to diversity training material. The combination of the training model, organizational culture, and individual racial awareness combine to determine whether or not individual and institutional change around racial power and privilege will occur. Overall, power and privilege is not a common feature of diversity trainings, however diversity training can be used to further this discussion and fight against racism. A model is proposed that presents a way for diversity trainers to combine diversity training models to promote organizational goals, as well as counter post-racial ideology to create critically inclusive and egalitarian workplaces. Moreover, suggestions are made for researchers to better evaluate diversity trainings in the future, so as to truly determine the extent to which diversity training can be used to further organizational goals. / Thesis (BA) — Boston College, 2011. / Submitted to: Boston College. College of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Sociology Honors Program. / Discipline: Sociology.

Thesis advisor: Richard Jackson / This study examined organizational change in science museums toward practices that are inclusive of people with disabilities. Guided by two overarching frameworks, organizational learning and the social model of disability, this study sought to answer the following: What are the contexts and processes that facilitate, sustain, or impede a science museum's change toward practices that are inclusive of people with disabilities? The research orientation was a qualitative, multiple case study. The cases featured three science museums that varied in size and location, but shared a documented history of efforts to include people with disabilities. Data were collected through observations and interviews with people with disabilities, interviews with staff members, observations of museum work, and documentation. Data analysis focused on generating descriptions and interpretation of the individual cases and the collection of cases. Findings demonstrate that change toward inclusion in these three museums is an on-going process that is embedded within the work of a broad range of organizational areas. Findings also suggest actions science museums can take to facilitate change toward inclusion, including involving people with disabilities in organizational work, engaging in experimentation and reflection, promoting the idea that practices that benefit people with disabilities also improve the museum for others, and embedding information about inclusive practices into internal communication, professional development, and large projects. These actions appear to promote organizational learning and sustainment of inclusive practices by concretizing the purpose of inclusion, developing staff who serve as internal resources, providing mechanisms for on-going feedback, and raising staff awareness of the importance of inclusion. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2014. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Teacher Education, Special Education, Curriculum and Instruction.

The Iraq War was an era of crisis and change within the U.S. Army. The failure of the army to adapt to the war revealed the obsolescence of post Vietnam army culture. Innovation experiences in the war were directionless and a new intellectual framework was required to deal with warfare that the army had long disliked: counterinsurgency. Major organizational change was accomplished by a coalition of generals led by Generals David Petraeus, Jack Keane, and Ray Odierno. These officers established a new intellectual framework with FM 3-24, Counterinsurgency. They challenged institutional military orthodoxy in Washington by proposing a renewed commitment to victory. Finally, they demonstrated the efficacy of counterinsurgency theory through a military campaign that “proved” FM 3-24. This major, yet limited, change in service culture fractured the consensus of the post Vietnam narrative and initiated an ongoing reinterpretation of the army’s philosophy of war.

Organisational change has proven to be a major challenge for many businesses worldwide with the pharmaceutical environment being no exception. The pharmaceutical industry is increasingly pressurised by stakeholders who seek reduced cost, higher value and quality. This has resulted in many pharmaceutical businesses attempting to launch various continuous improvement methodologies, which ultimately fail. Whereas failure of continuous improvement undertakings within the pharmaceutical environment is well documented, this study aimed to understand the factors that influence the successful sustainability of such endeavours. The purpose of this study was therefore to identify and create an understanding of the factors that influence a culture of continuous improvement within the pharmaceutical environment. The literature review revealed that factors such as leadership, teamwork, communication, continuous improvement capability and a continuous improvement mind-set contributed to the successful implementation of a culture that embraces continuous improvement. It was recognised that building a culture of continuous improvement is not instantaneous and that it requires all stakeholders to be committed and to acknowledge that changing culture requires time. An empirical study with a questionnaire as data collecting instrument was conducted to assess respondents’ perceptions of the levels of continuous improvement, leadership, teamwork, communication, continuous improvement capability and a continuous improvement mind-set within a selected pharmaceutical manufacturing business. The study revealed that all these factors were related and influenced a culture of continuous improvement. Furthermore, leadership and a continuous improvement mind-set proved to have the most significant relationship with a culture of continuous improvement. Recommendations were provided for the creation of a culture of continuous improvement in pharmaceutical businesses.