<p> This study examined a feature of organizations that, prior to this work had not been identified or defined: Organizational Bias. If an organization can learn, have an identity and memory, then an organization can hold bias. Organizational bias occurs when an organization&rsquo;s culture, as defined and reproduced within its interactions with agents and actors, prevents actors from becoming agents by denying them the power required to change the organizational structure. This exclusionary aspect of bias creates a significant obstacle for educational institutions, many of whom define their missions as serving all students and providing a place that builds, supports, and serves community. Organizational ethnography was used as the methodology to examine organizational bias. Data were collected in a committee space designed to be inclusive of community members and other actor voices as they evaluated new high school course proposals. Data were comprised of the following: observations of all meetings, documents, such as correspondence between members and documents produced as a result of or that informed the committee&rsquo;s work, and interviews with members. The data were analyzed using a combination of interactional analysis and axial coding. Findings illustrated that patterns of exclusion initiated through the institutional structure of talk constituted and reconstituted organizational bias. This structure created relevant opportunities for resource use (e.g., credit information), which agents were able to perform, but from which actors were excluded, that afforded them the agency to reconstitute the practical and tacit knowing of the organization, which then reproduced the initial structure. Implications for this work include a clearer understanding of how educational organizations hold bias, what patterns of interaction to examine, and how to interrupt the reconstitution of those practices to be more inclusive of actors in an effort to work more closely toward the defined mission.</p><p>

<p> The objective of this study was to investigate leadership in nonprofits. Specifically, the goal was to contribute to the empirical literature on the relationship between pastoral leadership styles and the organizational effectiveness of their churches. This quantitative ex-post facto study investigated the explanatory power leadership styles have upon the overall organizational effectiveness among Baptist pastors in a Southern Baptist Association in a Western state. Leadership styles was measured by Avolio, Bass, and Zhu&rsquo;s 2004 Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire 5x Short [MLQ] and organizational effectiveness was measured by a Southern Baptist Association in a Western state&rsquo;s annual church profile, respectively. This explanatory research encompassed the comparative relationship between the variable of pastoral leadership styles and how they influence the variable of organizational effectiveness in churches, as defined by church membership, the number of baptisms, and financial giving. A sample of 28 pastors self-reported their leadership styles in an online survey. This was followed by a comparison of the organizational effectiveness statistical data sets collected from a Southern Baptist Association in a Western state to the pastoral leadership styles. SPSS, v. 22 was used for data analysis. The findings state pastoral leadership styles as transactional and transformational. A <i>t</i>-test was conducted to compare the means of the leadership styles. Based upon the <i>t</i>-test results, it was determined there is a difference between the leadership styles of pastors and the organizational effectiveness measures of their churches. The difference was significant.</p><p>

M.Ing. / Engineering is both an art and a science. Although engineering demands a lot in the way of energy, imagination and creativeness, it offers one of the most satisfying careers with a sense of adequacy and balance that may be lacking in many other occupations. To stay marketable, engineers should promote their problem solving, interpersonal, technical, financial, and communication skills. Most of these factors, however, are not necessarily part of an engineer's formal education Motivated employees with the necessary competencies and skills are generally recognized as the key to successful organizations. In order to effectively and efficiently manage technical employees, managers should gain insight into their attitudes by understanding their personality traits and core beliefs, and fostering longterm and well-conceived employee development plans. Because people are unique in their needs, values, and systems of motivation, it is practically impossible to tailor jobs and organizational objectives to individual workers. Management education is often a combination of training and experience. The optimal strategy is often not clear. It is the engineering manager's responsibility, then, to optimize the fit between factors of production and worker motivation in order to maximize the performance and productivity of the manager's department or organization. The literature indicates that turnover and motivation of engineers is the product of complex linkages among role stressors, task characteristics, job involvement, job satisfaction, career satisfaction and organizational commitment, to name but a few factors. A problem with having to deal with motivation is that there are no universal solutions. What motivates one person will not necessarily motivate another. Also, much of a person's motivation comes from within him or herself Although the perception.may exist amongst engineers that society in general has little appreciation for them and their accomplishments, engineers themselves feel positive about themselves and their careers. In general, engineers appear to be more involved, more satisfied with their jobs, and more committed to their orgmizations than the non-technical employee. It remains the responsibility of the engineers themselves to change society's preoccupation with glamorous, high-paying jobs, in order for them to be recognized for their contribution to society's standard of living and general well-being. A case study on young engineers is presented to highlight some of the above mentioned issues.

M.Comm. (Industrial Psychology) / Please refer to full text to view abstract

M.Ed. / Met hierdie kort navorsingsprojek is beoog om samewerkende bestuur en die moontlike implikasies daarvan op geheelskool evaluering te bereken. Die konseptuele raamwerk waarbinne hierdie navorsingsprojek beoordeel moet word is deur middel van 'n literatuurondersoek na samewerkende bestuur en die moontlike implikasies daarvan op geheelskool evaluering, daargestel. Een van die hoofbevindinge was dat geheelskool evaluering aanleiding gee tot kunsmatige samewerking van die opvoeders se kant af. Die persepsie van opvoeders met betrekking tot die evaluering van die ge¿dentifiseerde aspekte van samewerkende bestuur is deur die gebruik van 'n vraelys bepaal. Data was versamel in 'n poging om die persepsie van opvoeders rakende die belangrikheid van ge¿dentifiseerde aspekte van samewerkende bestuur in skole te ondersoek. Die bekwaamheid van die opvoeder se skole in die implementering van hierdie ge¿dentifiseerde aspekte van samewerkende bestuur, is tergelykertyd bepaal. In die analise van die data het dit aan die lig gekom dat daar 'n verskil in persepsie tussen opvoeders betreffende die belangrikheid en bekwaamheid van die ge¿dentifiseerde aspekte van samewerkende bestuur in skole bestaan. Die verskil tussen die gemiddelde belangrikheidstelling en die bekwaamheidstelling met betrekking tot samewerkende bestuur is die gevolg van kunsmatige samewerking vanaf opvoeders kant. Dit is soortgelyk aan Argyris en Schon (1974:7) se sogenaamde voorgestaane- en gebruiksteorie. Daar is aangetoon dat hierdie kunsmatige samewerking belangrike implikasies ten opsigte van geheelskool evaluering het. Die navorser het die literatuur en empiriese bevindinge gebruik om aanbevelings met betrekking tot die assessering van samewerkende bestuur en die moontlike implikasies wat dit vir geheelskool evaluering inhou, gedoen. / Prof. B.R. Grobler

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

M.Ed. (Education Management) / As a managerial leader the principal 􀀆s responsible for a comprehensive SPt of tasks. It is, therefore, not possible for one person to punctually and timorously give attention to all the pertinent matters which may arise. This dilemma has given rise to mechanisms of identification, design and description which would ultimately lead to a refined school management system ...

<p> As never before, nearly every aspect of our lives in modern Western society is influenced by a web of institutions. Whether driving to work, making a deposit at the bank, or shopping for groceries, our lives are inextricably linked to the institutional construct known as a corporation. Society has become fiercely aware of and opinionated about the deeds and values of corporate entities (The Harris Poll, 2016). Though it may seem so, corporations are not faceless establishments, but are made up of human persons guided by boards of directors whose leadership in the boardroom becomes an expression of a corporation interacting with this living planet. </p><p> Governance systems, defined as the process by which corporations are made responsive to the rights and wishes of stakeholders are at a critical juncture (Lorsch, 2012b). Corporate governance has been cited by many as fundamentally flawed (Turnbull, 2010), entrenched in old patterns of thinking (Scharmer &amp; Kaufer, 2013), and in need of new insights (Sonnenfeld, 2002). This theoretical study establishes the need for a paradigmatic shift in corporate governance&mdash;one that might embolden corporations to live into their fullest potential of shaping a regenerative society, one in which life creates conditions for life, one that serves the well-being of the whole (Senge, Smith, Kruschwitz, Laur &amp; Schley, 2008). </p><p> I imagine corporate governance realized through a participatory paradigm. I offer specific characteristics of this mindset: reflexive knowing, generative engagement, creative enactment, and mutual regard that, when practiced in the boardroom, are likely to foster needed new insights capable of reframing and repurposing the work of governing. A new model for corporate governance is not offered; rather, I suggest boardroom practices grounded in relationship and powered by integral knowing, which will benefit governance, no matter the model. What if corporations, guided by governing boards exercising a participatory perspective, used their significant influence toward shaping a society that fosters human flourishing?</p><p>

Special needs education has always provided special challenges to school administrators, policy makers and teachers. The world-wide move towards inclusive education as an alternative to exclusive education or casual mainstreaming has resulted in significant developments in Namibia in the past decade. Global educational reforms have focused on education for all as well as inclusive education and Namibia is signatory to several conventions and declarations in this regard. Research in this field has largely focused on the role of the inclusive teacher, and of course the special needs of the learners. Little or no attention has been paid to possible managerial and organisational challenges which accompany the move to inclusive education. This thesis seeks to critically investigate the managerial implications of inclusive education. The focal point of this research is to gain a clear understanding of the managerial implications in an inclusive school for learners with visual impairment, chiefly through an exploration of the experiences of management members of the inclusive process. The research is located within a qualitative research paradigm, which is subsumed by a phenomenological model. The data gathered through in-depth interviews include many anecdotal accounts that provide insight into the ways respondents reacted to experiences at the inclusive school. The main findings of the research are highlighted and discussed. Recommendations arising from a critical analysis of these main findings are presented.

<p> The recent surge in religious studies coupled with the strict decline in religion creates the backdrop for the need for this paper. In this study, I use a fantasy theme analysis approach to analyzing data from 23 semi-structured interviews with Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) pastors. I utilize Institutional Work Theory, Symbolic Convergence Theory, and Bona Fide Group Perspective to understand how the dominant coalitions within the PCA interact to affect change in the institution. My findings highlight the difficulties associated with embedded agency and new contributions to each of the aforementioned theoretical perspectives. My project offers a perspective on the uniqueness and value of studying religious denominations as institutions.</p><p>