Faculty of Information Systems School of Economic and Business Sciences 9406128v georgia.sirinidis@fnbcorporate.co.za / Interpersonal Conflict is a neglected topic in Information System Development (ISD). While deemed important, few ISD studies have examined interpersonal conflict, the management of this conflict, or the impact this conflict has on project outcomes. Research in this field has revealed that conflict between different user groups within the systems development team is considered to be a significant threat to the success of a project. Failed systems have been attributed to resistance to system change, political issues that arise as a result of the system change and poor qua lity of teamwork between users and technical staff, analysts, programmers and other IS professionals and cultural differences. Better methods of systems analysis and design are thus needed to ensure appropriate, feasible and acceptable programs and applications and it is therefore with this intention, that this dissertation is submitted: to consider organisational behavioural means, in particular the importance of negotiating within the Systems Development process, to improve systems development. There were multiple objectives to this dissertation. These were: · to investigate whether system development is currently experienced as a process of conflict · to ascertain which roles experience a greater degree of conflict · to ascertain which systems development life cycle (SDLC) and which methodologies experience a greater degree of conflict · to assess whether negotiating skills vary across the different roles within the SDLC, to assess whether negotiating skills vary across SDLC methodologies · to determine whether the interest to improve negotiating skills varies within the SDLC · to evaluate the importance attached to negotiating skills in the SDLC · to assess whether the acceptance of the proposed negotiating framework for systems development varies within the SDLC · to examine what factors play a role in the acceptance of the proposed frameworks and · to assess whether the proposed framework will improve systems delivery. ii The reach of the research was limited to organisations in Southern Africa. These organisations were either large software development houses, or small IT departments within organisations, which specialised in developing either outsourced systems or in- house systems. Selfadministered questionnaires were mailed out to system development teams in South Africa, of varying industries and a total sample of one hundred and fifty five respondents replied. A quantitative approach was adopted to analyse the data. The results of the research show that minimal conflict is currently experienced in the SDLC and respondents across all roles and methodologies feel they possess negotiation skills to handle the conflict. The majority of the sample favourably accepted the proposed framework. Some roles attached more importance to the need for negotiating skills in their line of work, and paid more attention to improving their negotiating skills than others.

This study was concerned with the evaluation of a communication skills works hop for elementary school teachers titled, Self-Actualizing Education sponsored by the Psychology Department at Utah State University and funded under a rural development grant from the Kellogg Foundation. The purpose of the study was to evaluate objectives related to the interaction of students and teachers with regard to: (1) student attitudes towards teachers; (2) student misbehavior; and (3) student-teacher verbal communication. Testing was done on a control-experimental, pre-post basis. The treatment consisted of a nine week communication skills workshop, held two to three hours once per week. Twelve teachers and 531 students, grades one through six, participated in the study. Objectives of the Study The following objectives were formulated as an evaluational guide for the study: To determine whether or not teacher talk incorporates more Flanders Interaction Analysis System category 1, 2, and 3 responses and less category 6 and 7 responses, after teachers have completed the in-service communication skills workshop titled, Self-Actualizing Education; To determine whether or not student talk shifts from responding to initiating, after teacher participation in the communication workshop; To determine whether or not student misbehavior in the classroom decreases after the communication skills workshop; To determine whether or not student attitudes become more favorable towards their teachers after the workshop. In order to evaluate these objectives three data gathering instruments were employed: (1) the Flanders Interaction Analysis System; (2) a student misbehavior checklist; and (3) two student attitude surveys. Findings From analysis of the data, the following conclusions were made regarding this study: (1) teacher talk did not incorporate more Flanders Interaction Analysis System category 1, 2, and 3 responses and less category 6 and 7 responses as a result of teachers having participated in the communication skills workshop; (2) student talk did not shift from responding to initiating after the workshop; (3) a significant decrease (p < .05) in student misbehavior after treatment did occur; and (4) student attitudes toward their teachers did not change as a result of the workshop.

The importance of communication in the engineering profession is widely acknowledged by various stakeholders, including industry, academia, professional engineers, and engineering students. Even though alternative strategies to help students improve their ability to communicate professionally have been approached by many engineering programs across the country, research indicates a continued dissatisfaction of employers when it comes to the performance of engineers as communicators in the workplace. This perspective suggests efforts to improve students’ communication skills in universities may be inconsistent with workplace needs, revealing an apparent gap between what is taught and what is expected from engineering professionals. This gap provides an opportunity for additional research to identify the specific communication competencies required for engineers to succeed in the workplace. Particularly, the requirements of industry concerning engineers’ communication skills need to be understood more deeply, so that new educational interventions may be carefully tailored according to employers’ expectations and that both communication and engineering faculty can revisit their strategies to teach students to become better communicators. In order to obtain a deeper understanding of industry’s expectations concerning engineering communication skills, a qualitative research study was implemented to provide a detailed description of the communication skills practicing engineers need while working in industry. The exclusive focus on industry was pursued through the development of case studies. Four industrial segments (High-Tech, Automotive, Aerospace, and Manufacturing) that employ a significant percentage of engineers in the U.S. were selected. Engineers in leadership positions from each of the selected industrial segments participated in in-depth interviews and discussed about the expected engineering communication skills in industry. The results revealed that: 1) oral communication is prevalent in the engineering profession; 2) engineers need to tailor their messages to multiple audiences and to select the most appropriate type of communication medium; 3) written communication is expected to be clear, concise, and precise; 4) global communication is an increasingly demanded requirement in industry.

In Australia, the employment destinations of new graduates are surveyed annually and descriptions of successful employment have become an indicator of quality within the higher education sector. The expectations that employers hold for graduate generic skills are of interest, therefore, to graduates and the institutions they attended. Communication and thinking are recognised widely as the most important generic skills, however the application of these skills will occur in the workplace where academic skills may not be totally appropriate. In addition, many graduates of Australian institutions; e.g., international students, are likely to be employed by foreign organisations. Therefore, not only is the workplace a very different environment to academia but graduates could be expected to satisfy the expectations of employers working in culturally different environments.This investigation describes the expectations participating Singaporean and Perth employers held for recently graduated business graduates with particular attention given to graduate communication and thinking. The exploratory research used interviews and surveys to assemble contextual descriptions of employer expectations. The interview data was used to construct a questionnaire that was administered across a larger sample of employers to see whether the surveys corroborated the interview findings. Contextual descriptions of the communication and thinking capabilities that the Singaporean and Perth employers expected recent business graduates to possess are provided by this study. Gaps between employer expectations and perceptions of graduate ability are discussed, together with useful graduate characteristics. During data analysis five themes were noted and they have been used to propose a model of employer expectations. Finally, seven recommendations for professional practitioners have been suggested ++ / and a list of employer concerns is provided.

<p>Vårt sätt att kommunicera med varandra är i hög grad situationsberoende. Ett tillfälle när samtalets form kan ha stor betydelse är i kontakten mellan läkare och patient och då speciellt när läkaren behöver förmedla tråkiga nyheter till patienten. I denna studie undersöktes faktorer som påverkar hur läkaren upplever sin förmåga att genomföra samtal med ”bad news” för patienten. Nio läkare på två sjukhus i Mellansverige intervjuades. När materialet analyserades induktivt genom meningskoncentrering framkom det att patientens ålder och personlighet tycks ha större inverkan än kön, och att anhöriga ansågs kunna vara både ett värdefullt stöd och en belastning för informationsgivningen i svåra samtal. Eftersom de flesta studier om svåra samtal inom vården bygger på uppgifter ur vårdpersonalens synvinkel diskuterades vikten av att i framtida studier fokusera patientens egna upplevelser.</p>

Vårt sätt att kommunicera med varandra är i hög grad situationsberoende. Ett tillfälle när samtalets form kan ha stor betydelse är i kontakten mellan läkare och patient och då speciellt när läkaren behöver förmedla tråkiga nyheter till patienten. I denna studie undersöktes faktorer som påverkar hur läkaren upplever sin förmåga att genomföra samtal med ”bad news” för patienten. Nio läkare på två sjukhus i Mellansverige intervjuades. När materialet analyserades induktivt genom meningskoncentrering framkom det att patientens ålder och personlighet tycks ha större inverkan än kön, och att anhöriga ansågs kunna vara både ett värdefullt stöd och en belastning för informationsgivningen i svåra samtal. Eftersom de flesta studier om svåra samtal inom vården bygger på uppgifter ur vårdpersonalens synvinkel diskuterades vikten av att i framtida studier fokusera patientens egna upplevelser.

Shy children often have difficulty communicating; however, it is not clear whether these difficulties stem from a skills deficit or from an anxiety-driven performance deficit. Therefore, the present study examined how shy children’s communication skills differed from those of average, non-shy children, using the Internet as a medium for social communication. It was hypothesized that shy children may be more reticent than average children to initiate conversation in a novel situation. However, over time shy children were expected to become more comfortable in discussions with their on-line partner and to become less anxious as they acknowledge the anonymity of chat groups. This study also investigated potential changes in negative effects associated with shyness over time. Fifteen shy children (Mean shyness score=72.3; SD=6.43) and 15 average children (Mean shyness score=53.7; SD=5.6) participated in the 10 MSN conversation groups. Children were also given a series of questionnaires prior to and after the 10 sessions. Results from this study suggest that shy children communicate in a similar manner to their average partners when online. Results also suggest that shy children had higher levels of social anxiety than average children before beginning an online conversation with an unknown partner. However, by the end of the 10 sessions, their anxiety had been significantly reduced. No other changes or differences in psychological functioning were noted between shy and average children.

Shy children often have difficulty communicating; however, it is not clear whether these difficulties stem from a skills deficit or from an anxiety-driven performance deficit. Therefore, the present study examined how shy children’s communication skills differed from those of average, non-shy children, using the Internet as a medium for social communication. It was hypothesized that shy children may be more reticent than average children to initiate conversation in a novel situation. However, over time shy children were expected to become more comfortable in discussions with their on-line partner and to become less anxious as they acknowledge the anonymity of chat groups. This study also investigated potential changes in negative effects associated with shyness over time. Fifteen shy children (Mean shyness score=72.3; SD=6.43) and 15 average children (Mean shyness score=53.7; SD=5.6) participated in the 10 MSN conversation groups. Children were also given a series of questionnaires prior to and after the 10 sessions. Results from this study suggest that shy children communicate in a similar manner to their average partners when online. Results also suggest that shy children had higher levels of social anxiety than average children before beginning an online conversation with an unknown partner. However, by the end of the 10 sessions, their anxiety had been significantly reduced. No other changes or differences in psychological functioning were noted between shy and average children.

Sibling relationships in families of children with disabilities are generally positive despite difficulties that may result from the child’s disability. Many developmental disabilities have associated communication impairments that could affect how siblings interact with each other and the closeness between them. Research has rarely addressed the role of communication skills and how potential deficits in communication may impact the sibling relationship. The purpose of this study is to examine the characteristics of sibling communication interaction patterns when one sibling has a developmental disability and the unique role that communication skills play in the quality of the sibling relationship using both self-report and observational measures. Participants were 30 mixed and same-sex sibling dyads that included one typically developing sibling and their brother or sister with an identified developmental disability. Using parent report, children with disabilities were placed into three communication status groups according to their communication skills: emerging communicators, context-dependent communicators and independent communicators. Results indicated that when children with disabilities were independent communicators, they exhibited interactions with their siblings that were similar in terms of lexical complexity but that regardless of communication status, typically developing siblings dominated the interaction. All three communication groups differed significantly on measures of relative status/power with siblings of children who were independent communicators reporting highest levels of relative status/power. Additionally, receptive vocabulary was a significant predictor of relative status/power and proportion of intelligible utterances was a significant predictor of rivalry. Finally, although typical siblings acknowledged that their relationship would be different if their sibling with a disability had different communication skills, it did not lessen the importance of that sibling in their life. As a whole, these results represent a first step in understanding the unique role of communication skills in the sibling relationship for families of children with disabilities. It established that when children are grouped together according to their communication abilities, findings regarding relative status/power are different than what would be expected based on literature. Communication and language skills are important variables to add to the literature to further elucidate the sibling experience in families of children with disabilities.

Sibling relationships in families of children with disabilities are generally positive despite difficulties that may result from the child’s disability. Many developmental disabilities have associated communication impairments that could affect how siblings interact with each other and the closeness between them. Research has rarely addressed the role of communication skills and how potential deficits in communication may impact the sibling relationship. The purpose of this study is to examine the characteristics of sibling communication interaction patterns when one sibling has a developmental disability and the unique role that communication skills play in the quality of the sibling relationship using both self-report and observational measures. Participants were 30 mixed and same-sex sibling dyads that included one typically developing sibling and their brother or sister with an identified developmental disability. Using parent report, children with disabilities were placed into three communication status groups according to their communication skills: emerging communicators, context-dependent communicators and independent communicators. Results indicated that when children with disabilities were independent communicators, they exhibited interactions with their siblings that were similar in terms of lexical complexity but that regardless of communication status, typically developing siblings dominated the interaction. All three communication groups differed significantly on measures of relative status/power with siblings of children who were independent communicators reporting highest levels of relative status/power. Additionally, receptive vocabulary was a significant predictor of relative status/power and proportion of intelligible utterances was a significant predictor of rivalry. Finally, although typical siblings acknowledged that their relationship would be different if their sibling with a disability had different communication skills, it did not lessen the importance of that sibling in their life. As a whole, these results represent a first step in understanding the unique role of communication skills in the sibling relationship for families of children with disabilities. It established that when children are grouped together according to their communication abilities, findings regarding relative status/power are different than what would be expected based on literature. Communication and language skills are important variables to add to the literature to further elucidate the sibling experience in families of children with disabilities.