No description available.

The aim of this study was to determine the impact of feedback on organisational culture change. The empirical study was conducted among the employees of a financial institution in South Africa by means of a one-group Pre-test-Post-test design using the Corporate Culture Lite Questionnaire. The sample size for the pre-test and post-test measurement was 1584 and 927 employees respectively. A total of 203 feedback sessions were facilitated in five business units after the pre-test measurement according to the survey feedback approach. The data of the two measurements were compared using independent t-tests and p-values, to determine any areas of statistical and practical significant differences. The results indicate that in one of the five business units there was a practical significant difference between the two measurements of organisational culture on ten of the dimensions. This research therefore confirms that feedback has a limited impact on organisational culture change. / Industrial and Organisational Psychology / M. Comm. (Industrial Psychology)

Using a Social Constructionist lens, this study gathers fresh empirical data on the experience of a “Mature Student”, examining its multiple constructions, both objective and subjective, within the context of a Scottish Ancient university. For six centuries, Ancient universities have held expectations that incoming students will adjust to fit the autonomous institutional culture. However the expansion of Higher Education in 1992 has introduced changes in legislation and funding which have shifted the onus of that adjustment to the organisations themselves. This study is placed at the fundamental core of the tension between an institution struggling with the changing nature of its purpose and non-traditional students with changing expectations. Through analysis of daily journals and semi-structured interviews with 16 students and 12 staff, it explores the interpretations which both sets of actors take from student/institution interaction, and does so with respect to the student’s holistic life context rather than viewing only the learner role. Particular emphasis is placed on the losses and gains from the experience, including examination of what a degree symbolises in personal, fiscal and psychological terms. Based on a synthesis of literature reviews and empirical data, the study categorises the Mature students into three groups according to experiential themes within the student journey, drawing out theoretical and policy contributions from the process. Although mismatches are shown to exist between student and staff expectations of institutional purpose, a contemporary, and valid, role for the Ancient institution is outlined in terms of developing individual agency.

Since the late 1980s in most European countries the public sector has been characterized by ongoing privatization/liberalization strategies. Challenges related to this development are the merging of public institutions or units, the (re)creation of efficient processes, the increase in revenues, and the balancing between public service obligation and private sector competition. Approaching a case of a large Austrian company in the public health sector with a mixed methods design (narrative interviews, surveys), three major changes could be identified: a) breaking the bottleneck - development of processes, tools and awareness, b) reduction and regulation - ongoing business integration, and c) the good, the bad and the ugly - changing roles and status of clients, employees and managers. Organizational cultural subgroups relevant to the case are functional, occupational, geographical, political and structural subgroups. The political and the structural subgroups are fairly new dimensions in M&A research. The different subgroups identified show different resource dependencies, define perceptions about the ongoing changes and related approaches to change, face different organizational strategies and professional challenges. This explorative case study contributes to the understanding of developments of the public sector and related types of organisations. It provides practical recommendations for successful integration processes and managerial action. Approaching the case with the model of organizational culture challenges organisational cultural theory. New constructs relevant to change management are combined and a contribution to the field of mixed method M&A studies is made. (author's abstract)

In 1938, the Carnegie Institution of Washington published the results of ethnoarchaeological research conducted in Guatemala and southern Mexico by North American archaeologist Robert Wauchope. This seminal work, titled Modern Maya Houses: A Study of Their Archaeological Significance, aimed to understand the significance of traditional Maya houses (known in the study region as casas de paja) for the identification and interpretation of ancient dwelling remains in archaeological excavations. At the time, Wauchope documented only ten distinct house types among six of the 28 Maya language (cultural) groups. Due to its narrow scope, Wauchope’s investigation focused more on the physical properties of house construction and less on the social behaviours and beliefs generating the architectural forms. In recognition of Wauchope’s survey remaining incomplete, the primary aim of this dissertation has been to ethnographically record and comparatively analyse the remaining casas de paja in contributing to a greater cross-cultural understanding and theory of the entire repertoire of Maya house architectures. In combining both architectural and anthropological method, the author was able to make a number of important research findings; most notably that a pan-Maya, and pre-Columbian, semantic relationship existed between individual house types, indexing a shared cultural history and proto-Maya house architecture that possibly originated as early as 4,000 years prior to present times. In addition to the architectural documentation of house traditions, the author also investigated the processes of house transformation and change in the 70 years since Wauchope’s original survey. The rapid rate of built environment transformation in both Guatemala and Mexico over those intervening years underscores the importance of recording these cultural traditions before they pass. In contemporary times the few remaining chozas or casas de paja stand as historical reminders to a time past but not forgotten and embody traditional knowledge related to cultural beliefs and behaviours, which are intimately linked to the land, materials and climate of the region. Chapter 1 of the dissertation introduces the study region and establishes the primary aims and objectives of the research. Chapters 2 and 3 present the theoretical background and methodological approach governing the research project while Chapter 4 gives an historical overview of Maya house traditions. Chapters 5 and 6 are devoted to the ethnographic findings of the regional survey and Chapter 7 discusses Maya house change in the years since Wauchope’s 1930s investigation. Chapter 8 details the contribution which the ethnographic investigation makes to Euromerican architectural theory in relation to non-Euromerican material and cultural histories in contributing to a world cross-cultural architectural canon and scholarship. In coming to a greater understanding of a past (pre-Columbian) and present (Maya casas de paja) subject, the thesis calls for an understanding, appreciation and acceptance of non-Euromerican architectural forms by Euromerican academics and practitioners in moving toward a greater acceptance of a diversity of human needs in the creation of social, cultural and built environments. The overall significance of this thesis lies in the position that the sustainability of lifestyle practices, and allocation of wisdom, skills, and the fulfilment of human needs, as embodied in building ‘traditions’, are of major relevance to current and future generations.

The aim of this study was to determine the impact of feedback on organisational culture change. The empirical study was conducted among the employees of a financial institution in South Africa by means of a one-group Pre-test-Post-test design using the Corporate Culture Lite Questionnaire. The sample size for the pre-test and post-test measurement was 1584 and 927 employees respectively. A total of 203 feedback sessions were facilitated in five business units after the pre-test measurement according to the survey feedback approach. The data of the two measurements were compared using independent t-tests and p-values, to determine any areas of statistical and practical significant differences. The results indicate that in one of the five business units there was a practical significant difference between the two measurements of organisational culture on ten of the dimensions. This research therefore confirms that feedback has a limited impact on organisational culture change. / Industrial and Organisational Psychology / M. Comm. (Industrial Psychology)

Made available in DSpace on 2009-11-18T19:01:05Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2002 / The organizational change characterizes for faster, deep transformations each time and ample that exert a direct impact in the workers is of the public sector or the private sector. Its effect, positives or negatives, generate instability and stress, or either, imply 10 resignations, losses and adaptations. To if observing the organizational change as existence cycle where if it can examine definitive organizationals, considered moments strategical, as form of thought and form of decision of the controllers. The technological changes, more easily visualized and implemented in the City department of Economy and Finances of the Municipal City hall of Manaus, demand, many times, a cultural change. The study it considers a theoretical source that detaches part of the interpretations efforts of the power to decide situations. The empirical research has as objective main to verify the organizational culture and the dependence of being able, through the analysis of value and of the interests shared for the groups of servers of the City hall of Manaus. The organizational culture will be analyzed by means of its elements, or either, by means of the values shared between the controllers and the excessively employee of the diverse sectors of the City department of Economy and Finances. For this study, a composed sample of the representatives of the diverse sectors of the Secretariat will be used, such as: I register in cadastre, Accounting, Fiscalization, Finances, Taxation and administrative Support. In this context, one will emphasize it importance of if ahead respecting the individual rhythm of learning and changes stimulating the participation and reducing the risks of anxiety ofthe organizationals changes. / A mudança organizacional caracteriza-se por transformações cada vez mais rápidas, profundas e amplas que exercem um impacto direto nos trabalhadores seja do setor público ou do setor privado. Seus efeitos, positivos ou negativos, geram instabilidade e estresse, ou seja, implicam em renúncias, perdas e adaptações. Ao se observar a mudança organizacional como ciclo de existência em que se pode examinar determinados momentos organizacionais, considerados estratégicos, como forma de pensamento e forma de decisão dos dirigentes. As mudanças tecnológicas, mais facilmente visualizadas e implementadas na Secretaria Municipal de Economia e Finanças da Prefeitura Municipal de Manaus, exigem, muitas vezes, uma mudança cultural. O estudo propõe uma vertente teórica que destaca parte dos esforços interpretativos das situações decisórias. A pesquisa empírica tem como objetivo principal verificar a cultura organizacional e a dependência de poder, através da análise de valor e dos interesses compartilhados pelos grupos de servidores da Prefeitura de Manaus. A cultura organizacional será analisada por meio dos seus elementos, ou seja, por meio dos valores compartilhados entre os dirigentes e os demais funcionários dos diversos setores da Secretaria Municipal de Economia e Finanças. Para este estudo, se utilizará uma amostra composta dos representantes dos diversos setores da Secretaria, tais como: Cadastro, Contabilidade, Fiscalização, Finanças, Tributação e Apoio administrativo. Nesse contexto, enfatizar-se-á a importância de se respeitar o ritmo de aprendizado e mudanças individuais estimulando a participação e reduzindo os riscos de ansiedade diante das mudanças organizacionais.

abstract: Culture informs ideas about healthy and acceptable body types. Through globalization the U.S.-European body model has become increasingly significant in local contexts, influencing local body models. While Puerto Ricans have historically valued plump bodies - a biocultural legacy of a historically food scarce environment - this dissertation investigated shifts in these ideals across generations to a stronger preference for thinness. A sample of 23 intergenerational family triads of women, and one close male relative or friend per woman, were administered quantitative questionnaires. Ethnographic interviews were conducted with a sub-sample of women from 16 triads and 1 quintet. Questions about weight history and body sizes were used to address cultural changes in body models. Findings indicate the general trend for all generations has been a reduction in the spectrum of acceptable bodies to an almost singular idealized thin body. Female weight gain during puberty and influence of media produced varied responses across age groups. Overall, Puerto Ricans find it acceptable to gain weight with ageing, during a divorce, and postpartum. Thin bodies are associated with beauty and health, but healthy women that do not resemble the thin ideal, submit themselves to dangerous weight loss practices to achieve self and social acceptance. Further research and direct interventions need to be conducted to alter perceptions that conflate beauty with health in order to address the `normative discontent' women of all ages experience. Weight discrimination and concern with being overweight were evident in Puerto Rican everyday life, indicated by the role of media and acculturation in this study. Anti-fat attitudes were stronger for individuals that identified closely with United States culture. Exposure to drama and personal transformation television programs are associated with increased body image dissatisfaction, and increased exposure to variety shows and celebrity news shows is associated with increased anti-fat attitudes and body dissatisfaction. In sum, the positive valuation of fat in the Puerto Rican cultural body size model in the 1970s has shifted toward a negative valuation of fat and a preference for thin body size. / Dissertation/Thesis / Ph.D. Social Science and Health 2013

Background:  Organizational culture is one of the most prominent topics in academia and has gained its status due to the transferability from academia into managerial practice. Today, organizational culture has become an institutionalized topic and scholars call for a need to revive the topic (Chatman & O'Reilly, 2016). Inconsistency with organizational culture and organizational vision, external market pressure and a changing composition of the workforce ask to adapt organizational culture to current times. Research question: How is culture formulated and the evolution of cultural values interpreted in the work life of a company with a cultural focus? Purpose: The purpose of this thesis is to describe how a multinational company with a strong focus on the management of culture and values re-interprets their core cultural values in the face of modernization and internationalization. At the same time, the preservation of the cultural core is investigated by looking at how culture is expressed at the case company. Method: The research design of this study is a qualitative case study with the collection of empirical data through interviews, observations, and organizational documents. Abductive reasoning was employed to serve the exploratory layout of the study. A constructivist ontological and interpretivist epistemological position was taken. Quality criteria, relevant for qualitative research studies were considered. Conclusion: The findings of my study show that organizational culture change and preservation ask for a differentiated point of view between promoted modification in cultural content such as formalized communication, and the degree of modification in cultural consensus, behavior and intensity of expression.The data shows a dissonance between communicated and exhibited change, where behavior does not meet the stage of textualized modification. The organizational culture at IKEA is characterized by stability and persistence with a notion of ethnocentricity. It is still expressed and experienced in the same way that it has been for many years despite attempts to reinvigorate it.

Gamification and sustainability are two topics that have gained a lot of attention in the past few years, both from the corporate sector and the academic community. Yet, the connection between the two concepts has seldom been made. This study addresses this research gap, by presenting the novel concept of gamification and connecting it to established theories in the field of organisational change. It then creates a discussion around the question of the potential of gamification as a tool to foster sustainability practices within organisations.To answer this question, this thesis followed a qualitative research design. By performing semi-structured interviews with experts in the field of gamification, the study explored different aspects of gamification, namely its definition, the opportunities and challenges it faces in regards to sustainability, the organisation’s responses towards the concept and the hypotheses for the further development of gamification.The results of this study suggest that gamification has great potential to foster sustainable practices within organisations. With its element of fun, gamification has the power to engage employees in sustainability issues, create a deeper understanding of the topic and relate it directly to the employees’ personal values and decision-making process. By offering different perspectives and helping employees see the bigger picture, gamification can inspire a sense of meaningfulness and contribution to something bigger than oneself. However, this can only happen when the tools are designed and used in the right way. Building an understanding of the user and implementing the fitting game design elements to create an impactful experience for the player is, however, a complex and time-consuming process, and therefore put forth as one of the biggest challenges. Furthermore, gamification should strive to expand beyond the commonly used game design elements of points, badges and leaderboards to tap into the user’s intrinsic rather than extrinsic motivation.