This study investigates the effects of a participative-type management approach termed self-managed work teams (SMWTs) and work spillover into the family environment. The perspective of isomorphism by Aldous (1969), and Rapoport and Rapoport (1965), was used as a paradigm to examine both positive and negative effects of the work-family relationship. A total of 76 employees from the Department of Defense's Quality Division was used in the regression analysis, due to recent transitions into SMWTs. Results reported overwhelming support for the perspective of isomorphism: over 40% of the variation in positive work spillover was explained by SWMT characteristics. Communication with other teams was the single most important factor found to have a significant effect on positive work spillover.

Five models for designing work teams from the Work Group Design Measure (Campion & Medsker, 1992b) and the models7 relationships to effectiveness criteria were compared using 30 self-directed work teams (SDWTs) in a manufacturing/production setting of a large defense contractor. The models which are from social psychology, socio-technical systems theory, industrial engineering, and organizational psychology include Job Design, Composition, Context/Resources, Potency/Interdependence, and Process. The study also examined distinguishing demographics, team characteristics, and interpersonal processes within the teams that differentiate higher performing teams and/or teams with higher job satisfaction. Effectiveness criteria were performance and job satisfaction. Among the findings, four of the five team design models (i.e., excluding the Composition Model), and the team-oriented interpersonal group processes correlated with performance and SDWT member job satisfaction.

Organizational commitment has been recognized as a multiple foci phenomenon with two of the more important foci being the work team and the organization as a whole. That organizational and team commitment can vary differentially has been established. However, research has not attempted to determine the antecedents that may cause them to do so. At the same time, a number of constructs that have been explored as antecedents of organizational commitment have also been recognized as having particular salience in a self-directed work team environment. The purpose of this research is to test a model in which it has been hypothesized that certain antecedents will have differential effects on organizational commitment and team commitment. The model was developed employing constructs that are antecedents of commitment in the workplace and are of particular importance in a self-directed work team environment. All but one of the hypotheses were supported indicating that factors that are important in a self-directed work team environment have differential effects on organizational and team commitment. The results are discussed in terms of both theory and praxis. Implications for practicing managers and future research are presented along with the limitations of the study. / Ph. D.

The complex social phenomenon of leadership has been of interest for thousands of years and the subject of formal scientific research for over a century. The individual (sole) leader has been the focus of majority of the studies and leader-follower dyads have featured prominently in the identification of leader behaviours The paradigm has shifted, from the early quantitative approach to the most recent 'new leadership' perspectives which include theories such as transformational, charismatic and visionary leadership. Non-leaders (labelled followers and sometimes subordinates) have received little research attention despite being in the majority in teams. This study examined the research question, 'How do followers exercise leadership?' Approaching the question using grounded theory research methodology, leadership behaviours were studied in 48 seven- to nine-person teams of Year 11 male students attending an outdoor leadership program in one of two consecutive years in South Africa. The qualitative research was based on (1) data collected and analysed from observations in the field, including an extensive video record; (2) semi-structured interviews with course participants and staff; and (3) in-course leadership review documents. This research extends the existing theory of distributed leadership by defining and clarifying particular processes and skills of how followers in this study exercised leadership. Influence is central to leadership and also the core category in this study. In the context of the substantive field, theoretical propositions generated by the research include that team members are generally concerned about contributing and belonging and, when leading, focus on initiating or taking charge of influencing. Instead of being limited to a single leader, the leading role is distributed amongst team members, though not necessarily in equal proportion. In all teams, more than one member exercised leadership, and in most teams every member exercised some leadership behaviour during the four day program. Depending on context, followers exercised leadership by employing one or more of eight influencing behaviours and switching from following to leading roles. Communicating and listening emerged as core leadership behaviours, vital to team processes and most frequently used. Coordinating and motivating were identified as key influencing behaviours, regularly used and important to team processes. Risking, anchoring, mediating and channelling were categorised as situational influencing behaviours, used less frequently, based on context. This research articulates the mechanism whereby team members switch between leading, following and sometimes nominal member roles. Insights are provided of how individuals in a team may, for a period of time, occupy a leading role and then, at other times, occupy a following role. Occupying these roles is not related to formal assignment of roles. This study not only shows that followers play a greater role in leadership than existing literature on research indicates, but it also defines eight influencing behaviours used to exercise leadership. The study has important implications which can help managers and leaders in formal roles maximise the contributions of their followers. This study can also contribute to the design of leadership training and help build more effective teams and organisations.

This study examines the determinants of job satisfaction for women and men working in self-managed work teams. The data used are from a 1990 survey sample of 99 production employees in an electronics manufacturing plant.

Self-managing teams (SMTs) are receiving increasing attention from organizations striving for continuous improvement and searching for innovative ways to get their employees involved and empowered. More and more organizations are realizing the significant impact these teams have on quality, productivity, the social circles, worker esteem, and profitability. Consultants and researchers have also paid significant attention to the concept of SMTs, focusing on many aspects of these teams. However, little research has been directed toward the training needs of former supervisors, who, by a plant transitioning to SMTs, have now to take up the role of being coaches of the teams. They invariably are caught in the middle between empowering their teams and satisfying the needs of upper management. The confusion about their new roles may lead to unsuccessful implementation of the teams. This research is an attempt to answer questions related to the training issues of leaders of self-managing teams. The purpose of this study is to help managers and consultants further understand the issues, concern, problems and difficulties faced by the coaches of SMTs. The case study sight for this research was the AT&T plant in Richmond. Some of the outputs of this study are: prioritized lists of the issues and concerns of the coaches at AT&T, a simple cause-effect analysis, important issues and solutions proposed by the coaches, and a list of recommendations based on the overall analysis. / Master of Science

This research investigated how self-managed teams get the information they need to perform their job tasks. Two important factors prompted this study: the growing importance of self-managed teams in the workplace and the impact of the information system on team performance.

High-profile instances of workplace violence and increased pressure from competitors have threatened the viability of one of the nation's largest employers, the United States Postal Service (USPS). As a result, the USPS began a massive change effort in the early 1990's. One of the initiatives implemented to improve labor-management relations was a derivative of the self-managed work team known as the crew chief program. This study provides a mixed-methods and multi-level approach to understand the impact this unique program had on organizational attitudes. The first aim of this study was to investigate whether the crew chief program reduced employees' stress and strain and improved job and supervisory satisfaction and company and union commitment, while controlling for the nesting of employees within sites and employee demographic characteristics. The second aim was to replicate and extend the stressor-strain-outcome (SSO) model of stress and to determine whether employee perceptions of crew chief support moderated the relationships between stressors, strain, and outcomes. I evaluated Aim 1 using data from 177 mail processors from 27 units matched from baseline to one-year follow-up with hierarchical linear modeling. This was followed up with an implementation analysis of qualitative data to determine the extent to which the program was implemented compared to the original design. I evaluated Aim 2 using structural equation modeling from 538 mail processors who participated at follow-up. There was little quantitative support for Aim 1. However, the results of the implementation analysis suggested that the crew chief program was not functioning as conceived. Aim 2 received strong support, with almost all of the main effects of the SSO model replicated. However, there was no support for the moderator effects. Additionally, I found role ambiguity to have direct relationships with other organizational outcomes beyond the indirect effects via strain and that crew chief support was strongly related to stressors and outcomes. These findings reinforce the notion that employing both quantitative and qualitative methods can dramatically improve the quality of organizational research. Based on these findings, I describe several suggestions for improvements to this specific program and for improving future initiatives aimed at enhancing labor-management relations.

Text in Afrikaans / Hierdie studie kontrasteer die Newtoniaanse denkwyse en die konstruktivisme as vertrekpunt. Die beginsels van reduksionisme, neutraliteit en liniere oorsaaklikheid waarop die Newtoniaanse denke gefundeer is, word gekontrasteer met die sirkulariteit en non-objektiwiteit van interveiwante elemente binne die lewende sisteem. Die verskille in aannames van personeel van 'n welsynsvereniging word ondersoek aan die hand van observasie van prosesse van veranderende denke wat oor 'n periode ontwikkel het. Die proses van verandering word aan die hand van 'n gevallestudie bespreek. Binne die veranderende denke, is erkenning verleen aan die sistemiese orientasie waar die interaktiewe intervetwantskap van die elemente binne die sisteem ter sprake raak. Die lewende sisteem en die kenmerke van outonomie, outopo"ise, organisasie en struktuur word binne die filosofie van konstruktivisme bespreek. Uit hierdie filosofie evolueer 'n proses waar binne realiteite geskep word, konsensus binne die sisteem verkry word, en die organisasie van die lewende sisteem reflekteer word / This study focusses on the contrasting thinking patterns of Newtonian thinking and constructivism. The principles of reductionism, neutrality and linear causality on which Newtonian thinking is grounded are compared with circular processes and non objectivity of interrelated elements that are to be found in living systems. The differences in assumptions of personnel in a welfare organisation are investigated through observation of changing processes of thinking that evolved over a period of time. The process of change is discussed by way of a case study. Recognition is given to the systemic orientation where the interactive interrelatedness of elements within the system evolved within changing patterns of thinking. The living system and characteristics of autonomy, autopoiesis, organisation and structure are discussed from a philosophy of constructivism. From this philosophy evolved a process in which realities were created, consensus was reached within the system, and the organisation of the living system was reflected. / Social Work / M.A. (Sosiale Wetenskappe(Geestesgesondheid))

Text in Afrikaans / Hierdie studie kontrasteer die Newtoniaanse denkwyse en die konstruktivisme as vertrekpunt. Die beginsels van reduksionisme, neutraliteit en liniere oorsaaklikheid waarop die Newtoniaanse denke gefundeer is, word gekontrasteer met die sirkulariteit en non-objektiwiteit van interveiwante elemente binne die lewende sisteem. Die verskille in aannames van personeel van 'n welsynsvereniging word ondersoek aan die hand van observasie van prosesse van veranderende denke wat oor 'n periode ontwikkel het. Die proses van verandering word aan die hand van 'n gevallestudie bespreek. Binne die veranderende denke, is erkenning verleen aan die sistemiese orientasie waar die interaktiewe intervetwantskap van die elemente binne die sisteem ter sprake raak. Die lewende sisteem en die kenmerke van outonomie, outopo"ise, organisasie en struktuur word binne die filosofie van konstruktivisme bespreek. Uit hierdie filosofie evolueer 'n proses waar binne realiteite geskep word, konsensus binne die sisteem verkry word, en die organisasie van die lewende sisteem reflekteer word / This study focusses on the contrasting thinking patterns of Newtonian thinking and constructivism. The principles of reductionism, neutrality and linear causality on which Newtonian thinking is grounded are compared with circular processes and non objectivity of interrelated elements that are to be found in living systems. The differences in assumptions of personnel in a welfare organisation are investigated through observation of changing processes of thinking that evolved over a period of time. The process of change is discussed by way of a case study. Recognition is given to the systemic orientation where the interactive interrelatedness of elements within the system evolved within changing patterns of thinking. The living system and characteristics of autonomy, autopoiesis, organisation and structure are discussed from a philosophy of constructivism. From this philosophy evolved a process in which realities were created, consensus was reached within the system, and the organisation of the living system was reflected. / Social Work / M.A. (Sosiale Wetenskappe(Geestesgesondheid))