Performance Measurement is necessary in order to support the implementation of a Continuous Improvement approach within a company. Performance Measurement has been a subject of increasing interest for researchers and practitioners. The questions addressed in the literature especially evolved from “what” to measure to “how” to measure. The present thesis follows this evolution by exploring how companies can successfully implement Performance Measurement. The thesis follows a parallel research design including a literature review and a case study. From one side, a literature review aims at explaining the main theories behind Performance Measurement, such as the concept of Performance Measurement System, as well as giving some recommendation for its implementation. On the other side, an empirical case study, conducted in a construction industry company, presents a practical implementation of Performance Measurement including some of the indicators dashboards built in several factories and departments of the company. The results of this case study are also supported by several interviews conducted at different steps of the implementation with the different actors involved. Then a theoretical verification is conducted by comparing the theory from the literature review with the empirical results from the case study. It especially allows to verify some recommendations as well as to identify a few gaps. The results of this study can be seen as a set of verified recommendations in order to successfully implement Performance Measurement within a company. These recommendations come from the comparison between theory and practice and they are divided in three main parts: the Key Performance Indicators identification, the Performance Measurement System design, and the practical implementation of Performance Measurement. Regarding this last part, five key success factors (e.g. perceived benefits of performance measurement, top management commitment) and five barriers (e.g. time and effort required, human behaviour) have been verified. Moreover, some Performance Measurement issues are discussed, such as the reduction of the complexity, the potential gaps between local approaches and global consistency, as well as the concept of organisational learning. Finally, the thesis identifies three kinds of trade-offs (e.g. accuracy of the data and cost of collection) that need to be considered when implementing Performance Measurement.

The global demand for digital services has been growing steadily, which has led to an increase in the utilization of data and consumption of energy, causing an increment of the global digital carbon footprint. Therefore, corporations providing digital services are gradually enforced to be able to measure and quantify their digital carbon footprint, which requires them to restructure their organizational strategy, processes, and culture. Yet, previous research in the digital service industry presents a gap in understanding how to accelerate the adoption of measuring the digital carbon footprint and fails to provide a framework for corporations to incorporate new sustainability initiatives. Thus, this thesis investigates the usefulness and need for digital services companies to use a triple-loop learning framework for adopting the digital carbon footprint as a new measurement for sustainability. From this, the study has made use of semi-structured interviews with professionals from ten digital services companies aimed at examining their processes for incorporating the digital carbon footprint into their sustainability operations. Results show that many companies used a combination of the three loops of learning, and the majority applied triple-loop learning in various sustainability initiatives. The creation or redesign of industry-level standards, by inter-organizational networks and communities of practices, was the primary process of triple-loop learning applied for the adoption of the digital carbon footprint. Here, multiple organizations came together to create standards for measuring the digital carbon footprint, redirecting the behaviour of the digital services industry and, potentially, of the global market towards sustainability. Therefore, the application of a triple-loop learning framework has the potential to create a more sustainable digitalization of the corporate world, which allows for different stakeholders to share knowledge and join forces to produce standards that have the potential to transform the societal- traditional systems needed for the incorporation of the digital carbon footprint.

The purpose of this research is to explore how Double Loop Learning (DLL) and Lean Six Sigma tool (i.e. DMAIC-Defined, Measure, Analysis, Improvement, and Control) can be used to reduce Food Waste and Loss (FWL) in the processing and distribution units of the Food Supply Chain (FSC) in the developing countries. This study is motivated base on the identified research problem of which about one-third of every food produce is wasted yearly, which equates to 1.3 billion tonnes of food throughout the entire food supply chain, with up to 50% of FWL occur at the pre-consumption stage of FSC in the developing countries. The economic values of FWL in Sub-Saharan Africa amount to $230 billion yearly. Therefore, the focus has been on how to reduce the magnitude of FWL at the pre-consumption stage of the FSC in the developing countries while promoting continuous improvement practices. Though technological, environmental, and Supply Chain Strategies (SCS) aimed at reducing FWL are effective in some parts of the world but the effectiveness of those strategies in some countries is hindered by poor supply chain activities. This research adopted a qualitative research method through the use of multiple case study strategies, with the aid of semi-structured interviews, observation, and documents to explore the perception, understanding, and experience of the FSC stakeholders on how DMAIC-DLL can be used to reduce FWL. The findings of this study show that with the DMAIC-DLL framework, the root causes of FWL at the pre-consumption stage were identified. The study found that some Lean tools, employee improvisation, learning practices are some of the strategies that could be used in reducing FWL. The findings suggest that experiential learning, collaborative learning, and on-job training are effective learning mechanisms that could be used to promote learning in the adoption of DMAIC-DLL in the FSC. Therefore, this research contributes towards the ongoing debate on how to reduce FWL as well as the wider debate learning mechanisms that support continuous improvement practices. Future research should explore how DMAIC-DLL can be extended to other settings other than the food industry. / Federal Government of Nigeria through the Petroleum Trust Development Fund (PTDF)

Sustainability has become increasingly important in global debates and in world politics, where the UN has formulated 17 sustainability goals. This has led to increased pressure on companies to focus more on sustainability. However, sustainability is a broad and difficult concept, where there is a lack of understanding of sustainable working methods. The purpose of the thesis is thus to study how companies transforms strategic approaches into something concrete and how it is communicated to organizations. Through a case study of a sustainability-leading IT consulting company, the research questions; "How does management translate sustainable strategies into concrete initiatives for communicating sustainable approaches?" and "What can be understood about the challenges of communicating sustainable ways of working through the organisations internal communicative processes?", is being answered. Based on the theoretical framework of the thesis, on Sensemaking and Double Loop Learning, the communication process has been mapped within the company, through semi-structured interviews supplemented with qualitative document analysis. The results show three main challenges: (1) to concrete sustainability and sustainable working methods; (2) to communicate and establish a unified understanding of sustainability and sustainable working practices throughout the organization; (3) to establish systems thinking for sustainable working methods.

In 1999, Texas Legislature mandated the Student Success Initiative to ensure all eighth grade students are on grade level in reading and mathematics. Although progress is evident, the achievement gap for English language learners remains. The purpose of this case study was to explore effective school practices that lead to closing the achievement gap. This qualitative study applies the two core functions of leadership for exercising influence and providing direction to answer the research question: How do the core functions of school leadership practices for implementing the Student Success Initiative requirements vary between English language learners and non-English language learners in high and low-performing middle schools? The comparison between the high-performing school and low-performing school brought forth key findings and identifies school practices for supporting secondary English language learners. The key findings for exercising influence on teachers were: 1) Effective school practices that influence teacher knowledge on how to identify students and their needs include: a) conducts a needs assessment.; b) analyze data; c) create differentiated ESL programs, d) place diverse groups of ELLs in differentiated ESL programs. 2) Effective school practices to influence teachers how to intervene include: a) accept teacher input and follow through on requests when planning interventions, b) target intervention needs; c) create differentiated interventions. 3) Effective school practices to influence teachers how to monitor include: a) analyze multiple types of data, b) measure student reading growth; c) measure student language proficiency, d) conduct walkthroughs to observe students. The key findings for providing direction to teachers established the following practices: 4) Effective school practices to provide direction to identify students and their needs include, a) develop and implement a school wide intervention plan, b) create a master schedule to implement differentiated ESL programs; c) model how to disaggregate data, d) develop and implement an individual plan for ELLs. 5) Effective school practices to provide direction to intervene include: a) assign ESL teacher to intervention groups, b) use data to drive intervention planning, c) measure growth in language and literacy, d) provide daily interventions, e) integrate language and literacy interventions in lessons. 6) Effective school practices to provide direction to teachers for monitoring include: a) measure growth of literacy and language development, b) triangulate multiple types of data, c) review intervention lessons during walkthroughs, e) provide daily interventions specific to student needs. / text

Submitted by Nadir Basilio (nadirsb@uninove.br) on 2016-06-20T14:12:39Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Tatiane Silva Tavares Maia.pdf: 1572808 bytes, checksum: a04de6626f535c47898b33512044b444 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-06-20T14:12:39Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Tatiane Silva Tavares Maia.pdf: 1572808 bytes, checksum: a04de6626f535c47898b33512044b444 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-06-17 / This work has the objective to analyze the strategic decision process performed by co-directors of PEs, searching this understanding with the attention focused mainly for learning processes and cognitive conflict, in view of the selected cases. The survey sample consists of four technology-based companies, which were chosen according to criteria defined in the study. The methodological approach is descriptive, based on qualitative research methods and multi case study (Eisenhard, 1989). Data collection was done mainly through interviews, whose analysis included two stages, in-case analysis and inter-case as Miles and Huberman’s (1994) recommendations. The survey results showed many ideas about how co-directors perform the process of strategic decision on PEs. They allowed realizing this process, the manifestation of learning in double circuit and cognitive conflicts in the interaction and behavior of co-directors when they accomplish their decision processes. Such constructs directed elements such as intuition and improvisation, inevitably present in strategic decision processes of PEs, which became better worked. The cognitive conflict eased improvisation of the processes as its function was undertaken further analysis and reflections on the decisions. In addition, it was noted that the strategic decisions were not supported only on intuition. Before the cognitive conflicts they were demystified, getting the depth of analysis required via debates in the direction teams. Unquestionable, the strategic decision processes were determined by cognitive conflict that led to the questioning of possibilities, providing opportunities to co-directors a learning process in a double circuit. We can conclude by the survey that the description of how occurred the strategic decision processes in the studied PEs is quite different from ready models in the literature. The most important difference is that they were quite simple, guided more in dialogue than in numerical analysis or projections of future scenarios. The central conclusion is that the behavior of co-directors in strategic decision processes of the four PEs surveyed combines more with the double circuit learning than with rational analysis procedures. / Este trabalho tem por objetivo geral compreender como a aprendizagem e o conflito cognitivo contribuem para o processo de decisão estratégica em PEs, tendo em vista os casos selecionados. A amostra da pesquisa é composta por quatro empresas de base tecnológica, as quais foram escolhidas segundo critérios definidos no estudo. A abordagem metodológica é descritiva, baseada em métodos qualitativos de pesquisa e no estudo multicaso (Eisenhard, 1989). A coleta dos dados foi feita, principalmente, por meio de entrevistas em profundidade, cujas análises incluíram duas etapas, análise intracaso e intercaso, conforme as recomendações de Miles & Huberman (1994). Os resultados da pesquisa demonstraram muitas ideias a respeito de como a aprendizagem e o conflito cognitivo contribuem para o processo de decisão estratégica em PEs. Permitiram perceber neste processo, a manifestação da aprendizagem em circuito duplo e dos conflitos cognitivos na interação e no comportamento dos codirigentes quando realizaram seus processos decisórios. Tais constructos direcionaram elementos como a intuição e a improvisação, fatalmente presentes nos processos de decisão estratégica das PEs, os quais se tornaram melhor trabalhados. O conflito cognitivo amenizou a improvisação dos processos na medida em que face a ele foram empreendidas mais análises e reflexões sobre as decisões. Além disso, notou-se que as decisões estratégicas não foram apoiadas apenas na intuição. Diante dos conflitos cognitivos elas foram desmistificadas, recebendo a profundidade de análise necessária via debates nas equipes de direção. Indiscutivelmente, os processos de decisão estratégica foram determinados pelos conflitos cognitivos que levaram ao questionamento das possibilidades, oportunizando aos codirigentes um processo de aprendizagem em circuito duplo. Conclui-se, com a pesquisa, que a descrição sobre como ocorreram os processos de decisão estratégica nas PEs estudadas é bem diferente de modelos prontos encontrados na literatura. A diferença mais importante é que eles foram bastante simples, mais pautados em diálogos do que em análises de projeções numéricas ou de cenários futuros. A conclusão central é que o comportamento dos codirigentes nos processos de decisão estratégica das quatro PEs pesquisadas combina mais com a aprendizagem em circuito duplo do que com procedimentos de análise racional.

System dynamics modelling has been used for around 40 years to address complex, systemic, dynamic problems, those often described as wicked. But, system dynamics modelling is not an exact science and arguments about the most suitable techniques to use in which circumstances, continues. The nature of these wicked problems is investigated through a series of case studies where poor situational awareness among stakeholders was identified. This was found to be an underlying cause for management failure, suggesting need for better ways of recognising and managing wicked problem situations. Human cognition is considered both as a limitation and enabler to decision-making in wicked problem environments. Naturalistic and deliberate decision-making are reviewed. The thesis identifies the need for integration of qualitative and quantitative techniques. Case study results and a review of the literature led to identification of a set of principles of method to be applied in an integrated framework, the aim being to develop an improved way of addressing wicked problems. These principles were applied to a series of cases in an action research setting. However, organisational and political barriers were encountered. This limited the exploitation and investigation of cases to varying degrees. In response to a need identified in the literature review and the case studies, a tool is designed to facilitate analysis of multi-factorial, non-linear causality. This unique tool and its use to assist in problem conceptualisation, and as an aid to testing alternate strategies, are demonstrated. Further investigation is needed in relation to the veracity of combining causal influences using this tool and system dynamics, broadly. System dynamics modelling was found to have utility needed to support analysis of wicked problems. However, failure in a particular modelling project occurred when it was found necessary to rely on human judgement in estimating values to be input into the models. This was found to be problematic and unacceptably risky for sponsors of the modelling effort. Finally, this work has also identified that further study is required into: the use of human judgement in decision-making and the validity of system dynamics models that rely on the quantification of human judgement.

System dynamics modelling has been used for around 40 years to address complex, systemic, dynamic problems, those often described as wicked. But, system dynamics modelling is not an exact science and arguments about the most suitable techniques to use in which circumstances, continues. The nature of these wicked problems is investigated through a series of case studies where poor situational awareness among stakeholders was identified. This was found to be an underlying cause for management failure, suggesting need for better ways of recognising and managing wicked problem situations. Human cognition is considered both as a limitation and enabler to decision-making in wicked problem environments. Naturalistic and deliberate decision-making are reviewed. The thesis identifies the need for integration of qualitative and quantitative techniques. Case study results and a review of the literature led to identification of a set of principles of method to be applied in an integrated framework, the aim being to develop an improved way of addressing wicked problems. These principles were applied to a series of cases in an action research setting. However, organisational and political barriers were encountered. This limited the exploitation and investigation of cases to varying degrees. In response to a need identified in the literature review and the case studies, a tool is designed to facilitate analysis of multi-factorial, non-linear causality. This unique tool and its use to assist in problem conceptualisation, and as an aid to testing alternate strategies, are demonstrated. Further investigation is needed in relation to the veracity of combining causal influences using this tool and system dynamics, broadly. System dynamics modelling was found to have utility needed to support analysis of wicked problems. However, failure in a particular modelling project occurred when it was found necessary to rely on human judgement in estimating values to be input into the models. This was found to be problematic and unacceptably risky for sponsors of the modelling effort. Finally, this work has also identified that further study is required into: the use of human judgement in decision-making and the validity of system dynamics models that rely on the quantification of human judgement.