There have been thousands of studies on teams and their performance, but there are still many unanswered questions. An important one is how an organization's reward structure supports the growing trend of using teams. Many organizations implement teams without changing the organizational systems to align with and support the use of teams, i.e., training, feedback, information and reward systems. As predicted by many authorities in the field of team effectiveness research, these teams often fail. One organizational subsystem that has been determined to be important is the reward structure. If the reward structure is not changed to support a team-based structure, the misalignment could negatively impact team effectiveness. This research investigated the relationship between reward structure and team effectiveness using a laboratory experiment. This experiment involved groups of students working as a team on a design problem. The independent variable is the type of reward structure, manipulated over three levels: interdependent (group), independent (individual) and mixed rewards (both group and individual). The experiment used a design task, intended to be more representative of project team work where team members were assigned a functional discipline and worked together to solve a design problem. The primary dependent variable in this study was team effectiveness: team performance as measured by the quality of the team's design, satisfaction of team members, and the ability and desire of team members to work together in the future. Other control variables investigated for their effect on these dependent variables included: cooperative behaviors, reward valence, effort, and autonomy preferences. Few significant effects of reward structure were found. The reward treatment had a significant main effect on both cooperation and effort, but little difference existed between reward treatments. Some unusual results were found in the relationship between effort and cooperation with performance. Both effort and cooperation were negatively related to team performance. Cooperation, satisfaction and ability to exist were all found to be correlated. No one reward structure was found to be significantly better than any of the others in terms of team effectiveness or team process. / Master of Science

This is an exploratory research study aimed toward steadying attendance across a semester of higher education video game development labs with attention to cooperation as a co-factor. Following the observation of unusually strong attendance in a highly cooperative game development lab class which aligns with these theories, this paper seeks to explore whether subfactors of positive social interdependence are co-factors with lab attendance. Sparked by previous case data, this exploratory study examines data from the Fall 2019 iteration of the introductory video game development course, defining and measuring potential co-factor variables during an individual-focused half of the course supplemented with group activity, and a fully group-focused half of the semester, with future interest in investigating a correlation between attendance and positive interdependence. Empirical studies of both the performance impact of attendance, and the financial reliance of residential higher education institutions on student attendance and retention suggest that understanding how to operationalize students’ motivation to attend class is epistemically and fiscally valuable. Studies of positive interdependence raise interest as a co-factor contextually through high commitment, joint efficacy, and mutual benefit, strongly overlapping with empirical antecedents of higher education retention and seminal social psychological frameworks. Therefore, the author began an intended extensive analysis of consecutive semesters. All students enrolled in the Fall 2019 introductory game development course (n=56 for students with matched data sets, 59 retained participant students total) were engaged in cooperatively-designed lectures and lab activities, with the first half of the semester’s lighter collaborative activity and independent assigned work to be compared to the second half’s full-time group project work. Between these designed halves, two null hypotheses were assessed: 1) lab attendance in the first half of the semester is equivalent to the second half, and 2) subfactors of positive interdependence in the first half of the semester are equivalent to the second half. Attendance proportions and surveyed positive interdependence measures for the Fall 2019 semester were analyzed using paired sample t-tests. Attendance, and a majority of positive interdependence subfactors were not significantly different across halves of the semester, suggesting that collaboration had evened results across the whole, but not all effects reached their target results. The Classroom Life Instrument was used to formally measure the presence of a positive interdependent context before and after group project work.

[pt] O objetivo principal deste estudo é discutir e compreender as concepções atribuídas à autonomia da criança com deficiência múltipla e as interdependências na escola inclusiva. Dedica-se à investigação e compreensão das concepções atribuídas à autonomia da criança com deficiência múltipla por profissionais da educação com experiência de trabalho com essas crianças. Avança-se para compreender como esses profissionais concebem, constroem e assumem, em seus trabalhos, uma prática que contribua para a autonomia da criança com deficiência múltipla, analisando como ocorre a participação do aluno com deficiência múltipla em atividades escolares. A pesquisa é qualitativa e fundamenta-se no método de interpretação dos sentidos. A produção de dados desdobra-se em observações participantes que envolvem cinco crianças com deficiência múltipla e seus cotidianos escolares, além da realização de entrevistas semiestruturadas com 33 profissionais da educação. Seis escolas foram parceiras deste estudo, incluindo uma escola de educação infantil em um município da Baixada Fluminense/RJ e cinco escolas localizadas no estado do Rio Grande do Sul. A análise é fundamentada nos estudos de deficiência, situando-se principalmente entre os modelos social e de direitos humanos. A perspectiva histórico-cultural fundamentou a análise dos conceitos de instrução, aprendizagem e desenvolvimento. Dedica-se atenção especial à comunicação e às vivências escolares que potencializam a tomada de decisão conjunta e/ou individual da criança com deficiência múltipla. Agir e/ou ir sozinho referem-se a concepções de autonomia com maior destaque nas falas dos profissionais entrevistados. Nas observações de campo, destaca-se que os colegas e os profissionais de apoio escolar foram figuras marcantes nas relações de tomada de decisão. Ressalta-se a importância de uma abordagem voltada para o planejamento de práticas pedagógicas estruturadas de maneira colaborativa, visando a promoção de uma educação inclusiva. A pesquisa possibilitou compreender como a autonomia é potencializada e desenvolvida em contextos de interdependências no cenário escolar, em que as vivências com a diversidade humana são catalisadoras de aprendizado e desenvolvimento. / [en] The main objective of this study is to discuss and comprehend the conceptions attributed to the autonomy of children with multiple disabilities and the interdependencies in inclusive schools. The focus is on investigating and understanding the conceptions attributed to the autonomy of children with multiple disabilities by education professionals with experience working with these children. The study advances to understand how these professionals conceive, construct, and adopt in their work a practice that contributes to the autonomy of children with multiple disabilities, and to analyze how the participation of students with multiple disabilities occurs in school activities. The research is qualitative and is based on the method of interpreting meanings. Data production unfolds through participant observations involving five children with multiple disabilities and their school routines, along with conducting semi-structured interviews with 33 education professionals. In total, six Brazilian schools collaborated in this study, including an early childhood education school in a municipality in Baixada Fluminense, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and five schools located in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. The analysis is grounded in disability studies, primarily situated between social and human rights models. The historical-cultural perspective underpins the analysis of the concepts of instruction, learning, and development. Special attention is given to communication and school experiences that enhance joint and/or individual decision-making by the child with multiple disabilities. Acting and/or going alone refer to concepts of autonomy with greater emphasis in the statements of the interviewed professionals. In field observations, it is highlighted that classmates and school support professionals were significant figures in decision-making relationships. The importance of an approach focused on planning collaborative pedagogical practices, aiming at promoting inclusive education, is emphasized. The research made it possible to understand how autonomy is enhanced and developed in contexts of interdependencies in the school, where experiences with human diversity are catalysts for learning and development.

This study presents the moratorium debate as a phenomenon of its own time. The challenges the moratorium debate poses to the Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Southern African/Central Diocese come under the spotlight. The AICs have taken the lead in attempting to live up to the “four selves” principle, that is, self-governing, self-supporting, self-propagating and self-theologizing, and areas which ELCSA/CD can learn from the AICs are highlighted. Finally the study explores issues of mutuality and interdependence, and few guidelines are proposed for ELCSA/CD. / Christian Spirituality / M. Th. (Missiology)

Swedish arms exports is a controversial topic. Sweden is one of the world's leading arms exporters. In connection to an investigation conducted by the Eko in 2012, which is a program of the Swedish Radio, Sweden's long arms negotiations with Saudi Arabia. This became a big debate, because Sweden isn't supposed to negotiate with non-democratic countries. The Swedish government decided to appoint a committe to study this subject and come up with stricter laws on arms exports. The purpose of this paper is to see which theory that dominates the committe investigation. it turns out that liberalism dominates the investigation, although even in small tensile characterized by realism. Liberalism is the theory which dominates them abandoned the proposals, the view of democracy as the consequences that a more restrictive regulation would entail.

The Kantian Triangle of democratic institutions, IGOs, and economic interdependence has received a great deal of attention by international relations scholars. This project expands on liberal theory by arguing the pacific effects of the Kantian Triangle extend beyond dyadic context, and shapes state decision making on defense spending decisions. This project asserts that as states (1) build democratic institutions, (2) increase the number of memberships in international intergovernmental organizations (IGOs), and (3) exposes domestic markets to the global economy and subsequent interdependence on foreign markets for both imports and exports, they are less likely to allocate resources toward the military. To test this argument I employ both quantitative and qualitative methods. I first utilize a pooled time series data set of all states from 1960-2000. I then examine the case of Brazil and its relationship with the Kantian Triangle and subsequent military planning decisions. I conclude that there is mixed evidence to support the notion that the Kantian Triangle reduces military spending. I establish that while democracies reduce military spending, consolidated democracies enjoy no additional benefit in military spending. However, the longer states are democracies the more likely they are to reduce spending, and if they have electoral systems based on consensus designs. I find that IGO memberships reduce military spending, however, the bulk of influence IGOs have on military spending decisions are retained by security focused organizations. Lastly, I find that international trade and overall economic globalization increases military spending, while regional trade decreases it. In all the Kantian Triangle has a substantial influence on military spending, yet it is clear from this project that this influence is not universal among all elements of the Kantian Triangle, and that the liberal influences are not completely pacific.

In this dissertation I develop a theory that seeks to account for the variation in order present across regions. I propose that the observed variation in regional order in the international system is rooted in the domestic politics of region members. Unlike other attempts at explaining regional order, I account for domestic politics in the political capacity of member states. Measured as the relative ability of states to extract resources from their domestic societies, political capacity provides a measure of institutional and cultural constraints upon the ability of states to engage in costly foreign policies, such as conflict. The more extensive these constraints, the more likely a state will engage in cooperative behavior, resulting in more extensive regional institutions or trade interdependence. I show that regions comprised of high capacity democracies, like Europe, are highly cooperative, while those comprised of high capacity autocracies, like the Middle East, are more conflictual. The more cooperative the region, the greater the degree of interdependence and institutional architecture that will emerge. Finally, because the presence of regional order is contingent upon the domestic characteristics of constituent states, I develop a novel means of identifying regions for the proper measurement and identification of regional variables of interest. Using an opportunity and willingness framework, I define regions as stable geographic spaces of interacting states behaving uniquely from the broader international system. The resulting empirical analysis is a new dataset that provides not only a necessary means of case selection for the regional level variables included in this dissertation, but a specification of regions broadly applicable to regionalist research.

In “Money Talks: Turkey, The Kurdish Regional Government, and the Shaping of a Future Kurdish State”, I aim to explore the puzzle of why Turkey is establishing economic and diplomatic relations with the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) considering its violent conflict with its Kurdish population. I was able to solve this puzzle by collecting and analyzing various works of literature surrounding Turkish foreign policy towards the KRG. Through my research, I learned about the complex and nuanced partnership between the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) and Ankara, and the potential effect this partnership will have on Kurdish statehood. This issue is important because it highlights a controversial debate surrounding minority groups’ right to statehood in the Middle East and points to shifting economic and political dynamics in the Middle East.

This thesis studies the impact of small states in the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) in EU. The organisation of EU contains an interdependent power relationship between all countries. The aim of this study is to examine how this interdependence affect the influence of small states. Two theoretical framework are used. The first by Robert Keohane och Joseph Nye that developed the theoretical definition of interdependence, while the second one by Søren Christensen and his definition of direct and indirect power. The analytical model contains four hypothesis concerning asymmetrical and vulnerable interdependence, as well as direct- and indirect power. Through a case study of Sweden and Finland the conclusion is that small states have influence in CFSP, but it is limited due to bigger states with much more resources and the geographical position of the countries that creats asymmetrical interdependence. However, Sweden and Finland have influence in the decision-making in CFSP through vulnerable interdependence because of their many international defence cooperations with different organizations that strengthen their national position in the international political system. Also, the formal process of decision-making in CFSP enable direct and indirect power of small states. Therefore, the final conclusion is that small states have influence in CFSP even though is its limited in some aspects.

Interdependence theory (Kelley & Thibaut, 1978), one of the most widely used theories in the literature on interpersonal relationships, posits that both partners in a romantic relationships play integral roles in maintaining their relationship. Based in interdependence theory, research on the investment model of commitment (Rusbult, 1980) has revealed that individuals’ greater satisfaction and investments and lower alternatives predict greater commitment to their relationships, and commitment in turn promotes a variety of relationship-maintenance behaviors. However, no past research had examined the role of partners. Across three studies, I examined the notion that partner investments would predict individuals’ commitment above and beyond their own satisfaction, investments, and alternatives. Study 1 found that higher levels of partner investments predicted higher levels of commitment within ongoing marriages. Study 2 provided experimental support by manipulating the degree to which individuals thought their romantic partners would sacrifice for their relationship. Specifically, participants told their partners would sacrifice a great deal reported higher levels of commitment than did those told their partner would sacrifice very little. Further, the perception of partner investments mediated the relationship between the partner investments prime and commitment. Study 3 was a couples study designed to examine both actual and perceived partner investments. Despite failing to provide additional support, the findings can inform designs for future dyadic research. Studies 1 and 2 provided the first evidence of partner effects in the investment model and advance the understanding of relationship functioning by demonstrating how both partners can work to strengthen each others’ commitment.