The subject matter of this thesis is governance principles in global management concepts and the application of such principles by managers at a local level. The thesis includes a case study on a foreign-owned Swedish group of companies that has introduced the management concept of High Performance Culture in all of its consolidated group countries. Global management concepts usually originate from the United States and make use of neorational governance principles. High Performance Culture is a management concept that puts increased performance and individualisation in the foreground. In addition, the concept advocates co-determination and self-development. The governance principles further promote employee autonomy orientation and self-development in addition to a leader-centric approach. The case study results indicate a discrepancy in the requirements of the governance principles of the management concept, highlighting the various dimensions of cultural layers and values to which managers in the same organisation are subject. The same values had an effect in different ways on the managers’ interpretation and handling of the management concept. This interpretation and handling of the management concept tools led to an implementation that partially opposed what the French management team and management concept advocated. The managers choosing to oppose the governance principles of the management concept can be seen as an example of modern individualism, according to which people are increasingly questioning rigid and hierarchic authority while showing initiative and assessing one’s own personal work. Hence, the values of modern individualism can act as a counterforce to neorational governance principles. / <p>Akademisk avhandling för avläggande av doktorsexamen i Arbetsvetenskap, som med tillstånd av Fakultetsnämnden vid Fakulteten för humaniora och samhällsvetenskap, vid</p><p>Karlstads universitet framläggs till offentlig granskning fredagen den 25 oktober 2013 kl. 13.00, sal C203, Högskolan i Borås.</p>

The subject matter of this thesis is governance principles in global management concepts and the application of such principles by managers at a local level. The thesis includes a case study on a foreign-owned Swedish group of companies that has introduced the management concept of High Performance Culture in all of its consolidated group countries.  Global management concepts usually originate from the United States and make use of neo-rational governance principles. High Performance Culture is a management concept that puts increased performance and individualisation in the foreground. In addition, the concept advocates co-determination and self-development. The governance principles further promote employee autonomy orientation and self-development in addition to a leader-centric approach.  The case study results indicate a discrepancy in the requirements of the governance principles of the management concept, highlighting the various dimensions of cultural layers and values to which managers in the same organisation are subject. The same values had an effect in different ways on the managers’ interpretation and handling of the management concept.   This interpretation and handling of the management concept tools led to an implementation that partially opposed what the French management team and management concept advocated.    The managers choosing to oppose the governance principles of the management concept can be seen as an example of modern individualism, according to which people are increasingly questioning rigid and hierarchic authority while showing initiative and assessing one’s own personal work. Hence, the values of modern individualism can act as a counterforce to neo-rational governance principles. / Avhandlingen studerar styrningsprinciper i globala managementkoncept samt hur de översätts av chefer på lokal nivå. En fallstudie har genomförts i ett svenskt utlandsägt företag där managementkonceptet Högpresterande kultur har införts i koncernens samtliga länder. Högpresterande kultur är ett globalt nyrationellt managementkoncept med ökad prestation och individualisering i förgrunden. Men konceptet förordar även medbestämmande och självutveckling. Av resultatet framgår att i kraven från managementkonceptets styrningsprinciper uppstod en krock som synliggjorde olika dimensioner av kulturella lager med värderingar som cheferna omfattades av, i en och samma organisation. Organisatoriska identiteter på skilda nivåer och funktioner, med skillnader i värderingar, påverkade hur cheferna översatte och hanterade managementkonceptet. Även utlandsägandet var av betydelse för genomslaget. Cheferna tog till sig styrningsverktygen då de gav sken av medarbetarorienterade styrningsprinciper. En krock uppstod dock med ledarcentrering inbäddad i konceptets verktyg. Chefernas val att gå emot konceptets styrningsprinciper skulle kunna tolkas i enlighet med en modern individualism. Den säger att människor i allt högre utsträckning ifrågasätter rigida och hierarkiska auktoriteter, samt tar egna initiativ och gör egna bedömningar i arbetet. Den moderna individualismens värderingar skulle således kunna stå som en motkraft till nyrationalistiska styrningsprinciper.

Knowledge management (KM) has been cited as a strategic asset and a source of competitive advantage for organisations. While the issues of KM have been widely discussed by many researchers, there is a paucity of studies pertaining to the role of KM in enhancing organisational performance, especially in the banking sector. The focus of this research was to investigate the role of KM in enhancing organisational performance in selected banks of South Africa. The objective was to find out how knowledge was identified, captured, organised and retained in order to enhance performance of the banks. There is uncertainty about whether the use of KM could partly solve the banks‟ approaches to improving their quality of service to their communities in the modern information environment. Though KM has been implemented in commercial and business environments towards operational advantages and financial gains, KM survival principles and tools might help South African banks improve performance and fulfil their mandate. Knowledge, when properly managed, can significantly enhance an organisation‟s performance. The research design that was used in this study was an embedded case study design. Quantitative data were collected from a sample of middle level managers with the aid of a survey whilst interviews and document analysis were used to collect qualitative data. The findings of this study indicated that KM concepts were not universally understood at selected banks. The findings showed that collaboration between banks and the communities in creating a meaningful and relevant knowledge environment was essential for the survival of organisations. The banking industry practices were not deliberately based on KM but the study established that they were amenable to KM practices. The recommendation was to perform a knowledge inventory which could help develop appropriate institution-wide policies and practices for proper and well-organised methods of integrating work processes, collaborating and sharing (including the efficient use of knowledge technology platforms), and developing an enabling institutional culture. / Psychology / Ph. D. (Consulting Psychology)

Knowledge management (KM) has been cited as a strategic asset and a source of competitive advantage for organisations. While the issues of KM have been widely discussed by many researchers, there is a paucity of studies pertaining to the role of KM in enhancing organisational performance, especially in the banking sector. The focus of this research was to investigate the role of KM in enhancing organisational performance in selected banks of South Africa. The objective was to find out how knowledge was identified, captured, organised and retained in order to enhance performance of the banks. There is uncertainty about whether the use of KM could partly solve the banks‟ approaches to improving their quality of service to their communities in the modern information environment. Though KM has been implemented in commercial and business environments towards operational advantages and financial gains, KM survival principles and tools might help South African banks improve performance and fulfil their mandate. Knowledge, when properly managed, can significantly enhance an organisation‟s performance. The research design that was used in this study was an embedded case study design. Quantitative data were collected from a sample of middle level managers with the aid of a survey whilst interviews and document analysis were used to collect qualitative data. The findings of this study indicated that KM concepts were not universally understood at selected banks. The findings showed that collaboration between banks and the communities in creating a meaningful and relevant knowledge environment was essential for the survival of organisations. The banking industry practices were not deliberately based on KM but the study established that they were amenable to KM practices. The recommendation was to perform a knowledge inventory which could help develop appropriate institution-wide policies and practices for proper and well-organised methods of integrating work processes, collaborating and sharing (including the efficient use of knowledge technology platforms), and developing an enabling institutional culture. / Psychology / Ph. D. (Consulting Psychology)