The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) is North America’s largest integrated health care system, providing care at 1,321 health care facilities, including 172 medical centers and 1,138 outpatient sites of care with a varying of complexities, serving nine million enrolled Veterans each year (Department of Veterans Affairs, 2024). The VHA also employs over 2,000 occupational therapy practitioners (OTPs). Although the VHA is the largest integrated health care system in North America and can be debated as the top organization to employ the most OTPs, the VHA has yet to establish a robust career path for aspiring OTP leaders to emerge as change agents. As a result, OTPs can primarily serve in three clinical leadership roles, as there are no non-clinical leadership roles described in the VHA Appendix G14 Handbook (OTP career map). Several studies have critically outline leadership as a growing component in the occupational therapy profession. However, there is a lack of evidence supporting OTPs transitioning from clinical to non-clinical leadership roles, which leaves organizations such as the VHA to identify and determine relevant leadership development implementation and a designed goal structure for occupational therapy career path. The VHA Occupational Therapy Leadership Development Training program is proposed as an implementation tool to engage key VHA internal stakeholders on the importance of establishing a specific leadership-focused training for OTPs to expand their clinical leadership skillset to other non-clinical roles, such as an Administrative Officer, Director Learning and Education, or even a position on the Executive Board of Directors. In establishing this program and proposing revisions to the current OTP career map, the path-goal theory of leadership, developed by Robert House in 1996, will be the theoretical framework to address the problem outlined in this doctoral project. The main question to be answered is, “To what extent can the OTP population in the VHA expand their clinical leadership skillset to non-clinical leadership roles upon implementing specific leadership development training?”

About 50-70 % of all change initiatives fail and one reason for this is soft barriers, which mainly depend on people. These barriers are challenging to manage because individuals react to change in different ways. Due to these difficulties, companies look for help from consultants, who are perceived to have wide knowledge about change. Hence, the authors have studied the change process and the soft barriers from an external change agent perspective by interviewing nine experienced consultants. The results indicate that no phase in the change process is prominently more problematic than another, instead each phase is the outcome of prior phases. If the critical barriers in each phase are considered the change can be successful. Several soft barriers to change have been identified; lack of goals and vision, no demand for measurements and follow-ups, and a too large and homogenous project group without relevant competence or a clear driver of the change. Additionally, the findings suggest that top management is specifically problematic due to that they are often not united, are impatient and struggle with power and politics. Thus, the study indicates that resistance often starts from the top, which affects the rest of the organization and the outcome of the change.

The problem of this study is to identify and describe specific bureaucratic/organizational barriers that inhibit needed curricular and instructional flexibility and freedom in an urban school system and to determine if means exist by which the barriers can be overcome. The purposes of this study include the identification, description, and assessment of the barriers identified and the development of a process model which addresses identified barriers. The study includes samples of parents, teachers, principals, and central administrators. Questionnaires were administered to parents and teachers. Structured interviews were conducted with all administrators. The survey instruments were validated through means of pilot tests and jury panels.

Submitted by Diêgo Valerio de Godoy Del Monico null (diegodelmonico@gmail.com) on 2017-05-02T23:17:28Z No. of bitstreams: 1 dissertaçao_diego_delmonico.pdf: 1723582 bytes, checksum: 8ca03a81a9278297c796eae42e32103b (MD5) / Rejected by Luiz Galeffi (luizgaleffi@gmail.com), reason: Solicitamos que realize uma nova submissão seguindo a orientação abaixo: O arquivo submetido não contém o certificado de aprovação. Corrija esta informação e realize uma nova submissão com o arquivo correto. Agradecemos a compreensão. on 2017-05-03T20:45:38Z (GMT) / Submitted by Diêgo Valerio de Godoy Del Monico null (diegodelmonico@gmail.com) on 2017-05-11T12:16:32Z No. of bitstreams: 1 DISSERTAÇAO DIEGO DELMONICO.pdf: 1985471 bytes, checksum: 7e0e5cb2354925ff0bb8fb74f45651e1 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Luiz Galeffi (luizgaleffi@gmail.com) on 2017-05-12T13:11:54Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 delmonico_dvg_me_bauru.pdf: 1985471 bytes, checksum: 7e0e5cb2354925ff0bb8fb74f45651e1 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-05-12T13:11:54Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 delmonico_dvg_me_bauru.pdf: 1985471 bytes, checksum: 7e0e5cb2354925ff0bb8fb74f45651e1 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-03-27 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) / O objetivo desse estudo é analisar as principais barreiras às compras públicas sustentáveis no Brasil por meio da percepção de profissionais do setor público envolvidos com o programa governamental A3P. Compras públicas sustentáveis é subtema da gestão de operações sustentáveis e manifesta relações com vários temas que, relacionados à sustentabilidade, têm sido foco de forma cada vez mais abrangente de estudos acadêmicos e da atenção governamental, tais como gestão de cadeias de suprimentos sustentáveis e logística reversa. Para alcançar o objetivo foi realizado um survey com 54 profissionais de órgãos públicos brasileiros relacionados à Agenda Ambiental da Administração Pública (A3P). Os dados coletados foram analisados por meio do software de análise estatística SPSS, a partir estatística descritiva, análise de correlação, e análise fatorial exploratória. Entre os principais resultados destacam-se a) a desarticulação entre as esferas do setor público foi a variável com a qual os respondentes mais concordaram se tratar de uma barreira às compras públicas sustentáveis, b) os aspectos de cultura organizacional são barreira mais determinante às compras públicas sustentáveis, c) gestores de nível nacional e subnacional veem de forma diferente o apoio da alta administração como barreira às compras públicas sustentáveis. Este trabalho contribui com a literatura ao realizar um survey com especialistas do setor público brasileiro sobre compras públicas sustentáveis. / The objective of this study is to analyze the main barriers sustainable public procurement in Brazil through the perception of public sector professionals involved with the A3P government program. Sustainable public procurement is a subtheme of sustainable operations management, it has a connection with many themes that are related to sustainability and it is focused on academic studies and government attention, such as: sustainable supply chain management and reverse logistics. To reach the goal, it was performed a survey with 54 professionals from public agencies related to the Environmental Public Administration Agenda (A3P). The collected data were analyzed through statistical analysis software (SPSS), based on descriptive statistics, correlation analysis and exploratory factorial analysis. Among the main results are: a) The disarticulation between the public sector spheres was the variable which the respondents most agreed that it was a barrier to sustainable public procurement, b) organizational culture aspects are the most determinant barrier to sustainable public procurement, c) managers at the national and subnational levels have a different view about the support of top management as a barrier to sustainable public procurement. This dissertation contributes with the literature search for the Brazilian public sector on sustainable public procurement.

Digital supply chain twins (DSCT) are often considered as one of the most promising technologies to efficiently and proactively manage increasingly complex international logistics networks in the future. Despite the recognition of the potential, the concrete development of digital twins of logistics networks is still in earlier stages in practice. Most twins focus on mapping digital twins of logistics assets or sites rather than elevating the technology to a network level. Building on the Nominal Group Technique among 18 logistics managers this study seeks to investigate the requirements of successful DSCT implementation at a network level. The study shows that while there are various technological requirements that need to be created for the development, it is also DSCT-specific intra- and inter-organizational requirements that influence the successful implementation and use of DSCTs.

Gender is one of the central organizing principles around which social and corporate innovation revolves. The multinational Ghanaian mining is dominated by men and masculinity cultures. To gain an adequate understanding of this phenomenon, it is prudent to explore its gendered nature. This thesis reflects consciously upon the pre-entry, organizational and sociocultural barriers affecting the effective participation of women in mine jobs. And beyond the barriers, it examines what changes have occurred, occasioning a shift in gender dynamics, leading to an increasing number of women participation in the industry? The current thesis adopts a case study method, deploying a mix of quantitative and qualitative approaches; administered questionnaires, conducted individual interviews, observations, archival documents, and focus group discussions with respondents in four mining companies and a mining and technology university in Ghana. The AMOS–based structural equation modeling approach was used to analyze the quantitative data, while thematic and discourse analysis was employed in analyzing the qualitative narratives of the respondents. Results of the thesis point to the social construction of gender in science, engineering and technology education as a pre-entry barrier. Also, a complex web of male-dominance, gender bias, role models and mentorship constraints, coupled with unfriendly family work policies were noted organizational barriers. In furtherance, common prejudices, perceptions and stereotyped notions of gender roles in the mines constituted noted sociocultural factors constraining effective participation of women in mine work. However beyond the pre-entry, organizational and sociocultural barriers, the current thesis intuits a phenomenon of a ‘women’s revolution’ in the mines, witnessing collective efforts from Women in Mining Ghana as well as the mine workers’ organizations and allied institutions adopting gender strategic measures, such as the ‘ore solidarity,’ gender mainstreaming in admission programmes as well as gender-driven mining initiatives aimed at re-engineering or striking a shift in gender dynamics in the mine jobs of Ghana. Consequently, the classic and continuous male-dominance in Ghanaian mines constitute a considerable concern for mine work organizational development, with practical implications for the mining industry, employment, and  labor relation practices as well as public policy in Ghana. Therefore, affirmative action is recommended for gender deconstruction and promotion of gender democracy. Indeed this move for inclusivity will engender poverty eradication work towards achieving organizational modernization, their global competitiveness and an assurance for gender-driven social innovative mining.

No contexto organizacional a importância do conhecimento é tema sobre o qual não há mais discussões. O conhecimento tem papel estratégico para a geração de produtos e serviços ou que atendam às constante mudanças de necessidades e desejos dos consumidores. Este conhecimento como tal, não está nas organizações, mas sim é parte dos sujeitos, das pessoas que as formam. Ainda que pareça algo óbvio, o translado do conhecimento do sujeito à organização é, na verdade, um desafio. Isto por que o conhecimento das pessoas não necessariamente está alinhado às necessidades da organização. Buscou-se com essa pesquisa identificar que recursos ou estratégias se podem utilizar para potencializar ações de compartilhamento, embasados nos processos de criação do conhecimento. Buscou-se também elucidar a divergência conceitual que existe entre transferência e compartilhamento do conhecimento, expressões muitas vezes confundidas na prática. Sendo o compartilhamento do conhecimento uma ação do sujeito dentro das organizações, foi necessário conhecer as principais barreiras que impedem tais ações. Estas barreiras podem estar relacionadas ao comportamento próprio do indivíduo ou acontecer em âmbito organizacional. Para a realização desta pesquisa, adotou-se como metodologia a pesquisa-ação, que possui como característica marcante a participação das pessoas envolvidas na pesquisa. Foi criada uma matriz de avaliação de recursos e estratégias de compartilhamento, baseada nas quatro etapas de conversão do conhecimento (SECI) e aplicada a um conjunto de recursos e estratégias identificados durante a pesquisa. Desta avaliação identificou-se um conjunto de recursos considerados transversais ao processo de criação do conhecimento. Assim, a conclusão que chegou-se é que, não necessariamente existe um recurso ou conjunto de recursos para uma que, não necessariamente existe um recurso ou conjunto de recursos para uma etapa específica do processo SECI. Antes podemos identificar recursos que, por suas características e categorias, podem ser adotados por todo o ciclo. / In the organizational context the importance of knowledge is an issue on which there is no further discussion. Knowledge has a strategic role for the generation of innovative products and services that meet or constant changes of necessities and desires of consumers. This knowledge as such, is not in the organizations, but is part of individuals. Although it might seem obvious, the transfer of the subject to the organization\'s knowledge is actually a challenge. This is because the knowledge of people is not necessarily aligned with the organization\'s needs. Sought with this research to identify what resources and strategies can be used to power sharing actions, based mainly in procesos of knowledge creation. We attempted to also elucidate the conceptual divergence that exists between transfer and sharing of knowledge, expressions often confused in practice and research by other authors. And knowledge sharing an action of the subject within the organization, it was necessary to know the main barriers that prevent such actions. These barriers may be related to the individual\'s own behavior or happen in organizational ambit. For this research, it adopted as methodology research-action, which has as its hallmark the participation of the people involved in the research. Created a resource assessment table and sharing strategies, based on the four conversion steps of knowledge (SECI) and applied to a set of resources and strategies identified during the search. This evaluation identified a set of features considered transverse to the knowledge creation process. Thus, the conclusion that was reached is that there is not necessarily a feature or set of features for a specific stage of the SECI process. Before we can identify resources that, by their characteristics and categories, can be adopted throughout the cycle.

No contexto organizacional a importância do conhecimento é tema sobre o qual não há mais discussões. O conhecimento tem papel estratégico para a geração de produtos e serviços ou que atendam às constante mudanças de necessidades e desejos dos consumidores. Este conhecimento como tal, não está nas organizações, mas sim é parte dos sujeitos, das pessoas que as formam. Ainda que pareça algo óbvio, o translado do conhecimento do sujeito à organização é, na verdade, um desafio. Isto por que o conhecimento das pessoas não necessariamente está alinhado às necessidades da organização. Buscou-se com essa pesquisa identificar que recursos ou estratégias se podem utilizar para potencializar ações de compartilhamento, embasados nos processos de criação do conhecimento. Buscou-se também elucidar a divergência conceitual que existe entre transferência e compartilhamento do conhecimento, expressões muitas vezes confundidas na prática. Sendo o compartilhamento do conhecimento uma ação do sujeito dentro das organizações, foi necessário conhecer as principais barreiras que impedem tais ações. Estas barreiras podem estar relacionadas ao comportamento próprio do indivíduo ou acontecer em âmbito organizacional. Para a realização desta pesquisa, adotou-se como metodologia a pesquisa-ação, que possui como característica marcante a participação das pessoas envolvidas na pesquisa. Foi criada uma matriz de avaliação de recursos e estratégias de compartilhamento, baseada nas quatro etapas de conversão do conhecimento (SECI) e aplicada a um conjunto de recursos e estratégias identificados durante a pesquisa. Desta avaliação identificou-se um conjunto de recursos considerados transversais ao processo de criação do conhecimento. Assim, a conclusão que chegou-se é que, não necessariamente existe um recurso ou conjunto de recursos para uma que, não necessariamente existe um recurso ou conjunto de recursos para uma etapa específica do processo SECI. Antes podemos identificar recursos que, por suas características e categorias, podem ser adotados por todo o ciclo. / In the organizational context the importance of knowledge is an issue on which there is no further discussion. Knowledge has a strategic role for the generation of innovative products and services that meet or constant changes of necessities and desires of consumers. This knowledge as such, is not in the organizations, but is part of individuals. Although it might seem obvious, the transfer of the subject to the organization\'s knowledge is actually a challenge. This is because the knowledge of people is not necessarily aligned with the organization\'s needs. Sought with this research to identify what resources and strategies can be used to power sharing actions, based mainly in procesos of knowledge creation. We attempted to also elucidate the conceptual divergence that exists between transfer and sharing of knowledge, expressions often confused in practice and research by other authors. And knowledge sharing an action of the subject within the organization, it was necessary to know the main barriers that prevent such actions. These barriers may be related to the individual\'s own behavior or happen in organizational ambit. For this research, it adopted as methodology research-action, which has as its hallmark the participation of the people involved in the research. Created a resource assessment table and sharing strategies, based on the four conversion steps of knowledge (SECI) and applied to a set of resources and strategies identified during the search. This evaluation identified a set of features considered transverse to the knowledge creation process. Thus, the conclusion that was reached is that there is not necessarily a feature or set of features for a specific stage of the SECI process. Before we can identify resources that, by their characteristics and categories, can be adopted throughout the cycle.

Purpose – the purpose of this study is to investigate managerial and organizational barriers that are associated with artificial intelligence (AI) and develop a structured process to overcome the organizational barriers throughout different phases of the implementation process. Method – The study applied a qualitative research approach that consisted of multiple case studies from various organizations in traditional industries. Each organization worked with an AI-projects that were based on application of machine learning (ML).  The respondents came from various positions from the AI-project and were interviewed. The collected data was analyzed by using a thematic analysis with 17 interviews in total.  Findings – The study found four barriers in total from pre-implementation, implementation, and post-implementation phases of AI. These were: lack of use-case definition, low ai-knowledge, missing appropriate data, and end-user misalignment. The study would present key-activities to overcome the AI-barriers categorized that are presented in three phases: defining AI-transformation, anchoring AI-implementation and optimizing AI-usage. Theoretical contribution - Firstly, the study highlighted underlying implementation barriers in traditional industries that were business and managerial related. Secondly, the study contributed with an empirically rooted structured AI-implementation process framework. These findings extend current dialogues in the literature on challenges related to AI and connect them to specific phases in the AI-implementation process. These findings also extend current dialogues in the literature on challenges related to AI and connect them to specific phases in the AI-implementation process. Practical Implications - The practical implication of this study highlighted that there existed a lack of clearly defined strategies for implementing AI-solutions in traditional industries which this study covers by developing a basis to build on. Limitations and Future research - The study investigated a handful of organizations in different industries. Because of time- and resource constraints, increased research scope could provide more insightful perspectives which could be beneficial. In addition, because the study itself was based as a qualitative study, the methodology of the project could be prone to inconsistencies or a lack of coherence. As this approach was based on phrasing, some phrases may not be able to capture the full meaning of what was articulated. For future research proposals, a quantitative research method of this subject could give further breadth to the literature by investigating likely correlations.

Purpose: Sustainability and sustainable manufacturing has grown in importance in recent years, and more legislation and demands are put on organizations to show how their operations affect the environment. Life cycle assessment is a proactive and efficient sustainability tool to report a company’s effects on the environment. Nevertheless, life cycle assessments of products and organizations are complex and require significant resources. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to investigate what potential barriers can occur within the initial acceptance phase when implementing life cycle assessment in the manufacturing industry. Method: This research project is a single case study of a Swedish manufacturing company. The theory was deduced from literature where eight internal factors influencing the implementation of tools and systems created a foundation for data collection and analysis. Five semi-structured interviews and unstructured observations have been conducted to collect empirical data. Findings: Nine second-order themes of factors influencing the project as barriers have been identified that construct the three aggregate dimensions ̈Lack of management support ̈, ̈Lack of resources ̈, and ̈Lack of interdepartmental coordination ̈. From the empirical findings, it is also suggested that the three aggregate dimensions are interrelated. The interrelationships are later used to find three change suggestions to mitigate the barriers by using the relationships between the dimensions and targeting as many barriers as possible. Namely, ̈educate top management ̈, ̈enhance the education of project participants ̈, and ̈spend more time on project planning ̈. Implications: This study provides a deeper and more detailed understanding of different barriers within the initial acceptance phase of a project. It also gives further insights into various interrelationships between barriers and how one dimension can influence the other in both positive and negative ways. Furthermore, this study's findings can guide managers and practitioners in preparing for a project aiming to implement a tool or a system. Limitations: As in all interpretative research, the interpretations of the empirical data are based on subjective thoughts influenced by the researcher’s positionality, the relationships with the participants, and preconceived perceptions. Furthermore, this research project is a single case study, and the results apply to this case. The findings cannot be statistically generalizable, meaning that the theories and themes created in this report should not be seen as absolute truths but instead as suggestive theories within the field.