This dissertation explores factors that influenced key performance indicators for project implementation success in broadband infrastructure projects funded by the Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP), part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Recovery Act). Key performance indicators for project implementation success were operationalized as finishing within the 36-month grant period (schedule), within the proposed budget (budget), and constructing the planned number of network miles (outputs). Drawing on research in policy implementation, public administration, nonprofit management, and project management, a framework was created to identify and categorize these factors as project-specific, organization-centric, physical environment, interorganizational, or legal environment (POPIL). A mixed methods approach investigated factor-indicator relationships using Ordinary Least Squares regression and other quantitative analyses of 67 BTOP-funded Comprehensive Community Infrastructure projects and a qualitative postmortem analysis of Citizens Telephone Cooperative's successful New River Valley Regional Open-Access Network (NRV-ROAN) project. Strong and significant regression equations were developed for the schedule adherence, output adherence, and overall project implementation success indicators. Deficient capacity of organizations to implement proposed projects was a significant and strong negative influence on each of these three indicators along with interorganizational relationship issue reports regarding the principal-agent relationship and relationships with other actors. The postmortem analysis included 17 participant interviews and further underscored the importance of sufficient organizational capacity and strong partnerships to enable organizations to overcome challenges they may encounter during implementation. In addition to testing the POPIL framework, this dissertation highlights the importance of alignment of goals and metrics across the legislative, programmatic, and project levels of implementation to ensure that programs and projects do not work at cross-purposes. For practitioners, the findings also emphasize that projects should be designed within an organization's capacity, and prospective partners should have the expertise and resources both to implement a project as proposed and respond to unexpected events. / Ph. D.

Over half of U.S. adults, roughly 117 million individuals, suffer from at least one preventable chronic disease, such as obesity, hypertension, coronary heart disease, and certain types of cancer. Epidemiological studies suggest that fruit and vegetable intake may be protective against these diseases, yet it is estimated that less than one-quarter of the population meets current fruit and vegetable recommendations. Low consumption rates may be attributed to lower income, food insecurity, and poor access and availability to fruits and vegetables. As a result, access to affordable and nutritious foods and beverages, particularly in underserved communities, such as “food deserts,” has become a national priority. An emerging strategy to address this is prescription programs, whereby physicians provide prescriptions or vouchers for fruit and vegetables to clients to encourage increased consumption, implemented in the form of the Farmacy Garden, which was the result of collaboration between multiple agencies. For collaborative efforts to be able to implement and sustain their shared goals, partnering individuals, agencies, and organizations need to first have the capacity or the potential to build capacity as a ‘unit.’ The purpose of this study was to concretely examine different factors and domains within Matachi’s Capacity Building Framework related to the Farmacy Garden in order to replicate the program in other locations. This framework conceptualizes organizational capacity building as dependent (and interdependent) on three different domains - individual, organizational, and environment. The study utilized semi-structured, openended interviews to ascertain concrete factors of organizational capacity building present at each level among Farmacy Garden collaborative project stakeholders (n=7). Interviews with six stakeholders (85.7% response rate) ranged in length from thirty-two minutes to one hour and twenty minutes. Common themes were coded separately by two members of the research team, first for overall recurring themes and second, to reveal connections between themes. Relevant quotes were identified and any discrepancies between researchers were resolved. Common themes often crossed over different levels, such as time, beliefs, values, and attitudes and inter-organizational linkages/partnerships, attitudes, and relationships, highlighting the inter-dependence of various factors across domains of capacity building. In addition to identifying specific factors that were necessary for the creation and sustainability of the Farmacy Program, the analysis revealed the importance of a “shared belief and value system.” In other words, individuals and organizations “valorized” this project in different ways than more traditional programs and/or interventions. The findings of this study can help guide leadership in cultivating relationships and new benchmarks to ensure transparency in project goals, in addition to time and physical resources, as well as inform the organizational capacity research area within nutrition and food systems fields. / Master of Science

Older adults are living longer than ever before. By 2060, the U.S. population aged 65 or older is projected to reach 98 million. As adults age, the prevalence of chronic diseases and disabilities increases. The need for Meals on Wheels (MOW) services is growing alongside the aging population. Yet, little is known about the geographic variation of services. Little is documented about the organizational capacity of MOW organizations in terms of geography. The current policies supporting home-and community-based services, including MOW, may be insufficient to support all older adults in all types of communities. An analysis of the More Than a Meal® Comprehensive Network Study was conducted to determine geographic variation in services delivered through MOW programs and to document organizational capacity by geography. Chi-squared analyses were performed to identify relationships between twenty services offered through MOW organizations and categorial offerings within nutrition, in-home safety, socialization, and community connections categories. Spidergrams were created to document organizational capacity holistically and for three individual organizations for each of the geographic areas: Rural Only, Partial Rural, and Non-rural Service Areas. Using these findings, a policy analysis was conducted to determine policy recommendations to inclusively support rural older adults. Older adults living in rural areas access the full complement of services provided by MOW programs differently than do their non-rural counterparts. Specifically, a statistically significant relationship was found between the stratified component of in-home safety for rural, partial rural and non-rural service areas. When evaluated on the individual service offering level, statistically significant relationships between rurality and congregate meals, nutrition education, nutrition assessment, coordination of USDA food assistance programs, and telephone reassurance were seen. Spidergram documentation of capacity created visual representations of geographic similarities and differences. The policy analysis produced three potentially viable policy additions for the Older Americans Act around a provision for innovation programs, a report on in-home safety, and business acumen provisions. This work lays the foundation for further analysis of existing data with a lens of geographic specificity, as well as articulates the importance of looking at organizational capacity as a part of policy recommendations for understanding rural community-based organizations.

近年來網路產業快速成長，本研究希望以網路產業中的「APP行動應用程式產業」出發，探討這些提供行動應用服務的新創團隊，在各創建階段時期的資源取得與內化，透過創業者給予的建議以及資料整理與分析，提供未來欲創業的網路創業家參考。由於新創事業的團隊人數較為精煉，公司規模也尚未建立，初期所探討的資源具有人身依附性，資源與知識主要專屬在員工身上。本研究透過實證研究，在新創事業成長的各個不同的階段，探討隨著組織的調整，公司要如何將員工自身的能力與資源有效地傳遞給團隊其他成員，並且最終內化成為組織內部所屬的資源。 為了深入了解轉換過程進而獲得實證結果，本研究採取個案分析方法，針對網路產業的創業家進行一對一訪談為主，從創辦人與合夥人，分別就公司不同資源應用上一一詢問。完整訪談過後經由整理、比較，以吸收能耐理論的獲取、吸收、轉換、應用為架構，以求歸納出各資源轉換成組織資源過程以及後續應用創新 研究結果顯示，在將上述無形資源轉換成組織所擁有的過程中，新創公司最先採取的都是資料庫的建立，然而形式化的歸檔動作只是一種初期的手段，只有真正讓這些「資源」，針對其獨特性有效地流動於組織中，才可能後續為公司帶來真正的創新與應用。新創事業應該把握此時組織靈活的優勢，越快找到適合公司的商業模式，越能快速的從生存期進到成功期，而研究中也針對不同的資源屬性，深入探討其轉換與應用中的不同之處。

The purpose of this research is to develop a model of organizational capacity that can potentially lead wine cooperatives to achieve success, exploring the factors in the environment that affect their performance and present preliminary criteria to evaluate organizational capacity based on the model. Cooperatives are organizations with particular characteristics. Apart from having sharing cooperative principles and values, there is a dual nature to their purpose that has been noted in the literature. Cooperatives have both an economic and a social dimension: they are simultaneously a business and non-profit driven organizations owned by their members and controlled by them democratically. The aim of cooperatives is to maximise members’ service and satisfaction. Financial indicators alone are not suitable to assess cooperatives’ performance since they are not for-profit organization. So, the construct of organizational capacity, developed to assess the potential of non-profit organizations (NPO) to achieve their goals, was adapted to wine cooperatives in Portugal. Although there are models of organizational capacity for NPO, they do not fit the reality of cooperatives mainly because of their economic role. Cooperatives are also economically oriented businesses. A grounded theory approach was adopted for this research, which is a qualitative methodology that intends to systematically obtain and analyse data in social research to generate theory. Cooperatives were selected through theoretical sampling, aiming to reach cooperatives that could represent the diversity of the universe of 67 wine cooperatives in Portugal in 2015. Twenty-three people (members and managers) were interviewed in 19 wine cooperatives and unions in different regions of the country. The model of organizational capacity in the environment of wine cooperatives was developed taking into account the categories that emerged from data. The model provides a systemic view of the wine cooperative environment and has three sets of categories: members, environmental factors and the cooperative itself. The two categories that compose this last set are cooperative identity and organizational capacity. The core category in the model of organizational capacity in wine cooperatives is management because it is the required ability of managers that allows them to coordinate the environmental factors and other capacities of the cooperative. / O objetivo desta pesquisa é desenvolver um modelo de capacidade organizacional capaz de gerar o potencial de conduzir as adegas cooperativas ao sucesso, identificando os fatores ambientais que afectam o seu desempenho e propor critérios para avaliar a capacidade organizacional das adegas cooperativas a partir do modelo. As cooperativas são organizações com características muito próprias. Para além de partilharem os princípios e valores cooperativos, uma dualidade de propósito tem sido identificada na literatura. As cooperativas têm tanto uma dimensão económica como uma dimensão social: são simultaneamente um negócio e organizações sem fins lucrativas que pertencem e são controladas pelos seus associados, democraticamente. A finalidade das cooperativas é maximizar os serviços e a satisfação dos associados. Indicadores financeiros não são adequados para avaliar o desempenho das cooperativas, pois estas não são organizações que visam lucro. Assim, o constructo capacidade organizacional, desenvolvido para avaliar o potencial das organizações sem fins lucrativos (OSFL) de atingir seus objetivos, foi adaptado para as adegas cooperativas Portuguesas. Embora existam modelos de capacidade organizacional para OSFL, eles não se adequam à realidade das cooperativas dado o seu papel económico. As cooperativas são também negócios com orientação económica. A abordagem de pesquisa foi a teoria fundamentada, uma metodologia qualitativa que pretende obter e analisar dados sistematicamente em pesquisa social para gerar teoria. As cooperativas foram selecionadas através da amostragem teórica, buscando incluir cooperativas que pudessem representar a diversidade do universo de 67 adegas cooperativas existentes em Portugal em 2015. Vinte e três pessoas (associados e gestores) foram entrevistados em 19 adegas cooperativas e uniões, em diferentes regiões do país. O modelo de capacidade organizacional no ambiente das adegas cooperativas foi desenvolvido levando em consideração as categorias que surgiram nas entrevistas. O modelo proporciona uma visão sistêmica do ambiente das adegas cooperativa e apresenta três conjuntos de categorias: associados, factores ambientais e a cooperativa. As duas categorias que compõem este último grupo são a identidade cooperativa e a capacidade organizacional. A categoria central do modelo de capacidade organizacional em adegas cooperativas é gestão pois é a habilidade necessária aos gestores que lhes permite coordenar os factores ambientais e as outras capacidades da cooperativa.

This study aims to identify the relationship between management styles and the factors that facilitate or hinder organizational changes. Therefore, has been carried out a descriptive and quantitative character survey, through a case study on a company of road implement sector. As a theoretical and data collection basis had been used two instruments with already validated scales: (i) Assessment Scale of Managerial Style (EAEG) - (Melo, 2004), and (ii) Instrument of Organizational Capacity for Change (Neiva, 2004). It was obtained the participation of 307 (three hundred and seven) employees of the company under study. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and correlations. Regarding the management style of managers, has been analyzed the styles oriented to the task, the relationship and the situational style, and it was found that, as perceived by the employees, most exercise a task oriented management. When investigating the organizational capacity to change, it was found that, in general, the company has low capacity to change. In turn, the analysis of the standardized mean of the factors that facilitate or hinder transactional change revealed that the organization under study presents levels classified as low for all constructs that comprise these factors, highlighting Bureaucracy and Organizational Continuity and Autonomy of Units and People as factors of high and low level, respectively. Analyzing the average of the factors that facilitate or hinder transformational change, stands out the most significant average, of Turbulence in External Environment, and the very low average of Supportive Coalitions of Change. The investigation of the relationships between management styles and factors that facilitate or hinder organizational change showed that all correlations were significant, positive and moderate, where: among all the management styles investigated and the factors that facilitate change transactional, the associations were of greater intensity with the construct Direction, Flexibility and Reliability in Performance Management; and, among all the management styles and factors that facilitate or hinder transformational change, the associations were of greater intensity with the construct Information Flow. The results allow to infer that the management styles relate to the same constructs of the factors that make up the organizational capacity for change. In other words, regardless of the focus of the manager be oriented to the tasks and results, interpersonal relationships or suitable to the context situation, the influence on the capacity to change is the same. / Este estudo busca identificar a relação entre o estilo gerencial e os fatores que facilitam ou dificultam as mudanças organizacionais. Para tanto, realizou-se uma pesquisa de caráter descritivo e quantitativo, valendo-se de um estudo de caso em uma empresa do setor de implementos rodoviários. Como base teórica e de coleta de dados utilizou-se dois instrumentos com escalas já validadas: (i) Escala de Avaliação do Estilo Gerencial (EAEG) (Melo, 2004); e (ii) Instrumento de Capacidade Organizacional para Mudança (Neiva, 2004). Obteve-se a participação de 307 (trezentos e sete) colaboradores da empresa em estudo. Os dados foram tratados por meio de estatísticas descritivas e correlações. Com relação ao estilo de gerenciar dos gerentes, analisaram-se os estilos orientados à tarefa, ao relacionamento e o estilo situacional e verificou-se que, segundo a percepção dos colaboradores, a maioria exerce uma gestão orientada para a tarefa. Ao investigar a capacidade organizacional para mudança verificou-se que, de modo geral, a empresa possui baixa capacidade para mudar. Por sua vez, a análise das médias padronizadas dos fatores que facilitam ou dificultam a mudança transacional revelou que a organização em estudo apresenta níveis classificados como baixos para todos os construtos que compõem estes fatores, destacando-se a Burocracia e Continuísmo Organizacional e Autonomia de Unidades e Pessoas como os fatores de maior e menor nível, respectivamente. Analisando a média dos fatores que facilitam ou dificultam a mudança transformacional, destacam-se a média mais expressiva, de Turbulência no Ambiente Externo e a menos expressiva de Coalizões Apoiadoras da Mudança. A investigação das relações entre os estilos gerenciais e os fatores que facilitam ou dificultam a mudança organizacional demonstrou que todas as correlações foram significativas, positivas e moderadas, sendo que: entre todos os estilos gerenciais investigados e os fatores que facilitam a mudança transacional, as associações de maior intensidade foram com o construto Direção, Flexibilidade e Confiança na Atuação Gerencial e, entre todos os estilos gerenciais e os fatores que facilitam ou dificultam a mudança transformacional, as associações de maior intensidade foram com o construto Fluxo de Informação. Os resultados permitem inferir que os estilos gerenciais relacionam-se com os mesmos construtos dos fatores que compõem a capacidade organizacional para mudança. Ou seja, independentemente do foco de atuação do gerente ser orientado às tarefas e resultados, voltado para as relações interpessoais ou se adequar conforme o contexto da situação, a influência sobre a capacidade para mudar é a mesma.

Master of Public Health - MPH / Introduction According (UNAIDS/WHO, 2011a) globally, 34.0 million [31.4 million–35.9 million] people were living with HIV at the end of 2011 out of which 80% live in Sub Saharan Africa. In absolute terms, the burden of HIV increased by 354% between 1990 and 2006 (Ortblad et al, 2010). The prevalence of HIV in Zambia stands at 14.3% in the age group 15 to 49 years. Having realized that HIV/AIDS is no longer a health issue alone Zambia embarked on the multisectoral response initiative which allows many stakeholders to play their role. In order to coordinate this multiplicity of stakeholders the government of Zambia created the National HIV/AIDS/STI/TB Council (NAC) with the core mandate to coordinate the national HIV/AIDS response agenda. In turn, the NAC created the Provincial (PATF) and District AIDS Task Forces (DATF) as decentralized structures through which to coordinate the response at provincial and district levels respectively. However, DAFT is not coordinating the response to HIV/AIDS epidemic effectively but the reason for the ineffective coordination has not yet been described. Aim The aim of the study is to explore factors which impact on the capacity of Lusaka DATF to coordinate an effective and sustainable local HIV/AIDS response. Methods A descriptive qualitative research was undertaken using purposive sampling methods. Data collection methods included a Document Review, Key Informant Interviews using semi structured interview guides, Focus Group Discussions and Field Notes. Results The study has found that the following factors promote effective coordination of DATF stakeholders and their activities at local level: recognition of the DATF by stakeholders as a formal structure which is enshrined within the institutional framework of the government; joint planning and resource mobilisation for activities by stakeholders particularly around national commemoration days such as World AIDS Day and the National VCT day and holding of stakeholder forum meetings to share experiences and lessons learnt. The study has also established that the following factors are responsible for preventing the DATF from coordinating effectively include: DATF does not exist as a legal entity enshrined in any Act of Parliament No. 10 of 2002 which created the NAC; there are multiple reporting channels for local stakeholders instead of having only one reporting framework through the DFATF; inadequate stakeholder forums; lack of memoranda of understanding between the DATF and stakeholders; weak technical capacity of the DACA due to factors such as lack of a training programme; inadequate joint planning and resource mobilisation plans and efforts; poor understanding and different interpretations of the of the concept of coordination by different stakeholders; weak feedback mechanisms from the DATF secretariat to stakeholders; and multiplicity of DATF guidelines by different partners which have at times contradicted each other. Poor political, civic and technical leadership engagement has been identified as key inhibiting factors.

Since 2000, the number of living wage ordinances has steadily increased throughout the country. While most of the current research has focused on the beneficial outcomes of living wages, little has been published on their administrative practices. To address this shortcoming, this study focused on the identification of key administrative and political factors involved impacting the implementation of living wage ordinances in Miami-Dade and Broward Counties. The study utilized a triangulation of interviews, surveys, and direct observation. The author conducted interviews of administrators and members of the living wage oversight boards in both counties and observed the monthly meetings held by each county’s oversight board from January 2006 to June 2007. These findings were buttressed with a national survey of senior staff in other living wage communities. The study utilized descriptive statistics, Chi Square, Cronbach’s Alpha, and Spearman’s Rank Correlation Coefficient (Spearman’s rho). Interviews indicated that administrators in Dade and Broward are seriously under-staffed and budgeted. Ambiguities in the enabling ordinances have lead to loopholes that undermine implementation and accountability for participating contractors. Survey results showed that policy ambiguity, organizational politics, and a lack of organizational capacity were significant negative factors in the implementation process while an organizational culture emphasizing consistent enforcement was a positive factor. Without the proper inputs, an organization hinders itself from meeting its outputs and outcomes. This study finds that Broward and Miami-Dade Counties do not provide the necessary administrative support to implement a living wage effectively – in stark contrast to the high hopes and strong political support behind their passage. For a living wage to succeed, it first needs an organizational culture committed to providing the necessary resources for implementation as well as transparent, consistent accountability mechanisms.

Cette recherche fait état de la crise du syndicalisme qui affecte la capacité d’action et l’efficacité des pratiques des organisations syndicales à travers le monde. Elle dresse un portrait complet des éléments de crise qu’elle décline sous les niveaux économique, politique et social. Cette recherche expose ainsi la nécessité d’un renouveau syndical pour porter précisément sur les coalitions, hétérogènes notamment, comme stratégie de renouveau syndical. Au plan analytique, elle évalue l’impact de l’identité et de la capacité organisationnelle d’une organisation syndicale aux Philippines sur son choix de se coaliser, mais aussi l’influence de ses objectifs et du contexte national dans lequel elle évolue. Les données empiriques pour mener cette étude proviennent principalement de près de 24 entrevues semi-dirigées, tenues auprès de représentants de l’une des plus grandes organisations syndicales des Philippines, de représentants d’organisations non syndicales alliées et de répondants externes à celle-ci. Premièrement, nos résultats montrent qu’une identité collective sociétale forte influence favorablement le choix de l’organisation syndicale étudiée de se coaliser. Elle confirme également le rôle essentiel de l’identité dans l’orientation de son action collective. Deuxièmement, nos résultats permettent de conclure qu’une capacité organisationnelle forte influence favorablement le choix de cette organisation syndicale de se coaliser, considérant qu’elle permet à celle-ci d’identifier les opportunités d’action, de mettre en œuvre de nouvelles stratégies et d’assurer la légitimité et la mobilisation des membres quant aux actions entreprises. De nos résultats ressort l’importance de l’éducation sur l’accroissement de la capacité organisationnelle et, particulièrement, sur la formation et le renforcement de l’identité collective de l’organisation syndicale étudiée. Plus encore, nos résultats exposent l’interaction entre les dimensions de l’identité et de la capacité organisationnelle : précisément, nous avons observé une relation de renforcement positif entre ces deux variables. Troisièmement, nos résultats mettent de l’avant l’interaction entre les différents niveaux de transformations résultantes de sa participation à différents types de coalitions. Ainsi dans le cas observé, l’obtention de transformation au plan intraorganisationnel permet à rebours d’obtenir des transformations au plan extraorganisationnel et vice-versa. Finalement, le contexte répressif des Philippines et les objectifs de l’organisation syndicale étudiée apparaissent favorables à son choix de se coaliser à différents niveaux (local, régional, national et international). / This research aims to survey the crisis, which affects the effectiveness and action-readiness of labor unions around the world. It portrays crisis elements happening at the economic, political and social levels, thus exposing the necessity of implementing union renewal. The research puts the focus on how coalitions might be one of the many key elements to this revitalization. It evaluates the influence of identity and organizational capacity on choosing whether to coalesce, while taking into account the specific union objectives and the national context in which it operates. The research has been conducted in a trade union organization based in the Philippines. The empirical data used in the research comes from 24 semi-structured interviews with representatives from one of the largest labor union in the country, representatives from non-union allies to this organization, and other actors not directly involved with the trade union organization under study. First, the results show that a strong societal, collective identity influences the choice of this union organization to join coalitions. Collective identity is also a fundamental element to better understand the orientation of the collective action displayed by this organization. Second, our results also suggest that a strong and visionary organizational capacity influences positively the choice of joining a coalition, since the union is reputed by then to be better-equipped to identify opportunities to act differently, to elaborate strategies of union renewal, and to ensure that these actions are properly understood and legitimized by the rank-and-file members. Our case study also demonstrates the importance of education for increasing organizational capacity, especially when it comes to collective identity formation and empowerment. Furthermore, our findings confirm the interaction between identity and organizational capacity: specifically, we observe a positive, mutually reinforcing relationship between the two variables. Third, our results reveal the interaction between the different levels of transformations resulting from the participation in coalitions. In fact, our case study shows that intraorganizational transformation leads to extraorganizational transformation and vice-versa. Lastly, our study shows that the combined effect of the repressive context of the Philippines and the specific objectives of the interviewed labor union seem to support its decision to coalesce at different (local, regional, national and international) levels.

No description available.