Thesis (M.Com.(Communication Management))--University of Pretoria, 2006. / Abstract in English. Includes bibliographical references. Available on the Internet via the World Wide Web.

Communication is one team process factor that has received considerable research attention in the team literature. This literature provides equivocal evidence regarding the role of communication in team performance and yet, does not provide any evidence for when communication becomes important for team performance. This research program sought to address this evidence gap by a) testing task complexity and team member diversity (race diversity, gender diversity and work value diversity) as moderators of the team communication — performance relationship; and b) testing a team communication — performance model using established teams across two different task types. The functional perspective was used as the theoretical framework for operationalizing team communication activity. The research program utilised a quasi-experimental research design with participants from a large multi-national information technology company whose Head Office was based in Sydney, Australia. Participants voluntarily completed two team building exercises (a decision making and production task), and completed two online questionnaires. In total, data were collected from 1039 individuals who constituted 203 work teams. Analysis of the data revealed a small number of significant moderation effects, not all in the expected direction. However, an interesting and unexpected finding also emerged from Study One. Large and significant correlations between communication activity ratings were found across tasks, but not within tasks. This finding suggested that teams were displaying very similar profiles of communication on each task, despite the tasks having different communication requirements. Given this finding, Study Two sought to a) determine the relative importance of task versus team effects in explaining variance in team communication measures for established teams; b) determine if established teams had reliable and discernable team communication profiles and if so, c) investigate whether team communication profiles related to task performance. Multi-level modeling and repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) revealed that task type did not have an effect on team communication ratings. However, teams accounted for 24% of the total variance in communication measures. Through cluster analysis, five reliable and distinct team communication profiles were identified. Consistent with the findings of the multi-level analysis and repeated measures ANOVA, teams’ profiles were virtually identical across the decision making and production tasks. A relationship between communication profile and performance was identified for the production task, although not for the decision making task. This research responds to calls in the literature for a better understanding of when communication becomes important for team performance. The moderators tested in this research were not found to have a substantive or reliable effect on the relationship between communication and performance. However, the consistency in team communication activity suggests that established teams can be characterized by their communication profiles and further, that these communication profiles may have implications for team performance. The findings of this research provide theoretical support for the functional perspective in terms of the communication – performance relationship and further support the team development literature as an explanation for the stability in team communication profiles. This research can also assist organizations to better understand the specific types of communication activity and profiles of communication that could offer teams a performance advantage.

FundaÃÃo de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado do Cearà / Esta pesquisa empreende uma anÃlise das prÃticas que atualizam o culto a Santa Marciana, no distrito de Planalto, municÃpio de Arneiroz, CearÃ. Marciana à um caso caracterÃstico de canonizaÃÃo espontÃnea, conceito de Paul Zumthor para definir o fenÃmeno pelo qual certos indivÃduos sÃo considerados santos e se tornam alvo de devoÃÃo sem o aval da Igreja CatÃlica. A partir do pressuposto de que a performance à um lugar privilegiado de articulaÃÃo da memÃria social, a pesquisa investiga as prÃticas corporais e cerimoniais articuladas pela populaÃÃo de Planalto no sentido de atualizar e perpetuar esse culto. Entendendo que as imagens evocadas do passado servem para legitimar a ordem social presente, busca explicitar os sentidos imbricados no esforÃo da comunidade de Planalto para manter viva a fà em Marciana. / This study presents and analyses the performances related to the cult of Saint Marciana in Planalto, Arneiroz, CearÃ. Marciana is a typical case of spontaneous canonization as Paul Zumthor defines the phenomenon by which certain individuals are considered saints and receive worship without the official recognition of the Catholic Church. Assuming that performance is a privileged place to articulate social memory, the research investigates the ceremonial and bodily practices through which people at Planalto update this cult. Understanding that evoked images of the past can legitimize the present social order, the research speculates on the meanings implied in the communityÂs effort to keep the cult of Marciana alive.

Syftet med studien är att genom intervjuer undersöka hur sånglärare erfar att de arbetar med   sceniska förberedelser i sin undervisning och även deras tolkning och syn på begreppet. I bakgrundskapitlet presenteras litteratur och forskning som är relevant för studien. Bakgrundskapitlet belyser olika aspekter av sceniskt förberedelsearbete så som nervositet, förmedling av känslor, kroppskännedom, olika program och metoder för att förbättra framträdanden, uttryck med mera. Studien har utgått från ett fenomenologiskt perspektiv som passar bra vid en undersökning av ett specifikt fenomen. Genom semistrukturerade intervjuer blev fyra sånglärare intervjuade kring sceniskt förberedelsearbete. Efter genomförd tematisk analys visade resultatet en viss samsyn mellan lärarnas tolkningar av begreppet. I resultatkapitlet redogörs för de intervjuade sånglärarnas tolkning av fenomenet sceniskt förberedelsearbete samt hur de erfar att de arbetar med detta. Detta presenteras bland annat genom olika metoder och hjälpmedel som lärarna erfar att de använder i sin undervisning. Här presenteras även olika delar som lärarna anser ingår i sceniskt förberedelsearbete, exempelvis scenisk framställning, tolkning och förståelse av text med mera. Resultatet belyser även vilka delar de ser som mest centrala i detta arbete. Avslutningsvis diskuteras delar av resultatet och metoden i relation till den litteratur och forskning som presenterats i bakgrundskapitlet. Här diskuteras bland annat lärarnas olika benämningar och tolkningar exempelvis utvärdering, reflektion och att ställa frågor. Därefter följer en redogörelse av arbetets betydelse och möjlig fortsatt forskning inom ämnet. / The purpose of this study is to explore vocie teachers views on performance preparations and how they implement these thoughts in their work. The background chapter describes literature and previous research on performance preparations. Different aspects of performance preparations are presented, such as portraying different emotions, body awareness, various programs and methods to improve one’s performance, expression etcetera. Phenomenology was used as the theoretical framework and the method was semi-structured interviews. Following the method of thematic analysis, the result showed a certain consensus between the teachers’ interpretation of performance preparations. The result shows the informants’ interpretations of performance preparations as a phenomenon as well as how they experience they’re implementing this in their teaching. Different methods, aids etcetera are presented as well as the informants’ perceptions of performance preparations. Lastly, parts of the result and method are discussed in relation to the literature and research presented in the background chapter. Here,the teachers’ different names and interpretations of similar phenomenons such as evaluation, reflecting and asking questions are discussed. Thereafter, a statement of the importance of this study follows as well as possible further research on the subject.

The diploma thesis is focused on the Investors in People standard which is the only internationally recognized system for managing and developing human resources. It deals with the IIP characteristics, advantages, situation in the Czech Republic and its comparation with other models. In the practical part of the thesis the IPP influence is shown in the OLHO-Technik Czech, s.r.o. firm and the implementation process is described. The analysis was focused on the selected personnel processes and documentation in the firm based on the IPP principles. Finally the discussion with employees was made as a part of a qualitative research. The aim of the thesis is to approach the IIP standard to the Czech firms, support its diffusion and offer solution for improvement in the OLHO-Technik Czech, s.r.o. company in the HR field for consequential IIP recertification.