The purpose of this research project is to answer the question, "How and with what effects does Logan Aluminum, Inc. translate and implement the principles of socio-technical and team management theory into its organizational culture and operational activities?" To answer this question the researcher first examined the literature related to those theories and then conducted on-site interviews and ethnographic research to witness their implementation. The researcher found strong evidence to prove the validity and accuracy of many of those theories when practiced in an organizational setting. Theories particularly proven were those relating to the necessity of constant training, the role of leadership, team and team member capabilities, employee morale and team maturation.

In light of research that suggests that formal needs analysis leads to efficient and productive training programs, managers and a sampling of non-management employees from a mid-size manufacturing company participated in a needs assessment to determine future training needs for the company's mangers. The information was collected through focus group interviews and a Q-sort technique was developed to categorize the issues raised in the interviews. The categories of training issues and related concerns identified as a result of the focus group interview process were compared to a list of training topics generated by managers through an informal survey prior to the needs assessment. The comparison indicated that the training issues generated by managers in the informal survey were not congruent with the issues identified as a result of the needs assessment process. Comparisons were made between the major issues addressed by various departments, management levels, and functional groups. These comparisons indicated that some concerns were identified by all departments, management levels, and functional areas and could be defined as organizational concerns while other concerns were identified by specific departments, management levels, or functional areas.

The purpose of the present study was to examine organizational practices related to exit interviewing techniques. Prior research has neglected the study of the variables which cause the use of the exit interview to fluctuate, focusing rather on the study of the validity and format of the exit interview. The present study, by means of a questionnaire, cross-tabulated certain independent variables with the dependent variables contained in the questionnaire and found that at least three independent variables significantly affected use of the interview: (1) the size of the company (2) unionization of the company and (3) the annual turnover rate of the company. These findings were then interpreted in light of present theory, and the researcher suggested some directions for future investigations. The present study concluded that rather than prescribing use of the exit interview based upon prior research, utilization of the exit interview varied in relation to the independent variables which impinge upon the situation.

The aim of my thesis is the remuneration of teaching staff in pre-primary education. Remuneration is a part of personnel activities in the organization, so in the introduction of the theoretical part I deal with the general definition of basic terms relating to human resources and personnel work in organizations and here I outline the development and changes in human resources. In the next part of the theory I devote myself mainly to the most important personnel activity, which is remuneration. In addition to describing the basic concepts, the individual forms of remuneration are characterized in detail, both financial and non-financial. In my diploma thesis I deal with them more specifically at the level of pre-primary education and I also describe here the personal activities of the headmistress in kindergarten. The final part deals with the research, whose aim was to map the situation in the area of remuneration and subsequent satisfaction with remuneration, financial and non-financial. The survey was conducted in the form of questionnaires for teaching staff and interviews with two headmistress of kindergartens. Based on the results of selected questionnaire questions, I suggested recommendations for remuneration practice in pre-primary education. The importance of the thesis is to extend...

Human resources (HR) outsourcing has become a norm that organizational leaders leverage as a strategic tool to achieve various business objectives. However, the outsourcing of specific HR functions generates unintended consequences and impacts the performance of internal staff. The purpose of this qualitative, descriptive multiple case study was to explore the strategies used by HR managers to mitigate the negative effects outsourcing has on HR staff performance. The conceptual framework underpinning this research was transaction cost theory. Data were collected from 6 HR executives with experience leading HR outsourcing initiatives in the financial services industry in the United States. Primary data were gathered by conducting semistructured interviews with a set of 8 consistent, open-ended interview questions. Data analysis involved coding of the interview transcripts and analysis of company documents provided by the participants to identify themes. Member checking and methodological triangulation enhanced the credibility of the study. Three themes emerged from the interviews with HR executives as key strategies for managing HR performance: training, communication, and performance management. The findings of this study may contribute to positive social change by providing best practices and strategies to increase the effectiveness of HR outsourcing by mitigating its impact on the performance of HR staff. Furthermore, the effective management of HR outsourcing decisions may increase employment stability, positively affecting the lives of HR staff, increasing the profitability of U.S. businesses, and contributing to a stable U.S. economy.

Many managers of Puerto Rican corporations have not been able to assist employees in their recovery from the devastation left by Hurricane Maria. This lack of assistance has resulted in high employee attrition rates, low productivity, anxiety, isolation, anguish, despair, panic attacks, and depression. Scholarly literature lacks research on emotional intelligence and learning in corporate, postdisaster contexts; both capacities may mitigate employee stress due to the uncertainty inherent in postdisaster conditions and motivate employees to persevere in the face of adversity. The purpose of this quantitative study was to assess the relationship between employee learning, emotional intelligence, and organizational performance. The theoretical framework applied was human capital theory. The research questions focused on how employee learning and emotional intelligence are related to organizational performance. The sample was 90 full-time employees of multinational corporations in Puerto Rico. Data were collected through SurveyMonkey using the Workplace Learning Scale, the Trait Meta-Mood Scale, and the Organizational Performance Scale. Regression analysis was used to analyze the data, and both employee learning and emotional intelligence were found to have a statistically significant positive relationship with organizational performance (β = .563, p = .000; β = .348, p = .000). To more fully capture participants' thoughts and feelings, a mixed methodology is recommended for future research. The results of this study could assist human resources managers in their selection of training that enables employees to gain the skills needed to support business continuity and personal welfare in postdisaster environments.

Retaining qualified talent is essential to organizational leaders' ability to maintain a competitive advantage. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore the retention strategies that financial managers used to prepare and maintain talent to assume future leadership roles. The conceptual framework that grounded this study was the transformational leadership theory. The research participants were financial managers from 5 financial services businesses located in the southern region of the United States with a minimum of 5 years of management experience and at least 3 direct reports. Data were collected from semistructured interviews, observations, and review of annual reports, websites, and talent-development strategies. To ensure data saturation, methodological triangulation was used. Data analysis using the modified van Kaam method enabled the identification of 4 themes: preparing, partnering, mentoring, and investing. The implications of this study for positive social change include the potential for leaders of financial businesses to increase awareness of the value of talent retention efforts across organizations, thereby improving profit margins.

<p>Organisation har i många fall definierats som målinriktat samarbete mellan människor. Dessa mål kräver strategier, men studier visar på att 67 % av Human Resources (HR)- avdelningar inte har strategier som passar ihop med organisationens övergripande strategi. Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka hur HR- funktionen i en organisation upplever mål, men även hur de samarbetar och kommunicerar för att uppnå dessa mål. Tidigare forskning menar att organisationers mål inte kan vara formulerade godtyckligt, och de måste vara formulerade i förhållande till omvärldssituationer. Tydlighet i mål leder till att människor riktar uppmärksamheten, men också att ansträngningarna tenderar att förlängas i och med tydliga mål. Forskning visar också på att de mål som HR ska arbeta efter bör vara samstämmiga med den affärsstrategi som organisationen övergripande har. För att förstå skeenden och hur organisationen arbetar mot mål kommer den här studien även att analyseras utifrån organisationsstrukturen. En kvalitativ metod med semistrukturerade intervjufrågor på ett företags HR- funktion, har tillsammans med skriftliga källor, legat till grund för empiri. Resultatet visar på att det finns tre olika nivåer av mål som den aktuella HR- funktionen har att arbeta mot. Dessa är mål i organisationen, HR- fokus och projektmål. Organisationens övergripande mål ter sig otydliga varpå HR- målen i den aktuella organisationen inte baserar sig på dessa, utan snarare på behov som uppkommer i organisationen. Vidare visar resultatet att samarbetet inom organisationen kan stärkas då funktioner tenderar att arbeta mot varandra, med samma saker eller att flera parter släpper arbetsuppgifter då andra förväntas arbeta med dessa. Kommunikationen i organisationen upplevs som bra, men från ledningens håll är den allmän och övergripande, vilket leder till att medarbetarna inte känner sig som en del av en större helhet. Teorier visar på att medarbetarnas agerande kan vara uttryck för hur organisationen är utformad. Den aktuella organisationen är en matrisorganisation och matrisorganisationer tenderar att ha felriktade eller motstridiga mål och problem i att synkronisera arbetsuppgifter.</p>

Determining not only what makes people, but also how many people are, satisfied personally and with work has become an ongoing stream of research for both academics and practitioners. The idea of satisfaction is of such concern today that Gallup-Healthways conducts a survey, and reports, on the daily well-being of Americans (http://www.gallup.com/poll/106915/ gallup-daily-us-mood.aspx). Given the importance of satisfaction to individuals, organizations and society at large, it is imperative to understand the predictors and mediators of satisfaction. Research has been conducted on the negative (i.e., inverse) relationship between satisfaction and work/life conflict, as well as the positive relationship between coping and satisfaction. The purpose of this dissertation was to explore the interactions between work/life conflict (originating from both the work and family domains), problem-focused coping styles (i.e., problem-solving and communication skills) and life satisfaction. Additionally, mediational effects of coping on the well-documented relationship between work/life conflict and satisfaction were explored. The data used in this study was archival in nature, coming from 491working professionals enrolled in an Executive MBA program at a Southeastern university. Using the transactional model of stress, this study established the single, second-order construct of work/life conflict, consisting of six (6) first-order constructs (i.e., WF Time, WF Strain, WF Behavior, FW Time, FW Strain, and FW Behavior). This new construct maintains the bi-directionality (i.e., WF and FW) supported by a litany of researchers (e.g., Anderson, et al., 2002; Boyar, et al., 2003; Carlson, et al., 2000; Kopelman, et al., 2003), while reflecting Frone, et al.’s (1992a, 1992b) contention that WFC and FWC conflict have an interactive, additive effect. Additionally, in answer to multiple calls in the literature (e.g., Allen, et al., 2000; Eby, et al., 2005; MacDermid, 2005; MacDermid & Harvey, 2006) to incorporate coping into work/life conflict research. This study found that problem-solving coping partially mediates the relationship between work/life conflict and life satisfaction. Communication coping was not found to mediate the relationship between work/life conflict and life satisfaction.

Human resource professionals have extensive involvement in workplace bullying situations and workplace bullying research is not reflective of their experience. This study sought to better understand how HR professionals understood and defined bullying, how they made sense of bullying situations and their position in them, and how policies associated with bullying activities were understood and utilized. Using qualitative methods, the findings indicate that HR professionals define and understand bullying as targets do, except they differed in what elements actually turn bullying behaviors into a situation they would label as "bullying." They also felt that addressing and dealing with bullying was complicated due to its definitional state and their low power position. Still, they felt they took complaints of bullying very seriously and acted in these situations. The HR professionals also made sense of how and why bullying happened by pointing to issues like management style, conflict skills, and personality clashes. Additionally, the roles they played in bullying situations were marked by contradiction and paradox and equated to ?walking a tightrope?. Although many felt their organizations had policies that addressed bullying, it was found that most were ambiguous in regards to bullying or did not mention it at all. This study suggests a number of implications for both theory and practice. The findings also point to many necessary areas of future research which could further our understanding of workplace bullying and where organizations in the U.S. formally stand on the issue.