Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Multidimensional knowledge'

Knowledge is a sustainable advantage and knowledge assets can increase value with use. A snowball effect of knowledge advantage advocates effective knowledge management and fosters its continual growth as it flows. Knowledge, however, flows unevenly throughout an organization and the problem is that the fundamental dynamics of these flows are still not well characterized in theoretical and computational models. This study built on existing work—knowledge-flow theory, need knowledge generation, and the critical success factors for enterprise resource planning implementation—to examine the multidimensional knowledge-flow phenomenon in context, and used the case study methodology for knowledge-flow theory building. The research question was two-pronged: how can need knowledge and its flow across stakeholders within an organization be explained using a multidimensional knowledge-flow model and how can Nissen’s five-dimensional knowledge-flow model be validated using a real-life immersion case? The researcher relied on three sources of evidence for this case study: project-related documentation, archival records, and interviews. Data triangulation yielded three results components: (a) a chronology of key events that obstructed knowledge flow, (b) a logic model depicting themes that contributed to knowledge-flow obstruction, and (c) explanations of the knowledge-flow patterns. This case study suggested enabling need knowledge determinants and obstructing conditions are in play that determine the path of need knowledge flow. These two research artifacts should be considered together to provide a fresh research avenue towards better understanding of knowledge flow dynamics.

[Abstract]The case for knowledge management (KM) is firmly established in the wealth of extant literature available and is well corroborated in business best practices.However, the broad scope of KM and its multiple approaches in varied contexts,while credited for their diversity and flexibility, also call for greater universality and coherence in several areas, one of which is in the assessment of organisational knowledge management (OKM) practice. While literature attests to the dynamics of the different dimensions of KM, very limited research hasbeen conducted using a standardised multidimensional scale. This dissertation pertains to the application of an in-house developed instrument, called the USQ KM scale, to empirically study the three key dimensions of OKM identified through literature review, namely OKM strategy, OKM culture and OKM process/technology. The instrument was employed to assess the extent of OKM practice in organisations in Malaysia. Results of the survey on 153 managers provided insights into the state of OKM practice in Malaysia while confirming the mutually dependent relationship between the three dimensions of OKM andgiving rise to the researcher’s proposed conceptual tripartite OKM model. In addition, demographic factors such as the number of years of service in the organisation and years of service in a specific organisational role were found to have an impact on OKM, supporting previous empirically tested truths about OKM besides revealing a few unique traits in the Malaysian sample. The implications of the study for organisations in Malaysia as well as in other developing countries within similar contexts are especially meaningful for smaller local businesses without the benefit of multinational affiliations usually associated with superior KM capability afforded by greater economies of scale and more sizeable budgets for infrastructure support.

I denna studie undersöks hur Bilingual Montessori School of Lund (BMSL):sspråkbadsmetod kan ha en positiv påverkan på begreppsförståelse. Den fokuserar på detkomplexa sambandet mellan flerspråkig pedagogik och dess inverkan på begreppsförvärv.Genom att använda exempel från språkbadsmetoden, testar denna studie hypotesen attspråkbadspedagogik ger en icke försumbar effekt på kreativt tänkande, men viktigast av allt,på konceptualisering av ämnesmässiga innehåll. Genom en noggrann diskussion om vilkenmetod som används har en empirisk analys gjorts ur tre perspektiv: en teoretisk analys avlitteraturen i ämnet, en intervjustudie med fyra semi-strukturerade lärarintervjuer och enenkätstudie där fler än 80 elever mellan årskurs 7 och 9 fick i uppdrag att besvara en enkät för att testa några av de iakttagelser som gjorts av de intervjuade. Syftet med denna forskning är att ta fram en empirisk kvalitativ innehållsanalys baserad på exempel från de intervjuades påståenden och därigenom utveckla en djupare förståelse om begreppsförvärv och hur detta yttrar sig i en stimulerande flerspråkig undervisningsmiljö. Vidare är syftet med denna studie att fastställa om BMSL okonventionella språkbadspedagogiks påverkan på begreppsförvärv kan vara orsaken till skolans höga poäng i de svenska nationella proven i matematik, engelska, svenska, NO och SO i årskurs 9 under de senaste åren. Analysen har lett till slutsatsen att flerspråkiga pedagogiska metoder som BMSL:s språkbadsmetod kan ha en mycket positiv inverkan på elevernas förmåga att tillgodogöra sig begrepp. Analysen hardessutom genererat nya hypoteser som kan utgöra grund för ytterligare fördjupande forskning inom specifika ämnen såsom språkbadsmetodens inverkan på elevens kreativitet,demokratisering av klassrummet, interkulturell medvetenhet och kognitiv utveckling. Denbidrar också till ett nytt kompetensutvecklingsperspektiv och samarbetsperspektiv för enpositiv utveckling av svenska läroplanens pedagogiska lärandemål.
This research focuses on the complex relationship between multilingual immersionpedagogy and its impact on concept acquisition (begrepp). By using the example of BilingualMontessori School of Lund (BMSL)'s språkbad method, this study tests the hypothesis thatmultilingual immersion pedagogy produces a non-negligible impact on creative thinking, butmost importantly, on the conceptualization of topic-specific content. With a careful reflectionon the method used, an empirical analysis has been made from three perspectives: atheoretical analysis of the literature on the subject, an interview study with four semistructured interviews with teachers, and a survey-based study where more than 80 students in grades 7 to 9 were given the task of answering a questionnaire to test some of the observations made by the interviewees. The purpose of this research is to produce an empirical qualitative content analysis based on examples taken from the interviewees’testimonies to develop a deeper understanding about concept acquisition and the way itmanifests itself in a stimulating multilingual immersion teaching environment. Furthermore,the aim of this study is to establish if BMSL’s unconventional multilingual immersionpedagogy’s impact on concept acquisition can be the reason for the school’s outstandinglyhigh scores in the Swedish National Tests in Maths, English, Swedish, NO and SO in grade 9over the past few years. Nevertheless, the analysis led to the conclusion that multilingualimmersion methods like the BMSL språkbad method can have a very positive impact onstudents' ability to assimilate concepts, but also helped generate thesis-seeking rather thanthesis-supporting observations about its impact on the students’ creativity, classroomdemocratization, intercultural-awareness and cognitive development. It also highlights thepedagogical collaboration and competence development perspective promoted by theSwedish National Curriculum for Compulsory School Lgr 11.

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This work investigates the phenomenon of the reverse transfer of knowledge in subsidiaries with a multidimensional approach. The main objective is to verify in an empirical way if the strategies and actions of marketing, autonomy and integration of marketing has influence in the reverse knowledge transfer in the foreign multinationals enterprises located in Brazil. As control it was verify the time of international experience and the type of industry can be influence the reverse knowledge transfer. To test the hypotheses, a survey was conducted with managers of 104 subsidiaries of foreign multinationals located in Brazil. The data were analyzed by multiple linear regression and cluster analysis. To deepen the analysis, the empirical part also includes qualitative exploratory research through of the multiple case study with three subsidiaries of foreign multinationals. The results in both empirical researches show that product innovation and the integration between subsidiary and headquarter have a positive effect on the reverse knowledge transfer. This study contributes for academic paradox showing elements to the view of authors and refutes other theoretical perspectives, such as Rugman (2009), Narula (2006), Dunning (1988) and Dunning and Narula (1996) and Ghauri et al (2016) and Yip (1995). Managerially, this work deepens the factors that determine the reverse knowledge transfer like the development of innovations and the high integration between subsidiary and headquarter. Exposing to managers the importance of managing communication with the headquarter and to invest in human resources with creativity and innovation capacity. Also, it became evident that the marketing operations of foreign multinationals in Brazil are developed in the same time between subsidiary and headquarter. The results are expected to contribute to the extension of international marketing literature and provides a better understanding of the phenomenon of reverse knowledge transfer in the brazilian context.
Este trabalho investiga o fenômeno da transferência reversa de conhecimento em subsidiárias com uma abordagem multidimensional. O objetivo principal é verificar de modo empírico se as estratégias e ações de marketing, a autonomia e a integração de marketing influenciam na transferência reversa de conhecimento em multinacionais estrangerias no Brasil. Como controle verifica-se se o tempo de experiência internacional e o tipo de indústria influenciam na transferência reversa de conhecimento. Para testar as hipóteses apresenta-se uma survey com gestores de 104 subsidiárias de multinacionais estrangeiras localizadas no Brasil. Os dados foram analisados por meio de regressão linear múltipla e análise de conglomerados. Para aprofundar as análises, a parte empírica inclui também pesquisa qualitativa exploratória realizada por meio de estudo de caso múltiplo realizada com três subsidiárias de multinacionais estrangeiras. Os resultados em ambas pesquisas empíricas demostram que inovação de produto e a integração entre subsidiária e matriz possuem efeito positivo na transferência reversa de conhecimento. No que se refere a paradoxo acadêmico, este estudo contribui sustentando a visão de autores e refutando outras óticas teóricas, como Rugman (2009), Narula (2006), Dunning (1988) e Dunning e Narula (1996) e Ghauri et al (2016) e Yip (1995). Gerencialmente, este trabalho aprofunda os fatores que determinam a transferência reversa de conhecimentos, o desenvolvimento de inovações e a alta integração com a matriz. Expondo aos gestores a importância de gerir a comunicação com a matriz e investir em recursos humanos com criatividade e capacidade de inovação. Ainda, ficou evidente que as operações de marketing de multinacionais estrangeiras no país são desenvolvidas de forma dividida entre matriz e subsidiária. Espera- se com os resultados contribuir para a extensão da literatura de marketing internacional e para uma melhor compreensão acerca do fenômeno transferência reversa de conhecimento no contexto brasileiro.

Para as empresas multinacionais, transferir conhecimento disperso em diferentes localidades ao redor do globo, de modo rápido e eficiente, tem sido, ao mesmo tempo, uma vantagem e uma necessidade constante (KOGUT e ZANDER, 1993). Nos últimos anos, têm se intensificado os debates acerca do tema, em especial na área de gestão internacional. Além disso, há um aumento considerável no número de empresas brasileiras atuando no exterior e uma maior importância das multinacionais de países emergentes (GUILLEN e GARCIACANAL, 2009). No entanto, apesar de terem sido registrados inúmeros avanços, esses dois fenômenos - aumento do número de multinacionais de países emergentes ou em desenvolvimento e a acentuada discussão sobre a transferência de conhecimento em multinacionais - ainda apresentam uma série de questões não respondidas, além de haver uma série de conceitos, taxonomias e modelos sobre os quais se necessita avançar, pois o tema é cada vez mais importante e emergente (FOOS et al. 2010). Nesse sentido, nesta tese, procurase analisar como ocorre o processo de transferência de conhecimento das multinacionais brasileiras para suas unidades localizadas no exterior e vice-versa, através da análise da estratégia internacional e de uma visão multidimensional, que inclui as dimensões organizacional, pessoal e tecnológica, utilizando como aparato teórico a estratégia internacional e a Visão da Firma Baseada em Recursos – VBR. Através de abordagem qualitativa e do método estudo de caso foram pesquisados quatro grupos multinacionais sediados no Brasil e com operações em Portugal - país com quem o Brasil possui uma intensa e histórica relação comercial. Para análise dos dados, foi utilizada a técnica de análise de conteúdo. Ao todo, foram entrevistados 23 executivos ligados às áreas de recursos humanos, sistemas de informação e comercial/internacional, das matrizes e das filiais, e três especialistas foram consultados para a validação do roteiro de entrevistas. Os resultados evidenciam um aumento dos investimentos de multinacionais brasileiras no exterior, sobretudo em países emergentes. Também é possível ressaltar que em Portugal a entrada se deu principalmente via aquisições e Green fields. As filiais nesse país são, sobretudo, contribuidoras especializadas e a integração global vem ocorrendo, ainda que não de forma totalmente efetiva, sendo frequente a troca de conhecimento entre essas unidades e a sede no Brasil. No que tange à dimensão organizacional, observou-se que a geração de inovações é frequente nos grupos pesquisados e se dá, sobretudo, por meio da análise do mercado, amparada fortemente no conhecimento disponível na matriz. O tempo é um fator fundamental e há a visão de que o conhecimento é um recurso estratégico, embora isso não esteja totalmente claro. Na dimensão pessoal, observou-se que o expatriamento de executivos é muito maior do que o impatriamento, e que existe a prática de job rotation e formação de equipes, embora esta última numa frequência não tão grande quanto o esperado. A realização de reuniões é frequente, mas não existe apoio financeiro para a troca de conhecimento. Por fim, na dimensão tecnológica, observou-se a importância das tecnologias de comunicação e informação como forma de redução de custos e de aumento da conectividade. Há uma considerável base de conhecimento nos grupos multinacionais e boas relações com universidades e centros de pesquisa.
For multinational companies the act of transferring knowledge, quickly and efficiently, diffuse in different locations around the globe, has been both an advantage and a constant need (KOGUT; ZANDER, 1993). In recent years, the debate about this theme has been intensified, particularly in the international management field. In addition, there is an increase in the number of Brazilian companies operating abroad and a rise of importance of multinationals from emerging countries (GUILLEN; GARCIA-CANAL, 2009). However, despite having been registered numerous advances, these two phenomena – the increasing number of multinationals from emerging and developing countries and the discussion about the knowledge transfer in multinational companies – still present some unanswered questions. The existence of concepts, taxonomies and a variety of models which demonstrates a need to advance shows how important and emerging the theme is (FOOS et al. 2010). In this sense, this thesis aims to analyze how the process of knowledge transfer from Brazilian’s multinational to their units located abroad and vice versa happens. This will be made through the analysis of international acting and multidimensional view, which includes the organizational, personal and technological dimensions, using the Vision of the Resource- Based Firm - VBR and the international strategy as theoretical apparatus. Based on a qualitative approach, the case study method will be used, analyzing four multinational groups based in Brazil with operations in Portugal, a country which Brazil has an intense and historical trade relationship. Data were analyzed through the technique of content analysis. In this sense, 23 executives were interviewed, from the areas of human resources, information systems and commercial / international, from headquarters and subsidiaries, and three experts were consulted for validation of the interview script. The results show the increase in investments of Brazilian multinationals abroad, especially in emerging countries. In Portugal this expansion was mainly by green fields operations and through acquisitions. The subsidiaries in this country are mainly specialist contributors, while global integration is happening, even though not totally effective, with frequent exchange of knowledge between units and headquarters in Brazil. Regarding the organizational dimension, it was observed that the generation of innovations is frequent in the groups analyzed, and it occurs mainly through market analysis, being strongly supported by the knowledge available in headquarter. Time is a key factor and there is a view that knowledge is a strategic resource, although this is not entirely clear. It is noted that in the personal dimension the expatriation of executives is much higher than impatriation, there is the practice of job rotation and teams formation, although the latter at a frequency not as large as expected. Meetings are common, but there is no financial support for the exchange of knowledge. Finally, in the technological dimension we noted the importance of communication and information technologies as a way of reducing costs and increasing connectivity. There is a considerable knowledge base in the multinational groups and good relations with universities and research centers.

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Tese (Doutoramento)
IPEN/T
Instituto de Pesquisas Energeticas e Nucleares - IPEN-CNEN/SP

Policy-makers, project planners and development organisations are becoming convinced that the failure of the new socio-ecologically sensitive strategies co-opted by 'professional' forestry could be better addressed by indigenous forestry. They believe that indigenous forestry might assist with the development of successful forestry projects that are ecologically sustainable and socio-politically equitable. In order, however, to learn from indigenous forestry systems, the acculturation of foresters in the vernacular culture of the forest users appears to be an essential process for understanding and intervening in a local forest management complex. Acculturation entails not only more attention to the immaterial cultural realm, but an understanding of multiple resource stewardship, local ways of knowing and perceiving, local forest values and 'practices of care'. While acknowledging the significance of the politics of knowledge and political ecology this study examines resource stewardship from an alternative neglected angle that of knowledge sustainability and synergistic bridging. It will examine in general modes of knowing and bridging between 'formal' and indigenous forestry knowledge, and in particular the identification of forest value paradigms that are evidently exemplars of bio-cultural sustainability. The main outcomes of this study include the cognitive mapping of forest values among 'Tibetan minority nationalities' in Eastern Kham, their spatial distribution and the coincidence of changes in forest values with cultural or biophysical phenomena. Conceptually this study relies heavily on knowledge-system, hypertext, and paradigm theory and a critique of the narratives of John Locke. The former provide a platform to compare and contrast alternative knowledge systems and a means of synergistic bridging between them and the latter encapsulates a trajectory of western knowledge often known as modernity. The quantitative methods employed in this study included text analysis for forest value identification, multidimensional scaling for the cognitive mapping of forest values, spatial analysis and kriging for forest value distribution, and boundary or wombling analysis for changes in forest values and their coincidence with cultural or biophysical phenomena. The latter four methods are groundbreaking in that they have never been used to study forest values before. The study concludes that there is compelling evidence suggesting homogeneity in forest values with up to 5 geospatial paradigms and up to 12 cognitive paradigms. The findings, especially close correlation between forest values and ethnolinguistics, provide a potential template for foresters to develop multiple models of natural resource or biodiversity stewardship based on local forest values. In terms of the wider application, indigenous knowledge cannot seemingly be sustained if it is integrated with or into western knowledge systems due to the lack of conceptual frameworks for cross-cultural epistemological or psychological integration. Coalescing under the rubric of post-modernism, however, we do find a number of complimentary trajectories, which seemingly provide space for knowledge equity, sustainability and bridging. These trajectories include hypertext theory, paradigm theory, abductive logic, adaptive management, ecospiritual paradigms, and post-modern forestry paradigms. These trajectories and findings offer planners globally a means for synergistic bridging between local and non-local knowledge systems on the road to sustainable forestry and biodiversity stewardship.

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD ( Language Education)
Ordinarily, Teacher Development at the level of Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.) at Great Zimbabwe University (GZU) comes in two major phases spread over four years - the theoretical and the practical based phases. The theoretical phase comes in the form of courses based on pedagogical content and professional knowledge in the initial years at the university while the practical based phase comes in the form of school-based Teaching Practice (TP) for real and direct teaching experiences. The initial theoretical phase is often based on the liberal arts-like education to develop the whole teacher for adaptable life-long service. This is translated by a number of subject that can vary according the dictates of the focus of a particular national curriculum. TP on the other hand, provides student-teachers the opportunity to apply not only the knowledge acquired in the initial phase but also the schoolbased curriculum they are immersed in plus other contextual experiences they might have. If well-structured and blended, the two phases may ensure a smooth transition from a novice student teacher to an expert professional teacher for long-life practice.

Thesis (PhD (Sport Science))--Stellenbosch University, 2008.
The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of a 16-week multidimensional intervention programme on the speed and accuracy of decision making, declarative knowledge and visual skills of u/20 rugby players. Two intact groups of rugby academy players participated in this study. One academy group participated in the intervention programme, which included activities, including the statistical analysis of individual players, game analysis, tactical rugby discussions, rugby rule discussions and visual skills training. The other academy group served as the comparison group and completed both the pre- and post-tests. The results indicated significant improvements in the speed of tactical decision making by participants in both the experimental and the comparison groups. Both groups also indicated a significant deterioration in the accuracy of their decisions. Both groups achieved a significant improvement in their declarative knowledge of rugby rules, as well as in their visual skills. The similarity in the post-test scores of the two groups led to the conclusion that the intervention programme, as presented in this study, did not appear to make a significant impact on the players. Suggestions are made for the design of future intervention programmes to improve tactical decision making.

This thesis deals with association rules mining over data warehouses. In the first part the reader will be familiarized with terms like knowledge discovery in databases and data mining. The following part of the work deals with data warehouses. Further the association analysis, the association rules, their types and mining possibilities are described. The architecture of Microsoft SQL Server and its tools for working with data warehouses are presented. The rest of the thesis includes description and analysis of the Star-miner algorithm, design, implementation and testing of the application.

This Master's thesis deals with the principles of the data mining process, especially with the mining  of association rules. The theoretical apparatus of general description and principles of the data warehouse creation is set. On the basis of this theoretical knowledge, the application for the association rules mining is implemented. The application requires the data in the transactional form or the multidimensional data organized in the Star schema. The implemented algorithms for finding  of the frequent patterns are Apriori and FP-tree. The system allows the variant setting of parameters for mining process. Also, the validation tests and efficiency proofs were accomplished. From the point of view of the association rules searching support, the resultant application is more applicable and robust than the existing compared systems SAS Miner and Oracle Data Miner.

This research into Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) presents the results of 60 first-person psycho-phenomenological interviews with 30 New Zealand women. The participants were recruited from the Canterbury and Wellington regions, 10 had recovered. Taking a non-dual, non-reductive embodied approach, the phenomenological data was analysed semiotically, using a graph-theoretical cluster analysis to elucidate the large number of resulting categories, and interpreted through the enactive approach to cognitive science. The initial result of the analysis is a comprehensive exploration of the experience of CFS which develops subject-specific categories of experience and explores the relation of the illness to universal categories of experience, including self, ‘energy’, action, and being-able-to-do. Transformations of the self surrounding being-able-to-do and not-being-able-to-do were shown to elucidate the illness process. It is proposed that the concept ‘energy’ in the participants’ discourse is equivalent to the Mahayana Buddhist concept of ‘contact’. This characterises CFS as a breakdown of contact. Narrative content from the recovered interviewees reflects a reestablishment of contact. The hypothesis that CFS is a disorder of action is investigated in detail. A general model for the phenomenology and functional architecture of action is proposed. This model is a recursive loop involving felt meaning, contact, action, and perception and appears to be phenomenologically supported. It is proposed that the CFS illness process is a dynamical decompensation of the subject’s action loop caused by a breakdown in the process of contact. On this basis, a new interpretation of neurological findings in relation to CFS becomes possible. A neurological phenomenon that correlates with the illness and involves a brain region that has a similar structure to the action model’s recursive loop is identified in previous research results and compared with the action model and the results of this research. This correspondence may identify the brain regions involved in the illness process, which may provide an objective diagnostic test for the condition and approaches to treatment. The implications of this model for cognitive science and CFS should be investigated through neurophenomenological research since the model stands to shed considerable light on the nature of consciousness, contact and agency. Phenomenologically based treatments are proposed, along with suggestions for future research on CFS. The research may clarify the diagnostic criteria for CFS and guide management and treatment programmes, particularly multidimensional and interdisciplinary approaches. Category theory is proposed as a foundation for a mathematisation of phenomenology.

碩士
國立臺灣大學
資訊管理研究所
90
The growth of World-Wide Web has brought in an improved work environment for many people but introduced the “information overloading” problem to them at the same time. Search engines help one find what s/he wants but the keyword-based search often results in too much information to be managed. Numerous research approaches have been reported in the literature, covering such important issues as efficient search algorithms and improved search results. In this paper, we explore the idea of supporting multi-perspective view of document collections based on the concept of data warehousing as a complementary approach to search engines. First, we build up a document warehouse system to provide multi-dimensional processing capability. Unlike the data warehouse for quantitative data, the document warehouse is meant to deal with document collections such as news group articles, e-mails and so on. Based on the one-dimensional searching structure of search engines and the capability of data processing in the data warehouse, we can provide aggregated multi-dimensional view of one document set. Second, we implement a set of set operators including roll-up, drill-down, slice-and-dice, which allow users to view document information at different levels of details. From the different perspective of a document set, users can get lots of implicit information that is not provided in the search engine result. The document warehouse system also plays the role of decision-making support for organizations.

Purpose: This paper a) aims to investigate the relation between Knowledge Management (KM) and work motivation (following Self-Determination Theory); b) analyses the relevance of proposing profiles of workers; and c) assesses the differences in work motivation as a result of the profiles created. Design/methodology/approach: This is a quantitative and cross-sectional research. Participants are from Portuguese organizations (N=695). The self-administered questionnaires KMQ-SF and MWMS are used. Correlational analysis, cluster analysis and MANOVA are performed. Findings: As we advance on the motivation continuum to more autonomous work motivation, the relation to KM strengthens (from negative, to weak and moderate effect sizes) supporting SDT. Four out of ten profiles showed a statistically significant global effect on work motivation: High KM Profile (8.3%), followed by the Low KM Profile (6.4%), the Low/Moderate Formal KM Profile (6.3%) and the Low/Moderate Competitive KM Profile (3.9%). Research limitations/implications: Limitations concern the fact that: 1) this is a transversal study, and 2) this is a correlational study, which implies that the inference of causality cannot be assumed. Practical implications: This paper suggests a well-adjusted KM strategy, which may better one’s performance and well-being, by strengthening more self-determined motivations and decreasing Amotivation. At the same time, hiring new employees based on their autonomous motivation to the specific tasks they will perform can strengthen KM processes. Originality/value: This paper supports SDT and corroborates the notion that KM and work motivation are related, mainly considering autonomous motivation.

To help organizations better understand and improve the management of information systems development (ISD) projects, this dissertation aims to understand what ISD project knowledge and beliefs ISD professionals work with and how the knowledge and beliefs are organized in their minds. Drawing on the cognitive perspective using a mental model approach, I define a new construct, ISD Project (ISDP) mental model, which refers to ISD professionals’ knowledge and belief structures that help them understand, conduct, and manage ISD projects. Particularly, two essential elements of ISDP mental models - content and structure – were explored. Regarding the content, forty fundamental concepts were derived from literature reviews and cognitive interviews with 19 ISD experts. Analysis of 95 ISD professionals’ cognitive responses using Multidimensional Scaling revealed four types of evaluative beliefs - customer-, team-, enterprise-, and product-oriented beliefs. This new construct, along with its assessment procedures, provides a useful starting point for academics and organizations to explore the people factor in ISD. To investigate the impact of ISDP mental models, I examined work relationships between project managers and developers where effective work relationships are crucial to project success. Specifically, I explored how the similarity of mental models and an understanding of others’ mental models influence work relationships. Through a multiple case study on 6 project manager-developer pairs in different case conditions (i.e., similarity of mental models x accuracy of understanding), the results provide preliminary support that the project manager-developer pairs who hold accurate understanding have more effective implicit coordination - they are sensitive to one another’s knowledge, beliefs, and preferences and they adjust their task and interpersonal coordination accordingly. Accurate understanding also stimulates the process of knowledge integration in which the dyad builds upon one another’s knowledge to resolve project challenges. This dissertation contributes to the literature on ISD project management by capturing the organization of ISDP knowledge in ISD professionals’ minds and identifying underlying beliefs. Furthermore, it contributes to an understanding of how project managers and developers can coordinate effectively when they have high cross-understanding, despite dissimilarities of knowledge and beliefs.
Thesis (Ph.D, Management) -- Queen's University, 2014-04-17 11:18:07.356