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Story, Thomas Martin, and n/a. "Technology and organisational design." University of Canberra. Management, 1990. http://erl.canberra.edu.au./public/adt-AUC20061109.103618.
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Teichert, Broer. "Organisational self-renewal : process design." Thesis, University of St Andrews, 2004. http://hdl.handle.net/10023/14064.
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Firms compete based on their relative ability to renew as much as they do on their ability to extract profits from product-markets. Drawing from literature and case studies the research explores how renewal is affected in organisations. The main dynamics of the renewal process, and the issues and skills involved in its management, therefore, receive detailed treatment. Relevant data is gathered from a variety of primary and secondary sources. The research begins with an effort to understand the forces that trigger and processes that act to sustain decline in organisations. These findings are contrasted with a number of case studies that serve the identification of underlying characteristics and dynamics common to successful organizations. This comparison serves to uncover principles of successful organisation and that hold the key to renewal and sustained growth. The main objective of this research is to increase the understanding and awareness of the processes, problems and successful means of organisational renewal. Underlying is the concern to develop more formalised models and translate these findings into a useful conceptual framework as a basis and stimulus for further research and as a helpful guideline for management practitioners to handle successfully the problems of entropy and organisational ossification of their business.
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Rottier, Johannes. "Conceptual design of an organisational capability." Pretoria : [s.n.], 2006. http://upetd.up.ac.za/thesis/available/etd-11092006-121921/.
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Herfurth, Lorenz. "Organisations as artefacts : an inquiry into hidden design activities within situated organisational contexts." Thesis, Lancaster University, 2016. http://eprints.lancs.ac.uk/86225/.
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The overall aim of this PhD is to provide insights into the hidden and socially-distributed design activities and behaviours through which members of an organisation contribute to its shape. How do those who are part of the organisational artefact contribute to the design of the artefact? Looking at an organisation as an artefact on the one hand acknowledges the human-made process that brings organisations into existence and the possibility that an organisation is a product of human action. On the other hand it raises questions with regard to the properties of this artefact and the design activities that lead to its existence or influence its development. A paradox is represented by the circumstance that an organisation is both made by and, at the same time, “consists” of humans. A small sample qualitative multi-case study was selected as the research strategy. One case is a retrospective study of an architectural construction project for a higher education institution in the UK, the other is a live study of a mass participation music performance that took place in a major UK city. Together they combine the wealth of material from a longitudinal and retrospective study with the detailed insights obtained from live observation. Analysis is partially grounded, prioritising an understanding emerging from the data itself rather than applying a specific concept to identify themes accordingly. However, fundamental understandings of design are applied to understand whether the design activities identified cohere with existing approaches or provide novel insights into hidden design actions. In both cases the findings confirm the existence of hidden and socially-distributed design actions in processes of organisational design. While fundamental indicators of design change are identifiable in selected events, novel characteristics add to existing understandings of design. Contributions this PhD makes concern the identification and description of hidden design activities within communities of non-expert, silent designers and the empirically supported specification of organisations as socially-designed artefacts. Specifically, the findings lead to the articulation of three contributions: design-before- design, an approach that promotes the acknowledgement of unique organisational settings before design interventions, socially-distributed design as an empirically supported extension of silent design and the resulting description of case studies as self-referential artefacts.
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Griesel, Jakobus T. "Organisational design considerations for performance through responsibility and accountability." Diss., University of Pretoria, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/2263/52403.
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Organisational performance, and how this performance can be influenced, continue to be primary concerns for managers. Although many motivational and performance related theories are presented by literature, the role and importance of responsibility and accountability as concepts within the organisation and in performance theory have been neglected, to the point that authors clearly highlight the need for further research in this regard (Mero, Guidice, & Werner, 2014; Greenwood & Miller, 2010).
This research developed a speculative model which integrates organisational design theory with responsibility and accountability theory. The aim of the speculative model is to enhance managers understanding of how responsibility and accountability fit into the organisation and how an organisation can be designed to strengthen these concepts to the extent that performance can be positively influenced. The study also presented guiding principles as examples of the practical implication inferred from the results of the study and the speculative model developed.
The qualitative research was conducted at an engineering firm in South Africa. Fifteen in-depth interviews were conducted with employees in positions at different levels (organisational level, group level and individual level) of the organisation. These interviews enabled the researcher to explore mechanisms related to responsibility and accountability and inductively develop the speculative model.
It was found that the various links that determine how strong responsibility and accountability are present in a specific context could successfully be linked to different design components within the organisation, highlighting a specific area of focus within the organisation when a specific link of responsibility or accountability needs to be addressed.Mini Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2015.
ms2016
Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS)
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Walker, Helen. "The virtual organisation : exploring issues associated with the design, development and management of this new organisational form." Thesis, University of Bath, 2000. https://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.760746.
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Jones, Susan Jane. "The design and evaluation of multimedia for management education." Thesis, University of Sunderland, 2003. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.269022.
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Platt, David Geoffrey. "Process modelling and process support environments for design management." Thesis, University of Bristol, 1994. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.259516.
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Brooks, Laurence Stuart. "Human and organisational aspects of new technology : design supervision and Computer-Aided Design/Draughting." Thesis, University of Liverpool, 1992. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.240460.
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Martinez, Felipe. "Possibilities of Object-Oriented Programming in the Organisational Architecture of Firms." Doctoral thesis, Vysoká škola ekonomická v Praze, 2009. http://www.nusl.cz/ntk/nusl-162493.
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The procedures to establish organisational structure are the focal subject of this study. The review of literature and research components of this dissertation identify that there is lack of procedures, processes, and working guidelines to facilitate this managerial task. The creation of any of these procedures is inherently complex as is the intended organisational structure to create. Organisational theories present several models. They identify and discuss primary organisational elements but fail to propose adequate methods for structuration. The doctoral candidate confronts this void to both practitioners and academicians by means of two approaches. Firstly, it proposes a procedure to institute organisational structure founded on the Object-Oriented paradigm. Secondly, it compares and contrasts this procedure with existing processes deployed by managers, entrepreneurs, and expert-consultants. The presentation of this procedure includes a fundamental analogy for its creation; the paradigm selection and explanation (Object-Oriented); a detailled 'step by step' guide for successful implementation and concrete applications of the procedure. The review in this area is extensive and promotes analyses that are both practical as well as theoretical. This assessment promotes and develops a research based on organisational structuring experiences. It uses quantitative and qualitative tools to collect the data. The data are discrete. Various techniques are employed to illustrate findings. Bar graphs with distributions curves represent the data. The graphical and statistical analyses argue the existence of a general procedure to set up the organisational structure. In addition, the research compares the general and proposed procedures. It uses descriptive and graphical tools for the comparison. The findings corroborate the proposed procedure as a valid method to implement organisational structure. The resulting hypotheses derived from the research problem and formulated research questions are validated. This unlocks the opportunity to formally use the procedure as appropriate guidelines for structuring. It equally demonstrates the use of paradigms borrowed from other disciplines within organisational design. Additionally, the procedural knowledge is formally transferable through university course material and lectures. The benefit of the dissertation is the inclusion of the Object-Oriented paradigm within the discipline of organisational design. In doing so, it eliminates the void in this domain and offers both academicians and managers further areas of research.
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Davis, Matthew Christopher. "Psychological and organisational issues in the design of buildings and workplaces." Thesis, University of Leeds, 2011. http://etheses.whiterose.ac.uk/21121/.
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Offices are evolving rapidly to facilitate organisational cost reductions and to better support contemporary working practices. This thesis explores the design and reconfiguration of physical workspace. Theories of the physical environment, work design and ideas from the design literature are drawn upon to understand interactions in modern workspace. The evaluation of a global engineering company's office reconfiguration programme provides the research context. Study one examines the relationships between features of contemporary office configuration (proximity and break-out areas), staff autonomy and communication. Data from 405 employees in differing offices were collected. Break-out areas and autonomy were positively related to communication. A three-way interaction was observed, suggesting that configuration affects groups of workers differently and that the environment-worker relationship should be considered as a system. Study two examines the trade-offs present in contemporary reconfigurations (reduced proximity and density, vs., increased break-out provision). The potential mediating role of crowding in the environment- worker relationship is also investigated. The research utilised a longitudinal quasi-experimental design. Data were collected from 296 respondents, at two time-points, in three offices. Reconfigurations that reduced individual workspace (density and proximity) were related to increased crowding. Inclusion of greater break-out provision within offices that reduce individual workspace appear not to trade-off negative relationships with crowding and communication. Findings indicate that crowding partially mediates the relationship between density and proximity with communication. The implications of these findings for theory and practice are discussed. Future research and methodological directions are also articulated.
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Blignaut, Johan Leon. "Effective social system design : using the systems approach for organisational development." Master's thesis, University of Cape Town, 1997. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/9502.
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Bibliography: leaves 126-127.This thesis presents a model that has been developed to provide a framework for inquiry in management research. Incorporated into the model are; the scientific method specifically as described by C.S. Peirce, the concept of learning cycles specifically as described by C. Handy, and the SCQATRE method that draws from the work of Minto and Ryan. This method maps over a learning cycle and presents a way of describing the problem by firstly describing the Situation, then expressing the Concern that you have regarding this situation. The Question that is raised by the concern follows. Thereafter comes the Answer to the question, a theoretical Test with a description of the Reasoning behind the answer and finally a practical Evaluation. System Thinking and its methods. I test the model by applying it to a complex problem o
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Egan, Victor. "Organisational form at the technical core of Australian engineering design companies." Thesis, Egan, Victor (2003) Organisational form at the technical core of Australian engineering design companies. PhD thesis, Murdoch University, 2003. https://researchrepository.murdoch.edu.au/id/eprint/52360/.
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The theory of the high-performance work system (HPWS) is a relatively recent development that is encompassed within the rubric of strategic human resource management (SHRM). The theory suggests that a company can achieve sustained competitive advantage provided HRM practices are employee focused, internally consistent, and dynamically aligned with corporate objectives and strategies. While the theory has been supported by considerable empirical evidence, the present research study identified a number of methodological biases in the HPWS research to date that appeared to contribute to systematic error, and support a generalised theory without recognition of contextually specific assumptions. The present study used a multilevel/ mixed methodology approach to explore HRM practices in five Australian engineering design companies (EDCs). Practical implementation was compared to idealised HRM practices determined a priori to fit the HPWS framework. The research found that implementation of HRM practices was minimal, rather than high-performing, and that human resources at the technical core were not a contributory factor to company performance. This finding would appear to be paradoxical to the opinion of mainstream HRM scholars, who profess human resources as a major asset of any company and a potential source of sustained competitive advantage. Indeed, the findings of this study revealed the major asset as not human resources per se, but rather, the corporate leaders, who were able to leverage substantial sector growth to the benefit of the companies. The research also demonstrated that firm growth and long-term survival can eventuate despite minimal, non-strategic HRM systems. In an external context characterised as hypo-competitive, market buoyancy and the quality of strategic decision-making at the corporate level overwhelm human resources at the technical core in contributory significance to company performance. This finding suggests that the long-held and much vaunted notion of the ‘resource-based view of firm growth’, rather than a generalisable truism, is spurious and context-bound.
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Qi, Meng. "The effects of interpersonal relationship variables on organisational citizenship behaviours and their implications for learning design in Chinese organisations." Thesis, University of Hull, 2015. http://hydra.hull.ac.uk/resources/hull:13228.
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The present research examines how emotional intelligence, cognitive styles and leader-member exchange influence Organisational Citizenship Behaviours (OCB) on different levels (individual level and group level). There is increasing evidence to indicate that individuals’ perceptions and abilities play an essential role in explaining and predicting organisational citizenship behaviours (e.g. Van Dyne and Butler Ellis, 2004; Morrison and Phelps, 1999). The focus of this study is building on this body of research by examining the influence of cognitive style theory, leader-member exchange (LMX) and emotional intelligence (EI) on OCB. Although cognitive style preferences are known to influence one’s attitudes and behaviours toward others (e.g. Kirton, 2003; Charbonneau and Nicol, 2002), no study has previously focused on the relationship between cognitive styles and OCB. Another growing body of literature indicates that emotional intelligence (EI) and cognitive styles can be considered as predictors of the quality of leader member exchange relationships (LMX) (e.g. Allinson et al, 2001; Charbonneau and Nicol, 2002), which positively relate to OCB (e.g. Ilies et al. 2007). However, no previous studies have considered the mediating role of LMX in the relationship between EI, cognitive styles and OCB. Furthermore, no study has yet examined the effects of group level emotional intelligence and group composition in relation to cognitive style diversity on OCB. These are the areas where the present study attempts to make a significant contribution to new knowledge in the field of organisational citizenship behaviour research. Based on the extant literature, a research framework has been developed to identify the relationship between the three factors of cognitive styles, EI and LMX on organisational citizenship behaviours. The overarching purpose of the research is to enhance our understanding of how to cultivate employees’ organisational citizenship behaviours and how to better organize group members into more effective working groups. The research is conducted in the context of Chinese manufacturing firms and employs a quantitative approach using a range of reliable and valid instruments. Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) and multilevel modelling (MLWIN) are then applied to analyze the relationship between the independent variables (cognitive styles, EI and LMX) and the dependent variable (organisational citizenship behaviours). Results from a final sample size of 865 individuals comprising supervisors and their immediate subordinates are reported. The study successfully determines the relationship between emotional intelligence, LMX, cognitive style and organisational citizenship behaviour. As expected, high level of emotional intelligence leads to higher quality organisational citizenship behaviours at both individual and group levels. Moreover, as hypothesised, the quality of LMX plays a mediating role in the relationship between both leaders’ emotional intelligence and intuitive style and followers’ organisational citizenship behaviours. Practical implications are given and recommendation made for future research.
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Thompson, Nicola Claire. "Investigating talent attraction: percieved attractiveness of non-financial reward elements by means of an experimental design." Master's thesis, University of Cape Town, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/8534.
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Includes bibliographical references.The changing nature of work and an increased global need for organisations to remain competitive in the war for scarce skills and talent has influenced the manner in which organisations manage their talent. Organisations are altering their strategic imperatives to include more effective and highly attractive reward packages that attract top talented employees. As a result this could increase their competitive advantage in the market. Lately however, financial rewards and money is no longer enough to attract, motivate or retain employees. These changes have led organisations to seek out non-financial attraction rewards that are most effective in harnessing top talent. The main objective of this study was to establish which non-financial rewards and what combinations of these rewards were perceived to be most attractive to employees when considering a job offering. A secondary objective was to establish which non-financial rewards were most attractive to various demographic groups namely: gender, race, and age.
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Short, Chris. "Human factor influences on effective computer aided design implementation." Thesis, Sheffield Hallam University, 2001. http://shura.shu.ac.uk/20360/.
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Computer Aided Design (CAD) has the capability to influence a company's competitiveness in terms of quality, flexibility and cost effectiveness of design. Consequently, the opportunities provided by the efficient and effective use of CAD techniques are vital to a company's operational and business success. The aims of this research have been to; 1 Ascertain and identify the contribution and relevance of human factor and technological issues within a successful CAD implementation methodology. 2. Develop a human factor understanding which, when incorporated into an implementation methodology aids the introduction of CAD technology and increases the likelihood of realising opportunities. The initial research is based on a review of the literature on CAD and a pilot study of six companies employing CAD. This identifies the mix of issues involved during implementation as being, Technical, Organisational and Human. It also highlights the main problems experienced by companies as a function of the levels of Support, Direction and Communication. The above issues have been incorporated into a CAD introduction framework based on quality criteria. The results of this initial stage of the research have been substantiated by in-depth case studies of three companies, in various stages of CAD adoption and "Best Practice" activities have been identified for each area of the framework and related to the overall performance of the companies. To widen the scope of the investigation and provide more evidence, the framework was then employed in the in-depth analysis of six further case studies. These identified CAD support as playing a key role in maximising CAD potential. From this evidence a "Support Framework" has been proposed and validated via the results of a written postal questionnaire distributed to 1000 UK companies. Evidence from the 100 respondents of the postal survey strongly supports the proposition and suggests that companies are experiencing human problems, especially in the area of advanced 3D CAD. The problems are a result of inadequate internal support systems and can be overcome by the methods proposed by this research.
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Marques, Iuri. "Organisational culture in community pharmacy : design and validation of a new instrument." Thesis, University of Manchester, 2016. https://www.research.manchester.ac.uk/portal/en/theses/organisational-culture-in-community-pharmacy-design-and-validation-of-a-new-instrument(d011c3d7-9da4-4a68-8e41-ee825890387f).html.
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Background: Organisational culture refers to the way employees perceive, think and feel about their work and organisation, guiding their behaviours. The way community pharmacists perceive their work pressures, as well as organisational outcomes such as job satisfaction and commitment, turnover and performance may be influenced by organisational culture. However, there is little evidence of the link between organisational culture and community pharmacists’ perceptions of their workplace. Moreover, it is not possible to establish which outcomes can be linked to organisational culture, due to the lack of validated instruments capable of measuring aspects that are unique to community pharmacy. The aim of this study was to design and validate a questionnaire to measure organisational culture in community pharmacy in Great Britain. Methods of questionnaire design and testing: Qualitative interviews with 12 community pharmacists working in Greater Manchester and relevant literature were analysed to identify variables describing organisational culture in community pharmacy, informing the design of a new conceptual model. Survey items were drafted based on the conceptual model, and response categories for the questionnaire were chosen. Cognitive interviews established the content validity of the conceptual model and questionnaire. The questionnaire was then administered to a sample of community pharmacists in Great Britain (n=1000) obtained from the GPhC register of pharmacies. Factor analysis was conducted to validate the questionnaire and investigate its component structure. Inferential analysis was conducted to investigate differences in how community pharmacists perceived organisational culture. Results: Two-hundred-and-nine usable questionnaires were returned. Factor analysis revealed five dimensions comprising of 60 items. These dimensions are: Business and work configuration; Social relationships; Personal and professional development; Skills utilisation; and Environment and structures. The conceptual model was adjusted based on these dimensions and the items retained, describing how different variables interact to produce different cultures. The questionnaire demonstrated good psychometric properties, with high levels of validity and reliability. Findings from the questionnaire revealed differences in how community pharmacists perceived their cultures, suggesting different cultures: more positive ratings were associated with owners, pharmacists from ethnic backgrounds, and those working in independent pharmacies; more negative ratings were associated with relief pharmacists, white pharmacists, and pharmacists working in supermarket pharmacies. Discussion: Organisational culture influences the way individuals think and behave. Supportive cultures that facilitate workflow are paramount in shaping organisations’ professional image and determining its success. However, findings from the questionnaire indicate that the way community pharmacists perceive organisational culture varies, suggesting different organisational cultures. It is important for leaders to consider these differences and their impact on organisational outcomes. The validated conceptual model will be useful in future research by describing how different configurations produce different cultures. The questionnaire will allow the investigation of differences in how organisational culture is perceived in community pharmacy and their link to job outcomes, and identification of organisational variables which may be perceived as infrequent triggering change and guiding interventions to maximise positive outcomes, for both pharmacists and pharmacies.
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Yee, Hon Weng (Jonathan). "Assessing the potential of inter-organisational shared services." Thesis, Queensland University of Technology, 2009. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/26040/1/Hon_Weng_Yee_Thesis.pdf.
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Shared Services (SS) involves the convergence and streamlining of an organisation’s functions to ensure timely service delivery as effectively and efficiently as possible. As a management structure designed to promote value generation, cost savings and improved service delivery by leveraging on economies of scale, the idea of SS is driven by cost reduction and improvements in quality levels of service and efficiency. Current conventional wisdom is that the potential for SS is increasing due to the increasing costs of changing systems and business requirements for organisations and in implementing and running information systems. In addition, due to commoditisation of large information systems such as enterprise systems, many common, supporting functions across organisations are becoming more similar than not, leading to an increasing overlap in processes and fuelling the notion that it is possible for organisations to derive benefits from collaborating and sharing their common services through an inter-organisational shared services (IOSS) arrangement. While there is some research on traditional SS, very little research has been done on IOSS. In particular, it is unclear what are the potential drivers and inhibitors of IOSS. As the concepts of IOSS and SS are closely related to that of Outsourcing, and their distinction is sometimes blurred, this research has the first objective of seeking a clear conceptual understanding of the differences between SS and Outsourcing (in motivators, arrangements, benefits, disadvantages, etc) and based on this conceptual understanding, the second objective of this research is to develop a decision model (Shared Services Potential model) which would aid organisations in deciding which arrangement would be more appropriate for them to adopt in pursuit of process improvements for their operations. As the context of the study is on universities in higher education sharing administrative services common to or across them and with the assumption that such services were homogenous in nature, this thesis also reports on a case study. The case study involved face to face interviews from representatives of an Australian university to explore the potential for IOSS. Our key findings suggest that it is possible for universities to share services common across them as most of them were currently using the same systems although independently.
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Yee, Hon Weng (Jonathan). "Assessing the potential of inter-organisational shared services." Queensland University of Technology, 2009. http://eprints.qut.edu.au/26040/.
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Shared Services (SS) involves the convergence and streamlining of an organisation’s functions to ensure timely service delivery as effectively and efficiently as possible. As a management structure designed to promote value generation, cost savings and improved service delivery by leveraging on economies of scale, the idea of SS is driven by cost reduction and improvements in quality levels of service and efficiency. Current conventional wisdom is that the potential for SS is increasing due to the increasing costs of changing systems and business requirements for organisations and in implementing and running information systems. In addition, due to commoditisation of large information systems such as enterprise systems, many common, supporting functions across organisations are becoming more similar than not, leading to an increasing overlap in processes and fuelling the notion that it is possible for organisations to derive benefits from collaborating and sharing their common services through an inter-organisational shared services (IOSS) arrangement. While there is some research on traditional SS, very little research has been done on IOSS. In particular, it is unclear what are the potential drivers and inhibitors of IOSS. As the concepts of IOSS and SS are closely related to that of Outsourcing, and their distinction is sometimes blurred, this research has the first objective of seeking a clear conceptual understanding of the differences between SS and Outsourcing (in motivators, arrangements, benefits, disadvantages, etc) and based on this conceptual understanding, the second objective of this research is to develop a decision model (Shared Services Potential model) which would aid organisations in deciding which arrangement would be more appropriate for them to adopt in pursuit of process improvements for their operations. As the context of the study is on universities in higher education sharing administrative services common to or across them and with the assumption that such services were homogenous in nature, this thesis also reports on a case study. The case study involved face to face interviews from representatives of an Australian university to explore the potential for IOSS. Our key findings suggest that it is possible for universities to share services common across them as most of them were currently using the same systems although independently.
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Prekas, Nikolaos. "Pattern-based reuse of organisational design knowledge : conceptual framework and hypermedia library." Thesis, University of Manchester, 2000. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.488395.
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Sani, Navid Karimi. "The co-design of business and IT systems based on organisational semiotics." Thesis, University of Reading, 2011. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.578017.
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The twenty-first century business environment is extremely competitive and challenging. The winners in this fast paced dynamic environment are the ones which co-evolve all of their resources in a more effective and innovative way. Needless to say, information technology (IT) becomes an inevitable part of organisations in order to facilitate their transformation to be more adaptive and innovative. Unfortunately, large amount of resources are being invested in IT systems; however, they do not provide the expected benefits for several reasons. Firstly, organisations are forced to change their business practice frequently, and these changes are often not applied in their IT systems. Therefore, IT systems, which were once satisfactory, become inadequate, in-time obsolete and sometimes the bottleneck of business activities. Moreover, organisations utilise IT systems without carefully considering their effects on other parts of the organisation. Therefore, the challenge is to organically co-design IT with business operation in order to improve the overall performance of the organisation. Co-design of business and IT systems is a field that is concerned with gathering and processing knowledge from different parts of an organisation to transform business processes and IT systems simultaneously. This research project aims to expand the co- design theory and develop a co-design method that will offer practical solutions for aligning business processes and IT systems. Organisational semiotics is the theoretical and methodological foundation of this research. The proposed co-design method, called Co- BITS, is organised in three layers; informal, formal, and technical, inspired by the organisational onion from organisational semiotics tools. Co-BITS method starts by identifying the problem in hand through involving relevant stakeholders from different parts of the organisation. Then, related processes and activities (the "as-is" situation) are studied and the desired solutions (the "to-be" situation) are proposed. Consequently, the relevant IT systems are examined to identify whether they will support the target situation. Finally, if changes need to be introduced it will be discussed with relevant stakeholders and proper actions will be taken. This research adopts the radical subjectivist paradigm and believes that the drivers of changes and their solutions are directly influenced by the stakeholders' views. Multiple case study approach is employed as the research method in order to evaluate and validate Co-BITS method; two case studies have been conducted in which the method has been applied to the analysis and design of proposed changes in business and IT systems. The results are qualitatively analysed and justified in this thesis. Moreover, the outcomes and recommendations have been presented to the companies for feedback and evaluation. The outcomes proved that Co-BITS can be used as a solution for co-designing business and IT systems as simultaneously as possible and can lessen the gap between these two systems in the occurrence of change. Moreover, the outcome of valuation shows more promising benefits for medium to large size organisations.
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Bohme, Heinrich Martin. "A critical review of best practices for a high-performance organisational design." Thesis, Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2005. http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/50244.
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Thesis (MBA)--Stellenbosch University, 2005.ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The 21st century is marked by unprecedented changes in technology, political and economic systems, and societal demands, that call for leadership that can develop an organisation's human capacity, structure and functions to perform effectively in a highly dynamic environment. Ever more organisations are required to combine operational effectiveness with strategic flexibility, and organisations with hierarchies, bureaucracies, and many levels of review and approval seem to be incapable of fast response to the new business needs. Information technology (IT) offers additional variables that, when combined with considerations of structure, people, and tasks, can help design more responsive organisations. However, few organisational leaders know how to correct the situation when their organisations are not working well. This study presents IT as the greatest driver of organisational and societal change. Information technology can support different forms of organisational design to cope with the increasing complexity and conflicting demands of today's dynamic business environment. The onus is on management to align the organisational structure with its strategy to improve organisational performance. However, organisations and workplaces differ, and consequently their appropriate work organisation technologies differ. The changes in IT and market structures have shifted the competition from a single organisation to a network scope, resulting in a need for new organisational strategies and structures. Traditional forms of organisation are often deemed inefficient, but this research suggests that leaders should be willing to learn from the past, such as the nature of control issues in work, the importance of infrastructure and design, and that both traditional and new forms are necessary to adapt to the conflicting demands of today's business environment. Most organisations today are still hierarchical with some form of top-down structure, but it remains essential that some people are leaders and others are followers to prevent anarchy in an organisation. Simply eliminating hierarchical structures does not result in more responsive organisations, and thus "healthy hierarchies" should be designed to allow flexibility within a hierarchical structure. Emerging concepts and models of organisation thus rarely completely replace earlier ones, but instead try to create a richer context within which to reinterpret the earlier concepts and their role in a broader, more complex framework. Organisations cannot be represented as "pure" forms, but should be seen as dynamic systems that consist out of clusters of segments, where each segment can be represented as a pure form of organisation. Organisations should be able to gain a competitive advantage if management is able to combine difficult-to-combine attributes, and to design an organisation with different forms to face internal and external challenges. A framework is presented to help practitioners to design or redesign their organisations according to best practices. The framework incorporates the influence of IT on the business environment and the organisation, the concept of a "healthy" hierarchy, the commitment of the key stakeholders to organisational change, and tests to design an organisation according to four fit drivers (product-market strategies, corporate strategy, people, and constraints) and five good design principles.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die 21ste eeu is gekenmerk deur ongekende veranderinge in tegnologie, politiese en ekonomiese stelsels, en sosiale eise. Leiers moet dus 'n organisasie se menslike kapasiteit, struktuur en funksies kan ontwikkel om effektief in 'n hoogs dinamiese omgewing te kan opereer. AI hoe meer organisasies word vereis om operasionele effektiewiteit met strategiese buigsaamheid te kombineer, en organisasies met hierargieë, burokrasieë, en baie vlakke van hersiening en goedkeuring blyk nie in staat te wees om vinnig te reageer op die nuwe besigheidsvereistes nie. Informasie tegnologie (IT) bied addisionele veranderlikes wat kan help om beter reagerende organisasies te ontwerp met inagneming van struktuur, mense, en werk. Min leiers weet egter hoe om die situasie te verbeter wanneer hulle organisasie nie goed presteer nie. Hierdie studie stel IT voor as dié grootste drywer van organisatoriese en sosiale verandering. Informasie tegnologie ondersteun verskillende vorms van organisatoriese ontwerp wat voldoen aan die stygende kompleksiteit en teenstrydige vereistes van vandag se dinamiese besigheidsomgewing. Die onus rus egter op die bestuur om die struktuur van die organisasie in lyn te bring met sy strategie van verhoogde prestasie. Organisasies en werksplekke verskil, en gevolglik sal die toepaslike tegnologieë vir die organisasie van werk ook verskil. Die veranderinge in IT en markstrukture het kompetisie verskuif van 'n enkelorganisasie na 'n netwerk toe, wat 'n behoefte vir nuwe organisatoriese strategieë en strukture tot gevolg gehad het. Tradisionele vorms van organisasie word gereeld as ondoeltreffend bestempel, maar hierdie studie stel voor dat leiers moet gewillig wees om uit die verlede te leer, soos die aard van beheerkwessies by die werk, die belangrikheid van infrastruktuur en ontwerp, en dat beide tradisionele en nuwe vorms nodig is om aan te pas by die teenstrydige vereistes van vandag se besigheidsomgewing. Die meeste organisasies is vandag steeds in een of ander vorm hierargies gestruktureerd van bo na onder, maar dit bly nietemin noodsaaklik dat sekere mense leiers is en ander volgelinge om anargie in 'n organisasie te vermy. Deur slegs hierargiese strukture te verwyder sal nie tot 'n meer responsiewe organisasie lei nie, en dus behoort "gesonde hierargieë" ontwerp te word om buigsaamheid binne 'n hierargiese struktuur toe te laat. Opkomende konsepte en modelle van organisasie vervang gevolglik selde die voriges, en probeer eerder 'n ryker konteks te skep, waarbinne die vorige konsepte en hulle rol in 'n breër, meer komplekse raamwerk geherinterpreteer kan word. Organisasies kan nie as "suiwer" vorms voorgestel word nie, maar eerder as dinamiese stelsels bestaande uit groepe segmente, waar elke segment 'n suiwer vorm van organisasie verteenwoordig. Organisasies behoort dus 'n mededingende voordeel te trek, as die bestuur in staat is om moeilik kombineerbare eienskappe te kombineer, en 'n organisasie met verskillende vorms te kan ontwerp wat interne en eksterne uitdagings trotseer. 'n Praktiese raamwerk word voorgestel om organisasies te ontwerp en te herontwerp volgens beste gebruike. Die raamwerk inkorporeer die invloed van IT op die besigheidsomgewing en die organisasie, die konsep van 'n "gesonde" hierargie, die verbintenis van alle sleutelinsethouers tot verandering van die organisasie, en toetse om 'n organisasie te ontwerp volgens vier pasdrywers (produk markstrategieë, besigheidstrategie, mense, en beperkinge) en vyf goeie ontwerpbeginsels.
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Reynolds, Kristal Teresa. "Critical success elements for the design and implementation of organisational e-learning." Thesis, Queensland University of Technology, 2012. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/60240/1/Kristal_Reynolds_Thesis.pdf.
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Organisations are engaging in e-learning as a mechanism for delivering flexible learning to meet the needs of individuals and organisations. In light of the increasing use and organisational investment in e-learning, the need for methods to evaluate the success of its design and implementation seems more important than ever. To date, developing a standard for the evaluation of e-learning appears to have eluded both academics and practitioners.
The currently accepted evaluation methods for e-learning are traditional learning and development models, such as Kirkpatrick’s model (1976). Due to the technical nature of e-learning it is important to broaden the scope and consider other evaluation models or techniques, such as the DeLone and McLean Information Success Model, that may be applicable to the e-learning domain. Research into the use of e-learning courses has largely avoided considering the applicability of information systems research. Given this observation, it is reasonable to conclude that e-learning implementation decisions and practice could be overlooking useful or additional viewpoints.
This research investigated how existing evaluation models apply in the context of organisational e-learning, and resulted in an Organisational E-learning success Framework, which identifies the critical elements for success in an e-learning environment.
In particular this thesis highlights the critical importance of three e-learning system creation elements; system quality, information quality, and support quality. These elements were explored in depth and the nature of each element is described in detail. In addition, two further elements were identified as factors integral to the success of an e-learning system; learner preferences and change management.
Overall, this research has demonstrated the need for a holistic approach to e-learning evaluation. Furthermore, it has shown that the application of both traditional training evaluation approaches and the D&M IS Success Model are appropriate to the organisational e-learning context, and when combined can provide this holistic approach. Practically, this thesis has reported the need for organisations to consider evaluation at all stages of e-learning from design through to implementation.
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Segon, Michael John. "Institutionalising ethical cultures: an investigation of formal organisational approaches." Queensland University of Technology, 2006. http://eprints.qut.edu.au/16179/.
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This thesis examined the institutionalisation of ethics within Australian organisations. A particular focus is the role of the strategic apex, or executive level of the organisation, in establishing the environment in which an ethical culture can develop. The literature review examined both organisational theory and existing approaches to developing organisational ethical culture using formal mechanisms such as written policies, procedures, training and development and reinforcement strategies. This revealed the polarisation of ethics literature between compliance and integrity based approaches. This is seen to be consistent with only two forms of organizations, the mechanistic and organic structures. This was identified as a major flaw in ethics literature as it does not inform organisations about appropriate ethical design for organisations that fall in between this continuum. The review of organisational theory concluded that components of organisational structure are used to discuss organisational moral responsibility and are also the components of the compliance and integrity approaches to organisational ethics. A tentative hypothesis was established that organisational ethics systems would be more effective if they are in fit with an organisation's structure. The study utilised a qualitative case based research method, argued as appropriate given the focus being strategic alignment of organisational structure and ethics frameworks. Thus was also recognised as having limitations, specifically not addressing the behavioural impact of such strategies in a significant way. The study examined the ethical frameworks of three large organisations. This included: an analysis of background to the ethics strategy, the design process, who was given responsibility for design and implementation of the framework. The major characteristics of the program was considered, how it was encultured throughout the organisation and consideration of any evaluation mechanism. This was contrasted against the organization's structural characteristics to establish whether the ethical framework was in fit with the structure of the organization. The analysis and discussion identified that senior management support was evident in all three case studies and crucial to the development of an ethical culture. Extensive written policies (codes of ethics and conduct) were identified in all three cases; however, the extent of appropriate support systems determined the degree to which these policies were effective. There was a general lack of understanding of ethical systems within the organisation with little expertise evident by those responsible for the programs in terms of appropriate strategies for enculturation. Ineffective strategies were mainly due to lack of appropriate support mechanisms (communication, training, reinforcement and reward and review) or inconsistency between support mechanisms and other organisational policies A major conclusion of the thesis is that the strategies used for enculturation of ethics, are basic organisational design variables. As such ethical frameworks need to be informed by organisational theory so as to design systems that achieve fit which leads to greater effectiveness.
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Blyth, David Ian. "Structural barriers to transformational leadership and the influence of internal organisational context." Thesis, Curtin University, 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/569.
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This thesis explores the potential structural barriers to transformational leadership and the influence of organisational context. Qualitative research was undertaken across two case study firms using grounded research (Glaser & Strauss, 1967; Whiteley, 2004).A number of themes emerged which collectively describe a range of structural barriers to transformational leadership. The empirical evidence of this research highlights the structural barriers and the influence of organisational context on transformational leadership. The themes that emerged and are discussed in this thesis include: understanding and influence of the strategic context; clarity of direction; organisational design; control systems; role context; the change dynamic within the organisation; the degree of empowerment; the organisational culture; the relational context; and the lack of time.From these emergent themes and incorporating the extant literature a number of second order insights also emerged. In particular, the thesis examines the interplay between the levels of work and the nature of transformational leadership; the notion of ‘nested leadership’ where the leader’s leader plays a much stronger role than simple role modelling; and the emergence of a new holism, wherein the dynamic interplay between transactional and transformational leadership is exploredThe research confirms what Fiedler and others have suggested: “we can design situations that allow leaders to utilize their intellectual abilities, expertise and experience more effectively” (Fiedler, 1996, p. 249).
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Segon, Michael John. "Institutionalising ethical cultures: an investigation of formal organisational approaches." Thesis, Queensland University of Technology, 2006. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/16179/1/Michael_Segon_Thesis.pdf.
Full textAbstract:
This thesis examined the institutionalisation of ethics within Australian organisations. A particular focus is the role of the strategic apex, or executive level of the organisation, in establishing the environment in which an ethical culture can develop.
The literature review examined both organisational theory and existing approaches to developing organisational ethical culture using formal mechanisms such as written policies, procedures, training and development and reinforcement strategies. This revealed the polarisation of ethics literature between compliance and integrity based approaches. This is seen to be consistent with only two forms of organizations, the mechanistic and organic structures. This was identified as a major flaw in ethics literature as it does not inform organisations about appropriate ethical design for organisations that fall in between this continuum. The review of organisational theory concluded that components of organisational structure are used to discuss organisational moral responsibility and are also the components of the compliance and integrity approaches to organisational ethics. A tentative hypothesis was established that organisational ethics systems would be more effective if they are in fit with an organisation's structure.
The study utilised a qualitative case based research method, argued as appropriate given the focus being strategic alignment of organisational structure and ethics frameworks. Thus was also recognised as having limitations, specifically not addressing the behavioural impact of such strategies in a significant way. The study examined the ethical frameworks of three large organisations. This included: an analysis of background to the ethics strategy, the design process, who was given responsibility for design and implementation of the framework. The major characteristics of the program was considered, how it was encultured throughout the organisation and consideration of any evaluation mechanism. This was contrasted against the organization's structural characteristics to establish whether the ethical framework was in fit with the structure of the organization.
The analysis and discussion identified that senior management support was evident in all three case studies and crucial to the development of an ethical culture. Extensive written policies (codes of ethics and conduct) were identified in all three cases; however, the extent of appropriate support systems determined the degree to which these policies were effective. There was a general lack of understanding of ethical systems within the organisation with little expertise evident by those responsible for the programs in terms of appropriate strategies for enculturation. Ineffective strategies were mainly due to lack of appropriate support mechanisms (communication, training, reinforcement and reward and review) or inconsistency between support mechanisms and other organisational policies
A major conclusion of the thesis is that the strategies used for enculturation of ethics, are basic organisational design variables. As such ethical frameworks need to be informed by organisational theory so as to design systems that achieve fit which leads to greater effectiveness.
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Ahmad, Albakri Bin. "A pluralist perspective of team syntegrity : design and intervention strategy for organisational change." Thesis, [S.l.] : [s.n.], 1999. http://aleph.unisg.ch/hsgscan/hm00250490.pdf.
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Wong, Tsz-shun Margarita. "The survival of HongKong Post organisational design issues and prospects in comparative perspective /." Click to view the E-thesis via HKUTO, 2003. http://sunzi.lib.hku.hk/hkuto/record/B31967413.
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Lagunas, Diego, and Björn Hellman. "Organisational Advantages through the development of Information Systems : An Information System Design Strategy." Thesis, Växjö University, School of Technology and Design, 2007. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:vxu:diva-1546.
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Information systems design was investigated and a model was developed aimed obtaining organisational advantages through quality and participation. This was developed by connecting high quality information assurance in an IS to the needs of the organisation and incorporating the users in the development through participation factors.
The model generates a instruction that connects the impact on the individual and organisation when developing an IS to the organisational benefits. Its purpose is to enable the benefits of motivation, awareness and empowerment.
We applied the model using the case study approach for connecting the model to a real life situation. The results provided a blueprint to implement the IS design strategy and may be investigated later to verify if the advantages were reached.
The work is of great interest to project managers, software developers and programmers
Design av informationssystem var undersökt. En modell togs fram med målet att knyta organisatoriska fördelar från kvalitet och medverkan av organisationen i framtagandet av ett IS. Modellen skapades utifrån två ståndpunkter, hög kvalitet på datasäkerhet och de behov som finns inom organisationen samt en inkorporerad medverkan av användarna i framtagandet av IS.
Modellen fungerar som en instruktion med målet att koppla påverkan på organisationen samt individen av att implementera ett IS till de organisatoriska fördelarna genererade av förändringen. Resultatet möjliggör fördelarna av motivation, medvetenhet och empowerment hos organisationen samt individen.
Vi applicerade modellen i ett verkligt företag. Resultatet blev en beskrivning för realisering av en IS designstrategi. Denna strategi bör senare bli utvärderad för att säkerställa att det önskade målet har uppnåtts.
Detta arbete skulle kunna intressera projektledare, mjukvara utvecklare och programmerare.
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Dumas, Angela Mary Piers. "The effect of management structure and organisational process on decisions in industrial design." Thesis, London Business School (University of London), 1993. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.388816.
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Arefian, F. "Organisational design and management for post disaster reconstruction programmes : the case of Bam." Thesis, University College London (University of London), 2015. http://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/1472009/.
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Contemporary advances in the intersection between disaster and development studies characterise recovery and reconstruction with a multiplicity of tasks and objectives. For example, one of the aims of reconstruction is to contribute to future disaster risk reduction. Reconstruction, which covers the physical re-development of the built environment, is one element of post-disaster recovery; recovery is multi-dimensional, including psycho-social, economic and environmental recovery. In practice, organising such reconstruction programmes that can achieve development objectives and contribute to multi-dimension recovery have proven problematic. Despite the increasing recognition of problems and difficulties, there is an imbalance in the literature in disaster fields that leans toward ‘what’ is expected from reconstruction with less attention to ‘how’ to organise reconstruction towards delivery of such expectations. There appears to be a gap in the theory that supports organising reconstruction programmes towards their contemporary expectations. The importance of organisational design is an emerging notion within reconstruction field. The purpose of this research is to explore, within the case of Bam after the 2003 earthquake, how organisational design and management of the reconstruction programme have influenced the approach and achievement of the objectives of the reconstruction programme. The Bam reconstruction had three objectives: safeguarding historical urban identity, building earthquake resistant buildings, and mobilising people to participate. The housing reconstruction programme in Bam was a complex case, offering learning opportunities to understand organisational design and management. Through a synthesis of a broader inter-disciplinary literature in the field of disaster studies, organisation and management, this research offers a conceptual framework for the organisational design and management of reconstruction programmes. In the absence of an established conceptual model or analytical framework the case study has been studied through an exploratory approach employing this conceptual framework. Qualitative and supporting quantitative data was collected through multiple sources, including 59 in-depth and semi-structured interviews with key people in national, provincial and local involved organisations, other related organisations and beneficiaries. The researcher’s real-time participation in the programme implementation after the 2003 earthquake also enables deeper insights and understanding about the case. The case study research explores how the housing reconstruction programme system was formed purposefully towards the delivery of the stated objectives. For each objective practical consideration were introduced. The delivery system gathered those practical considerations and created an innovative housing process throughout the Bam area. The programme delivery system formation had both consistencies and inconsistencies, namely in unit grouping, decentralisation, control mechanisms, accountability and the workflow. The system evolved during its implementation to reflect unfolding consequences of inconsistencies in initial formation and emerging contextual issues in the field, such as changing the national government. The Bam case provides evidences that post disaster reconstruction programmes require innovative delivery systems but the configuration of the system must be consistent among those organisational attributes. Evidences showed that both formation and implementation of the delivery system for reconstruction programmes require strategic management. Although the Bam case presents a purposeful approach it lacked the strategic thinking approach, for example, the three strategic objectives were treated in isolation, were not prioritised and the interconnected practical considerations for objectives were not identified. The case showed informal social learning for disaster affected people has an important role for longer term impact on disaster risk reduction. Social learning takes place in common shared places among different groups active in reconstruction. The reconstruction programme formation can provide such common places. It needs the recognition of the importance of informal social learning while forming the delivery system. Reconstruction programmes have multi-organisation delivery systems that inherit the likelihood of developing divergent approaches towards reconstruction objectives, reconfirming the need for a strategic approach to the reconstruction programme implementation. Engaging organisations that are involved in housing process in normal situations has the potential to positively influence the practice of housing process for integrating measures for disaster risk reduction. The evidence-based learning opportunities and the research propositions advance the practice theory knowledge contributes to bridging the aforementioned theoretical gap towards better organising reconstruction activities in practice.
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Lane, Simon. "Systems analysts and the restructuring of work." Thesis, University of South Wales, 1997. https://pure.southwales.ac.uk/en/studentthesis/systems-analysts-and-the-restructuring-of-work(25d25c3e-8611-4d6c-a24f-cf7da70516b3).html.
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This thesis sets out to examine contemporary organisational restructuring. In particular it documents and examines the role of engineers and systems analysts in designing and delivering new technologies and work systems. On the basis of fieldwork observations and detailed cross sectoral interviewing of over three hundred personnel in over sixty organisations, the thesis documents the kind of restructuring that is taking place and who is involved in the process. Whilst examining the role of trade unions, management and engineers within this process of restructuring the key focus is systems analysts - who hitherto, have remained a largely uncharted and under-researched group of workers. Through fieldwork, interviews and literature reviews the thesis highlights who systems analysts are and what is involved in the process of systems analysis and design. The thesis, First, documents and offers a critical assessment of the process of business restructuring and some of the key attempts to theorise this process. Second, it documents and examines a series of methods, values and techniques which constitute a design culture, or referral point, from which engineers and analysts interpret what is in the organisations interest, make sense of their own work, pass judgement on their designs and assess their relationships to others involved in the design process. Third, through an analysis of the tools and techniques used for systems analysis and design the thesis demonstrates that there is a profound contradiction between, on the one hand, attempts to develop tools and techniques to more accurately embody the social in the technical and, on the other hand, the influence which prevailing property relations and configurations of power have on the tools and techniques used in systems design. This influence is manifest in the continued existence of a software bottleneck and in system failure and user dissatisfaction. Fourth, the thesis highlights the nature of union involvement in the design process and demonstrates some of the key issues and concerns unions face in the 1990s. Finally, the thesis assesses a number of key attempts to analyse the class position of' intermediate strata' and demonstrates, on the basis of fieldwork studies and interviews the class position of engineers and systems analysts and how this influences the types of technologies and systems these groups design.
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Drews, Franziska. "Designing meta-organisations : an empirical study of boundary setting in large infrastructure projects." Thesis, University of Manchester, 2018. https://www.research.manchester.ac.uk/portal/en/theses/designing-metaorganisations-an-empirical-study-of-boundary-setting-in-large-infrastructure-projects(b0237252-8f61-45da-9b4f-9a7f1bf42c17).html.
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This study examines the organisational architecture of megaproject meta-organisations; that is project-based organisations formed to deliver one-off, capital-intensive systems. It investigates how the organisation that promotes the megaproject - the buyer organisation - divides and allocates the scope of the development work during the delivery phase across multiple suppliers. In so doing, the buyer organisation sets organisational boundaries around its own work and that of each project supplier: effectively creating the megaproject meta- organisation architecture. We use organisation design literature as the main cognitive lens to understand the architecture of megaproject organisations. This literature posits that organisational boundaries can be understood by examining the interplay of four logics: i) Transaction Cost Economics (TCE), ii) capabilities, iii) power and iv) organisational identity. The impact of these four logics on organisational boundaries has been theorised extensively in the context of the enduring firm. Here, we seek to extend our knowledge of boundaries in megaproject organisations. Unlike the enduring firm, megaproject organisations do not operate in efficient markets, are set up to have a finite-lifespan and are highly interdependent with their environment. Megaproject organisations are also a critical form of organising addressing one of the grand challenges of our time: the provision of basic infrastructure. Yet, little is known about the architecture of megaproject organisations. To address this theoretical and empirical gap, we undertook a multiple case research. We conducted an in-depth analysis of the procurement choices for four large infrastructure assets: the London Olympics 2012, Crossrail, Thames Tideway Tunnel and Heathrow's Terminal 2. The research results in the development of an original conceptual framework that illuminates how the four complementary logics are brought to bear in the organisational design choices that determine megaproject architectures. The study contends that the organisational boundaries, which demarcate the work of each supplier, are the outcome of a reconciliation of efficiency concerns and considerations about the capabilities available in-house and in the supplier market. Importantly, this reconciliation is context-sensitive. Hence, the solution space for potential organisational architectures is constrained by considerations related to power and organisational identity. Power constraints are rooted in the interdependency of the buyer with its environment, including regulatory-political and ownership relations, as well as its bargaining position vis a vis suppliers. Organisational identity constraints relate to the buyer organisation's identity, which is both pre- given and developed through self-selection over time.
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Hung, Wei-Hsi (Frank). "Supporting Organisational Critical Activities From Web Sites: An Evaluation Methodology Development." The University of Waikato, 2006. http://hdl.handle.net/10289/2545.
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quot; Organisational critical activities quot; (OCAs) are activities which must be conducted by the organisation constantly in order to be successful in the industry. They are recognised as being essential to short, medium, and long-term success in that industry, have been significantly resourced and receive regular senior management monitoring and direction. Although these activities are extremely important, some empirical studies have shown that they are not well supported by organisations, particularly in the area of Web support. This thesis develops an evaluation methodology called the quot;organisational critical activity Web support evaluation methodology quot; (OCAWSEM) which can be utilised to elicit OCAs from organisations, evaluate whether an organisation acutes; OCAs are being supported by its Web site, and provide guidance on how the organisation can improve its Web site. To develop the OCAWSEM, this thesis reviews the relevant literature and proposes a prototype OCAWSEM. A new iterative case design (ICD) approach has been used in order to further develop the prototype, and then to test the improved OCAWSEM. The selected field cases were eight universities in New Zealand. In total, 43 semi-structured interviews were conducted with senior teams, middle level managers, and Web teams. A systematic review of these universitiesacute Web sites was performed from the provideracutes, rather than the useracutes perspective. The outcome shows that the Developed OCAWSEM is a valid and reliable methodology for the evaluation of the support for OCAs from Web sites in the universities in New Zealand. This thesis provides useful lessons, drawn from the development and testing processes, as the basis from which to develop more specific OCAWSEMs for use in other organisational and industry contexts. Both practitioners and academicians can gain a deeper understanding of the notion of OCAs, better elicit OCAs from management, conduct Web site evaluations, and discuss the support of the Web sites for the OCAs.
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Haron, A. T. "Organisational readiness to implement building information modelling : a framework for design consultants in Malysia." Thesis, University of Salford, 2013. http://usir.salford.ac.uk/29383/.
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Building Information Modelling (BIM) is defined as an approach to building design and construction through modelling technology, associated sets of processes and people to produce, communicate and analyse building information models. The implementation of BIM is expected to improve the delivery of design and construction through 3D visualisation, integrated and automated drawing production, intelligent documentation and information retrieval, consistent data and information, automated conflict detection and automated material take off. Although the potential benefits of BIM are well documented, the implementation process requires proper strategic planning and a thoughtful review of many aspects to realise those benefits. One part of the strategic planning is the readiness assessment where it measures the current position of the organisation as compared to the targeted implementation requirements of the BIM system by using several categories and readiness criteria. Set against the background of the Malaysian construction industry, in the infancy stage of BIM implementation, however has raised the question about the categories and the readiness criteria that should be used to conduct the assessment. The lack of documented BIM implementation in a form of publicly available reports, best practice and guidelines has also escalated the situation. The aim of this research was therefore set to support improvements in the design consultant practice by developing an organisational readiness framework for BIM implementation. The research explored and identified the readiness criteria as the main components of the framework. The research engaged a multiple-case-studies approach and four design consultant companies were selected for the primary data collection. Data from each company was analysed by using content analysis technique before it was cross analysed to determine the pattern of answer. After that, the findings were discussed and theoretically validated to produce a conceptual framework. The conceptual framework was later validated through a focus group workshop to produce the final framework. As the research’s main outcome, the readiness framework consists of four elements. The first readiness element is Process which has three categories residing within it, which are, Process Change Strategy, BIM Implementation Management, and Policy. The second readiness element is Management which includes the categories of Business Strategy, Management Competency, and Leadership. The third element is Technology which also has three categories residing within it, which are Hardware, Technical Support, and Software and the fourth element is People, which has four categories and they are, Roles and Responsibilities, Skill and Attitude, Training and Education and Work Environment. Meanwhile, the 38 readiness criteria that were identified and validated, resided accordingly within each readiness category. The readiness framework as the main outcome of the research can be used to assist the design consultant to identify the readiness gap of the company. The importance lies on informing the area of concern so the effort for BIM implementation can be prioritised. In addition, the individual case study report which had information rich data could help the industry to understand the BIM implementation issue within the context of Malaysia. The outcome of this research showed that the main problems that are preventing consultants from embracing BIM were rarely technical. They were related more to the management and people issues which underpin the capability of the company to successfully implement BIM.
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Twigg, David. "Design chain management : inter-organisational coordination of product development in the UK automotive industry." Thesis, University of Warwick, 1995. http://wrap.warwick.ac.uk/36256/.
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This thesis examines the inter-firm management of product development between a vehicle manufacturer and six component suppliers actively participating in the design and development process. It introduces the notion of design chain management, in a similar way to the supply chain concept has been used to describe logistics and purchasing relationships. This concept enables the product development process to be considered at the inter-firm level between supplier and vehicle manufacturer. Specifically, the research investigates: the nature of the inter-firm design process; the changing requirements of the inter-firm relationship; and the mechanisms that promote inter-firm design transactions. There is an extensive literature review, integrating related themes in product development; coordination mechanisms; inter-firm relationships; information processing; and supplier involvement. This review develops the key components for managing design at the inter-firm level, which forms the basis for an empirical examination of one UK vehicle manufacturer and six of its component suppliers. The empirical part consists of in-depth analyses of the design management process within each case study, and across the buyer-supplier relationship. The research presents a classification of suppliers involved in product development based on their relative responsibility for design, and the position each enters the product development process. The thesis concludes that the core suppliers involved in early exchanges of design information require more attention to long-term structural mechanisms, such as supplier development initiatives, than to the use of CAD/CAM or ED!. In particular, suppliers are investing in placing their own staff permanently within their customer premises, in the form of guest (resident) engineers, and this is an area in need of further research. In addition, there is a need for post-project reviews at both the vehicle programme level and the individual system and component level. As project management is devolved to the supply base, the ability to project manage both internally and externally will determine those firms able to compete effectively in the market place.
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Chang, Han Chao. "Managing new product development : exploring the relationships between organisational knowledge structure and knowledge conversion under the moderating effect of strategy." Thesis, Southampton Solent University, 2008. http://ssudl.solent.ac.uk/571/.
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The aim of this study was to examine the effectiveness of cross-functional knowledge conversion within Taiwanese high-technology small and medium-sized enterprise's (SME) new product development (NPD) teams. An analysis of 107 Taiwanese high-technology SMEs' management characteristics found a complex knowledge structure is better adopted for cross-functional knowledge conversion during the NPD period than existing or simple knowledge structure models. In addition, a Processual strategy moderated the relationships between organisational knowledge structures and four-all steps within knowledge conversion to knowledge transfer; in contrast, Classical strategy was shown only to have moderated effects during the planning and developing stage of the NPD period. Following Blackler's (1995) organisational theory, this study also found the socialisation and externalisation stages require both knowledge features from communication-intensive organisation and symbolic-analyst-dependent organisation within the NPD team's knowledge conversion. Knowledge features from a knowledge-routinised organisation are required at the combination stage; and finally, the knowledge features from an expert-dependent organisation are required at the internalisation stage. Observed strategies can be categorised as being Classical or Processual oriented (Whittington, 1993). This study describes how the strategy moderates the relationship between the organisational knowledge structures and the four knowledge-creation steps, socialisation, externalisation, combination and internalisation for NPD teams. Results showed that the requirement upon strategy differed among stages within the NPD period. During the transfer process, Processual strategy moderated the relationships between organisational knowledge structures and steps within conversion to knowledge transfer during the planning, developing, marketing and commercialisation stages of the NPD period even the negative moderating effects showed in some stages. In contrast, Classical strategy was shown only to have negative moderating effects during the planning and developing stage. Survey results also showed that the highly formalised communication model and periodic meetings advocated by Song et al (1996 & 2002) were gradually replaced by a bounded transfer and less formalised approach. However this study does not find that a consistent approach to strategy, using either PS or CS is likely to smooth the NPD process between marketing and R & D in high technology Taiwanese firms. It is possible that other schools, such as the Evolutionary or Systemic schools suggested by Whittington may fit more closely than the two tested in this study; and this will be the topic of further investigation. However, it is clear that different stages require contradictory processes and outcome routines; thus it is likely that conflict and inconsistency is actually the normal by-product of successful NPD's knowledge conversion.
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Brander, Brown Jacqueline. "Relating organisational culture and accounting control system design : a contingency study in the hotel industry." Thesis, Oxford Brookes University, 2002. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.289139.
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Morlidge, Stephen Philip. "The application of organisational cybernetics to the design and diagnosis of financial performance management systems." Thesis, University of Hull, 2010. http://hydra.hull.ac.uk/resources/hull:15457.
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The object of this study is the processes that govern the flow of financial resources around an organisation. This is addressed in the context of the need for organisations to survive and prosper in an uncertain and dynamic world. Specifically, interest is focussed upon the mechanisms responsible for its ability to respond in an appropriate way to environmental disturbances in the short term and adapt to changes in the pattern of environmental disturbances over the longer term. The aim is to identify how this process is carried out and what implications this might have for the efficient and effective design of an organisations and practices and procedures. These are fundamental issues for any sort of social organisations. However, over the last fifty years a body of knowledge has accumulated – often described as systems theory – which seeks to identify and codify the principles that underpin all forms of organisation, whether it is sociological, biological or psychological. Advocates of systems theory claim that invariant principles can be applied, and knowledge transferred, across phenomenological domains. In academia, the study of the mechanisms that govern the flow of financial resources has received considerable attention. The study of Management Control Systems (MCS) in general and budgeting in particular is one of the most densely populated fields of accounting academic research. There has, however, been a surprisingly limited amount published on the application of systems theory to financial control processes. The broad issues that this thesis seeks to address are therefore: • What principles and concepts from systems theory can be applied to study of the management of financial resources in organisations? • How might they contribute to knowledge and understanding of such systems? • How can they be used to design and operate systems in practice?
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Nyilika, Nonkanyiso Beauty. "Tourism marketing in the Western Cape: optimising inter-organisational collaboration among key regional stakeholders." Thesis, Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11838/1417.
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Master of Technology: Public Relations Management
in the Faculty of Informatics and Design
at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology
2013The aim of this study was to explore the benefits and potential of improved inter-organisational collaboration as compared to non-collaboration between the identified stakeholders in this research. This research established the level of current inter-organisational collaboration and satisfaction between the identified Western Cape Province stakeholders and verified whether this collaboration could be seen as contributing to tourism growth in the region. It also determined how improved inter-organisational collaboration and communication can be achieved to ensure tourism marketing effectiveness. In the lead-up to the 2010 FIFA World Cup™, regional stakeholders formed strategic partnerships to ensure a successful soccer event. The researcher sees such a collaborative approach as limited to major events or projects such as the 2011 bid for the Design Capital 2014. Inter-organisational collaboration is not clearly visible in the destination and tourism marketing of the region and this lack of collaboration has been highlighted. For the purpose of this study, the Resource Dependency Theory of Collaboration was utilised to highlight the inter-dependency between the identified regional stakeholders with vested interest in the Western Cape Province and Cape Town's tourism industry. The researcher conducted qualitative research which is situated in an interpretivist paradigm with its emphasis on experience and interpretation. The qualitative research is seen as being suitable for this research as detailed information has to be sourced through interviews. A qualitative exploratory approach, comprising face-to-face interviews with key informants in the industry was undertaken. The key informants engaged were drawn from a range of organisations engaged or who have a vested interest in the tourism industry which is a key economic driver in the Western Cape Province and Cape Town. The outcome of this study firstly was to establish the current levels of inter-organisational collaboration between the identified stakeholders and how this affects tourism growth. A closer look was taken to look at the current overlapping in the marketing initiatives embarked upon by the destination and tourism marketing organisations in the Western Cape Province, namely Wesgro and Cape Town Tourism and how these can be avoided. Secondly, the study explored how higher inter-organisational collaboration can ensure the achievement of effective tourism marketing of the region. As per the research findings, the researcher compiled recommendations on optimising inter-organisational collaboration among key regional stakeholders. These recommendations should contribute towards streamlining resources and redirecting some of the allocated funds from tourism marketing to other socioeconomic activities that can benefit the citizens of the region, such as developing emerging small to medium tourism enterprises and entrepreneurs.
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Smith, Paul Alexander. "Workplace design in the knowledge economy : a case of the NetWorkPlace™©." Thesis, Queensland University of Technology, 2007. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/35775/1/Paul_Smith_Thesis.pdf.
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This thesis explores a way to inform the architectural design process for contemporary workplace environments. It reports on both theoretical and practical outcomes through an exclusively Australian case study of a network enterprise comprised of collaborative, yet independent business entities. The internet revolution, substantial economic and cultural shifts, and an increased emphasis on lifestyle considerations have prompted a radical re-ordering of organisational relationships and the associated structures, processes, and places of doing business. The social milieu of the information age and the knowledge economy is characterised by an almost instantaneous flow of information and capital. This has culminated in a phenomenon termed by Manuel Castells as the network society, where physical locations are joined together by continuous communication and virtual connectivity. A new spatial logic encompassing redefined concepts of space and distance, and requiring a comprehensive shift in the approach to designing workplace environments for today’s adaptive, collaborative organisations in a dynamic business world, provides the backdrop for this research. Within the duality of space and an augmentation of the traditional notions of place, organisational and institutional structures pose new challenges for the design professions. The literature revealed that there has always been a mono-organisational focus in relation to workplace design strategies. The phenomenon of inter-organisational collaboration has enabled the identification of a gap in the knowledge relative to workplace design. This new context generated the formulation of a unique research construct, the NetWorkPlace™©, which captures the complexity of contemporary employment structures embracing both physical and virtual work environments and practices, and provided the basis for investigating the factors that are shaping and defining interactions within and across networked organisational settings. The methodological orientation and the methods employed follow a qualitative approach and an abductively driven strategy comprising two distinct components, a cross-sectional study of the whole of the network and a longitudinal study, focusing on a single discrete workplace site. The complexity of the context encountered dictated that a multi-dimensional investigative framework was required to be devised. The adoption of a pluralist ontology and the reconfiguration of approaches from traditional paradigms into a collaborative, trans-disciplinary, multi-method epistemology provided an explicit and replicatable method of investigation. The identification and introduction of the NetWorkPlace™© phenomenon, by necessity, spans a number of traditional disciplinary boundaries. Results confirm that in this context, architectural research, and by extension architectural practice, must engage with what other disciplines have to offer. The research concludes that no single disciplinary approach to either research or practice in this area of design can suffice. Pierre Bourdieau’s philosophy of ‘practice’ provides a framework within which the governance and technology structures, together with the mechanisms enabling the production of social order in this context, can be understood. This is achieved by applying the concepts of position and positioning to the corporate power dynamics, and integrating the conflict found to exist between enterprise standard and ferally conceived technology systems. By extending existing theory and conceptions of ‘place’ and the ‘person-environment relationship’, relevant understandings of the tensions created between Castells’ notions of the space of place and the space of flows are established. The trans-disciplinary approach adopted, and underpinned by a robust academic and practical framework, illustrates the potential for expanding the range and richness of understanding applicable to design in this context. The outcome informs workplace design by extending theoretical horizons, and by the development of a comprehensive investigative process comprising a suite of models and techniques for both architectural and interior design research and practice, collectively entitled the NetWorkPlace™© Application Framework. This work contributes to the body of knowledge within the design disciplines in substantive, theoretical, and methodological terms, whilst potentially also influencing future organisational network theories, management practices, and information and communication technology applications. The NetWorkPlace™© as reported in this thesis, constitutes a multi-dimensional concept having the capacity to deal with the fluidity and ambiguity characteristic of the network context, as both a topic of research and the way of going about it.
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El-Mekawy, Mohamed Sobaih. "FROM SOCIETAL TO ORGANISATIONAL CULTURE : THE IMPACT ON BUSINESS-IT ALIGNMENT." Licentiate thesis, Stockholms universitet, Institutionen för data- och systemvetenskap, 2012. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:su:diva-82446.
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Business-IT alignment (BITA) has clearly become more important over the last decade. However, considerable difficulties remain when attempting to achieve a mature level of BITA. Therefore, research efforts which have resulted in a number of theoretical models have been able to help in devising and applying supportive tools for assessing different components of BITA. However, most of these efforts have either been produced in Anglo-Saxon countries or have been based on specific experiences in those countries. Consequently, they have tended to ignore a number of factors which differ in nature due to variations in cultural contexts. However, organisational culture has been given little consideration. Societal and organisational cultural aspects of BITA are particularly important because the majority of BITA models tend to focus more on the efficiency and effectiveness of BITA components rather than on trying to create ways in which how BITA can be achieved or maintained in different contexts. Therefore, the purpose of this thesis is to investigate the impact of societal and organisational culture on achieving BITA and influencing its maturity. The main result is an extended BITA model developed originally by Luftman, known as; Luftman’s Strategic Alignment Maturity Model (SAM), which is influenced by the organisational culture perspective. The research method and process advocated by Peffers et al. (2007) is used in the thesis to design the extended-SAM, consisting of six activities. The first of these activities involves identifying specific problems. This is achieved by an extensive literature survey of theories related to BITA, an explorative study of the impact of organisational culture on BITA and a classification of the general limitations of BITA. The second activity concerns the requirement for definitions of the designed artifact. The third activity is then specified in terms of designing the artifact; i.e. an extended-SAM. The design is based on constructed hypotheses of the potential impact of organisational culture elements (based on Smit et al.’s model (2008) on BITA attributes (based on SAM), and followed by an empirical study of 6 multinational organisations, for testing the hypotheses. Following that, in the fourth activity, various processes for extending SAM are demonstrated in different seminars within the IT management group at DSV, in conference papers and in different seminars of the Swedish research School of Management and Information Technology (MIT) (Forskarskolan Management och IT. In the fifth activity, the extended-SAM model is evaluated in 5 multinational organisations to test its practicality and utility. In the last activity, a journal paper (Paper III in the thesis) is presented to summarise all the processes. The communication is also carried out through pre-licentiate and the licentiate seminars. The extended-SAM shows in the result of the thesis that organisational culture is a clear factor that should be considered while assessing and studying BITA maturity. In addition, by considering organisational culture, assessing BITA is clearly shown as being more accurate and as reflecting a more detailed picture of the organisation’s BITA.
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Peters, Nils. "Inter-organisational design of voluntary sustainability initiatives increasing the legitimacy of sustainability strategies for supply chains." Wiesbaden Gabler, 2009. http://d-nb.info/998737534/04.
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Foster, Derek. "Understanding the design of energy interventions to reduce end-user demand in organisational and domestic environments." Thesis, University of Lincoln, 2017. http://eprints.lincoln.ac.uk/28674/.
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Energy demand is on the rise globally due to unchecked factors such as population growth, lifestyle choices, and the industrialization of developing countries. Governments are investing in technologies for efficient and renewable energy in an attempt to secure energy for the future over current dependencies on fossil fuels, but the development costs are high, and the rate of developed technologies is projected to fall far short of meeting global requirements. Overshadowing this growing appetite for energy is the global issue of climate change, igniting the scientific and humanitarian debate over the use of fossil fuels and a need for renewable energy, presenting a societal problem of generating clean, sustainable and secure energy for future generations. As part of understanding how society can make positive changes to daily practices around energy use, many governments have turned to behaviour change, or ‘nudge’ units, that research work on changing energy consumption behaviours. The importance of this is underlined by a focus on reducing end-user energy demand (EUED) by providing contextual energy feedback, interwoven with behaviour change strategies, in both residential and organizational sectors. EUED in large organisations and small-medium enterprises (SMEs) accounts for a significant proportion of a nation’s energy requirements. In Europe, the services sector saw a 34% growth in EUED in the period 1990-2012, with computers and other appliances in the office substantially contributing to this. In the UK, for example, 13% of total energy consumed in 2011-2012 was within the services sector, which accounts for services and business, while the residential sector consumed 30% of total consumption. Given a lack of academic HCI research in the organisational energy intervention space when comparted to domestic, the principle research undertaken in this thesis was to understand employee energy consumption practices and attitudes in the workplace, through a combination of qualitative enquiry and analysis. Additionally, alternative forms of feedback such as aversive stimuli are often ignored in the HCI literature, with favour focused on positive feedback alone as a means for behaviour change. The work in this thesis presents findings on the design implications and considerations that inform the design of in-the-field organisational energy interventions that integrate feedback and antecedent behaviour contingencies. Additionally, research is undertaken in understanding the design of aversive feedback as part of domestic energy interventions. A significant contribution is made to the HCI sustainability literature on understanding the workplace energy intervention design space, and a contribution made on how aversive feedback can in fact be a useful and engaging method for the domestic environment.
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Starkey, Andrew J. "Many-objective genetic type-2 fuzzy logic based workforce optimisation strategies for large scale organisational design." Thesis, University of Essex, 2018. http://repository.essex.ac.uk/21543/.
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Workforce optimisation aims to maximise the productivity of a workforce and is a crucial practice for large organisations. The more effective these workforce optimisation strategies are, the better placed the organisation is to meet their objectives. Usually, the focus of workforce optimisation is scheduling, routing and planning. These strategies are particularly relevant to organisations with large mobile workforces, such as utility companies. There has been much research focused on these areas. One aspect of workforce optimisation that gets overlooked is organisational design. Organisational design aims to maximise the potential utilisation of all resources while minimising costs. If done correctly, other systems (scheduling, routing and planning) will be more effective. This thesis looks at organisational design, from geographical structures and team structures to skilling and resource management. A many-objective optimisation system to tackle large-scale optimisation problems will be presented. The system will employ interval type-2 fuzzy logic to handle the uncertainties with the real-world data, such as travel times and task completion times. The proposed system was developed with data from British Telecom (BT) and was deployed within the organisation. The techniques presented at the end of this thesis led to a very significant improvement over the standard NSGA-II algorithm by 31.07% with a P-Value of 1.86-10. The system has delivered an increase in productivity in BT of 0.5%, saving an estimated £1million a year, cut fuel consumption by 2.9%, resulting in an additional saving of over £200k a year. Due to less fuel consumption Carbon Dioxide (CO2) emissions have been reduced by 2,500 metric tonnes. Furthermore, a report by the United Kingdom’s (UK’s) Department of Transport found that for every billion vehicle miles travelled, there were 15,409 serious injuries or deaths. The system saved an estimated 7.7 million miles, equating to preventing more than 115 serious casualties and fatalities.
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McKeown, CeÌline. "Repetition strain injury amongst operators engaged in hand-intensive tasks : an investigation of organisational and individual factors associated with the development of tenosynovitis." Thesis, Brunel University, 1990. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.253469.
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McNeil, Jason. "Top management team characteristics, organisational design and financial performance of publically traded companies on the JSE Altx." Diss., University of Pretoria, 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/2263/59875.
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In the South African context, understanding factors, which influence financial
performance, is of particular importance in lieu of slowing economic growth rates and
high levels of unemployment. The JSE Altx was developed to provide SME
organisations with access to capital markets and thereby facilitate growth. The success
of the exchange has however come under scrutiny and the value added to both
investors and entrepreneurs questioned. Continued poor performance of Altx listed
organisations may deter further listings and future investment. Research into
developing an understanding of factors that affect growth in Altx firms could provide
insights into what can improve firm performance and ensure their contribution to
national growth and competitiveness. This research determines the predictor variables,
which affect financial performance of such firms listed on the Altx. Top Management
Team (TMT) characteristics were investigated to determine how they impact firm
performance. The possible causal relationships between firms who have appointed
external CEO's and firms whose original founders are the current CEO's were also
analysed. On the organisational level ?growing pains' is hypothesised as having a
causal relationship to financial performance. The relationship between TMT
characteristics and firm level ?growing pains' was further explored at an organisational
level. The research finds that TMT characteristics influence firm level ?growing pains',
which ultimately affect the financial performance of the firms.Mini Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2017.
ms2017
Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS)
MBA
Unrestricted
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Abdullah, Maznah. "The impact of team design on team innovations for organisational performance: the case of parallel teams in Malaysia." Thesis, Curtin University, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/2543.
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Organisational theories emphasised that team design factors do not influence team innovation directly. Therefore, with parallel-team as a research context, this research investigated how the team design influences team innovation through innovation-climates and reflexivity. The contributions of innovations by the parallel-teams to operational and organisational performances were also examined. The findings of this research are practically useful to the managers and leaders in formulating a design of their parallel-teams for a higher innovation level.
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Cajander, Åsa. "Usability – Who Cares? : The Introduction of User-Centred Systems Design in Organisations." Doctoral thesis, Uppsala universitet, Avdelningen för människa-datorinteraktion, 2010. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-122387.
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This thesis analyses the difficulties encountered in the promotion of usability, especially in relation to occupation health issues, when developing IT systems in a public authority. It examines what happens when User-Centred Systems Design (UCSD) approaches are introduced to organisations with in-house systems development for their employees. It studies how stakeholder values affect the outcomes in terms of usability, occupational health, and institutional acceptance. Moreover, new methods are examined and evaluated as potential tools for assisting the adoption of UCSD. These methods are for example Field studies for system developers, Usability coaching for stakeholders and Management views of usability. A stated aim is to influence systems development in practice. Hence an action research paradigm has been employed, carrying out research and change in real life settings, gathering and analysing data using qualitative techniques. This thesis is based on a constructivist perspective, where theories in the areas of learning and organisational change have been used in order to better understand the research questions. The research demonstrates that most people are enthusiastic to, and interested in, UCSD with a focus on the computerised work environment. Many of the stakeholder groups, such as managers, users, project managers and system developers, changed their construct of identity as well as practice when UCSD was introduced. However, this research shows that there are several values that affect systems development and hinder usability work. These include for example value of rationality and objectivity, and differing values and perspectives underpinning descriptions and discourse on work and systems development. Values such as automation, efficiency, and customer satisfaction shape the development of new technology, and ultimately the tasks, work practices integrated in IT systems. Moreover, the results demonstrate that even though many consider usability as important, few take active responsibility for it, as the title of this thesis suggests.
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Kuzmina, Ksenija. "Investigating opportunities for Service Design in Education for Sustainable Development." Thesis, Loughborough University, 2014. https://dspace.lboro.ac.uk/2134/16281.
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This research investigates opportunities for Service Design in Education. The focus is on a particular type of change happening within education that of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) where Service Design has little presence and limited knowledge. This research has been carried out through grounded theory and contextualised in English institutions of primary education. As a result it identified Service Design as an approach to enable transformational change within educational institutions that seek to move towards ESD. To establish the basis for the research, a literature review has been carried out on Service Design, the vision of ESD and its application in the context of English schools. As a result, Service Design capability to re-design services at organisational level was linked to the gap in normative re-educative change processes towards ESD in English schools. The rest of the research sought to build on these findings. In-depth case studies with five primary schools and a cross-case analysis have been carried out to establish an understanding of ESD change at organisational level. It focused on elements relevant to normative re-educative change processes, which included social and personal norms and values residing within organisational systems. From the case studies, principles, concepts and processes were identified that enabled schools to engage with ESD at the deepest level. The knowledge derived from the case studies was further developed in order to relate the ESD phenomenon to Service Design. Service thinking and organisational change theory were applied to develop a Sustainable Education as a Service Model (SES MODEL) to understand ESD as a phenomenon in a service system. A SES Model was presented back to Service Design community. The sense-making of ESD was undertaken with seven service design practitioners by conducting semi-structured interviews during which they explored the SES Model. The outcome of the interviews showed the model to build service designer s capacity to engage with ESD, while the use of the model showed that designers could envision using it at a normative re-educative change level. The research shows that ESD is a new concept, which is relevant to Service Design. It therefore offers opportunities for further service design research and practical applications.