The process of organisational adaptation through innovations, and organisational adaptability

OpenAIRE

Tikka, Tommi

2010-01-01

This study is about the process of organisational adaptation and organisational adaptability. The study generates a theoretical framework about organisational adaptation behaviour and conditions that have influence on success of organisational adaptation. The research questions of the study are: How does an organisation adapt through innovations, and which conditions enhance or impede organisational adaptation through innovations? The data were gathered from five case organisations withi...

An overview of industrial and organisational psychology research in South Africa: A preliminary study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dries Schreuder

2010-10-01

Research purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore general research trends in the field of industrial and organisational psychology in South Africa from 1950 to 2008. Motivation for study: Research in the field tends to be influenced by either the changing needs of business or the occupational or personal fields of interest of academics, which often lead to an overemphasis on specific subdisciplines at the expense of others. This research aims to critically review dominant trends in the research focus areas in the field, in the light of present challenges in the changing work context. Recommendations are also made for possible future research. Research design, approach and method: A broad systematic review was carried out to analyse documented published and accredited South African research in the field (n = 2501. Main findings: Although there has been a proportional decline in personnel psychology research since 1990, there has been a proportional increase in both organisational psychology and employee wellness research since 1980 and 1990, respectively. Some areas of the industrial and organisational psychology field appear to be consistently under-researched. Practical implications: The insights derived from the findings can be used by academia and researchers in the field to plan future research initiatives. Contribution/value-add: The findings provide preliminary insights that contribute to the body of knowledge concerned with the industrial and organisational psychology field in the South African context.

Organising a manuscript reporting quality improvement or patient safety research.

Science.gov (United States)

Holzmueller, Christine G; Pronovost, Peter J

2013-09-01

Peer-reviewed publication plays important roles in disseminating research findings, developing generalisable knowledge and garnering recognition for authors and institutions. Nonetheless, many bemoan the whole manuscript writing process, intimidated by the arbitrary and somewhat opaque conventions. This paper offers practical advice about organising and writing a manuscript reporting quality improvement or patient safety research for submission to a peer-reviewed journal. Each section of the paper discusses a specific manuscript component-from title, abstract and each section of the manuscript body, through to reference list and tables and figures-explaining key principles, offering content organisation tips and providing an example of how this section may read. The paper also offers a checklist of common mistakes to avoid in a manuscript.

The Impact of Organisational Learning on Organisational Performance

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Anna Zgrzywa-Ziemak

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Purpose: The aim of this article is to analyse the theoretical views and results of empirical research concerning the relation between organisational learning (OL and organisational performance (OP. Methodology: The study was carried out through extensive literature research, including relevant literature review from databases such as ProQuest, Elsevier, Emerald and EBSCO (the phrases: “organisational learning”, “learning organisation” and “organisational performance” were searched in the keywords, titles or abstracts. Findings: From a theoretical point of view, the relation between OL and OP is neither obvious nor clear, but the analysis of the empirical studies allows one to assume that OL has an essential impact on OP. However, differences in the strength of the relation were shown and some contradictions related to the presence of the relation between OL and selected (mostly financial performance aspects identified. Furthermore, the article discusses the significant differences and inconsistencies in the methods of measuring OL, measuring OP, selecting contextual factors and adopted methods of data analysis. Implications: Inconsistencies and gaps found in the studies of the relationship between OL and OP made it possible to designate the direction for promising further research. Value: The article presents valuable insight through its in-depth, critical analysis of the organisational learning and organisational outcomes. First and foremost, this indicates that the formula of the previous empirical studies does not allow for the development of precise solutions pertaining to organisational learning management for the benefit of OP improvement.

Big-pharmaceuticalisation: clinical trials and Contract Research Organisations in India.

Science.gov (United States)

Sariola, Salla; Ravindran, Deapica; Kumar, Anand; Jeffery, Roger

2015-04-01

The World Trade Organisation's Trade Related Intellectual Property Rights [TRIPS] agreement aimed to harmonise intellectual property rights and patent protection globally. In India, the signing of this agreement resulted in a sharp increase in clinical trials since 2005. The Indian government, along with larger Indian pharmaceutical companies, believed that they could change existing commercial research cultures through the promotion of basic research as well as attracting international clinical trials, and thus create an international level, innovation-based drug industry. The effects of the growth of these outsourced and off-shored clinical trials on local commercial knowledge production in India are still unclear. What has been the impact of the increasing scale and commercialisation of clinical research on corporate science in India? In this paper we describe Big-pharmaceuticalisation in India, whereby the local pharmaceutical industry is moving from generic manufacturing to innovative research. Using conceptual frameworks of pharmaceuticalisation and innovation, this paper analyses data from research conducted in 2010-2012 and describes how Contract Research Organisations (CROs) enable outsourcing of randomised control trials to India. Focussing on twenty-five semi-structured interviews CRO staff, we chart the changes in Indian pharmaceutical industry, and implications for local research cultures. We use Big-pharmaceuticalisation to extend the notion of pharmaceuticalisation to describe the spread of pharmaceutical research globally and illustrate how TRIPS has encouraged a concentration of capital in India, with large companies gaining increasing market share and using their market power to rewrite regulations and introduce new regulatory practices in their own interest. Contract Research Organisations, with relevant, new, epistemic skills and capacities, are both manifestations of the changes in commercial research cultures, as well as the vehicles to

Research and technology organisations and smart specialisation

OpenAIRE

Charles, David; Ciampi Stancova, Katerina

2015-01-01

Research and Technology Organisations (RTOs) have developed in many European countries at both national and regional levels to assist in the support of local industry, often around specific industrial technologies or sectors. With a core responsibility for technological upgrading they play a key role in regional and national innovation systems. Yet there is great variety in the form and mission of such RTOs, especially in terms of the degree of regional alignment, and whilst some regions are ...

Three domains of project organising

OpenAIRE

Winch, Graham M.

2014-01-01

It has become axiomatic in research on project organising that projects are temporary organisations. Yet there are a number of challenges to this axiom: research on matrix organisation, the embeddedness of projects in project ecologies, and projectification all emphasise the relationship of the project to permanent organisations. Similarly, research on project-based firms and owner organisations which are relatively permanent challenges this axiom. This paper develops a conceptual framework w...

Investigating cyberloafing, organisational justice, work engagement and organisational trust of South African retail and manufacturing employees

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Adele Oosthuizen

2018-05-01

Full Text Available Orientation: Understanding cyberloafing, organisational justice, work engagement and organisational trust will lead organisations to develop strategies to counter the consequences of cyberloafing. Research purpose: This research explored the relationships between cyberloafing, organisational justice, work engagement and organisational trust among South African office workers in the retail and manufacturing industry. Motivation for the study: Cyberloafing, a prevalent way for office employees to engage in non-work-related activities during work time, is considered harmful to organisations. Limited research exists about the relationship between cyberloafing and organisational justice, organisational trust and work engagement within South Africa. Research design, approach and method: A quantitative research design was followed. Questionnaires were administered in the South African retail and manufacturing industry; a convenient sample of N = 224 was obtained. Descriptive statistics, Cronbach’s alpha coefficients, structural equation modelling and bootstrapping were used for data analysis. Main findings: Organisational justice was positively related to organisational trust while organisational trust was positively related to work engagement; work engagement related negatively to cyberloafing. Organisational trust mediated the relationship between organisational justice and work engagement while work engagement mediated the relationship between organisational trust and cyberloafing. Practical and managerial implications: Strategies can be developed to enhance and warrant perceptions of organisational justice and fairness that will increase trust levels, leading to higher work engagement and decreased cyberloafing behaviour and resulting in higher productivity. Contribution or value-add: The research revealed that when employees perceive their organisations as being fair, organisational trust will increase, leading to heightened work

Civil society organisations, social innovation and health research in Europe.

Science.gov (United States)

Beinare, Dace; McCarthy, Mark

2012-12-01

European Union strategies and programmes identify research and innovation as a critical dimension for future economic and social development. While European research policy emphasizes support for industry, the health field includes not-for-profit civil society organisations (CSOs) providing social innovation. Yet, the perspectives of CSOs towards health research in Europe are not well understood. STEPS (Strengthening Engagement in Public Health Research) was funded by the European Commission's Science in Society research programme. Within the study, we interviewed by telephone respondents of 13 European health CSOs, which represented collectively local and national organizations. Research was valued positively by the respondents. Health CSOs did not seek to do research themselves, but recognized the opportunity of funds in this field and welcomed the possibility of collaborating in research, of using the results from research and of providing input to research agendas. Links between research and users provides knowledge for the public and improves impacts on policy. Research and evaluation can help in demonstrating the benefit of innovative activities, and give support and legitimacy. However, the cultures of, and incentives for, researchers and health CSOs are different, and collaboration requires building trust, a shared language and for the power relations and objectives to match. Health CSOs contribute social innovation in organising services and activities such as advocacy that cannot be satisfactorily met by industry. Engaging CSOs in research and innovation will strengthen the European Research Area.

Organisational commitment and turnover intentions: evidence from Nigerian paramilitary organisation

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Dotun Olaleye Faloye

2014-09-01

Full Text Available This study explores the empirical link between different dimensions of organizational commitment and turnover intentions on Nigeria paramilitary organisation. A literature review of organizational commitment and employee turnover provides the basis for the research hypotheses. Four research hypotheses were formulated and tested at 95% and 99% confidence level. The study adopted a survey research design. A self-administered questionnaire was used, involving 144 respondents from selected paramilitary organisation in Akure, Nigeria to collect data and testing the existing theory. Data collected were analysed using both descriptive and inferential statistical techniques. In contrary to theory, the study revealed a weak positive relationship between organizational commitment dimensions (affective, continuance and normative and turnover intentions. The relationships are statistically significant expect the one between turnover intention and normative commitment which is statistically insignificant. The study concluded that the commitment of an employee to organisational goals, missions, and values is not enough to predict his/her stay in the organisation. There are other variables apart from organisational commitment that are predictor of employees’ intentions to quit. Thus, organisations should look beyond forces in their internal environment, when considering reduction in employee’s turnover intentions and the actual employee’s turnover.

The use of mixed-methods research to diagnose the organisational performance of a local government

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Benjamin H. Olivier

2017-07-01

Full Text Available Orientation: The majority of local governments in South Africa are underperforming; a first step to improve their performance is to accurately diagnose their current functioning. The utilisation of a mixed-methods approach for this diagnosis based on a valid model of organisational performance will form a better and holistic understanding of how a local government is performing. Research purpose: The aim of this study is to investigate the utility of mixed-methods research as a diagnostic approach for determining the organisational performance of a local government in South Africa. Motivation for the study: The use of either quantitative or qualitative data gathering in isolation as part of an organisational diagnosis can lead to biased information and not identifying the root causes of problems. The use of mixed-methods research in which both quantitative and qualitative data gathering methods are utilised has been shown to produce numerous benefits, such as confirmation of gathered data, providing richer detail and initiating new lines of thinking. Such multiple methodologies are recognised as an essential component of any organisational diagnosis and can be an effective means of eliminating biases in singular data gathering methods. Research design, approach and method: A concurrent transformative mixed-methods strategy based on the Burke–Litwin model of organisational performance with triangulation of results and findings to determine convergence validity was used. A convenience sample of 116 (N = 203 permanent officials in a rural district municipality in South Africa completed a survey questionnaire and were also individually interviewed. Main findings: Results indicate that mixed-methods research is a valid technique for establishing the integrity of survey data and for providing a better and holistic understanding of the functioning of an organisation. The results also indicate that the Burke–Litwin model is a useful and valid

A review of four decades of research in organisational career psychology by academia in South Africa

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Dries Schreuder

2012-12-01

Full Text Available Orientation: Career research in organisations has increased in importance since the 1970s, which heralded new directions for organisational career research and practice both globally and nationally. Research purpose: The study critically reviewed trends in organisational career psychology research in South Africa from 1970 to 2011 in terms of global and present national challenges that require empirical investigation in the contemporary South African world of work context. Motivation for the study: The increasingly complex contexts, in which people have been pursuing their careers since the catalytic 1970s, demand the continuous generation and development of knowledge for the benefit of the discipline and practice of careers. Research design, approach and method: A broad systematic review was carried out to analyse documented academia research (N = 110 on careers from 1970 to 2011, which was published in six accredited South African scientific journals. Main findings: Much of the research addressed issues pertaining to career theory and concepts, the world of work and career assessment and technology. Career development, professional issues and organisational career interventions in the multi-cultural South African context appear to be under-researched. Practical/managerial implications: The insight derived from the findings can be employed by academia and researchers, in this field, to plan future research initiatives that will contribute to the profession and practice of career guidance and counselling in the contemporary workplace. Contribution/value-add: The findings provide preliminary insight that adds to the body of knowledge concerned with career studies in the South African organisational context.

A review of four decades of research in organisational career psychology by academia in South Africa

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dries Schreuder

2012-02-01

Full Text Available Orientation: Career research in organisations has increased in importance since the 1970s, which heralded new directions for organisational career research and practice both globally and nationally. Research purpose: The study critically reviewed trends in organisational career psychology research in South Africa from 1970 to 2011 in terms of global and present national challenges that require empirical investigation in the contemporary South African world of work context.Motivation for the study: The increasingly complex contexts, in which people have been pursuing their careers since the catalytic 1970s, demand the continuous generation and development of knowledge for the benefit of the discipline and practice of careers.Research design, approach and method: A broad systematic review was carried out to analyse documented academia research (N = 110 on careers from 1970 to 2011, which was published in six accredited South African scientific journals.Main findings: Much of the research addressed issues pertaining to career theory and concepts, the world of work and career assessment and technology. Career development, professional issues and organisational career interventions in the multi-cultural South African context appear to be under-researched.Practical/managerial implications: The insight derived from the findings can be employed by academia and researchers, in this field, to plan future research initiatives that will contribute to the profession and practice of career guidance and counselling in the contemporary workplace.Contribution/value-add: The findings provide preliminary insight that adds to the body of knowledge concerned with career studies in the South African organisational context.

Finding the community in sustainable online community engagement: Not-for-profit organisation websites, service-learning and research

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Alice Dodd

2017-06-01

Full Text Available This article explores the use of action research (2008–2014 based on a case study of the Sustainable Online Community Engagement (SOCE Project, a service-learning project in which University of South Australia students build websites for not-for-profit (NFP organisations, to demonstrate that effective teaching, public service and research are interdependent. A significant problem experienced in the SOCE project was that, despite some training and ongoing assistance, the community organisations reported that they found it difficult to make effective use of their websites. One of the proposed solutions was to develop an online community of the participating organisations that would be self-supporting, member-driven and collaborative, and enable the organisations to share information about web-based technology. The research reported here explored the usefulness of developing such an online community for the organisations involved and sought alternative ways to assist the organisations to maintain an effective and sustainable web presence. The research used a three-phase ethnographic action research approach. The first phase was a content analysis and review of the editing records of 135 organisational websites hosted by the SOCE project. The second phase was an online survey sent to 145 community organisation members responsible for the management of these websites, resulting in 48 responses. The third phase consisted of semi-structured, in-depth interviews with 18 of the website managers from 12 of these organisations. The research revealed the extent to which organisations were unable to manage their websites and found that the proposed solution of an online community would not be useful. More importantly, it suggested other useful strategies which have been implemented. In Furco’s (2010 model of the engaged campus, public engagement can be used to advance the public service, teaching and research components of higher education’s tripartite

The effect of organisational context on organisational development (OD) interventions

OpenAIRE

Sanjana Brijball Parumasur

2012-01-01

Orientation: Systematic and congruent organisational structures, systems, strategies and designs are necessary for the successful implementation of organisational development (OD) interventions. Research purpose: This article examines national and international OD practices. It assesses the effect of diverse cultures and cultural values for determining the effectiveness of OD interventions. Motivation for the study: Most organisational change and development programmes fail and only a ...

Intra-organisational accounting during negotiation processes for inter-organisational control

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jakobsen, Morten

. The study concludes that an important role of management accounting is to reveal the intra-organisational cost consequences of proposals made by suppliers during negotiation processes. Thereby cost information becomes an integrated part of the counter-proposals generated and actively used during......To date the literature on management and management accounting within inter-organisational relationships has mainly focussed on managing the interface between the supplier and the buyer. In contrast to most previous research, this study examines the internal practices of a company engaged in inter......-organisational relationships. It addresses the question of how intra-organisational management accounting practices affect the ability to conduct inter-organisational relationships. A qualitative case study is used to gather information from an electronics company. The company enters its inter-organisational relationships...

Organisational intelligence and distributed AI

OpenAIRE

Kirn, Stefan

1995-01-01

The analysis of this chapter starts from organisational theory, and from this it draws conclusions for the design, and possible organisational applications, of Distributed AI systems. We first review how the concept of organisations has emerged from non-organised black-box entities to so-called computerised organisations. Within this context, organisational researchers have started to redesign their models of intelligent organisations with respect to the availability of advanced computing tec...

Changes in Methodology for Assessing Performance of Research Organisations and Influence of Such Changes on Researchers' Behaviour

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Luboš Marek

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Assessing quality of research results on an international scale is a basis for evaluating the level of scientific activities pursued in research organisations. In the past 15 years, significant changes have occurred in the Czech Republic in research management and, in particular, the methodology of assessing research results. The methodology of assessment and its modifications should always be focused on increasing quality of research results; the rules of assessment have their effects on researchers' behaviour. This paper studies a question of whether the changes applied to the methodology of assessing research results in the Czech Republic have supported higher quality research results, i.e., results published in high-quality international journals. The authors have developed their own statistical test to measure significance of such changes, as well as other statistical tests of hypotheses. The main source is represented by the results of assessing public universities in the Czech Republic according to "Methodology for assessing results of research organisations" in 2010 and 2013. Our tests have not proven any statistically significant differences in the numbers of papers published in the journals monitored in the Web of Science and Scopus databases.

A thematic analysis of the role of the organisation in building allied health research capacity: a senior managers' perspective.

Science.gov (United States)

Golenko, Xanthe; Pager, Susan; Holden, Libby

2012-08-27

Evidence-based practice aims to achieve better health outcomes in the community. It relies on high quality research to inform policy and practice; however research in primary health care continues to lag behind that of other medical professions. The literature suggests that research capacity building (RCB) functions across four levels; individual, team, organisation and external environment. Many RCB interventions are aimed at an individual or team level, yet evidence indicates that many barriers to RCB occur at an organisational or external environment level. This study asks senior managers from a large healthcare organisation to identify the barriers and enablers to RCB. The paper then describes strategies for building allied health (AH) research capacity at an organisational level from a senior managers' perspective. This qualitative study is part of a larger collaborative RCB project. Semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with nine allied health senior managers. Recorded interviews were transcribed and NVivo was used to analyse findings and emergent themes were defined. The dominant themes indicate that the organisation plays an integral role in building AH research capacity and is the critical link in creating synergy across the four levels of RCB. The organisation can achieve this by incorporating research into its core business with a whole of organisation approach including its mission, vision and strategic planning. Critical success factors include: developing a co-ordinated and multidisciplinary approach to attain critical mass of research-active AH and enhance learning and development; support from senior managers demonstrated through structures, processes and systems designed to facilitate research; forming partnerships to increase collaboration and sharing of resources and knowledge; and establishing in internal framework to promote recognition for research and career path opportunities. This study identifies four key themes: whole of

The Compassionate Organisation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jørgensen, Poul Erik Flyvholm; Isaksson, Maria

2015-01-01

– The research shows that the public sector sticks to its guns in maintaining a web-transmitted values discourse which forefronts goodwill towards its clients. It also shows that the public and private sectors take different approaches to goodwill. Originality/value – Strategists and communication specialists......Structured Abstract: Purpose – This paper tests whether organisations in the public domain have embraced a corporate type of discourse, mirroring the private sector’s preferred orientation towards expertise, or whether they maintain their traditional discourse of goodwill towards the publics...... a detailed analysis of organisational value statements posted on the websites of public and private organisations. The research considers the value priorities of fifty organisations in the UK and Scandinavia in order to gauge the extent of convergence between the two sectors’ preferred discourses. Findings...

Modes of governance in inter-organisational data collaborations : Complete Research

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Broek, T. van den; Veenstra, A-F. van

2015-01-01

Big data and data-driven innovation are drivers for economic growth. To capture this growth, data often need to be shared among organisations. However, many challenges to sharing data among organisations exist. This paper investigates how governance is organised in inter-organisational data

Reviewing the impact of organisational factors on nuclear power plants safety. A Spanish research initiative

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sola, R.; Garces, M.I.; Vaquero, C.; Sendio, F.; De la Cal, C.; Villadoniga, J.I.

2000-01-01

This paper describes the Spanish R and D project 'Development of methods to evaluate and model the impact of organisation on nuclear power plants safety' framed in an specific agreement among UNESA (Association of Spanish Utilities), CSN (Spanish Nuclear Safety Council) and CIEMAT (Research Centre for Energy, Environment and Technology), being this last one the institution in charge of the development of the research activities. The main goal of the proposed project is to increase the knowledge related the way nuclear power plants organise and manage their activities to enhance safety. This goal will be achieved through three perspectives: the development of preventive and corrective methodologies and the development of models to incorporate the organisation and management in the probabilistic safety assessment, PSA. (author)

Understanding Societal Impact in Research and Technology Organisations using Productive Interactions

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Dorp, Aad; Löwik, Sandor; de Weerd-Nederhof, Petra

2017-01-01

Research organisations receiving at least partly public funding are increasingly required to show their societal impact. Assessing societal impact is a complex task, because it involves very different aspects, is prone to bias from the assessor and even may be contradictory. Using the process and

Work and organisation engagement : Aligning research and practice

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Farndale, E.; Beijer, S.E.; van Veldhoven, M.J.P.M.; Kelliher, C.; Hope Hailey, V.

2014-01-01

Purpose To date, work engagement has been the domain of academics whilst organisation engagement has been the focus of practice. The purpose of this paper is to address the growing divide by exploring the construct clarity and discriminant validity of work and organisation engagement simultaneously,

From research to practice: one organisational model for promoting research based practice.

Science.gov (United States)

Kitson, A

1997-01-01

This paper describes a framework used by the National Institute for Nursing in Oxford to integrate research, development and practice. With the increasing attention given to the topic of how research findings are implemented into clinical practice, it was felt important to share the challenges that have arisen in attempting to combine traditional research activities with more practice based development work. The emerging conceptual framework, structures and functions are described highlighting the variety of partnerships to be established in order to achieve the goal of integrating research into practice. While the underpinning principles of the framework--generating knowledge, implementing research into practice and evaluating the effectiveness of programmes--are not new, it is the way they have been combined within an organisational structure that could be helpful to others considering such a strategy. Both the strengths and weaknesses of the model are discussed, a number of conclusions drawn as to its robustness and consideration given to its replication.

Organisational support, organisational identification and organisational citizenship behaviour among male nurses.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Sheng-Hwang; Yu, Hsing-Yi; Hsu, Hsiu-Yueh; Lin, Fang-Chen; Lou, Jiunn-Horng

2013-11-01

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between organisational support, organisational identification, and organisational citizenship behaviour and the predictors of organisational citizenship behaviour in Taiwanese male nurses. The turnover rate among male nurses is twice that of female nurses. Organisational citizenship behaviour is the predictor of turnover intention. Little information is available on the relationship between organisational support, organisational identification and organisational citizenship behaviour, particularly for male nurses. Data were collected in 2010 from a questionnaire mailed to 167 male nurses in Taiwan. A cross-sectional survey with simple sampling was used in this study. The results showed that organisational identification and organisational support were correlated with organisational citizenship behaviour. Organisational distinctiveness, organisational support of work conditions and the type of organisation were the main predictors of organisational citizenship behaviour. Together they accounted for 40.7% of the total variation in organisational citizenship behaviour. Organisational distinctiveness was the most critical predictor, accounting for 29.6% of the variation. Organisational support and organisational identification have positive relationships with organisational behaviour. Organisational distinctiveness is an important factor in explaining organisational citizenship behaviour in male nurses. This finding provides concrete directions for managers to follow when providing organisational identification, in particular, the organisational distinctiveness will help male nurses to display increasingly more organisational citizenship behaviour. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

What are the key organisational capabilities that facilitate research use in public health policy?

Science.gov (United States)

Huckel Schneider, Carmen; Campbell, Danielle; Milat, Andrew; Haynes, Abby; Quinn, Emma

2014-11-28

Literature about research use suggests that certain characteristics or capabilities may make policy agencies more evidence attuned. This study sought to determine policy makers' perceptions of a suite of organisational capabilities identified from the literature as potentially facilitating research uptake in policy decision making. A literature scan identified eight key organisational capabilities that support research use in policy making. To determine whether these capabilities were relevant, practical and applicable in real world policy settings, nine Australian health policy makers were consulted in September 2011. We used an open-ended questionnaire asking what facilitates the use of research in policy and program decision making, followed by specific questions rating the proposed capabilities. Interviews were transcribed and the content analysed. There was general agreement that the capabilities identified from the literature were relevant to real world contexts. However, interviewees varied in whether they could provide examples of experiences with the capabilities, how essential they considered the different capabilities to be and how difficult they considered the capabilities were to achieve. Efforts to improve the use of research in policy decision making are likely to benefit from targeting multiple organisational capabilities, including staff skills and competence, tools such as templates and checklists to aid evidence use and leadership support for the use of research in policy development. However, such efforts should be guided by an understanding of how policy agencies use evidence and how they view their roles, and external factors such as resource constraints and availability of appropriate research.

Innovation and organisational performance: A critical review of the instruments used to measure organisational performance

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tebogo Sethibe

2016-10-01

Full Text Available Background: Innovation is recognised as one of the most important determinant of organisational performance. Yet, the results of studies that investigate the relationship between innovation and organisational performance are inconclusive. The inconsistency has been attributed to a number of factors, which include, among others, the measures used to evaluate organisational performance. Aim: This study was set out to identify, categorise and critically analyse the instruments used to assess organisational performance when investigating the relationship between innovation and organisational performance. Setting: The study focuses on all scientific publications reporting on organisational performance, inclusive of both financial and non-financial indicators of performance, and are not limited to any specific country or industry. Methods: The systematic literature review methodology was used to identify studies which investigated the relationship between innovation and organisational performance. Once identified, articles were analysed on the way organisational performance was measured. Classification was done with reference to financial and non-financial indicators, accounting and market-based, as well as objective and subjective measures. Results: The findings show that profitability, sales growth and return on assets (ROA are the most preferred accounting-based financial measures of organisation performance. In addition, Tobin’s Q was found to be the most favoured market-based financial measure of organisational performance. The study further reveals that market share, customer satisfaction and productivity are the most popular non-financial-based measures of organisational performance. Conclusion: The use of measures of organisational performance is often left to the discussion of the researcher, which is not implicitly wrong, but does little to contribute to the body of knowledge on this important topic. Researchers are firstly urged to

A Knowledge Management Technology Architecture for Educational Research Organisations: Scaffolding Research Projects and Workflow Processing

Science.gov (United States)

Muthukumar; Hedberg, John G.

2005-01-01

There is growing recognition that the economic climate of the world is shifting towards a knowledge-based economy where knowledge will be cherished as the most prized asset. In this regard, technology can be leveraged as a useful tool in effectually managing the knowledge capital of an organisation. Although several research studies have advanced…

The relationship between organisational climate and employee satisfaction in a South African information and technology organisation

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Monia L. Castro

2010-05-01

Research purpose: The objective of this study was to explore the relationship between organisational climate and job satisfaction to determine whether employees’ perceptions of the work environment influence their level of job satisfaction. Motivation for the study: Organisations are facing more challenges than ever before. These challenges are not unique to any specific organisation or industry, but affect all organisations.Organisational climate in particular is constantly challenged by changes impacting organisations today. Research design, approach and method: An organisational climate questionnaire was administered to a convenience sample of 696 employees from a population of 1453 employees working in three regions in which the organisation was operational. Confirmatory and exploratory factor analyses were used to investigate the structure of the climate model. Main findings: The revised 12-factor model (after the confirmatory factor analysis fitted the data best and the researchers therefore decided to proceed with the revised 12-factor model (11 dimensions for further analysis. A stepwise regression was conducted and nine dimensions of organisational climate were found to predict job satisfaction. The results indicated a strong positive correlation (r = 0.813, p< 0.01 between organisational climate and the dependent variable of job satisfaction. Practical implications: This study provided support for the view that line managers and human resource practitioners should be aware that different biographical groups have different needs that can influence their job satisfaction levels and different perceptions of the climate within the organisation and that this impacts on their behaviour. Contribution: The findings of this study indicated a positive relationship between organisational climate scores and job satisfaction scores and thus, regardless of how the dimensions are perceived, organisational climate has an influence on job satisfaction.

A Multiple Source Approach to Organisational Justice: The Role of the Organisation, Supervisors, Coworkers, and Customers

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Agustin Molina

2015-07-01

Full Text Available The vast research on organisational justice has focused on the organisation and the supervisor. This study aims to further this line of research by integrating two trends within organisational justice research: the overall approach to justice perceptions and the multifoci perspective of justice judgments. Specifically, this study aims to explore the effects of two additional sources of justice, coworker-focused justice and customer-focused justice, on relevant employees’ outcomes—burnout, turnover intentions, job satisfaction, and workplace deviance— while controlling the effect of organisation-focused justice and supervisor-focused justice. Given the increased importance attributed to coworkers and customers, we expect coworker-focused justice and customer-focused justice to explain incremental variance in the measured outcomes, above and beyond the effects of organisation-focused justice and supervisor-focused justice. Participants will be university students from Austria and Germany employed by service organisations. Data analysis will be conducted using structural equation modeling.

Achieving excellence in private intensive care units: The effect of transformational leadership and organisational culture on organisational change outcomes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Portia J. Jordan

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Orientation: Organisational change outcomes in private intensive care units are linked to higher patient satisfaction, improved quality of patient care, family support, cost-effective care practices and an increased level of excellence. Transformational leadership and fostering a positive organisational culture can contribute to these change outcomes. Research purpose: The study determined whether transformational leadership and a supportive organisational culture were evident in six private intensive care units in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. A conceptual framework to investigate the relationship between transformational leadership, organisational culture, and organisational change outcomes, was proposed and tested. Motivation for the study: The prevalence of transformational leadership, a positive organisational culture and their effect on organisational change outcomes in private healthcare industries require further research in order to generate appropriate recommendations. Research design, approach and method: A positivistic, quantitative design was used. A survey was conducted using a questionnaire which, in previous studies, produced scores with Cronbach’s alpha coefficients greater than 0.80, to collect data from a sample of 130 professional nurses in private intensive care units. Main findings: Transformational leadership and a positive organisational culture were evident in the private intensive care units sampled. A strong, positive correlation exists between transformational leadership, organisational culture, and organisational change outcomes. This correlation provides sufficient evidence to accept the postulated research hypotheses. Innovation and intellectual stimulation were identified as the factors in need of improvement. Practical or managerial implications: The findings of the study may be used by managers in intensive care units to promote organisational change outcomes, linked to transformational leadership and a

A comparative analysis of quality management standards for contract research organisations in clinical trials.

Science.gov (United States)

Murray, Elizabeth; McAdam, Rodney

2007-01-01

This article compares and contrasts the main quality standards in the highly regulated pharmaceutical industry with specific focus on Good Clinical Practice (GCP), the standard for designing, conducting, recording and reporting clinical trials involving human participants. Comparison is made to ISO quality standards, which can be applied to all industries and types of organisation. The study is then narrowed to that of contract research organisations (CROs) involved in the conduct of clinical trials. The paper concludes that the ISO 9000 series of quality standards can act as a company-wide framework for quality management within such organisations by helping to direct quality efforts on a long-term basis without any loss of compliance. This study is valuable because comparative analysis in this domain is uncommon.

The Strength of Organisational Culture: Organisational Performance in South African Schools

Science.gov (United States)

Bipath, Keshni; Adeyemo, Kolawole Samuel

2014-01-01

One of the more frequently cited cultural dimensions within the field of cultural research is that of cultural strength (Cameron & Ettington, 1998). Early published works on organisational culture argue that there is an absolute need for a "strong" culture for organisations to be effective. This study has examined the contradiction…

Introducing organisational heritage: Linking corporate heritage, organisational identity, and organisational memory

OpenAIRE

Balmer, JMT; Burghausen, M

2015-01-01

In this article we formally introduce and explicate the organisational heritage notion. The authors conclude organisational heritage can be designated in three broad ways as: (1) organisational heritage identity as the perceived and reminisced omni-temporal traits – both formal/normative and utilitarian/societal – of organisational members’ work organisation; (2) organisational heritage identification as organisational members’ identification/self-categorisation vis-à-vis these perceived and ...

The effect of organisational context on organisational development (OD interventions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sanjana Brijball Parumasur

2012-05-01

Research purpose: This article examines national and international OD practices. It assesses the effect of diverse cultures and cultural values for determining the effectiveness of OD interventions. Motivation for the study: Most organisational change and development programmes fail and only a few result in increased competitiveness, improvements and profitability. This emphasises the need for change interventions to give sufficient attention to leadership, cultures, managing change and adopting context-based OD interventions. Research design, approach and method: This article is a literature review of the current trends and research in the area of OD interventions. It synthesises the influence that cultures and cultural orientations have on determining which OD intervention strategies organisations should adopt in different cultures. Main findings: The analysis emphasises how important it is to achieve congruence between the OD interventions organisations select and their local cultures. Practical/managerial implications: It is important to note the evolving nature of the political and economic climates that influence national cultures and that they emphasise that interventions that reflect OD values, which are tailor-made and shaped to the needs of local cultures, are necessary. Contribution/value-add: This study links various OD interventions to Hofstede’s dimensions for differentiating national cultures. It provides guidelines for aligning the practices and techniques of OD to the values and cultures of the organisations and societies in which they are to be implemented.

ORGANISATIONAL CULTURE ANALYSIS MODEL

OpenAIRE

Mihaela Simona Maracine

2012-01-01

The studies and researches undertaken have demonstrated the importance of studying organisational culture because of the practical valences it presents and because it contributes to increasing the organisation’s performance. The analysis of the organisational culture’s dimensions allows observing human behaviour within the organisation and highlighting reality, identifying the strengths and also the weaknesses which have an impact on its functionality and development. In this paper, we try to...

Exploring corporate social responsibility and organisational commitment within a retail organisation

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Jerelene Soobramoney

2016-11-01

Full Text Available Organisations have difficulty retaining employees who have the necessary talent, skills and knowledge to give the company a competitive edge in a global market, thus emphasising the need for organisational commitment. The objective of the study was to explore the relationship between corporate social responsibility and organisational commitment within a South African retail organisation. Corporate social responsibility has a positive influence on consumer behaviour and can contribute to corporate success because CSR activities enhance an organisation’s image. Research has indicated that corporate social responsibility is related to an employee’s commitment. The Corporate Social Responsibility Scale and the Organisational Commitment Scale were administered to a non-probability sample of 171 employees from a population of 268 employees in the human resources department of a retail company. Person’s correlation analysis was used to determine the relationship between corporate social responsibility and organisational commitment. This study provided insight into the corporate social responsibility of the organisation. Managers and practitioners in the human resources may use these findings for the development of corporate social responsibility policies and practices in order to build employee commitment

An organisational coherence model to maintain employee contributions during organisational crises

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Hendrik J. Pelser

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Orientation: Crises that threaten an organisation’s continued existence cannot be seen in isolation when considering the perception of threats to individual job security. These threats often go hand in hand with employee panic. Research purpose: The aim of this study was to establish a model to assist organisations in managing employee emotionality and panic during times of crisis. Motivation for the study: Environmental crises threaten organisations’ existence, threatening employees’ livelihood and resulting in employee panic. Panic reduces employees’ contributions. Organisations that are successful harness employee contributions at all times. Research design, approach, and method: A modernist qualitative research methodology was adopted, which included a case study as research strategy, purposive sampling to select 12 research participants, semi-structured interviews for data gathering, focus groups for data verification, and the use of grounded theory for data analysis. Main findings: An organisation’s ability to manage employee panic depends on the relationship between the foundational elements of authentic leadership, crisis readiness, resilience practices, versatile and committed talent, strategic management, quality management, and coherence actions taken during the crisis, which include crisis leadership, ongoing visible communication, mindfulness, work flexibility, and decisions based on the greatest financial need and social support. Practical/managerial implications: The study provides a best-practice option for managing emotionality during crises for the case organisation and other organisations within the vehicle components and other manufacturing industries. Contribution/value-add: The Coherence Hexagons Model is presented as a tool to manage employee panic during crisis. Keywords: crisis management; employee emotionality; employee panic; authentic leadership; talent management

Organisations and their safety processes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wahlstroem, B.; Kettunen, J.

1998-01-01

Organisational factors have in many incidents and accidents proved to be one of the most important contributors to human errors at nuclear power plants (NPP). The problem with this finding is that very few methods exist for the identification of organisational deficiencies which may contribute to high error probabilities. Methods for the support of managing high reliability organisations have been the target of research efforts in VTT Automation. The paper gives a brief reference to some research which has been carried out in connection to the LURI- and ORINT-projects. (orig.)

Clinical nurses' attitudes towards research, management and organisational resources in a university hospital: part 1.

Science.gov (United States)

Akerjordet, Kristin; Lode, Kirsten; Severinsson, Elisabeth

2012-09-01

The aim of this study was to determine clinical nurses' interest in and motivation for research. An additional aim was to identify management and organisational resources in order to improve nurses' research capacity in practice. Clinical nurses find conducting research challenging, which accords with observations of the continuing research-practice gap. This descriptive cross-sectional survey sampled 364 clinical nurses from a university hospital on the west coast of Norway. The response rate was 61%. An increasingly positive attitude towards research emerged (40%), despite the fact that few were engaged in research-based activities. Clinical nurses emphasised that lack of designated time (60%), interest (31%) and knowledge (31%) constituted important research barriers, as did lack of research supervision and support (25%). Research supervision was one of the most significant needs to enhance clinical nurses' research skills, management and organisation of research activities (30%). Conscious efforts strategically built on clinical and academic collaborative networks are required to promote and sustain clinical nurses' research capacity. The findings of this survey should be useful in the building of clinical nurses' research capacity. © 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

The popularisation of Positive Psychology as a defence against behavioural complexity in research and organisations

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Frans Cilliers

2010-12-01

Research purpose: The aim of the study was to explore the systems psychodynamic nature of the manifesting defensive structures operating in Positive Psychology. Motivation for the study: The study investigated the popularity of Positive Psychology amongst academics, students and organisational consultants and the tendency to avoid the complexity of the relatedness between positive and negative as part of the human condition. Research design, approach and method: Qualitative research by means of a Listening Post was used, consisting of six psychologists in their roles as lecturers and organisational consultants. Thematic analyses led to the formulation of various working hypotheses, integrated into a research hypothesis. Main findings: Four themes manifested – namely, the manifesting defence mechanisms, a reluctance to relinquish positive psychology as an object of hope, a need to guard against being too hasty in breaking down positive psychology and a need for a psychology that can engage us in a conversation about integrating the complexities of the human condition. Practical/managerial implications: The findings were linked to Deo Strümpfer’s work, indicating that Positive Psychology originated in early 20th century psychology, which is indeed not about simplification, but is imbedded in the complexity of various behavioural continua. Contribution/value-add: Academics, students and organisational consultants are encouraged to revisit Strümpfer’s work to ensure that this psychology is appreciated for its depth and quality.

Organisation and management of research and development facilities - from cost to profit focus

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kerssens-van Drongelen, I.C.; Pearson, Alan; Nixon, Bill

2003-01-01

In this publication, we present the main findings of a research project into differences in organisation, management and activities between R&D cost centres, semi-profit centres, profit centres, and independent R&D businesses. First, a theoretical framework is presented and then the empirical

Transition Towards An Integrated Network Organisation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mykhaylenko, Alona; Wæhrens, Brian Vejrum

2016-01-01

, with particular attention to the role played by the home base (HB) organisation in this evolution. The research is focused on the intra-organisational global network and uses a longitudinal single-case study. Findings depict the transition as being enabled by the interaction between HB knowledge about......Management of internationally dispersed and networked operations has been in the focus of research attention. However, the existing studies underestimate the incrementality of changes shaping such organisations. This work investigates how organisations evolve into network structures...... the organization, and its reconfiguration decisions. Implications are also discussed regarding process drivers and the role of HB in the network organization....

Organisational Change, Health and the Labour Market

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bhatti, Yosef; Gørtz, Mette; Holm Pedersen, Lene

This research examines the effects of organisational change on employee health and labour market outcomes. Previous studies looking into organisational change in the private sector indicate that the larger the size and depth of organisational change, the larger the detrimental consequences...... to the employees. This study contributes to the literature on four main dimensions. First, we extend the analysis of organisational change to a public sector setting. Second, while previous findings remain inconclusive regarding causal effects due to problems of endogeneity, our analysis contributes to research...

Organisational sensemaking, strategy, structuring and routines

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, Renate

2001-01-01

Research objective: The purpose of my research is to generate new understanding of what organisational interpretation, sensemaking and structuring processes in organisations mean in a way that can be used not only retrospectively but actively in strategic planning. In the study of these processes...

Towards an organisation-wide process-oriented organisation of care: A literature review

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Groenewegen Peter P

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Many hospitals have taken actions to make care delivery for specific patient groups more process-oriented, but struggle with the question how to deal with process orientation at hospital level. The aim of this study is to report and discuss the experiences of hospitals with implementing process-oriented organisation designs in order to derive lessons for future transitions and research. Methods A literature review of English language articles on organisation-wide process-oriented redesigns, published between January 1998 and May 2009, was performed. Results Of 329 abstracts identified, 10 articles were included in the study. These articles described process-oriented redesigns of five hospitals. Four hospitals tried to become process-oriented by the implementation of coordination measures, and one by organisational restructuring. The adoption of the coordination mechanism approach was particularly constrained by the functional structure of hospitals. Other factors that hampered the redesigns in general were the limited applicability of and unfamiliarity with process improvement techniques. Conclusions Due to the limitations of the evidence, it is not known which approach, implementation of coordination measures or organisational restructuring (with additional coordination measures, produces the best results in which situation. Therefore, more research is needed. For this research, the use of qualitative methods in addition to quantitative measures is recommended to contribute to a better understanding of preconditions and contingencies for an effective application of approaches to become process-oriented. Hospitals are advised to take the factors for failure described into account and to take suitable actions to counteract these obstacles on their way to become process-oriented organisations.

National Nuclear Power Plant Safety Research 2003-2006. Proposal for the Content and Organisation of a New Research Programme

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2002-11-01

A country utilising nuclear energy is presumed to possess a sufficient infrastructure to cover the education and research in this field, besides the operating and supervisory organisations of the plants. The starting point of public nuclear safety research programmes is that they provide the necessary conditions for retaining the knowledge needed for ensuring the continuance of safe and economic use of nuclear power, for development of new know-how and for participation in international cooperation. In fact, the Finnish organisations engaged in research in this sector have been an important resource which the various ministries, the Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority (STUK) and the power companies have had at their disposal. The Steering Group to the Finnish Research Programme on Nuclear Power Plant Safety (FINNUS), which was launched upon the assignment of the Advisory Committee on Nuclear Energy, appointed in spring 2002 a group to plan the contents of the new programme. This report contains a proposal for the general outline of the programme, preliminarily entitled as SAFIR (SAfety of Nuclear Power Plants - Finnish National Research Programme). The plan has been made for the period 2003-2006, but it is based on safety challenges identified for a longer time span as well. The favourable decision-in-principle on a new nuclear power plant unit adopted by Parliament has also been taken into account in the plan. The safety challenges set by the existing plants and the new plant unit, as well as the ensuing research needs do, however, converge to a great extent. The construction of the new power plant unit will increase the need for experts in the field in Finland. At the same time, the retirement of the existing experts is continuing. These factors together will call for more education and training, in which active research activities play a key role. This situation also makes long-term safety research face a great challenge. The general plan aims to define the

How do third sector organisations use research and other knowledge? A systematic scoping review.

Science.gov (United States)

Hardwick, Rebecca; Anderson, Rob; Cooper, Chris

2015-06-06

Third sector organisations (TSOs) are a well-established component of health care provision in the UK's NHS and other health systems, but little is known about how they use research and other forms of knowledge in their work. There is an emerging body of evidence exploring these issues but there is no review of this literature. This scoping review summarises what is known about how health and social care TSOs use research and other forms of knowledge in their work. A systematic search of electronic databases was carried out with initial exploratory searching of knowledge mobilisation websites, contacting authors, and hand searching of journals. The literature was narratively summarised to describe how TSOs use knowledge in decision making. Ten qualitative and mixed methods studies were retrieved. They show that TSOs wish to be "evidence-informed" in their decision making, and organisational context influences the kinds of research and knowledge they prefer, as well as how they use it. Barriers to research use include time, staff skill, resources and the acontextual nature of some academic research. Appropriate approaches to knowledge mobilisation may include using research intermediaries, involving TSOs in research, and better description of interventions and contexts in academic publications to aid applying it in the multi-disciplinary contexts of TSOs. TSOs identified specific benefits of using research, such as confidence that services were good quality, ability to negotiate with stakeholders and funders, and saving time and resources through implementing interventions shown to be effective. The small number of included studies means the findings need further confirmation through primary research. As the contribution of health and social care TSOs to service delivery is growing, the need to understand how they mobilise research and other forms of knowledge will continue. The research community could 1) develop relationships with TSOs to support the design and

Antecedents of Organisational Creativity: A Multi-Level Approach

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Ritu Gupta

2016-06-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this literature review is to provide a better understanding of the antecedents of organisational creativity with a multi-level approach. Organisational creativity is a sum total of the creativity accounted for by the individual employees of the organisation, the cumulative creativity of a team or group and creativity arising out of different structural components of an organisation. Some of the antecedents identified from the literature include personality, intrinsic motivation, group cohesion, social inhibition, cognitive interference, leader member exchange, organisational culture and climate, amongst others at individual, group and organisational level. Based on the literature review, suggestions for future research and research propositions have been proposed.

Patenting of university and non-university public research organisations in Germany: evidence from patent applications for medical research results.

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Peter Tinnemann

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Patents are one of the most important forms of intellectual property. They grant a time-limited exclusivity on the use of an invention allowing the recuperation of research costs. The use of patents is fiercely debated for medical innovation and especially controversial for publicly funded research, where the patent holder is an institution accountable to public interest. Despite this controversy, for the situation in Germany almost no empirical information exists. The purpose of this study is to examine the amount, types and trends of patent applications for health products submitted by German public research organisations. METHODS/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We conducted a systematic search for patent documents using the publicly accessible database search interface of the German Patent and Trademark Office. We defined keywords and search criteria and developed search patterns for the database request. We retrieved documents with application date between 1988 and 2006 and processed the collected data stepwise to compile the most relevant documents in patent families for further analysis. We developed a rationale and present individual steps of a systematic method to request and process patent data from a publicly accessible database. We retrieved and processed 10194 patent documents. Out of these, we identified 1772 relevant patent families, applied for by 193 different universities and non-university public research organisations. 827 (47% of these patent families contained granted patents. The number of patent applications submitted by universities and university-affiliated institutions more than tripled since the introduction of legal reforms in 2002, constituting almost half of all patent applications and accounting for most of the post-reform increase. Patenting of most non-university public research organisations remained stable. CONCLUSIONS: We search, process and analyse patent applications from publicly accessible databases

The Use of Complex Adaptive Systems as a Generative Metaphor in an Action Research Study of an Organisation

Science.gov (United States)

Brown, Callum

2008-01-01

Understanding the dynamic behaviour of organisations is challenging and this study uses a model of complex adaptive systems as a generative metaphor to address this challenge. The research question addressed is: How might a conceptual model of complex adaptive systems be used to assist in understanding the dynamic nature of organisations? Using an…

Trust in management, communication and organisational commitment: Factors influencing readiness for change management in organisation

Science.gov (United States)

Ahmad, Mohd Hafis; Ismail, Syuhaida; Rani, Wan Nurul Mardiah Wan Mohd; Wahab, Mohammad Hussaini

2017-10-01

Organisational change occurs when an organisation makes a transition from its current state to some desired future state in minimising employee resistance and cost to the organisation while simultaneously maximising the effectiveness of the change effort. This paper, aims at appraising the change management of organisation in Malaysia since limited research has been done to examine readiness for change by the employees in the organisation. This paper is materialising its objectives of (1) investigating the current practice of organisation and employees in the organisation towards change management and (2) assessing the factors influencing readiness of organisation and employees in the organisation towards change management. It is found via literature review that change management is a structured approach for ensuring that changes are thoroughly and smoothly implemented to transitioning individuals, teams, and organisations to a desired future state by focusing on the wider impacts of change, particularly on people, where change does not happen in isolation and it impacts the whole organisation. Furthermore, it is found that current practice of organisation and employees in the organisation towards change management involved in three main factors, namely trust in management, communication and organisational commitment; with the factor for trust in management is the positive vision for the future by management team, meanwhile for communication, it is found that there is good communication between supervisors and employees about the organisation's policy toward the changes. The factor found in organisational commitment is employees enjoying discussing about their organisation with outsiders. The findings of this paper provide a positive impact on change management planning, which ultimately help in ensuring more effective change programme implementation in the organisation in Malaysia.

Engendering Change within a Water Infrastructure Client Organisation: A Participatory Action Research Approach

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Michael Potts

2015-07-01

Full Text Available Continuing demands by stakeholders for improved service delivery has caused Infrastructure Client Organisations (ICO in the UK to embark upon organisational restructuring. It is expected that such restructuring would enhance cost-effectiveness and quality in asset management and service delivery. However, this change, if not properly managed and sustained, could result in the inability of the ICO to achieve these targets. This study outlines the use of systemic thinking and Participatory Action Research (PAR in driving and managing such change within a UK-based Water and Wastewater ICO (UK WASC. Besides highlighting the context for change in response to policy, austerity and regulatory pressures, this study portrays how the PAR approach can assist in the management of change within ICOs. Furthermore, it provides an insight into the evolution of an external researcher, from novice to expert within the ICO, imbued with the required knowledge to encourage other stakeholders to participate in driving the change management process. Preliminary findings indicate the usefulness of this phased approach toward PAR. This study provides a platform for researchers wishing to engage with ICOs to improve service delivery, identifying the value of engagement, change and systemic thinking.

Corporate entrepreneurship in organisational life-cycle

OpenAIRE

Duobienė, Jurga

2013-01-01

Paper deals with the development of corporate entrepreneurship in different stages of organisational life-cycle. The research presents a model for the evaluation of corporate entrepreneurship and systemises relevant theoretical and empirical research in the field of entrepreneurship and corporate entrepreneurship. Moreover, it describes the development of corporate entrepreneurship in the entire organisational life-cycle since most of researchers who discuss the topics of corporate entreprene...

Organising, Providing and Evaluating Technical Training for Early Career Researchers: A Case Study

Science.gov (United States)

van Besouw, Rachel M.; Rogers, Katrine S.; Powles, Christopher J.; Papadopoulos, Timos; Ku, Emery M.

2013-01-01

This paper considers the importance of providing technical training opportunities for Early Career Researchers (ECRs) worldwide through the case study of a MATLAB training programme, which was proposed, organised, managed and evaluated by a team of five ECRs at the University of Southampton. The effectiveness of the programme in terms of the…

Exploring the relationship between leadership and organisational culture / Kolisang L.O.

OpenAIRE

Kolisang, Lebamang Octavia

2011-01-01

This research explores the relationship between leadership and organisational culture in an organisation. Organisational culture is often an important factor influencing the competitive strength of an organisation. Leadership is also a critical component in the success of an organisation. It is important to understand how these two powerful determinants of organisational performance affect each other. Research determining that specific types of organisational culture favour particular styles ...

Improving care coordination using organisational routines

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Prætorius, Thim

2016-01-01

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to systematically apply theory of organisational routines to standardised care pathways. The explanatory power of routines is used to address open questions in the care pathway literature about their coordinating and organising role, the way they change......: care pathways and coordination, change, replication, the organisation and health care professionals. Research limitations/implications – The paper is conceptual and uses care pathways as illustrative instances of hospital routines. The propositions provide a starting point for empirical research....... Practical implications – The analysis highlights implications that health care professionals and managers have to consider in relation to coordination, change, replication, the way the organisation influences care pathways and the way care pathways influence health care professionals. Originality...

Trade Union Organisers in Trade Union Organising Strategies: building workplace unionism or reinforcing bureaucracy

OpenAIRE

Looker, Gerard

2015-01-01

This thesis considers the role of union full time officers in union organising strategies. Two decades of promoting union organising influenced by models developed by the AFL-CIO, has failed to arrest the decline of UK trade unions let alone produce evidence of renewal. Focusing mainly on one region in the UKs largest public sector trade union, Unison, the research provides for a detailed account of how organising strategies affect union work, presenting thick and deep data from full time off...

Job satisfaction and its relationship with organisational commitment: A Democratic Republic of Congo organisational perspective

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jeremy Mitonga-Monga

2018-06-01

Full Text Available Orientation: The modern workplace, which is characterised by increasing turbulence and debilitating uncertainty, has led to renewed focus on whether employees experience satisfaction and how they commit themselves to the organisation. Research purpose: The aim of this study was to measure the nature of the relationship between employees’ levels of job satisfaction (JS and organisational commitment (OC in a public railway organisation in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC. Motivation for the study: Although previous researchers have found evidence of the relationship between JS and OC in Western countries, there seems to be a paucity of research on the relationship between JS and OC in a developing country context such as that of the DRC. The results could make a valuable contribution to the current literature debate on these two constructs (JS and OC and possibly employees’ intention to stay in their present organisation. Research design, approach and method: A cross-sectional survey design was used employing the Job Satisfaction Questionnaire and the Organisational Commitment Scale. The sample (n = 839 comprised permanently employed staff. Correlations and regression analyses were conducted. The results indicated that employees’ JS related positively to their level of OC and that JS predicted OC. Practical and managerial implications: The results should also have interesting implications for top management and human resource practitioners. They could use this information to study how organisational psychological attachment is fostered in order to potentially master other organisational dynamics. The information could also be used to create positive working conditions with a view to reinforcing OC. JS manifested as a critical driver of OC, which could result in superior business performance. Management could use the results to create a working environment that actively fosters satisfaction and boosts employees’ level of

An ethics model to develop an ethical organisation

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Hendrik R. Lloyd

2010-11-01

Research purpose: The main aim of the paper is to analyse the impact of business ethics in the Eastern Cape Motor Industry Cluster (ECMIC and the different perceptions regarding such ethics. This is based on the main research question, namely, whether a business ethics model should be developed to assist in creating an ethical organisation. Motivation of the study: The motivation for this study is based on the question of whether there is a dedicated drive within the motor industry to establish an ethical organisation and, if such is the case, what benefits would accrue to the organisations in ECMIC. Research design, approach and method: An empirical study was conducted within ECMIC to test the proposed ethics intervention model. A questionnaire, as the main measuring instrument, was developed and 150 questionnaires were distributed. Statistical hypothesis testing was used, with a significance level set at 5%. The aim of the hypothesis testing was to test whether the percentage responses in certain categories were significantly higher than a pre-determined test-value. Main findings: The research results substantiate the fact that the majority of the surveyed organisations do not implement specific ethics interventions. Nevertheless, the majority of respondents acknowledge the importance of ethical behaviour in the organisation, especially with regard to their financial positions. Practical/managerial implications: From this study it became clear that the implementation of a code of ethics would create a platform for ethical behaviour in organisations. It is also concluded from this study that all organisations must strive towards creating an ethical organisation which would have long-term rewards for the organisation, especially from a financial perspective. Contribution/value-add: This study highlights the fact that although ethics and ethical behaviour in organisations are emphasised and receive wide-spread media coverage, not enough action is linked to this task

Organisational readiness for introducing a performance management system

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Michael Ochurub

2012-09-01

Full Text Available Orientation: The successful introduction of performance management systems to the public service requires careful measurement of readiness for change.Research purpose: This study investigated the extent to which employees were ready for change as an indication of whether their organisation was ready to introduce a performance management system (PMS.Motivation for the study: Introducing system changes in organisations depends on positive employee preconditions. There is some debate over whether organisations can facilitate these preconditions. This research investigates change readiness linked to the introduction of a PMS in a public sector organisation. The results add to the growing literature on levels of change readiness.Research design, approach and method: The researchers used a quantitative, questionnairebased design. Because the organisation was large, the researchers used stratified sampling to select a sample from each population stratum. The sample size was 460, which constituted 26% of the total population. They used a South African change readiness questionnaire to elicit employee perceptions and opinions.Main findings: The researchers found that the organisation was not ready to introduce a PMS. The study identified various challenges and key factors that were negatively affecting the introduction of a PMS.Practical/managerial implications: The intention to develop and introduce performance management systems is generally to change the attitudes, values and approaches of managers and employees to the new strategies, processes and plans to improve productivity and performance. However, pre-existing conditions and attitudes could have an effect. It is essential to ensure that organisations are ready to introduce performance management systems and to provide sound change leadership to drive the process effectively. This study contributes to the body of knowledge about the challenges and factors organisations should consider when they

A practical and systematic approach to organisational capacity strengthening for research in the health sector in Africa.

Science.gov (United States)

Bates, Imelda; Boyd, Alan; Smith, Helen; Cole, Donald C

2014-03-03

Despite increasing investment in health research capacity strengthening efforts in low and middle income countries, published evidence to guide the systematic design and monitoring of such interventions is very limited. Systematic processes are important to underpin capacity strengthening interventions because they provide stepwise guidance and allow for continual improvement. Our objective here was to use evidence to inform the design of a replicable but flexible process to guide health research capacity strengthening that could be customized for different contexts, and to provide a framework for planning, collecting information, making decisions, and improving performance. We used peer-reviewed and grey literature to develop a five-step pathway for designing and evaluating health research capacity strengthening programmes, tested in a variety of contexts in Africa. The five steps are: i) defining the goal of the capacity strengthening effort, ii) describing the optimal capacity needed to achieve the goal, iii) determining the existing capacity gaps compared to the optimum, iv) devising an action plan to fill the gaps and associated indicators of change, and v) adapting the plan and indicators as the programme matures. Our paper describes three contrasting case studies of organisational research capacity strengthening to illustrate how our five-step approach works in practice. Our five-step pathway starts with a clear goal and objectives, making explicit the capacity required to achieve the goal. Strategies for promoting sustainability are agreed with partners and incorporated from the outset. Our pathway for designing capacity strengthening programmes focuses not only on technical, managerial, and financial processes within organisations, but also on the individuals within organisations and the wider system within which organisations are coordinated, financed, and managed. Our five-step approach is flexible enough to generate and utilise ongoing learning. We have

Organisational Social Capital through Corporate Social Performance

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Adrian Henorel Niţu

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this study is to identify the correlation between the corporate social responsibility performance and the Organisational Social Capital. Inductively, through grounded theory, this paper uses secondary data to develop a theoretical model which presents the relationship between the following concepts: business codes, stakeholders, Corporate Social Performance (CSP and Organisational Social Capital (OSC. This study brings together two main areas of research, namely: Organisational Social Capital and business ethics. This represents a gap in the literature, to which this research will address. Three propositions are put forward and discussed using secondary data collection methods. The findings suggest that there is a strong correlation between the characteristics which improve the quality of organisation-stakeholders relationship and the effectiveness of implementing business codes and, therefore, the increasing Corporate Social Performance. The proposed ethical framework has, at the same time, a similar effect by incrementing Organisational Social Capital, because it shares similar features with the relation between organisation-stakeholders, business codes and CSP.

Organisational Social Capital through Corporate Social Performance

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A.H. Niţu

2014-06-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this study is to identify the correlation between the corporate social responsibility performance and the Organisational Social Capital. Inductively, through grounded theory, this paper uses secondary data to develop a theoretical model which presents the relationship between the following concepts: business codes, stakeholders, Corporate Social Performance (CSP and Organisational Social Capital (OSC. This study brings together two main areas of research, namely: Organisational Social Capital and business ethics. This represents a gap in the literature, to which this research will address. Three propositions are put forward and discussed using secondary data collection methods. The findings suggest that there is a strong correlation between the characteristics which improve the quality of organisation-stakeholders relationship and the effectiveness of implementing business codes and, therefore, the increasing Corporate Social Performance. The proposed ethical framework has, at the same time, a similar effect by incrementing Organisational Social Capital, because it shares similar features with the relation between organisation-stakeholders, business codes and CSP.

Research on the impact of LMX leadership theory on mutual trust and organisational commitment of employees in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Science.gov (United States)

Strukan, E.; Nikolić, M.

2017-05-01

The paper presents the theoretical foundations of leadership based on the LMX exchange leader-member theory which essentially involves leadership process where a continuous and creative interaction between leaders and followers is at the centre of attention, during which the leader, among other things, affects the degree of mutual trust and organisational commitment and the quality of relationships in his/her organisation, which actually has a direct impact on organisational performances, effectiveness of the organisation’s business and its market positioning. Also, the paper presents the results of research conducted in organisations in Bosnia and Herzegovina, which undoubtedly point to the fact that the dimensions of leadership based on the LMX exchange leader-member theory, is strongly correlated with the dimensions of mutual trust and organisational commitment, and to have a significant positive impact on them, and therefore on organisational performances and effectiveness of business organisations that were included in this study.

Analysis of business process maturity and organisational performance relations

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Kalinowski T. Bartosz

2016-12-01

Full Text Available The paper aims to present results of the study on business process maturity in relation to organisational performance. A two-phase methodology, based on literature review and survey was used. The literature is a source of knowledge about business process maturity and organisational performance, whereas the research on process maturity vs organisational performance in Polish Enterprises provides findings based on 84 surveyed companies. The main areas of the research covered: identification and analysis of maturity related variables and identification of organisational performance perspectives and its relation to process maturity. The study shows that there is a significant positive relation between process maturity and organisational performance. Although there are research on such relation available, they are scarce and have some significant limitations in terms of research sample or the scope of maturity or organisational performance covered. This publication is part of a project funded by the National Science Centre awarded by decision number DEC-2011/01/D/HS4/04070.

The Indigenous Experience of Work in a Health Research Organisation: Are There Wider Inferences?

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Sharon Chirgwin

2017-08-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this study was to identify the factors that positively and negatively impacted on the employment experiences and trajectories of Indigenous Australians who are currently or were formerly employed by a research organisation in both remote and urban settings. The study design was an embedded mixed-methods approach. The first phase quantified staff uptake, continued employment, and attrition. Then interviews were conducted with 42 former and 51 current Indigenous staff members to obtain qualitative data. The results showed that the quality of supervision, the work flexibility to enable employees to respond to family and community priorities, and training and other forms of career support were all identified as important factors in the workplace. The most common reasons for leaving were that research projects ended, or to pursue a career change or further study. The authors use the findings to make recommendations pertinent to policy formation for both government and organisations seeking to attract and nurture Indigenous staff.

Patterns of Self-Organising in the Bitcoin Online Community : Code Forking as Organising in Digital Infrastructure

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Andersen, Jonas Valbjørn; Bogusz, Claire Ingram

2018-01-01

Digital infrastructures play an increasingly central role in shaping existing organisations and creating new ones. Research on digital infrastructure has rested on the assumption that infrastructures are developed to support pre-existing organised activities. However, with the rise of new digital

Role and Status of Quality Managers in Organisation of the Future

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Vinko Bogataj

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Research question (RQ: What is discrepancy between status and role of quality managers in the Slovenian organisations now and what will be role and status of quality managers of the future? Aim: The aim of this paper is to show divergence between current and expected future status and role of quality managers (QM. Methods: Within the research of characteristics of quality management system (QMS in the Slovenian organisations a survey among the QM and the directors was conducted as well as the correlation analysis between the role of the QM and the results achieved by the organisations. Results: It was shown that »the advisor to the management« is the only role of the QM that has a significant positive correlation with the results achieved by the organisation. Organisation: The results of this research enable management to take appropriate steps in organisational development and integration of all projects on organisational changes leading to a common and comprehensive long-term concept. Society/Environment: The research offers some answers to the expected influence of changes in the environment on the future organisation of QMS. Originality: This research represents the first example of research of status and role of QM in the Slovenian organisations. Limitations / further research: This research project is limited to the Slovenian organisations with a certified QMS. In future, similar surveys could also be spread to other social environments such as Germany, Austria and the Czech Republic.

What matters for organisational change? Evidence from DEPZ, Bangladesh

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Md. Zohurul Islam

2013-08-01

Full Text Available Orientation: The role of leadership and human resources (HRM at the managerial level in the economic zones to implement organisational change have been well described in developing countries although they are often not well documented. Research purpose: The purpose of this article is to investigate the relationship between leadership, organisational behaviour and HRM in Dhaka export processing zone (DEPZ enterprises. Motivation for the study: This study has given a direction for implementing organisational change in DEPZ organisations, where leadership, organisational behaviour and HRM have significant effects on organisational change. Research design, approach and method: The author completed a survey using a structured questionnaire on 53 enterprises in the DEPZ. The sample size was 216. The author tested the research hypotheses by using statistical tools like step-wise multiple regression analysis. The author also used Pearson correlations, a t-test, an ANOVA and a radar diagram in this study. Main findings: The results provide evidence that leadership behaviour, organisational behaviour factors and HRM practices have direct relationships with organisational change. In short, it requires high level of leadership ability, employee motivation and commitment, recruitment, performance appraisal and reward to bring about effective organisational change. Practical/managerial implications: The results show that organisational learning, transformational and transactional leadership, compensation and unionisation practices reinforce organisational change at DEPZ enterprises. Contribution/value-add: The results of this study show that organisational change requires integration with leadership ability, organisational behaviour and HRM practices, which are useful for developing companies, industries and the national economy.

Stupid Organisation - How will you ever learn?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Elkjær, Bente

2005-01-01

 The question derives from a research project in which I explored whether a deliberate change process in an organisation would lead to organisational learning. The idea was to see whether it was possible to depict the unfolding of organisational learning processes in the turmoil of change in an o...

Understanding practice change in community pharmacy: a qualitative research instrument based on organisational theory.

Science.gov (United States)

Roberts, Alison S; Hopp, Trine; Sørensen, Ellen Westh; Benrimoj, Shalom I; Chen, Timothy F; Herborg, Hanne; Williams, Kylie; Aslani, Parisa

2003-10-01

The past decade has seen a notable shift in the practice of pharmacy, with a strong focus on the provision of cognitive pharmaceutical services (CPS) by community pharmacists. The benefits of these services have been well documented, yet their uptake appears to be slow. Various strategies have been developed to overcome barriers to the implementation of CPS, with varying degrees of success, and little is known about the sustainability of the practice changes they produce. Furthermore, the strategies developed are often specific to individual programs or services, and their applicability to other CPS has not been explored. There seems to be a need for a flexible change management model for the implementation and dissemination of a range of CPS, but before it can be developed, a better understanding of the change process is required. This paper describes the development of a qualitative research instrument that may be utilised to investigate practice change in community pharmacy. Specific objectives included gaining knowledge about the circumstances surrounding attempts to implement CPS, and understanding relationships that are important to the change process. Organisational theory provided the conceptual framework for development of the qualitative research instrument, within which two theories were used to give insight into the change process: Borum's theory of organisational change, which categorizes change strategies as rational, natural, political or open; and Social Network Theory, which helps identify and explain the relationships between key people involved in the change process. A semi-structured affecting practice change found in the literature that warranted further investigation with the theoretical perspectives of organisational change and social networks. To address the research objectives, the instrument covered four broad themes: roles, experiences, strategies and networks. The qualitative research instrument developed in this study provides a

Improving care coordination using organisational routines.

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Prætorius, Thim

2016-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to systematically apply theory of organisational routines to standardised care pathways. The explanatory power of routines is used to address open questions in the care pathway literature about their coordinating and organising role, the way they change and can be replicated, the way they are influenced by the organisation and the way they influence health care professionals. Theory of routines is systematically applied to care pathways in order to develop theoretically derived propositions. Care pathways mirror routines by being recurrent, collective and embedded and specific to an organisation. In particular, care pathways resemble standard operating procedures that can give rise to recurrent collective action patterns. In all, 11 propositions related to five categories are proposed by building on these insights: care pathways and coordination, change, replication, the organisation and health care professionals. Research limitations/implications - The paper is conceptual and uses care pathways as illustrative instances of hospital routines. The propositions provide a starting point for empirical research. The analysis highlights implications that health care professionals and managers have to consider in relation to coordination, change, replication, the way the organisation influences care pathways and the way care pathways influence health care professionals. Originality/value - Theory on organisational routines offers fundamental, yet unexplored, insights into hospital processes, including in particular care coordination.

Politicking information technology strategy in organisations: A case study of a selected organisation in South Africa

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Michael Twum-Darko

2015-06-01

Full Text Available The paper discusses the impact of organisational polities on IT strategy formulation and implementation in an organisation. The objective is to determine the extent of organisational polities on strategy implementation in an organisation. The paper considered the interplay between stakeholders in influencing IT strategy formulation and implementation in an organisation as a socially constructed phenomenon. Thus, the phenomenon can be interpreted and understood by using social theories such Structuration Theory. Hence the paper adopted ANT as a lens through which to understand and interpret the sociotechnical processes associated with IT strategy formulation and implementation in an organisation. Through IT strategy, many organisations attempt to set out key directions and objectives for the use and management of information, communication and technologies. A shared view among these organisations is that IT strategy allows all parts of the organisation to gain a shared understanding of priorities, goals and objectives for both current and future states as defined in the organisational strategy. It is therefore arguable that IT strategy, for the foreseeable future will remain a key aspect of development within organisations. As a result, there has been more focus on how IT strategy is formulated and articulated. What is missing though, is less attention to the implementation of it. Using interpretive research philosophy and employing semi-structured interviews as data collection instrument, this paper attempts to suggest a matrix that will assist organisation to comprehend and deal with organisational politics to reduce its negative impact on IT strategy formulation and implementation in an organisation

Becoming organisms: the organisation of development and the development of organisation.

Science.gov (United States)

de la Rosa, Laura Nuño

2010-01-01

Despite the radical importance of embryology in the development of organicism, developmental biology remains philosophically underexplored as a theoretical and empirical resource to clarify the nature of organisms. This paper discusses how embryology can help develop the organisational definition of the organism as a differentiated, functionally integrated, and autonomous system. I distinguish two conceptions of development in the organisational tradition that yield two different conceptions of the organism: the life-history view claims that organisms can be considered as such during their whole ontogeny; the constitutive view distinguishes two periods in the life history, a period of generation and a period of self-maintenance of a constitutive organisation. Arguing in favour of the constitutive view, it will be claimed that the organisational criteria for the definition of organism (i.e., differentiation, functional integration, and autonomy) can only be applied to the developmental system when it has entered the period of self-maintenance of a constitutive organisation. Under the light of current research in developmental biology, it is possible to make explicit how organisms come to be as organisms. To this end, I explore key ontogenetic events that help us clarify the core aspects of animal organisation and allow us to identify the developmental stage that marks the ontological transition between an organism in potency and an organism in actuality. The structure of this ontogenetic unfolding parallels the conceptual structure of the very notion of organism; the generation of the being of a particular organism parallels its definition.

Organising purchasing and (strategic) sourcing

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lidegaard, Nina; Boer, Harry; Munkgaard Møller, Morten

2015-01-01

mature role in corporate strategy. These changes have serious implications for the purchasing process, its characteristics and organisation. Previous research indicates that none of the prevailing solutions, functional departments and cross-functional teams, embedded in a centralised, decentralised...... or hybrid overall structure, deliver the expected results. Contingency theory predicts that the success of a firm depends on the fit among characteristics of, amongst others, the firm’s processes and organisational structure. The objective of this paper is to propose and illustrate a processbased...... typological theory of purchasing and (strategic) sourcing organisation....

Organisational capacity and its relationship to research use in six Australian health policy agencies.

Science.gov (United States)

Makkar, Steve R; Haynes, Abby; Williamson, Anna; Redman, Sally

2018-01-01

There are calls for policymakers to make greater use of research when formulating policies. Therefore, it is important that policy organisations have a range of tools and systems to support their staff in using research in their work. The aim of the present study was to measure the extent to which a range of tools and systems to support research use were available within six Australian agencies with a role in health policy, and examine whether this was related to the extent of engagement with, and use of research in policymaking by their staff. The presence of relevant systems and tools was assessed via a structured interview called ORACLe which is conducted with a senior executive from the agency. To measure research use, four policymakers from each agency undertook a structured interview called SAGE, which assesses and scores the extent to which policymakers engaged with (i.e., searched for, appraised, and generated) research, and used research in the development of a specific policy document. The results showed that all agencies had at least a moderate range of tools and systems in place, in particular policy development processes; resources to access and use research (such as journals, databases, libraries, and access to research experts); processes to generate new research; and mechanisms to establish relationships with researchers. Agencies were less likely, however, to provide research training for staff and leaders, or to have evidence-based processes for evaluating existing policies. For the majority of agencies, the availability of tools and systems was related to the extent to which policymakers engaged with, and used research when developing policy documents. However, some agencies did not display this relationship, suggesting that other factors, namely the organisation's culture towards research use, must also be considered.

Management Research and Grounded Theory: A review of grounded theorybuilding approach in organisational and management research.

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Graham J.J. Kenealy, Ph.D.

2008-06-01

Full Text Available Grounded theory is a systematic methodology for the collection and analysis of data which was discovered by Glaser and Strauss in the 1960’s. The discovery of this method was first presented to the academic community in their book ‘The Discovery of Grounded Theory’ (1967 which still remains a primary point of reference for those undertaking qualitative research and grounded theory in particular. This powerful research method has become very popular in some research domains; whilst increasing in popularity it is still less prevalent in the field of organisational and management research particularly in its original form. This self reflexive paper sets out to explore the possibilities for this imbalance which takes the discussion onto the areas of methodological adaptation and training. It also enters the debate about access to research subjects and provides a succinct argument supporting the notion that grounded theory should simply be viewed as a method that develops empirically grounded conceptual theory.

Transformation of an organisation into a team-oriented organisational approach and efficient use of teamwork in the context of environment

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Željko Turkalj

2012-12-01

Full Text Available Social changes dictating business dynamics in the new century, a growing complexity of business processes as well as job complexity nowadays demands networking of human resources in order to achieve organisational goals. Synergy and cohesion created by teamwork are the key to the success of any organisation. Team organisation represents organisational structure that can be embedded in the existing organisational form in a very simple way. This results in a productive and flexible environment coordinated by efficient teams. Since the beginning of time, human beings have not functioned as se- parate individuals. Modern times provide the best account of the time where complicated hierarchical organisations are simplified in a very plain way and they ensure their work efficiency by reorganizing jobs and networking human resources. Complex and difficult tasks are solved by sharing responsibili- ties in a simple way; therefore, teamwork and team-oriented organisational structure offer numerous advantages. In addition to the theoretical overview, research was conducted on a selected economic operator in one of its business units. The obtained results point to a high level of teamwork and satisfaction in carrying out the work. The research results confirmed the fact that teamwork is nowadays increasingly present in organisations. Efficient teams representing intellectual capital of any organisation create a more productive and a more innovative organisation with all its special features. Thus, survival condi- tions are created and competitive advantages are achieved in a very demanding and turbulent market.

A Review of IT Service Management and Organisational Changes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kræmmergaard, Pernille; Lynge, Bjarne Christoffer; Schou, Christoffer Dalby

The interest in Information technology service management (ITSM) is increasing in practice and also in research we will argue. The aim of implementation of ITSM in IT organisations is to increase the service towards the IT organisations´ customers, businesses and users, and that requires changes...... in the way many IT organisations operate and organize themselves around IT. We set out to identify the organisational changes in relation to the implementation of ITSM in organisational setting using Leavitt's diamond model and a literature study in more than 100 IS journals. One of the findings reported...... here is that not much has been published on organisational changes associated with the implementation of ITSM. Thus more research in this area is needed, and it confirms the argument that ITSM is a growing field of interest....

The relationship between organisational communication and perception.

Science.gov (United States)

Marynissen, H M F

2011-01-01

Both researchers and managers search for the most appropriate form of organisational communication. The aim of such an organisational communication is to influence the receivers' perception to confirm, adapt or change behaviour according to the sender's intention. This paper argues that to influence the receivers' perception, a specific form of communication that is embedded in a specific organisational culture is required. It also demands prior knowledge of the existing organisational schemata and the current perception concerning the topic that has to be communicated. The rationale is that three obstacles hinder the objectives of traditional communication strategies to influence perception according to the sender's objectives. The first challenge is that a receiver of a certain message never garners one single, clearly pronounced message conveyed by one single person. Yet, few studies are based on multiple messages from various sources. This makes most of the communication strategies in use obsolete. The second strain is the dual mode of thinking that forms organisational members' perceptions: the heuristic and the cogitative (Taleb, 2010). Most organisational communication theories are based on the paradigm in which receivers of information process this information in a rational way, while research in the field of neurobiology (Lehrer, 2009) indicates that rationality is dominated by emotions. The third difficulty is that organisational members constrain to well-established, ingrained schemas (Labianca et al., 2000; Balogun and Johnson, 2004). Based on these existing schemas, the scattered information from multiple sources, and the inability to process that information through cognitive reasoning, organisational members construct perceptions that are not in line with the objectives of the sender's communication. This article reviews different communication theories, points out key concepts in the literature on individual and collective perceptions, and suggests

Effect of manpower training and development on organisational ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Employees' are the most cherished assets in any business organisation. ... This study adopted cross-sectional survey research design using quantitative research ... The study recommends that business organisations should develop strong ... By Country · List All Titles · Free To Read Titles This Journal is Open Access.

How to change organisational culture: Action research in a South African public sector primary care facility.

Science.gov (United States)

Mash, Robert; De Sa, Angela; Christodoulou, Maria

2016-08-31

Organisational culture is a key factor in both patient and staff experience of the healthcare services. Patient satisfaction, staff engagement and performance are related to this experience. The department of health in the Western Cape espouses a values-based culture characterised by caring, competence, accountability, integrity, responsiveness and respect. However, transformation of the existing culture is required to achieve this vision. To explore how to transform the organisational culture in line with the desired values. Retreat Community Health Centre, Cape Town, South Africa. Participatory action research with the leadership engaged with action and reflection over a period of 18 months. Change in the organisational culture was measured at baseline and after 18 months by means of a cultural values assessment (CVA) survey. The three key leaders at the health centre also completed a 360-degree leadership values assessment (LVA) and had 6 months of coaching. Cultural entropy was reduced from 33 to 13% indicating significant transformation of organisational culture. The key driver of this transformation was change in the leadership style and functioning. Retreat health centre shifted from a culture that emphasised hierarchy, authority, command and control to one that established a greater sense of cohesion, shared vision, open communication, appreciation, respect, fairness and accountability. Transformation of organisational culture was possible through a participatory process that focused on the leadership style, communication and building relationships by means of CVA and feedback, 360-degree LVA, feedback and coaching and action learning in a co-operative inquiry group.

Organisational arrangement of human resources management in organisations operating in Slovakia and Czech Republic

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Zdenko Stacho

2013-01-01

Full Text Available A necessary condition of effective functioning of human resources management in an organisation is the creation of adequate organisational conditions including the existence of a human resources management department, its size, composition and responsibility, which are formed following particular conditions of the given organisation. Competitive environment of organisations operating in Slovakia and Czech Republic is growing with the process of world economy globalisation, and it brings the need of flexibility in management, and therefore we have to get used to changes also in the sphere of human resources management, and learn to cope with new impulses and situations. At present, that predominantly includes spreading effects of global financial and economic crisis, influencing all spheres of life in Slovakia and in Czech Republic too. Handling this situation presupposes flexibility in assessment of changes in environment where organisations operate, ability to detect all positive as well as negative impacts and situations, and formulation of measures to enhance their own position sensibly and cautiously. Due to the need of focusing of organisations on comprehensive arrangement of human resources management, in questionnaire researches, we focused on finding out whether and to what extent organisations operating in Slovakia (n = 340 and in Czech Republic (n = 109 focus on human resources management arrangement. The objective of the article is to compare results in the sphere of human resources in organisations operating in Slovak and Czech Republics. The results show that 67% organisations in Slovakia and only 43% in the Czech Republic had a human resources management department which realised followed human resources management functions and personnel strategy.

Beyond organisational design: moving from structure to service enhancement.

Science.gov (United States)

Law, Debbie; Boyce, Rosalie A

2003-01-01

The Australian health care industry prior to the 1990s was notable for its relative stability and uniformity in relation to organisational design. Since then, new organisational designs have proliferated and a diversity of approaches is evident. The new fluidity in organisational design is particularly evident amongst the allied health professions. The aim of this paper is two-fold. Firstly, to summarise recent changes in organisational design as they relate to the allied health professions and secondly, to move beyond design issues to focus on service level enhancement in an organisational change context. This later aim is achieved by presenting data from an in-depth study of one institutions experience with wide-ranging organisational reforms. The recent formation of the National Allied Health Organisational Structures Network (NAHOSN) has given energy to the impetus of placing a research-based framework around the change experiences reported by Allied Health groups. An objective of the network is to foster research, rather than rely on commentary and anecdote, in the often highly contested arena of organisational design and reform.

Organisational development in a rural hospital in Australia.

Science.gov (United States)

Young, Suzanne; Leggat, Sandra; Stanton, Pauline; Bartram, Tim

2015-04-01

This paper analyses an organisational development project that aimed to change the organisational culture and improve people management systems and processes. The questions addressed were: was the change process a success; how was success defined; and what were the barriers to its progress? We examined the process of change over a 3-year period. The organisational development intervention is described and analysed. Qualitative methods, including document review, in-depth interviews and focus groups, participant observation, newsletters and diary entries were used to gather the data. A variant of competing values was used to analyse the data. We sought to build trust with all managers and encouraged reflection by conducting feedback sessions, presentations, workshops and one-on-one and group discussions. A cross-site action group was established to encourage organisation-wide participation in the project. However, it was clear that stakeholders had different understandings and perceptions of the problems facing the organisation. The project faltered when a leadership development intervention was organised. The existence of at least four different organisational 'worlds' and identities, according to different professional groupings with different goals, languages and values, was evident. The relationship between the researcher and subjects was key in terms of whether the researcher is seen as an 'expert' or as a 'facilitator'. In bringing about change, we need to work with the Chief Executive Officer in empowering others. Hence, the researchers need to engage in continual dialogue across boundaries and within groups as well as at individual levels to provide support for organisational change.

The validation of a measure of organisational energy in the South African context

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Lynne Derman

2011-09-01

Research purpose: The purpose of this research was to validate a measure of organisational energy in the South African context and to investigate whether there are differences in organisational energy as perceived by employees based on their demographic characteristics and lifestyle variables. Motivation for the study: Managing energy in organisations is important as it drives motivation, powers teamwork, fosters creativity and gives organisations a competitive edge (Schiuma, Mason & Kennerley, 2007. Limited empirical research currently exists on the phenomenon of energy in organisations. Research design/approach method: The researchers used a cross-sectional survey design, with a convenience sample (N = 520 of employees in a South African financial institution. The researchers administered the EnergyScapes Profile. Main findings: Exploratory factor analysis resulted in a one-factor structure for the EnergyScapes Profile. The scale, labelled organisational energy, showed acceptable internal consistency. The researchers found statistically significant differences in the organisational energy levels of employees based on age, tenure, geographical region, relaxation, hypertension and diabetes, depression or psychosis. Practical/managerial implications: The research provides valuable insight for practicing managers about understanding the concept of organisational energy and encourages leaders to question the energy of their employees. Contribution/value-add: The insight the researchers gained by studying the concept of organisational energy contributed in a unique way and showed the importance of considering organisations as dynamic and interactive with the people that work for them.

Organisational values and organisational commitment: do nurses' ethno-cultural differences matter?

Science.gov (United States)

Hendel, Tova; Kagan, Ilya

2014-05-01

To examine the association between perceived organisational values and organisational commitment among Israeli nurses in relation to their ethno-cultural background. Differences and the discrepancy between individuals' organisational values and those of their organisational culture are a potential source of adjustment difficulties. Organisational values are considered to be the bond of the individual to their organisation. In multicultural societies, such as Israel, the differences in perception of organisational values and organisational commitment may be reflected within workgroups. Data were collected using a questionnaire among 106 hospital nurses. About 59.8% of the sample were Israeli-born. A positive correlation was found between organisational values and organisational commitment. Significant differences were found in organisational values and organisational commitment between Israeli-born-, USSR-born- and Ethiopian-born nurses. The socio-demographic profile modified the effect of organisational values on organisational commitment: when the nurse was male, Muslim, religiously orthodox and without academic education, the effect of organisational values on organisational commitment was higher. Findings confirm the role of culture and ethnicity in the perception of organisational values and the level of organisational commitment among nurses. Assessing ethno-cultural differences in organisational values and organisational commitment provides a fuller understanding of nurses' ability to adjust to their work environment and helps nurse managers devise means to increase nurses' commitment. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

The systems psychodynamic experiences of organisational transformation amongst support staff

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Martin Steyn

2016-10-01

Full Text Available Orientation: The unconscious impact of organisational transformation is often neglected and even denied. This research revealed the manifestation and impact of high levels and different forms of anxiety experienced by employees during transformation. Research objective: The objective was to study and describe the manifesting systems psychodynamic behaviour amongst support staff during organisational transformation. Motivation for the study: Organisational transformation is mostly researched from a leadership viewpoint. Little research data are available on the experiences of support staff on the receiving end of decisions about and implementation of transformation. Research design, approach and method: A qualitative approach within the phenomenological hermeneutic interpretive stance was used. The research was set in a government organisation. A semi-structured interview with four conveniently and purposefully chosen support staff members was thematically analysed using systems psychodynamics as theoretical paradigm. Main findings: Four themes manifested, namely de-authorisation and detachment, being bullied and seduced by leadership, the organisation in the mind as incompetent, and a dangerous and persecutory system. In the discussion, the basic assumptions and relevant constructs are interpreted. Practical implications: Understanding the transformation experiences of support staff could assist the industrial psychologist to facilitate appropriate support in coaching more junior staff towards increasing wellness and work performance. Contribution: Organisational transformation is highlighted as an anxiety provoking experience especially on the lower levels of the organisation. Its potentially deep and complex psychological impact could possibly derail parts of the system if not managed in a psychologically contained manner.

Effect of psychological capital and resistance to change on organisational citizenship behaviour

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Loyd Beal III

2013-09-01

Research purpose: This study examined the possible role of resistance to change as a moderator of the predictive relationship between PsyCap and organisational citizenship behaviour (OCB, in which OCB served as an index for measuring positive organisational change. Motivation for the study: Little empirical research has investigated the application of positive organisational behaviour to government organisations undergoing organisational change. Organisations can use the study results to increase positive outcomes and reduce resistance in government organisations experiencing a holistic change intervention. Research design, approach and method: The data comprised a cross-sectional survey of 97 employees from a government organisation that provides life-cycle career management support. Employees completed the 24-item psychological capital questionnaire, the 16-item organisational citizenship behaviour scale and the 17-item resistance to change scale. Data analyses used a mixed methods approach to merge quantitative inferential statistics with qualitative thematic analysis. Main findings: The quantitative analysis yielded high levels of resistance to change that moderated the positive effect of PsyCap on organisational citizenship behaviour. The thematic analysis revealed that affective, behavioural and cognitive forms of resistance to change were prevalent. Practical/managerial implications: Organisational leaders should seek to reduce resistance and increase the resources that organisations need to effect positive organisational change. Contribution/value-add: This study adds to the growing body of knowledge about positive organisational behaviour in government organisations.

Inter-organisational response to disasters.

Science.gov (United States)

Paturas, James L; Smith, Stewart R; Albanese, Joseph; Waite, Geraldine

2016-01-01

Inter-organisational communication failures during times of real-world disasters impede the collaborative response of agencies responsible for ensuring the public's health and safety. In the best of circumstances, communications across jurisdictional boundaries are ineffective. In times of crisis, when communities are grappling with the impact of a disaster, communications become critically important and more complex. Important factors for improving inter-organisational communications are critical thinking and problem-solving skills; inter-organisational relationships; as well as strategic, tactical and operational communications. Improving communication, critical thinking, problem-solving and decision-making requires a review of leadership skills. This discussion begins with an analysis of the existing disaster management research and moves to an examination of the importance of inter-organisational working relationships. Before a successful resolution of a disaster by multiple levels of first responders, the group of organisations must have a foundation of trust, collegiality, flexibility, expertise, openness, relational networking and effective communications. Leaders must also be prepared to improve leadership skills through continual development in each of these foundational areas.

Meaningful work, work engagement and organisational commitment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Madelyn Geldenhuys

2014-03-01

Research purpose: The aim of the study was to investigate the relationships amongst psychological meaningfulness, work engagement and organisational commitment and to test for a possible mediation effect of work engagement on the relationship between psychological meaningfulness and organisational commitment. Motivation for the study: Managers have to rethink ways of improving productivity and performance at work, due to the diverse, and in some instances escalating, needs of employees (e.g. financial support to uphold their interest in and enjoyment of working. Research approach, design and method: A quantitative approach was employed to gather the data for the study, utilising a cross-sectional survey design. The sample (n = 415 consisted of working employees from various companies and positions in Gauteng, South Africa. Main findings: The results confirmed a positive relationship between psychological meaningfulness, work engagement and organisational commitment. Further, psychological meaningfulness predicts work engagement, whilst psychological meaningfulness and work engagement predict organisational commitment. Practical/managerial implications: Employers identifying their employees’ commitment patterns and mapping out strategies for enhancing those that are relevant to organisational goals will yield positive work outcomes (e.g. employees who are creative, seek growth or challenges for themselves. Contribution/value-add: This study contributes to the literature through highlighting the impact that meaningful work has on sustaining employee commitment to the organisation.

Organisational Art

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ferro-Thomsen, Martin

creation of a practical utopia (?heterotopia?) in the organisational context. The case study makes use of both art- and organisational theory. The thesis concludes with an outline of a framework for OA that is derived from contemporary theory of mainly Relational Aesthetics (Bourriaud), Conceptual Art......University of Copenhagen / Learning Lab Denmark. 2005 Kort beskrivelse: Organisational Art is a tentative title for an art form that works together with organisations to produce art. This is most often done together with non-artist members of the organisation and on-site in their social context. OA...... is characterised as socially engaged, conceptual, discursive, site-specific and contextual. Abstract: This investigation is about Organisational Art (OA), which is a tentative title for an art form that works together with organisations (companies, institutions, communities, governments and NGOs) to produce art...

How to change organisational culture: Action research in a South African public sector primary care facility

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Robert Mash

2016-08-01

Full Text Available Background: Organisational culture is a key factor in both patient and staff experience of the healthcare services. Patient satisfaction, staff engagement and performance are related to this experience. The department of health in the Western Cape espouses a values-based culture characterised by caring, competence, accountability, integrity, responsiveness and respect. However, transformation of the existing culture is required to achieve this vision. Aim: To explore how to transform the organisational culture in line with the desired values. Setting: Retreat Community Health Centre, Cape Town, South Africa. Methods: Participatory action research with the leadership engaged with action and reflection over a period of 18 months. Change in the organisational culture was measured at baseline and after 18 months by means of a cultural values assessment (CVA survey. The three key leaders at the health centre also completed a 360-degree leadership values assessment (LVA and had 6 months of coaching. Results: Cultural entropy was reduced from 33 to 13% indicating significant transformation of organisational culture. The key driver of this transformation was change in the leadership style and functioning. Retreat health centre shifted from a culture that emphasised hierarchy, authority, command and control to one that established a greater sense of cohesion, shared vision, open communication, appreciation, respect, fairness and accountability. Conclusion: Transformation of organisational culture was possible through a participatory process that focused on the leadership style, communication and building relationships by means of CVA and feedback, 360-degree LVA, feedback and coaching and action learning in a co-operative inquiry group.

How to change organisational culture: Action research in a South African public sector primary care facility

Science.gov (United States)

De Sa, Angela; Christodoulou, Maria

2016-01-01

Background Organisational culture is a key factor in both patient and staff experience of the healthcare services. Patient satisfaction, staff engagement and performance are related to this experience. The department of health in the Western Cape espouses a values-based culture characterised by caring, competence, accountability, integrity, responsiveness and respect. However, transformation of the existing culture is required to achieve this vision. Aim To explore how to transform the organisational culture in line with the desired values. Setting Retreat Community Health Centre, Cape Town, South Africa. Methods Participatory action research with the leadership engaged with action and reflection over a period of 18 months. Change in the organisational culture was measured at baseline and after 18 months by means of a cultural values assessment (CVA) survey. The three key leaders at the health centre also completed a 360-degree leadership values assessment (LVA) and had 6 months of coaching. Results Cultural entropy was reduced from 33 to 13% indicating significant transformation of organisational culture. The key driver of this transformation was change in the leadership style and functioning. Retreat health centre shifted from a culture that emphasised hierarchy, authority, command and control to one that established a greater sense of cohesion, shared vision, open communication, appreciation, respect, fairness and accountability. Conclusion Transformation of organisational culture was possible through a participatory process that focused on the leadership style, communication and building relationships by means of CVA and feedback, 360-degree LVA, feedback and coaching and action learning in a co-operative inquiry group. PMID:27608671

Evaluation of organisational culture and nurse burnout.

Science.gov (United States)

Watts, Jenny; Robertson, Noelle; Winter, Rachel; Leeson, David

2013-10-01

A survey of nurses working with older adults across three NHS trusts was conducted to explore how perceptions of the workplace affect nurse wellbeing. Standardised validated measures were used to assess burnout, perceived organisational support and organisational culture. Significant associations were found between innovative organisational culture and nurses' sense of personal accomplishment, which reduce the likelihood of burnout. Multiple regression showed experience of burnout to be predicted by the nature of organisational culture. It seems therefore that nurses' wellbeing may be affected by their perceptions of the working environment. Applications of this knowledge and suggestions for future research are discussed.

Organisational resilience following the Darfield earthquake of 2010.

Science.gov (United States)

Whitman, Zachary; Stevenson, Joanne; Kachali, Hlekiwe; Seville, Erica; Vargo, John; Wilson, Thomas

2014-01-01

This paper presents the preliminary findings of a study on the resilience and recovery of organisations following the Darfield earthquake in New Zealand on 4 September 2010. Sampling included organisations proximal and distal to the fault trace, organisations located within central business districts, and organisations from seven diverse industry sectors. The research captured information on the challenges to, the impacts on, and the reflections of the organisations in the first months of recovery. Organisations in central business districts and in the hospitality sector were most likely to close, while organisations that had perishable stock and livestock were more heavily reliant on critical services. Staff well-being, cash flow, and customer loss were major concerns for organisations across all sectors. For all organisations, the most helpful factors in mitigating the effects of the earthquake were their relationship with staff members, the design and type of buildings, and critical service continuity or swift reinstatement of services. © 2014 The Author(s). Disasters © Overseas Development Institute, 2014.

Organising aspects of the Levels Added Organisation (LAO

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Duško Uršič

2002-01-01

Full Text Available How to achieve a more efficient, more successful, and above all more competitive organisation in the given environment and equal spare time in everything? One of responses is evidently hidden in the levels added organisation concept, which has already proved its advantages in some domains practice, and now we also try to define and explain them from the organisational and scientific aspect. As briefly presented in this paper, the nucleus is hidden in the evolutionary development of the organisation that adopts innovations, then tests and evaluates them, combines and upgrades them, and consequently it efficiently resolves difficulties of existent organisational concepts.

Some Characteristics that Influence Motivation for Learning in Organisations

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Marjana Merkac Skok

2013-04-01

Full Text Available The aim of the research was to discover the motives for lifelong learning, for studying part time, possibilities for personal and career development and the level of learning support within organisations, where randomly selected students are already employed. We were interested in motivation for learning on behalf of the individual and its potential links with the organisation.In this research we tried to establish which factors have the most influence on individual’s personal development and career planning; whether organisation promotes career development; whether organisations promote learning and which support mechanisms are available. Employees’ motive for learning, education and training – even after they become employed – is linked with the possibility to receive a promotion. The research was conducted among large group of part time students, already holding a job. Over 150 respondents filled out questionnaire and results were statistically treated. The results of this research show, similar to other recent findings, that knowledge and work experience have the most influence on the possibility for development and for a career. Clear personal and organisational objectives are also crucial. And the importance of knowledge sharing with the help of peers, coaches or mentors is significant.

New challenges for the internal safety organisation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hasle, Peter; Jensen, Per Langå

2003-01-01

Research from several countries indicates that the internal health and safety organisation in most companies is placed in an appendix position. Introduc-tion of learning is a possibility for the development of a stronger and more ef-fective health and safety organisation. This approach has been...

Labour organisation on robotic milking dairy farms

OpenAIRE

Sonck, B.R.

1996-01-01

1. Research issues

The research described in this dissertation is focused on the effects of the integration of the milking robot in a dairy farm on the labour organisation at operational and tactical level. Attention was paid to the future requirements concerning human labour and labour (re)organisation with respect to the complex interaction between the cows and an automatic milking system (AMS) on a robotic milking d...

Technological and Organisational Aspects of Global Research Data Infrastructures Towards Year 2020

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Fotis Karagiannis

2013-07-01

Full Text Available A general-purpose Global Research Data Infrastructure (GRDI for all sciences and research purposes is not conceivable for the next decade as there are too many discipline-specific modalities that currently prevail for such generalisation efforts to be effective. On the other hand, a more pragmatic approach is to start from what currently exists, identify best practices and key issues, and promote effective inter-domain collaboration among different components forming an ecosystem. This will promote interoperability, data exchange, data preservation, and distributed access (among others. This ecosystem of interoperable research data infrastructures will be composed of regional, disciplinary, and multidisciplinary components, such as libraries, archives, and data centres, offering data services for both primary datasets and publications. The ecosystem will support data-intensive science and research and stimulate the interaction among all its elements, thus promoting multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary science. This special issue includes a set of independent papers from renowned experts on organisational and technological issues related to GRDIs. These documents feed into and compliment the GRDI2020 roadmap, which supports a Global Research Data Infrastructure ecosystem.

'Ethos' Enabling Organisational Knowledge Creation

Science.gov (United States)

Matsudaira, Yoshito

This paper examines knowledge creation in relation to improvements on the production line in the manufacturing department of Nissan Motor Company and aims to clarify embodied knowledge observed in the actions of organisational members who enable knowledge creation will be clarified. For that purpose, this study adopts an approach that adds a first, second, and third-person's viewpoint to the theory of knowledge creation. Embodied knowledge, observed in the actions of organisational members who enable knowledge creation, is the continued practice of 'ethos' (in Greek) founded in Nissan Production Way as an ethical basis. Ethos is knowledge (intangible) assets for knowledge creating companies. Substantiated analysis classifies ethos into three categories: the individual, team and organisation. This indicates the precise actions of the organisational members in each category during the knowledge creation process. This research will be successful in its role of showing the indispensability of ethos - the new concept of knowledge assets, which enables knowledge creation -for future knowledge-based management in the knowledge society.

A typology of organisational cultures.

Science.gov (United States)

Westrum, R

2004-12-01

There is wide belief that organisational culture shapes many aspects of performance, including safety. Yet proof of this relationship in a medical context is hard to find. In contrast to human factors, whose contributions are many and notable, culture's impact remains a common-sense, rather than a scientific, concept. The objectives of this paper are to show that organisational culture bears a predictive relationship with safety and that particular kinds of organisational culture improve safety, and to develop a typology predictive of safety performance. Because information flow is both influential and also indicative of other aspects of culture, it can be used to predict how organisations or parts of them will behave when signs of trouble arise. From case studies and some systematic research it appears that information culture is indeed associated with error reporting and with performance, including safety. Yet this relationship between culture and safety requires more exploration before the connection can be considered definitive.

Work adjustment of cancer survivors: An organisational support framework

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Loraine Clur

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Orientation: Medical advancements increase incidents of cancer survivors returning to work. Work adjustment of cancer survivors is essential for job satisfaction and productivity and should be supported and facilitated by the organisation. Research purpose: The purpose of the study was to explore cancer survivors’ return to work experience in order to explicate organisational support needed to facilitate their successful work adjustment. Motivation for the study: Despite the growing awareness of cancer survivorship, the challenges, expectations and management of the return to work process remain under researched. Research approach, design and method: Heidegger’s hermeneutic phenomenology formed the methodological foundation to the study. Purposive sampling was used to select eight participants from an oncology unit and cancer support organisation in the Southern Cape and Little Karoo regions. Participants, diagnosed with various types of cancer, were regarded as cancer survivors as they completed treatment and have returned to work. Data were collected using unstructured interviews and analysed through thematic analysis based on Ricoeur’s hermeneutic phenomenological theory of interpretation. Main findings: Results highlight four themes representing cancer survivors’ needs for organisational support. The support needs are presented in the context of the theory of work adjustment in a hierarchical schema that evolves from a basic need for emotion-focussed support to the need for knowledge and for practical guidance. Support needs culminate in the need for self-actualisation through meaning-making. An organisational support framework is proposed consisting of four integrated functions aimed at addressing the needs that emerged from the data. Practical and managerial implications: The organisational support framework provides guidance to develop an organisational policy and intervention strategy aimed at managing the successful work

The Effect of the Research Assessment Exercise on Organisational Culture in English Universities: Collegiality versus Managerialism

Science.gov (United States)

Yokoyama, Keiko

2006-01-01

The purpose of the study is to identify the effect of the research assessment exercise (RAE) on the balance between collegiality and managerialism in English universities. The article examines the institutional strategies for the 2001 RAE and its effect on organisational culture, identifying change in governance, management and leadership in…

At the confluence of organisation development (OD and organisation identity theory (OIT: Enter identity interventions

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C L Van Tonder

2004-10-01

Full Text Available The identity concept has been around in the form of “corporate identity" for some time, but its appearance as “organisation identity" is more recent. Emerging theory and initial empirical research suggest that an identity approach and “identity interventions" in particular, offer promising avenues to the organisation development practitioner for enhancing organisational focus, building resilience in the face of major change, and improving performance. Identity interventions in and of themselves, but also employed as pre-change interventions, build organisational capacity that would stave off premature organisational “death" and extend the organisation’s life expectancy. Opsomming Die identiteitskonsep is in die vorm van korporatiewe identiteit reeds ’n geruime tyd in omgang, maar die verskyning daarvan as “organisasie-identiteit? is meer onlangs. Ontluikende teorie en aanvanklike empiriese navorsing suggereer dat ’n identiteitsbenadering en "identiteitsintervensies" in die besonder, belowende geleenthede aan die organisasie- ontwikkelingspraktisyn bied om organisasiefokus te verbeter, die organisasie se veerkragtigheid ten aanskoue van omvangryke verandering te bou, en prestasie te verbeter. Identiteitsintervensies op sigself bou organisasiekapasiteit, maar kan ook as voorveranderingsintervensies aangewend word wat premature organisasie "sterftes" sal vermy en die organisasie se lewensverwagting sal verleng.

Improving Your Organisation's Workplace Learning. Consortium Research Program

Science.gov (United States)

National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER), 2008

2008-01-01

Many organisations, including VET providers, are looking to find ways to achieve competitive advantage through the people they employ. Creating this advantage has a number of facets and most of these depend on training and developing people, and their ability to learn. The VET sector also faces significant changes in the ways it does business.…

Organisational Pathologies Under Conditions of Economic Downswing

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Pasieczny Jacek

2017-06-01

Full Text Available The topic of organisational pathology is surprisingly absent in literature on management, especially when bearing in mind the theoretical and practical import of such questions. The intention of the author is to fill in this gap, at least partially. The paper is based on an analysis of literature and an empirical research conducted by the author. The research applied partially structured interviews as its method. These interviews were conducted with entrepreneurs and managers of various levels. They made possible the drawing of conclusions relating to conditions behind the genesis and growth of selected organisational pathologies in a situation of economic downswing. The article briefly presents the concept and influence of pathology on the functioning of an organisation. The author concentrates on the causes of the phenomenon and presents them from various perspectives. It is during times of economic downswing that an increase in unethical behaviour, including corruption, mobbing as well as others, becomes particularly visible. Also noticeable is concentrating on limiting costs, which can sometimes reach pathological scale. This can lead to a permanent loss of pro-development potential by the organisation. Moreover, numerous pathological phenomena emerge at the tangent point of the organisation and its surroundings. The source of many undesirable phenomena in the organisation and in its relations with its surroundings is a fall in trust, which makes its appearance in crisis situations. More often than not, managers facing a situation in which they have no choice perpetuate organisational pathologies, whilst, at the same time, being aware of the lack of validity of their actions. However, a more frequent source of problems is the differences in perspective in perceiving organisational phenomena by various actors and stakeholders.

Organisational learning - literature review and plans for 2004

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ludvigsen, Jan Tore

2004-01-01

Efficient organisational learning is considered to be a precondition for high reliability organisations. Organisational learning allows an organisation to learn from its own and/or others' failures, which contributes to ensure that incidents are avoided in the future. The first part of the paper provides an overview of the field of organisational learning, and describes the past and current trends in this extensive field. The second part presents the plans for a case study that will be completed this year. The objective of the case study is to describe the learning practices at a small nuclear research plant, with the purpose of assessing the current approach to learning from failures and incidents at the plant. The case study serves as a pilot study, and the outcome of the study will make up the basis for conducting similar research on larger nuclear power plants. A long-term goal is to develop a framework for assessing and implementing learning practices that facilitate the learning competence of nuclear power plants. (Author)

Artisan retention in an organisation in South Africa

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Lariska van Rooyen

2010-11-01

Research purpose: The objective of this study was to investigate the factors that are important for artisan retention at a South African organisation. Motivation for the study: Organisations that employ artisans need to understand what the main reasons are for keeping or losing artisans from the perspective of the artisans themselves. This information can be used to plan and implement interventions to deal with artisan retention in organisations. Research design, approach and method: A qualitative design was used and a purposive sample was taken (n = 14. A biographical questionnaire was administered and semi-structured interviews were conducted to gather data from artisans. Main findings: Remuneration had the highest rank of all the factors for the retention of artisans, closely followed by development opportunities. Other factors that were perceived as important for artisan retention included equality, recognition, management and the working environment, and working relationships. Practical implications: Organisations that employ artisans should especially attend to their remuneration and development opportunities. Contribution: The results of this study add to the knowledge of why artisans remain with a specific organisation.

A model of organisational dysfunction in the NHS.

Science.gov (United States)

Pope, Rachael

2013-01-01

This paper explores the reasons for the sometimes seemingly irrational and dysfunctional organisational behaviour within the NHS. It seeks to provide possible answers to the persistent historical problem of intimidating and negative behaviour between staff, and the sometimes inadequate organisational responses. The aim is to develop a model to explain and increase understanding of such behaviour in the NHS. This paper is conceptual in nature based upon a systematic literature review. The concepts of organisational silence, normalised organisational corruption, and protection of image, provide some possible answers for these dysfunctional responses, as does the theory of selective moral disengagement. The NHS exhibits too high a level of collective ego defences and protection of its image and self-esteem, which distorts its ability to address problems and to learn. Organisations and the individuals within them can hide and retreat from reality and exhibit denial; there is a resistance to voice and to "knowing". The persistence and tolerance of negative behaviour is a corruption and is not healthy or desirable. Organisations need to embrace the identity of a listening and learning organisation; a "wise" organisation. The "Elephant in the room" of persistent negative behaviour has to be acknowledged; the silence must be broken. There is a need for cultures of "respect", exhibiting "intelligent kindness". A model has been developed to increase understanding of dysfunctional organisational behaviour in the NHS primarily for leaders/managers of health services, health service regulators and health researchers/academics. Research, with ethical approval, is currently being undertaken to test and develop the conceptual model to further reflect the complexities of the NHS culture.

Developing organisational ethics in palliative care.

Science.gov (United States)

Sandman, Lars; Molander, Ulla; Benkel, Inger

2017-03-01

Palliative carers constantly face ethical problems. There is lack of organised support for the carers to handle these ethical problems in a consistent way. Within organisational ethics, we find models for moral deliberation and for developing organisational culture; however, they are not combined in a structured way to support carers' everyday work. The aim of this study was to describe ethical problems faced by palliative carers and develop an adapted organisational set of values to support the handling of these problems. Ethical problems were mapped out using focus groups and content analysis. The organisational culture were developed using normative analysis and focus group methodology within a participatory action research approach. Main participants and research context: A total of 15 registered nurses and 10 assistant nurses at a palliative unit (with 19 patient beds) at a major University Hospital in Sweden. Ethical considerations: The study followed standard ethics guidelines concerning informed consent and confidentiality. We found six categories of ethical problems (with the main focus on problems relating to the patient's loved ones) and five categories of organisational obstacles. Based on these findings, we developed a set of values in three levels: a general level, an explanatory level and a level of action strategies. The ethical problems found corresponded to problems in other studies with a notable exception, the large focus on patient loved ones. The three-level set of values is a way to handle risks of formulating abstract values not providing guidance in concrete care voiced in other studies. Developing a three-level set of values adapted to the specific ethical problems in a concrete care setting is a first step towards a better handling of ethical problems.

'The way things are around here': organisational culture is a concept missing from New Zealand healthcare policy, development, implementation, and research.

Science.gov (United States)

Scahill, Shane L

2012-01-20

Internationally, healthcare sectors are coming under increasing pressure to perform and to be accountable for the use of public funds. In order to deliver on stakeholder expectation, transformation will need to occur across all levels of the health system. Outside of health care it has been recognised for some time that organisational culture (OC) can have a significant influence on performance and that it is a mediator for change. The health sector has been slow to adopt organisational theory and specifically the benefits of understanding OC and impacts on performance. During a visit to health research units in the United Kingdom (UK) I realised the stark differences in the practice of health reform and its evaluation. OC is a firmly established concept within policy development, implementation and research in the UK. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for New Zealand. There has been unrelenting reform and structural redesign, particularly of the primary healthcare sector under multiple governments over the past 20 to 30 years. However, there has been an underwhelming focus on the human aspects of organisational change. This seems set to continue and the aim of this viewpoint is to introduce the concept of OC and outline why New Zealand policy reformists and health services researchers should be thinking explicitly about OC. Culture is not solely the domain of the organisational scientist and current understandings of the influence of OC on performance are outlined in this commentary. Potential benefits of thinking about culture are argued and a proposed research agenda is presented.

Impact of the organisational culture on primary care staff members' intention to engage in research and development.

Science.gov (United States)

Morténius, Helena; Baigi, Amir; Palm, Lars; Fridlund, Bengt; Björkelund, Cecilia; Hedberg, Berith

2015-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to understand how organisational culture influences the intentions of primary care staff members (PCSM) to engage in research and development (R&D). The participants (n=30) were PCSM employed in a care centre in south-western Sweden. The study had an observational design with an ethnographic approach. The data were collected by means of observations, interviews and analysis of documents. The results revealed the perceptions of PCSM in two domains, research and clinical practice, both of which existed at three different cultural levels: visible (structures and policy), semi-visible (norms and values) and invisible (taken-for-granted attitudes). It is difficult to conduct a purely objective ethnographic study because the investigation is controlled by its context. However, it is necessary to highlight and discuss the invisible level to improve understanding of negative attitudes and preconceptions related to the implementation of R&D in the clinical setting. By highlighting the invisible level of culture, the management of an organisation has the opportunity to initiate discussion of issues related to concealed norms and values as well as attitudes towards new thinking and change in the primary health context. This paper is one of the very few studies to investigate the influence of organisational culture on the intentions of PCSM to engage in R&D.

MANAGERIAL ORGANISATIONAL PATHOLOGIES IN PERIODS OF EXETENDED CRISIS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

PASTOR IOAN

2014-08-01

Full Text Available In periods of extended crisis an increasing number of organisations are faced and confronted with pathological phenomena such as corruption, organizational stress, burnout, workaholism, mobbing, collective personality, organizational myths and neurotic organizations, which can generate organisational dysfunctions, managerial and organisational crises, critical moments when the results are unclear, disorders, confusions, mental and professional illnesses, organisational illnesses. All these have severe and generalized disadaptive effects that influence not only the personal life of the organisation’s members, but also their socio-professional life. They affect the work ability of the members of the organisation, the formal and informal relationships between them, their well-being and work productivity. In time, the organisation turns from a healthy and efficient one into a morbid and very unproductive one. The paper presents the results of some research for diagnosing some of these disadaptive phenomena present in the different sectors of activity of the Mureş County, which are affected by an extended crisis: organisational stress, burnout, workaholism and mobbing.

A meta-ethnography of organisational culture in primary care medical practice.

Science.gov (United States)

Grant, Suzanne; Guthrie, Bruce; Entwistle, Vikki; Williams, Brian

2014-01-01

Over the past decade, there has been growing international interest in shaping local organisational cultures in primary healthcare. However, the contextual relevance of extant culture assessment instruments to the primary care context has been questioned. The aim of this paper is to derive a new contextually appropriate understanding of the key dimensions of primary care medical practice organisational culture and their inter-relationship through a synthesis of published qualitative research. A systematic search of six electronic databases followed by a synthesis using techniques of meta-ethnography involving translation and re-interpretation. A total of 16 papers were included in the meta-ethnography from the UK, the USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand that fell into two related groups: those focused on practice organisational characteristics and narratives of practice individuality; and those focused on sub-practice variation across professional, managerial and administrative lines. It was found that primary care organisational culture was characterised by four key dimensions, i.e. responsiveness, team hierarchy, care philosophy and communication. These dimensions are multi-level and inter-professional in nature, spanning both practice and sub-practice levels. The research contributes to organisational culture theory development. The four new cultural dimensions provide a synthesized conceptual framework for researchers to evaluate and understand primary care cultural and sub-cultural levels. The synthesised cultural dimensions present a framework for practitioners to understand and change organisational culture in primary care teams. The research uses an innovative research methodology to synthesise the existing qualitative research and is one of the first to develop systematically a qualitative conceptual framing of primary care organisational culture.

MEMO Organisation Modelling Language (1): Focus on organisational structure

OpenAIRE

Frank, Ulrich

2011-01-01

Organisation models are at the core of enterprise model, since they represent key aspects of a company's action system. Within MEMO, the Organisation Modelling Language (OrgML) supports the construction of organisation models. They can be divided into two main abstractions: a static abstraction is focusing on the structure of an organisation that reflects the division of labour with respect to static responsibilities and a dynamic abstraction that is focusing on models of business processes. ...

The organisational structure of urban environmental stewardship

Science.gov (United States)

Dana R. Fisher; Lindsay Campbell; Erika S. Svendsen

2012-01-01

How is the organisational structure of urban environmental stewardship groups related to the diverse ways that civic stewardship is taking place in urban settings? The findings of the limited number of studies that have explored the organisational structure of civic environmentalism are combined with the research on civic stewardship to answer this question. By...

The "State of Art" of Organisational Blogging

Science.gov (United States)

Baxter, Gavin J.; Connolly, Thomas M.

2013-01-01

Purpose: The aim of this paper is to provide an overview of the "state of art" of organisational blogging. It also aims to provide a critical review of the literature on organisational blogging and propose recommendations on how to advance the subject area in terms of academic research. Design/methodology/approach: A systematic literature review…

A study of culture and how it affects Sri Lankan organisations

OpenAIRE

Perera, Ethmadalage Dineeli Nadeesha

2006-01-01

This dissertation presents a study of culture by bifurcating it into two parts: National and Organisational Culture. Through research, a profile of the Sri Lankan National Culture and the Organisational Culture of 3 selected companies is arrived at. Consequently, the research findings are analysed to distinguish if the National Culture of Sri Lanka has had an influence on the Organisational Culture of Sri Lankan companies.

Assessment of Staff Intercultural Competences in Health Care Organisations

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Stašys Rimantas

2017-10-01

Full Text Available As a consequence of globalisation, people’s mobility has been increasing, which brought cultural diversity to a number of countries of the world, therefore intercultural competences became a particularly important research object in organisation management. Scientific literature is rich in publications on the topic, however, the latter problem and its specificity has been insufficiently studied in health care organisations whose performance is especially important for each patient and the cost of errors, possibly caused also by insufficient intercultural competences, may be very great. The conducted research justifies the meaning and significance of intercultural competences in health care organisations and identifies the principal problems in organisations faced when communicating in an intercultural environment. The development of intercultural competences was not sufficiently promoted in health care organisations, leaving that to the staff’s responsibility. Quite a few of health care services providers had a poor knowledge of etiquette and did not know much about the customs and traditions of other countries.

Incentives for knowledge sharing: impact of organisational culture and information technology

Science.gov (United States)

Lyu, Hongbo; Zhang, Zuopeng Justin

2017-10-01

This research presents and examines an analytical model of knowledge management in which organisational culture dynamically improves with knowledge-sharing and learning activities within organisations. We investigate the effects of organisational incentives and the level of information technology on the motivation of knowledge sharing. We derive a linear incentive reward structure for knowledge sharing under both homogeneous and heterogeneous conditions. In addition, we show how the organisational culture and the optimum linear sharing reward change with several crucial factors, and summarise three sets of methods (strong IT support, congruent organisational culture, and effective employee assessment) to complement the best linear incentive. Our research provides valuable insights for practitioners in terms of implementing knowledge-management initiatives.

Organisational Diversity and Knowledge Sharing

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lauring, Jakob; Jonasson, Charlotte

productivity and diversity management - that is not engaging in a discussion of how and why there could be potential benefits or difficulties. In this paper we will describe and analyse some of the complications multicultural organisations can experience in regard to knowledge sharing......The last years' focus on diversity management has gone from social responsibility to arguments for the competitive advantages, called the business case. It has been argued that diversity management can increase organisational efficiency, improve on moral, and give better access to new market...... segments. But a substantial critique has recently been launched at the arguments for the business case for diversity, especially in the employment of knowledge synergies. Most studies that support or reject the business case argument have limited their research to establish a link between organisational...

Organisation of biological research carried out in the United States by the A.E.C. or under her contract (1960)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pellerin, J.

1960-01-01

This report is based on information gathered in the course of a trip to the United States, in November and December 1958 which consisted chiefly of visits to the main biological and medical research laboratories and discussions with the heads of these establishments. A description is given of the general organisation of the Atomic Energy Commission's Division of Biology and Medicine, and of the distribution of responsibility for radiation protection work and for biological, medical and agricultural research amongst the various Services attached to it; this is followed by a more detailed account of the activities carried on in this field at the great national laboratories. Finally, the systems of collaboration set up with external research organisations in the form of research contracts are examined, together with the substantial help provided by the A.E.C. for biological, medical and agricultural research in general, owing to a systematic policy of subsidising the distribution of radioisotopes for this purpose. (author) [fr

Understanding human and organisational factors - Nuclear safety and at-risk organisations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bernard, Benoit

2014-01-01

This book addresses human and organisational factors which are present at different moments of the lifetime of an at-risk installation (from design to dismantling). At-risk organisations are considered as firstly human systems, and the objective is then to highlight individual and collective mechanisms in these organisations. Several questions are addressed, notably the origins of at-risk behaviour, and the reasons of the repetition of errors by these organisations. A first chapter, while referring to examples, addresses the human dimension of safety: human and organisational factors as obstacles, normal accidents (Three Mile Island), accidents in high-reliability organisations (Chernobyl), identification of root causes (Tokai-mura), and social-technical approach to safety (Fukushima). By also referring to examples, the second chapter addresses how to analyse at-risk organisations: individual behaviours (case of naval and air transport accidents), team coordination (a fire, the Challenger accident), and organisational regulation (organisations forms and routines, explosion of BP Texas City, explosion of Columbia)

Measurement of Organisation-Professional Conflict in the industrial psychology profession

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Colette Lourens

2012-11-01

Research purpose: To establish the measurement of the perceptions and experiences of industrial psychology (IP professionals, employed in South African organisations, with regard to Organisation-Professional Conflict (OPC as well as the antecedents associated with this phenomenon. Motivation for the study: Although the extent to which professionals experience OPC is well documented for medical and accountancy professionals, the extent to which IP professionals experience this phenomenon remains unclear. Research design, approach and method: A structured questionnaire was developed and applied as a cross-sectional survey to all registered South African IP professionals employed in organisations. Responses based on the N = 143 self-selecting respondents were captured and utilised for statistical analysis. Main findings: OPC in the IP profession can be considered as the incongruence between professional organisational roles and duties, and their responsibility to adhere to professional obligations. Professional autonomy and strategic alignment were found to mitigate the occurrence of OPC, whereas power tension and compromise of professionalism seem to exacerbate the occurrence thereof. Practical/managerial implications: The research might create an awareness of the existence of OPC amongst the respective stakeholders. Knowledge of OPC may have implications for professionals who render their professional services to organisations. Contribution/value-add: The findings may inform formal professional associations, industrial psychologists employed by organisations, their employing organisations, and the governing board, about the nature and extent of OPC.

Improving brain computer interface research through user involvement - The transformative potential of integrating civil society organisations in research projects

Science.gov (United States)

Wakunuma, Kutoma; Rainey, Stephen; Hansen, Christian

2017-01-01

Research on Brain Computer Interfaces (BCI) often aims to provide solutions for vulnerable populations, such as individuals with diseases, conditions or disabilities that keep them from using traditional interfaces. Such research thereby contributes to the public good. This contribution to the public good corresponds to a broader drive of research and funding policy that focuses on promoting beneficial societal impact. One way of achieving this is to engage with the public. In practical terms this can be done by integrating civil society organisations (CSOs) in research. The open question at the heart of this paper is whether and how such CSO integration can transform the research and contribute to the public good. To answer this question the paper describes five detailed qualitative case studies of research projects including CSOs. The paper finds that transformative impact of CSO integration is possible but by no means assured. It provides recommendations on how transformative impact can be promoted. PMID:28207882

Improving brain computer interface research through user involvement - The transformative potential of integrating civil society organisations in research projects.

Science.gov (United States)

Stahl, Bernd Carsten; Wakunuma, Kutoma; Rainey, Stephen; Hansen, Christian

2017-01-01

Research on Brain Computer Interfaces (BCI) often aims to provide solutions for vulnerable populations, such as individuals with diseases, conditions or disabilities that keep them from using traditional interfaces. Such research thereby contributes to the public good. This contribution to the public good corresponds to a broader drive of research and funding policy that focuses on promoting beneficial societal impact. One way of achieving this is to engage with the public. In practical terms this can be done by integrating civil society organisations (CSOs) in research. The open question at the heart of this paper is whether and how such CSO integration can transform the research and contribute to the public good. To answer this question the paper describes five detailed qualitative case studies of research projects including CSOs. The paper finds that transformative impact of CSO integration is possible but by no means assured. It provides recommendations on how transformative impact can be promoted.

The relationships among business strategies, organisational performance and organisational culture in the tourism industry

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mong-Mei Lin

2013-12-01

Full Text Available As societies develop, the tourism industry has become one of the most powerful and largest industries in the global economy. The industrial status and economic function of the tourism industry have increased in the economic development of cities. The tourism industry has helped to drive the city economy, create employment, and facilitate culture and the environment The tourism industry, as one of the supporting industries for economic development in China, presents diverse services that are not only competitive within the industry, but could also increase national consumption. In addition to the professional service items and quality, the adjustment of business strategies aimed at the changeable environment are considered as key success factors in the tourism industry. This study analyzes the effect of business strategies on organisational performance in the tourism industry. Owners, managers, and employees from the top ten travel agencies in Taiwan were selected as the research subjects and a total of 600 questionnaires were distributed. Within the retrieved 438 surveys, 43 were incomplete and removed to yield a total of 395 valid questionnaires. Within the empirical analyses business strategies appear to have significant positive correlations with job satisfaction, organisational objective and job performance in organisational performance. Moreover, organisational culture presents a partially moderating effect for the relations between business strategies and organisational performance.

Organisational Structure

Science.gov (United States)

National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER), 2006

2006-01-01

An understanding of organisational structure can provide guidance for organisations that want to change and innovate. Many writers agree that this understanding allows organisations to shape how their work is done to ultimately achieve their business goals--and that too often structure is given little consideration in business strategy and…

Organisational Factors Affecting Policy and Programme Decision Making in a Public Health Policy Environment

Science.gov (United States)

Zardo, Pauline; Collie, Alex; Livingstone, Charles

2015-01-01

Organisational factors can affect the success of interventions aimed at increasing research use. Research is needed to identify organisational factors affecting research use in specific public health policy contexts. Qualitative interviews with decision makers from a specific public health context identified a range of organisational factors that…

Organisational support for evidence-based practice: occupational therapists perceptions.

Science.gov (United States)

Bennett, Sally; Allen, Shelley; Caldwell, Elizabeth; Whitehead, Mary; Turpin, Merrill; Fleming, Jennifer; Cox, Ruth

2016-02-01

Barriers to the use of evidence-based practice extend beyond the individual clinician and often include organisational barriers. Adoption of systematic organisational support for evidence-based practice in health care is integral to its use. This study aimed to explore the perceptions of occupational therapy staff regarding the influence of organisational initiatives to support evidence-based practice on workplace culture and clinical practice. This study used semi-structured interviews with 30 occupational therapists working in a major metropolitan hospital in Brisbane, Australia regarding their perceptions of organisational initiatives designed to support evidence-based practice. Four themes emerged from the data: (i) firmly embedding a culture valuing research and EBP, (ii) aligning professional identity with the Research and Evidence in Practice model, (iii) experiences of change: pride, confidence and pressure and (iv) making evidence-based changes to clinical practices. Organisational initiatives for evidence-based practice were perceived as influencing the culture of the workplace, therapists' sense of identity as clinicians, and as contributing to changes in clinical practice. It is therefore important to consider organisational factors when attempting to increase the use of evidence in practice. © 2016 Occupational Therapy Australia.

Boards and governance in African national cricket organisations: An ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Southern African Business Review ... the boards of African national cricket organisations to enhance the understanding of board involvement in ... The research reports on the composition of the boards of African cricket organisations as well as ...

Organisational socialization in the context of career path changes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. R. LUCA

2016-11-01

Full Text Available The paper presents the main theoretical issues of the organisational socialization: theoretical models as well as instruments used in the field research. The research in the field of organisational socialization is important mainly in the context of changes in career paths in recent times, the output of the socialization process being related to work performance, job satisfaction and organizational involvement.

Transformation of Nuclear Malaysia into Research and Development Organisation and Technical Support Organisation (TSO++): Restructuring Study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Muhd Noor Muhd Yunus; Ariff Shah Ismail; Prak Tom, P.P.

2011-01-01

Malaysian Nuclear Agency (Nuklear Malaysia), formerly known as Malaysian Institute for Nuclear Technology Research (MINT) was established on September 1972. As an agency under the purview of Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI), Nuklear Malaysia has a role to introduce and promote the application of nuclear science and technology for national development. Besides that, Nuklear Malaysia plays important role in providing quality and best-in-class research towards comprehensively generating new technologies in nuclear field. For the past few years, the government has been studying the possibility of deploying nuclear energy for electricity generation. On 11th January 2011, Y.A.B Prime Minister announced the establishment of Malaysian Nuclear Power Cooperation (MNPC) that is responsible to plan, spearhead and coordinate the implementation of nuclear energy development program for Malaysia and to take the necessary action to realize the development of the first nuclear power plant (NPP) in Malaysia. This is a strong and significant indication that Malaysia is seriously considering to embark into nuclear power program. As an agency that has been involve in nuclear field for the past few decades, Nuklear Malaysia has been identified as Technical Support Organisation (TSO) for the NPP project. Since then, preparation for transforming Nuklear Malaysia into TSO has been started. One of the areas that have been studied is the preparedness of organizations structure to effectively uphold the responsibilities of TSO. This paper briefly describes attributes of TSO, example of effective TSO organizations and study that has been conducted in preparation of Nuklear Malaysia to be Research and Development and Technical Support Organization (TSO++). (author)

The impact of organisational change and fiscal restraint on organisational culture.

Science.gov (United States)

Dark, Frances; Whiteford, Harvey; Ashkanasy, Neal M; Harvey, Carol; Harris, Meredith; Crompton, David; Newman, Ellie

2017-01-01

Strategies to implement evidence-based practice have highlighted the bidirectional relationship of organisational change on organisational culture. The present study examined changes in perceptions of organisational culture in two community mental health services implementing cognitive therapies into routine psychosis care over 3 years. During the time of the study there were a number of shared planned and unplanned changes that the mental health services had to accommodate. One service, Metro South, had the additional challenge of embarking on a major organisational restructure. A survey of organisational culture was administered to clinical staff of each service at yearly intervals over the 3 years. At baseline assessment there was no significant difference between the two services in organisational culture. At the midpoint assessment, which was conducted at the time the Metro South restructure was operationalized, there were less positive ratings of organisational culture recorded in Metro South compared to the other service. Organisational culture returned to near-baseline levels at endpoint assessment. These findings are consistent with the literature that organisational culture is relatively robust and resilient. It is also consistent with the literature that, at any one time, a service or organisation may have a finite capacity to absorb change. Consequently this limitation needs to be taken into account in the timing and planning of major service reform where possible. The results also extend the literature, insofar as external factors with a high impact on the operation of an organisation may impact upon organisational culture albeit temporarily.

Finding the community in sustainable online community engagement: Not-for-profit organisation websites, service-learning and research

OpenAIRE

Dodd, Alice

2017-01-01

This article explores the use of action research (2008–2014) based on a case study of the Sustainable Online Community Engagement (SOCE) Project, a service-learning project in which University of South Australia students build websites for not-for-profit (NFP) organisations, to demonstrate that effective teaching, public service and research are interdependent. A significant problem experienced in the SOCE project was that, despite some training and ongoing assistance, the community organisat...

Learning to Adapt. Organisational Adaptation to Climate Change Impacts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Berkhout, F.; Hertin, J.; Gann, D.M.

2006-01-01

Analysis of human adaptation to climate change should be based on realistic models of adaptive behaviour at the level of organisations and individuals. The paper sets out a framework for analysing adaptation to the direct and indirect impacts of climate change in business organisations with new evidence presented from empirical research into adaptation in nine case-study companies. It argues that adaptation to climate change has many similarities with processes of organisational learning. The paper suggests that business organisations face a number of obstacles in learning how to adapt to climate change impacts, especially in relation to the weakness and ambiguity of signals about climate change and the uncertainty about benefits flowing from adaptation measures. Organisations rarely adapt 'autonomously', since their adaptive behaviour is influenced by policy and market conditions, and draws on resources external to the organisation. The paper identifies four adaptation strategies that pattern organisational adaptive behaviour

[Organising an investigation site: a national training reference document].

Science.gov (United States)

Cornu, Catherine; David, Frédérique; Duchossoy, Luc; Hansel-Esteller, Sylvie; Bertoye, Pierre-Henri; Giacomino, Alain; Mouly, Stéphane; Diebolt, Vincent; Blazejewski, Sylvie

2014-01-01

Several surveys have shown a declining performance of French investigators in conducting clinical trials. This is partly due to insufficient and heterogeneous investigator training and site organisation. A multidisciplinary group was set up to propose solutions. We describe the tools developed to improve study site organisation. This working group was made up of clinical research experts from academia, industry, drug regulatory authorities, general practice, and consulting. Methods and tools were developed to improve site organisation. The proposed tools mainly focus on increasing investigators' awareness of their responsibilities, their research environment, the importance of a thorough feasibility analysis, and the implementation of active patient recruitment strategies. These tools should be able to improve site organisation and performances in conducting clinical trials. © 2014 Société Française de Pharmacologie et de Thérapeutique.

VIRTUAL ORGANISATIONS: EMPLOYEE COMPETENCY AND MANAGERIAL ISSUES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

MIRJANA RADOVIC-MARKOVIC

2014-10-01

Full Text Available New technologies have led to a new information and knowledge based economy. In this context, technology has changed the work environment, where organisations have become increasingly complex and competitive. Namely, the technologically induced a “virtual” environment has resulted in the adoption of new organisational structures and work skills and practices. On the one hand, the workplace increasingly requires employee to work in teams,collaborating across companies, communities, and continents. These changes and the new organisational structures have also made an impact on role of managers and their management styles, on the other hand. In line with this, there a very rich collection of thinking and empirical research findings on the subject. The goal of our research was to recognize the importance of certain factors in motivating employees in organisations by managers . The other purpose was to investigate the job related motivation factors among senior and junior employees as well as explore issues in the workplace that may affect work demoralization. Furthemore, we explored the relationship between employees motivation and their competences.We also contributed to the topic in our research project-book with the new model of competency. Furthemore, we expect that our methodology will be implemented in practice. However, it should be also a good basis for further improvements in this area.

Organising Ethics: The Case of the Norwegian Army

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ellen-Marie Forsberg

2012-05-01

Full Text Available This article shows how institutionalism, a theory in organisational social science, provides a model for diagnosing organisational challenges that influence the ethical practices and integration in the Norwegian Army. Institutionalism provides tools for analysing the differences between expressed values and actual practices and for understanding the organisational dynamics that unfold at the crossroads of the organisation's formal structure, informal culture and stakeholder relations. In this article we present and discuss such differences and dynamics in the Norwegian Army based on findings from a survey and a number of workshops. We also provide some suggestions for effective implementation of strategies for strengthening ethics in such an organisation. We argue that the perspective taken in this project is also relevant for other highly professionalised complex organisations and that such interdisciplinary research will strengthen practical ethics' potential for real impact.http://dx.doi.org/10.5324/eip.v6i1.1779

Building capacity to use and undertake research in health organisations: a survey of training needs and priorities among staff.

Science.gov (United States)

Barratt, Helen; Fulop, Naomi J

2016-12-07

Efforts to improve healthcare and population health depend partly on the ability of health organisations to use research knowledge and participate in its production. We report the findings of a survey conducted to prioritise training needs among healthcare and public health staff, in relation to the production and implementation of research, across an applied health research collaboration. A questionnaire survey using a validated tool, the Hennessy-Hicks Training Needs Assessment Questionnaire. Participants rated 25 tasks on a five-point scale with regard to both their confidence in performing the task, and its importance to their role. A questionnaire weblink was distributed to a convenience sample of 35 healthcare and public health organisations in London and South East England, with a request that they cascade the information to relevant staff. 203 individuals responded, from 20 healthcare and public health organisations. None. Training needs were identified by comparing median importance and performance scores for each task. Individuals were also invited to describe up to three priority areas in which they require training. Across the study sample, evaluation; teaching; making do with limited resources; coping with change and managing competing demands were identified as key tasks. Assessing the relevance of research and learning about new developments were the most relevant research-related tasks. Participants' training priorities included evaluation; finding, appraising and applying research evidence; and data analysis. Key barriers to involvement included time and resources, as well as a lack of institutional support for undertaking research. We identify areas in which healthcare and public health professionals may benefit from support to facilitate their involvement in and use of applied health research. We also describe barriers to participation and differing perceptions of research between professional groups. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited

Expatriate academics and perceptions of organisational support

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Trembath, Jodie-Lee; Herbert-Hansen, Zaza Nadja Lee

2017-01-01

retention of its expatriate academics. By analysing qualitative responses to a written questionnaire, this paper explores the perceptions of organisational support held by 163 expatriate academics employed at a large international Danish university, and compares these perceptions to the support......Research on Perceived Organisational Support (POS) rarely focuses on the potential gap between employee perceptions versus the support the organisation purports to offer. An understanding of this may provide greater insight into the interventions a university should be making if it hopes to improve...... the university claims to offer. Our study reveals that, in the case of expatriate academics, even extensive offerings of organisational support can be insufficient if the existence and specific benefits of the support are not adequately communicated, and if the academics do not trust the source of the support...

Expatriate academics and perceptions of organisational support

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Trembath, Jodie-Lee; Herbert-Hansen, Zaza Nadja Lee

2017-01-01

Research on Perceived Organisational Support (POS) rarely focuses on the potential gap between employee perceptions versus the support the organisation purports to offer. An understanding of this may provide greater insight into the interventions a university should be making if it hopes to improve...... retention of its expatriate academics. By analysing qualitative responses to a written questionnaire, this paper explores the perceptions of organisational support held by 163 expatriate academics employed at a large international Danish university, and compares these perceptions to the support...... the university claims to offer. Our study reveals that, in the case of expatriate academics, even extensive offerings of organisational support can be insufficient if the existence and specific benefits of the support are not adequately communicated, and if the academics do not trust the source of the support...

Sustainability reporting in public sector organisations: Exploring the relation between the reporting process and organisational change management for sustainability.

Science.gov (United States)

Domingues, Ana Rita; Lozano, Rodrigo; Ceulemans, Kim; Ramos, Tomás B

2017-05-01

Sustainability Reporting has become a key element in different organisations. Although there have been a number of academic publications discussing the adoption of sustainability reports in the public sector, their numbers have been quite low when compared to those focussing on corporate reports. Additionally, there has been little research on the link between sustainability reporting in Public Sector Organisations (PSOs) and Organisational Change Management for Sustainability (OCMS). This paper focuses on the contribution of sustainability reporting to OCMS. A survey was sent to all PSOs that have published at least one sustainability report based on the GRI guidelines. The study provides a critical analysis of the relation between sustainability reporting and OCMS in PSOs, including the drivers for reporting, the impacts on organisation change management, and the role of stakeholders in the process. Despite still lagging in sustainability reporting journey, PSOs are starting to use sustainability reporting as a communication tool, and this could drive organisational changes for sustainability. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Knowledge Factors and Their Impact on the Organisation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Domen Kozjek

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Research Question (RQ: The research question is whether managers in organisations recognize the benefits of knowledge management. Purpose: The purpose of this research is to identify the factors of knowledge which have a significant impact on the organisation. Method: We reviewed the relevant literature in the field of knowledge management. On this basis, we summarized the factors of knowledge. We performed a survey among the 69 biggest Slovenian commercial companies (public and banking sectors were excluded. Results: Research has shown that managers recognize the positive effects of knowledge. Factor analysis, with the discovery of latent variables, additionally confirmed already established facts from the research literature. This led us to the discovery that knowledge is the common denominator of all companies, regardless of the business in which they operate. Organisation: From the examined literature, we can conclude that knowledge management has a positive impact on the company's results. Identification of knowledge factors allows a more efficient use of company’s resources and enables further development of the organisation. Society: Knowledge has become a highly appreciated "resource", therefore it is necessary to be able to manage it. Knowledge is the foundation of progress, not only for the development of the company but for the entire civilization. Originality: We see the original contribution in the identification of dilemmas in building connections between knowledge management and the company's success. Limitations / further research: The research matter is extremely difficult because the evidence that knowledge is the most influencing matter of a company’s success can not be easily confirmed. The connection (we remain inside the topic of human capital between knowledge and company's result is also manifested with other elements of the business, such as organisational culture, public relations, etc. Additional question is

Lean Production Practices to Enhance Organisational Performance

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shah Satya

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Service sector organisations are constantly overcoming the challenges facing the over-production and waste reduction within their environments. Industries are also becoming very competitive thus forcing them to seek suitable production organisation strategies with the aim towards enhancing their competitiveness and efficiency. The aim of this research study is to investigate the impact of lean production practices on the performance of service based businesses through the case study of a local baked goods supplier. The research framework adopted consists of questionnaire survey method implemented with different end users, thus covering the overall production – retail – customer cycle. The research results and analysis justify the objective of the research that lean production practices enhance the performance of the supplier company and the common tool identified were JIT (Just in Time, Value Steam Mapping (VSP and the 5S methods. The results also suggest that JIT method has a higher impact towards improvement on performance relating to quality, speed, dependability, flexibility and cost of the supplier. However, the research study also identifies that one of the major challenges faced by the organisation while adopting lean practices was the lack of commitment from top management, continuous training and employee engagement measures.

Embedding organisational quality improvement through middle manager ownership.

Science.gov (United States)

Balding, Cathy

2005-01-01

To strengthen the middle manager role in a hospital quality improvement (QI) program, with a view to increasing and sustaining organisational QI implementation. Case study based action research project, combining pre- and post-action quantitative and qualitative data collection, relating to a QI program intervention in an Australian metropolitan specialist teaching hospital. A model for enhancing the middle manager role in QI was developed and then implemented as the action over a 12-month period. Middle manager understanding and ownership of the QI program and organisational QI implementation significantly increased, although their perceived enjoyment of being involved in QI decreased. This case-study based action research project was limited to one organisation of a specific type - a large specialist metropolitan teaching hospital. The composition of the middle manager group, therefore, is necessarily limited to particular specialties. It is acknowledged that findings from case study and action research methodologies are limited in their generalisability, but assist in the development of knowledge and principles that can be adapted to different settings. This QI implementation model can increase levels of organisational QI implementation by effecting a positive change in middle manager attitude to and involvement in QI. There are many theories regarding the importance of the middle manager role in QI, but little empirical research into exactly what this role may be and how it may be strengthened. This research adds to the knowledge base, and provides clear steps for achieving increased staff involvement and QI implementation.

Organisation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sørensen, Henrik B.; Hansen, Kaj; Heide, Asbjørn

Bogen giver en indføring i de centrale emner indenfor organisation og ledelse. Bogen henvender sig især til akademi- og diplomuddannelserne samt uddannelser til professionsbachelorer, der alle har et anvendelsesorienteret formål. Endvidere henvender bogen sig til uddannelser og kurser, der...... beskæftiger sig med ledelse og organisation på et videregående niveau. Til bogen er der udarbejdet en lang række supplerende materialer til undervisere og studerende i form af opgaver og cases, test med tilhørende svar, vejledninger i opgaveløsning og projektarbejde. dette univers kan findes på bogens...... hjemmeside på www.organisation.academica.dk...

Organisation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lindkvist, Pia

Du vil som læser få et indblik i, hvordan omgivelsernes ændrede krav til virksomhederne ændrer på organisations- og ledelsesteorien. Baggrunden for ”Organisation – videregående uddannelser” er, at give dig egenskaberne til at analysere og vurdere ledelsesmæssige og organisatoriske problemer...

Non-communicable diseases: mapping research funding organisations, funding mechanisms and research practices in Italy and Germany.

Science.gov (United States)

Stephani, Victor; Sommariva, Silvia; Spranger, Anne; Ciani, Oriana

2017-10-02

Evidence shows that territorial borders continue to have an impact on research collaboration in Europe. Knowledge of national research structural contexts is therefore crucial to the promotion of Europe-wide policies for research funding. Nevertheless, studies assessing and comparing research systems remain scarce. This paper aims to further the knowledge on national research landscapes in Europe, focusing on non-communicable disease (NCD) research in Italy and Germany. To capture the architecture of country-specific research funding systems, a three-fold strategy was adopted. First, a literature review was conducted to determine a list of key public, voluntary/private non-profit and commercial research funding organisations (RFOs). Second, an electronic survey was administered qualifying RFOs. Finally, survey results were integrated with semi-structured interviews with key opinion leaders in NCD research. Three major dimensions of interest were investigated - funding mechanisms, funding patterns and expectations regarding outputs. The number of RFOs in Italy is four times larger than that in Germany and the Italian research system has more project funding instruments than the German system. Regarding the funding patterns towards NCD areas, in both countries, respiratory disease research resulted as the lowest funded, whereas cancer research was the target of most funding streams. The most reported expected outputs of funded research activity were scholarly publication of articles and reports. This cross-country comparison on the Italian and German research funding structures revealed substantial differences between the two systems. The current system is prone to duplicated research efforts, popular funding for some diseases and intransparency of research results. Future research will require addressing the need for better coordination of research funding efforts, even more so if European research efforts are to play a greater role.

Organisational culture: A contemporary management perspective

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Richard Weeks

2010-12-01

Full Text Available Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to analyse the concept "organisational culture from a traditional and a more contemporary management perspective. Problem investigated: The concept organizational culture has assumed a very prominent place within the management literature and has been analysed from diverse multidisciplinary perspectives. Central to the importance attributed to the concept is the fact that it acts as a perceptual and behavioural determinant, which implies that it will have a significant impact on all human related institutional activities and thus the interest in the concept and its management. Researchers and management practitioners have come to assume that while the concept is difficult to manage in practice, it is possible to determine the prevailing culture of an institution, identify what is termed to be a desired culture for an institution and then analyse the cultural gap that exists. Based on the analysis conducted, it is further frequently assumed that the transition from the prevailing to a desired culture can be managed. A more contemporary management perspective, based on complexity theory, would appear to challenge the assumption of being able to actively manage the organisation's culture transformation process to ensure that a desired culture is manifest within the institution. The traditional and more contemporary approaches for dealing with the concept "organisational culture" are the focus of discussion and analysis in this paper. Methodology: A multidisciplinary literature review and analysis is undertaken to gain an insight of traditional and contemporary management theory and practice, as it relates to the concept "organisational culture" and its management. Findings: An important conclusion drawn from the study is that traditional paradigms of organisational culture management, that evolved within a more mechanistic manufacturing economy, is no longer effective for dealing with the unpredictable and

Organising to Enable Innovation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Brink, Tove

2016-01-01

The purpose of this conceptual paper is to reveal how organising can enable innovation across organisational layers and organisational units. This approach calls for a cross-disciplinary literature review. The aim is to provide an integrated understanding of innovation in an organisational approach....... The findings reveal a continous organising process between individual/ team creativity and organisational structures/control to enable innovation at firm level. Organising provides a dynamic approach and contains the integrated reconstruction of creativity, structures and boundaries for enhanced balance...... of explorative and exploitative learning in uncertain environments. Shedding light on the cross-disciplinary theories to organise innovation provides a contribution at the firm level to enable innovation....

Positive organisation: The role of leader behaviour in work engagement and retention

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fallen Mendes

2011-05-01

Research purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate if leader empowering behaviour can positively impact on role clarity, psychological empowerment and work engagement, with the final outcome being the retention of talent. Motivation for the study: In the ever changing work environment organisations place great emphasis on their human capital. The positive organisation utilises specific elements to optimise human capital’s potential. It is therefore important to identify the elements contributing to a positive organisation as well as the elements which lead to the retention of talent. Research design, approach and method: A survey research design was used. A convenience sample (n = 179 was taken from a business unit in a chemical organisation. The Leader Empowering Behaviour Questionnaire, Measures of Role Clarity and Ambiguity Questionnaire, Measuring Empowerment Questionnaire, Utrecht Work Engagement Scale and the Intention to Leave Scale were administered. Main findings: Leader empowering behaviour, role clarity and psychological empowerment predicted work engagement. Role clarity interacted with competence to affect employees’ dedication and interacted with the development of employees to affect absorption. Work engagement predicted employees’ intention to leave. Practical/managerial implications: Organisations should foster the elements of a positive organisation if they want to retain their talent. Contribution/value-add: The results of this research contribute to scientific knowledge about the effects of a positive organisation on retention.

Managing diversity in organisations: practitioner and academic perspectives: report from a gender in management special interest group research event

OpenAIRE

Beauregard, T. Alexandra

2008-01-01

Purpose - This report aims to provide a brief summary of the presentations made by researchers and practitioners at the Gender in Management Special Interest Group’s research event, Managing Diversity in Organisations: Practitioner and Academic Perspectives.\\ud \\ud Design/methodology/approach - The research seminar was chaired by Dr. Adelina Broadbridge (University of Stirling) and Dr. Gillian Maxwell (Glasgow Caledonian University), and featured five presentations related to diversity in org...

A qualitative exploration of employees' views on organisational commitment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rankgoang Andrew-Face Lesabe

2007-11-01

Full Text Available It is generally accepted that employee commitment has an impact on the overall functioning of organisations. Therefore, the primary aim of this qualitative explorative study is to detect and describe views of a group of employees at a local Johannesburg retail organisation regarding employee turnover and retention in the organisation. Relevant theoretical key concepts and views of scholars are carefully integrated and described briefly. Qualitative methods were used to collect and analyse the data. The research findings are explicitly outlined and linked to the existing literature on organisational commitment. The article is concluded with some recommendations.

Supportive Organisational Cultures and their effects on Male Civil Engineers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Valarie Francis

2012-11-01

Full Text Available Substantial changes, not only in the demographic composition of the Australian workforce, but also,in the roles and expectations of men and women, have led to organisational and employee attempts to reconcile work and non-work demands. Research suggests that when work-family balance practices are introduced they can greatly enhance organisational efficency. However factors embedded in the organisational culture can undermine these policies rendering them ineffective. This quantitative study examined the relationship between the perceptions of a supportive work culture and some work and non-work experiences of Australian male civil engineers. The research investigated the prevalence of organisational values supportive of work-life balances as well as the level of work-family conflict perceived by those engineers. This paper reports some initial results of the study. These indicated that male civil engineers experienced moderate levels of work-family conflict but do not perceive their organisations to be very supportive of employee nneeds to balance work and personal life. However those that reported a supportive work environment also reported higher levels of organisational commitment, greater job and life satisfaction as well as lower level of work-family conflict and lower intentions to quit. The implications of the findings for organisations employing civil engineers are discussed.

Supportive Organisational Cultures and their effects on Male Civil Engineers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Valarie Francis

2012-11-01

Full Text Available Substantial changes, not only in the demographic composition of the Australian workforce, but also,in the roles and expectations of men and women, have led to organisational and employee attempts to reconcile work and non-work demands. Research suggests that when work-family balance practices are introduced they can greatly enhance organisational efficency. However factors embedded in the organisational culture can undermine these policies rendering them ineffective. This quantitative study examined the relationship between the perceptions of a supportive work culture and some work and non-work experiences of Australian male civil engineers. The research investigated the prevalence of organisational values supportive of work-life balances as well as the level of work-family conflict perceived by those engineers. This paper reports some initial results of the study. These indicated that male civil engineers experienced moderate levels of work-family conflict but do not perceive their organisations to be very supportive of employee nneeds to balance work and personal life. However those that reported a supportive work environment also reported higher levels of organisational commitment, greater job and life satisfaction as well as lower level of work-family conflict and lower intentions to quit. The implications of the findings for organisations employing civil engineers are discussed.   

INFLUENCES ON ORGANISATIONAL SLACK IN NEW PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS

OpenAIRE

ANDERS RICHTNÉR; PÄR ÅHLSTRÖM

2006-01-01

Programs to decrease cost and to increase operational efficiency may reduce a company's ability to innovate, by reducing organisational slack. Previous research on the relationship between organisational slack and innovation has been at level of the firm and has neglected the processes underlying the relationship, which takes place at the level of product development projects. In this paper, we identify organisational slack and its influences at the level of the product development project. T...

The Effects of Managers Leadership Practices on Organisational Citizenship Behaviours and Intervening Role of Organisational Justice: Sample of Accommodation Sector in Mugla

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Taner DALGIN

2016-12-01

Full Text Available The focal point of this study is organisational citizenship behaviour notion that came into prominence after the study about in this subject researched by Bateman and Organ in 1983. In this study we aim to research the effect of leadership practises on organisational citizenship behaviour and how organisational justice affects the relationship between leadership practises and organisational citizenship behaviour as an intervening variable. We collected data about leadership practices and organizational justice perceptions and organizational citizenship behaviour. According to findings, most related leadership practices with organizational citizenship behaviour are enable others to act, model to way and inspire a shared vision. Finally we evaluate intervening variable role of organizational justice perceptions on relationship between leadership practices and organizational citizenship behaviour. According to findings, organizational justice has partially an intervening variable role on relationship between leadership practices and organizational citizenship behaviour. Organizational justice intensifies positive effects of leadership practices on organizational citizenship behaviour

Organisational Learning: Conceptual Links to Individual Learning, Learning Organisation and Knowledge Management

OpenAIRE

Siu Loon Hoe

2007-01-01

Organisational learning has over the years been subject of much study by scholars and managers. In the process, the organisational learning concept has been linked to many other knowledge concepts such as individual learning, learning organisation, and knowledge management. This paper draws from existing literature in organisational behaviour, human resource management, marketing, and information management, to further develop the conceptual links between organisational learning and these kno...

Implications and effectiveness of information management while restructuring an organisation

OpenAIRE

2008-01-01

This research paper undertakes to outline factors of Information Management that organisations should consider when attempting a restructuring process. Conversely, valuable information and knowledge are often mislaid, overlooked or discarded to the eventual detriment of an organisation during the processes of downsizing, rightsizing, restructuring, reorganisation, reengineering, transformation or change. In the global economy organisations are always striving to keep ahead of competition and ...

The European Stroke Organisation Guidelines: a standard operating procedure

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ntaios, George; Bornstein, Natan M; Caso, Valeria

2015-01-01

pace with this progress and driven by the strong determination of the European Stroke Organisation to further promote stroke management, education, and research, the European Stroke Organisation decided to delineate a detailed standard operating procedure for its guidelines. There are two important...... cornerstones in this standard operating procedure: The first is the implementation of the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation methodology for the development of its Guideline Documents. The second one is the decision of the European Stroke Organisation to move from the classical...... and significant input from European Stroke Organisation members as well as methodologists and analysts, this document presents the official standard operating procedure for the development of the Guideline Documents of the European Stroke Organisation....

Amoeba Management System Transformation in the Light of Organisational Change Literature

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Urban Wieslaw

2017-03-01

Full Text Available The object of this study is the system of amoebas founded originally in Japanese Kyocera. The study aims to identify milestones of the transformation in a company organisational system to the Amoeba Management System (AMS. The study takes a conceptual research approach. It starts from the analysis of available sources on the AMS, identifies the most challenging points of this system, and afterwards, based on organisational change literature, formulates the main steps of transformation towards AMS. The following milestones of AMS implementation emerge from organisational change theories: (1 the preparation for AMS, (2 the change of organisational structure, (3 the design and introduction of a new accounting system, (4 the introduction of inner prices between amoebas, and (5 the transformation of the organisational culture. At the end of the study, the most important issues for future research are listed.

Promoting research to improve maternal, neonatal, infant and adolescent health in West Africa: the role of the West African Health Organisation.

Science.gov (United States)

Sombie, Issiaka; Bouwayé, Aissa; Mongbo, Yves; Keita, Namoudou; Lokossou, Virgil; Johnson, Ermel; Assogba, Laurent; Crespin, Xavier

2017-07-12

West Africa has adopted numerous strategies to counter maternal and infant mortality, provides national maternal and infant health programmes, and hosts many active technical and financial partners and non-governmental organisations. Despite this, maternal and infant morbidity and mortality indicators are still very high. In this commentary, internal actors and officials of the West African Health Organisation (WAHO) examine the regional organisation's role in promoting research as a tool for strengthening maternal and infant health in West Africa.As a specialised institution of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) responsible for health issues, WAHO's mission is to provide the sub-region's population with the highest possible health standards by harmonising Member States' policies, resource pooling, and cooperation among Member States and third countries to collectively and strategically combat the region's health problems. To achieve this, WAHO's main intervention strategy is that of facilitation, as this encourages the generation and use of evidence to inform decision-making and reinforce practice.WAHO's analysis of interventions since 2000 showed that it had effected some changes in research governance, management and funding, as well as in individual and institutional capacity building, research dissemination, collaboration and exchanges between the various stakeholders. It also revealed several challenges such as process ownership, member countries' commitment, weak individual and institutional capacity, mobilisation, and stakeholder commitment. To better strengthen evidence-based decision-making, in 2016, WAHO created a unique programme aimed at improving the production, dissemination and use of research information and results in health programme planning to ultimately improve population health.While WAHO's experiences to date demonstrate how a regional health institution can integrate research promotion into the fight against maternal and

Nature of the relationship between strategic leadership, operational strategy and organisational performance

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Kobus Serfontein

2011-12-01

Full Text Available Since the mid-1980s a growing body of leadership research has focused on strategic leadership, in contrast to managerial and visionary leadership. It focused on how top leadership makes decisions in the short term that guarantees the long-term viability of the organisation. The best performing organisations are consciously strategic in their leadership planning. These top leaders also have the ability to align human resources in an effective way directly to the business strategy. This article identifies some of the direct and indirect pathways in which strategic leadership influences the operational strategy and performance of business organisations in South Africa. This research pinpointed theoretical and substantively meaningful endogenous organisational capabilities that mediated this relationship and exogenous organisational factors that moderated this relationship.

Applying OR to problem situations within community organisations

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Tavella, Elena; Papadopoulos, Thanos

2017-01-01

This paper focuses on how the use of Community OR (COR), specifically Systems Thinking (ST) and the Viable System Model (VSM) can help in addressing complex and uncertain problem situations within community organisations, in particular Alternative Food Networks (AFNs). Literature has highlighted...... within a member-driven food cooperative in Copenhagen, Denmark, and the changes in decision making and the organisational structure of the cooperative. We illustrate the application of the VSM and in particular the methodology for organisational self-transformation within ‘localist green communitarianism......’ and ‘nonprofit management’ to tackle issues, enhance democratic and participative decision making, and changes in the organisational structure that foster coordination and cohesion. The implications for COR and Soft OR, limitations and future research directions are also provided....

The Concept of Embodied Knowledge for Understanding Organisational Knowledge Creation

Science.gov (United States)

Matsudaira, Yoshito; Fujinami, Tsutomu

Our goal in this paper is to understand, in the light of intuition and emotion, the problem-finding and value judgments by organisational members that are part of organisational knowledge creation. In doing so, we emphasise the importance of embodied knowledge of organisations as an explanatory concept. We propose ways of approaching intuition and sense of value as these are posited as objects of research. Approaches from the first, second, and third-person viewpoints result in a deeper grasp of embodied knowledge of organisations. Important in organisational knowledge creation is embodied knowledge of organisations, which has a bearing on problem-finding before any problem-solving or decision making takes place, and on value judgments about the importance of problems that have been found. This article proposes the concept of embodied knowledge, and, by introducing it, gives a profound understanding of that facet of organisational knowledge creation characterised by tacit knowledge held by organisational individuals.

Making Decisions about Workforce Development in Registered Training Organisations

Science.gov (United States)

Hawke, Geof

2008-01-01

The purpose of this research activity is to understand further how large and small registered training organisations (RTOs) make decisions about the allocation of resources for developing their workforces. Six registered training organisations--four technical and further education (TAFE) institutes and two private providers--were selected for…

Total rewards and its effects on organisational commitment in higher education institutions

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Calvin M. Mabaso

2018-05-01

Full Text Available Orientation: Retaining staff with special endeavours within higher education institutions has become a top priority and crucial for any organisational productivity and competiveness. Attracting and retaining talent has remained a critical and complex issue for human capital management in organisations. Research purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of total rewards on organisational commitment measured by Total Rewards Scale and Organisational Commitment Questionnaire. Motivation for the study: There is paucity in research on the impact of total rewards on organisational commitment. Commitment of academic staff is significant as higher education institutions are influential in the development of a country. Research design, approach and method: This study employed the quantitative research method using a survey design. A semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect survey data. A sample of 279 academic staff, which was the total population of participants, was selected for this study. Main findings: Results show a positive and significant correlation between elements of total rewards (performance management, 0.387; recognition, 0.335; talent development and career opportunities, 0.328; compensation, 0.231; benefits, 0.213; work–life balance, 0.024 and organisational commitment. A variance of 52.3% of total rewards explained organisational commitment. Performance management, compensation, benefits, recognition, talent development and career opportunities significantly predicted organisational commitment. However, work–life balance indicated a negative effect on organisational commitment. Practical managerial implications: Findings of the study has implications to managers because they have to encourage and promote total rewards in order to enforce talent retention within higher education institutions for the benefit of both institutions and employees. Contribution: The results are important to managers

Understanding the long-term influence of EIA on organisational learning and transformation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jones, Megan, E-mail: 31836179@student.murdoch.edu.au [Environmental and Conservation Sciences, Murdoch University (Australia); Morrison-Saunders, Angus, E-mail: a.morrison-saunders@murdoch.edu.au [Environmental and Conservation Sciences, Murdoch University, Australia, Research Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management, North-West University (South Africa)

2017-05-15

This research is an attempt to verify the notion postulated by Robert Bartlett and Lynton Caldwell that the full benefits of environmental impact assessment (EIA) would take decades to be realized. While EIA is intended to directly influence decision-making regarding new development proposals, the process is also expected to lead to organisational learning and transformation over time. Our aim was to examine the influence of EIA on a single Western Australian proponent with sustained experience in the process to understand how EIA is used within the organisation and to seek evidence of transformation of the organisation's purpose and mission. The research reviewed literature in order to identify key influences of EIA on organisations, along with semi-structured staff interviews and document analysis for the case study organisation. Ascertaining causality that involvement in EIA processes influences or effects organisational learning and transformation is a challenge in the face of other societal events. Document analysis and interviewee data indicates that the action-forcing nature of EIA did influence proponent behavior through the creation of internal processes seeking to ensure robust design of new projects that would satisfy environmental protection expectations, without the need to trigger formal EIA. Evidence of EIA values and thinking were apparent within internal documentation, including the evolving mission statement. Our research indicates that participation in the EIA process can positively influence organisational learning and transformation by guiding internal change for decision-making. - Highlights: • The long-term influence of EIA on a proponent organisation is investigated. • EIA promotes internal organisational learning and transformation. • Analysis of mission statements can indicate the influence of EIA on organisations. • Organisations aligned with EIA values can reduce the need to engage in formal EIA.

Understanding the long-term influence of EIA on organisational learning and transformation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jones, Megan; Morrison-Saunders, Angus

2017-01-01

This research is an attempt to verify the notion postulated by Robert Bartlett and Lynton Caldwell that the full benefits of environmental impact assessment (EIA) would take decades to be realized. While EIA is intended to directly influence decision-making regarding new development proposals, the process is also expected to lead to organisational learning and transformation over time. Our aim was to examine the influence of EIA on a single Western Australian proponent with sustained experience in the process to understand how EIA is used within the organisation and to seek evidence of transformation of the organisation's purpose and mission. The research reviewed literature in order to identify key influences of EIA on organisations, along with semi-structured staff interviews and document analysis for the case study organisation. Ascertaining causality that involvement in EIA processes influences or effects organisational learning and transformation is a challenge in the face of other societal events. Document analysis and interviewee data indicates that the action-forcing nature of EIA did influence proponent behavior through the creation of internal processes seeking to ensure robust design of new projects that would satisfy environmental protection expectations, without the need to trigger formal EIA. Evidence of EIA values and thinking were apparent within internal documentation, including the evolving mission statement. Our research indicates that participation in the EIA process can positively influence organisational learning and transformation by guiding internal change for decision-making. - Highlights: • The long-term influence of EIA on a proponent organisation is investigated. • EIA promotes internal organisational learning and transformation. • Analysis of mission statements can indicate the influence of EIA on organisations. • Organisations aligned with EIA values can reduce the need to engage in formal EIA.

Exploring corporate social responsibility and organisational commitment within a retail organisation

OpenAIRE

Jerelene Soobramoney; Ophillia Ledimo

2016-01-01

Organisations have difficulty retaining employees who have the necessary talent, skills and knowledge to give the company a competitive edge in a global market, thus emphasising the need for organisational commitment. The objective of the study was to explore the relationship between corporate social responsibility and organisational commitment within a South African retail organisation. Corporate social responsibility has a positive influence on consumer behaviour and can contribute to corpo...

Effect of psychological capital and resistance to change on organisational citizenship behavior

OpenAIRE

Beal III, Loyd; Stavros, Jacqueline M.; Cole, Matthew L

2013-01-01

ORIENTATION: Research in positive organisational behaviour shows that positive psychological capital (PsyCap) is a construct that enables self-efficacy, optimism, hope and resilience to succeed in the workplace and that employee resistance to change is a key barrier to organisational change. RESEARCH PURPOSE: This study examined the possible role of resistance to change as a moderator of the predictive relationship between PsyCap and organisational citizenship behaviour (OCB), in which OCB se...

Effect of psychological capital and resistance to change on organisational citizenship behaviour

OpenAIRE

Loyd Beal III; Jacqueline M. Stavros; Matthew L. Cole

2013-01-01

Orientation: Research in positive organisational behaviour shows that positive psychological capital (PsyCap) is a construct that enables self-efficacy, optimism, hope and resilience to succeed in the workplace and that employee resistance to change is a key barrier to organisational change. Research purpose: This study examined the possible role of resistance to change as a moderator of the predictive relationship between PsyCap and organisational citizenship behaviour (OCB), in which OCB...

Psychological capital, work engagement and organisational commitment amongst call centre employees in South Africa

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Janet C. Simons

2013-11-01

Research purpose: The purpose of the research was to determine the relationship between psychological capital, work engagement and organisational commitment amongst call centre employees; and further, to determine whether psychological capital and work engagement hold predictive value for the organisational commitment of call centre employees. Motivation for the study: There is a gap in research in understanding and enabling positive resource capacities in highly stressful work contexts such as call centres. Research design, approach and method: A cross-sectional survey design was used. A sample of 106 call centre employees from a South African organisation participated in the research. The measuring instruments included a demographic questionnaire, the Psychological Capital Questionnaire (PCQ, the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES and the Organisational Commitment Questionnaire (OCQ. Main findings: Significant positive relationships were found between psychological capital, work engagement and organisational commitment. The results showed work engagement as being the only significant predictor of organisational commitment. Practical/managerial implications: Call centre employers need to develop and implement workplace interventions that would increase the psychological capital of call centre employees. Contribution/value-add: The research findings will benefit both call centre employees and management. The study highlighted the importance of the role of optimism as a subdimension of psychological capital in developing work engagement and organisational commitment amongst call centre employees.

Rethinking capacity building for knowledge mobilisation: developing multilevel capabilities in healthcare organisations.

Science.gov (United States)

Kislov, Roman; Waterman, Heather; Harvey, Gill; Boaden, Ruth

2014-11-15

Knowledge mobilisation in healthcare organisations is often carried out through relatively short-term projects dependent on limited funding, which raises concerns about the long-term sustainability of implementation and improvement. It is becoming increasingly recognised that the translation of research evidence into practice has to be supported by developing the internal capacity of healthcare organisations to engage with and apply research. This process can be supported by external knowledge mobilisation initiatives represented, for instance, by professional associations, collaborative research partnerships and implementation networks. This conceptual paper uses empirical and theoretical literature on organisational learning and dynamic capabilities to enhance our understanding of intentional capacity building for knowledge mobilisation in healthcare organisations. The discussion is structured around the following three themes: (1) defining and classifying capacity building for knowledge mobilisation; (2) mechanisms of capability development in organisational context; and (3) individual, group and organisational levels of capability development. Capacity building is presented as a practice-based process of developing multiple skills, or capabilities, belonging to different knowledge domains and levels of complexity. It requires an integration of acquisitive learning, through which healthcare organisations acquire knowledge and skills from knowledge mobilisation experts, and experience-based learning, through which healthcare organisations adapt, absorb and modify their knowledge and capabilities through repeated practice. Although the starting point for capability development may be individual-, team- or organisation-centred, facilitation of the transitions between individual, group and organisational levels of learning within healthcare organisations will be needed. Any initiative designed to build capacity for knowledge mobilisation should consider the

The specificity and organisation of autobiographical memories.

Science.gov (United States)

Schulkind, Matthew D; Rahhal, Tamara A; Klein, Megan R; Lacher, Samantha R

2012-01-01

Previous research suggests that autobiographical memories are over-general and are organised according to life periods. One experiment assessed the specificity and organisation of autobiographical memory by manipulating two variables. The retrieval cues were either a set of three words (a theme, a time period, and an emotional valence) or a short narrative that included a specific theme, time period, and emotional valence. The instructions either encouraged the participants to respond as though they were conversing with a friend (social instructions) or did not specify a target audience (standard instructions). Narrative cues and standard instructions elicited more specific responses than word cues and social instructions, respectively. Whereas word cues elicited memories that were most likely to match the cues in terms of time period, narrative cues elicited memories that were most likely to match the cues in terms of theme. These data suggest that previous research underestimated the specificity of the autobiographical knowledge base and overestimated the importance of temporally defined life periods for organising autobiographical memory. Previous conclusions regarding the specificity and organisation of autobiographical memory may reflect the structure of autobiographical narratives and the methodologies used to collect such narratives rather than the content of autobiographical memory itself.

Psychometric validation of the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire-Endometrial Cancer Module (EORTC QLQ-EN24)

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Greimel, Elfriede; Nordin, Andy; Lanceley, Anne

2011-01-01

A validation study was conducted to evaluate the psychometric properties of the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) Quality of Life Questionnaire-Endometrial Cancer Module (EORTC QLQ-EN24). This module was designed to assess disease and treatment specific aspects of...... of the quality of life (QoL) of patients with endometrial cancer.......A validation study was conducted to evaluate the psychometric properties of the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) Quality of Life Questionnaire-Endometrial Cancer Module (EORTC QLQ-EN24). This module was designed to assess disease and treatment specific aspects...

2004 Space Report: Environment and Strategy for Space Research at NATO's Research and Technology Organisation (RTO)

Science.gov (United States)

Woods-Vedeler, Jessica A.

2007-01-01

This report describes the motivation for and a strategy to enhance the NATO Research and Technology Organisation's (RTO) current space research effort to reflect NATO's growing military dependence on space systems. Such systems and services provided by these systems are critical elements of military operations. NATO uses space systems for operational planning and support, communication, radio navigation, multi-sensor and multi-domain demonstrations. Such systems are also used to promote regional stability. A quantitative analysis of work related to space in the NATO RTO showed that during the period of 1998 - 2004, 5% of the research pursued in the NATO RTO has been clearly focused on space applications. Challenging environmental and organizational barriers for increasing RTO space research were identified. In part, these include lack of sufficient space expertise representation on panels, the military sensitivity of space, current panel work loads and the need for specific technical recommendations from peers. A strategy for enhancing space research in the RTO is to create a limited-life Space Advisory Group (SAG) composed of Space Expert Consultants who are panel members with appropriate expertise and additional expertise from the nations. The SAG will recommend and find support in the nations for specific technical activities related to space in the areas of Space Science, Remote Sensing Data Analysis, Spacecraft Systems, Surveillance and Early Warning, Training and Simulation and Policy. An RTO Space Advisory Group will provide an organizational mechanism to gain recognition of RTO as a forum for trans-Atlantic defence space research and to enhance space research activities.

How the Arrow of Feedback Links the Theories of Organisational Change: A Multi-Method Use of Action Research

Science.gov (United States)

Kumar, M. R.; Ranjan, P.

2010-01-01

This paper shows the implementation of "5S"--a Japanese concept of housekeeping--through action research methodology. The organisational issue it tackles is the cultural inhibition among the Indian population against cleaning. It uses soft systems methodology (SSM), action science and Schein's idea of clinical enquiry to bring about an…

Organisational commitment and turnover intentions in humanitarian organisations

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Wijnmaalen, Julia; Heyse, Liesbet; Voordijk, Johannes T.

2016-01-01

Unwanted staff turnover is a prominent HRM problem in humanitarian organisations. In the profit sector, HRM tools such as pay, benefits, socialisation and training have proven to be effective in increasing organisational commitment and decreasing staff turnover. This study explores whether such

Stress and organisational citizenship behaviours in Indian business process outsourcing organisations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ajay K. Jain

2012-09-01

Full Text Available This study investigates the direct effect of organisational stress (as measured through ASSET on organisational citizenship behaviours (OCBs. A sample of 402 operators was taken from business process outsourcing (BPO organisations located in northern India. The authors hypothesised that there is a negative relationship between organisational stress and OCBs. Results of multiple regression analysis showed that stress had significant negative impact on OCBs. The implications for managers are discussed.

The greening of organisational IT: what makes a difference?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ben Kuo

2010-01-01

Full Text Available The trend towards green information technology (IT over the last few years is a result of an acknowledgement of both the environmental impact of IT and the role IT plays as a potential source of solutions to environmental concerns. As organisations are under increasing pressures to act sustainably, environmental considerations are taking greater importance for organisations and the organisations’ information systems (IS and IT. This paper introduces a model proposing competitive pressures, legitimation pressures, social responsibility pressures, organisational factors and technological constraints as factors which influence the extent of green IT in organisations. An online survey was developed and tested with IT practitioners. Regression analysis revealed that the extent of green IT in organisations is influenced by a combination of these factors. Foremost of the factors is the capability of the organisation to adapt. Other factors which account for differences in the extent of green IT in organisations include legitimation and social responsibility pressures. The regression indicated a good fit for the developed model, providing a basis for further research.

Baltic Consortium on Promoting Gender Equality in Marine Research Organisations (Baltic Gender)

Science.gov (United States)

Kısakürek Ibsen, Başak; Braun, Sarah; Heiskanen, Anna-Stiina; Kutser, Tiit; Stadmark, Johanna; Vaitkevičienė, Viktorija; Waniek, Joanna; Werner, Iris; Matthes, Katja

2017-04-01

Marine Science and Technology has been traditionally a male-dominated research field, with a significant lack of women in leadership positions. However, the whole intellectual capacity of men and women alike are needed to create innovative solutions for the sustainable use of marine resources in the face of major global challenges for the development of the marine environment. The EU-funded project, Baltic Gender (GA No. 710363), responds to this need for creating policies and implementing measures at the institutional level with the aim of harvesting the full human capital for the needs of marine research. The main goal of Baltic Gender is to help reduce gender segregation and gender inequalities in Marine Science and Technology. To this end, eight partner institutions from five countries in the Baltic Sea region (Estonia, Finland, Germany, Lithuania and Sweden) came together for the exchange of institutional practices as well as for the transfer of knowledge from institutions/countries leading in gender equality to those following. Baltic Gender will sow the seeds for long-lasting institutional practices by initiating schemes and strategies that promote gender equality in the partner institutions. These include, for instance: the founding of grass-root networks that support the career advancement of women; creating strategies for better reconciliation of work and family life of women and men; the review and improvement of institutional policies and practices with regard to gender balance, fairness and transparency; development of a method protocol for incorporating gender analysis into research projects or programmes of Marine Science and Technology; initiating gender focused training and mentoring in or across all partner institutions. The project will support the implementation of Gender Equality Plans (GEPs), which consist of a set of actions an institution commits to in order to identify any existing gender bias and to implement strategies to advance gender

Organisational LCA

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Martínez-Blanco, Julia; Finkbeiner, Matthias

2018-01-01

environmental performance over time, supporting strategic decisions, and informing corporate sustainability reporting. Several initiatives are on the way for the LCA of organisations: the UNEP/SETAC Life Cycle Initiative published the ‘Guidance on organizational LCA’, using ISO/TS 14072 as a backbone; moreover......, when the unit of analysis and the system boundaries are defined. Also, the approach for data collection needs to be fixed. Organisational LCA is a compilation and evaluation of the inputs, outputs and potential environmental impacts of the activities associated with the organisation adopting a life...... cycle perspective. It includes not only the facilities of the organisation itself, but also the activities upstream and downstream the value chain. This methodology is capable of serving multiple goals at the same time, like identifying environmental hotspots throughout the value chain, tracking...

The medium-term sustainability of organisational innovations in the national health service

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Finn Rachael

2011-03-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background There is a growing recognition of the importance of introducing new ways of working into the UK's National Health Service (NHS and other health systems, in order to ensure that patient care is provided as effectively and efficiently as possible. Researchers have examined the challenges of introducing new ways of working--'organisational innovations'--into complex organisations such as the NHS, and this has given rise to a much better understanding of how this takes place--and why seemingly good ideas do not always result in changes in practice. However, there has been less research on the medium- and longer-term outcomes for organisational innovations and on the question of how new ways of working, introduced by frontline clinicians and managers, are sustained and become established in day-to-day practice. Clearly, this question of sustainability is crucial if the gains in patient care that derive from organisational innovations are to be maintained, rather than lost to what the NHS Institute has called the 'improvement-evaporation effect'. Methods The study will involve research in four case-study sites around England, each of which was successful in sustaining its new model of service provision beyond an initial period of pilot funding for new genetics services provided by the Department of Health. Building on findings relating to the introduction and sustainability of these services already gained from an earlier study, the research will use qualitative methods--in-depth interviews, observation of key meetings, and analysis of relevant documents--to understand the longer-term challenges involved in each case and how these were surmounted. The research will provide lessons for those seeking to sustain their own organisational innovations in wide-ranging clinical areas and for those designing the systems and organisations that make up the NHS, to make them more receptive contexts for the sustainment of innovation. Discussion

The medium-term sustainability of organisational innovations in the national health service

Science.gov (United States)

2011-01-01

Background There is a growing recognition of the importance of introducing new ways of working into the UK's National Health Service (NHS) and other health systems, in order to ensure that patient care is provided as effectively and efficiently as possible. Researchers have examined the challenges of introducing new ways of working--'organisational innovations'--into complex organisations such as the NHS, and this has given rise to a much better understanding of how this takes place--and why seemingly good ideas do not always result in changes in practice. However, there has been less research on the medium- and longer-term outcomes for organisational innovations and on the question of how new ways of working, introduced by frontline clinicians and managers, are sustained and become established in day-to-day practice. Clearly, this question of sustainability is crucial if the gains in patient care that derive from organisational innovations are to be maintained, rather than lost to what the NHS Institute has called the 'improvement-evaporation effect'. Methods The study will involve research in four case-study sites around England, each of which was successful in sustaining its new model of service provision beyond an initial period of pilot funding for new genetics services provided by the Department of Health. Building on findings relating to the introduction and sustainability of these services already gained from an earlier study, the research will use qualitative methods--in-depth interviews, observation of key meetings, and analysis of relevant documents--to understand the longer-term challenges involved in each case and how these were surmounted. The research will provide lessons for those seeking to sustain their own organisational innovations in wide-ranging clinical areas and for those designing the systems and organisations that make up the NHS, to make them more receptive contexts for the sustainment of innovation. Discussion Through comparison and

ROLE OF THE REWARD SYSTEM IN MANAGING CHANGES OF ORGANISATIONAL CULTURE

OpenAIRE

Biljana Bogićević Milikić

2007-01-01

The paper intends to investigate how companies can efficiently manage their organisational cultures through changes in the reward system. The paper is based on a research which has taken place in one Serbian company which decided to change its organisational culture, as a prerequisite for further organisational changes. As the main instrument for changing organisational culture, the top management used changes in the reward system. The findings suggest that in the short run only narrow change...

Assessing organisational governance maturity: A retail industry case study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hendrik Marius Wessels

2016-05-01

Full Text Available For any business to operate effectively, a governance framework that operates at the relevant maturity level is required. An organisational governance maturity framework is a tool that leadership can use to determine governance maturity. This study aims to determine whether the organisational governance maturity framework (developed by Wilkinson can be applied to the selected retail industry organisation to assess the maturity of the organisation’s governance, limited to the ‘leadership’ attribute. Firstly, a high-level literature review on ethical leadership, ethical decision-making, ethical foundation and culture (‘tone at the top’, and organisational governance and maturity was conducted. Secondly, a Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE listed South African-based company was selected for the empirical part of the study using a single case study research design. The empirical results confirmed that the organisational governance maturity framework can be used to determine the maturity level of organisational governance for the selected attribute of ‘leadership’

The Evolution of Culture-Climate Interplay in Temporary Multi-Organisations: The Case of Construction Alliancing Projects

OpenAIRE

Kusuma, I. C.

2016-01-01

Organisational culture has been a long-standing debate in management research. However, in the field of construction project management, it is relatively under-explored. This is mainly due to the different organisational context of Temporary Multi-Organisations (TMOs). This research re-explores the notion of organisational culture in construction projects. Based on Darwin’s theory of evolution this research goes back to the very beginning; illustrating the exact meaning and dynamics of organi...

Entrepreneurial Outcomes and Organisational Performance through Business Coaching

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mihaela Dobrea

2015-02-01

Full Text Available The hereby article aims to address the main question of whether organisational performance is directly or indirectly enhanced by business coaching. The research integrates a quantitative study having as major purpose the investigation of the manner in which business coaching contributes to corporation growth in start-up firms and developing companies. The primary objective of the research is to quantitatively determine the effects enhanced by business coaching on company performance and growth of organisational incomes. SME growth and coaching impact are studied through inter-relationships between distinctive company characteristics (such as: industry category, company maturity, number of employees, entrepreneur features (among which can be mentioned: leader age, nominal gender, studies, and entrepreneur character (for instance: locus of control at work, selfefficacy in the work place. The comparison is made between two types of entrepreneurs: the ones who have received business coaching previously with entrepreneurs with no prior business coaching experience, except the one after which research is performed. The research concludes that business coaching has a great impact on the development of entrepreneurs’ locus of control and self-efficacy, these leading to organisational growth.

Allocation of R&D Equipment Expenditure Based on Organisation Discipline Profiles

Science.gov (United States)

Wells, Xanthe E.; Foster, Nigel; Finch, Adam; Elsum, Ian

2017-01-01

Sufficient and state-of-the-art research equipment is one component required to maintain the research competitiveness of a R&D organisation. This paper describes an approach to inform more optimal allocation of equipment expenditure levels in a large and diverse R&D organisation, such as CSIRO. CSIRO is Australia's national science agency,…

An organisational coherence model to maintain employee contributions during organisational crises

OpenAIRE

Hendrik J. Pelser; Anita Bosch; Willem Schurink

2016-01-01

Orientation: Crises that threaten an organisation’s continued existence cannot be seen in isolation when considering the perception of threats to individual job security. These threats often go hand in hand with employee panic. Research purpose: The aim of this study was to establish a model to assist organisations in managing employee emotionality and panic during times of crisis. Motivation for the study: Environmental crises threaten organisations’ existence, threatening employees’...

The relationship between organisational trust and quality of work life

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yolandi van der Berg

2013-01-01

Research purpose: The aim of the study was to determine the relationship between organisational trust and QWL. Motivation for the study: Recent organisational changes have refocused attention on the productivity and performance of sales representatives. These changes have brought about a re-evaluation of their QWL and the organisational trust they experience. Research design, approach and method: An Internet-based survey methodology was used to collect primary data from a probability sample of 282 sales representatives; a 72% response rate was obtained. Responses were analysed using quantitative techniques and structural equation modelling. Main findings: Results confirmed a positive relationship between managerial practices with organisational trust and QWL and a lower relationship between the personality dimensions, organisational trust and the QWL. Practical/managerial implications: The study accentuated how important it is for management to be constantly aware of employees’ trust and their experience of a QWL, as these factors can lead to severe consequences if not properly managed. Contribution/value add: The study focused attention on the importance of building good trust relationships within an organisation, as it seems as though the personality traits and managerial practices of managers influence not only the trust relationship experienced by employees, but also their experience of a QWL.

Managing Evaluation: A Community Arts Organisation Perspective.

Science.gov (United States)

Swan, Peter; Atkinson, Sarah

2012-09-01

Arts and health organisations must increasingly provide measurable evidence of impact to stakeholders, which can pose both logistical and ideological challenges. This paper examines the relationship between the ethos of an arts and health organisation with external demands for evaluation. Research involved an ethnographic engagement where the first author worked closely with the organisation for a year. In addition to informal discussions, twenty semi-structured interviews were conducted with core staff and participants. Transcribed interviews were coded and emerging themes were identified. Staff considered evaluation to be necessary and useful, yet also to be time consuming and a potential threat to their ethos. Nevertheless, they were able to negotiate the terms of evaluation to enable them to meet their own needs as well as those of funders and other stakeholders. While not completely resisting outside demands for evaluation, the organisation was seen to intentionally rework demands for evidence into processes they felt they could work with, thus enabling their ethos to be maintained.

Organisational Structure & Change

Science.gov (United States)

National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER), 2006

2006-01-01

Structural change is seen as a way to meet the challenges of the future that face many organisations. While some writers agree that broad-ranging structural change may not always transform an organisation or enhance its performance, others claim that innovation will be a major source of competitive advantage to organisations, particularly when…

Building the hybrid organisation through ERP and enterprise social software

OpenAIRE

Greasley, Andrew; Wang, Yucan

2016-01-01

This research traces the implementation of an information system in the form of ERP modules covering tenant and contract management in a Chinese service company. Misalignments between the ERP system specification and user needs led to the adoption of informal processes within the organisation. These processes are facilitated within an informal organisational structure and are based on human interactions undertaken within the formal organisation. Rather than to attempt to suppress the emergenc...

Supportive Organisational Cultures and their effects on Male Civil Engineers

OpenAIRE

Francis, Valarie

2012-01-01

Substantial changes, not only in the demographic composition of the Australian workforce, but also,in the roles and expectations of men and women, have led to organisational and employee attempts to reconcile work and non-work demands. Research suggests that when work-family balance practices are introduced they can greatly enhance organisational efficency. However factors embedded in the organisational culture can undermine these policies rendering them ineffective. This quantitative study e...

Organisational learning in professional discourses.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Martin Sedláček

2012-06-01

Full Text Available Authors of the paper discuss the concept of organisational learning. Theyrefer to a wide range of definitions and concepts, point out some differences from related or analogous concepts used, such as knowledge management and learning organisation. They note the discussions that relate to key topics. These discussions concern levels at which organisational learning can take place, the effect on behaviour organisational performance. The following section of this article presents organisational learning as a process and describes the stages of organisational learning. The purpose of the article is to provide an overview of efforts to define organisational learning, including criticism of the results of this effort. The last partis devoted to selected theories and empirical findings on organisational learning atschool. The authors stress the importance of organisational learning for schools asspecific organisations and express request to examine the processes of organisational learning in this context.

Labour organisation on robotic milking dairy farms

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Sonck, B.R.

1996-01-01

1. Research issues

The research described in this dissertation is focused on the effects of the integration of the milking robot in a dairy farm on the labour organisation at operational and tactical level. Attention was paid

Attracting Generation Y Graduates: Organisational Attributes, Likelihood to Apply and Sex Differences

Science.gov (United States)

Terjesen, Siri; Vinnicombe, Susan; Freeman, Cheryl

2007-01-01

Purpose: Building on person-organisation fit and gender self-schema, this research aims to examine UK university final year students' perception of the importance of organisational attributes and their presence in three major graduate employers. This study also seeks to explore which organisational attributes attract Generation Y men and women to…

Personality traits and perceptions of organisational justice.

Science.gov (United States)

Törnroos, Maria; Elovainio, Marko; Hintsa, Taina; Hintsanen, Mirka; Pulkki-Råback, Laura; Jokela, Markus; Lehtimäki, Terho; Raitakari, Olli T; Keltikangas-Järvinen, Liisa

2018-01-04

This study examined the association between five-factor model personality traits and perceptions of organisational justice. The sample for the study comprised 903 participants (35-50 years old; 523 women) studied in 2007 and 2012. Measures used were the Neuroticism, Extraversion, Openness, Five-Factor Inventory questionnaire and the short organisational justice measure. The results showed that high neuroticism was associated with low distributive, procedural and interactional justice. Furthermore, high agreeableness was associated with high procedural and interactional justice and high openness with high distributive justice. This study suggests that neuroticism, agreeableness and openness are involved in perceptions of organisational justice and that personality should be considered in research and in practices at the workplace. © 2018 International Union of Psychological Science.

Organisational change: Deliberation and modification

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Jonker, C.M.; Schut, M.C.; Treur, J.

2003-01-01

For an information-agent-based system to support virtual (Internet-supported) organisations, changes in environmental conditions often demand changes in organisational behaviour, i.e., organisational changes. As organisational behaviour relates to organisational structure, rethinking the structure

Key Mechanisms for Employee-Driven Innovation in Governmental Client Organisations

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sørensen, Henrik; Faber, Lene; Wandahl, Søren

2018-01-01

the mechanisms of organisational trust, innovation safety, organisational practices, cultural settings and the recognition and rewards structure to motivate employees. The decision-making procedures should be transparent especially to the idea-owner and the employees involved, and the implementation and putting......In order to ensure that knowledge and ideas are transformed into innovative contributions, a systematic approach is important. The aim of this research was to identify the specific mechanisms that are key to implementing an innovation process model when conducting Employee-driven Innovation...... in a governmental client organisation. The methodological approach was an exploratory case study of a governmental client organisation within the Danish construction industry. The units of analysis were groups of employees and managers within the case organisation. The primary mechanisms identified were...

The relationship between organisational trust and quality of work life

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yolandi van der Berg

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Orientation: Managers within organisations should be more attentive regarding their managerial practices, the quality of work life (QWL and trust relationships, as experienced by employees.Research purpose: The aim of the study was to determine the relationship between organisational trust and QWL.Motivation for the study: Recent organisational changes have refocused attention on the productivity and performance of sales representatives. These changes have brought about a re-evaluation of their QWL and the organisational trust they experience.Research design, approach and method: An Internet-based survey methodology was used to collect primary data from a probability sample of 282 sales representatives; a 72% response rate was obtained. Responses were analysed using quantitative techniques and structural equation modelling.Main findings: Results confirmed a positive relationship between managerial practices with organisational trust and QWL and a lower relationship between the personality dimensions, organisational trust and the QWL.Practical/managerial implications: The study accentuated how important it is for management to be constantly aware of employees’ trust and their experience of a QWL, as these factors can lead to severe consequences if not properly managed.Contribution/value add: The study focused attention on the importance of building good trust relationships within an organisation, as it seems as though the personality traits and managerial practices of managers influence not only the trust relationship experienced by employees, but also their experience of a QWL.

How do consumer leaders co-create value in mental health organisations?

Science.gov (United States)

Scholz, Brett; Bocking, Julia; Happell, Brenda

2017-10-01

Objectives Contemporary mental health policies call for consumers to be involved in decision-making processes within mental health organisations. Some organisations have embraced leadership roles for consumers, but research suggests consumers remain disempowered within mental health services. Drawing on a service-dominant logic, which emphasises the co-creation of value of services, the present study provides an overview of consumer leadership within mental health organisations in the Australian Capital Territory. Methods Mental health organisations subscribing to the local peak body mailing list were invited to complete a survey about consumer leadership. Survey data were summarised using descriptive statistics and interpreted through the lens of service-dominant logic. Results Ways in which organisations may create opportunities for consumers to co-create value within their mental health services included soliciting feedback, involving consumer leaders in service design, having consumer leaders involved in hiring decisions and employing consumer leaders as staff or on boards. Strategies that organisations used to develop consumer leaders included induction, workshops and training in a variety of organisational processes and skills. Conclusions The findings of the present study extend the application of a service-dominant logic framework to consumer leadership within mental health organisations through consideration of the diverse opportunities that organisations can provide for consumer co-creation of service offerings. What is known about the topic? Policy calls for consumer involvement in all levels of mental health service planning, implementation and delivery. The extent to which service organisations have included consumer leaders varies, but research suggests that this inclusion can be tokenistic or that organisations choose to work with consumers who are less likely to challenge the status quo. Service literature has explored the way consumers can co

The becoming organisation : a conversation about the added value of Chaordic Systems Thinking for organisational renewal

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Eijnatten, van F.M.; Wäfler, T.; Eijnatten, van F.M.

2002-01-01

This conceptual contribution explores the added value of Chaordic System Thinking (CST) for organisational renewal, and its consequences for future research. The paper starts with some essentials of CST (concepts of attractor, holon, discontinuous development, nonlinearity, chaordic properties). In

Cooperative phenomena within organised bi-dimensional structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Armand, Franck

2001-01-01

In this report produced for an Accreditation to Supervise Research, the author defines a cooperative phenomenon as a phenomenon occurring each time a cooperation between elementary entities results in a collective property which exceeds the simple addition of disorganised individual properties. He reports works and researches which show that such phenomena can be generated by molecular architectures developed in laboratory, but also requires an appropriate organisation of active elementary entities. This can be obtained by self-organisation in solution. However, many applications assume the use of solid phases, and notably thin layers. In this respect, the Langmuir-Blodgett technique and self-assembly are very interesting techniques to produce mono-molecular thin layers, without however controlling molecule in-plane orientation and organisation. The author propose an overview of his works which aimed at obtaining this control, and reports three examples of cooperative phenomena: the generation of a second harmonic, spin transition with hysteresis, and electron conduction (one-dimensional and bi-dimensional electron transfer). The report also contains articles published in various scientific publications, and contributions to congresses [fr

Organising integration

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Axelsson, Runo

2013-01-01

Background: In Sweden, as in many other countries, there has been a succession of trends in the organisation of health care and other welfare services. These trends have had different implications for the integration of services in the health and welfare system. Aims: One aim is to discuss...... the implications of different organisational trends for the integration of health and welfare services. Another aim is to introduce a Swedish model of financial coordination as a flexible way to organise integration. Organisational trends: In the 1960’s there was an expansion of health and welfare services leading...... an increasing lack of integration in the health and welfare system. In the 2000’s, there has been a re-centralisation through mergers of hospitals, regions and state agencies. It has become clear, however, that mergers do not promote integration but rather increase the bureaucratisation of the system. Model...

Organisational learning capabilities as determinants of social innovation: An empirical study in South Africa

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Boris Urban

2017-04-01

Full Text Available Orientation: A critical reading of the human resource management (HRM literature finds limited contributions to understanding the organisational determinants of social enterprises and how these may contribute to higher levels of social innovativeness. Although innovation is a key theme in organisational research it has been acknowledged that the field needs more theory-based examinations of different types of innovativeness. Research purpose: To determine how different organisational capabilities are related to social innovation. Motivation for the study: Many social enterprises in developing countries do not have the requisite capabilities to efficiently manage all their programmes, which presents a major threat to organisational sustainability. Research design, approach and method: The empirical analysis is a cross-sectional study based on primary survey data. Hypotheses are tested using correlational and regression analysis. Main findings: The results show that the organisational learning capabilities of knowledge conversion, risk management, organisational dialogue and participative decision-making all have a significant and positive relationship with social innovation. Practical/managerial implications: Managers and practitioners can leverage the different organisational learning capabilities to improve social innovations in their social enterprises. Contribution/value-add: The study is one of the first in an African market context to empirically investigate social enterprises in terms of social innovation and organisational learning perspectives.

EVALUATION OF THE PROJECT MANAGEMENT ORGANISATIONAL ABILITY OF PUBLIC ORGANISATIONS

OpenAIRE

Florescu Margareta

2012-01-01

The quality of the results of a project or a public programme, as well as the quality of project management consist in management process performance.This analysis tool promotes the idea of initiating a new organisational/functional policy – organisational tools regarding project management, a new standard concerning the complexity of the project and the associated risk, as well as a new standard concerning the project management organisational/functional ability. Political decision makers,...

Revisiting Organisational Learning in Integrated Care.

Science.gov (United States)

Nuño-Solinís, Roberto

2017-08-11

Progress in health care integration is largely linked to changes in processes and ways of doing. These changes have knowledge management and learning implications. For this reason, the use of the concept of organisational learning is explored in the field of integrated care. There are very limited contributions that have connected the fields of organisational learning and care integration in a systematic way, both at the theoretical and empirical level. For this reason, hybridization of both perspectives still provides opportunities for understanding care integration initiatives from a research perspective as well as potential applications in health care management and planning.

Organisational Factors of Rapid Growth of Slovenian Dynamic Enterprises

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pšeničny Viljem

2013-01-01

Full Text Available The authors provide key findings on the internal and external environmental factors of growth that affect the rapid growth of dynamic enterprises in relation to individual key organisational factors or functions. The key organisational relationships in a growing enterprise are upgraded with previous research findings and identified key factors of rapid growth through qualitative and quantitative analysis based on the analysis of 4,511 dynamic Slovenian enterprises exhibiting growth potential. More than 250 descriptive attributes of a sample of firms from 2011 were also used for further qualitative analysis and verification of key growth factors. On the basis of the sample (the study was conducted with 131 Slovenian dynamic enterprises, the authors verify whether these factors are the same as the factors that were studied in previous researches. They also provide empirical findings on rapid growth factors in relation to individual organisational functions: administration - management - implementation (entrepreneur - manager - employees. Through factor analysis they look for the correlation strength between individual variables (attributes that best describe each factor of rapid growth and that relate to the aforementioned organisational functions in dynamic enterprises. The research findings on rapid growth factors offer companies the opportunity to consider these factors during the planning and implementation phases of their business, to choose appropriate instruments for the transition from a small fast growing firm to a professionally managed growing company, to stimulate growth and to choose an appropriate growth strategy and organisational factors in order to remain, or become, dynamic enterprises that can further contribute to the preservation, growth and development of the Slovenian economy

The organisation of transactions : studying supply networkd using gaming simulation

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Meijer, S.A.

2009-01-01

This book studies the organisation of transactions in supply networks. More specifically it investigates the influence of social structure on the mode of organisation in supply networks. To gain new insights, the results in this book have been gathered using gaming simulation as a research method.

Organising Water: The Hidden Role of Intermediary Work

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Timothy Moss

2009-02-01

Full Text Available The increasingly complex challenges of making water management more sustainable require a critical and detailed understanding of the social organisation of water. This paper examines the hitherto neglected role that 'intermediary' organisations play in reshaping the relations between the provision and use of water and sanitation services. In response to new regulatory, environmental, social, and commercial pressures the relationships between water utilities, consumers, and regulators are changing, creating openings for both new and existing organisations to take on intermediary functions. Drawing on recent EU-funded research we provide the first systematic analysis of intermediary organisations in the European water sector, examining the contexts of their emergence, the ways they work, the functions they perform, and the impacts they can have. With a combination of conceptual and empirical analysis we substantiate and elaborate the case for appreciating the often hidden work of intermediaries. We caution, however, against over-simplistic conclusions on harnessing this potential, highlighting instead the need to reframe perspectives on how water is organised to contemplate actor constellations and interactions beyond the common triad of provider, consumer, and regulator.

A paradigm shift in organisational safety culture evaluation and training

OpenAIRE

Cram, Robert; Sime, Julie-Ann

2015-01-01

The focus of this research is to explore the issues surrounding traditional approaches towards understanding the safety culture of an organisation operating in a high risk environment and to identify an effective technique to educate corporate management in how to measure and evaluate the underlying safety culture of their own organisations. The results of the first part of the research highlight the concerns being expressed by both academic and industrial communities that current safety cult...

Hardiness in relation to organisational commitment in the Human Resource Management field

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nadia Ferreira

2012-09-01

Research purpose: The study empirically investigated the relationship between an individual’s hardiness (measured by the Personal Views Survey II [PVS-II] and organisational commitment (measured by the Organisational Commitment Scale. Motivation for the study: Research on an individual’s hardiness profile as an aspect of their career well-being and success and how these attributes influence their psychological attachment to the organisation, is needed to guide human resource career development support practices aimed at retaining valuable staff. Research design, approach and method: A quantitative survey was conducted on a convenience sample of predominantly Black (92.2% and female (71% employed adults (N = 355 at managerial and staff levels in the human resource management field. Main findings: Correlational and multiple regression analyses revealed a number of significant relationships between the two variables. Practical/managerial implications: Managers and human resource practitioners need to recognise how people’s hardiness relates to their sense of psychological attachment to the organisation. Organisations concerned with the retention and well-being of their equity staff members need to find a way to enhance and develop their hardiness and commitment. Contribution/value-add: The research contributes new insights into and knowledge of the factors that influence their employees’ hardiness and how these relate to their organisational commitment. The results may be used to inform career development support interventions that aim to increase employees’ sense of career well-being and success.

Exploring the identity and "sense of identity" of organisations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

C L Van Tonder

2006-04-01

Full Text Available During the past two decades a steady increase in scholarly contributions in the area of organisation identity have been observed – to the point that the phenomenon is now the subject of a sustainable discourse in several disciplines. Many theoretical and conceptual dilemmas however remain, largely as a result of the low incidence of empirical research in the area. This study reports the results of an exploratory investigation that adapted Schley and Wagenfield’s (1979 concept of identity for use in an organisational setting. Interviews were conducted with 152 top managers representing 10 companies. The results indicate that organisational responses to the question “who am I?�? elicit distinctive organisational self-descriptions and some awareness of identity issues.

Stretching between learning and accountability: Experiences of South African non-governmental organisations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dzvinka Kachur

2016-06-01

While learning and accountability are two fundamental purposes of M&E, in practice NGOs often perceive donor accountability as the only function of their organisation’s M&E system. Learning through meaningful monitoring of actions is a necessary process to satisfy effective functioning of organisations working on social change. The article is based on action research, which included qualitative methods such as case studies, focus group interview(s, semi-structured interviews and questionnaires with participating organisations from an 18-month Monitoring and Evaluation Capacity Development Programme of the Community Development Resource Association, which involved nine South African NGOs. Organisations benefited from the programme through peer learning, consulting and research linked to the programme. The research revealed that NGOs have a perception of M&E as an accountability procedure that has been imposed on them by donor communities and are resistant to it as well as to rigid data collection.Organisations require specific capacities to realise their power and to be able to negotiate more developmental approaches to M&E within their organisations and with donors. The model is suggested that fosters learning in M&E systems and includes two interlinked processes: self-awareness (a sense of core organisational values and intuitive ability and awareness about the outside world and the effects of organisations’ work. The model for M&E systems can be explored further and help those organisations who are working towards better balance between learning and accountability.

Job demands and resources of workers in a South African agricultural organisation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Doris N. Asiwe

2015-03-01

Research purpose: The objective of this study was to examine the validity and reliability of the Adapted Job Demands and Resources Scale (AJDRS as well as to establish prevalent job demands and resources of employees in an agricultural organisation. Demographic differences were also investigated. Motivation of the study: The agricultural sector of any national economy plays a very important role in the overall welfare of the country. Identifying the prevalent job demands and resources in an agricultural organisation is therefore of paramount importance since the negative consequences of employees experiencing very demanding jobs with few resources have been well documented in stress literature. Research approach, design and method: A cross-sectional survey design was used. The sample consisted of 443 employees in an agricultural organisation. The AJDRS was used to measure the research variables. Main findings: The findings of this research show evidence for the factorial validity and reliability of the AJDRS. Statistical differences were found with regard to the job demands and resources experienced by employees in different positions. Practical/managerial implications: Interventions to improve the perceived job demands and resources in the organisation should focus on physical resources (equipment. Contribution/value-add: This study contributes to knowledge concerning the job demands and resources that are prevalent in an agricultural organisation in South Africa.

Followership's experiences of organisational leadership: A systems psychodynamic perspective

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Henk Greyvenstein

2012-03-01

Research purpose: The purpose of the research was to describe followership’s experiences of organisational leadership from a systems psychodynamic perspective. Motivation for the study: Organisational leadership is under tremendous pressure to perform and often under attack, especially if they do not appear to be caring and supportive. The research was planned to better understand the unconscious nature of this phenomenon. Research design, approach and method: Qualitative, descriptive research was used. Data was collected through psychodynamic Listening Posts and analysed using discourse analysis. Working hypotheses were formulated per theme and integrated into the research hypothesis. Main findings: Six themes manifested, namely a negative leadership view; idealisation of the past and blaming the present; obsession with race and gender; constantly changing identity; unfinished business and the future; and cope and hope. Practical/managerial implications: Leadership seem to focus more on business than followership issues which leads to followers feeling disregarded and de-authorised. As a result followers withhold authorisation from leadership which may be instrumental in leaderships’ difficulties to manage change and transformation effectively. Leadership development needs to incorporate the self-authorisation of leaders as well as the invitation of authorisation by leaders. Contribution/value-add: The data would be useful to leadership towards understanding, repairing and optimising their relationships and organisational impact through people.

Celebrity-led development organisations

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Budabin, Alexandra Cosima; Rasmussen, Louise Mubanda; Richey, Lisa Ann

2017-01-01

The past decade has seen a frontier open up in international development engagement with the entrance of new actors such as celebrity-led organisations. We explore how such organisations earn legitimacy with a focus on Madonna’s Raising Malawi and Ben Affleck’s Eastern Congo Initiative. The study...... for funding, endorsements, and expertise. We argue that the ways in which celebrity-led organisations establish themselves as legitimate development actors illustrate broader dynamics of the machinery of development.......The past decade has seen a frontier open up in international development engagement with the entrance of new actors such as celebrity-led organisations. We explore how such organisations earn legitimacy with a focus on Madonna’s Raising Malawi and Ben Affleck’s Eastern Congo Initiative. The study...... draws from organisational materials, interviews, mainstream news coverage, and the texts of the celebrities themselves to investigate the construction of authenticity, credibility, and accountability. We find these organisations earn legitimacy and flourish rapidly amid supportive elite networks...

Organisational Learning and Organisational Memory for SMS and FRMS

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Koornneef, F.; Stewart, S.; Akselsson, R.; Ward, M.

2009-01-01

Chapter 1: Organisational Learning and Organisational Memory for SMS and FRMS The European Commission HILAS project (Human Integration into theLifecycle of Aviation Systems - a project supported by the European Commission’s 6th Framework between 2005-2009) was focused on using human factors

Organising for innovation in regional innovation systems

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Brink, Tove

2017-01-01

The research in this paper reveals how organising the innovation ecosystem can enable the achievement of the aim for innovation and competiveness. The research was conducted from June 2014 to May 2015 using a qualitative deductive approach among operation & maintenance (O&M) actors in offshore wind...

Organisational factors. Their definition and influence on nuclear safety. Final report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baumont, G.; Wahlstroem, B.; Sola, R.; Williams, J.; Frischknecht, A.; Wilpert, B.; Rollenhagen, C.

2000-12-01

The importance of organisational factors in the operational safety and efficiency of nuclear power plants (NPP) has been recognised by many organisations around the world. Despite this recognition, however, there are as yet very few methods by which organisational factors can be systematically assessed and improved. The majority of research efforts applied so far have tended to be modest and scattered. The ORFA project was created as a remedy to these problems. The objective of the project is to create a better understanding of how organisation and management factors influence nuclear safety. A key scientific objective of the project is to identify components of a theoretical framework, which would help in understanding the relationships between organisational factors and nuclear safety. Three work packages were planned. First, a review of literature listed out the identified factors and methods for assessing them. Then, a draft version of the present report was prepared to clarify the environment context and the main issues of the topics. This draft was discussed at the ORFA seminar in Madrid 21-22 October 1999. During the seminar views and comments were collected on preliminary results of the project. Finally, this information has been integrated in the present and other reports and will be used to give further guidance to the European Commission in the development of forthcoming research programmes in the field. The project has addressed nuclear safety taking a broad perspective, which reflected and took into account the views of senior NPP management and regulators. The questions discussed during the project have been: how can organisational factors be included in safety assessments, how can good and bad operational practices be identified, which methods can be used for detecting weak signals of deteriorating performance, how should incidents be analysed with respect to organisational factors to give the largest learning benefit, how can data on organisational

An assessment of organisational justice perceptions across three generational cohorts

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ophillia Ledimo

2015-09-01

Full Text Available Despite several reviews of generational differences across cohorts regarding their career stages in organisations, relatively few empirical investigations have been conducted to understand these cohorts’s behaviour and perceptions. Hence there is paucity of studies that explored the generational differences on the construct organisational justice across generational cohorts. The objective of this study was to assess the differences across three generational cohorts (Millennials, Generation X, and Baby Boomers on dimensions of the organisational justice construct using the Organisational Justice Measurement Instrument (OJMI. Data was collected through the administration of OJMI to a random sample size of organisational employees (n=289. Descriptive statistics and analysis of variance were conducted to interpret the data. These findings provide evidence that differences do exist across cohorts on dimensions of organisational justice, and some differences may be a result of respondents’ different perception of their organisation’s practices and processes. In terms of contributions and practical implications, insight gained from the findings may be used in proposing organisational development interventions to manage multigenerational employees as well as to conduct future research.

Case studies on age-management in organisations: report on organisational case studies

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Punte, E.; Conen, W.S.; Schippers, J.; Henkens, C.J.I.M.

2011-01-01

The acquisition of case studies was thwarted by the economic crisis and the feeling of being ‘over-researched’ by potential organisations. Although organisations in some sectors (e.g. chemical manufacturing) reported the worst part of the economic crisis was behind, many organisations indicated

Effects of Staff Participation, Morale, and Shortage on Organisational Performance: An International Survey

Science.gov (United States)

Cheema, Jehanzeb R.; Asrar-ul-Haq, Muhammad

2017-01-01

Prior research has suggested that staff-centred organisational factors such as participation, morale and shortage can have a significant effect on organisational outcomes. However, relatively little attention has been paid to cross-country examination of these relationships specifically for educational organisations such as schools, colleges, and…

Outsourcing in private healthcare organisations: a Greek perspective.

Science.gov (United States)

Moschuris, Socrates J; Kondylis, Michael N

2007-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to present a study carried out to investigate the extent of outsourcing, the decision-making process, the impact of outsourcing, and the future trend of outsourcing in private healthcare organisations in Greece. A survey instrument was designed and mailed to a random sample of 100 private healthcare organisations in Greece. A total of 25 usable questionnaires were received, representing a response rate of 25 percent. The survey instrument focused on the extent to which private healthcare organisations outsource services, the decision-making process for choosing an external service provider, the impact of outsourcing, and the future trend of outsourcing. Private healthcare organisations in Greece outsource a variety of activities. Cost savings, customisation, and customer satisfaction are the main factors affecting the outsourcing decision. The cooperation with a contract service provider has led to an improvement in customer satisfaction and to a cost reduction. Most users are highly satisfied with the performance of these companies and believe that there will be a future increase in the usage of these services. The paper provides a framework regarding outsourcing in private healthcare organisations. This research fills the gap in the area of outsourcing in private healthcare organisations in Greece.

Analysing organisational context: case studies on the contribution of absorptive capacity theory to understanding inter-organisational variation in performance improvement.

Science.gov (United States)

Harvey, Gill; Jas, Pauline; Walshe, Kieran

2015-01-01

Organisational context is frequently cited as an important consideration when implementing and evaluating quality improvement interventions in healthcare, but limited guidance is available on which aspects of context are most influential or modifiable. This paper examines how internal and external contextual factors mediate organisational-level performance improvement through applying the knowledge-based theory of absorptive capacity (AC). Three healthcare case studies are presented. Each case is a UK National Health Service organisation that had been identified as having performance problems. Qualitative data were collected through semi-structured interviews with general and clinical managers within the organisation and members of external teams supporting or overseeing performance improvement (n=22). Interview data were analysed using an existing AC framework from the literature. The organisation with the highest AC showed the quickest and most comprehensive performance improvement. Internal characteristics including strategic priorities, processes for managing information, communication and orientation to learning and development impacted on the organisation's ability to engage successfully with external stakeholders and make use of available knowledge. This enabled the organisation to thrive despite the challenging external environment. Lower levels of AC appeared to delay or limit the improvement trajectory. Developing a more detailed and nuanced understanding of how context influences improvement is an important step towards achieving more effective and sustainable quality improvement programmes in healthcare. AC, with its focus on knowledge and organisational learning, provides a useful way to explore the relationship between context and quality improvement and represents a potentially valuable area for future research and development. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go

Happiness, work engagement and organisational commitment of support staff at a tertiary education institution in South Africa

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lyndsay K. Field

2011-09-01

Research purpose: The purpose of the research was to determine the relationship between happiness, work engagement and organisational commitment and to determine whether happiness and work engagement hold predictive value for the organisational commitment of support staff. Motivation for the study: This study aims to enable the identification of a link between happiness, work engagement and organisational commitment and to identify a predictive value of the model. Research design, approach and method: The researchers used a cross-sectional survey design. They used a sample of 123 (N = 123 support staff members from a tertiary education institution in South Africa. The researchers used four demographic questionnaires for the research. These were the ‘Satisfaction with Life Scale’ (SWLS, the ‘Well-Being Questionnaire’ (WBQ, the ‘Utrecht Work Engagement Scale’ (UWES and the ‘Organisational Commitment Questionnaire’ (OCQ. Main findings: The researchers found a significant positive relationship between affective organisational commitment and work engagement, as well as between affective organisational commitment and happiness (as the SWLS and WBQ measure. They found a significant positive relationship between work engagement and happiness. Finally, the results showed that happiness and work engagement have predictive value for affective organisational commitment. Practical/managerial implications: Happiness and work engagement have predictive value for affective organisational commitment. Therefore, institutions should carefully tailor any implementation programme or initiative to address this relationship. Contribution/value-add: The findings will benefit both managers and workers. Institutions should consider evaluating the levels of happiness and work engagement of their support staff to address the issue of the organisational commitment of their employees.

Staff perceptions of organisational values in a large South African manufacturing company: exploring socio-demographic differences

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nico Martins

2011-11-01

Research purpose: The objective of the study was to explore the perceptions of men and women staff members, as well as members of various race and age groups, in a large South African manufacturing company about the current enactment of organisational values and the importance of these values. Motivation for the study: The challenge of managing multi-cultural work forces from different gender, race and generational backgrounds makes an understanding of how peoples’ values align with those of their organisations, as reflected in their cultures, necessary. Research design, approach and method: Using an organisational values scale, the researchers conducted a quantitative survey on a random sample of 988 participants employed in a large South African manufacturing company. Main findings: ANOVAs and post hoc multiple comparison of means tests revealed that gender, race and age have a significant effect on some of the dimensions of organisational values and that these biographical groups differ significantly in their perceptions of the importance of certain organisational values as well as how their organisations enact them. Practical/mangerial implications: The findings highlight the importance of understanding staff perceptions in creating greater commitment to organisational values as important aspects of an effective organisational culture. Contribution/value-add: This study is original research that contributes new knowledge to the field of organisational psychology and management practices.

The organisational stressors encountered by athletes with a disability.

Science.gov (United States)

Arnold, Rachel; Wagstaff, Christopher R D; Steadman, Lauren; Pratt, Yasmin

2017-06-01

Organisational stressors have been found to be prevalent and problematic for sport performers, with research identifying demographic differences in the stressors encountered. Nevertheless, extant sport psychology research on the topic of stress has generally focused on able-bodied athletes; whilst that which has been conducted on performers with a disability has typically recruited relatively small samples to explore a narrow selection of organisational stressors, or examined other components of the stress process. The purpose of the present study was to explore the various organisational stressors that athletes with a disability encounter. The sample comprised 18 elite athletes with a disability (10 male, 8 female) who had a classified disability and experience of competing at a major championships in their sport (e.g., Paralympic Games, World Championships). Participants took part in a semi-structured interview which was analysed by drawing from grounded theory procedures. A total of 316 organisational stressors were identified, which were abstracted into 31 concepts and four, previously conceptualised, exploratory schemes: leadership and personnel issues, cultural and team issues, logistical and environmental issues, and performance and personal issues. This study not only provides the first illustration of the prevalence of organisational stressors for athletes with a disability, but also significantly points to salient similarities and distinct differences between the stress experiences of performers with and without a disability.

Retention factors in relation to organisational commitment in medical and information technology services

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jeannette van Dyk

2012-07-01

Research purpose: The objectives of the study were to investigate empirically: (1 the relationship between employees’ satisfaction with organisational retention factors (measured by the Retention Factors Scale and their organisational commitment (measured by the Organisational Commitment Questionnaire and (2 whether gender, age, race and tenure groups differ significantly in terms of these variables. Motivation for the study: Medical and information technology professionals have specialised and hard to replace skills. They also have strong tendencies to leave their organisations and countries. Understanding the retention factors that will increase their organisational commitment may benefit the organisations who want to retain their valuable talent. Research design, approach and method: The researchers used a cross-sectional survey design to collect data from a purposive sample of 206 staff members who had scarce skills in a South African medical and information technology services company. Correlational and inferential statistics were computed to achieve the objectives. Main findings: The results showed that the participants’ satisfaction with retention factors has a significant relationship with their organisational commitment and that the biographical groups differ significantly in terms of the variables. Practical/managerial implications: The measured retention factors were all associated with human resource management practices that influence employees’ intentions to leave. Contribution/value-add: The results are important to managers who are interested in retaining staff who have scarce skills and provide valuable pointers for designing effective retention strategies.

Enabling organisational learning and knowledge sharing through employee involvement

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bjerrum, Eva; Dahl, Susanne

In this paper we want to suggest that involving the employees in the development of the new workspaces is an important element in organisational learning and that it makes good sense to rethink space in order to support both tacit knowledge and collaboration. We want to argue that involving...... the employees in the design of their future workplace is key to giving the employee ownership for the change and may provide the organisation with invaluable ideas for the new work environment and the process of enabling organisational learning and knowledge sharing. We base our argument on a series of research...

Self-management of self-organising mobile computing applications : a separation of concerns approach

OpenAIRE

Fernandez Marquez, Jose Luis; di Marzo Serugendo, Giovanna; Stevenson, Graeme Turnbull; Ye, Juan; Dobson, Simon Andrew; Zamonelli, Franco

2014-01-01

Although the research area of self-organising systems is well established, their construction is often ad hoc. Consequently, such software is difficult reuse across applications that require similar functionality of have similar goals. The development of self-organising applications and, a fortiori, self-organising mobile applications is therefore limited to developers who are experts in specific self-organising mechanisms. As a first step towards addressing this, this paper discusses the not...

Organisational skills and tools.

Science.gov (United States)

Wicker, Paul

2009-04-01

While this article mainly applies to practitioners who have responsibilities for leading teams or supervising practitioners, many of the skills and tools described here may also apply to students or junior practitioners. The purpose of this article is to highlight some of the main points about organisation, some of the organisational skills and tools that are available, and some examples of how these skills and tools can be used to make practitioners more effective at organising their workload. It is important to realise that organising work and doing work are two completely different things and shouldn't be mixed up. For example, it would be very difficult to start organising work in the middle of a busy operating list: the organisation of the work must come before the work starts and therefore preparation is often an important first step in organising work. As such, some of the tools and skills described in this article may need to be used hours or even days prior to the actual work taking place.

Investigating supply chain sustainability in South African organisations

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Gabrielle Niehaus

2018-02-01

Full Text Available Background: The need for sustainable supply chain management has become a necessity given the growing impact of climate change and global warming. The South African (SA government is planning to implement a carbon tax in the future, which will present financial challenges for organisations already facing social and environmental difficulties. Objectives: The main objective of this article was to investigate the current sustainability reporting practices in supply chains of SA organisations. The focus was specifically on the supply chain sustainability practices of organisations listed in selected sectors on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE. A secondary objective was to investigate preparation efforts by SA companies for the impending carbon tax. Method: Data collected from sustainability and integrated annual reports of organisations in the sample were analysed using non-parametric statistical tests to compare sectors on the JSE and to compare companies listed on the socially responsible investment (SRI Index with those that are not. Results: The results showed that there is insufficient data for some of the sectors; however, there are differences in the supply chain and sustainability practices for the remaining sectors. There are also differences in these practices between SRI and non-SRI companies. The research also showed that companies are discussing important concepts relating to the implementation of the impending carbon tax. Research impact: SA organisations need to increase their focus on sustainable supply chain practices. Further investigation into the preparation efforts of companies to reduce their emissions and/or footprint and mitigate the impact of the impending carbon tax is necessary.

Learning organisations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sabina Jelenc Krašovec

2000-12-01

Full Text Available A vast array of economical, social, political, cultural and other factors influences the transformed role of learning and education in the society, as well as the functioning of local community and its social and communication patterns. The influences which are manifested as global problems can only be successfully solved on the level of local community. Analogously with the society in general, there is a great need of transforming a local community into a learning, flexible and interconnected environment which takes into account different interests, wishes and needs regarding learning and being active. The fundamental answer to changes is the strategy of lifelong learning and education which requires reorganisation of all walks of life (work, free time, family, mass media, culture, sport, education and transforming of organisations into learning organisations. With learning society based on networks of knowledge individuals are turning into learning individuals, and organisations into learning organisations; people who learn take the responsibility of their progress, learning denotes partnership among learning people, teachers, parents, employers and local community, so that they work together to achieve better results.

Human resource practices and affective organisational commitment: A sectoral comparative study

OpenAIRE

Renier Steyn; Magda L. Bezuidenhout; Anton Grobler

2017-01-01

Orientation: Organisational commitment (OC) is often depicted as a desirable employee attitude and relates to organisational performance. Little research has been carried out on the (Human Resource) HR practices–OC relationship within the South African context, and specifically with regard to this relationship across various sectors. Research purpose: The purpose of this contribution is to specify the HR practices–OC relationship, within South Africa, and specifically across various secto...

Decree No 81-1056 of 1 December 1981 concerning the organisation of the Ministry of Research and Technology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1981-01-01

This Decree determines the organisation and tasks of the Ministry of Research and Technology. The General Policy Directorate, within the Ministry, is assigned certain duties which concern the Atomic Energy Commission (CEA). These tasks include the allocation of R and D funds and verification of their use, as well as the joint supervision of the CEA. This Decree repeals Chapter III of Decree No. 75-1002 of 29 October 1975. As Chapter III only concerned the General Delegation for Scientific and Technical Research (DGRST) this body is therefore suppressed. (NEA) [fr

Organisational support, role clarity, job insecurity and organisational commitment of employees in a petrochemical organisation / Rirhandzu Milder Nqubane

OpenAIRE

Nqubane, Rirhandzu Milder

2008-01-01

Organisations have been under enormous pressure due to the changes that they are constantly faced with. Most organisations have at some stage been involved in restructuring, laying-off of employees, and outsourcing of non-core business activities with the aim of coping with the change process. When organisations go through these changes, they still need to support their employees. They must ensure that the employees' roles are clarified, and that they feel secure in their jobs in order to imp...

What's to be done when 'foul whisp rings are abroad'? Gossip and rumour in health organisations.

Science.gov (United States)

O'Connor, Nick; Kotze, Beth; Storm, Victor

2018-02-01

This article explores the relevance of gossip and rumour to health organisations and presents what limited empirical research is available specific to the management of gossip and rumour in health organisations. The concept of a sentinel function for gossip and rumour in health organisations is proposed as a topic worthy of further research.

Perceived external prestige as a mediator between quality of work life and organisational commitment of public sector employees in Ghana

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Oluyinka Ojedokun

2015-04-01

Research purpose: This research seeks to close a research gap by determining the role of perceived external prestige in the relationship between quality of work life and organisational commitment amongst public sector employees in Ghana. Research approach, design and method: Theoretically guided hypotheses and models were formulated and tested with hierarchical multiple regression statistics using data from a sample of 137 employees from two public sector organisations in Ghana. Main findings: The results support the hypothesis that quality of work life is positively related to both perceived external prestige and organisational commitment. Also, perceived external prestige was found to predict organisational commitment and partially mediate the relationship between quality of work life and organisational commitment. Practical/managerial implications: The findings imply that one sure way to enhance organisational commitment of employees is by improving their quality of work life and boosting their perceptions of external prestige of the organisation. These results will be of particular interest to policymakers, public organisations and stakeholders interested in increasing organisational commitment of their employees. Contribution/value-add: The findings extend previous research by establishing the mediating role of perceived external prestige in the relationship between quality of work life and organisational commitment. If managers of organisations wish to improve organisational commitment, it is wise to institutionalise an organisational culture that promotes good quality of work life and boost the external prestige of the organisation in the employees’ mind.

The impact of resilience and perceived organisational support on employee engagement in a competitive sales environment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anel Meintjes

2018-05-01

Full Text Available Orientation: Understanding the impact of resilience and perceived organisational support on employee engagement in a competitive sales environment. Research purpose: The aim of this study was to explore the relationship between resilience, perceived organisational support and employee engagement among pharmaceutical sales employees in a competitive sales environment; and to establish whether resilience and perceived organisational support hold predictive value for employee engagement. Motivation for the study: Limited research has focused on the unique context of employee engagement as a construct in professional sales. A broader understanding of resilience and perceived organisational support can provide sales organisations with a lever to create an environment where sales employees are more fully engaged. Research design, approach and method: A quantitative, exploratory, cross-sectional survey approach was used. A sample of 125 sales representatives from a South African pharmaceutical organisation participated in the research. The measuring instruments included the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES, Brief Resilience Scale (BRS and the Perceived Organisational Support Scale (POS. Main findings: Perceived organisational support, but not resilience impacted employee engagement in a competitive sales environment. Practical and managerial implications: Sales organisations’ interventions to improve sales employee engagement should focus on perceived organisational support. Contribution: The individual role of each construct provided insight into the sales context. The relationship between the constructs offered a different lens through which the drivers of employee engagement in sales can be viewed. This study contributes towards sales literature by including positive psychology and organisational support in a model of employee engagement.

Cultivating alternate mindsets to enhance organisational Well-being and creativity

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Marie Holm

2015-07-01

Full Text Available In contrast to the traditional mindset (TMS—the conscious awareness, controlled mental processes, and analytical-logical manipulation of symbols—an alternative mindset (AMS is viewed as the pre-conscious mental processes (i.e. associative, imaginative, intuitive and holistic thinking. Since Plato, the West has considered TMS as the hallmark of intelligence and simply of any cognition. Yet, in recent decades various research explored complementary and/or alternative to analytical-logical cognition mental. Alternative mindsets were primarily explored for their individual benefits, while our research focuses on organisational benefits. To do this, we used a bi-weekly meditative practice to induce an AMS in organisational actors. We hypothesized that following the shift from TMS to AMS, organisational actors will benefit from enhanced creative production and well-being. Empirical experiments were conducted with 144 self-selected participants within three organisations, measuring well-being and creativity, consisting of eight 20 minute mindfulness meditation sessions, with a “placebo” relaxation technique for control groups. Statistical analysis showed significant increase in well-being and creativity for experimental compared to control groups as of six sessions. As AMS organisational benefits span from enhanced well-being and creative production, as our experiments show, to potentially higher employee engagement, health and relaxation, AMS could potentially aid i

The Importance of Time Congruity in the Organisation.

OpenAIRE

Francis-Smythe, Jan; Prof. Ivan Robertson

2003-01-01

In 1991 Kaufman, Lane, and Lindquist proposed that time congruity in terms of an individual's time preferences and the time use methods of an organisation would lead to satisfactory performance and enhancement of quality of work and general life. The research reported here presents a study which uses commensurate person and job measures of time personality in an organisational setting to assess the effects of time congruity on one aspect of work life, job-related affective well-being. Results...

Institutional Contradictions and Change of Organisations and Accounting

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Thrane, Sof; Balslev, Lars

2017-01-01

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to analyse how contradictions between institutional pressures shape accounting and organisational change within Air Greenland. Design/methodology/approach - The paper applies document analysis and retrospective interviews to trace accounting and organisational...... change spanning 50 years and analyses developments on multiple levels: societal, governance and micro levels. Findings - The paper illustrates the didactical development of the organisation and management accounting. The contradictory impetus from the institutional level generates a space where actors...... are able to affect development and change management accounting systems. Actors at the company level further acted on the institutional level to affect change in governance and institutions. Research limitations/implications - The case differs from case studies in emerging countries owing to the low number...

Fibrosing organising pneumonia.

Science.gov (United States)

Beardsley, Brooke; Rassl, Doris

2013-10-01

Organising pneumonia (otherwise referred to as bronchiolitis obliterans organising pneumonia) is characterised histologically by plugs of granulation tissue, which are present predominantly within small airways, alveolar ducts and peri-bronchiolar alveoli. This pattern is not specific for any disorder or cause, but is one type of inflammatory response to pulmonary injury, which may be seen in a wide variety of clinical conditions. Typically, organising pneumonia responds very well to corticosteroid treatment; however, a small percentage of patients appear to develop progressive fibrosis.

Critical success factors in implementing an e-rostering system in a healthcare organisation.

Science.gov (United States)

Soomro, Zahoor A; Ahmed, Javed; Muhammad, Raza; Hayes, Dawn; Shah, Mahmood H

2017-01-01

Effective and efficient staff scheduling has always been a challenging issue, especially in health service organisations. Both the extremes of staff shortage and overage have an adverse impact on the performance of healthcare organisations. In this case, an electronic and systematic staff scheduling (e-rostering) system is the often seen as the best solution. Unless an organisation has an effective implementation of such a system, possible cost savings, efficiency, and benefits could be minimal. This study is aimed to research key success factors for the successful effective implementation of an electronic rostering system, especially at healthcare organisations. A case study research method was used to evaluate critical success factors for effectively implementing an e-rostering system. The data were collected through interviews and observations. The findings indicate that technical support, an effective policy, leadership, clear goals and objectives, gradual change, evidence of the advantages of the new system, senior management support, and effective communication are the critical success factors in implementing an e-rostering system in healthcare organisations. Prior to this study, no such factors were grounded in the current context, so this research would help in bridging the gap towards effective implementation of an e-rostering system in the healthcare sector. This research also suggests future studies in different cultures and contexts.

Impact of organisational change on mental health: a systematic review.

Science.gov (United States)

Bamberger, Simon Grandjean; Vinding, Anker Lund; Larsen, Anelia; Nielsen, Peter; Fonager, Kirsten; Nielsen, René Nesgaard; Ryom, Pia; Omland, Øyvind

2012-08-01

Although limited evidence is available, organisational change is often cited as the cause of mental health problems. This paper provides an overview of the current literature regarding the impact of organisational change on mental health. A systematic search in PUBMED, PsychInfo and Web of Knowledge combining MeSH search terms for exposure and outcome. The criterion for inclusion was original data on exposure to organisational change with mental health problems as outcome. Both cross-sectional and longitudinal studies were included. We found in 11 out of 17 studies, an association between organisational change and elevated risk of mental health problems was observed, with a less provident association in the longitudinal studies. Based on the current research, this review cannot provide sufficient evidence of an association between organisational change and elevated risk of mental health problems. More studies of long-term effects are required including relevant analyses of confounders.

Psychological capital, job demands and organisational commitment of employees in a call centre in Durban, South Africa

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kreshona Pillay

2014-12-01

Research purpose: This study investigated the relationship between psychological capital, job demands and organisational commitment and intended to determine whether psychological capital and job demands predict call centre employees’ organisational commitment. Motivation for the study: The study aimed to explore potential links between psychological capital, job demands and organisational commitment of call centre employees. It is premised on previous research that call centre job demands may be related to commitment to the organisation. Research approach, design and method: This cross-sectional study sampled 117 call centre employees from Durban, South Africa, and used a biographical questionnaire, psychological capital questionnaire, the job-demands-resources scale and the organisational commitment questionnaire to collect data. Main findings: Findings indicated a statistically significant relationship between psychological capital and work overload, as well as a practically and statistically significant relationship (medium effect between psychological capital and continuance organisational commitment. The results showed that psychological capital has predictive value for continuance organisational commitment. Practical/managerial implications: Psychological capital has predictive value for continuance organisational commitment. Organisations can develop initiatives to enhance positive psychological states and address this relationship. Contribution: The findings could be beneficial to management and employees in considering ways to boost psychological capital in order to improve organisational commitment.

Social enterprise in health organisation and management: hybridity or homogeneity?

Science.gov (United States)

Millar, Ross

2012-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to reflect on social enterprise as an organisational form in health organisation and management. The paper presents a critique of the underlying assumptions associated with social enterprise in the context of English health and social care. The rise of social enterprise models of service provision reflects increasingly hybrid organisational forms and functions entering the health and social care market. Whilst at one level this hybridity increases the diversity of service providers promoting innovative and responsive services, the paper argues that further inspection of the assumptions associated with social enterprise reveal an organisational form that is symbolic of isomorphic processes pushing healthcare organisations toward greater levels of homogeneity, based on market-based standardisation and practices. Social enterprise forms part of isomorphic processes moving healthcare organisation and management towards market norms". In line with the aim of the "New Perspectives section", the paper aims to present a provocative perspective about developments in health and social care, as a spur to further debate and research in this area.

The relationship between employee satisfaction and organisational performance: Evidence from a South African government department

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chengedzai Mafini

2013-07-01

Research purpose: The aim of this study was to analyse the relationship between employee satisfaction and organisational performance in a public sector organisation. Research design: A three-section survey questionnaire was used to collect data from a conveniently recruited sample of 272 members of a South African government department. Pearson’s correlation test as well as a regression analysis were employed to test the existence of a relationship between employee satisfaction and organisational performance. The mean score ranking technique was used to compare the impact of the individual employee satisfaction factors on organisational performance. Main findings: Positive correlations were observed between organisational performance and all five employee satisfaction factors, namely working conditions, ability utilisation, creativity, teamwork and autonomy. Amongst the five factors, teamwork had the greatest impact on organisational performance, followed by ability utilisation, creativity, autonomy, with working conditions exerting the least influence. Practical and/or managerial implications: Strategic interventions involving positive adjustments on the five employee satisfaction dimensions examined in this study may be initiated and applied to improve overall organisational performance in public organisations. Contributions and/or value add: The study endorses the notion that a satisfied workforce could be the key to enhanced organisational performance.

Leadership empowering behaviour, psychological empowerment, organisational citizenship behaviours and turnover intention in a manufacturing division

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Janie Bester

2015-08-01

Research purpose: The aim of this study was to theoretically conceptualise and empirically determine the relationships between employees’ perception of their leaders’ empowering behaviour, psychological empowerment, organisational citizenship behaviours and intention to leave within a manufacturing division of an organisation. Motivation for the study: In the ever-changing work environment, organisations must capitalise on their human capital in order to maintain competitiveness. It is therefore important to identify the role of employees’ perception of leadership in contributing to the establishment of an environment where employees feel empowered, are willing to do more than what is expected and want to stay in the organisation. Research design, approach and method: A non-experimental, cross-sectional survey design was used. The total population (N = 300 employed at the manufacturing division was targeted. Two hundred completed questionnaires were obtained. The Leader Empowering Behaviour Questionnaire, Measuring Empowerment Questionnaire, Organisational Citizenship Behaviour Questionnaire and Intention to Leave Scale were administered. Main findings: Employees’ perception of their leaders’ empowering behaviour (keeping employees accountable, self-directed decision-making and people development, psychological empowerment (attitude and influence and organisational citizenship behaviours (loyalty, deviant behaviour and participation predict intention to leave the organisation. Practical/managerial implications: Organisations should foster the elements of a positive organisation, in this case leader empowering behaviours, if they want to retain their employees. Contribution/value-add: The results of this research contribute to scientific knowledge about the positive effects of employees experiencing their leaders as empowering.

Hardiness in relation to organisational commitment in the Human Resource Management field

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nadia Ferreira

2012-02-01

Full Text Available Orientation: Employees’ hardiness is increasingly recognised as an aspect of their well-being and feelings of career success. Psychological well-being and feelings of subjective career success have positive implications for the motivation, satisfaction, performance and commitment of young talented staff.Research purpose: The study empirically investigated the relationship between an individual’s hardiness (measured by the Personal Views Survey II [PVS-II] and organisational commitment (measured by the Organisational Commitment Scale.Motivation for the study: Research on an individual’s hardiness profile as an aspect of their career well-being and success and how these attributes influence their psychological attachment to the organisation, is needed to guide human resource career development support practices aimed at retaining valuable staff.Research design, approach and method: A quantitative survey was conducted on a convenience sample of predominantly Black (92.2% and female (71% employed adults (N = 355 at managerial and staff levels in the human resource management field.Main findings: Correlational and multiple regression analyses revealed a number of significant relationships between the two variables.Practical/managerial implications: Managers and human resource practitioners need to recognise how people’s hardiness relates to their sense of psychological attachment to the organisation. Organisations concerned with the retention and well-being of their equity staff members need to find a way to enhance and develop their hardiness and commitment.Contribution/value-add: The research contributes new insights into and knowledge of the factors that influence their employees’ hardiness and how these relate to their organisational commitment. The results may be used to inform career development support interventions that aim to increase employees’ sense of career well-being and success.

Identification and assessment of organisational factors related to the safety of NPPs - State-of-the-Art Report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baumont, Genevieve; Bourrier, Mathilde; Frischknecht, Albert; Schoenfeld, Isabelle; Weber, Mike J.

1999-01-01

The initiation of this State-of-the-Art Report (SOAR) on Organisational Factors Identification and Assessment comes from operating experience associated with a number of major events world-wide which caused power plants to be shutdown for a significant period of time. Root cause assessments of these events identified weaknesses in organisational factors as contributing to these events. There is general recognition that organisational factors need to be evaluated for their contribution to plant safety performance and risk to prevent their recurrence in events. There is a need to collect and analyse operational and event data from the nuclear environment to determine the safety and risk significance of organisational factors, to identify assessment methods for those factors, and to gain peer review of the results to ensure credibility and acceptability of these methods and possibly their measures. The SOAR presents a representative view of developments in this field and addresses the following topics: - identification of organisational factors; - identification of methods for the evaluation of organisational factors; - identification of methods for the evaluation of whole organisations; - identification of gaps in knowledge and needed research to evaluate adequately the influence of organisation and management on safety and risk. The workshop participants identified 12 organisational factors as important to assess in determining organisational safety performance. They are: external influences; goals and strategies; management functions and overview; resource allocation; human resource management; training; co-ordination of work; organisational knowledge; proceduralization; organisational culture; organisational learning; and communication. Different cultural backgrounds of participants using their own terminology sometimes made it difficult to have a common definition for certain factors. Some factors could be defined by consensus; other factors such as

Identification and assessment of organisational factors related to the safety of NPPs - State-of-the-Art Report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baumont, Genevieve; Bourrier, Mathilde; Frischknecht, Albert; Schoenfeld, Isabelle; Weber, Mike J.

1999-09-01

The initiation of this State-of-the-Art Report (SOAR) on Organisational Factors Identification and Assessment comes from operating experience associated with a number of major events world-wide which caused power plants to be shutdown for a significant period of time. Root cause assessments of these events identified weaknesses in organisational factors as contributing to these events. There is general recognition that organisational factors need to be evaluated for their contribution to plant safety performance and risk to prevent their recurrence in events. A special recommendation to create a SOAR was presented in the NEA report on Research Strategies for Human Performance [NEA/CSNI/R(97)24]. Based on this recommendation the Principle Working Group 1 (PWG1) requested, as a top priority, that the Expanded Task Force (ETF) on Human Factors develop a SOAR for the September 1998 meeting. The ETF members were aware that it was a challenging topic. The field of organisational behaviour is not yet fully developed for the nuclear organisation. There is a need to collect and analyse operational and event data from the nuclear environment to determine the safety and risk significance of organisational factors, to identify assessment methods for those factors, and to gain peer review of the results to ensure credibility and acceptability of these methods and possibly their measures. This SOAR reports on the results of the workshop on Organisational Factors Identification and Assessment held in Boettstein Castle, Switzerland, on 14-19 June 1998. Twenty-eight participants from twelve Member countries and Russia represented three different environments: nuclear utilities; regulatory bodies and inspectorates; and the research and academic community. The various approaches discussed in the SOAR reflect the perspective of these entities. The SOAR addresses the following topics: - identification of organisational factors; - identification of methods for the evaluation of

Towards high-reliability organising in healthcare: a strategy for building organisational capacity.

Science.gov (United States)

Aboumatar, Hanan J; Weaver, Sallie J; Rees, Dianne; Rosen, Michael A; Sawyer, Melinda D; Pronovost, Peter J

2017-08-01

In a high-reliability organisation (HRO), safety and quality (SQ) is an organisational priority, and all workforce members are engaged, continuously learning and improving their work. To build organisational capacity for SQ work, we have developed a role-tailored capacity-building framework that we are currently employing at the Johns Hopkins Armstrong Institute for Patient Safety and Quality as part of an organisational strategy towards HRO. This framework considers organisation-wide competencies for SQ that includes all staff and faculty and is integrated into a broader organisation-wide operating management system for improving quality. In this framework, achieving safe, high-quality care is connected to healthcare workforce preparedness. Capacity-building efforts are tailored to the needs of distinct groups within the workforce that fall within three categories: (1) front-line providers and staff, (2) managers and local improvement personnel and (3) SQ leaders and experts. In this paper we describe this framework, our implementation efforts to date, challenges met and lessons learnt. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/.

Organisational readiness: exploring the preconditions for success in organisation-wide patient safety improvement programmes.

Science.gov (United States)

Burnett, Susan; Benn, Jonathan; Pinto, Anna; Parand, Anam; Iskander, Sandra; Vincent, Charles

2010-08-01

Patient safety has been high on the agenda for more than a decade. Despite many national initiatives aimed at improving patient safety, the challenge remains to find coherent and sustainable organisation-wide safety-improvement programmes. In the UK, the Safer Patients' Initiative (SPI) was established to address this challenge. Important in the success of such an endeavour is understanding 'readiness' at the organisational level, identifying the preconditions for success in this type of programme. This article reports on a case study of the four NHS organisations participating in the first phase of SPI, examining the perceptions of organisational readiness and the relationship of these factors with impact by those actively involved in the initiative. A mixed-methods design was used, involving a survey and semistructured interviews with senior executive leads, the principal SPI programme coordinator and the four operational leads in each of the SPI clinical work areas in all four organisations taking part in the first phase of SPI. This preliminary work would suggest that prior to the start of organisation-wide quality- and safety-improvement programmes, organisations would benefit from an assessment of readiness with time spent in the preparation of the organisational infrastructure, processes and culture. Furthermore, a better understanding of the preconditions that mark an organisation as ready for improvement work would allow policymakers to set realistic expectations about the outcomes of safety campaigns.

Exploring Individual, Social and Organisational Effects on Web 2.0-Based Workplace Learning: A Research Agenda for a Systematic Approach

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Fang; Kemp, Linzi

2013-01-01

Web 2.0-based workplace learning is defined in this article as informal learning that takes place in the workplace through connections and collaborations mediated by Web 2.0 technology. Web 2.0-based workplace learning has the potential to enhance organisational learning and development. However, little systematic research has been published that…

CERN and ESA: fundamentally contrasting organisations?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bowell, Valerie

1988-01-01

The paper concerns the European Organisation for Nuclear Research (CERN) and the European Space Agency (ESA), and questions whether the United Kingdom (U.K.) will continue as a full member of these two organisations. A description is given of the establishment of these institutions, their collaboration and their activities. The effect of the U.K.'s financial difficulties on both CERN and ESA programmes is discussed. Figures are given on the actual cost to the U.K. of CERN and ESA, and also the CERN and ESA subscriptions as a percentage of total spending on particle physics and astronomy, for the period 1980-8. The U.K. committment to the ESA and CERN programmes are both described. (U.K.)

Total Quality Management in Educational Organisations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Edvard Konrad

2000-12-01

Full Text Available Movement for Total Quality Management (TQM, which was initially successfully applied in the production of goods, has spread to the service domain including educational organisations. Many of principles and experiences known so far could be creatively transferred to educational situations. Additional research and specific innovations are necessary for successful application of existing knowledge. In this paper we discuss certain topics from the specific nature of the quality of education: the definition of the concept of a consumer, motivation of participants in educational processes, improvement of educational processes, quality of learning and leadership in educational organisations.

Learning Styles and Organisational Development in Practice

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Brix, Jacob; Lauridsen, Karen M.

2012-01-01

Issues of innovation and knowledge management are often treated from an organisational learning perspective. As a complement to this, there is a vast potential in the strategic enhancement of individual learning by implementing learning styles profiles and creating personal learning strategies...... for management and employees in a knowledge based organisation. Based on an action-research case study, we offer an example of how learning styles affects individual learning and thus personal knowledge creation in practice. The paper argues that innovation and knowledge management is enhanced and facilitated...... in practice by working with the learning styles of individuals and groups/teams....

Factors affecting performance and productivity of nurses: professional attitude, organisational justice, organisational culture and mobbing.

Science.gov (United States)

Terzioglu, Fusun; Temel, Safiye; Uslu Sahan, Fatma

2016-09-01

To identify relationships among variables affecting nurses' performance and productivity, namely professional attitudes, organisational culture, organisational justice and exposure to mobbing. The determination of the factors affecting performance and productivity is important for providing efficient nursing services. These factors have been investigated in the literature independently, but the relationship among them has not been clearly identified. This cross-sectional questionnaire study included 772 nurses working in a University Hospital accredited by Joint Commission International. The professional attitude score of the nurses was high (4.35 ± 0.63). However, their organisational justice (2.22 ± 1.26) and organisational culture (2.47 ± 0.71) scores were low. Nurses were subjected to mobbing at a high level (0.82 ± 0.78). As the organisational justice increased, the organisational culture increased and the mobbing decreased. As the organisation culture decreased, the mobbing increased. There was a positive correlation between organisation culture and organisational justice of the nurses and a negative correlation with mobbing. The results of the study are essential for improving nurses' performance and productivity. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Review: Karin Reiber (2005. Organisation im Spiegel der Regula Benedicti [Organisation in Reflection of Regula Benedicti

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jürgen Rausch

2007-01-01

Full Text Available For 1500 years, the monastic life of the Benedictines has been defined by rules dating from the time of the first foundation of the order, suggesting an organizational structure that has outlasted historical upheavals and changes. Starting from a new understanding of organisational development as organisational learning, Karin REIBER has looked for clues to organisational formation and learning through a hermeneutic textual analysis of the Regula Benedicti of the 6th Century. Within a theoretical framework, REIBER develops three dimensions of organisational formation and three stages of organisational learning. In a historical reconstruction, the author analyses the text of the Regula Benedicti. In a second section, REIBER adapts and interprets the results of the hermeneutic analysis through a double three-stage theoretical model. She works out interesting aspects for organisational learning, which relate individual learning to organisational learning in favour of members of the organisation, for which consideration for individuality forms a part of the leadership concept and as a framework for social relationships, establishing an informal organisational structure beside the formal one. This illuminating work leads to an integrated concept of organisational learning, which extends the notion of tradition as a characteristic feature of an innovative organisation and which, through continuity and topicality, can hence guarantee the continued existence of modern organisations in the future. URN: urn:nbn:de:0114-fqs070174

Taking on the gender challenge in organisations: what does it take?

Science.gov (United States)

Henry, Sarah K; Sandler, Joanne; Passerini, Luca; Darmstadt, Gary L

2017-07-01

Clear patterns emerged and are summarised on conditions for success in integrating a gender equality perspective across organisational programmes and culture. In short, organisations should consider five key 'ingredients' when designing their approach to integrating a gender equality perspective: (1) have a clear vision of success with measurable indicators; (2) have high-level, consistent, visible support; (3) take an intentional approach deeply rooted in the organisational culture and competencies; (4) ensure accountability at all levels and (5) invest both financial and technical resources. A vibrant community exists in virtually every region of the world of highly experienced gender equality experts that can support organisations on this path. Late adopters of integrating a gender equality perspective can benefit from decades of practice and a robust evidence base which has shifted focus among development organisations from asking 'why' addressing gender inequalities is important to learning 'how' to most effectively do this in programmes, policies, research and organisational culture while building a strong results framework.

Organised Cultural Encounters

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Christiansen, Lene Bull; Galal, Lise Paulsen; Hvenegård-Lassen, Kirsten

2017-01-01

The article introduces the special issue by presenting the concept of organised cultural encounters that are encounters organised to manage and/or transform problems perceived to originate in or include cultural differences. Inspired by Pratt’s conceptualisation of the contact zone, a critical...... perspective on the particular historical and spatial context of any encounter and how this context frames and mediates what takes place during an encounter is applied. While the articles of the issue present different varieties of organised cultural encounters, it is argued that they are not only of the same...

A presentation of four cases of organisational learning in a steam cracker. An exploration of organisational learning.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Pauwels, Fernando; Van Ruysseveldt, Joris

2010-01-01

In this paper we will first recapitulate our theoretical framework and provide a definition of organisational learning, which will be further expanded on, amongst others by making use of a number of criteria, which have been developed by the Orglearn research consortium. After this short theoretical

Having a yarn about smoking: using action research to develop a 'no smoking' policy within an Aboriginal Health Organisation.

Science.gov (United States)

Fletcher, Gillian; Fredericks, Bronwyn; Adams, Karen; Finlay, Summer; Andy, Simone; Briggs, Lyn; Hall, Robert

2011-11-01

This article reports on a culturally appropriate process of development of a smoke-free workplace policy within the peak Aboriginal Controlled Community Health Organisation in Victoria, Australia. Smoking is acknowledged as being responsible for at least 20% of all deaths in Aboriginal communities in Australia, and many Aboriginal health workers smoke. The smoke-free workplace policy was developed using the iterative, discursive and experience-based methodology of Participatory Action Research, combined with the culturally embedded concept of 'having a yarn'. Staff members initially identified smoking as a topic to be avoided within workplace discussions. This was due, in part, to grief (everyone had suffered a smoking-related bereavement). Further, there was anxiety that discussing smoking would result in culturally difficult conflict. The use of yarning opened up a safe space for discussion and debate, enabling development of a policy that was accepted across the organisation. Within Aboriginal organisations, it is not sufficient to focus on the outcomes of policy development. Rather, due attention must be paid to the process employed in development of policy, particularly when that policy is directly related to an emotionally and communally weighted topic such as smoking. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Addressing Cultural Aspects of Organisations in High Risk Industries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gisquet, Elsa; Jeffroy, Francois; LEVY, Emmanuelle

2017-01-01

The concept of Safety Culture is a key element of many initiatives aimed at improving the safety of nuclear facilities. In particular, the IAEA has focused its development strategy on taking into account human and organisational factors. In this context, the IRSN has mainly devoted its evaluations and research to theoretical lines arising from ergonomics and the sociology of organisations. Although this orientation has helped to formulate documented assessments, it is necessary to better take into account cultural aspects, because some of these contribute to risk management. They can, for example, be an important part of provisions to promote cooperation between different professions (maintenance and operation, operation and decommissioning, operation and research, etc.), between project organisation and daily organisation (outage management, change implementation, dismantling work sites, etc.), between companies (relations between customers and service providers). The IRSN thus conducted a study aimed at defining guidelines for the use of the 'culture' and 'safety culture' concepts in safety assessments of nuclear facilities. First, the contributions and limitations of the safety culture concept are identified, leading as a second stage to a review of the main works on culture that have been conducted in anthropology, sociology, management science and ergonomics. These studies show that taking into account cultural aspects can give access to phenomena that are difficult to deal with using other organisation analytical frameworks. On this basis, four analysis plans were defined, which provide a breakdown of the overall 'culture' topic: organisational cultures, professional cultures, social cultures and relations, and national cultures. In the fourth part of the document, these analysis plans are used to revisit safety assessments performed in the past. In doing so, the relationship between cultural aspects and safety are specified and

ORGANISATIONAL JUSTICE AND AFFECTIVE COMMITMENT: THE MEDIATING ROLE OF PERCEIVED ORGANISATIONAL SUPPORT

OpenAIRE

Pooja Purang

2011-01-01

Perception of fairness among employees is a guiding force that influences employee attitude and behaviour. However, the mechanisms associated with justice need to be studied further. This study hypothesises that perceived organisational support (POS) mediates the relationship between organisational justice perceptions and affective commitment of employees. The study was conducted in a multi-national organisation operating in India in the service sector; the sample size was 71 employees. Baron...

Retention factors in relation to organisational commitment in medical and information technology services

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jeannette van Dyk

2012-02-01

Full Text Available Orientation: Retaining staff with scarce and critical skills in the medical and information technology (IT industry has become a top priority because of skills shortages.Research purpose: The objectives of the study were to investigate empirically: (1 the relationship between employees’ satisfaction with organisational retention factors (measured by the Retention Factors Scale and their organisational commitment (measured by the Organisational Commitment Questionnaire and (2 whether gender, age, race and tenure groups differ significantly in terms of these variables.Motivation for the study: Medical and information technology professionals have specialised and hard to replace skills. They also have strong tendencies to leave their organisations and countries. Understanding the retention factors that will increase their organisational commitment may benefit the organisations who want to retain their valuable talent.Research design, approach and method: The researchers used a cross-sectional survey design to collect data from a purposive sample of 206 staff members who had scarce skills in a South African medical and information technology services company. Correlational and inferential statistics were computed to achieve the objectives.Main findings: The results showed that the participants’ satisfaction with retention factors has a significant relationship with their organisational commitment and that the biographical groups differ significantly in terms of the variables.Practical/managerial implications: The measured retention factors were all associated with human resource management practices that influence employees’ intentions to leave.Contribution/value-add: The results are important to managers who are interested in retaining staff who have scarce skills and provide valuable pointers for designing effective retention strategies.

The Living Cell as a Multi-agent Organisation: A Compositional Organisation Model of Intracellular Dynamics

Science.gov (United States)

Jonker, C. M.; Snoep, J. L.; Treur, J.; Westerhoff, H. V.; Wijngaards, W. C. A.

Within the areas of Computational Organisation Theory and Artificial Intelligence, techniques have been developed to simulate and analyse dynamics within organisations in society. Usually these modelling techniques are applied to factories and to the internal organisation of their process flows, thus obtaining models of complex organisations at various levels of aggregation. The dynamics in living cells are often interpreted in terms of well-organised processes, a bacterium being considered a (micro)factory. This suggests that organisation modelling techniques may also benefit their analysis. Using the example of Escherichia coli it is shown how indeed agent-based organisational modelling techniques can be used to simulate and analyse E.coli's intracellular dynamics. Exploiting the abstraction levels entailed by this perspective, a concise model is obtained that is readily simulated and analysed at the various levels of aggregation, yet shows the cell's essential dynamic patterns.

The development of ORACLe: a measure of an organisation's capacity to engage in evidence-informed health policy.

Science.gov (United States)

Makkar, Steve R; Turner, Tari; Williamson, Anna; Louviere, Jordan; Redman, Sally; Haynes, Abby; Green, Sally; Brennan, Sue

2016-01-14

Evidence-informed policymaking is more likely if organisations have cultures that promote research use and invest in resources that facilitate staff engagement with research. Measures of organisations' research use culture and capacity are needed to assess current capacity, identify opportunities for improvement, and examine the impact of capacity-building interventions. The aim of the current study was to develop a comprehensive system to measure and score organisations' capacity to engage with and use research in policymaking, which we entitled ORACLe (Organisational Research Access, Culture, and Leadership). We used a multifaceted approach to develop ORACLe. Firstly, we reviewed the available literature to identify key domains of organisational tools and systems that may facilitate research use by staff. We interviewed senior health policymakers to verify the relevance and applicability of these domains. This information was used to generate an interview schedule that focused on seven key domains of organisational capacity. The interview was pilot-tested within four Australian policy agencies. A discrete choice experiment (DCE) was then undertaken using an expert sample to establish the relative importance of these domains. This data was used to produce a scoring system for ORACLe. The ORACLe interview was developed, comprised of 23 questions addressing seven domains of organisational capacity and tools that support research use, including (1) documented processes for policymaking; (2) leadership training; (3) staff training; (4) research resources (e.g. database access); and systems to (5) generate new research, (6) undertake evaluations, and (7) strengthen relationships with researchers. From the DCE data, a conditional logit model was estimated to calculate total scores that took into account the relative importance of the seven domains. The model indicated that our expert sample placed the greatest importance on domains (2), (3) and (4). We utilised

Organisational culture development in Klaipeda municipality

OpenAIRE

Paužuolienė, Jurgita; Mauricienė, Ingrida

2012-01-01

Organisational culture is an important management aspect of the organisation. It is formed by the organisation values, norms, underlying assumptions, attitudes, traditions, narratives, and symbols, it includes beliefs and habits. Organisational culture guides individual decisions and behaviours shared by a group of people. As a result, it can have a potent effect on well-being and success of the organisation. This paper presents the defining elements of the organisational cultural dimensions ...

Organisational Structures & Considerations

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Luiijf, H.A.M.; Healey, J.

2012-01-01

The purpose of this section is to review specific types of national cyber security (NCS) areas (also called ‘mandates’) and examine the organisational and collaborative models associated with them. Before discussing the wide variety of organisational structures at the national and international

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ORGANISATIONAL RESOURCES, CAPABILITIES, SYSTEMS AND COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Raduan Che Rose

2012-01-01

Full Text Available The main objective that business organisations in particular should strive to attain is achieving a competitive advantage position relative to their competitors.. This research empirically examined the importance of and emphasis placed on organisational resources, capabilities and systems in their relationships with competitive advantage. The overall findings indicated significant, positive effects of organisational resources, capabilities and systems collectively on competitive advantage, providing support and corroboration to the resource-based view (RBV. The total variance in competitive advantage accounted for by the multiple linear regression (MLR model was 56.2%. In short, the findings from this study have not only contributed to the literature on the issue of the relationship between organisational resources, capabilities, systems and competitive advantage, but also provided vital information to both practitioners and policy makers on the subject matter.

Business ethics and prospects for restorative justice in selected commercial organisations based in Singapore

OpenAIRE

Abdul Rahim, Razwana Begum

2017-01-01

This study explores the principles and practices of business ethics in commercial organisations in Singapore. It also addresses the potential of the concept, restorative justice as a feature of ethical practice in commercial organisations. Two research questions guided the study which were i) what are the principles and practices of business ethics in commercial organisations based in Singapore and ii) what is the potential of restorative justice in commercial organisations based in Singapo...

Luhmann og Organisation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Paulsen, Michael

LUHMANN OG ORGANISATION Organisationsstudier spiller en særlig rolle for den tyske sociolog Niklas Luhmann (1927-1998) idet han begriber organisationer som det mest afgørende socialsystem i det moderne samfund. Kun organisati-oner kan træffe samfundsmæssige afgørelser. Faktisk begyndte Luhmann som...... organisationsteoretiker, og flere af hans tidlige værker regnes nu som milepæle indenfor organisations-studier. I 2000 udkom post humt hans sidste store organisationsteoretiske værk Organisation und Entscheidung. I Luhmanns almene systemteori trækker han kraftigt på sit kendskab til organisationer. Begribelsen af...... samtidig med, at de kan skabe en kobling mellem det moderne samfunds interaktioner og funktionssystemer. Luhmanns konstante ledetråd har været, at organisationer er det, som får samfun-det til at fungere. Uden organisationer intet moderne samfund. Luhmann og organisation henvender sig til studerende...

Bacterial stigmergy: an organising principle of multicellular collective behaviours of bacteria.

Science.gov (United States)

Gloag, Erin S; Turnbull, Lynne; Whitchurch, Cynthia B

2015-01-01

The self-organisation of collective behaviours often manifests as dramatic patterns of emergent large-scale order. This is true for relatively "simple" entities such as microbial communities and robot "swarms," through to more complex self-organised systems such as those displayed by social insects, migrating herds, and many human activities. The principle of stigmergy describes those self-organised phenomena that emerge as a consequence of indirect communication between individuals of the group through the generation of persistent cues in the environment. Interestingly, despite numerous examples of multicellular behaviours of bacteria, the principle of stigmergy has yet to become an accepted theoretical framework that describes how bacterial collectives self-organise. Here we review some examples of multicellular bacterial behaviours in the context of stigmergy with the aim of bringing this powerful and elegant self-organisation principle to the attention of the microbial research community.

A changing landscape: mapping provider organisations for community nursing services in England.

Science.gov (United States)

Spilsbury, Karen; Pender, Sue

2015-01-01

To scope the provision of community nursing services in England after implementation of the Transforming Community Services Programme. Over the past decade, significant UK policy initiatives have shaped the structure, organisation and responsibilities of community nursing services. Understanding these organisational changes is important in the context of organisations seeking to deliver 'care closer to home'. A systematic mapping exercise to scope and categorise community nursing service organisation provider models. There are 102 provider organisations representing a range of organisational models. Two-thirds of these organisations have structurally integrated with another NHS Trust. Smaller numbers reorganised to form community trusts or community interest companies. Only a few services have been tendered to an accredited willing provider while a small number have yet to establish their new service model. Local discretion appears to have dominated the choice of organisational form. National policies have driven the reorganisation of community nursing services and we have been able to describe, for the first time, these 'transformed' structures and organisations. Providing detail of these 'new' models of service provision, and where these have been introduced, is new information for nurse managers, policy makers and organisational leaders, as well as researchers. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

The relationship between extrinsic motivation, job satisfaction and life satisfaction amongst employees in a public organisation

OpenAIRE

Mafini, Chengedzai; Dlodlo, Nobukhosi

2014-01-01

Orientation: There is much research on extrinsic motivation, job satisfaction and life satisfaction in organisations. However, empirical evidence on how such factors affect employees in public organisations in developing countries is lacking. Research purpose: To examine the relationships between extrinsic motivation, job satisfaction and life satisfaction amongst employees in a public organisation. Motivation for the study: Labour strife is an endemic phenomenon in South Africa’s publ...

The European Stroke Organisation Guidelines: a standard operating procedure.

Science.gov (United States)

Ntaios, George; Bornstein, Natan M; Caso, Valeria; Christensen, Hanne; De Keyser, Jacques; Diener, Hans-Christoph; Diez-Tejedor, Exuperio; Ferro, Jose M; Ford, Gary A; Grau, Armin; Keller, Emanuella; Leys, Didier; Russell, David; Toni, Danilo; Turc, Guillaume; Van der Worp, Bart; Wahlgren, Nils; Steiner, Thorsten

2015-10-01

In 2008, the recently founded European Stroke Organisation published its guidelines for the management of ischemic stroke and transient ischemic attack. This highly cited document was translated in several languages and was updated in 2009. Since then, the European Stroke Organisation has published guidelines for the management of intracranial aneurysms and subarachnoidal hemorrhage, for the establishment of stroke units and stroke centers, and recently for the management of intracerebral hemorrhage. In recent years, the methodology for the development of guidelines has evolved significantly. To keep pace with this progress and driven by the strong determination of the European Stroke Organisation to further promote stroke management, education, and research, the European Stroke Organisation decided to delineate a detailed standard operating procedure for its guidelines. There are two important cornerstones in this standard operating procedure: The first is the implementation of the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation methodology for the development of its Guideline Documents. The second one is the decision of the European Stroke Organisation to move from the classical model of a single Guideline Document about a major topic (e.g. management of ischemic stroke) to focused modules (i.e. subdivisions of a major topic). This will enable the European Stroke Organisation to react faster when new developments in a specific stroke field occur and update its recommendations on the related module rather swiftly; with the previous approach of a single large Guideline Document, its entire revision had to be completed before an updated publication, delaying the production of up-to-date guidelines. After discussion within the European Stroke Organisation Guidelines Committee and significant input from European Stroke Organisation members as well as methodologists and analysts, this document presents the official standard operating procedure for

TEDx Organisers meet at CERN

CERN Multimedia

Abha Eli Phoboo

2013-01-01

CERN hosted the second TEDx European Organisers meeting last week with around 80 organisers attending from all over Europe. They were given an introduction to CERN and a tour of the LHC experiments.   The participants of the TEDx European Organisers meeting held at CERN last week. Among the attendees was Bruno Giussani, European director of TED, who delivered the welcome address. The TEDx European organisers shared their experiences in workshops and brainstormed about how to work on different aspects of organising a TEDx event, and about improving the relationship between TEDx and TED. “The goal of this meeting was for veteran TEDx organisers to help younger ones, help each other, bring the community together and have better quality events,” said Claudia Marcelloni, head of TEDxCERN. TEDx is an independently organised TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) talk event, which has grown exponentially all over the world. There are hundreds of TEDx events every day and it n...

Exploring the Interconnectedness among Strategy Development, Shared Mental Models, Organisational Learning and Organisational Change

Science.gov (United States)

Malan, Renee

2011-01-01

The cognitive psychological processes related to learning and change behaviour are factors that impact on organisational strategy development. Strategy development is dependent on strategic thinking that is reciprocally influenced by shared mental models, organisational learning and organisational change. Although strategy development, shared…

The alignment of espoused values and organisational culture at a South African parastatal organisation

OpenAIRE

2012-01-01

M.Comm. The primary purpose of the present study was to identify whether the organisational culture of the Transmission Division of Eskom is aligned to its stated values. In seeking to reach this objective, it was necessary to assess the gap between espoused and practised organisational values. The study also sought to identify the Transmission Division’s organisational culture. A correlation between the stated values and identified organisational culture was calculated and this was used t...

Organisational Capability--What Does It Mean?

Science.gov (United States)

National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER), 2006

2006-01-01

Organisational capability is rapidly becoming recognized as the key to organizational success. However, the lack of research on it has been well documented in the literature, and organizational capability remains an elusive concept. Yet an understanding of organizational capability can offer insights into how RTOs might work most effectively,…

Organising South African industry-university partnership ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

This article purposes to propose a model for organising industry-university partnership programmes for viability. The proposed model draws on the work of Stafford Beer in his Viable System Model (Clemson 1984). The research paradigm stems from the fields of cybernetics and system thinking. The IUPP concept is in line ...

Strategising through organising

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Larsen, Mette Vinther

and sensemaking point of view. It argues that actors’ strategising is closely connected to their organising. Maybe strategising and organising co-constitute each other? It is a perspective that looks at strategy as emergent wayfinding more than planned navigating. In the attempts to make sense...... of and operationalise a strategy, maybe actors do not follow a pre-defined map, but instead figure out the way as they go? Maybe actors go in ways that they relationally believe are the ‘right ones’ and in ways that make sense to them? There are, however, many actors in an organisation and, therefore, also many ways...

Temporal context and the organisational impairment of memory search in schizophrenia.

Science.gov (United States)

Polyn, Sean M; McCluey, Joshua D; Morton, Neal W; Woolard, Austin A; Luksik, Andrew S; Heckers, Stephan

2015-01-01

An influential theory of schizophrenic deficits in executive function suggests that patients have difficulty maintaining and utilising an internal contextual representation, whose function is to ensure that stimuli are processed in a task-appropriate manner. In basic research on episodic memory, retrieved-context theories propose that an internal contextual representation is critically involved in memory search, facilitating the retrieval of task-appropriate memories. This contextual machinery is thought to give rise to temporal organisation during free recall: the tendency for successive recall responses to correspond to items from nearby positions on the study list. If patients with schizophrenia have a generalised contextual deficit, then this leads to the prediction that these patients will exhibit reduced temporal organisation in free recall. Using a combination of classic and recently developed organisational measures, we characterised recall organisation in 75 patients with schizophrenia and 72 nondisordered control participants performing a multi-trial free-recall task. Patients with schizophrenia showed diminished temporal organisation, as well as diminished subjective organisation of their recall sequences relative to control participants. The two groups showed similar amounts of semantic organisation during recall. The observation of reduced temporal organisation in the patient group is consistent with the proposal that the memory deficit in schizophrenia can be characterised as a deficit in contextual processing.

Does organisational commitment enhance the relationship between job involvement and in-role performance?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Talat Islam

2012-11-01

Research purpose: This research is aimed at discovering the role of organisational commitment as a mediating variable between the relationship of job involvement and performance. Motivation for the study: The aim of organisations today is to outperform each other in every respect. In order to realise this, the role of employees is crucial. To elicit the best from employees requires much attention from organisations. This research is focused on this specific issue, namely, increasing employees’ performance. Research design, approach and method: The researchers have used structured questionnaires using the quantitative approach. A similar research methodology using the survey method was applied by the researchers to make the results comparable. The simple random sampling technique was used. Data was evaluated on the basis of 208 completed questionnaires. Main findings: Findings of the study indicate that there is a relationship between job involvement and in-role performance. Affective and normative commitment can act as mediator. However, continuance commitment is not a mediator in this relationship. Practical/managerial implications: It is important for organisations that want to gain a competitive edge over its rivals to enhance the level of involvement of its employees. Contribution/value-add: The results of this study will provide a new dimension for managers on how to gain a competitive advantage over rival firms with regard to performance by increasing the level of job involvement.

Virtual corporations, enterprise and organisation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Carmen RÃDUT

2009-06-01

Full Text Available Virtual organisation is a strategic paradigm that is centred on the use of information and ICT to create value. Virtual organisation is presented as a metamanagement strategy that has application in all value oriented organisations. Within the concept of Virtual organisation, the business model is an ICT based construct that bridges and integrates enterprise strategic and operational concerns. Firms try to ameliorate the impacts of risk and product complexity by forming alliances and partnerships with others to spread the risk of new products and new ventures and to increase organisational competence. The result is a networked virtual organization.

Monitoring and Evaluation Practices of Volunteer Tourism Organisations

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Steele, Jessica; Dredge, Dianne; Scherrer, Pascal

2017-01-01

interviews with representatives from 29 organisations, the research found that monitoring and evaluation practices vary greatly. Participants readily accept a lack of time and resources as barriers to monitoring an evaluation, there is an assumption that any volunteer-host community interaction is positive......Monitoring and evaluation are tools that can facilitate sustainable and responsible tourism planning and management in organisations through encouraging good practice and the continuous improvement of programmes. However, to date, there is limited knowledge and understanding of how, or indeed if...... and actual practices are discussed and opportunities for improved practices identified....

Exploring workplace diversity and organisational effectiveness: A South African exploratory case study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J. Veli Mazibuko

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Orientation: Transformation and managing diversity are organisational imperatives, especially in South Africa. Thus, it is important for international companies with major operations in South Africa (SA to embrace the benefits of managing a divergent workforce and translate this for organisational benefits. Research purpose: The article explores the perceptions of management and staff on diversity and its value to the organisation, by empirically evaluating the relationship with organisational effectiveness and performance through the development and testing of five hypotheses. Motivation for the study: Legislation has made it mandatory for transformation of the South African workplace and ensuring that diversity is embraced. However, not all companies have fully understood the benefits of recruiting and managing diverse teams for the benefit of the organisation. Research approach, design and method: Both quantitative and qualitative approaches were used, whereby a survey was conducted among 227 employees using the Towers Watson Employment Employee Insight Survey (EIS. Inferential statistical techniques were used to test relationships among related variables postulated through five hypotheses. Main findings: It was ascertained that understanding and managing diversity has played a pivotal role in the (research organisation’s performance and effectiveness over the past 5 years. More specifically, diversity management created room for appreciation, innovation and creativity that gave the organisations an edge to tackle diverse markets. Practical/managerial applications: South Africa has a diverse population, and when individuals join an organisation, they bring a unique set of characteristics referred to as personalities, which, through the socialisation process, get assimilated into teams’ norms and values, and the culture of the organisation. Managing diversity in the workplace is part of employee retention and attraction, with the intention

Psychological career resources in relation to organisational commitment: An exploratory study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nadia Ferreira

2010-10-01

Research purpose: The aim of the study was to determine the relationship between the psychological career resources (as measured by the Psychological Career Resources Inventory and organisational commitment (as measured by the Organisational Commitment Scale. Motivation for study: There appears to be a need for research on the psychological career resources that enhance individuals’ career agency in proactively managing their career and the way in which these attributes influence their psychological attachment to the organisation in order to guide human resource and career-development support practices in retaining valuable staff. Research design, approach and method: A quantitative survey was conducted on a convenience sample of 358 employed adults at managerial and staff levels in the field of economic and management services. Main findings/results: Correlational and stepwise regression analyses revealed a number of significant relationships between the two variables. Practical implications: Managers and human resource practitioners need to recognise how people’s career preferences and career meta-competencies influence their sense of psychological attachment to the organisation. Contribution: The findings add to existing career literature on the psychological factors that affect the retention of staff and provide valuable information that can be used to inform career-development support practices in the contemporary world of work.

The effects of perceived organisational support and span of control on the organisational commitment of novice leaders.

Science.gov (United States)

Havaei, Farinaz; Dahinten, V Susan; MacPhee, Maura

2015-04-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the main and interaction effects of perceived organisational support, span of control and leadership rank on novice nurse leaders' organisational commitment. As nurse leaders' organisational commitment is eroded at times of healthcare restructuring, it is important to study factors associated with organisational commitment. Cross-sectional data from 69 novice nurse leaders, collected via mailed surveys at two time points, were analysed using hierarchical regression. The findings supported our hypotheses about the positive effect of perceived organisational support, the positive effect of leadership rank and the negative effect of span of control on novice nurse leaders' organisational commitment. In addition, perceived organisational support was shown to moderate the negative effect of span of control on novice nurse leaders' organisational commitment at time 2. Organisational strategies aimed at supporting nurse leaders, and attention to span of control, are required to enhance the organisational commitment of novice nurse leaders. Nurse leaders with a wide span of control, in particular those with little leadership experience, need to adopt leadership strategies that maximise their effectiveness, such as organising smaller work groups or teams within their wide span of control. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Integrated care in the daily work: coordination beyond organisational boundaries.

Science.gov (United States)

Petrakou, Alexandra

2009-07-09

In this paper, integrated care in an inter-organisational cooperative setting of in-home elderly care is studied. The aim is to explore how home care workers coordinate their daily work, identify coordination issues in situ and discuss possible actions for supporting seamless and integrated elderly care at home. The empirical findings are drawn from an ethnographic workplace study of the cooperation and coordination taking place between home care workers in a Swedish county. Data were collected through observational studies, interviews and group discussions. The paper identifies a need to support two core issues. Firstly, it must be made clear how the care interventions that are currently defined as 'self-treatment' by the home health care should be divided. Secondly, the distributed and asynchronous coordination between all care workers involved, regardless of organisational belonging must be better supported. Integrated care needs to be developed between organisations as well as within each organisation. As a matter of fact, integrated care needs to be built up beyond organisational boundaries. Organisational boundaries affect the planning of the division of care interventions, but not the coordination during the home care process. During the home care process, the main challenge is the coordination difficulties that arise from the fact that workers are distributed in time and/or space, regardless of organisational belonging. A core subject for future practice and research is to develop IT tools that reach beyond formal organisational boundaries and processes while remaining adaptable in view of future structure changes.

Team sport in organisations: the Development of a scale

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

YT Joubert

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this study was to develop an organisational team sport scale (OTSS. A series of projects was undertaken before the development of this organisational team sport scale. The initial phase, which consisted of a qualitative study, was done to get an in-depth understanding of how employees perceive organisational team sport interventions in their organisations through focus group interviews and individual interviews (n = 72 and through the literature review. In phase 2, information obtained from phase 1 was used to develop a scale which consisted of 53 items. In phase 3, a total of 209 respondents completed the scale. The number of items was reduced to 52 through principal component analyses and a five-factor structure was suggested. The final version of the OTSS contains 52 items that assess coping skills or achieve goals, relationships among participants, physical activity and health, benefits of sport for the organisation and work/life balance. Specific issues with regard to the five-factor structure are discussed and suggestions for future research are made. The findings of this study will contribute valuable new knowledge to the literature on the development of the OTSS.

The well-being of employees in a South African agricultural research organisation / Doris Nkechiyem Asiwe

OpenAIRE

Asiwe, Doris Nkechiyem

2014-01-01

It is important that organisations are aware of factors that might affect the levels of well-being of employees, as employees are instrumental to the achievement of organisational goals. Well-being of employees can be conceptualised in terms of burnout and engagement. Studies have shown that different factors contribute to the employee experience of burnout and engagement. These factors include job demands and resources and psychological conditions (psychological meaningfulness, psychological...

Organisation Matters

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Unphon, Hataichanok; Dittrich, Yvonne

2008-01-01

Our work aims at understanding the design rationale for product line architecture by focusing on the design of common data access modules for complex simulation software products. This paper presents empirical evidence of organisational and business domain aspects that influence the development...... of product line architecture. We suggest that the assessment of use-situation and his tory of organisational structure should be considered when creating product line architectures, especially for products that are tailored and used interactively....

Online Learning for Master Students and Their Organisation of Employment in Proactive Review

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kolbæk, Ditte; Lundh Snis, Ulrika

2016-01-01

This paper analyses an online community of master’s students taking a course in ICT and organisational learning. One assignment for the students was to initiate and facilitate an educational design for organisational learning called Proactive Review in the organisations where they were employed....... The study explores the interplay between the students’ learning activities at work and in their master study. By using an online discussion forum on Google groups, they reflected on their experimentation with Proactive Review in their professional organisation in order to learn from the experience and find...... solutions to the problems they identified. Our research question is: How do students learn from experience in two contexts, namely as master students and professionals at work? We used netnography to select qualitative postings from the online community. Our contribution to research shows how students...

An evaluation of the relationship between innovative culture and employee turnover in organisations in Gauteng

OpenAIRE

2015-01-01

M.Ing. The purpose of the research was to determine the relationship, between the innovative culture and employee retention within the organisation. High labour turnover impacts on organisational performance and survival. Despite an organisation’s level of development, many organisations face employee retention challenges. Therefore devising strategies to improve employee retention has become a priority for most organisations. The problem of high labour turnover was also observed during a ...

Leveraging organisational cultural capital

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

R Scheel

2007-10-01

Full Text Available Organisational culture discourse mandates a linear approach of diagnosis, measurement and gap analysis as standard practice in relation to most culture change initiatives. Therefore, a problem solving framework geared toward “fixing�? and/or realigning an organisation’s culture is usually prescribed. The traditional problem solving model seeks to identify gaps between current and desired organisational cultural states, inhibiting the discovery of an organisation’s unique values and strengths, namely its cultural capital. In pursuit of discovering and leveraging organisational cultural capital, a descriptive case study is used to show how an Appreciative Inquiry process can rejuvenate the spirit of an organisation as a system-wide inquiry mobilises a workforce toward a shared vision.

Towards harmonised self assessment of research reactor safety status in operating organisations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kirchsteiger, C.; Boeck, H.

2006-01-01

The objective of this paper is to describe the development of a methodology and corresponding web-based tool for mapping and cross-comparing the safety approaches in European and other Research Reactor (RR) facilities in order to detect the principal similarities and differences. As an example, the performance of a Probabilistic Safety Assessment (PSA) for RRs is mapped, as follows: is PSA performed at all? (Yes/No); if so, is PSA mandatory or just recommended? (Yes/No); what is the scope of PSA?, its objective? and practical use? (set of more detailed questions), etc. In this way, information on different types of safety verification practices and requirements for RRs from Europe, Argentina, Australia, Canada, South Africa and the USA has been collected in a systematic way and included in the web-based benchmarking tool DARES (DAtabase for REsearch Reactor Safety). DARES has been developed and filled with sample data by the European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC) together with members of the European Research Reactors Operator Group (RROG). A systematic mapping by using DARES in parallel to an international Working Group, consisting of both operators and authorities could be the starting point towards harmonisation of RR safety verification on an international level. In addition, the availability of a user-friendly Information System on the Internet such as DARES containing this information is considered a useful mechanism to exchange international experiences and practices in the area among qualified users. This approach is currently considered to be proposed to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAES) as one possible application of the recently adopted IAEA Code of Conduct on the Safety of Research Reactors. The resulting process would be a self-assessment of the RR safety status in regulatory bodies and operating organisations relative to the guidance in the Code, practically realised and monitored by an Information System similar to DARES. (orig.)

Evaluating the internalisation of core values at a South African public service organisation

OpenAIRE

Susanna M. O’Neil; Andre L. Horne

2012-01-01

Orientation: Fully entrenched and internalised organisational values have proved a competitive advantage for many leading organisations. The benefits range from higher profit margins to the improvement of employees’ commitment and ethical performance. Nevertheless, the process of value shaping is often no more than a management goal. It is rarely truly internalised by the whole organisation. Research purpose: This article presents an effort to describe a value internalisation effort w...

Organisational culture and change: implementing person-centred care.

Science.gov (United States)

Carlström, Eric D; Ekman, Inger

2012-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to explore the connection between organisational cultures and the employee's resistance to change at five hospital wards in Western Sweden. Staff had experienced extensive change during a research project implementing person-centred care (PCC) for patients with chronic heart failure. Surveys were sent out to 170 nurses. The survey included two instruments--the Organisational Values Questionnaire (OVQ) and the Resistance to Change Scale (RTC). The results indicate that a culture with a dominating focus on social competence decreases "routine seeking behaviour", i.e. tendencies to uphold stable routines and a reluctance to give up old habits. The results indicate that a culture of flexibility, cohesion and trust negatively covariate with the overall need for a stable and well-defined framework. An instrument that pinpoints the conditions of a particular healthcare setting can improve the results of a change project. Managers can use instruments such as the ones used in this study to investigate and plan for change processes. Earlier studies of organisational culture and its impact on the performance of healthcare organisations have often investigated culture at the highest level of the organisation. In this study, the culture of the production units--i.e. the health workers in different hospital wards--was described. Hospital wards develop their own culture and the cultures of different wards are mirrored in the hospital.

Impact of leadership on organisational outcomes in school management: Example of Bosnia and Herzegovina

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Strukan Edin

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The paper presents some organisational outcomes in school management that are strongly interrelated, and leadership which has a significant impact on them. Considering the fact that the school is a non-profit organisation with a specific social significance, the aim of the research was to determine how to improve the results of the school management, or to determine how to improve the management of the school by the school principal, and thus to improve key organisational outcomes: school quality, job satisfaction, organisational (school culture and work motivation. The survey was conducted during the first half of 2014 (January, February, March in 23 secondary schools in Una-Sana Canton (B and H, by the method of survey and interviewing, using the questionnaire as an instrument of scientific research. The above outcomes significantly affect key organisational outcomes of the educational process, pupils' achievement, which are measured by their success in learning and behaviour.

Organisational capacity and its relationship to research use in six Australian health policy agencies

Science.gov (United States)

Makkar, Steve R.; Haynes, Abby; Williamson, Anna; Redman, Sally

2018-01-01

There are calls for policymakers to make greater use of research when formulating policies. Therefore, it is important that policy organisations have a range of tools and systems to support their staff in using research in their work. The aim of the present study was to measure the extent to which a range of tools and systems to support research use were available within six Australian agencies with a role in health policy, and examine whether this was related to the extent of engagement with, and use of research in policymaking by their staff. The presence of relevant systems and tools was assessed via a structured interview called ORACLe which is conducted with a senior executive from the agency. To measure research use, four policymakers from each agency undertook a structured interview called SAGE, which assesses and scores the extent to which policymakers engaged with (i.e., searched for, appraised, and generated) research, and used research in the development of a specific policy document. The results showed that all agencies had at least a moderate range of tools and systems in place, in particular policy development processes; resources to access and use research (such as journals, databases, libraries, and access to research experts); processes to generate new research; and mechanisms to establish relationships with researchers. Agencies were less likely, however, to provide research training for staff and leaders, or to have evidence-based processes for evaluating existing policies. For the majority of agencies, the availability of tools and systems was related to the extent to which policymakers engaged with, and used research when developing policy documents. However, some agencies did not display this relationship, suggesting that other factors, namely the organisation’s culture towards research use, must also be considered. PMID:29513669

Nigerian agriculture workers’ outcomes from perceived organisational support and protestant work ethics: Job satisfaction as a mediator

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Olugbenga J. Ladebo

2011-10-01

Research purpose: The present study hypothesised that job satisfaction mediated the relationships between the predictors (perceived organisational support and protestant work ethics and outcomes (organisational citizenship behaviours and organisational commitment. Motivation for the study: There is paucity of literature on the mediating influence of job satisfaction on predictors-outcomes linkages amongst agriculture workers in Nigeria. Available studies either examined the main effect of perceived organisational support on citizenship behaviours or the mediating influence of satisfaction on citizenship behaviours and not the proposed model. Research design, approach and method: The present study was survey-correlational in design. Data were obtained from 223 heterogeneous samples from different organisations (such as ministry of agriculture, parastatals, banks, private agro-allied companies, and insurance companies. Main findings: Results showed that job satisfaction fully mediated the relationship between perceived organisational support and citizenship behaviours and partially mediated the relationship between perceived organisational support and organisational commitment. Further, employee satisfaction partially mediated the relationships between protestant work ethics and citizenship behaviours and organisational commitment. Practical/managerial implications: This study indicated that both protestant work ethics and perceived organisational support are important in motivating employees to engage in cooperative behaviours and exhibit greater commitment through job satisfaction. Contribution/value-add: The present study showed that job satisfaction is a mediator linking both perceived organisational support and protestant work ethics to organisational commitment and citizenship behaviours.

ORGANISATIONAL JUSTICE AND AFFECTIVE COMMITMENT: THE MEDIATING ROLE OF PERCEIVED ORGANISATIONAL SUPPORT

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pooja Purang

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Perception of fairness among employees is a guiding force that influences employee attitude and behaviour. However, the mechanisms associated with justice need to be studied further. This study hypothesises that perceived organisational support (POS mediates the relationship between organisational justice perceptions and affective commitment of employees. The study was conducted in a multi-national organisation operating in India in the service sector; the sample size was 71 employees. Baron and Kenny's model of studying the mediating relationship was used. The findings showed that POS fully mediates the relationship between distributive justice and affective commitment as well as partially mediates the relationship between procedural justice and affective commitment. This study highlights the importance of fairness and justice in organisations and identifies the mechanism by which employee perceptions of justice influence their loyalty and involvement.

Perceptions of justice and extra-role behaviours of survivors after organisational restructuring at a consolidated bank in Nigeria

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Queen Omoruyi

2011-07-01

Research purpose: The main objective of this study was to evaluate the relationship between employees’ perceptions of justice and their organisational citizenship behaviour (OCB after organisations downsize. Motivation for the study: Many organisations that are downsizing do not seriously consider the unintended consequences of downsizing on the behaviour of survivors. This study intends to draw the attention of organisations that are downsizing to this oversight. Research design, approach and method: The researchers used a quantitative research design and survey method for the study. They distributed a self-administered questionnaire to 130 employees from a population of 180 survivors at the head office of a commercial bank that recently downsized in Lagos, Nigeria. Main findings: The research results showed that there was no fairness in the downsizing exercise. This resulted in low morale amongst survivors and unwillingness to engage in extra- role behaviours. Practical/managerial implications: It is important for organisations that are downsizing to use a participative approach in order to achieve organisational efficiency and improve productivity after restructuring. Contribution/value-added: The results of the study will give the managers of organisations, which are planning to downsize, a useful insight into how to plan the exercise, how to implement the plans, and how to manage the employees they will retrench and those they will retain after concluding the downsizing exercise.

Adapting to climate change by water management organisations: Enablers and barriers

Science.gov (United States)

Azhoni, Adani; Jude, Simon; Holman, Ian

2018-04-01

Climate change will be particularly experienced though the medium of water. Water organisations, that are managing societal and ecological needs for water, are therefore likely to experience the impact the most. This study reviews the current literature regarding adaptation to climate change by water management organisations and associated barriers. Literature on adaptive capacity is growing and a general consensus is emerging on the determinants of adaptive capacity, although variations exist regarding how it is to be evaluated, enhanced and applied to policy making due to its dynamic, contextual and latent nature. Since adaptive capacity is hard to measure and successful adaptation difficult to define, some studies focus on the existence of adaptation attributes of organisations. Studies reporting successful adaptation are minimal and barriers of adaptation are being discovered as adaptation research transitions into implementation. But the root causes of these barriers are often overlooked and the interconnectedness of the barriers is poorly addressed. Increasingly, combining top-down and bottom-up approaches to adaptation is being recommended due to the limitations of each. However, knowledge regarding how organisations operating at different scales can enhance adaptive capacity of other organisations operating at another scale is lacking due to the few studies of inter-organisational networks across scales. Social networks among actors are recognised as a key factor to enable adaptation. However, network studies generally focus on individual actors and rarely between public agencies/organisations. Moreover, the current literature is inadequate to understand the relationship between adaptation enabling characteristics, barriers and adaptation manifestation. The review demonstrates that research on understanding the emergence and sustenance of barriers is urgently required. Addressing these knowledge gaps will help to improve the design of adaptation strategies

A computer-based group discussion support tool for achieving consensus and culture change using the organisational culture assessment instrument (OCAI): an action design research study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Lee Mui Suan, Jaclyn

2015-01-01

Organisational culture change is a long and complex process that typically takes years to complete and has a very low success rate. This Action Design Research Study in an educational setting, addresses the problem by the proposed use of an Action Design Research Methodology to build and deploy an

Integrated care in the daily work: coordination beyond organisational boundaries

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alexandra Petrakou

2009-07-01

Full Text Available Objectives: In this paper, integrated care in an inter-organisational cooperative setting of in-home elderly care is studied. The aim is to explore how home care workers coordinate their daily work, identify coordination issues in situ and discuss possible actions for supporting seamless and integrated elderly care at home. Method: The empirical findings are drawn from an ethnographic workplace study of the cooperation and coordination taking place between home care workers in a Swedish county. Data were collected through observational studies, interviews and group discussions. Findings: The paper identifies a need to support two core issues. Firstly, it must be made clear how the care interventions that are currently defined as ‘self-treatment’ by the home health care should be divided. Secondly, the distributed and asynchronous coordination between all care workers involved, regardless of organisational belonging must be better supported. Conclusion: Integrated care needs to be developed between organisations as well as within each organisation. As a matter of fact, integrated care needs to be built up beyond organisational boundaries. Organisational boundaries affect the planning of the division of care interventions, but not the coordination during the home care process. During the home care process, the main challenge is the coordination difficulties that arise from the fact that workers are distributed in time and/or space, regardless of organisational belonging. A core subject for future practice and research is to develop IT tools that reach beyond formal organisational boundaries and processes while remaining adaptable in view of future structure changes.

The Culture of Construction Organisations: the Epitome of Institutionalised Corruption

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andrew Oyen Arewa

2015-08-01

Full Text Available The culture of an organisation is a vital element of business competency that must align with its strategic goals, and enhance peoples’ perceptions, feelings and behaviour in adapting to the world around them. Organisational culture may also bring about negative practices such as dishonesty and unethical behaviours. Recently the culture of some construction organisations has been called into question. For example, major construction projects around the globe have become involved in allegations of fraud and corruption. The cost is currently estimated at US$860 billion globally; with forecasts that it may rise to US$1.5 trillion by 2025. Hitherto the role of the culture of construction organisations in fraud and corruption activities has been largely hidden. The study aim is to establish whether the culture of construction organisations promotes corrupt practices in the UK construction and infrastructure sector. The study employed mixed research methods with interviews supported by a questionnaire and an examination of five case studies in different countries. Findings show that the culture of construction organisations together with the nature of the industry promotes fraud and corruption. The study subsequently highlights key cultural factors that support fraud and corruption in a way that is almost institutionalised.

Virtualness : a new organisational dimension

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bosch-Sijtsema, P.M.

2003-01-01

In current literature a new organisational form is presented, the virtual organisation (VO). ms organisational form is a co-operation between a number of companies who combine their strengths to develop a new service or product. The current VO literature is ambiguous about the definition and

Seven Pitfalls in Organisation Literature

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jon Aarum Andersen

2012-05-01

Full Text Available Current organisation literature is rife with several incorrect and confusing assertions which continually create problems for students and researchers alike. Seven of these unfortunate beliefs are presented here and provocatively called ‘pitfalls’. The aim of this article is to draw attention to some of these theoretically incorrect assertions and how they can be avoided in scholarly work. The implications for managers are also presented.

Psychological capital, a requisite for organisational performance in South Africa

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yvonne Du Plessis

2012-03-01

Full Text Available Scholars argue that to address the social, economic and political challenges facing South Africa since 1994, organisational managers/leaders should adopt a positive approach, based on sound organisational behaviour. This study administered the Psychological Capital Questionnaire (PCQ to determine whether human resources practitioners (N=131 as custodians of change and positive behaviour in organisations in South Africa embrace core elements of Positive Organisational Behaviour (POB. Exploratory factor analysis resulted in a three-factor model for the PCQ, renamed the Potential South African PsyCap (PSA-PsyCap instrument. All dimensions displayed acceptable reliabilities. Statistically significant differences exist in the POB of demographic groups, relating to age, marital status, home language, seniority and qualifications. This research reveals that South African HR practitioners and managers should fully embrace psychological capital to effectively create caring workplaces taking cognizance of the broader economic and social issues affecting employees and their performance.

The effect of organisational context variables on employer attitudes toward employability of ex-offenders.

Science.gov (United States)

Lukies, John; Graffam, Joseph; Shinkfield, Alison J

2011-05-01

The authors tested the premise that organisational context variables (i.e., size of organisation, industry type, location, and respondent's position in organisation) had significant effects on employer (N = 596) attitudes toward employability of ex-offenders. They also examined whether organisational context variables had an equivalent effect on employer attitudes to that of job-seeker criminal history and employer personal characteristics (e.g., respondent age and gender). Using linear regression (HLM 6.02a), organisational context variables were shown to have a significant effect on employer attitudes. In addition, organisational context variables had a significantly greater effect on employer attitudes than did employer personal characteristics. However, job-seeker criminal history contributed more to respondent ratings of ex-offender employability than did organisational context variables. The finding that judgements of employability are influenced by organisational context variables has implications for future research relevant to reintegration. Stakeholder attitudes toward the reintegration success of ex-offenders may be generally influenced by context variables.

The effectiveness of strategies to change organisational culture to improve healthcare performance.

Science.gov (United States)

Parmelli, Elena; Flodgren, Gerd; Schaafsma, Mary Ellen; Baillie, Nick; Beyer, Fiona R; Eccles, Martin P

2011-01-19

Organisational culture is an anthropological metaphor used to inform research and consultancy and to explain organisational environments. Great emphasis has been placed during the last years on the need to change organisational culture in order to pursue effective improvement of healthcare performance. However, the precise nature of organisational culture in healthcare policy often remains underspecified and the desirability and feasibility of strategies to be adopted has been called into question. To determine the effectiveness of strategies to change organisational culture in order to improve healthcare performance.To examine the effectiveness of these strategies according to different patterns of organisational culture. We searched the following electronic databases for primary studies: The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, Sociological Abstracts, Web of Knowledge, PsycINFO, Business and Management, EThOS, Index to Theses, Intute, HMIC, SIGLE, and Scopus until October 2009. The Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effectiveness (DARE) was searched for related reviews. We also searched the reference lists of all papers and relevant reviews identified, and we contacted experts in the field for advice on further potential studies. We considered randomised controlled trials (RCTs) or well designed quasi-experimental studies, controlled clinical trials (CCTs), controlled before and after studies (CBAs) and interrupted time series analyses (ITS) meeting the quality criteria used by the Cochrane Effective Practice and Organisation of Care Group (EPOC). Studies should be set in any type of healthcare organisation in which strategies to change organisational culture in order to improve healthcare performance were applied. Our main outcomes were objective measures of professional performance and patient outcome. At least two review authors independently applied the criteria for inclusion and exclusion criteria to scan titles and

Using organisational memory in evaluations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Madri S. Jansen van Rensburg

2014-12-01

Full Text Available This article uses the case of a regional intermediary organisation to investigate organisational memory (OM and its contribution to knowledge management and activities in evaluations. Understanding of, and accessing OM is critical for participatory evaluations. The aim of the article is to reflect on the OM of a non-governmental organisation (NGO and what implicationsthe structural changes in OM over the organisation’s life cycle have for evaluators. It further aims to advocate an awareness of OM and explains how evaluators can access and utilise it more effectively. Evaluators need to have an understanding of OM, and to take more responsibility for disseminating results to enhance it. This case study reflects on a retrospective case example of a regional NGO. The report reflects the development and structure of the life cycle of the organisation. The data collection included in-depth interviews with staff members and other key stakeholders, engagement with beneficiary organisations and donors, and analyses of documents, electronic files and audio-visual material. Since OM survives after the demise of an organisation, and is accessible through directories, it is important for the evaluator to include historical information. Specific implications for evaluators include the ability to access OM through directories and networks of the organisation. As evaluators hold OM of all the organisations they have engaged with, they also have a responsibility to share knowledge. The key findings of this study illustrate the importance of accessing the memory and historical information of the organisation. Understanding OM enhances the in-depth comprehension of the activity, project or programme under investigation, and the collective knowledge generated as a result of it.

Innovation and the organisation of technical expertise and work

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Howells, John

This paper reviews a selection of the comparative research on the organisation of skills and work in different countries. It argues that despite differences in institutional means, such as keiretsu and structured apprenticeship, the ends, in terms of a capacity to organise skills, is similar. It ...... of what makes an effective technology manager. The conclusion is that in the most effective cases, whatever the institutional means that allows training, the object is the integration of formal academic knowledge with a structured and broad base of work experience...

A Better Deal Elsewhere? : The Role of Organisational Support for Development in Retaining Employees

OpenAIRE

Bøyum, Hilde

2012-01-01

Employees are increasingly concerned of managing their own career and are thus becoming less loyal. However, to stay competitive organisations need to retain their best talents. The present study examined the relationship between organisational support for development and intentions to turnover, as well as affective commitment. Previous research has indicated inconsistent results between employee development and turnover, suggesting that organisational support for development might increase o...

Psychometric validation of the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire-Endometrial Cancer Module (EORTC QLQ-EN24)

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Greimel, Elfriede; Nordin, Andy; Lanceley, Anne

2011-01-01

A validation study was conducted to evaluate the psychometric properties of the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) Quality of Life Questionnaire-Endometrial Cancer Module (EORTC QLQ-EN24). This module was designed to assess disease and treatment specific aspects of...

Coordination Processes in International Organisations

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nedergaard, Peter

2008-01-01

The EU is not a member of the International Labour Organisation (ILO), but relatively elaborate EU coordination takes place anyway. This paper addresses two research questions: 1) How is it possible to evaluate the coordination of the EU in its specific observable configuration in the ILO?, and 2......-à-vis their principals, the Member States. The Commission is the leading agent in the phase leading up to the Conference; the Presidency then takes over. On the one hand, due to the Treaty obligations and their interpretations by the Court of Justice, both the Presidency and the Commission are kept within tight limits...... by the principals. On the other hand, both before and during the Conference, the Member States accept the so-called discursive coordination of the Commission, which seems to be of great (but often neglected) importance. Owing to the organisational set-up in which coordination takes place, the EU is able...

Building Organisational Capability the Private Provider Way

Science.gov (United States)

Guthrie, Hugh

2008-01-01

Organisational capability is recognised as a key to organisational success. The combination of human capital (peoples' skills and knowledge), social capital (relationships between people) and organisational capital (the organisation's processes), is central to building an organisation's capability. This paper, presented at the 2008 annual…

Organisational merger and psychiatric morbidity: a prospective study in a changing work organisation.

Science.gov (United States)

Väänänen, Ari; Ahola, Kirsi; Koskinen, Aki; Pahkin, Krista; Kouvonen, Anne

2011-08-01

Prospective studies on the relationship between organisational merger and mental health have been conducted using subjective health indicators. The objective of this prospective occupational cohort study was to examine whether a negative change during an organisational merger is an independent predictive factor of psychiatric morbidity. Survey data on organisational characteristics, health and other factors were collected prior to (1996) and after the merger (2000); register data on psychiatric morbidity were collected at baseline (1/1/1994-30/9/2000) and during the follow-up (1/10/2000-31/12/2005). Participants were 6511 (77% men) industrial employees aged 21-65 years with no register-based diagnosed psychiatric events prior to the follow-up (the Still Working Study). During the follow-up, 252 participants were admitted to the hospital due to psychiatric disorders, were prescribed a psychotropic drug or attempted or committed suicide. A negative self-reported change in the work organisation during the merger was associated with increased risk of postmerger psychiatric event (HR 1.60, 95% CI 1.19 to 2.14). This association was independent of mental health-related factors measured before the merger announcement, such as demographic characteristics, occupational status, personal orientation to life, self-rated health, self-reported psychiatric morbidity or chronic disease. A negative change in work organisation during an organisational merger may elevate the risk for postmerger psychiatric morbidity.

Microtubule self-organisation by reaction-diffusion processes causes collective transport and organisation of cellular particles

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Demongeot Jacques

2004-06-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The transport of intra-cellular particles by microtubules is a major biological function. Under appropriate in vitro conditions, microtubule preparations behave as a 'complex' system and show 'emergent' phenomena. In particular, they form dissipative structures that self-organise over macroscopic distances by a combination of reaction and diffusion. Results Here, we show that self-organisation also gives rise to a collective transport of colloidal particles along a specific direction. Particles, such as polystyrene beads, chromosomes, nuclei, and vesicles are carried at speeds of several microns per minute. The process also results in the macroscopic self-organisation of these particles. After self-organisation is completed, they show the same pattern of organisation as the microtubules. Numerical simulations of a population of growing and shrinking microtubules, incorporating experimentally realistic reaction dynamics, predict self-organisation. They forecast that during self-organisation, macroscopic parallel arrays of oriented microtubules form which cross the reaction space in successive waves. Such travelling waves are capable of transporting colloidal particles. The fact that in the simulations, the aligned arrays move along the same direction and at the same speed as the particles move, suggest that this process forms the underlying mechanism for the observed transport properties. Conclusions This process constitutes a novel physical chemical mechanism by which chemical energy is converted into collective transport of colloidal particles along a given direction. Self-organisation of this type provides a new mechanism by which intra cellular particles such as chromosomes and vesicles can be displaced and simultaneously organised by microtubules. It is plausible that processes of this type occur in vivo.

Microtubule self-organisation by reaction-diffusion processes causes collective transport and organisation of cellular particles

Science.gov (United States)

Glade, Nicolas; Demongeot, Jacques; Tabony, James

2004-01-01

Background The transport of intra-cellular particles by microtubules is a major biological function. Under appropriate in vitro conditions, microtubule preparations behave as a 'complex' system and show 'emergent' phenomena. In particular, they form dissipative structures that self-organise over macroscopic distances by a combination of reaction and diffusion. Results Here, we show that self-organisation also gives rise to a collective transport of colloidal particles along a specific direction. Particles, such as polystyrene beads, chromosomes, nuclei, and vesicles are carried at speeds of several microns per minute. The process also results in the macroscopic self-organisation of these particles. After self-organisation is completed, they show the same pattern of organisation as the microtubules. Numerical simulations of a population of growing and shrinking microtubules, incorporating experimentally realistic reaction dynamics, predict self-organisation. They forecast that during self-organisation, macroscopic parallel arrays of oriented microtubules form which cross the reaction space in successive waves. Such travelling waves are capable of transporting colloidal particles. The fact that in the simulations, the aligned arrays move along the same direction and at the same speed as the particles move, suggest that this process forms the underlying mechanism for the observed transport properties. Conclusions This process constitutes a novel physical chemical mechanism by which chemical energy is converted into collective transport of colloidal particles along a given direction. Self-organisation of this type provides a new mechanism by which intra cellular particles such as chromosomes and vesicles can be displaced and simultaneously organised by microtubules. It is plausible that processes of this type occur in vivo. PMID:15176973

Institutional Level Student Engagement and Organisational Cultures

Science.gov (United States)

van der Velden, Gwen

2012-01-01

Driven by the growing presence of market forces within higher education worldwide, universities are changing the way they engage with students. This article explores how a university's internal culture relates to engagement with students and their views. It builds on wider research into student engagement and organisational cultures. The…

[The current and future organisational structure of the OIE (World Organisation for Animal Health)].

Science.gov (United States)

Crespo León, F; Ruiz Mercader, J; Sabater Sánchez, R; Rodríguez Ferri, E F; Crespo Azofra, L

2003-12-01

The authors analyse the organisational structure of the OIE (World organisation for animal health), highlighting the roles of the Central Bureau, the Specialist Commissions, Regional Commissions, working groups and ad hoc groups, Regional Representations, Reference Laboratories and Collaborating Centres. The paper also includes some suggestions as to how the OIE could work more closely with its 'customers', that is, the Member Countries. These suggestions are based on current theories of organisational flexibility, and take into account not only the current organisational structure of the OIE, but also the Strategic Plan and the Working Plan, which were adopted at the 69th General Session of the OIE International Committee in 2001.

Technology delivery and Dissemination Through Community-Based Organisations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bukachi, S.

2002-01-01

Utilisation of existing community groups, which already have their agenda and organisational structure, is one of the ways of ensuring sustainability of tsetse and trypanosomiasis control programs. The aim of this study was to assess and document the organisational structures and capacity of the identified groups in Busia with view to using them as entry and dispersal points for tsetse technology transfer. focus groups discussions and key informant interview were held with members of the organisations dealing in livestock/related activities to find out the historical profiles, goals and missions,compositions of the groups and their impact on the community. Qualitative approach was used in describing and discussing the data collected. Findings reveal that most organisations were formed to uplift the socio-economic status of members and as a result, engage in various activities to generate income for group. The common methods of tsetse control used by some of the groups were, bush clearing, use of impregnated nets (for the zero grazing units), use of drugs, spraying and pour-on. Groups that were internally initiated seemed to be more active and sustainable than groups that were externally initiated. On average, the groups reported that they were in position to reach between 100 and 1000 people in the community per day. Thus, these groups can be resourceful in terms of technology/information dissemination since they have a good linkage with the community. Such organisations can be used as channels to disseminate livestock research outputs to the wider community

The business case: The missing link between information technology benefits and organisational strategies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Carl Marnewick

2014-07-01

Full Text Available Purpose: Business cases are an integral part of information technology (IT projects, providingthe linkage between the organisational strategies and the promised benefits. Most majorproject management standards and methodologies make reference to the business case andits intended usage. Problem investigated: The success of IT projects is measured based on the benefits they deliver; anecdotal evidence states that IT projects fail at an alarming rate. The benefits are promised in the business case and should be delivered. This study focuses on whether there is a gap between theory and practice with regard to the way that organisations use the business case to approve, manage and track the promised benefits throughout an IT project. Methodology: This article reports on exploratory research that was initiated to establish the current practice of business case application. Four research questions were developed based on an extensive literature review to support or debunk the anecdotal evidence. Semi-structured interviews were used to gather evidence from organisations based on these research questions. Findings: The results suggest that organisations make use of business cases for various reasons and mostly in line with theory. There are, however, aspects that need to be addressed, such as the linkage between the business case and the harvesting of promised benefits. Value of research: This article confirms the theoretical aspects of the business case but highlights some deviations from practice. Organisations need to be more vigilant in the management of the business case to ensure the tracking and realisation of promised benefits.

Responding to Organisational Misbehaviour

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Holmgreen, Lise-Lotte

2018-01-01

Over the past decades, the seriousness with which organisational crises have developed has, in part, been contingent on public access to social media platforms. Analysing two Danish organisational crises, the article explores whether the conceptual repertoires that underlie public evaluation...... of organisational behaviour are embedded in shared social and cultural practices that allow them to be expressed and shared easily and intuitively. The findings suggest that by drawing on well-established experiential domains in social and cultural life, users in public social media may instantiate frames...

Evaluating the internalisation of core values at a South African public service organisation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Susanna M. O’Neil

2012-09-01

Full Text Available Orientation: Fully entrenched and internalised organisational values have proved a competitive advantage for many leading organisations. The benefits range from higher profit margins to the improvement of employees’ commitment and ethical performance. Nevertheless, the process of value shaping is often no more than a management goal. It is rarely truly internalised by the whole organisation.Research purpose: This article presents an effort to describe a value internalisation effort within a South African public service organisation as well as the results of a subsequent evaluation to ascertain to what extent those efforts actually led to internalisation throughout the organisation. A set of actions and practices were implemented within the public service organisation; the intent was that they should enhance value internalisation in the organisation. A long-term strategy of value internalisation was followed that focussed mainly on the clear articulation and communication of the values through different communication mediums and platforms, such as road shows and branded value material hand-outs, as well as through extensive value internalisation training.Motivation for the study: Documentation of value internalisation processes and its evaluation, especially in South African public service organisations is extremely rare. To ensure that public service organisations do not repeat the same mistakes in their value internalisation practices and implementation processes, proper documentation of these processes in the public and research domains are needed. The need for the evaluation of value internalisation programmes should also be propagated as in many instances, programmes are implemented, but the subsequent success thereof is never evaluated.Research design, approach and method: A survey questionnaire consisting of a 5-point rating scale was developed to measure the extent of value internalisation after the implementation of long

An organisational perspective on professionals' learning

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Elkjær, Bente; Brandi, Ulrik

2014-01-01

that they are connected with. These are a behavioural, a cognitive and a practice-based perspective on organisational learning respectively. We propose that these lenses on organisations and learning may help us see professionals’ learning as contextualised in both their work practices and their places of work, i......The purpose and contribution of our chapter is to provide a vision for professionals’ learning in the light of the field of organisational learning, and through this lens to incorporate various understandings of the organisational dynamics that professionals work and learn in and through. Inspired...... by some of the founding fathers of the field of organisational learning, Chris Argyris and Donald Schön (Argyris & Schön, 1978; 1996: 3), we ask: “what is an organisation that professionals may learn?” We answer this question by introducing three understandings of organisations and the learning theories...

Strategic Orientation and Organisational Culture in Polish Public Organisations: Insights from the Miles and Snow Typology

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wronka-Pośpiech Martyna

2016-05-01

Full Text Available Polish public organisations are often perceived as having strong bureaucratic orientation, avoiding both change and risk. However, in the last decade a distinct change in the management model of public organisations can be noticed. Public sector becomes an open ground for mergers and partnerships, entrepreneurial leadership, diversified services and commercialization (Golensky and DeRuiter 1999; Zimmerman and Dart, 1998; Pollitt and Bouckaert, 2004; Walker, 2013]. Public organisations embrace these strategies from the for-profit sector in order to manage change and to be effective. Most importantly, public organisations are adopting these frameworks in order to survive the changing operating environment, including changes in the level of government funding. Our paper draws on the Miles and Snow (1978 typology of generic strategies - prospectors, defenders, analysers, and reactors - to identify different organisational strategies within public organisations providing social services in Poland. In order to assess organisational culture we used the most widespread and used in many empirical studies Cameron and Quinn’s model (2003, the Competing Values Framework (CVF, from which four cultures - adhocracy, clan, market and hierarchy - emerge. The choice of these two providers of social services was dictated by our conviction, that these organisations are critical both for the national economy and for mitigating, counteracting and preventing social exclusion.

The Connections Between Firms’ Organisation Quality and their Business Results

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marko Pregeljc

2012-11-01

Full Text Available With classic statistical approaches and novel machine learning methods, we attempt to improve insight into the connections between the quality of an organisation of firms as a type of formal social unit and the business results of firms. The research used a data set with 72 extensive and very difficult-to-obtain assessments of the quality of an organisation (recorded only once 2007 and their business results, traced in four successive business years (2006–2009. We hypothesize that a causal relationship exists between the latter and the former. Only the final conclusions will be presented, together with some excerpts of the most interesting findings in the selected years of observation. A novel general explanation method from the computer science field of machine learning and data mining can be used to explain the influence of individual relevant organisational elements on the business results. Our findings confirm that traditional statistics and machine-learning approaches are successful at modelling this dependency relationship. Furthermore, the explanation of the influence of the organisational elements on the predicted business results provides insights that have meaningful scientific interpretations and proves the important meaning of good organisation for its firm.

Evaluating the internalisation of core values at a South African public service organisation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Susanna M. O’Neil

2012-09-01

Research purpose: This article presents an effort to describe a value internalisation effort within a South African public service organisation as well as the results of a subsequent evaluation to ascertain to what extent those efforts actually led to internalisation throughout the organisation. A set of actions and practices were implemented within the public service organisation; the intent was that they should enhance value internalisation in the organisation. A long-term strategy of value internalisation was followed that focussed mainly on the clear articulation and communication of the values through different communication mediums and platforms, such as road shows and branded value material hand-outs, as well as through extensive value internalisation training. Motivation for the study: Documentation of value internalisation processes and its evaluation, especially in South African public service organisations is extremely rare. To ensure that public service organisations do not repeat the same mistakes in their value internalisation practices and implementation processes, proper documentation of these processes in the public and research domains are needed. The need for the evaluation of value internalisation programmes should also be propagated as in many instances, programmes are implemented, but the subsequent success thereof is never evaluated. Research design, approach and method: A survey questionnaire consisting of a 5-point rating scale was developed to measure the extent of value internalisation after the implementation of long-term internalisation strategies. Employees at different levels and in different units of the organisation participated in the survey. Main findings: Results (N = 941 reflected lower than expected mean scores for each value component. In addition, differences in internalisation extent were found between two demographic variables, namely population groupings and organisational units. Practical/managerial implications: The

Managing crises through organisational development: a conceptual framework.

Science.gov (United States)

Lalonde, Carole

2011-04-01

This paper presents a synthesis of the guiding principles in crisis management in accordance with the four configurational imperatives (strategy, structure, leadership and environment) defined by Miller (1987) and outlines interventions in organisational development (OD) that may contribute to their achievement. The aim is to build a conceptual framework at the intersection of these two fields that could help to strengthen the resilient capabilities of individuals, organisations and communities to face crises. This incursion into the field of OD--to generate more efficient configurations of practices in crisis management--seems particularly fruitful considering the system-wide application of OD, based on open-systems theory (Burke, 2008). Various interventions proposed by OD in terms of human processes, structural designs and human resource management, as well as strategy, may help leaders, members of organisations and civil society apply effectively, and in a more sustainable way, the crisis management guiding principles defined by researchers. © 2011 The Author(s). Disasters © Overseas Development Institute, 2011.

Organisational Theatre and Polyphony

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Matula, Linda; Badham, Richard; Meisiek, Stefan

This paper details the conditions leading up to and influencing an organisational theatre intervention as part of an organisational change program at a newly established cancer clinic. The paper explores the social and political interactions and negotiations shaping the structure and conditions...... of the organisational theatre event. It focuses in particular on the alignments and clashes between the different human resource voices in defining the ‘surface’ formal purpose for the intervention and the embeddedness of such interactions and negotiations in ‘deeper’ cultural and social conditions. The paper provides...... the first in-depth longitudinal study of shaping and negotiation of an organisational theatre event and the ways in which it is influenced by a polyphonic multivocality and takes the form of selective and partial forms of harmonious expression in establishing meaningful cooperation. The paper reveals...

Organisations in Innovation Systems

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Borrás, Susana

Organisations are crucial elements in an innovation system. Yet, their role is so ubiquitous that it is difficult to grasp and to examine from the perspective of public policy. Besides, links between the literature at firm and system levels on the one hand, and public policy and governance studies......, it distinguishes between different types of organisations in the innovation system, a crucial topic in understanding innovation dynamics and blurring borders. Secondly, it identifies the organisation-related bottlenecks in the innovation system, and examines the policy instruments to solve them. Thirdly...

Administrativ organisation og ansvar

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hilsted, Jannik C; Krogsgaard, Kim

2003-01-01

The paper describes the current organisation of clinical trials in Danish hospitals, with particular emphasis on the relationship between hospitals and the pharmaceutical industry. Legal responsibilities as well as mutual agreements on collaboration and organisation are described and discussed....

Management and organisational factors in PSA; Organisations- und Management-Faktoren in der PSA

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Balfanz, H.P. [TUEV Nord e.V., Hamburg (Germany)

1999-04-01

The constraints of PSA are increasingly considered with increasing application of PSA for the safety management of nuclear power plants (see US-NRC, 'Risk Informed Regulation', NRC-1). There is a vivid international discourse about the applicability of the variables of plant management and organisation in PSAs, which has lead to a great variety of research activities into this matter (see PSAM 4). This paper here summarizes the current state of progress of research work and discusses the applicability of results. The studies for comparative assessment of methodology and results were performed by the TUeV Nord under the roof of the BMU/BfS-sponsored project SR 2260, ''Further development of probabilistic methods for nuclear power plant safety assessment. (orig./CB) [German] Mit zunehmender Anwendung der PSA (Probabilistische Sicherheitsanalyse) im Sicherheitsmanagement von KKW (vergl. US-NRC, Einfuehrung des Konzepts 'Risk Informed Regulation' NRC-1) gewinnt die Beachtung der Grenzen der PSA zusaetzliche Bedeutung. International ist eine intensive Diskussion ueber die Moeglichkeiten einer Einbindung der Einflussgroesse von Organisation und Management in der PSA zu verzeichnen und wird belegt durch vielfaeltige Forschungs- und Entwicklungsarbeiten (vergl. PSAM 4). Dieser Beitrag setzt sich in erster Linie mit diesem Entwicklungsstand auseinander und diskutiert seinen Anwendungsstand fuer die PSA. Die hierzu vom TUeV Nord durchgefuehrten Arbeiten basieren auf dem BMU/BfS-Vorhaben SR 2260, 'Weiterentwicklung probabilistischer Methoden zur Sicherheitsbeurteilung von KKW'. (orig.)

The impact of silo mentality on team identity: An organisational case study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Frans Cilliers

2012-03-01

Research purpose: The purpose of this research was to describe how the silo mentality impacts on team identity. Motivation for the study: During a recent organisational consultation the researchers realised that a so-called silo phenomenon had much more unexplained unconscious behaviour than was traditionally realised in terms of organisational development. It is hoped that findings from this qualitative study could give consultants entry into what happens below the surface in the silos’ unconscious. Research design, approach and method: A qualitative and descriptive research design using a case study strategy was used. Data gathering consisted of 25 narrative interviews. Using discourse analysis four themes manifested, integrated into four working hypotheses and a research hypothesis. Trustworthiness and ethical standards were ensured. Main findings: Themes that emerged were the physical environment and structure, intra-group relations, experiences of management, and intergroup relations. Practical/managerial implications: Consulting on silo behaviour as physical structures only may not be successful in changing organisational behaviour. The silo resembles an iceberg – the largest part is below the surface. Contribution/value-add: The findings evidenced silo behaviour to be an unconscious phenomenon influencing team identity negatively. Consultants are urged to study these manifestations towards understanding silos and their effect on team identity better.

Cultural Diversity and Organisational Effiency

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lauring, Jakob

2004-01-01

The expected positive link between diversity management and organisational efficiency is often used as a reason for pursuing diversity management and equal employment opportunity programmes. However, this positive link is only supported to a limited degree by in-depth empirical research...... and therefore it is often based on normative expectations. Recent research has further indicated that the link between diversity and efficiency may be more complex and cannot a priori be taken for granted. This article argues that some theoretical rethinking of the issues is necessary and suggests...... that the combination of more theoretical cross fertilisation and in-depth research may be the way forward. Based on our own empirical research, barriers preventing a positive link between diversity and efficiency can come in different forms and our case studies illustrate situations where both containing...

The organisation of work and innovative performance

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Arundel, Anthony; Lorenz, Edward; Lundvall, Bengt-Åke

It is widely recognised that while expenditures on research and development are important inputs to successful innovation, these are not the only inputs. Further, rather than viewing innovation as a linear process, recent work on innovation in business and economics literatures characterises...... that are used to explore at the level of national innovation systems the relation between innovation and the organisation of work. In order to construct these aggregate measures we make use of micro data from two European surveys: the third European survey of Working Conditions and the third Community...... Innovation Survey (CIS-3). Although our data can only show correlations rather than causality they support the view that how firms innovate is linked to the way work is organised to promote learning and problem-solving....

Leadership, knowledge and people in knowledge-intensive organisations : implications for HRM theory and practice

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Millar-Schijf, Carla C.J.M.; Chen, Stephen; Waller, Lee

2017-01-01

In order to offer insights into the management of HR challenges in Knowledge Intensive Firms/Organisations (KIO’s), this Special Issue explores three strands of research: International HRM, leadership and the knowledge-intensive firm/organisation. In this introduction against the background of

Does organisational commitment enhance the relationship between job involvement and in-role performance?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Talat Islam

2012-11-01

Full Text Available Orientation: Job involvement is essential for the performance of employees. Prior researchers have found a weak relationship between job involvement and job performance, but dimensions of commitment have been considered as a mediator to enhance the relationship.Research purpose: This research is aimed at discovering the role of organisational commitment as a mediating variable between the relationship of job involvement and performance.Motivation for the study: The aim of organisations today is to outperform each other in every respect. In order to realise this, the role of employees is crucial. To elicit the best from employees requires much attention from organisations. This research is focused on this specific issue, namely, increasing employees’ performance.Research design, approach and method: The researchers have used structured questionnaires using the quantitative approach. A similar research methodology using the survey method was applied by the researchers to make the results comparable. The simple random sampling technique was used. Data was evaluated on the basis of 208 completed questionnaires.Main findings: Findings of the study indicate that there is a relationship between job involvement and in-role performance. Affective and normative commitment can act as mediator. However, continuance commitment is not a mediator in this relationship.Practical/managerial implications: It is important for organisations that want to gain a competitive edge over its rivals to enhance the level of involvement of its employees.Contribution/value-add: The results of this study will provide a new dimension for managers on how to gain a competitive advantage over rival firms with regard to performance by increasing the level of job involvement.

The relationship between leadership styles, innovation and organisational performance: A systematic review

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tebogo Gilbert Sethibe

2015-08-01

Full Text Available This paper is an attempt to consolidate the published scientific knowledge about the impact of leadership styles on the relationship between innovation and organisational performance. Concepts, statements and conceptual frameworks were used as structure to analyse the body of scientific knowledge. After consulting 31 major research databases using the systematic literature review methodology, only seven journals articles that examined the link between leadership, innovation and organisational performance were identified. The synthesis of the journal articles revealed (a that consensus exists among researchers as far as the relevant concepts are concerned; (b that most agree on the definition of leadership and innovation but that a uniform understanding of what constitutes organisational performance is lacking; and (c that conceptual models are too simplistic and do not consider mediator variables or multiple financial criteria measures. The findings further reveal that innovation is significantly and positively related to superior organisational performance, and that, although transformational leadership style is significantly and positively related to innovation, transactional leadership style is more appropriate when the aim is to instil a culture of innovation. Transformational leadership style, by contrast, is mostly associated with organisational performance. In addition, the findings further reveal that none of the studies investigate the mediating effect of the nature of innovation (incremental and radical on the relationship between leadership and organisational performance, and that none of the studies use the objective measures of financial performance such as ROA, ROE, price/earnings (P/E and Tobin’s Q calculated from annual financial reports.

Social constructionism and relational practices as a paradigm for organisational psychology in the South African context

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dirk J. Geldenhuys

2015-08-01

Full Text Available Orientation: This article is about introducing social constructionism and relational practices as a paradigm perspective to organisational psychology, especially as these are applied in organisation development. Research purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate the relevance of social constructionism and relational practices as a paradigm perspective for studying and practising organisational psychology in the South African context. Motivation for the study: The relevance of the paradigm perspective that is currently used in studying and practising organisational psychology in South Africa seems to be biased towards an individual perspective of human behaviour that is incongruent with the African context, which asks for an Afro-centric approach with the emphasis on human relationships. It was argued that social constructionism and relational practices could provide a relevant perspective that can help to transform workplace relationships in the South African context. Research approach, design and method: This study was based on a non-empirical, theoretical research design. Articles written in English and published between 2002 and 2013 using specific keywords relating to social constructionism and organisational psychology were retrieved. This was supplemented by other relevant electronic and hardcopy resources. The main findings are reported and discussed and recommendations made. Main findings: Although the literature on social constructionism and relational practices is limited in organisational psychology, it does provide an additional perspective, not only on the mainstream theory, but also as a practice in organisation development for transforming workplace relationships in the South African context. Practical/managerial implications: Organisational psychology should be cautious about the possibility of constructing a monologue at the expense of introducing new perspectives on behaviour in the workplace. Organisational

The law of international organisations

CERN Document Server

White, Nigel D

2017-01-01

This book provides a concise account of the principles and norms of international law applicable to the main-type of international organisation - the inter-governmental organisation (IGO). That law consists of principles and rules found in the founding documents of IGOs along with applicable principles and rules of international law. The book also identifies and analyses the law produced by IGOs, applied by them and, occasionally, enforced by them. There is a concentration upon the United Nations, as the paradigmatic IGO, not only upon the UN organisation headquartered in New York, but on other IGOs in the UN system (the specialised agencies such as the World Health Organisation).

The contributions of self-efficacy and perceived organisational support when taking charge at work

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ike E. Onyishi

2012-01-01

Research purpose: The aim of the study was to investigate the contributions of self-efficacy and perceived organisational support when taking charge at work. Motivation for the study: Although many previous studies have examined the antecedents of taking charge in North American business environments, we know little about taking charge in the developing economies of Africa. Research about taking charge will provide valuable information for managers of businesses in developing countries in Africa. Research design, approach and method: This study used a cross-sectional survey design to examine the contributions of self-efficacy and perceived organisational support to taking charge at work amongst 201 bank workers in Nsukka, Southeast Nigeria. Main findings: Regression analysis results showed that self-efficacy had a significant relationship with taking charge at work. The results also showed a statistically significant relationship between perceived organisational support and taking charge at work. Practical/managerial implications: The implications of the results are that interventions that focus on improving self-efficacy will contribute to the behaviours of employees who take charge. In addition, organisations that develop strategies to make employees perceive the organisation as supportive will also have members that engage in more supervisory behaviours. Contribution/value-add: This study was one of the first attempts to investigate taking charge at work in a developing economy of Africa. The results of the study, that self-efficacy and perceived organisational support have relationships with taking charge at work, will contribute to a better understanding of the concept and to building robust theories.

Competency based career ladders for project managers in a large research & development organisation

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Fourie, W

2011-06-01

Full Text Available the same organisation employing multiple sources of evidence to determine an optimal way of recognising and rewarding the career growth of project managers. Employee loyalty and career decisions are influenced by motivational theory, the need for career...

ORGANISATIONAL CAPABILITIES, COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE AND PERFORMANCE IN SUPPORTING INDUSTRIES IN VIETNAM

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Nham Phong Tuan

2010-01-01

Full Text Available This paper focuses on applying the resource-based view (RBV of firms to explain performance in supporting industries in Vietnam. Specifically, we based our research on the comprehensive framework of RBV and reviewed previous empirical researches before deciding on adopting a dynamic capabilities approach to test relationships among organisational capabilities, competitive advantage and performance. A multivariate analysis of survey responses of 102 firms belonging to supporting industries in Vietnam indicates that the organisational capabilities are related to the competitive advantage, that the competitive advantage is related to performance, and that the competitive advantage mediates the relationship between organizational capabilities and performance. These findings have considerable implications for academics as well as practitioners. Finally, this study also provides directions for future research.

Crisis management teams in health organisations.

Science.gov (United States)

Canyon, Deon V

2012-01-01

Crisis management teams (CMT) are necessary to ensure adequate and appropriate crisis management planning and response to unforeseen, adverse events. This study investigated the existence of CMTs, the membership of CMTs, and the degree of training received by CMTs in Australian health and allied health organisations. This cross-sectional study draws on data provided by executive decision makers in a broad selection of health and allied health organisations. Crisis management teams were found in 44.2 per cent of the health-related organisations surveyed, which is ten per cent lower than the figure for business organisations. Membership of these CMTs was not ideal and did not conform to standard CMT membership profiles. Similarly, the extent of crisis management training in health-related organisations is 20 per cent lower than the figure for business organisations. If organisations do not become pro-active in their crisis management practices, the onus is on government to improve the situation through regulation and the provision of more physical, monetary and skill resources to ensure that the health services of Australia are sufficiently prepared to respond to adverse events.

ISO 9000 IMPLEMENTATION AND PERCEIVED ORGANISATIONAL OUTCOME: THE CASE OF A SERVICE ORGANISATION

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Jasni Abdul Latif

2003-01-01

Full Text Available The study examines the relationship between the perceptions of the employees about ISO 9000 implementation and perceived organisational outcomes. A conceptual framework linking the level of employee influence and involvement, their perception of ISO 9000 and the perceived impact on their work and the organisational outcomes is posited. Data was collected from a random sample of 64 employees of a service organisation. Contrary to expectations, the work impact of ISO 9000 was not correlated with the efficiency and market outcomes of ISO 9000 certification but the employee involvement, influence and perception of ISO 9000 were. The conceptualization of the influence path of ISO 9000 implementation on the organisational outcomes may require rethinking as perception may have a direct effect on the outcomes without the mediation of the impact on work. In short, employees may report benefits or positive outcomes even though no change is reported in their work.

The experiences of employees participating in organisational corporate social responsibility initiatives

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gretha Cook

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Orientation: This article is about the experiences of employees who actively participate in organisational corporate social responsibility (CSR initiatives.   Research purpose: The general aim of this study was to explore the experiences of employees who participate in CSR initiatives within an organisation where a well-developed framework exists.   Motivation for the study: Whilst an emergent number of studies have considered the various dimensions of CSR initiatives, the focus appears to be on stakeholders such as the recipients of CSR, organisations, consumers and shareholders but not the perspective of the employees who actively participate in CSR initiatives.   Research design, approach and method: A qualitative research approach was employed with the intent of exploring the experiences of employees participating in organisational CSR initiatives. Data were collected and analysed from a purposive sample of 12 employees, by means of interactive qualitative analysis.   Main findings: The study revealed that the primary driver that motivates employees to participate in CSR is love. Love sparks a sense of compassion. Compassion, coupled with an enabling environment, stimulates generosity. By being generous, a feeling of hope and inspiration is induced in both the givers and receivers of generosity. A secondary outcome of generosity and hope and inspiration is bringing about change to others, and whilst going through this journey and making a difference in the lives of others, participants experience a progressive change within themselves. This change evokes a feeling of fulfilment, and ultimately a feeling of complete joy.   Contributions or value-add: This research complements existing CSR literature by focussing and reporting on the experiences of the employee as an important stakeholder.

Initial investigation of organisational factors associated with the implementation of active support.

Science.gov (United States)

Fyffe, Chris; McCubbery, Jeffrey; Reid, Katharine J

2008-09-01

Active support (AS) has been shown to increase the amount of time that residents in shared residential settings are involved in purposeful activities. The organisational processes required to implement AS have been less well researched. Staff in community houses answered questions about the occurrence of organisational activities and processes thought to assist AS implementation (e.g., training and teamwork), their understanding of engagement, and their experience of changes in staff practice consistent with AS (including implementation problems). Non-house-based managers were also interviewed about their role in AS implementation. Reported occurrence of organisational activities and processes (e.g., training and teamwork) and understanding of engagement were associated with more reports of changes in staff practice and fewer staff reports of implementation problems. Staff reports on the role of non-house-based managers were not associated with reports of changes in staff practice or with reports of fewer AS implementation problems. Non-house-based managers' reports overestimated their role in AS implementation when compared with reports from house-based staff groups. While there are limitations in the research design (including the reliance on staff reports), the findings support the importance of wider organisational factors (beyond training programs for direct support staff) as integral to the implementation of AS. There is a need for further research on AS implementation.

Organisational change: a methodology to uncover the business idea.

Science.gov (United States)

Barker, J; Anderson, P

2001-01-01

A study was undertaken to identify the "Business Idea", as defined by van der Heijden (1996), in The Family Planning Association of WA Inc (FPWA) which is a Non-Government Organisation (NGO) in Perth, Western Australia. This organisation was chosen as, along with many other NGOs, it was undergoing major changes in its funding, role and required outcomes. A qualitative interpretivist single case study methodology employing grounded theory research principles and methods was used to study the Business Idea framework in this setting. Thirty-four members of FPWA's staff were interviewed and data was managed using NUD*IST4 and Decision Explorer data storage, data retrieval and graphical reproduction facilities. Results indicated that images of the Business Idea model within FPWA were largely consistent across all staff levels excepting members of the Board of Management. Changes within the organisation were impacting heavily on staff, who needed to be assisted over the transitional phase. Strong leadership and corporate direction were identified as essential if the FPWA was to balance the strongly held sense of social justice amongst its staff with a need for greater productivity efficiency and accountability across the organisation.

The Relationship Between the Intellectual Capital Disclosure and Cost of Debt Capital – A Case of Slovenian Private Audited Organisations

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Stropnik Neca

2017-12-01

Full Text Available The existing empirical research into the association between intellectual capital disclosures by organisations and the cost of debt is scarce or is based solely on the samples of the (large listed organisations. Since agency issues between management/owners and lenders exist also in (large private organisations whose financing is greatly dependent on loans and whose audited annual reports can be a source of additional information for external users, we performed an empirical research to find the answer to the question whether the level of intellectual capital disclosure (as a whole and of its sub-categories of organisations is associated with the cost of their debt capital. Our study was performed on a sample of private Slovenian organisations with audited annual reports. The results of our research did not reveal that lenders would take into account intellectual capital disclosures by Slovenian private audited organisations as the information about the potential for their future cash flows when deciding on the cost of debt issued to these organisations.

Entrepreneurial leadership, organisational creativity, and firm performance in Chinese SMEs context

OpenAIRE

Wu, Chendong

2016-01-01

Researchers have identified a wide range of factors that affect organisational creativity. The leadership behaviour of top managers is one of the most important. However, few studies have empirically examined the relationship between the leadership behaviour of these leaders and creativity at the organisational level. In this study, a style of leadership labelled “entrepreneurial” is considered in the context of Chinese SMEs, by considering its potential to create an environment in which crea...

Feminine leadership and organisational culture

OpenAIRE

Paul Marinescu; Sorin George Toma; Andreea Seseanu

2014-01-01

People in general, leaders especially, are influenced by the organisational culture and the other way around. Organisational culture represents a determining factor regarding the display of leadership, since these two processes create each other, adding value and consistency to one another. Moreover, organisational culture can be created and developed in a fluctuant business environment, in which the external factors influence its progress. The development of society has incessantly been emph...

Nigerian agriculture workers' outcomes from perceived organisational support and protestant work ethics: Job satisfaction as a mediator

OpenAIRE

Ladebo, Olugbenga J.; Abubakar, Bello Z.; Adamu, Comfort O.

2011-01-01

Orientation: The mechanism facilitating the development of organisational commitment and performance of citizenship behaviours is of research interest to scholars. Recent research trends suggest that job satisfaction can mediate the development of employee commitment and citizenship behaviours. Research purpose: The present study hypothesised that job satisfaction mediated the relationships between the predictors (perceived organisational support and protestant work ethics) and outcomes (o...

EMPLOYEE LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT IN ORGANISATIONS

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VNOUČKOVÁ, Lucie

2013-09-01

Full Text Available The primary goal of all organisations is efficiency of human resources. Therefore activities as HR controlling, performance management but also cutting costs are the main theme. Current organisations need to monitor human resources to keep their competitiveness. Thus paper describes the key factor of organisational efficiency - employee education, talent management and the necessity to retain skilled employees. The aim of the paper is to reveal the current approach in organisations to education and learning based on primary survey of employees. The data were collected using quantitative primary survey in Czech organisations across sectors. The questionnaire was compiled based on the theoretical background. The paper has been processed based on the analysis of secondary sources, outcome synthesis and the evaluation of results of a questionnaire survey. The data were analysed using descriptive statistic, correlation analysis and factor analysis. The SPSS programme was used for the analyses. The outcomes were categorized and the analyses revealed the main factors affecting organisational approach to employee learning and development. The results identify three possible approaches in organisations to employee learning and development. The first type of organisations educates employees by their own rules, second type does not support education of employees in any way, it is only an interest of employees themselves and thirdly knowledgeable employees were identified as those employees do as much as possible to learn and grow and they choose job position in order to develop constantly. The results can be taken into account in further analysis and in organisation of adult education.

Republished: Fibrosing organising pneumonia.

Science.gov (United States)

Beardsley, Brooke; Rassl, Doris

2014-08-01

Organising pneumonia (otherwise referred to as bronchiolitis obliterans organising pneumonia) is characterised histologically by plugs of granulation tissue, which are present predominantly within small airways, alveolar ducts and peri-bronchiolar alveoli. This pattern is not specific for any disorder or cause, but is one type of inflammatory response to pulmonary injury, which may be seen in a wide variety of clinical conditions. Typically, organising pneumonia responds very well to corticosteroid treatment; however, a small percentage of patients appear to develop progressive fibrosis. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

Kommunikation skaber din organisation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hansen, Heidi

KOMMUNIKATION skaber din ORGANISATION tager udgangspunkt i en narrativ tilgang til kommunikation, hvor organisationen skabes i mødet mellem ledere, medarbejdere, organisation og omverden. Historier hjælper os med at skabe mening, og er derfor vigtige både som et udviklingsværktøj i organisationen...

Organisational ecology in the Danish restaurant sector

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hjalager, Anne Mette

2000-01-01

The article demonstrates the high rates of organisational turmoil in the restaurant sector. The intensity of natural selection depends mainly on the age and size of the enterprise. Affiliation with other enterprises increases the chances of survival, but only if there is a substantial number...... of units co-operating in a group. Surprisingly, the level of staff competence and managerial capacity - measured in quantitative terms - cannot explain the level of success or failure in the restaurant business to any significant degree. Organisational ecology, which constitutes the theoretical...... and methodological base of this article, is a promising research approach to tourism issues. The article, which focuses on explanations for the occurrence of life events in the restaurant sector, calls for more careful policy considerations than are often the case. In particular, human-resource- and labour...

Learning from disasters. Understanding the Cultural and Organisational Precursors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Taylor, Richard

2012-01-01

Professor Richard Taylor, from the University of Bristol, gave a presentation on the causes and potential ways of reducing the risk of Organisational Accidents. The presentation described a research study that was conducted to analyse and identify lessons from 12 major events in the nuclear and other sectors. The study was funded by ONR and BNFL. Although the events occurred in different sectors and circumstances, the analysis identified many common issues. The findings from the analysis were grouped into the following eight themes: leadership issues, operational attitudes and behaviours, business environment, competence, risk assessment and management, oversight and scrutiny, organisational learning and external regulation. Examples of issues identified under each of the themes are provided in Appendix 2. The presentation discussed learning for regulatory bodies from the events studied. This includes the need for regulators to move beyond technical/procedural issues to thinking about leadership commitment, business pressures and the underlying culture of the organisations they regulate. Regulators should take an 'overview' and actively explore organisational causes of problems rather than focusing on the symptoms. The analysis of events also revealed that regulators sometimes picked up emerging issues but did not act. This highlights the importance of good internal communication and discussion of issues within the regulatory body. The findings from the study have been used to develop expectations/objectives for good performance and develop a draft set of questions that regulators could use to assess vulnerability. Further work with industry and regulatory bodies is planned to encourage a better understanding of the organisational issues identified, improve cross industry sector learning, and develop new tools to reduce vulnerability to organisational accidents

The four-day working week, unknown, unloved. Research into the organisational implications of working time reduction

OpenAIRE

Sels, Luc; Dejonckheere, Johan

2000-01-01

This contribution aims to bring clarity into the 'organisational implications' of one specific form of working time reduction, namely the four-day working week. We start by defining the concept of the four-day working week. In the second part, we look at ways Belgian authorities are trying to encourage the four-day working week, met by little enthusiasm from the business world. This reluctance stems from ignorance about the effects on performance and organisation. For this reason, we have con...

Organisational learning as movements in practice

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Elkjær, Bente

2013-01-01

In the paper, I take the readers through a tour de force of the past, present and future of the field of organisational learning. This is structured around three concepts that stand out as important, namely organisational learning as changed behaviour, as changed theories of actions and as part...... of practice. I also point to the future of organisational learning as inspired by the work of pragmatist philosophy and as affected by the call for more concreteness in organisation studies as a whole....

Business continuity management in international organisations.

Science.gov (United States)

Adamou, Christel

2014-01-01

In the area of business continuity management, a preliminary review of the literature reveals extensive knowledge, expertise and experience concerning organisations in the private and public sectors. It is interesting to note, however, that there is little literature about business continuity management in international organisations, although these entities are complex and particularly prone to threats. This apparent absence of literature suggests that business continuity management has not yet hit the agenda of international organisations. In recent years, member states have encouraged senior management to design and implement business continuity strategies to minimise the mishandling of an internal crisis and build organisational resilience, but very few of them have actually been able to design and implement comprehensive business continuity programmes. Based on actual experience working in international organisations, this paper outlines some of the challenges faced by international organisations in developing and implementing business continuity activities and attempts to make suggestions for further improvement.

Workplace violence: the dark side of organisational life.

Science.gov (United States)

Speedy, Sandra

2006-05-01

This paper draws on a diverse range of research literature addressing workplace violence, which constitutes one component of the dark side of organisational life. This selective review of the literature has been drawn from the disciplines of nursing, management, psychology and organisational culture. The paper focuses bullying and mobbing in the workplace, addressing its types, causes, the characteristics of bullies and targets and the generalised impact of bullying and mobbing. It also examines whether there are gender issues pertinent to the health care sector. Consideration will also be given to the impact on the individual, group and organization, given the apparent epidemic proportions workplace violence has reached. Ultimately, the question will arise: how can the workplace violence be abolished, specifically within the health care sector, given that we live in a global environment characterised by international bullying (Crawford 1999)? This is a challenge because workplace violence is perpetuated within organisations, due either to cultures of acceptance, or fear of retribution should it be acknowledged and acted upon (or both).

Permission-based Leadership and Change Management in Hong Kong's Nongovernment Organisations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wong Michael

2014-12-01

Full Text Available This study addresses the management of transformational change by chief executives in nongovernment organisations (NGOs in Hong Kong. The study takes an exploratory approach with interviews of 18 chief executives from a cross section of Hong Kong's NGOs. The findings indicate that organisational transformation is driven by increasing competition within the NGO sector and from commercial firms, by a demand for greater transparency and by internal forces. These factors are countered by structural inertia. Leadership of the organisational transformation of an NGO is permission-based; agreement from the various stakeholders must be gained to execute a successful transformation. The chief executive should have a humanistic style and be visionary, ethical and participative. Constant communication and involvement facilitate this process. Through this approach, followers will have a greater commitment to the organisational transformation. Organisational change is a combination of planned and emergent processes. The chief executive should relax control and foster a nurturing environment for transformation. This research suggests a leadership style, behavioural approach and model for managing change that will provide chief executives and senior leaders with useful considerations and insights.

IMPACT OF CONFLICT MANAGEMENT ON EMPLOYEES' PERFORMANCE IN A PUBLIC SECTOR ORGANISATION IN NIGERIA

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Olu, OJO

2014-03-01

Full Text Available This study investigated the impact of conflict management on employees’ performance in a public sector organisation, a case of Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN. This study adopted the survey research design. A total of 100 respondents were selected for the study using stratified sampling technique. Questionnaire was used to collect primary data. Data collected were analysed using descriptive statistics. Hypotheses were tested through regression analysis and correlation coefficient. The findings revealed that effective conflict management enhance employee’s performance in an organisation and that organisation’s conflict management system influences employee performance in the organisation. It was recommended that organisation should embark on training and retraining of its employees in area of conflict management so as to create a conductive working environment for the employees and that there should be efficient and effective communication between and among all categories of the employees the organisation. This will reduce conflicting situations in the organisation.

Human Resource Management in Australian Registered Training Organisations

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, Andrew; Hawke Geof

2008-01-01

This report forms part of a comprehensive research program that has examined issues related to building the organisational capability of vocational education and training providers. In particular, this report focuses on the current state of human resource management practice in both technical and further education and private registered training…

Small Organisations and Cultural Institutions--A Digital Future?

Science.gov (United States)

Spence, Jaqueline

2005-01-01

Purpose: This paper aims to examine how technology presents both problems and opportunities for the historian, the researcher, small organisations, and cultural heritage institutions. Ways of safeguarding historical material in digital form are suggested, and the role of cultural heritage bodies as managers of sustainable digital collections is…

Key Mechanisms for Employee-Driven Innovation in Governmental Client Organisations

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sørensen, Henrik; Wandahl, Søren; Faber, Lene

2018-01-01

the mechanisms of organisational trust, innovation safety, organisational practices, cultural settings and the recognition and rewards structure to motivate employees. The decision-making procedures should be transparent especially to the idea-owner and the employees involved, and the implementation and putting......In order to ensure that knowledge and ideas are transformed into innovative contributions, a systematic approach is important. The aim of this research was to identify the specific mechanisms that are key to implementing an innovation process model when conducting Employee-driven Innovation...... into practice should be fast progressed phases in the innovation process....

The Contributions of Organisational and Technological Practices to the Speedup of New Product Development

Science.gov (United States)

Sun, Hongyi

2007-01-01

Based on data from 700 companies in 20 countries, this paper records the research that investigates the contribution of organisational and technological practices to speed up New Product Development (NPD). The organisational practice is found positively correlated with the speed of NPD. However, no significant direct relationship was found between…

Supporting SME Collecting Organisations: A Business Model Framework for Digital Heritage Collections

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Darren Peacock

2009-08-01

Full Text Available Increasing numbers of heritage collecting organisations such as archives, galleries, libraries and museums are moving towards the provision of digital content and services based on the collections they hold. The collections sector in Australia is characterised by a diverse range of often very small organisations, many of which are struggling with the transition to digital service delivery. One major reason for this struggle is the lack of suitable underlying business models for these organisations as they attempt to achieve a sustainable digital presence. The diverse characteristics of organisations within the collections sector make it difficult, if not impossible, to identify a single business model suitable for all organisations. We argue in this paper that the development of a flexible e-business model framework is a more useful strategy for achieving this goal. This paper presents a preliminary framework based on the literature, utilising the Core + Complement (C+ Business Model Framework for Content Providers initially developed by Krueger et al. (2003 and outlines how the framework will be refined and investigated empirically in future research within the Australian collections sector.

The configural approach to organisational commitment: An application in Ghana

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Edward O. Akoto

2014-12-01

Research purpose: To test the theory on profiles of commitment in an African context (Ghana. Motivation for the study: Although the three-component model of organisational commitment has been extended to several regions of Africa, there is a paucity of research on profiles of commitment on the continent. Research approach, design and method: Cross-sectional data from two studies, with samples of 187 and 218, were analysed using k-means clusters. Multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA was then used to test the differences amongst profiles in their association with contextual variables, such as pay satisfaction, job security, strike propensity and two demographic factors. Main findings: In the k-means cluster analysis, a six-cluster solution emerged in both studies;the profiles include the highly committed and the uncommitted groups, as well as the profiles based on normative commitment and continuance commitment. Overall, the MANOVA post hoc outcome shows that the highly committed group reports higher mean scores on the positive outcome variables (e.g. job security than the uncommitted group. Conversely, the uncommitted group scored relatively higher on the negative organisational outcome (propensity to strike. Other mean differences were found in the respective studies on pay satisfaction, collectivism and the demographic factors. Practical/managerial implications: Employing the configural approach to the study of commitment in this region should increase our understanding of the patterns of attachment and their influence on behaviour. Different patterns of attachment exist within the organisation that may be beneficial or detrimental to behaviour on the job. It is, therefore, important for managers to identify these patterns and target organisational policy and resources appropriately. Contribution/value-add: This study applies the concept of commitment profiles to an untested region: an African context. It, therefore, adds to the literature on the

Learning and change in organisations

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Chemi, Tatiana

2013-01-01

Review of: Ian W. King & Jonathan Vickery (Eds.), Experiencing Organisations. New Aesthetic perspectives, Faringdon, Libri Publishing, 2013.......Review of: Ian W. King & Jonathan Vickery (Eds.), Experiencing Organisations. New Aesthetic perspectives, Faringdon, Libri Publishing, 2013....

Strategic management and organisational structure: transformational processes at work in hospitals.

Science.gov (United States)

Braithwaite, J

1993-01-01

There is a substantial amount of organisational restructuring presently occurring in Australian public hospitals. However, there has been a lack of systematic research conducted about this phenomenon. In Australia most literature about organisational restructuring has employed a case study approach. Although there has been a great deal of support for product line management organisational arrangements in recent literature from overseas, little investigation into the adoption of product line management has taken place in Australia. In this paper, a discussion about the relationship between strategic management and organisational structure is presented. Survey results of a sample of nine teaching hospitals in New South Wales are reported. Taken together with other more descriptive literature about organisational restructuring in Australian health care, the evidence from this survey suggests that there are vigorous transformational processes at work, perhaps especially in the larger hospitals. Despite support for it in the literature, product line management is not being adopted on a widespread scale. The shift toward restructuring occurring within Australian hospitals at the moment represents a bout of experimentation with new organisational designs which seems destined to continue. A number of management theorists conclude that there need to be strong linkages between strategic planning and the choice of organisational structure. However, the empirical evidence reported here did not identify such strong linkages. This phenomenon warrants further investigation. The view is put that where these linkages are weak there is a risk that whatever structure is chosen will not be robust or flexible enough to cope with mooted or predicted policy changes to the Australian health system.

Change within Purchasing and Supply Management Organisations – Assessing the Claims from Maturity Models

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Holm Andreasen, Peter; Gammelgaard, Britta

2018-01-01

It is a wide-held assumption that professional development and change within purchasing and supply management (PSM) organisations can be explained and guided by a maturity model. In this paper the guidance which the maturity model concept offers to understand a PSM organisation's performance...... an organisational change framework, composing 1) movement transitions, 2) scalability of change, 3) acceptability of change, and 4) the substantive element of change. The research found that extant PSM maturity models are too rigid for PSM managers to apply, and although maturity models are commonly accepted in PSM...... is assessed. The methodology is based on the outcomes of a literature review of PSM maturity models, development of an organisational change framework and the learning from three qualitative case studies. An alternative understanding of the development of the PSM organisation is offered through...

Learning at Work: Organisational Affordances and Individual Engagement

Science.gov (United States)

Bryson, Jane; Pajo, Karl; Ward, Robyn; Mallon, Mary

2006-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this research is to explore the interaction between organisational affordances for the development of individuals' capability, and the engagement of workers at various levels with those opportunities. Design/methodology/approach: A case study of a large New Zealand wine company, using in-depth interviews. Interviews were…

A Study in Difference: Structures and Cultures in Australian Registered Training Organisations. Full Report

Science.gov (United States)

Clayton, Berwyn; Fisher, Thea; Harris, Roger; Bateman, Andrea; Brown, Mike

2008-01-01

This report presents the findings of a study examining organisational culture and structure in ten Australian registered training organisations (RTOs) and is part of a program of research examining the factors which affect and help build the capability of vocational education and training (VET) providers. The study sought to determine: (1) how…

India's nuclear command and control: perspectives from organisation theory