Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Cultural change leadership'

This thesis investigates how an organizational change can lead to an increased share of women at top management positions. Based on interviews at Sandvik, an organization that has received extensive attention for its efforts to increase the share of female executives, the study aims to understand how an organizational culture is changed in a way that will lead to more women at top management positions. The study also aims to give an answer to how the change process is implemented and what kinds of changes in content that are needed. The empirical findings are analyzed using a theoretical framework based on change management literature and female leadership literature. The results of the study indicate that actions to increase gender diversity should be integrated in the overarching company strategy. There are further indications that it can be enough to have a personal conviction from a prominent leader within the organization to start the change process. Commitment and support from top management is thereafter vital. A final indication is that the changes in content should be aimed at changing the mindset of the employees throughout the organization.

All countries have their own national culture, with their own norms, beliefs, attitudes, and values. Every organisation in the world also has their own organisational culture, just like any other social group. Because of the increased globalization throughout the world, more companies are becoming multinational corporations. This means that they go through a market entry process when they enter a foreign market. This can lead to their already established organisational culture being affected by the national culture in the foreign country. The effect of national culture on organisations is a well-researched area. However, the research on how the organisational culture is affected by national culture as an organisation goes through international market entry leaves much to be discovered.  The purpose of this thesis was to investigate how, and if the organisational culture of Swedish organisations is affected by national culture when they establish themselves on the United States market. It was also investigated how Hofstede’s five dimensions of culture can aid in the explanation of the potential organisational culture change, and if the index scores of the five dimensions for Sweden and the United States correspond to the differences later indicated by our research. The effect of leadership and market entry strategy on the organisational culture was also investigated. The qualitative data collection in this thesis comes from semi-structured interviews with companies who help Swedish companies in their market entry process, managers of Swedish companies who have established themselves on the United States market, and one human resource manager within a Swedish company which has moved to the United States. This data lays the basis for the results of this study, and we identify themes relevant to the purpose and research question of this study.  The conclusion of this thesis shows that the organisational culture of all the companies we have interviewed has been influenced by national culture to some extent. The factors which are identified to have had the largest impact on the organisational culture of these companies are market entry strategy, leadership, and the newly found themes; culture-carriers and laws and legislation. It is also concluded how Hofstede’s five cultural dimensions within organisational culture are affected by the national culture.  In the conclusion of this thesis, the importance of the cultural knowledge and awareness of the factors which influence organisational culture possessed by managers is emphasised. Practical and theoretical implications are also provided both for organisations and future research.

123 p.
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O presente trabalho parte de um estudo de caso, em uma empresa petroquímica brasileira, envolvida em processo de mudança cultural em razão do contexto de fusão e integração de empresas. Neste cenário, investiga a percepção das pessoas sobre a influência de uma cultura forte e predominante na mudança cultural. Esta percepção é identificada através de uma pesquisa tipo survey, qualitativa e quantitativa, realizada através de questionário aplicado em amostra representativa das pessoas que vivenciaram diretamente o processo de mudança cultural do caso estudado. Na análise dos dados foi identificado que a cultura forte e predominante contribui sim para a mudança cultural em um ambiente de fusão e integração. Como complemento dessa confirmação, foi possível identificar na leitura qualitativa dos dados que essa influência é positiva. Os resultados foram comparados com estudos existentes na literatura e com pesquisas anteriores realizados no ambiente corporativo. Também foi abordada a influência de mudanças no ambiente físico de trabalho na mudança cultural. Como impactos gerenciais do estudo foi possível concluir que a existência de uma cultura dominante associada à sua prática efetiva são condições necessárias e indispensáveis para uma estratégia de gestão de mudança, porém, somente elas não garantem o sucesso. O exercício adequado do papel da liderança, reforçado pelo exemplo na prática dos valores e princípios da cultura dominante, constitui um caminho crítico para lograr êxito na execução dessa estratégia.
Salvador

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2007.
The entire dissertation/thesis text is included in the research.pdf file; the official abstract appears in the short.pdf file (which also appears in the research.pdf); a non-technical general description, or public abstract, appears in the public.pdf file. Title from title screen of research.pdf file (viewed on February 29, 2008) Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

Diversity is a positive aspect of a student's educational experience. Current literature supports the value of diversity, confirming that skills are developed within a diverse learning environment that prepares students to thrive in a competitive global economy. The leadership at University X (UX) had implemented various initiatives to improve diversity, yet the problem addressed in this study was that students perceived differently, citing that diversity growth lacked progress. The goal of this single case study was to bring forth change with a specific intervention created to elevate diversity and a positive campus climate. Maslow's hierarchy of needs was used to explore the perceptions of 8 students regarding diversity progress at UX. Research questions focused on why students perceived little progress had been made toward diversity and how the culture could support diverse students. Face-to-face interviews yielded data analyzed through a descriptive approach, generating findings baring 2 central themes: communication and the existing cultural environment. The resulting project consists of a position paper proposing 2 bold strategies for infusing diversity and inclusion on the campus. Strategy 1 outlines a communication plan designed to facilitate review of UX's guiding documents, along with a regular, ongoing method for communicating to the campus. Strategy 2 proposes the implementation of a university wide cultural sensitivity training for campus membership to heighten cultural awareness. This project contributes to social change by raising knowledge and recognition of cultural diversity that will help perpetuate student persistence, intercultural competency, quality social interactions, a positive racial climate, and well-developed cognitive and leadership skills within the student body.

This paper uses evidence from a small-scale interview of five primary school principals within the Stockholm Municipality to examine their focus on student learning. To facilitate this analysis, four questions were addressed:

• What are the expectations principals have of learning for their students?

• Has there been a change in perception of learning in the 21st Century?

• How do principals think they have influence on student learning?

• How do principals see their role towards lifelong learning?

This thesis argues that we have to redefine learning for the 21st Century through emphasizing a more holistic approach to both teaching and learning and by paying more attention to learning outcomes. It explores contemporary trends in leadership education and connects them to the literature. In practice, the study uses two models, instructional leadership and transformational leadership, to integrate the the data collected. It proposes that school principals play a part in student learning through their roles of setting directions, developing people and developing the organisation.

The main results showed that the principals and vice-principals who participated in the study were aware of their roles in student learning. However, their roles were not immediately identifiable with a particular leadership style but a combination of styles. They realised that they did not encourage lifelong learning, which is an important component of 21st Century learning.

Key Words:

21st Century learning, lifelong learning, learning expectations, learning outcomes, leadership styles, instructional leadership, transformational leadership, cultural change leadership.

Kulturen i en organisation påverkar hur medarbetarna tänker och agerar och är därför viktig att studera. Varje organisation består av gemensamma normer, värderingar och verklighetsuppfattningar som utvecklas när medlemmar samverkar med varandra. Syftet med studien är att jämföra två kulturanalyser som gjorts tidigare på två skolor i Sverige och jämföra dem för att hitta likheter och olikheter, samt förbättringsmöjligheter. Studien syftar till att besvara frågorna: Vad kännetecknar organisationens kultur? Hur påverkas organisationskulturen av mångfald? Hur påverkas organisationskulturen av ledarskapet? Som metod för studien användes Bergs brevmetod, där medarbetare i de studerade organisationerna fick skriva brev i vilka de beskrev hur de upplevde sin arbetssituation sedan jämfördes deras resultat.
The culture of an organization affects how employees think and act and are therefore it is important to study. Each organization consists of common norms, values and perceptions of reality that develop when members interact with each other. The purpose of this study is to compare two cultural analyzes that were previously done at two schools in Sweden and compare them to find similarities and differences, as well as possibilities for improvement. The aim of this study is to answer the following questions: What characterizes the organization’s culture? How is the organizational culture affected by diversity? How is the organizational culture affected by leadership? As a method for the study, Berg's letter method was used, where employees in the studied organizations write letters in which they describe how they perceive their work situation then their results were compared.

Academically failing schools are under scrutiny from government education administrators, policymakers, and the general public, due to chronic inabilities to lower dropout rates and to educate students who can pass high-stakes graduation assessments. States’ efforts to adhere to the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act have led to the development of accountability systems to determine adequate yearly progress (AYP) and to assign schools grades, as well as wholesale reassessment of current educational programs, which are often replaced with more rigorous curricula. Among curricular programs that have been sought as reform measures for academically failing schools is the International Baccalaureate Program (IBP). The IBP’s exacting curriculum has attracted many schools to adopt it as an alternative course of study for advanced students, as well as a rigorous option to build academic capacity among students who have failed to make AYP. This case study examined teachers’ perceptions of the effect the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP) had on the culture of an academically underperforming high school in Valdosta, Georgia. Teacher volunteers from within the IBDP, in addition to teachers who taught standard classes, participated in a series of three semistructured interviews over 1.5 years, during which time the school made its initial application to the International Baccalaureate Organisation and subsequently began implementing the program with the school’s first cohort of students. Additionally, documents relating to the IB application process were examined, and observations of the IBDP teachers with students in their classrooms were conducted. Data analysis utilized the frameworks of educational criticism and narrative analysis. Teachers within the IBDP reported feelings of increased self-efficacy resulting from their work with both students and community stakeholders. Participant teachers in both IB courses and other programs described an overall improvement in the school’s culture.

Though America's public schools have become increasingly diverse, the teaching staff remains relatively homogeneous. This gap is more apparent in California schools that serve large numbers of students of color, being taught by teachers who are predominately White and female. Because the population of kindergarten-through-12th grade teachers is predominately white and middle class, theorists recommend the self-discovery process of striving for cultural proficiency as a solution. Teacher cultural proficiency is a series of characteristics that are learned, honed, and constantly evolving to create a classroom that is culturally aware and culturally sensitive for all students. Although there is ample literature regarding multicultural education, there is limited research discussing teachers' perceptions and experiences with cultural proficiency, especially white women, who represent the largest population of teachers in California. The purpose of this study was to further investigate teacher stories along their journey on the cultural proficiency continuum. This study includes interviews with three teachers who have reputations for being culturally proficient and who work in elementary schools in a California Central Valley district serving large populations of students of color. The purpose of the interviews was to further explore the teachers' experiences striving for cultural proficiency and implementing culturally aware practices in their classrooms. The results of this study suggest that the continued journey to cultural proficiency mirrors cultural proficiency theory but lacks one key component: self-reflection in regard to whiteness. The interviewed teachers struggled with the theoretical foundations of critical whiteness theory and cultural proficiency, but they believed that the goal of cultural proficiency was one in which they would constantly be striving. The findings of this study address some of the culturally proficient themes of self-discovery, curiosity, experience, and travel that contribute to these teachers' culturally proficient reputations, and they add to scholarship by suggesting an additional tenet to cultural proficiency, that of being intimately aware of one's own whiteness and privilege.

Abstract A STUDY OF A PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVE TO INCREASE CULTURAL COMPETENCY By Jennifer Crowe Coleman, Ph.D. A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at Virginia Commonwealth University. Virginia Commonwealth University, 2014 Major Director: Charol Shakeshaft, Ph.D. Professor, Department of Educational Leadership School of Education While there are broad, societal forces that contribute to achievement gaps, the professional development of teachers is one way educational leaders have sought to improve schools, improve teacher performance, and increase teacher knowledge and skills. Given the achievement and cultural gaps that exist between teachers and students, professional development that targets the development of teacher cultural competence in an effort to reach all students is necessary. The purpose of this study is to describe the implementation of a cultural competency professional development program across 62 schools in a large, suburban school district in central Virginia, comparing and contrasting implementation activities and outcomes over the 2-year period of its implementation with the initial expectations for the professional development initiative. This quantitative, nonexperimental study was carried out in two phases. The purpose of Phase 1 was a content analysis of the professional development plans of each of the district’s schools. Phase 2 consisted of a multiple choice, electronic survey of those who were trainers of the cultural competency professional development initiative in order to examine the implementation of the cultural competency professional development program and the relationship between the intended goal and the actual outcomes of the initiative. The survey was also used to collect demographic data, such as race and years of experience in education, in order to determine what, if any, impact these factors may have had on the implementation of the professional development initiative. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to generalize the results to the population the sample represents. As this initiative was not designed to provide the training necessary to expect changes in classroom practice, this survey and its analysis focused on the trainers’ perspectives on the implementation of the professional development initiative. The results of this research were offered to frame a discussion around the fidelity of implementation; the factors that affected implementation; the relationship between the intended goals of the initiative and the actual outcomes of the initiative; and suggested next steps for the district as it moved toward a goal of a more culturally proficient workforce.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Antioch University, 2008.
Title from PDF t.p. (viewed March 26, 2010). Advisor: Carolyn Kenny, Ph.D. "A dissertation submitted to the Ph.D. in Leadership and Change program of Antioch University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy 2008."--from the title page. Includes bibliographical references (p. 147-153).

The research conducted was done on the basis of providing an initial platform or starting point for insight and discussion into what a strategic transcultural model of leadership might look like which was relevant to the early 21st Century Christian context in the cities of Southern Africa. A strategic transcultural leader is essentially a transformational leader who exhibits an ability beyond the norm in being able to cross socio-political barriers and thus inspiring the multicultural dynamic, while also honouring the individual cultures represented. In order to study strategic transcultural leadership models a strong leadership angle was taken, which employed investigating six leaders, three political and three Christian as to the structures, styles, values, transcultural abilities and Christian/political beliefs and/or philosophies they employed. The thesis poses the problem of urban unrest in the cities of Southern Africa. The problem of an influx into the cities, of the many different ethnicities and tribes from throughout Southern Africa and the pressures this has caused is briefly alluded to. This problem has been further exacerbated in South Africa by the arrival of many peoples from throughout Africa, south of the Sahara seeking their fortune without having to leave the African Subcontinent, and in Zimbabwe by the political policies of the Zimbabwean government, over land and in clearing away her unapproved urban high-density housing, and her informal business and white farming sectors of the economy. With these issues in mind, there is a need for strategic transcultural leadership to address these and other issues of unrest. The examples of Mandela and De Klerk as transformational leaders, inspire hope, that the vacuum of strategic transcultural leadership seen in Africa at large and specifically in relation to Southern Africa can be met, as is noted by the progress made in recent years in the arena of transformational leadership which the Group of eight and the United Nations and others allude to. While this is true, there are still problems in relation to the political decision-making within South African, as seen by Mbeki’s stance in the past on HIV-AIDS, and Zimbabwe’s woes. The stage is set from a missiological and historical perspective by looking at multicultural models of leadership in the Early Church with specific reference to Paul and the Antiochan model he used as a prototype. The Jerusalem Church is mentioned as a bi-cultural model, which has significant use outside of large urban environs. However it was the Pauline-Antiochan model that provided a platform, in the later use of a synthetic-semiotic model, to deduce or synthesis a transcultural model. Paul’s model of leadership was analysed specifically in relation to the five elements already noted (structures, styles, etc.) and is particularly useful as a model as Paul himself provides firstly an insight into a man of bi-cultural heritage yet someone who was empire-conscious. Paul was able to uphold both the cultural distinctive or uniqueness of both the Greek and Jew (noting Paul’s use of both Hebraic and Hellenistic styles of the diatribe for example) as well as the universal, in that he was empire-conscious which played into his Kingdom perspective. Secondly he provides a reasonable grounds for understanding that if the belief system of the individual is changed on one of its most fundamental levels – allegiance – then given time the macro-cultural identity of a nation, even empire can be significantly altered. He was able to do this primarily because the Graeco-Roman Empire had a common linguafranca in Greek, and the Christian community – as the followers of the Way became known as – had an ethos of reconciliation, enhancing the multicultural and one also of inclusivity (for example a worship style that encompasses both Jewish and local expressions) enhancing the particular. In declaring the One God of Israel and Jesus Christ – Messiah, as the only true Kyrios, Paul replaced the Emperor and the whole Greek pantheon of the Gods with the one true God and Father of us all, and his one and only Son.< /p> The three political leaders – Moshoeshoe, Smuts and Mandela – and the three Christian leaders – Mutendi, Cassidy and Tutu – are investigated in terms of the five elements (structures, styles, values etc.) that comprise the model of leadership. Each of these leaders in turn made a lasting contribution to national and/or tribal change. After looking at the six leadership models an initial conceptual framework for a multicultural model of leadership is outlined. However, in order to bring significant current postmodern/neo-African/tribal/multicultural paradigms of thought and the associated socio-political forces and philosophies of the day, to bear on the evolving model, these were specifically highlighted and brought into the process of synthesizing a model. Lastly once all these inputs are brought together in a tabulated framework, and the evolving multicultural model is screened against three known working scenarios, and further synthesized such that the refined model was then called a strategic transcultural model of leadership. Before this can be achieved however, various North American multicultural models posited were looked at in a literary review, which served to reinforce the understanding of the need to balance the universal and the particular aspects of culture. In refining a strategic transcultural model, the thesis next attempted to address the problem of developing a national macro-cultural identity. A strict delineation in a postmodern era between Church and State was considered to be not only unnecessary but a modern myth, also noting that the State mirrors the Church in many of the problems of community and identity. Thus the meso-level of the Church provided key insights into the macro-level of the State. An argument all along was posed for not just orchestrating a macro-culture based on multiculturalism, nor in just upholding the micro-cultural individual identities at the expense of participation in a national framework and beyond this the global village, but an argument was made for a both/and scenario. In doing this the thesis sought to address both the macro-cultural and individual cultural identities at every level and in every element of the model of leadership. The plausibility of the argument for today was based on the prevalence of a language of choice – in most cases English – and an ethos of reconciliation and inclusivity for which Madiba and Tutu among others have set the standard. A final picture of a community based on both was posited for reflection, a picture that John paints where the great heavenly host (mirroring the macro-level of the Kingdom) is contrasted with the micro-level of a people made up “from every tribe and language and people and nation” (Rev 5:9).
Thesis (PhD (Science of Religion and Missiology))--University of Pretoria, 2007.
Science of Religion and Missiology
PhD
Unrestricted

While many studies have been carried out on organizational culture, leadership, conflict and change, mostly from an instrumentalist perspective, studies have left unanswered the question of how they are related. This thesis employs narrative theory and especially that of Ricoeur together with the social theory of Bourdieu. By considering organization culture (and its sub cultures) as being configured by multiple narratives; leaders as enacting or developing narratives; conflict as the attempt by one or more persons to impose their narratives on others as the correct interpretation of a given situation; and change as the adoption of new narratives it has been possible to impart new understandings to these concepts. Extensions are offered of the narrative theory of Ricoeur and the social theory of Bourdieu (which has strong implications for culture and the operation of power). They are then combined and applied to a narrative presentation of empirical data. This new or extended theory has powerful explanatory value with regard to the relationship between the chosen organisational aspects. Emphasis is given to the dynamic interplay which prevails between the individual (habitus) and the organisation (field).

Samhället förändras kontinuerligt. För att människor ska må bra i ett föränderligt arbetsliv behöver de uppleva att de har möjlighet att vara delaktiga kring det som berör dem. Ett hälsofrämjande arbetsliv är inte bara gynnsamt för individen, det bidrar även till hållbar tillväxt i samhället.  Organisationer strävar efter att utveckla sina verksamheter, vilket i forskning ofta diskuteras utifrån ekonomiska perspektiv. Att i kontrast till det ekonomiska perspektivet studera organisationer utifrån ett pedagogiskt perspektiv är föreliggande undersöknings fokus. Perspektivet syftar till att studera mellanmänskliga påverkans- och förändringsprocesser samt dessas förutsättningar inom organisationer. Syftet med studien var att undersöka och beskriva upplevelser om förutsättningar för delaktighet kring organisationens utvecklingsarbete utifrån chefers och medarbetares berättande perspektiv. Syftet var även att undersöka vad chefer och medarbetare berättar kring organisationens värdegrundsarbete samt dess påverkan på organisationens utvecklingsarbete. Studien gjordes på uppdrag av det statliga Trafikverket och urvalet bestod av elva anställda från ett verksamhetsområde inom en av regionerna. Intervjuer var den metod som valdes. Åtta medarbetare intervjuades i två fokusgrupper med jämn könsfördelning i varje. Två sektionschefer med jämn könsfördelning samt en manlig enhetschef intervjuades enskilt. I analysen låg fokus vid att skriva fram ett berättande resultat med inspiration av narrativ ansats vilket resulterade i två berättelser; Medarbetarnas berättelse samt Chefernas berättelse. Resultatet åskådliggjorde att de forum som finns skulle behöva utvecklas så att de främjar delaktighet.  Delaktigheten skulle även öka om det fanns en dialogbaserad möjlighet till återkoppling mellan nivåer. För att som organisation kunna agera förebild i samhället gällande uppdraget att främja trafiksäkerhet och miljö, ansågs det nödvändigt att leva som man lär. Detta försvåras av att det saknas en gemensam riktning för organisationens värdegrund och dess inverkan på det dagliga arbetet. Cheferna ansågs vara ansvariga för att främja dialogbaserat utvecklingsarbete, både gällande de anställdas kompetensutveckling samt att främja till förbättringsförslag. Cheferna ansåg sig ha bristande kompetens kring sådana utvecklande uppgifter. Därmed efterfrågades en stöttande utvecklingsgrupp med syftet att bedriva intern utveckling utifrån värderingsgrundande dokument.

This study is an exploration of a change management intervention tool described here as the Hypothetical'. This tool is not described in organisation literature, but many of its functions and features can be found in theories relating to, for example, organisational communication, change management, leadership and team dynamics. The Hypothetical does, however, appear as a discussion forum in the popular media. In the 1980s and 1990s, the high profile television program, Hypotheticals, hosted by Geoffrey Robertson QC, dramatised decision making processes, and teased out some of the moral dilemmas inherent in social and political problems, utilising high profile panelists from the social, political and business elites. In the 1990s, the Hypothetical made a transition from the television screen to the management meeting room and the executive suite. The researcher of this study has similarly used the Hypothetical in his capacity as a communications consultant for a number of public and private client organisations. With this background, this study was undertaken to explore the Hypothetical and to identify those functions and features that define its appropriateness as an intervention for organisational communication and change. The findings from this study are founded on two aspects a review of relevant organisation literature, and data from the presentation of a specific Hypothetical intervention to the public organisation Centrelink Queensland. The Hypothetical tool, as identified in this study, is a one-off, 90 minute performance involving a facilitator, audience, and members of a panel who represent the organisation in which semi-fictitious storylines are meant to symbolise elements in the cultural life of the organisation. The study also identifies a Hypothetical process in which research methods that are applied, before and after the intervention performance, help to identify the functions and features of the intervention. The features of the Hypothetical, as an intervention are viewed through the lens of Goffman's 1959) classic theoretical framework of symbolic interactionism, where the organisation is conceptualised as 'theatre', and the motivations and actions of its members are interpreted through the symbolism of theatrical performance and interaction. The study also draws on symbolic convergence theory to explain what happens inside an organisation through the language, conflicts and shared cultural experiences of its members. The Centrelink Hypothetical in this study reflects aspects of the shared organisational culture, and presents its fictitious storylines in the context of dialogues between its panelists. The panelists are representatives of their organisation and are heard reflecting the values of that organisation's culture. Consequently, the analysis of text through the Hypothetical transcript the deciphering of shared narratives, mindsets, motivations and visions of the future, and so forth forms a significant aspect of the study for conceptualising Centrelink organisational culture, and for identifying how problems of communication and change have become embedded in that culture. More specifically, it is through the Centrelink Hypothetical that this study seeks to identify the functions of the Hypothetical and to determine how they may contribute solutions to Centrelink's management problems. The literature consulted for this study reveals that the Hypothetical is closely allied, as an intervention process, with the relatively new management practice of scenario planning. It scenario planning that attempts to build a generative learning capability within organisations a continuously looping process of deep learning that takes place within each organisation's unique strategic conversation. This study draws on scenario planing to identify similar performance features within the Hypothetical process stimulating the organisation to be responsive to, and to embrace, change; finding appropriate methods of communication; identifying and modifying mental models. This study also highlights a significant difference between the scenario planning process and the Hypothetical. Emerging literature in management psychology asserts the importance of the emotionally intelligent team, which demonstrates its social skills and empathy. However, the driving force behind scenario planning is 'the business idea', or the organisation's mental model and what drives it, and there is little or no attention paid to the importance of emotional capabilities in the scenario planning literature. Findings from the Centrelink case demonstrate that a significant dimension of the Hypothetical experience is the impact of symbolically convergent scripted roles and the related capacity to utilise emotional intelligence. Consequently, this study recommends that suitable emotional frameworks be employed throughout the Hypothetical process to help discern appropriate members' behaviours and suggest how the combination of such behaviours may be used to enhance the organisation's future generative learning process.

This thesis explored the socio-political experiences and views of seven Maori women from the tribe of Whakatahea. The project adopted a Maori-centred theoretical and research approach that included the researcher as a member of the researched group. It aimed to draw out the common themes, from the women's recollections of their experiences and views of the socio-political decision-making affairs within whanau, hapu, and iwi. The women identified barriers to participation and strategies to overcome these barriers. Qualifications reflected traditional Maori values and practices. Rights according to whakapapa, and the principle "he kanohi kitea", being seen, were the obvious criterion. Poor information channels, minimal consultation, gender bias, age and time constraints were some of the issues identified as barriers to participation. It was found that whanau governance committees more closely reflected traditional values and customs that saw women and men as sharing power, more so than hapu and iwi organisations. The gender imbalance was viewed, by the women participants, as problematic. They concluded that better gender balance at all levels of the socio-political affairs of Whakatohea would ensure greater informed decision-making for the social, educational, economic, and spiritual well-being of the tribe today and for future generations.

We are emerging from a decade plagued with headlines of crises that tell the narrative of the cost of organizational culture. Evolving before our eyes, the world is acutely focused on the actions of individual leaders and the organizational cultures that have cultivated low-trust and high-fear environments, dysfunctional and failing organizational cultures. Drawing from research in organizational theory, moral philosophy, psychology and sociology, the study focuses on organizational cultures, the role of leadership in enabling healthy cultures. This exploratory, qualitative study utilizing the grounded theory approach addressed the question of how organizations are establishing and reinforcing acceptable ethical leadership behaviors and principles and the factors critical in the role of leadership as an enabler of ethical cultures. The research explores how these leadership behaviors are manifested, and what is the impact and potential consequences these leadership behaviors have on creating healthy organizational cultures. The framework for this exploratory study was to research the questions and assess the phenomena from multiple perspectives. A process of data triangulation was performed, including an evaluation of multiple forms of primary and secondary sources. An analysis of the convergence and disparities of the data patterns resulted in the emergence of the key factors informing the grounded theory. The study points to the importance of leaders as visible and reflective models of organizational culture, especially at the middle layer of the organization. The study points to some emergent themes and effective practices that organizations can utilize to build and frame their ethical leadership development programs and initiatives. These themes include that rules and policies alone, do not provide a sustainable framework for mitigating leadership behavior. Other themes include social learning tools as channels for reinforcement and peer support of ethical decision making practices, evaluation of multiple perspectives of a situation, framing guidance with a tone set through the middle layer of an organization, and implementing diverse activities with a cadence of frequent contact over time. Implications and recommendations for leadership development in the areas of organizational development and business ethics are outlined. Suggestions for future study include organizational reputation management, phenomena of sensationalism and global transparency.

The purpose of this paper is to show how leadership and culture are critical factors in organizational change. The vehicle through which this point is proved is by analyzing the organizational change processes of mergers, as mergers involve leadership and culture. Successful mergers are very rare, and it is hypothesized that not enough attention is paid to leadership and culture during mergers. This paper analyzes many of the factors that related to leadership and culture, such as transparency, trust, communication, and vision. Not only does this paper analyze these topics, but it also examines and applies a successful change strategy, tailored for mergers.

Change is one of the few constants in education. How a school views and responds to change may be related to factors deeply embedded in its school culture. This ethnography describes the dissertation project implemented at Desert Vision Public Charter School in Gilbert, Arizona. Using an ethnographic approach, the author studied the aspects of school culture and leadership, which she believes helped contribute to sustainable change at Desert Vision K-8. The author reviews the ever-present need and demand for change in education, describing the need to shift from transmissive to transformative education, the importance of professional development, and the challenge of educating students to be effective 21^st century citizens. Literature on school culture and the role of leadership is explored in the context of sustainable change. Rationale is provided for implementing ethnographic methodology, and methods for collecting data such as participant observation, focus group discussion, artifact collection, and survey analysis are specified in order to uncover significant cultural characteristics, which may have contributed to sustainable educational change. A model for school culture, highlighting significant cultural characteristics, is proposed in the context of the data collected. This model is also explored as a potentially useful tool for schools outside of this study. The implications of the study uncover a new perspective on leadership and the locus of control of school culture. Intentional hiring practices and the use of non-academic school data are highlighted as strengths in creating a culture for change, and a list of dispositions is shared to aid school leaders in identifying potential candidates who would fit well in a culture for change. The impact on the field of education is outlined, focusing on the potential solutions to current issues such as teacher shortages, teacher education enrollment decline, school culture reform, time/need for soft skills and social/emotional learning, and institutional best practices for transformational schools. The ethnography wraps with recommendations for future research in an effort to further validate the conclusions of this study.

The thesis aims to offer a culturally sensitive analysis of a culture change intervention undertaken in a Polish subsidiary of a North American Pharmaceutical corporation. This is achieved by first of all examining the context in which the initiative was undertaken and subsequently the many facets of its development and implementation. More specifically, the thesis investigates the underlying assumptions of the cultural intervention, its design and implementation, as well as the experiences and perceptions of different organisation members regarding it. The findings come from a longitudinal qualitative study. The data collection methods comprise eighty five semi-structured interviews, photo and word collages, observation and documentary analysis. Based on a constructivist ontology and interpretivist epistemology, the study pays special attention to the storied version of organisational reality as narrated by different participants. The study extends the previous work on the topic by offering insights into a relatively under-explored context of a traumatised Eastern European organisation which attempted to climb out of organisational depression by reinvigorating and promoting its long standing values. The study illustrates how the local situateness of the organisation, such as the communist history of the country, and the changes in the Polish political arena, affected the way participants perceived attempts at cultural manipulation. Furthermore, the thesis discusses how cultural interventions can perpetuate organisational delusion without necessarily leading to the desired behavioural changes. Finally, the findings highlight the instrumentality with which the espoused organisational values are approached and responded to by different organisational actors. To this end, the thesis puts forward the notion of the political reengineering of values to discuss how organisation members, both the agents and targets of change, can creatively engage in the official discourse to promote their individual or group interests.

Thesis (Doctor of Philosophy)--Miami University, Dept. of Educational Leadership, 2004.
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The top leader of an organization influences the organizational culture, and the organizational culture influences the leader. Strategic thinking on the part of the leader is a result of organizational culture and/or will impact organizational culture. This qualitative study is a comparative multiple-case study that examines the relationship between leaders and organizational culture and what the leader’s strategic decision-making and organizational changes indicate about the relationship between leadership and organizational culture. The organizational context of private schools is used to better understand the dynamics between leadership and organizational culture. This study uses an interview protocol with CEOs of private schools, a macroculture in the United States, to solicit the leaders’ perspectives on their school’s organizational culture and their perspectives on the specific strategic decisions made by those leaders in the context of that organizational culture. This study focuses on six different schools in Virginia, all approved through accrediting procedures by the Virginia Council for Private Education -- a shared organizational context. Individual focal points for data collection and analysis include individual school websites, published school documents, and required accreditation documents as well as structured interviews with the CEOs of each school. This study examines the cycle of influence that the leader has on the organization through strategic thinking and the influence that the organizational culture has on the leader. Three findings expressed how the leader influences the organizational culture. There were also three findings on how the organizational culture influences the leaders. Two additional findings are on what change indicates about the relationship between the leader and the organizational culture. These findings reveal that a focus on relationships in the school, a willingness to target specific growth for the individual school, and goals that were expressed spiritually as well as academically are key to the leaders. The study also found that the school cultures identified strongly and positively with that of being a family, spiritual focus operationally distinguishes the school cultures, and spiritual identity is also expressed as the relationship the school has to church. Two findings were identified relating to strategic decisions and change; these findings were that evidence of change should be visible and explicit within the organization and organizational change relates directly to focus for growth from the leader. These findings from this study support the conclusions that 1) Christian school leaders have a direct influence on the values and direction of the school’s organizational culture; 2) the Christian school’s organizational identity has a direct influence on the focus of the leader, and 3) changes targeted in Christian schools reflect the focus of the leader on growth. Findings from this research suggest that organizational culture is highly contextualized and as a result strategic thinking and decision-making on the part of the leader are also highly contextualized. Contextualization increases as the leader seeks to grow the organization or to change the organization. Understanding contextualization that exists, and how organizational culture changes as strategic decisions are made by the leader, has implications for further research in effective leadership, effective change, strategic thinking, and growing effective organizational cultures including private and public institutions of higher education and public and private corporate institution.

Organisational change in any organisation, including the healthcare industry, implies a change in organisational culture. The concept of organisational culture refers to those values and norms within an organisation that are prescribed by both the employer and the employees as to how to behave. However, organisational culture should not be viewed in isolation, as culture and leadership are intertwined. Transformational leadership within an organisational culture serves to achieve its goal, missions and aims by influencing, motivating and creating a mutual relationship between employees and employers, which brings about effective organisational change. The alignment of organisational culture and leadership with a hospital’s vision is important to ensure optimal healthcare delivery and organisational change outcomes. A positivistic research paradigm, with a quantitative, explorative, descriptive and contextual approach, was used to conduct the research study. The research study explored whether a supportive organisational culture, transformational leadership and organisational change outcomes were prevalent in public intensive care units. Secondly, the study aimed to investigate the relationship between organisational culture, transformational leadership and organisational change outcomes in public intensive care units in the Nelson Mandela Bay. Data was collected by means of a structured and previously validated questionnaire with a Cronbach’s alpha of more than 0.80. The target population was registered nurses who work in the intensive care units in the public hospitals. The sample was composed of 56 registered nurses and 4 enrolled nurses who were selected from public hospital intensive care units in Nelson Mandela Bay. Descriptive statistics, linear regression analysis, correlation and a Chi-square test were used to describe the hypothesised relationship between organisational culture and transformational leadership (independent) with organisational change outcomes (dependent variable). The results of this study revealed that the alternative hypothesis was accepted as the P value, was less than 0.05 in all variables. This proved that there was a significant relationship between organisational culture, transformational leadership and organisational change outcomes in the public intensive care units which were sampled. Recommendations are made as to how organisational culture can enhance and support transformational leadership and organisational change outcomes to promote a positive change outcome in public intensive care units. Ethical considerations were maintained throughout the research study.

Education reform initiatives continue to push schools to improve methods of measuring accountability intended to improve student achievement in the United States. Federal programs like the Teacher Incentive Find (TIF) provide school districts with funds to develop and implement school accountability and leadership programs. Teacher leadership is one of the concepts being formally developed amongst these initiatives. My applied thesis project focused on work I conducted with a team of researchers at American Institutes for Research, where we evaluated a teacher leadership program in its third year of implementation. Teacher leadership is facilitated through distributive leadership. School leaders distribute responsibilities that provide teachers with opportunities to extend their expertise outside of their own classrooms. My thesis explores teacher leadership roles and investigates implementation across the client school district. It also discusses how particular anthropological theories about communities of practice, learning, and identity can provide a foundation for conceptualizing teacher leadership implementation and the social interactions between program actors.

Tese de Mestrado em Design de Produto
Esta investigação é focada na área da ‘Gestão do Design’, em particular na forma como os parâmetros que regem a actividade desta são influenciados pela imposição de um paradigma caracterizado pela Sustentabilidade. O estudo é centrado nas funções que a ‘Gestão do Design’ desempenha no contexto de desenvolvimento de novos produtos e serviços, e na sua articulação com os restantes intervenientes nesse processo, que influenciam e condicionam a actividade da ‘Gestão do Design’, bem como o produto final desse processo. A abordagem realizada a este tema contempla num primeiro momento um relato histórico desta problemática cruzando-o com uma contextualização mundial relativa ao desenvolvimento sustentável, tendo sido para tal utilizada uma comparação internacional entre três países. É feita referência ao papel da cultura nacional como elemento condicionante da adopção de práticas sustentáveis, bem como ao papel da disciplina de Design como principal influenciador da performance sustentável dos produtos que projecta e também da cultura de uma sociedade. Num segundo momento, é apresentada uma descrição da ‘Gestão do Design’, das suas funções e relações no contexto interno de uma empresa, bem como uma abordagem ao conceito de Sustentabilidade, referindo a teoria do ‘Triple Bottom Line’, a transformação estrutural que a abordagem por parte de uma empresa à Sustentabilidade acarreta e ainda a forma como este conceito afecta o desenvolvimento de novos produtos e serviços. Com o contributo de especialistas e profissionais ligados à área procurouse delinear quais seriam os pontos essenciais em que assentaria a adaptação da ‘Gestão do Design’ à Sustentabilidade, e como principais conclusões desta investigação são apresentados quatro ideias-chave que sustentarão uma ‘Gestão Sustentável do Design’. Estas baseiam-se no papel de ‘Liderança’ que essa deverá assumir como promotor de uma mudança nas práticas empresariais e de projecto; na função de ‘Diagnóstico’ procurando definir oportunidades em que a intervenção do Design beneficie a performance sustentável da empresa no seu global; na função de ‘Diálogo’ encarregando-se de ser um agente activo na promoção da interdisciplinaridade entre as diversas competências internas de uma empresa, como também, entre os seus parceiros e partes interessadas; e ainda na responsabilidade de ‘Avaliação’ dos processos e resultados do processo de Design de novos produtos e serviços através de critérios relacionados com a Sustentabilidade.
This research is focused in the area of ‘Design Management’, particularly in the way how its general guidelines will be influenced by a emergent paradigm characterised by Sustainability. The study is based on the in ‘Design Management’ role within new product or service development context, and in its relationships with other areas involved in the same process. In general terms, the approach to the problem in investigation is made through an historical framework about Sustainability concerns, which was, afterwards, crossed with the world wide sustainable development issue, represented in this case with an international comparison between three countries. Reference to national culture’s role is made to understand how it can influence the adoption of sustainable practices, as well as to the importance of Design as tool to achieve a better sustainable performances by products and services designed, and as a cultural patterns changer. In a second moment, the concept of ‘Design Management’ is described, how it is operated and how it is established within the internal structure of an organization. Also the concept of ‘Sustainability’ is addressed with the purpose to obtain a deeper insight of the ‘Triple Bottom Line’ theory, to present the major impacts and challenges that a company internally faces when considering sustainability issues in their activities, and to understand the influence on new products and services development process. In addition to this relevant theoretic approach, collecting the opinion and vision of specialists in this matter was extremely useful to develop a new framework for a ‘Sustainable Design Management’. This framework is supported by four key-ideas: the role of ‘Leadership’ that a design manager can play as main promoter of a change in company and project practices; the function of ‘Diagnosis’ looking to evaluate a company’s sustainable performance and identifying opportunities for Design to tackle such issues enhancing it’s approach to Sustainability; assuming an active role on ‘Dialog’ with other areas of a company and all it’s partners and stakeholders; and finally, the ‘Evaluation’ responsibility must be enhanced in order to integrate Sustainability criteria in such process, contributing to a better sustainable performance of the design solutions presented.

This article focuses on a case study in revolutionary change. A private school in Mexico City that had functioned for 49 years under the educational arm of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints underwent a change in mission, purpose, structure, function, and administration in eight months. Research about organizational change contains many conceptual models and principles intended to guide an organization through large-scale change. However, this change occurred without any strict reliance on a specific change model. This qualitative study is directed at empirically discovering what main factors led to success rather than relying on anecdotal assumptions. The change is separated into three major phases: a five-month announcement and planning period, the three-month start-up phase, and a year-long stabilizing period. Data sources included 14 interviews with people who participated in the change, a focus group with managers, and archival documents related to the functioning of the organization during these phases. Six prominent themes came from the data analysis related to change success factors. The most salient was that individual employee attitude's, beliefs and efforts were the main perceived contributing success factor. Others include continuous planning at multiple levels in the organization, the major difficulty yet positive feeling about the change, how different work teams formed and worked together; the role of experienced leaders, the support given to employees in their responsibilities, and sufficient resourcing. Future research should look at the effect of culture clashes when multiple teams are combined under a new vision and purpose and how these cultural differences are moderated by the relationship between organizational factors and employee factors.

Even though companies are facing a continuously changing environment, far from all businesses manage to succeed with their organizational changes. (Olson, 2008) If wanting to meet market demands and avoid unnecessary costs it is important to ask the question if we can, in some way, predict, understand or influence the process of change. (Ahrenfelt, 2001) The purpose of this thesis is to determine if life-cycle theories can be used exclusively when planning and managing a process of change. To answer the purpose, the thesis is based upon a qualitative case study at Consafe Logistics group. Theobjective with the empirical studies, executed through nine interviews with various managers, was to determine whether or not life-cycle models and organizational culture can be of assistance when managing change. The studies showed that the opinions differ between the respondents and that the topics internal communication and documentation were frequently brought up during the interviews.

Theoretically, this thesis addresses different life-cycle change theories and an alternative model for implementing change through organizational culture. Furthermore the theoretic section considers the areas Project organization, Leadership in processes of change, Knowledge, competence & education, Internal communication and Documentation. The thesis showed that applying life-cycle theories to a change can be of limited use since there are big difficulties in placing the different activities throughout the change in achronological order. The theories can be used however to highlight the relationship between activities which can be useful for making time savings. Irrespective of the order activities are managed in a process of change, measurable goals, feedback and support throughout the process are central for the change’s outcome. This thesis has resulted in a general life-cycle model for managing organizational change based upon existing theoriesand empirical studies. Finally, culture and inertia are described as two factors that either facilitate or inhibit the success of the change depending on how they are managed.

Leadership has a direct influence on actions in the work environment that enable changes. The present study examines the views of employees on effective leadership in implementing change in the context of the Abu Dhabi Police (ADP). Employing a mixed-methods approach comprising the use of survey instruments, interviews and documents, the study identifies strengths and weaknesses in the ADP‘s leadership. Using a random sample of 288 ADP employees, the results of the survey, interviews and documentanalysis consistently show that the ADP leadership was dominated by a top-down approach and a directive and commanding leadership style which was effective in terms of having a clear vision for change, motivating employees to change and using empowerment and delegation, but rather weak in communicating change to employees and involving them in change, due to the culture and traditions. The findings also suggest that the employees‘ perceptions of leadership varied according to education, working experience and job position. Therefore, the ADP leadership should pay attention to the demands and expectations of employees at all levels in order to implement change more efficiently. The study further demonstrates that the six characteristics of leadership were intertwined. The organizational culture, which is rooted in Arab culture and police culture, has shaped the leadership styles in the ADP. The study contributes to a better understanding of the ADP‘s leadership characteristics and highlights future directions for improvement:the ADP leadership should focus on developing a better communication strategy and making employees more involved in the implementation of change. This study can be used as a model for future studies in other similar police leadership settings.

When integrating sustainability, companies are often overlooking the changes needed in their organisational culture. This hinders organisations’ core business to efficiently embed sustainability and dooms corporate sustainability initiatives to be superficial. A possible solution is for organisations to develop a sustainability- oriented organisational culture that engages employees with the sustainability change and that develops a leadership supportive of the engagement of their employees. As a result, this thesis aims at exploring how organisations can change their organisational culture in order to fully integrate sustainability by engaging employees and managers. Specifically, it studies how employee engagement can contribute to transforming organizational cultures to fully embed sustainability. Additionally, this paper analyses how managers can support employee engagement with sustainability. The thesis conducts a literature review to set the theoretical foundations; it further resorts to semi-structured interviews and document analysis conducted in a Swedish public company, which has begun to integrate sustainability into its culture. The study finds that organisations’ cultures are being changed at the artifact levels and, partially, at the values and beliefs level of their cultures. Additionally, the thesis establishes that organisations are failing to create the conditions for employee engagement. It finally shows that leadership in companies is not efficiently supporting the engagement of employees to integrate sustainability into their culture.

In order for organisations to grow and maintain their competitive advantage, change has become the norm. The healthcare industry and especially private healthcare organisations, is no exception. Organisational change often implies a change in organisational culture. The concept of culture refers to the ways of thinking, values and ideas of things rather than the concrete, objective and more visible part of the organisation. Organisational culture is not to be viewed in isolation as culture and leadership are intertwined. Leaders shape cultures and their fundamental role is affecting others and making changes that increase organisational efficiency and performance. Patient safety, cost-effective care based on the best available evidence and patient satisfaction are top priorities of healthcare organisations, especially intensive care units where critically ill patients are cared for. Alignment of the organisational culture and leadership with a hospital‘s vision, namely to deliver quality patient care, is thus essential. A positivistic research paradigm, with a quantitative, explorative, descriptive and contextual approach was used to conduct the study. The study explored whether transformational organisational culture, leadership and desired organisational change outcomes existed in private intensive care units in the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan and East London areas. It aimed at exploring the relationship between selected demographic variables, culture, leadership and organisational change outcomes. Lastly, the relationship between organisational culture and leadership (independent variables) and organisational change outcomes (dependent variable) was explored. The sample comprised 130 professional nurses who were selected from all the adult intensive care units in the private healthcare industry in the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan and East London areas. A structured questionnaire with a Cronbach‘s alpha of more than 0.8 was used to collect data. The empirical results indicated that transformational leadership and a conducive organisational culture existed in the private intensive care units sampled. However, it was found that innovation and innovative care practices could be improved. Care practices were not necessarily aligned with the latest, available innovative techniques, procedures and practices. Reflective practices and in-service training to improve care practices and encourage and promote innovative care practices were not always optimised. Recommendations related to the findings were made for managers, as well as for research, education and practice. Ethical principles were maintained throughout the study.

As corporations have to adapt to an ever-faster spinning global environment they often turn to projects as a facilitator to positive change. With the increase in temporary projects more line managers are faced with leading projects in the permanent organisation, a task that can be widely different from leadership in the permanent organisation. Our purpose is to expand the theoretical and practical knowledge on how managers view the contrast on leadership in the temporary organisation in comparison with the permanent organisation in our case company IKEA and how organisational culture influence this leadership. Which lead us to our research question, How do managers at IKEA compare their leadership styles between being a line manager in comparison with a manager in a temporary organisation? In order to answer the research questions we conducted a qualitative method study, using semi-structured interviews as a tool we interviewed nine senior managers at IKEA who have significant experience from leadership in both organisational contexts. The managers also answered a leadership test for us to better understand their leadership; furthermore we interviewed an HR-experienced manager for context. To interpret the data, an exhaustive theoretical frame of reference was constructed with regards to our purpose, built mainly of leadership theory, organisational culture and differences organisational contexts. After presenting our data based on our main themes, a thematic analysis was conducted on the data gathered that summarized and discussed the important findings discovered in our transcripted interview material. The themes constructed were “leading to succeed”, “communication is key”, “focus on the individual”, “supportive surroundings” and “strength through unity”. Further, a framework is assembled and presented, highlighting the contrasts between the organisational contexts in regards to our constructed thematic frameworks. In our conclusions we found that the basis of our participants transformative leadership does not change between the organisational contexts, it only slightly adapts to organisational routines that differ. Furthermore we establish a connection between IKEA’s transformative organisational culture and leadership in the organisation, which are analogous in their cornerstones. The theoretical contributions complements previous research within leadership in temporary organisations, with the additions of organisational culture and the managerial perspective. And our practical contributions assist IKEA and similar companies in their understanding of their managers’ views on the fundamental contrasts in leadership in the different organisational contexts.

Mestrado em Gestão de Recursos Humanos
Com o intuito de conseguir aprofundar conhecimentos adquiridos ao longo do Mestrado em Gestão de Recursos Humanos, bem como conseguir aplicar os conhecimentos já adquiridos, optei por terminar a minha formação através de uma vertente mais prática, realizando um estágio curricular, e posteriormente elaborando um relatório que serviu como trabalho final. Surgiu então a oportunidade de estagiar numa empresa de consultoria na área da Gestão da Mudança denominada MY CHANGE, durante 3 meses, entre 13 de janeiro e 11 de abril de 2014, consumando um total de 416 horas. Ao longo do estágio foi possível perceber, através da realização de variadas atividades, a importância do alinhamento dos Recursos Humanos de uma Organização, e o papel decisivo que estes têm para o sucesso de um processo de Mudança Organizacional. Foi também possível perceber a importância que as questões relacionadas com a Liderança, com a Cultura Organizacional ou com a Comunicação têm para o desenrolar deste processo, bem como o impacto que elas têm nos Recursos Humanos. Após o término do estágio pôde concluir-se que a Gestão da Mudança é um tema cada vez mais badalado no mundo Organizacional, e perspetiva-se que as práticas de Gestão da Mudança sejam cada vez mais tidas em conta para o futuro das Organizações em Portugal.
With the aim to consolidate theoretical knowledge gained throughout the Masters in Human Resources Management, as to apply already adquired knowledge, i decided to finish my graduatuion by a more practical strand, performing an internship, and elaborating a report that served as final work. Than, it appeared the oportunity to do an intership in a consultancy company in Change Management business called MY CHANGE, for 3 months, between january 13 and april 11 of 2014, consummating a total of 416 hours. During the internship it was possible to understand, by performing some activities, the importance of the Organisation?s Human Resources alignment, and the decisive role those have for the success of an Organizational Change process. It was also possible to perceive the importance that some questions related with Leadership, Organisational Culture or Comunication have to unfold this process, as well as the impact they have in the Human Resources. By the end of the internship, it could be concluded that Change Management is something increasingly trendy in Organisation?s world, and it can be envisaged that Change Management practices will be increasingly taken into account to the future of Organisations in Portugal.

The purpose of this multiple case study is to document how directors at private preschools have already, or are preparing for, leadership transitions. The study documents two private preschools; one preschool recently completed a leadership transition and the other is preparing for a transition that is scheduled to take place in the next five years. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with directors, teachers, and families in both centers and analysis of archival records. Data were analyzed deductively drawing on key concepts from literature discussing leadership styles, factors impacting leadership transitions in organizations, and Heifetz's theory of adaptive leadership. Findings suggest that private preschools benefit from long-term succession planning for future leadership transitions, that includes staff participation and parent feedback. This study documents examples of intentionally planned transparent and collaborative administrative and leadership change in early childhood environments.

I syfte att undersöka vad som påverkar medarbetarattityder till en intervention, genomfördes en enkätstudie med 23 frågor inom två kommunala verksamhetsprocesser. Bland 137 besvarade enkäter och en svarsfrekvens på 77 procent var deltagarna mellan 22 och 64 år med olika utbildningsnivåer och omfattning på chefskontakt. Frågeställningen var: Hur påverkas medarbetarnas attityder av 1) chefens engagemang, 2) yrkes- och arbetsplatsfaktorer och 3) arbetsbelastning. Genom varians-, korrelations- och regressionsanalyser undersöktes de oberoende variablernas förhållande till medarbetarnas attityder till interventionen. Resultatet visade att medarbetarattityderna till interventionen var mer positiva när chefens engagemang uppfattades som högt. En negativ inställning till interventionen bland kollegorna på arbetsplatsen visade samband med en mer negativ medarbetarattityd. Studien gav inte stöd för något samband mellan arbetsbelastning och medarbetarattityd. Ett klusterurval hade eventuellt ökat validiteten och förbättrat könsfördelningen. Förslag till vidare forskning är att undersöka påverkan av upplevd nytta på sambandet mellan arbetsbelastning och attityd till förändring.

Background: There are very few robust studies in the literature that explore the correlation between transformational leadership and effective nursing care in long term care facilities for older people. Working from the premise that transformational leadership is situational leadership enacted within a person-centred framework, this study develops a composite model of situational lead~rship in residential care by connecting and synthesising concepts of person-centred theory with situational leadership theory within the person-centred nursin~ framework. This model subsequently forms the theoretical basis for this overall study. Aims of the research study: To use the model of situational leadership in residential care as the premise for developing and facilitating a leadership intervention programme for leaders and, using an action research approach, test three actionable hypotheses that were developed from the theoretical model. Approach and methods: The data came from several sources: the Leadership Practices Inventory (LPI); non-participatory observation using the Workplace Culture Critical Analysis Tool (WCCAT); critical and reflective dialogues with participants; narratives from residents at time 1 and time 2 of the study; focus groups with staff at time 2 and my reflective field notes. Different approaches to analyse the data were adopted for the different data sources. In the final stage the overall results of the thematic analysis were brought together using cognitive mapping to answer the study's actionable hypotheses and create a visual representation of the study. Findings: A 'Person-Centred Situational Leadership (PCSL) Framework' emerges that captures seven core themes of 'the being of person-centredness'. These specific attributes enhance the leader's ability to continuously role model a person-centred way of being for followers so that person-centredness "is consistently brought into practice on a day-to-day basis. Conclusions and implications: A main recommendation from the study is the utilization of the PCSL Framework to underpin the: delivery of a leadership development programme focusing on the development of 'the being of personcentredness in leaders.

The purpose with this thesis is to analyze how culture in an organization influences the communication process during a major organizational change and to give examples of this. The empirical study was carried out at Karlstads University where an organizational change took place during 2004-2005. My first starting point for this study was the extensive research that shows how closely connected the organizational culture is to all communication in an organization. As a consequence communication practitioners plan communication actives bases on this culture and the employees, the receivers, interpretate the messages based on the existing culture norm in the organization. The second starting point was research that showed the importance of dialogue between managers and employees to create meaning consequently a successful change process. To be able to exemplify how culture is a key variable in the communication process the research questions asked is in what way dialog and sense making was used when communicating the organizational change and also in what way the culture influenced the communication between employees and management.

 

The theoretical framework in this thesis comes mostly from the Public Relations field. Initially theories regarding the strategic level of communication professionals in the organization, leaders and managements responsibility to communicate and initiate dialog to ensure an effective change process is presented. Different research perspectives on culture and organization are presented with a special focus on communication as part of building and retaining the culture. Finally theories in connection to communication as a crucial part of a successful change process are presented.

 

The empirical material was collected by using focus group interviews. The result shows that culture has influenced both the receiver and the sender in the communication process. For example several respondents have indicated that the culture at the University doesn’t encourage dialog between management and employees. Another cultural aspect is the employees’ lack of acceptance for the line organization and with that problem trying to use middle management as a communication channel to employees. Further more the study shows that management see communication as transmission of information and not as construction of meaning.

Syftet med uppsatsen är att analysera hur organisationskulturen på en arbetsplats påverkar kommunikationen vid en förändringsprocess och ge konkreta exempel på detta. Undersökningen genomfördes vid Karlstads universitet där en omfattande organisationsförändring genomfördes 2004-2005. Den första utgångspunkten för uppsatsen är den omfattande forskning som visar hur kulturen vid en arbetsplats är nära kopplad till all kommunikationen. Detta innebär att de som ansvarar för kommunikationsplaneringen utgår från denna kultur vid planeringen samt att de anställda, de vill säga mottagarna, tolkar budskapen utifrån den rådande kulturen. Den andra utgångspunkten är forskning som visar på vikten av att skapa dialog mellan ledning och anställda för att skapa förståelse och därmed en lyckad förändringsprocess. För att kunna beskriva och exemplifiera på vilket sätt organisationskultur är en variabel i kommunikationsprocessen har jag arbetat utifrån två frågeställningar. Dels i vilken omfattning har kommunikationen präglats av dialog och delaktighet i samband med omorganisationen vid KAU. Dels hur organisationens kulturella påverkat villkor kommunikationen mellan ledning och medarbetare.

 

Teorier som behandlas kommer främst från det så kallade Public Relations-fältet. Inledningsvis redovisas teorier kring informatörens roll som kommunikationsstrateg, ledningens och chefens kommunikativa ansvar och vikten av dialog för att säkerställa en effektiv förändringsprocess. Därefter redovisas teorier kopplade till organisationskultur där flertalet kommunikationsforskare lyfter fram kommunikationens roll vid byggande och upprätthållandet av en organisationskultur. Avslutningsvis behandlas teorier kopplade till förändring och kommunikation som en avgörande faktor för att skapa en lyckad förändring.

 

Fokusgrupper används för insamlingen av undersökningens empiriska material. Resultatet visar att kulturen påverkat både mottagare och sändare i kommunikationsprocessen. Bland annat anger flertalet respondenter att det inte finns en kultur vid universitetet som stimulerar till dialog. Inte heller mellanchefen som kommunikationskanal har fungerat då det i kulturen vid universitet inte finns en förståelse och acceptans för linjeorganisationen. Vidare så visar undersökningen att ledningen ser kommunikation som överföring av information och inte en möjlighet till förankring och förståelse.