Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Social sciences Organizational learning'

This research sought to understand the role of organizational learning and the experience of the use of organizational learning for the development of sustainability culture in life science companies. Therefore, the study utilized a phenomenological qualitative approach to find out the perspectives of life science companies and life science non-governmental organizations (NGOs) about the subject matter. Furthermore, this study was exploratory and inductive and used a combination of research methods (triangulation). It was found that organizational learning creates sustainability awareness and engagement which contributes to the development of sustainability culture. This in turn would lead to the organization becoming a learning organization that focuses on sustainability. Government policies, quality management systems and internal standards serve as factors that create awareness of sustainability issues and encourage life science small-medium enterprises (SMEs) to continuously engage in sustainability business practices. It was found that various learning methods can be used internally and externally to learn about sustainability. However it is important that learning that is done externally or on an individual level be shared with the organization in a group or organizational level. The study acknowledged a heightened awareness for more sustainability focused practices within the operations of life science companies, however the financial constraints negatively influence how they prioritize their actions. It also identified how collaborations with life sciences NGOs help facilitate the implementation of a long-term sustainability vision and strategies into life science companies.

For-profit social enterprises are facing the dual challenges of fulfilling social purpose on the one hand and surviving business competition on the other. Being a sustainable for-profit social enterprise, the company must balance between economic, social and environmental aspects throughout their business operations. In order to achieve the desired end of sustainability, organization need to keep learning about the social needs and the business environment in order to develop sustainable business processes, and better fulfill their purpose as organizations formed to create social value. The study aims to fill the gaps in sustainability research literature about organizational learning in for-profit social enterprises by exploring how effective learning processes occur at individual, group and organizational level and how to facilitate these learning processes to improve sustainability. The study develops an analytical framework by combining the 4I framework for organizational learning process (Crossan et al., 1999) and an AKO (activities, knowledge source, outcomes) framework for understanding learning activities, knowledge sources and learning outcomes. Four for-profit social enterprises in both Denmark and Sweden are chosen as cases. Based on findings, three organizational learning mechanisms are identified on selected cases. Practical implications and insights are also generated for for-profit social enterprises to facilitate organizational learning for sustainability.

In a globalized social welfare market, where international and national NGOs influence social service delivery in community’s worldwide, the demands on mutual exchange, shared responsibilities, and transnational collaborations has increased. However, there are some challenges that NGOs face in this work. Lack in coordination of donor funded projects have enabled overlapping responsibility in service provision and a rivalry between NGOs in retrieving funds, witch in it turn has hindered the communication of knowledge between NGOs in the social work field. To create good practice, the basic assumption is that NGOs have to be able to learn from past experiences, a process known as organizational learning. One way of realizing organizational learning, is through evaluation. The success of an evaluation is further closely linked with the utilization of the knowledge gained. The purpose of this study is to discover how knowledge gained through an evaluation made by the Swedish organization IOGT-NTO, has been used within the non-governmental organization of UYDEL, and how this knowledge is communicated to the organizations stakeholders. To realize our purpose, we conducted a field study within UYDEL in Kampala, Uganda. The material, collected through interviews and observations, was later transcribed and analyzed, in relation to our theoretical framework. The theoretical framework includes basic theories on organizational learning, evaluation and communication. Our results indicate that issues that initially introduced themselves in this evaluation, later was reintroduced in our material, and thus still remained a problem within UYDEL. What seemed to hinder organizational learning was the organizations over-dependency on its donors, which affected its sustainability, and could be seen as a consequence of the misplacement of recourses within the organization.

As the topic of sustainability is gaining a lot of importance, organizations in the aviation industry are coming together to form networks. The purpose of the study is to understand the concept of inter-organizational networks as potential learning organizations and find out how facilitating processes that enable these inter-organizational networks like collaboration, communication and knowledge management operate within networks. Further research will explore processes of learning in networks to investigate alignment and resemblance with the concept of sustainable learning organization and provide an insight on organization structure and culture as enablers of learning. The basic design of the study consists of semi-structured interviews of two networks in the aviation industry as primary data in order to support research questions with empirical analysis. In addition, systematic review of academic literature and official websites of various network stakeholders was used as a secondary data collection source to discover track record of current research study in this field and identify knowledge gaps and areas for further study. Major findings include impact of formal and informal structure of networks on learning processes and objective setting for the network. It also depicts a need for a holistic and systematic approach at interorganizational level in order to form a learning organization. In the end culture was also identified as a learning enabler in networks that tend to be sustainable learning organizations.

Studies of organizational learning have found that military organisations can benefit from developing organizational learning. Successful implementation of organizational learning exists in the Israeli army. This study analyses the organizational learning capability of the Swedish army. By adopting the organizational learning capability theory by Visser and applying it to data collected through both documents and interviews, this study investigates the possible harmony and dissonance between the data. The findings discovered that while there is compatibility in two out of four dimensions, which is interpreted as the Swedish army having a good baseline to build their organizational learning; it also ascertained that there is a large dissonance regarding knowledge conversion. This is seen as a probable inhibitor for the implementation of organizational learning in the Swedish army. Specifically, is the lack of education in knowledge conversion seen as a large threat to the organization successfully implementing organizational learning. The study contributes to the research field with a comparison of the normative level and reality; in this it contributes with an understanding of which parts can be considered to facilitate and inhibit organizational learning. Furthermore, it gives the Swedish Army several recommendations to accelerate their capabilities in organizational learning.

Many researchers in numerous studies have focused on leadership style and organizational cultures, but there is an absence of research regarding leader personality traits and productive work cultures in Alberta's oil and gas industry. The purpose of this correlational study was to assess the relationship between leader traits and preestablished learning organization culture benchmarks within Alberta's oil and gas industry. Learning organization culture is an extension of Senge's learning organization theory. Simple random sampling was used to attain a population comprised of 52 employees in Alberta's oil and gas industry who were accountable to an organizational supervisor. Data were collected via the NEO-FFI-3 and the Learning Organization Survey; summarization was accomplished by means of an online third party survey administration service. Regression analyses revealed that each of the 5-factor traits was correlated to learning organization culture. When the model was changed to multiple regression using all traits together, only 2 traits remained significant. Openness to experience positively correlated with learning organization culture, whereas neuroticism was negatively correlated with learning organization culture. The implication for social change is that human resource personnel in Alberta's oil and gas industry can institute information provided in this research to identify and develop leaders who promote innovation in a learning organization culture. Innovation in Alberta's oil and gas industry assists to overcome environmental sustainability, augment technology inefficiencies, and decrease workplace personnel issues.

In 2015, Swedish Non-Profit Organizations (NPOs) served as the backbone of society, assisting 162.877 immigrant refugees escaping conflict zones throughout the world. As the thrive to include newcomer refugees in the Swedish society continues, non-profits are facing numerous of challenges such as operating in highly competitive environments marked by shrinking grant budgets and increased pressure to provide long-term impact. To achieve optimal NPO organizational sustainability, the non-profit sector must therefore interact and learn how to address the aforementioned difficulties collectively. Furthermore, existing studies emphasizes the scarcity of research on learning through non-profit collaboration, as the knowledge management and organizational learning field has mostly concentrated on the for-profit sector rather than the non-profit sector. To fill this research gap, this study uses a qualitative approach to investigate NPO perceptions of interorganizational learning through collaboration, conducting ten semi-structured interviews with NPO employees working with newcomer refugees in Sweden. The results indicated that the NPOs’ learning outcomes connected to the need for collective sensemaking of the Swedish government’s new migration policies, which had a significant influence on the target groups prospects of remaining in Sweden. Moreover, the NPOs learned from unsuccessful collaborations, resulting in changes to the organizations’ routines and processes aimed at improving future collaborations. As a consequence, learning outcomes were incorporated into their organizational memory through digital Knowledge Management Systems such as Google Drive and Rise-Up. They were, however, heavily reliant on people’s willingness to share tacit and explicit knowledge, as well as an organizational culture that encouraged them to knowledge share. As a result, most non-profits either did not upgrade these systems at all or did not have the technological infrastructure to do so in the first place.

How do public organizations manage crises? How do public organizations learnfrom crises? These seemingly basic questions still pose virtual puzzles for crisismanagement researchers. Yet, the interest of the academic and practitionerrealms in crisis management has grown in recent years. In this doctoral dissertationEdward Deverell sheds light on the problems regarding the lack ofknowledge on how public organizations manage and learn from crises, with anumber of critical knowledge gaps in contemporary crisis management as thestarting point.   In the last few decades the interest in crisis management as a scholarly fieldhas grown. This developing field is composed of an increasing number of looselyconnected social science scholars concerned with issues of extraordinary events,their repercussions and the way in which they are managed by authorities,organizations, policy makers and other key actors. However, there are severallacunae to be dealt with in the emerging field of crisis management research.This dissertation sets the spotlight on four of these limitations of the crisis managementliterature to date.   First, influential scholars within the field call for increased structuration andfeasible models to help us understand and explain various important factorsinfluencing the crisis management process. In this dissertation I try to bridgethis gap by developing theory on crisis response and learning. Crisis responsesignifies organized activities undertaken by a stakeholder when a community ofpeople – an organization, a town, or a nation – perceives an urgent threat to corevalues which must be dealt with under conditions of uncertainty. Crisis-inducedlearning refers to purposeful efforts, triggered by a crisis event and carried out bymembers of an organization working within a community of inquiry, that leadto new understanding and behavior on the basis of that understanding.   Second, organizations play a key role in crisis management. Surprisinglyenough, however, crisis management research have only occasionally built theoryon how organizations respond to crisis. So far, the literature tells us moreabout crises as events than on how these events are actually managed. One reasonis the focus within crisis management research on highly unusual, big catastrophicevents and industrial accidents. Therefore, this dissertation explorescrisis episodes that affect specific organizations rather than entire communitiesor national governments. In addition, the dissertation brings together debateson crisis management and crisis-induced learning from a public managementand organizational perspective.   Third, crisis management researchers have to date dealt mostly with acutecrisis response and issues of preparedness, while the issues of crisis aftermathsand crisis-induced learning are still relatively unknown. However, althoughthis study recognizes the importance of crisis planning and sense-making, thisshould not lead to a relative neglect of the issue of learning from crisis. Crisisinducedlearning is important as crises are rare events with huge repercussions.Thus crises are opportunities to draw lessons in order to improve future managementand crisis response, and to mitigate the risk of future crises.   Fourth, the relatively few studies that have dealt with crisis-induced learninghave focused on learning after the crisis (intercrisis learning), while theoryon learning during crisis (intracrisis learning) is not as developed. My interestin both inter- and intracrisis learning obligates me to study crisis response andcrisis learning in conjunction. This means studying how organizations respondto crises and how they learn during and from these episodes. By focusing onprocesses of crisis response and learning under pressure – rather than pre-crisisplanning, threat perception, risk management and preparedness – the dissertationlooks into how organizations and their members manage the challenge ofcrises and how they take on, make use of and implement lessons learned fromone crisis to the next.   The lacunae outlined above are theoretical points of departure for this dissertation’sinterest in the extent to which public organizations learn from crises.Accordingly, the overall objective of the dissertation is to increase understandingof crisis response and crisis learning in public organizations. In doing so, Iconduct an abductive study of how public organizations respond to crises andhow they learn during and after these events. The term ‘abductive’ refers toa research strategy which is characterized by continuous movement back andforth between theory and empirical data.   The first step of the research process was grounded in the empirical world.The empirical contribution is a careful process tracing and case reconstructionof six cases involving Swedish public sector organizations. In the methodologychapter (Chapter 3) I describe the basis of the empirically bounded case study approach and case reconstruction and process tracing method. Six case studiesof organizational crisis management and learning were selected for furtheranalysis. The case studies were based on a variety of sources including posthoc accident investigations, articles, organizational documents and 129 extensivesemi-structured interviews with key crisis managers. The process tracingand reconstruction efforts led to case narratives, which were then dissected byidentifying dilemmas and critical decision-making occasions that were studiedin more detail. The following cases are explored in the dissertation: TheSwedish energy utility Birka Energi’s management of two cable fires that causedlarge-scale blackouts in Stockholm in March 2001 and May 2002; The cityof Stockholm’s management of the 2001 blackout and the repeated incidentin 2002; The Swedish Defence Research Agency’s (FOI) management of hoaxanthrax letters in 2001; and three Swedish media organizations’ (the Swedishpublic service radio Sveriges Radio, the Swedish private TV station with publicservice tasks TV4, and the Swedish public service TV station Sveriges Television)management of news work and broadcasting challenges on 11 September 2001(and to some extent following the murder of the Swedish Foreign MinisterAnna Lindh in September 2003).   As the case selection reveals, all organizations under study are not puregovernment organizations. Rather three organizations (Birka Energi, SverigesRadio and Sveriges Television) are publically owned corporations, while one(TV4) is a privately owned media organization. Accordingly, this dissertationclaims that ownership is not the only measure of ‘publicness’. Media organizations,for instance, are of great importance for democratic societies. The term‘public organization’ is thus in this dissertation not used in the sense of equatingto government, but rather in reference to the degree of which political authorityand influence impacts on the organization.   The theory generating approach that this dissertation takes on impliesthat the case studies are ‘heuristic’ case studies. The dissertation aims to promotenew hypotheses for further research rather than to produce generalizedknowledge. To this end the case studies are further analyzed by specific theoreticalapproaches suggested by prior research. This second step of the researchprocess is dealt with in some detail in the literature review. The literature reviewin Chapter 2 aims to bring an injection of organizational studies into the fieldof crisis management research. The review presents relevant studies from thefields of crisis management studies, organization studies (with special attentiongiven to organizational learning theory) and public administration and management.The review puts forth a twofold argument: There is a need of increasedknowledge not only about crises and how they develop, but also about how theyare actually managed by public organizations. However, prior crisis managementresearch with bearing on public management organizations are mostly based on either political executive foreign policy decision making or on veryspecific high reliability organizations operating in the pre-crisis phase. Hence,organization studies and public management studies should play a greater partin crisis management research.   The review also provides an overview frame for the study by highlightingrelevant research. The chapter discusses the problems of defining, categorizingand operationalizing key concepts such as crisis, crisis management and organizationallearning.   In the third step of the research process, the case studies are further analyzedusing theoretical approaches aimed at proposing propositions on how publicsector organizations may respond to crises, and how they may learn from theircrisis experiences. These analyses have been carried out with an aim to producestand-alone articles aimed for publication in international scholarly journals.Thus this dissertation differs somewhat from the typical public administrationdissertation as it is comprised of an analysis of several articles, as opposed to amonograph. The journal articles are published or accepted for publication inthe Journal of Contingencies and Crisis Management, the Journal of HomelandSecurity and Emergency Management, Public Management Review, and RiskManagement. The articles are reprinted in four empirical chapters (Chapters4-7), which make up the core of the dissertation. Introductory and concludingchapters aimed at bringing the discussion together have then been added.I present the first empirical analysis in Chapter 4. It looks into how organizationalculture affects strategy and adaptability in crisis management. The keyresearch question is: What mechanisms affect organizations’ ability to restructurein order to cope with acute crisis management challenges? In the study I propose atypology of temporal organizational responses to crises in public perception. Thetypology is based on organizations’ abilities to change strategy and adapt theirmanagerial and operational levels to deal with crises. The empirical data used toconstruct the typology covers three organizational crisis responses: 1) The utilityBirka Energi’s response to a cable fire that caused a thirty-seven hour blackoutin Stockholm in 2001; 2) The TV station TV4’s response in terms of how toreorganize and broadcast during the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks; 3)FOI, the Swedish National Defence Research Agency’s response to the anthraxletter scare of 2001 and 2002. The different organizational outcomes featuredby the typology reveal distinct aspects of organizational crisis management.According to the typology, the Fully Adapting Organization (TV4) managesto adapt both its strategy and its managerial and operational levels to deal withthe crisis. The Semi-Adapting Organization (FOI) changes its strategy but lacksthe capacity to change managerial and operational levels according to the newstrategy. The Non-Adapting Organization (Birka Energi) does not grasp theimportance of strategy change in the first place. Based on three inductive case studies, the study concludes that organizational culture plays an important rolein this process where the Semi-Adapting Organization and the Non-AdaptingOrganization were dominated by strong expert cultures which proved to be lessinclined to change. In contrast, the Fully Adapting organization had deliberatelyfostered an organizational culture in which flexibility – understood as thecapacity to readily adapt to changing demands – was a cornerstone.   The second empirical analysis is presented in Chapter 5. It deals with theissue of flexibility and rigidity in crisis response and crisis learning at two Swedishpublic organizations. The point of departure for the study is that the relationshipbetween crises, organizational crisis management response and learning hasto date been understudied. In an effort to broaden theoretical knowledge on therelation between crisis and learning, the study analyzes the crisis responses oftwo public organizations during a sequence of two failures. The empirical datais grounded in thorough process tracing and case reconstruction analyses ofhow the utility Birka Energi and the city of Stockholm managed two comprehensiveblackouts in March 2001 and in May 2002. The key research questionis: How does organizational rigidity and flexibility affect public organizations’ crisisresponse and crisis learning? A framework of rigidity versus flexibility in responseis utilized in the analysis. The findings are then discussed in relation to theirimplications for the nexus between crisis and learning. The study concludes byraising four propositions for further research.   The third empirical analysis is presented in Chapter 6. This study aims tocontribute to the debate on organizational learning from crisis by sheddinglight on the phenomenon of crises as learning triggers. In the study I pose thefollowing key research question: How can we analyze organizational learningduring and after crisis and what criteria should be part of the analysis? In an effortto unveil patterns of how organizational crisis-induced learning may appearand develop, I suggest a conceptual framework based on conceptual categoriesand answers to four fundamental questions: what lessons are learned (single- ordouble-loop)?; what is the focus of the lessons (prevention or response)?; whenare lessons learned (intra- or intercrisis)?; is learning carried out or blocked fromimplementation (distilled or implemented)? In the analysis section I explorethe practical applicability of the framework by using the same empirical casestudies as in Chapter 5. The final section suggests four propositions for furtherresearch.   The last empirical study is presented in Chapter 7. There I construct aframework of management, learning and implementation in response to crisis.My point of departure is a proposition from previous crisis managementresearch which posits that previous experience can shape crisis response as away of repeating former routines or as a precondition for improvisation. Thekey research question is: How do organizational management structures affect crisis response, learning and implementation? In the study I argue that flexibilityis closely connected to the way organizations learn – in behavioral or cognitivemodes. Moreover, these learning modes are connected to the role of managerialgroups, where I differentiate between centralized and decentralized top managerialgroups. In addition, two case studies of how two bureaucratic media organizations(Sveriges Radio and SVT) managed and learned from extraordinarynews events – most notably 9/11 and the assassination of the Swedish ForeignMinister Anna Lindh – are conducted. The findings show how the decentralizedmanagerial group learned in a behavioral fashion, by creating new formalpolicies and structures, while organizational members in the centralized managerialgroup relied on individual cognitive structures as a way of ‘storing’ lessonslearned. The study ends by discussing the findings from a crisis managementperspective, where I propose that the two modes of learning profoundly affectthe crucial issue of flexibility in organizational crisis response.The concluding Chapter 8 discusses and contrasts the findings and propositionsgenerated from the four separate empirical analyses. Here the role oforganizational structure and culture are highlighted by revisiting specific organizationalfactors that seem to impact on organizational crisis management andlearning processes, such as previous experience, flexibility and rigidity in crisisresponse and learning, and centralization and decentralization. These factorswere also outlined in the literature review. Further empirical evidence of howthe factors affect crisis response and crisis learning in organizations was foundin the four empirical analyses.   In addition, findings from the empirical studies also related to different types of learning processes such as intra- and intercrisis learning and singleand double-loop learning. Consequently these concepts are also deliberated upon in the concluding sections of the dissertation. As a final attempt to bring the propositions and arguments together, a framework of the crisis management and learning process is proposed. In regard to this venture, it is important to acknowledge the limitations of the framework, and of the dissertation as a whole. As it is only based on data from six cases of Swedish public organizational responses to crisis, the framework is merely a visual schematic of a number of propositions to be further tested and validated by further research. However, the framework also has a few virtues. It is an attempt to approach the ambiguous nature of crises and crisis management processes. The framework may also assist in providing more sensible and practical conceptualizations, and thus bring us closer to definitions that remain close to everyday operations of practitioners involved in crisis management. This dissertation thus makes an effort to bridge the gap between crisis management scholars and practitioners. This is also an overall goal guiding research activities at the National Center for Crisis Management Studies (CRISMART) at the Swedish National Defence College, where the research behind this dissertation has been conducted.

Thesis (MPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2005.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The objective of this study is to gain an understanding of the role and function of Communities of Practice in managing organizational knowledge. This thesis views the organization as a learning system and focuses on key characteristics of a learning organization and Communities of Practice. The interrelationship as well as the details of these themes is described in detail. Some organizations seek to become learning organizations. Yet, implementation is elusive and is not often based on research about what constitutes a learning culture. The goals of this study is to review and analyze the key characteristics of learning organizations and Communities of Practice how they develop, and where does one start if a learning organization is to be created. A qualitative research methodology to answer the why and how question is followed to describe, explain and interpret the findings. The literature review covers specific definitions, aspects and general factors concerning CoP's and learning organizations.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die doel van die studie is om die kenmerke van 'n leerorganisasie te verstaan en te beskryf, asook die doel en rol wat kennisgemeenskappe kan speel binne die konteks van so 'n organisasie om kennis te deel en te bestuur. Alhoewel sommige organisasies 'n werklike behoefte het om kennis te deel en te bestuur en uiteindelik as 'n leerorganisasie bekend te staan, is daar steeds as gevolg van onvoldoende navorsing probleme met suksesvolle implementering. Hierdie tesis poog om kennisgemeenskappe as een van die vele maniere om suksesvol te implementeer te beskryf. 'n Kwalitatiewe navorsingsmetode is gevolg om die hoekom en hoe vrae te beskryf, verduidelik en te interpreteer in die bevindinge. Die literatuurstudie sluit definisies, aspekte en algemene faktore rakende kennisgemeenskappe en leerorganisasies in.

In this research the empirical case of the “Partnership for Sustainability”, a long-term partnership between a major player in the German grocery retail industry and one of the biggest environmental organizations in Germany, was explored in order to gain an understanding of organizational learning processes within non-profit and business collaborations towards sustainability. Using existing theoretical concepts about organizational learning and sustainability in the field of cross-sectoral collaboration these fields of research are brought together. As a result, organizational learning processes within the non-profit and between the partnering organizations were identified and the associated learning results were pointed out. Therefore, essential changes and adaptations in the Partnership for Sustainability could be explored throughout theyears of the collaboration. Furthermore, the contribution of organizational learning processes to a cross-sectoral collaboration has been illuminated.

Thesis (MPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2013.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Organisations are required to change their internal structures and configuration at a rapid rate as the external environment changes. The external environment comprises of a number of actors and agents that make up society. This includes social movements and government. The influence that industry has over the actions of government is significant. The question is how society, via social movements and NGO’s, influence government and thereby policy and how this leads to change in business organisations. How does learning take place in business organisations when it comes to ecological matters? What is the effect of social norms, expressed in public policy and social movements, on organisations? How can these processes be enhanced for the sake of the ecological agenda? The aim of the research is to present a case for directing the learning process. Organisations will generally develop new products based on existing knowledge and grow this knowledge base. It is argued by some theorists that social movements and NGO’s influence the process of innovation and development. To cater for the ecological elements in an innovation process, it must be part of the organisational objectives. It means that it must be catered for from the outset to direct and influence the process. Chapter 1 outlines the problem statement and the argument that social norms influence the learning process of individuals and groups in organisation to achieve an ecologically friendly outcome in a variety of ways. To determine if the hypothesis is true, Chapter 2 researched the subject of organisational learning. It examines the attributes that organisations must have to promote a learning agenda. This includes the role that the external organisational environment plays through feedback loops, and how these influence the direction of the learning process. To understand issues regarding the ecology, I present in Chapter 3 a high level synopsis based on existing knowledge of economics, environmental economics and ecological modernisation. Both Chapters 2 and 3 take a view on policy and the role it plays in shaping the learning process. It is important that the process of policy development is influenced from the outset. Through the networks of the social movements, alternatives may be presented to society. These alternatives are aimed at influencing the innovation process of organisations either directly through the market or indirectly through policy. When society subscribes to the position presented, a social movement gives them the means to engage with industry and government. Chapter 4 is a case study on carbon capture and storage. The purpose of the case study is to demonstrate the interaction of the various actors in a technology development process and the factors that have to be taken into account when making decisions. It is a demonstration of a directed learning process with the aim of developing an ecologically friendly technology. Chapter 5 is the concluding chapter and provides a summary of learning organisations and ecological modernisation. I provide a brief summary of the main points in the argument and draw a conclusion on the relationship between organisational learning and how this learning is directed from the outset.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Organisasies moet hul interne strukture en verstellings te verander teen 'n vinnige tempo as die eksterne omgewing verander. Die eksterne omgewing bestaan uit 'n aantal van die akteurs en agente wat die die samelewing op maak. Dit sluit sosiale bewegings en die regering in. Die invloed wat die bedryf het oor die optrede van die regering is betekenisvol. Die vraag is hoe die samelewing , deur middel van sosiale bewegings en nie-regeringsorganisasies , die invloed van die regering en sodoende beleid en hoe dit lei tot verandering in die sake-organisasies . Hoe leer sake-organisasies wanneer dit kom by die ekologiese sake? Wat is die effek van sosiale norme , uitgedruk in openbare beleid en sosiale bewegings , op organisasies? Hoe kan hierdie prosesse verbeter word ter wille van die ekologiese agenda? Die doel van die navorsing is om 'n saak te stel vir die regie van die leerproses. Organisasies sal oor die algemeen die ontwikkeling van nuwe produkte wat gebaseer is op bestaande kennis en groei van hierdie kennis basis. Daar word aangevoer deur sommige teoretici dat sosiale bewegings en NGO se invloed op die proses van innovasie en ontwikkeling. Om voorsiening te maak vir die ekologiese elemente in 'n innovasie proses , moet dit deel van die organisasie se doelwitte wees. Dit beteken dat voorsiening gemaak moet word vir dit van die begin af om die proses te beïnvloed. Hoofstuk 1 omskryf die probleemstelling en die argument dat die sosiale norme beïnvloed die leerproses van individue en groepe in die organisasie 'n ekologies vriendelike uitkoms te bereik in 'n verskeidenheid van maniere. Om te bepaal of die hipotese korrek is , Hoofstuk 2 ondersoek die onderwerp van organisatoriese leer . Dit ondersoek die eienskappe wat organisasies moet leer om die agenda te bevorder. Dit sluit in die rol wat die eksterne organisatoriese omgewing speel deur middel van terugvoer, en hoe hierdie invloed op die rigting van die leerproses is. Kwessies rakende die ekologie te verstaan, het ek in Hoofstuk 3 'n hoë vlak opsomming gebaseer op die bestaande kennis van die ekonomiese , omgewings- ekonomie en ekologiese modernisering. Beide hoofstukke 2 en 3 is 'n uitsig oor die beleid en die rol wat dit speel in die vorming van die leerproses. Dit is belangrik dat die proses van die ontwikkeling van beleid beïnvloed word van die begin af . Deur die netwerke van die sosiale bewegings , kan alternatiewe aangebied word aan die samelewing. Hierdie alternatiewe is gemik op die beïnvloeding van die innovasie proses van organisasies , hetsy direk deur die mark of indirek deur beleid. Wanneer die samelewing onderskryf die posisie wat aangebied word, 'n sosiale beweging gee hulle die middele om betrokke te raak met die bedryf en die regering. Hoofstuk 4 is 'n gevallestudie oor koolstof vang en stoor . Die doel van die gevallestudie is om die interaksie van die verskillende rolspelers in 'n tegnologie-ontwikkeling proses en die faktore wat in ag geneem word wanneer besluite geneem moet word. Dit is 'n demonstrasie van 'n leerproses met die doel van die ontwikkeling van 'n ekologies vriendelike tegnologie. Hoofstuk 5 is die afsluiting hoofstuk en gee 'n opsomming van leer organisasies en ekologiese modernisering. Ek gee 'n kort opsomming van die belangrikste punte in die argument en 'n gevolgtrekking oor die verhouding tussen organisatoriese leer en hoe hierdie leer word gerig van die begin af.

Given the unique nature of crises, a key capability of the crisis response system is to facilitate adaptive response structures in relation to the circumstances of any given crisis. This thesis views the crisis response system as complex adaptive system, in which adaptive response is an emergent phenomenon that occurs through the interactions of crisis response organizations within the crisis response system. Training cooperative capabilities needed to foster adaptive crisis response has proven difficult, as well as reporting learnings from collaborative exercises in a useful manner.   Based in these challenges, this thesis aims to investigate the potential of using boundary stories as pedagogical tools for learning of inter-organizational cooperative capabilities. This exploration is structured in relation to three research questions:   1.       How can inter-organizational boundaries be described through the lens of systems theory? 2.     What can be learned from inter-organizational work during the Covid-19 pandemic to facilitate learning of cooperative capabilities within the crisis response system? 3.     How can boundary stories be empirically defined and constructed to capture learnings and experiences from inter-organizational boundary work during crises?   It is suggested that inter-organizational boundaries be described as the interactional connections between crisis response organizations through which the organizations communicate and cooperate. Boundary structures can further be understood as one of four types of bureaucratic adaptation, as a function of structure and tasks.   The Covid-19 pandemic has produced entirely new circumstances in relation to how crises are usually thought of within the crisis response system. The long timeframe of the pandemic has forced integrations of crisis and everyday structures, thus producing entirely new inter-organizational structures. The core challenge in establishing these structures is fostering a common understanding between the involved actors.   Finally, a two-part concept of boundary stories and boundary narratives are suggested. The first refers to the enacted living story of the inter-organizational structure, and the latter refers to a simplified, constructed narrative version of the story with the purpose of mediating the experiences of inter-organizational work in an understandable manner to actors not directly involved in the boundary setting to foster learning of cooperative capabilities for future crisis response.
Givet att varje kris är unik i sin karaktär så är en av de viktigaste förmågorna hos ett krishanteringssystem att kunna upprätta adaptiva responsstrukturer i relation till de unika omständigheterna för varje uppkommen kris. Den här uppsatsen betraktar krishanteringssystemet som ett komplext adaptivt system där adaptiv respons förstås som ett emergent fenomen som uppstår genom interaktioner mellan organisationer i krishanteringssystemet.    Träning av de samverkansförmågor som krävs för att upprätta adaptiv respons, samt att rapportera lärdomar från samverkansövningar på ett användbart sätt har visat sig svårt i tidigare studier. Med grund i dessa utmaningar syftar den här uppsatsen till att undersöka potentialen hos gränshistorier som pedagogiskt verktyg för lärande av interorganisatoriska samverkansförmågor. Undersökningen struktureras i relation till tre frågeställningar:    1.       Hur kan interorganisatoriska gränser beskrivas genom systemteori? 2.     Vilka lärdomar från interorganisatoriskt arbete under Covid-19-pandemin kan fångas upp och nyttjas för lärande av samverkansförmågor inom det svenska krishanteringssystemet? 3.     Hur kan gränshistorier definieras och skapas på empirisk grund med syfte att fånga lärdomar och erfarenheter från interorganisatorisk samverkan under kriser?   Uppsatsen beskriver interorganisatoriska gränser genom de interaktionsmönster som etableras och uppstår mellan organisationer i krishanteringssystemet, genom vilka organisationer kommunicerar och samverkar. Gränsstrukturer kan fortsatt förstås som en av fyra typer av byråkratiska anpassningar som en funktion av struktur och uppgifter.   Covid-19-pandemin har medfört helt nya förutsättningar i relation till den arketypiska bilden av kriser som finns etablerad i krishanteringssystemet. Det faktum att pandemin pågått under så lång tid har tvingat fram integreringar av vardagliga organisatoriska strukturer och krishanteringsstrukturer, vilket har medfört nya interorganisatoriska samverkansformer. Kärnutmaningen i dessa samverkansstrukturer har varit att lyckas etablera en gemensam förståelse mellan de involverade aktörerna.    Slutligen har ett tvådelat koncept innefattandes gränshistorier och gränsnarrativer föreslagits. Gränshistorier syftar till de pågående, levande historierna som utspelar sig i det interorganisatoriska gränsarbetet. Gränsnarrativer ska förstås som förenklade, konstruerade narrativa versioner av gränshistorier med syftet att förmedla olika erfarenheter av interorganisatoriskt arbete på ett sätt som kan förstås och ligga till grund för lärande av samverkansförmågor för att stärka framtida krishantering.

Support from managers, training specialists, and human resource development specialists is needed if social service employees are to transfer learning to their organizations. There is a gap in the literature about managers, training specialists, and HRD specialists familiarizing employees with learning transfer expectations. This study addressed the way social service employees transferred what was learned after attending normal training classes. The research questions focused on learning transfer expectations for the employees, conditions that addressed during the learning transfer, processes that are in place where there was not a learning transfer initiative, and the way learning was used by employee. The study utilized a case study approach and thematic analysis based on theoretical frameworks of McGregor's theory X and theory Y, Drucker's management by objectives theory, Kirkpatrick and Kirkpatrick's 4 levels of training evaluation. Data were collected from open-ended interviews with 15 human resources officials in 1 agency. Data were inductively coded and analyzed for themes and patterns. Findings yielded themes of inconsistencies such as familiarizing employees with learning transfer expectations, differences of factors or conditions that addressed the learning transfer function or activity, not having a learning transfer initiative or instructions, and having an informal way of using what employees acquire from training limited policies and procedures, and a lack of direction. These changes could promote awareness of the social service community to encourage regular updates on training, practice new learning, partner and collaborate with stakeholders, review training offerings, and use technology.

Arbetet syftar till att analysera Förvarsmaktens övergripande process rörande erfarenhetshantering ifallet Kosovo mellan 2007 och nutid samt granska hur denna process tar sin utgångspunkt i organisationsteori och metod. Detta är de ingångsvärden som använts i den intervjustudie som genomförts. I denna studie kan två organisationsmodeller påvisas i tidsspannet som arbetet behandlat, en med början 2007 och en senare som i skrivande stund är under implementering, dessa har i olika grad påvisat kopplingar till modellrapporten från FOI 1998. Metodrapporten i sig baseras på Sarv respektive Garvin´s tankar om lärande organisationer och dess bakomliggande tankar är därför genomskinliga. Det teoretiska materialet ger fyra utgångspunkter för analys, mål, flexibilitet och dynamik samt medinflytande. Under dialog och mål finns få anknytningspunkter till FOI´s modell, flexibilitet och dynamik samt medinflytande å andra sidan påvisar tydligt att tankar mot detta funnit men brister i implementeringeni modellen. För att vidare sammanfoga modellen och dessa tankar anser författaren att tydligare direktiv, styrningar och förklaringar behövs. Författaren påtalar även behovet av vidare forskning på området och specifikt hur processen ser ut efter att den nya organisationsmodellen till fullo implementerats i organisationen.

The study aims to analyse the Swedish Armed Forces process for lessons learned, as it was in Kosovobetween 2007 and present date and examine whether this process is based on organizational theory or not. These were the initial values for the interviews that followed. In answers from the interviews, two organizational models can be found within the given time span, one beginning in 2007 and the later one is as of now being implemented. These models have shown a varying degree of connection to the model developed by FOI in 1998. The model itself is based on the organizational theories of Sarv and Garvin and its ideas can therefore be seen as translucent. The theoretical material gives us four starting points for analysis, dialogue, goal orientation, flexibility and dynamics and finally participation. Under the headings dialogue and goal orientation there are few connecting factors to the FOI model, under the headings flexibility and dynamics and participation on the other hand there are clearly formed thoughts surrounding these issues but the writer found shortcomings in the implementations of these. In order to further merge the model and these bulletpoints the author believes that clearer directives, guidance and explanations are needed. The author also highlights the need for further research within this field to show the outcome of the implementation of the new organizational model.

The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore strategies managers in the online auction industry used to manage customer complaints to improve customer satisfaction. The targeted population consisted of 4 managers of online auction companies in the southwestern region of the United States. The conceptual framework for the study was Argyris and Sch�n's double-loop learning theory. Data were collected via semistructured interviews with business managers, observation of company operations and behaviors, review of documentation, and member-checking activities. Data analysis consisted of text interpretation of data and notes using coding techniques. Data analysis resulted in 5 themes: business orientation, customer purview, complaints handling, coping strategies, and learning abilities. The implications of this study for positive social change include facilitating the growth of online markets and increasing lower-cost purchasing opportunities for consumers with limited access to conventional marketplaces.

Syftet med denna forskningsöversikt var att undersöka vad aktuell forskning säger om hur en kompetensutveckling kan införas i en organisation för att få resultat/effekter för medarbetare på individ, grupp- och organisationsnivå. Detta utifrån den föränderliga värld vi lever i idag där organisationer står inför ständiga förändringar. Forskningsöversikten gjordes utefter 10 vetenskapliga artiklar. Resultaten visade att det är viktigt att inventera kompetensen i organisationen och göra en planering. Även kommunikation och reflektion sågs som framgångsfaktorer.

The following report is a constructive responsive evaluation of Svalövs communes unit for newly arrived refugees based on a qualitative user- and stakeholder model. The main purpose is to evaluate the units’ quality from a user and stakeholder perspective. The main findings are that the users and stakeholders are satisfied with the quality of the units’ services but request further social and structural participation. The evaluation provides new organizational understanding and constructive feedback from a systems theory perspective. The conclusion is that further insight in systemic analysis of the intervention is of importance to further develop the units’ perceived success.

Using an evolutionary perspective, this thesis examines the presence of specific genetic features that make spinoff suppliers more advantageous compared to other (non-spinoff) suppliers. The spinoff supplier concept is studied by analyzing the automotive subsidiary of one of the largest industrial and commercial conglomerates in Turkey. The company name is kept confidential. In this study, the idea that managerial processes and routines of the parent firm will pass on to spinoff suppliers (like the transfer of genes from mother to child), and that due to this genetic ability, spinoff suppliers will possess faster organizational learning processes compared to other external suppliers, is adopted. In addition, it is expected that spinoff suppliers&
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founders, who are former employees of the parent firm, will access the parent&
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s resources more easily as a result of their informal relations with the parent company. In this regard, it is considered that spinoff supplier companies will be more advantageous compared to other suppliers which provide products/services to the same parent firm. Transfer of managerial processes and routines, organizational learning, informal relations and social capital are examined using a multiple case study method. Data collected is analyzed qualitatively. The results imply that managerial processes and routines genetically pass on from the parent company to suppliers and that spinoff suppliers perform more effective organizational learning. At the same time, the findings also show that informal relations with the parent company do not provide an advantage in terms of access to its resources. However, as a result of the dependence of non-spinoff suppliers to the parent company in sales, it is found that they might develop the advantages that spinoff supplier companies have.

Under en explorativ fallstudie på Volvo CE Arvika har förutsättningarna för organisatoriskt lärande undersökts med avsikt att skapa en erfarenhetspolicy anpassad till företaget. Organisatoriskt lärande är ett betydelsefullt område och bör ses som en förutsättning för ständiga förbättringar. Det bidrar till en konkurrenskraftig verksamhet som inte går att replikera. Organisatoriskt lärande har behandlats teoretiskt av flertalet författare men det finns en avsaknad av dokumenterade praktiska undersökningar. Genom studien beskrivs ett företags organisatoriska lärande utifrån en explorativ undersökning grundad i Senges fem discipliner (personligt mästerskap, mentala modeller, gemensamma visioner, lära tillsammans samt systemtänkande) och Garvin et al. tre byggstenar (en miljö som främjar lärande, konkreta processer och tillvägagångsätt för lärande samt ledarskap som främjar lärande). Undersökningsmetoden kartlade förtegets organisatoriska lärande väl med undantag från att inga mentala modeller identifierades. Studien resulterade i 16 förbättringsförslag och en erfarenhetspolicy bestående av: En Erfarenhetsanalys: ett dokument för insamling av erfarenheter. Ett Erfarenhetsplank: ett verktyg för att presentera, samla och skapa överblick kring erfarenheters uppkomst och karaktär inom projekt. En mappstruktur: för standardiserad och tillgänglig hantering av erfarenhetsdokumentation. Beskrivningen av företagets organisatoriska lärande och den framtagna erfarenhetspolicyn är primärt av intresse för det undersökta företaget. Undersökningsmetoden som används för att kartlägga organisatoriska lärande kan med mindre modifikation användas för andra företag som kan förvänta sig likvärdiga resultat. Även den av studien resulterande erfarenhetspolicyn kan modifieras för att passa andra företag och utgör ett exempel att benchmarka på.
Through an explorative case study, conducted at Volvo CE Arvika, the conditions for organizational learning have been examined in order to create a lesson learned policy, tailored to the company. Organizational learning is an essential area that should be viewed as a corner stone to continuous improvements as well as creating a competitive advantage that cannot be replicated. Several academics have contributed to the field of organizational learning, however, there is a lack of documented practical studies within the field. This thesis describes a company’s organizational learning based on Senges five disciplines (personal mastery, mental models, building a shared vision, team learning, and system thinking) and Garvin et al. three building blocks (supportive learning environment, concrete learning processes and practices, and leadership that reinforces learning) through an explorative case study. The method enabled the company’s organizational learning to be mapped with the exception of mental models which were not identified. This study resulted in 16 improvement proposals and a lesson learned policy consisting of: Experience analysis: A document for the collection of experiences. Experience wall: A tool for visualization to create an overview of the origin and character of the experiences gathered from a project. File structure: In order to standardize the storage of documented experiences with an emphasis on availability. The description of the company's organizational learning and the developed lessoned learned policy are primarily of interest to the investigated company. The method used to map organizational learning in this case study can, with minor modifications, be used by other companies that can expect equivalent results. The lessoned learned policy resulting from the study can also be modified to suit other companies and it provides an example to benchmark on.

Institutions of higher educations (IHE), particularly universities, have a significant role to play in the global transformation to socio-ecological sustainability. This study focuses on the strategic planning efforts of one university, the University of Canterbury in Christchurch, New Zealand where The Natural Step Framework (TNSF) is being used to develop a pan-University Sustainability Plan. Drawing upon the triple helix model of university-government-industry interactions for knowledge creation, and integrating principles of education for sustainable development into strategic organizational learning and change processes within higher education, this study suggests that advocates for sustainability within IHE can use the TNSF to assess institutional barriers and communicate specific opportunities in order to institutionalize strategic sustainable development and promote socio-ecological innovation.

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Coachande ledarskap tillhör det nya ledarskapsparadigmet och då organisationer verkar i en alltmer komplex omvärld har det blivit viktigare för ledare att underlätta för anställdas lärande. Det coachande ledarskapet kan bidra med just lärande och utveckling av medarbetare. Syftet med denna studie är att beskriva och få fördjupad förståelse för betydelsen av coachande ledarskap för det individuella lärandet inom organisationen och hur det i sin tur gynnar organisationen utifrån coachande medarbetare och coachande ledares perspektiv. I denna kvalitativa studie genomfördes fem intervjuer, varav tre med coachande ledare och två med coachade medarbetare vid två anonyma företag i Sverige. Av resultatet framkommer bland annat att coachande ledarskap har betydelse för både för kognitivt, emotionellt och färdighetsbaserat lärresultat. En bra relationik är dock en grundläggande förutsättning för det individuella lärandet av det coachande ledarskapet och kan förklaras av de grundläggande behov som finns hos människor av trygghet och sociala relationer. Dessutom tyder resultatet på att ledarskapet och ledarens beteenden och färdigheter samt lärtillfällen har en betydande roll i sammanhanget. Nyttan för organisationen är framförallt, ökad effektivitet, ökade idéer och innovation samt förbättrade prestationer. Hilmarsson (2020) påpekar att ”syftet med det coachande ledarskapet är att skapa en positiv kultur där det finns samarbete, effektivitet och hälsa” (Hilmarsson, 2020, s.17). Till det bör tilläggas att det coachande ledarskap även kan leda till lärande och organizational development (OD) inom organisationer. Denna studie har till största del bekräftat tidigare forskning på området och ger en inblick i coachande ledare och coachade medarbetare upplevelser av det individuella lärandet inom organisationer och hur det kommer organisationer till nytta. Då studiens resultat tyder på att relationik, ledarskap och lärtillfällen samverkar och påverkar varandra och förefaller ha betydelse för det individuella lärandet så bör det finnas en möjlighet att optimera lärandet av det coachande ledarskapet och dess resultat om hänsyn tas till detta. Lärresultatet affektivt lärande förefaller vara en stor del av lärresultatet av coachande ledarskap, medan för coaching förefaller det vara kognitiva lärresultat är en skillnad som studien kastat ytterligare ljus på.

ABSTRACTNGOs today meet several challenges due to growing competition and shrinking aid budgets. These demands are something all NGOs need to find strategies to meet. Learning thereby becomes essential for the organizations survival, success and for sustainable development. To meet these demands organizations need to be able to learn and develop. This minor field study is carried out to promote learning by highlighting knowledge and understanding for goals and objectives. SOIR is a non- governmental organization that in their new strategy for development work is supporting the civil society in building their own community based organizations (CBO) in the rural area of Manicaland, Zimbabwe. The organization Mandeya 2 Development was through the support of SOIR registered as a community based organization (CBO) in the spring of 2012. Mandeya 2 development is in its initial stages implementing SOIRs goals, objectives and strategies for operational work. This study has been focusing on the objective: Reduce stigma and discrimination of orphaned and vulnerable children (OVC) whose parents passed on due to HIV related illness by December 2012.The purpose of the study was to analyze staff and volunteers’ knowledge, coherence and perception of the objective and the root causes the objective aim to address, in order to promote the building of a “learning organization”. The result showed that there was a lack of knowledge and understanding for the objective and that the objective was perceived in different ways by the informants. The result further showed that this has consequences for the organizations possibility to learn and also have impact on the motivation, participation and volunteers’ possibility to affect the operational work performed.Keywords: Coherence, Goals, Learning Organization, NGO, Objectives, sustainable development

BACKGROUND: Organizations are not prepared for crisis and are vulnerable to disruptive changes. SMEs, and organizations in general, are key elements of our society and need to learn how to be resilient, in order to be sustainable. A case study was used to explore key organizational resilience factors to overcome a business crisis.OBJECTIVE: Explore through the theoretical lense of organizational resilience, how the studied SME was lead and organized during crisis towards a sustainable business outcome. With the aim to present learnings and recommendations for organizational resilience and sustainability.THE CASE: Business crisis, generated by a fire, consumed 90% of the production plant of an SME (Small and Medium-sized Enterprise) in Colombia. This SME (Susi Bakery) managed to recover completely from the crisis in 7 months. Different perspectives of the stakeholders across the bakery’s network were analyzed to understand the strategy of this SME, to overcome the crisis and be resilient.METHODS: Single case-exploratory case study, with in-depth semi-structured interviews to different stakeholders across the Bakery’s network. A theoretical framework in organizational resilience was built and used to answer the research questions: What are the factors that make the analyzed SME (Susi Bakery) a resilient organization? What moved key stakeholders towards engaging the recovery of the business crisis? The analysis of the collected data is based on phenomenography, since stakeholders present different subjective perceptions.THEORETICAL CONTRIBUTION: Organizational resilience’ theory explored through the case of an SME in Colombia.CONCLUSIONS: Resilience strengthens the capabilities to adapt and see disruptive changes as opportunities. Organizations can learn to be resilient through the development of resilient business models' and their enabling factors. Currently, 11 enabling factors for organizational resilience can be found in resilient business models theory: Adaptability and innovation, Motivation, Diversity, Collective efficacy, Effective communication, Loosening of control, Sustained relationships, Minimize layoffs, Financial slack, Competence and Acceptance. 3 Additional enabling factors were found in this case: Leadership, Reciprocity and Reputation. There is a research gap regarding the relations and causalities of the resilient enabling factors, and the relationship between organizational resilience and business crisis management.

I forskningen har organisatoriskt lärande uppmärksammats, men inte institutionaliserats. Det organisatoriska lärandet påverkas i stor grad av nyckelpersoner vilket ledare och mellanchefer är. Organisatoriskt lärande styrs av det individuella lärandet vilket därför har en stor betydelse i sammanhanget. Ansvaret för det individuella lärandet läggs oftast på organisationens ledare och för ledares individuella lärande är reflektion och erfarenhet en avgörande faktor. Därför var studiens syfte att bidra till forskningen genom att undersöka hur kritiska situationer påverkat ledares lärande och bidragit till det individuella och organisatoriska lärandet. Syftet har studerats utifrån hur ledares reflektion görs och hur reflektionen påverkat ledares ledarskapsstil och orientering. För att studera detta användes vår egen tolkning av kritiska situationer tekniken. Studiens teoretiska referensram baserades därför på individuellt och organisatoriskt lärande, ledarskapsstilar, samt reflektion.Tillvägagångssättet som valdes var att intervjua ledare på mellanchefsnivå, halvstrukturerade intervjuer genomfördes baserat på kritiska situationer tekniken där olika kritiska scenarion diskuterades. I studien genomfördes även en enkät med samtliga intervjuade ledare där de fick uppskatta sin upplevda grad av orientering. Studiens konklusion är att fokus inte bör läggas på kombinerade ledarskapsstilar utan att vikten bör läggas på graden av orientering inom uppgift, relation och förändring. I studien kunde även ett samband identifieras som förklarar vad som krävs av ledare för att uppnå och bidra till organisatoriskt lärande.
Program: Civilekonomprogrammet

In an increasingly complex, rapidly changing world, the capacity to cope with, adapt to, and shape change is vital. This thesis investigates how natural resource management can be organized and practiced to nurture this capacity, referred to as resilience, in social-ecological systems. Based on case studies and large-N data sets from UNESCO Biosphere Reserves (BRs) and the UN Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MA), it analyzes actors and social processes involved in adaptive co-management on the ground. Papers I & II use Kristianstads Vattenrike BR to analyze the roles of local stewards and bridging organizations. Here, local stewards, e.g. farmers and bird watchers, provide on-site management, detailed, long-term monitoring, and local ecological knowledge, build public support for ecosystem management, and hold unique links to specialized networks. A bridging organization strengthens their initiatives. Building and drawing on multi-level networks, it gathers different types of ecological knowledge, builds moral, political, legal and financial support from institutions and organizations, and identifies windows of opportunity for projects. Paper III synthesizes the MA community-based assessments and points to the importance of bridging organizations, leadership and vision, knowledge networks, institutions nested across scales, enabling policies, and high motivation among actors for adaptive co-management. Paper IV explores learning processes catalyzed by bridging organizations in BRs. 79 of the 148 BRs analyzed bridge local and scientific knowledge in efforts to conserve biodiversity and foster sustainable development, provide learning platforms, support knowledge generation (research, monitoring and experimentation), and frame information and education to target groups. Paper V tests the effects of participation and adaptive co-management in BRs. Local participation is positively linked to local support, successful integration of conservation and development, and effectiveness in achieving developmental goals. Participation of scientists is linked to effectiveness in achieving ‘conventional’ conservation goals and policy-makers enhance the integration of conservation and development. Adaptive co-management, found in 46 BRs, is positively linked to self-evaluated effectiveness in achieving developmental goals, but not at the expense of conservation. The thesis concludes that adaptive collaboration and learning processes can nurture resilience in social-ecological systems. Such processes often need to be catalyzed, supported and protected to survive. Therefore, bridging organizations are crucial in adaptive co-management.

Organizational change and innovation are critical for business survival and more likely to occur when employees engage in change-oriented behaviors. Previous studies have examined the direct effects of workplace social exchanges on employees’ change-oriented behaviors; however, less attention has been given to the combined effects of these exchanges and the mechanisms by which these relationships occur. In this study, I look at the combined effects of leader-member exchange, trust in team members, and perceived organizational support on voice, innovative, and learning behaviors via psychological safety. In addition, based on the understanding that psychological safety is not always present in the work environment, I look at the conditions under which these workplace social exchanges lead to the aforementioned behaviors even when psychological safety is low or absent. Therefore, the purpose of this dissertation is three-fold: (1) to explore the combined effects of leader-member exchange, trust in team members, and perceived organizational support in improving followers’ psychological safety within the organization, (2) to investigate the mediating role of psychological safety on the relationships between workplace social exchanges and followers’ change-oriented behaviors, and (3) to expand on previous findings and examine the conditions under which these social exchanges and psychological safety lead to followers’ change-oriented behaviors. Specifically, I propose and test a theoretical model derived from social exchange theory to examine conditional indirect effects of leader-member exchange, trust in team members, and perceived organizational support on voice, innovative, and learning behaviors through psychological safety within the organization, and to examine the role of proactive personality, political skill, perceived team social integration, perceived support for innovation and perceived organizational justice as second stage moderating variables that may compensate for low psychological safety within the organization. My theoretical model was tested using lagged data collected from leader-follower dyads representing 174 followers and 85 leaders from four organizations located in the United States. To test this theoretical model, I used a quantitative non-experimental research design, a survey method, and multilevel analytical procedures.

This study has developed a tool for explaining why employees fail to speak up with regard to work related criticism; there is a hidden policy of silence that teaches employees to remain silent. This hidden policy is here designated as the "Curriculum Silentium" and is described in detail on the basis of empirical and theoretical data. After identifying a gap between the intentionally and experienced policy for employees freedom of speech in organizations I suggest that there are on-going unofficial, partially hidden learning processes in the organizations. The overall research question is; How does the Curriculum Silentium; the hidden policy of silence among employees, look like?  I make an analytic construction of the hidden policy as if it were planned policy, using the didactic categories applicable to organizations. These didactic categories are: goals, content, teaching strategies and the motivation of employees. The empirical data was collected in three different organizations: an elementary school, a home for the elderly and a factory in the process industry, using qualitative methods such as interviews and observation. The theoretical foundation of the study is taken from existing theory within the field of work life research and educational science. The study is not a comparative study of the three organizations, but does involve a comparison of whether and how the Curriculum Silentium is expressed in three such different organizations. The challenge of examining hidden relationships in organizations was met through the development of guidelines for an analytical approach called a critical didactic relations analysis. The study concludes that a hidden policy of silence resembling that presented here exists in organizations where employees fail to voice working life related criticism.

Denna studie handlar om ledarens erfarenhet av förändringsarbete i förskolan. Undersökningen tar reda på förskolechefens syn på medarbetarnas delaktighet i förändringen samt vilka faktorer som påverkar genomförandet med anknytning till medarbetarnas lärande och utveckling. En kvalitativ metod har använts där sex stycken förskolechefer i intervju har berättat om sina erfarenheter. Resultatet visar att medarbetarna behöver förstå och se meningen med förändringen, dess syfte och mål för att kunna verkställa själva genomförandeprocessen. Faktorer som påverkar medarbetarnas engagemang i förändringsprocessen är kommunikation, känsla av delaktighet och samarbete. Det framkommer att ledaren har en betydande roll i förändringsarbete. Förskolechefen behöver skapa förutsättningar både ekonomiska och organisatoriska för att medarbetarna ska kunna fullfölja förändringen.

Cultural landscapes provide goods and services that humans depend on. Managingsuch landscapes requires an institutional context that is safeguarding its functions.Collaboration among various stakeholders, organizations and authorities for establishingecosystem- based management is considered to be a major challenge and often transformationin governance is required. While governance that is integrating agencies across multiplespatial and institutional levels is increasingly suggested in trans-disciplinary research onsocial-ecological systems, processes on how to achieve this are poorly understood.Social learning is acknowledged for enhancing collaboration among multiplestakeholders, to increase actors’ capacity to deal effectively with the plurality of perceptions,to take collective decisions and to learn from experience. This case study is arguing that aninternational organization can trigger social learning. Emphasizing the role of guidance, thesense of prestige and creation of a common platform, specifically, it is exploring learningconditions, procedures and outcomes within a stakeholder group that is carrying out theWorld Heritage nomination of a cultural landscape in Bali. It exemplifies the challenge formanagement of a social-ecological system, in which no longer only the local resource usersand authorities have interest concerning the cultural landscape they are living in, but alsoglobal agencies are influencing management and hence the ecosystem itself.In that sense, the study is supporting the need of multi-scale governance dealing withglobal changes in natural resource management. It provides an example of a global actorsupporting self- organized learning processes. Though a structural social learning analysis, theunderstanding for this concept is deepened. Results reveal the potential and limits of aninternational organization in triggering sense making for a common vision, integratingstakeholders across vertical and horizontal scales and changing institutional frameworks thatenhance further learning and collaboration.

Det här arbetet har undersökt hur övergången till ett värnpliktssystem påverkar det organisatoriska lärandet. Syfte har varit att undersöka om den värnpliktiges erfarenheter, främst vad gäller tekniska system, omhändertas i övergången till ett värnpliktssystem. Teorin som använts till det här arbetet är en modell som beskriver hur individens kunskap blir till organisatorisk kunskap och bygger på fem olika lärcykler framtagen av Sanchez. Metoden har varit att använda befintlig forskning inom området organisatoriskt lärande och ta fram faktorer som bör finnas med i en ideal process för att omhänderta värnpliktigas erfarenheter. Den ideala processen har sedan jämförts med hur processen för att omhänderta den värnpliktiges erfarenheter ser ut i Försvarsmakten. Resultatet av det här arbetet är att en övergång till ett värnpliktssystem bedöms ha en liten påverkan om den metod som Försvarsmakten har för att omhänderta erfarenheter används. De faktorer som bör finnas med för att omhänderta värnpliktigas erfarenheter finns med i metoden samt att Försvarsmakten som en hierarkisk organisation minskar effekten av den personalomsättning ett värnpliktssystem innebär. I vilken omfattning Försvarsmaktens metod de facto används under de värnpliktigas utbildning har däremot inte undersökts och lämnas som förslag till vidare forskning.
This thesis has researched how a transition to a conscript system will impact on the organisationallearning. The purpose was to examine if the conscript soldiers experience, primarily on theexperience regarding technical systems, is taken care of by the organisation. The theory that wasused was The Five Learning Cycles of the Organizational Learning developed by Sanchez. Themethod was to use previous research on organisational learning and use it to develop an idealprocess for organisational learning for conscript soldiers. This ideal process was later used toanalyse the process in the Swedish Armed Forces. The result of this thesis is that a transition to aconscript system will have a small impact if the existing method in the Swedish Armed Forces isused. The factors that should be in the process is in large found, and the fact that it is a hierarchicorganisation will reduce the effect of personnel turnover with a conscript system. In what extentthe Swedish Armed Forces is using its method in the training of the conscripts hasn´t beenresearched and is a suggestion to future research.

We live in a world that faces several social and environmental problems and achieving sustainable development in contexts where it is necessary to alleviate poverty without eroding the capacity of the ecosystems to support future generations is challenging. Therefore, fostering sustainable development requires enabling both society and environment to cope with disturbances, adapt to and shape change (resilience). Literature suggests that adaptive co-management practices are appropriate for building resilience and fostering sustainable development. Additionally, studies have highlighted the role of bridging organizations in coordinating and facilitating adaptive co-management. However, adaptive co-management has not been studied in poverty contexts. This thesis aims to understand what the main tasks of bridging organizations are, and how they facilitate and stimulate adaptive co-management in poverty contexts and their role in nurturing sustainability. The Environmental Monitors Programme of the Kruger to Canyons Biosphere Reserve was chosen as a case-study. Biosphere reserves are considered learning sites for sustainable development. The programme was studied through the lenses of a bridging organization. Semi-structured interviews and participatory observation with stakeholders identified: 1) the importance of existing networks and collaborations; 2) monitoring contribution to the identification of social and environmental issues, experimentation contribution to the implementation of sustainable harvesting practices; 3) environmental education combined with social learning lead to community empowerment and adaptive responses that e.g. address erosion; 4) environmental monitors have a crucial role in linking organizations and communities; 5) challenges related to low income settings include communities’ basic needs. This study illustrates the need to address both social and ecological problems in a concerted manner, by capacitating and empowering communities while conserving the environment. Additionally, points out the need of studying alternative co-management strategies that give focus on different priorities regarding stakeholders’ interests and the influence of power in decision-making in poverty contexts.

The purpose of this study is to examine what happens when design thinking is used to create a leadership development program, increase leadership competencies, and participants perceptions of design thinking. This study uses action research to examine the experiences and design thinking to create a leadership program in a formal hierarchical. This study collected data during a two-cycle action research process. The findings from this study revealed that design thinking can be used to create a formal leadership development program. The ability to use design thinking’s human centered design can also help increase the leadership competencies of trust and collaborations. Additionally, despite early concerns participants enjoyed using design thinking in this study yet concerns remain about adopting it into core work. These findings have important implications for formal organizations exploring the ability to increase leadership development programs, leadership competencies, and organizational innovation.

Swedish schools are required by law to conduct systematic quality work and it has a central position in the Swedish educational system. The work each school conduct is scrutinized by the Swedish Schools Inspectorate. The purpose of this study is to examine teachers´ experiences of systematic quality work at the upper secondary school and the advantages and disadvantages they identified when engaging in systematic quality work. The study used a qualitative method based on semi-structured interviews. The analytical framework used was hermeneutics. The main theories used as a foundation were organizational theory and learning organization-perspective. A total of five teachers from two different upper secondary schools partook in the study. Their statements were categorized in accordance to the study´s three questions. The analysis of the results showed that the structuring of development teams among teachers had an impact on the effectiveness of systematic quality work. The teachers also expressed a lack of time dedicated to quality work and a desire for a variated time when engaging with systematic quality work. The teachers perceived their role as a teacher essential when engaged in systematic quality work.

In complex emergency situations, there are many times when the rescue service, the police and the medical service must cooperate. To improve the cooperation Samverkan Östergötland has developed ten measurable indicators regarding cooperation to investigate and increase the cooperation between the different organizations. They are then used when the participants of the network Samverkan Östergötland meet two to seven times a year to discuss different local accidents and investigate how and if the indicators were applied during the work at the incident site. The purpose of the study was to investigate how the indicators are used and how there could be improvements regarding the indicators. The study was conducted by applying descriptive statistics and thematic analysis regarding all the protocols from the 14 meetings. The study was based on protocols where a total of 24 incidents were discussed. The result was corroborated by the coordinator of the Samverkan Östergötland by conducting a semi structured interview. The result indicated that the indicators were fulfilled to varying extent. The findings suggest that more structure regarding documenting and communication is needed, and common training needs to be increased in order to improve the cooperation in accordance of the use of the indicators.

Existing literature indicates that although both academics and practitioners recognize knowledge management (KM) as a source of competitive advantage, users are not always willing to use a knowledge management system (KMS). Because of the social nature of knowledge transfer, a KMS can be considered a socio-technical system. Many explanations have been presented for this failure to utilize the KMS. These explanations include a number of the socio-technical factors relating to people, processes, and technologies. While these factors may have significant explanatory power when examined independently, existing studies have not sufficiently addressed the interactions among all three socio-technical factors or their impacts on KMS usage. The goal of this study was to develop a comprehensive understanding of socio-technical factors that impact KMS usage within decision support systems (DSS). A comprehensive framework was presented that will be helpful in developing and improving KMS initiatives and thus improving KM across the organization. This study identified factors of people (self-efficacy, social ties, and ease of use), processes (leadership, culture/climate, and governance), and technologies (system & information quality, and technology fit) and their influence on KMS system usage. Analysis for this problem required a causal, non-contrived field study employing structural equation modeling. Founded on socio-technical systems theory, nine hypotheses were proposed. Data was collected using a 36 item survey distributed to KMS users from a variety of industries in the United States. Confirmatory factor analysis and an eight-stage structural equation modeling procedure were used to analyze 97 usable responses. The results confirmed that technology-oriented factors predicted knowledge seeking and contributing in DSS. Furthermore, significant positive relationships were confirmed between certain sociotechnical factors including: (1) people and process, (2) people and technology, (3) processes and technology, (4) processes and people, (5) technology and people, and (6) technology and processes. These findings extend the relevance and statistical power of existing studies on KMS usage. This study indicated that the most important concerns for increasing KMS usage were system quality, information quality, and technology fit. Results also confirmed that in the context of this study, people-oriented factors (self-efficacy, social ties, and ease of use/usefulness) and organizational process factors (leadership, organizational culture/climate, and governance) were not critical factors directly responsible for increasing KMS usage. However, the relationships among socio-technical factors all had positive significant relationships. Therefore, investments in people and process-oriented factors will create a more favorable perspective on technology-oriented factors, which in turn can increase KMS usage. On a practical front, this study provided indicators to managers regarding a number of desirable and undesirable conditions that should be taken into consideration when developing or implementing knowledge management initiatives and the systems to support them. This study offered an original contribution to the existing bodies of knowledge on socio-technical factors and KMS usage behavior. The constructs presented in this study highlighted the significance of social and technical relationships in understanding knowledge seeking and contribution in a decision-driven organization.

Vårt syfte med denna studie har varit att beskriva de individuella och organisatoriskaomständigheter som skapade förutsättningar för genomförandet av hälsoprojektet. Vi hardärmed sökt svar på vilka möjligheter informanterna upplevde fanns för att tillämpa sig av denya kunskaper som förvärvats under projektet. Studien genomfördes inom Norrköpingskommun och populationen utgjordes av sex enhetschefer. För att nå den förståelse och detdjup vi eftersökt valde vi att använda oss av kvalitativ metod. Datainsamling genomfördes iform av semi- strukturerade intervjuer, dessa analyserades sedan och ställdes mot de teoriersom vi utifrån litteratur och tidigare forskning valt ut som mest lämpade för denna studie.Resultatet visar på att informanterna var motiverade till att genomföra hälsoprojektet men attden rådande situationen ledde till att utfallet av projektet inte blev som förväntat. Deupplever att de fick med sig nya kunskaper som de kan tillämpa i sitt arbete men upplevelseni stort var den att hälsoprojektet låg fel i tiden.

Avhandlingen behandlar idén om medarbetarskap med utgångspunkt från hur begreppet medarbetarskap tolkas och används. Syftet är att öka kunskapen kring idén och hur den tar sig uttryck i organisationers praktik. I den teoretiska referensramen har nyinstitutionell teori integrerats med teorier kring lärande och implementering. Strukturen i analysen utgörs av en metafor som behandlar hur populära idéer reser in i och genom organisationer. Centrala begrepp i tolkningen av vad som sker i mötet mellan idé och subjekt vid de olika anhalterna på resan är översättning, lärande och ömsesidig anpassning. Studien har genomförts i form av fallstudier vid ett statligt bolag och vid ett landsting där medarbetarskapsprogram bedrivits. Resultaten grundar sig huvudsakligen på intervjuer, vilka kompletterats med observationer och dokumentstudier. Resultaten visar att det skett en ömsesidig anpassning mellan idé och subjekt vid den studerade enheten i landstinget med ökad delaktighet, förståelse för varandra och ett förbättrat arbetsklimat som följd. Idén integrerades i hög grad i den vardagliga verksamheten. Vid det statliga bolaget passerade idén förbi utan några större bestående avtryck i de studerade grupperna och idén integrerades inte i den ordinarie verksamheten. Resultaten kan förstås med grund i hur programmen genomförts tolkat utifrån lärandeteorier och olika perspektiv på implementering. Genomförandet i det statliga bolaget kännetecknades av central styrning och snäva frihetsgrader vad gäller form och innehåll för medarbetarskapsutvecklingen. Vid landstinget var däremot behoven vid de lokala enheterna en grundläggande utgångspunkt för inriktningen på medarbetarskapsutvecklingen där delaktighet i idéutvecklingen och genomförandet av programmet var en ledstjärna. I översättningen av idén om medarbetarskap i ord finns skiljelinjen mellan personer på olika nivåer i organisationen, snarare än mellan organisationerna. Medarbetare vid enheterna ser medarbetarskapsbegreppet i första hand som ett kollektivt begrepp, där gruppens funktion är i centrum, medan de som representerar organisationsnivån i större utsträckning betonar individens ansvar och agerande. Vilket perspektiv och vilka intressen individen har ser ut att ha betydelse för hur idén uppfattas. Vidare kan den spridning och det genomslag som idén om medarbetarskap fått i svenskt arbetsliv, förstås utifrån dess samstämmighet med tidsandan och den generella utvecklingen som skett i samhälle och arbetsliv.
The aim of this thesis is to increase knowledge of the idea of co-workership and how it is manifested in the practice of organizations. The point of departure is how the concept of co-workership is interpreted and used. The theoretical framework is based on an integration between new institutional theory and theories about learning and implementation. The starting point of the analysis is a metaphor about popular ideas travelling into and through organizations. Central concepts are learning, translation and mutual adaptation. The study is based on a qualitative case study with two cases, a county council and a state-owned company, where co-workership programs have been implemented. The empirical material consists mainly of interviews. In addition observations and document studies have been used. The results indicate that a mutual adaptation between idea and operation occurred in the studied unit in the county council, with consequences in the daily work, while the idea passed without any lasting impressions at the unit level in the state-owned company. These findings may be understood in terms of how the co-workership program was implemented, interpreted through theories of learning and implementation. The co-workership development in the county council was characterized by employee participation in identifying needs and choice of areas of work as well as a high level of integration in the daily operations. In the studied groups in the state-owned company, the employees did not participate in the planning, and the co-workership program was not actively integrated into daily operations. Hence, there were not the same opportunities for a mutual adaptation between idea and operation as we found in the unit at the county council. In translating the idea into words, differences were found mainly between people at different levels in the organizations. At the organizational level co-workership was viewed as an individual concept emphasizing the responsibility and actions of the individual. Employees in the studied units, on the other hand, mainly expressed co-workership as a collective concept, focusing on the team and how it functions. The interpretation of the concept seems to be connected to the perspective of different parties within the organizations. Furthermore, the spread and the popularity of the idea of co-workership in Swedish working life can be understood in terms of the ideas correspondence with the current zeitgeist, and in relation to the general development going on in society and working life.

Att arbeta i projekt är en allt vanligare arbetsform som tillskrivs vara mer effektiv än den traditionella. Trots detta har projektorganisationer svårt att dra lärdomar av tidigare misstag, därför riskeras de att återupprepas i andra projekt. Det finns påtagliga brister i inhämtningen av kunskap från tidigare projekt, men också i lagrandet av dessa erfarenheter. Utvärdering är ett verktyg som syftar till att reflektera och samla in erfarenheter och kunskaper som genererats i ett projekt. Det är också en förutsättning för att de ska kunna vidareförmedlas. Syftet med studien är därför att ta reda på hur en projektorganisation använder sig av utvärdering för lärande mellan projekt. För att genomföra detta kontaktades en multinationell projektorganisation som hädanefter kallas CS. Vi genomförde en fallstudie där både intervjuer med projektledare och utvärderingsmaterial inhämtades. Det empiriska materialet analyserades och jämfördes med den teoretiska referensramen vilket resulterade i två modeller. Den första modellen beskriver det inter-projektuella lärandet som ligger till grund för kunskapsutbytet mellan projekt. Den andra modellen visar mer ingående utvärderingens kritiska punkter från ett projekt till ett annat. Studien stärker att utvärdering och lärande mellan projekt är ett eftersatt område i projektorganisationer. De uppfattas ofta som tråkiga, ostrukturerade och som att de saknar mottagare. Även andra kritiska punkter i processen som är vitala för att kunskap ska spridas mellan projekt har uppmärksammats. De är att ledningen stöttar genomförandet och inhämtandet av tidigare utvärderingsmaterial, att databasen är användarvänlig och att nätverk aktivt används. En reflekterande utvärdering bidrar till utökad individuell kunskap, men även utförligare dokument som kan lagras i organisationen. Detta är något som långsiktigt leder till kunskapsutveckling för organisationer. Studien visar också att kunskapsspridningen mellan parallellt pågående projekt varken prioriteras i forskning eller inom organisationer. Det finns däremot stor utvecklingspotential inom detta område.
Program: Civilekonomprogrammet

The purpose of this study was to explore the characteristics of school culture that influenced college-going rates for high school graduates in northeast Tennessee. The study involved one-toone interviews with selected high school teachers and principals. Six high schools in northeast Tennessee were used in the study. The significance of this study was to generate a grounded theory that could be used to explain the characteristics of school cultures that were effective in supporting students' college-going rates. This knowledge could be used to inform high school principals, school boards, state legislatures and other government bodies, and colleges and universities. Findings in this study indicated that effective schools needed to establish a school culture that exhibited 5 major characteristics. These major characteristics helped schools improve students' performance, they helped improve students attendance rate and reduced students' drop-out rate, and they improved student college-going rate. The 5 characteristics were: (a) communicating high expectations to all stakeholders, (b) building a strong learning community, (c) promoting positive partnership with parents in the education of their children, (d) establishing partnership with local industries, colleges, and universities, and (e) focusing on students' ownership of their learning, students' performance, and students' continuation to higher education. The conclusion made from this study was that communicating high expectations for stakeholders needed to be combined with support for stakeholders, especially for teachers and students, in order to maximize their potential to achieve high goals. Successful schools also needed to establish knowledge base for a community of learners. The learning community would encompass those areas that made the most impact on students' learning. These were: (1) knowledge supporting growth for the corporate faculty, (2) knowledge supporting growth and orientation of new teachers, and (3) knowledge supporting positive partnership with parents in the education of their children. Parental involvement in the education of their children played a major role in improving students' attendance rate; reducing the drop-out rate, and supporting students' college-going rates.

Project managers who fail to apply strategies to prevent counterproductive work behavior in information technology projects could negatively affect users, budget costs, timelines, or projects. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore strategies that project managers used to prevent counterproductive work behavior that put project success at risk. Social learning theory was the conceptual framework for this study. Data were collected through document review of published Project Management Institute (PMI) material as well as semistructured interviews with 10 project managers who were members of a PMI chapter in the southeastern United States, and who held a project management professional certification or an agile certified practitioner certification. Data were analyzed using Yin's methodology and consisted of transcribing, organizing, and coding the interview data, as well as triangulating the interview data in relation to the PMI literature. Five themes emerged from the data: (a) participant communication, (b) proactive planning, (c) personal impact, (d) participant engagement, and (e) issue management. The implications of the study for positive social change include the potential to increase the occurrence of conflict-free and healthy project environments, which could lead to satisfied and motivated project participants resulting in productive and engaged members of the community.

I takt med att konkurrensen ökar inom olika branscher, med fler aktörer både lokalt och globalt, behöver företag ta fram strategier för att anpassa sig till marknaden. Inom transportindustrin är vinstmarginalerna låga och konkurrensen ökar i hög takt, både nationellt och internationellt. I dag räcker det inte för inhemska åkerier att enbart erbjuda kunder plats på ett lastbilsflak, då ersättningen i många fall inte kan matchas med konkurrenter vars pris ofta är lägre. Istället måste åkeriföretag arbeta fram andra sätt för att behålla konkurrenskraften på marknaden. Ett sätt kan vara att kartlägga de interna funktionerna inom organisationen och försöka stärka stabiliteten i företaget, för att möta marknaden på ett stadigare sätt.Avsikten med denna studie var att undersöka på vilket sätt en strategi, för en ökad intern kommunikation samt tillåtande miljöer, kan påverka konkurrenskraften för en organisation. Mer precist jämförs strategin med teoretisk grund för lärandeorganisationer och ett medarbetarcentrerat perspektiv, som med rätt stöd och implementering visar sig kunna medföra konkurrensfördelar. Studien är förlagd på Schenker Åkeri AB, i Önnestad, som genom införandet av en ny strategi försöker att bedriva sin åkeriverksamhet på ett effektivare sätt.Analysen visar att effekterna av den införda strategin resulterar i bättre sociala förhållanden inom organisationen, samtidigt som företaget gör kostnadsbesparingar. Som slutsats konstateras att satsning på organisationens arbetskraft kan leda till ökade konkurrenskraft för verksamheten.
As the global market continues to grow companies are affected with an increase in the competitive environment. Within the transport industry the profit margin is low and the competition increases rapidly, both on a national and international level. Today it is not enough for native haulage companies to simply offer customers free room on their vehicles, since earnings cannot be compared to the competitors whose total price often is lower. Instead haulage companies must find other ways to stay competitive on the market. One of these ways could be to focus on the internal functions of the company, to strengthen the stability within the organization and face the market more steadily.This study intends to examine in which way a strategy focused on increased internal communication and a permissive environment can affect the organisations competitiveness. More precisely, the strategy is compared to a theoretical basis for learning organizations and an employee empowered perspective, which with the right support and implementation appears being able to create competitive advantages. This study is located on Schenker Åkeri AB, in Önnestad, that by implementing a new strategy tries to conduct their haulage activity more efficiently.In the analysis the implemented strategy shows to result in increased social effects within the organisation, as well as reducing costs for the company. As a conclusion it is confirmed that investment in the organizations workforce can result in increased competitive advantages for the company.

I takt med att psykisk ohälsa har eskalerat i det svenska arbetslivet de senaste åren har vikten av implementering av hälsofrämjande förändringsarbeten ökat inom organisationsvärlden. Många chefer står inför stora utmaningar i att bedriva dessa arbeten, motivera medarbetare samt framgångsrikt främja såväl organisatorisk som social arbetsmiljö. I relation till detta arbete krävs det att chefer innehar kunskaper om hur hälsa och lärande påverkas på arbetsplatsen. Syftet med studien var att analysera och beskriva hur cheferna upplevde att förutsättningar för hälsa och lärande påverkas under förändringsarbete för att skapa Healthy workplace. Studiens teoretiska referensram grundas i World Health Organizations modell kring hur Healthy workplaces formas i komplement av de pedagogiska teorierna om Kollektivt lärande samt Anpassnings- och Utvecklingsinriktat lärande. Studiens vetenskapsteoretiska utgångspunkter är inspirerade av fenomenografi och konstruktivism samt att en abduktiv ansats tillämpats. I studien genomfördes åtta semistrukturerade intervjuer som analyserades genom en kvalitativ innehållsanalys. Resultatet påvisade att Healthy workplace kan skapas genom ett tydligt ledarskap, involvering av medarbetarna i arbetet, integrering av lärande som en del av arbetet samt att ge medarbetaren tid och rum för reflektion samt kunskapsutbyte. Avslutningsvis blir slutsatsen att tydligt ledarskap i kombination med samarbete mellan alla parter bildar möjligheter för en stärkt sammanhållning på arbetsplatsen. För samtliga parter inom organisationen innebär detta kollektiva arbete en potential att främja såväl hälso- som lärandevillkor under pågående förändringsarbete.

In den letzten 20 Jahren sind Evaluationen Schritt für Schritt zu einem festen und gleichzeitig kontrovers diskutierten Bestandteil politischer Förderung geworden. Auf der Basis langjähriger Beobachtungen der Evaluationspraxis des Förderprogramms „Soziale Stadt“ zeigt dieses Buch zunächst, dass Evaluationstätigkeiten in Ministerien, Kommunalverwaltungen und Planungsbüros mit ganz unterschiedlichen Erwartungen, Herausforderungen, Widersprüchen und Irritationen verknüpft werden. Evaluationen werden dabei sowohl als Hoffnungsträger, als auch als Schreckgespenst gesehen. Der Autor nimmt diese Beobachtungen zum Anlass, den Umgang mit Evaluationen in politischen Organisationen kritisch zu hinterfragen und systematisch zu erklären. Reduziert auf die Frage „Wozu Evaluation?“ wird auf der Basis eines systemtheoretischen Zugangs erklärt, welche unterschiedlichen Funktionen Evaluationen in Organisationen erfüllen können. Vertiefend wird dabei auf organisationales Lernen, auf politische Steuerungslogik und auf die Notwendigkeit von Symbolisierungen eingegangen.
The neighborhood development program “Social City” aims to discontinue the downward tendency of so-called disadvantaged neighborhoods by funding numerous projects. In the course of the program implementation, the method of evaluation – as a target-performance analysis – becomes more and more relevant. But whether something can be called a successful neighborhood management or a successful measure of integration strongly depends on its context and the point of view. For this reason evaluation research says that the effects of programs are usually only indicated unsatisfactorily. These observations lead to the research aim, to explain the function of evaluations for the constitution of development programs beyond usual arguments of effectiveness and efficiency. Using a system theoretical approach Wilhelm analyzed the explicit and implicit norms and observation schemes of a successful program implementation. The following theses on the role of evaluations in program implementations can be derived: a) Evaluations lay down the change in the distinctions of political intervention and facilitate communication about success,b) Evaluations manifest the differentiation between underprivileged and privileged neighborhoods in the program and help to legitimate it, c) evaluations actualize the funding programs’ ability to absorb insecurity and finally d) evaluations take the “illusion of control” inherent to every political strategy of intervention as a basis and thus contribute to its manifestation.

The purpose of the essay has been to analyze if the Swedish Army ground forces, can be looked upon as a learning organization as the doctrines declare. This in the perspective that a working, collective Lessons Learned-process does not exist in the Swedish Army with the possible long term effects of diminishing its war-fighting capabilities. The method is a qualitative text analysis of the recently published report from the Swedish Army Land Warfare Center. The report focuses on tactical experiences from the Swedish ground forces perspective through the years 2009-2012, in the over a decade long Afghanistan-operation. The result indicates that the specified organization, the Army and its ground forces, can be seen as a learning organization but with great flaws. The flaws can be seen in all chosen theoretical disciplines, but are the most palpable in the most important one - the system thinking - which is essential for long term learning. But the analysis also gives some good news. The discipline that embraces the most indications of learning is the personal mastery. The inner strength, will and skill sets of the personnel are striking. The analysis points out that a deep learning exists, specifically on individual and lower levels, but is hindered by the system. Hence, the organization is filled with tacit knowledge. The conclusion is that the war-fighting capabilities might actually have been strengthened, but mainly on individual and low level but not as the organization should have. It lacks a working system for it.

This study investigates forces and organizational structures that facilitate or hinder sustainabledevelopment to be introduced and integrated in the core activities of public institutions.Specifically, the way global national sustainable development goals find their way into thelocal curriculum and overall-encompassing strategy of a few Swedish high-schools isidentified.To facilitate the search, the study is assisted by actor-network theory to find human and nonhuman―power-brokers‖ that can ensure the adoption and continuous application of newconcepts in a school. A pre-study of several schools, consisting of explorative interviews,located and classified factors and processes of potential importance for the implementation ofactivities related to sustainable development. At the same time, the large variety ofdefinitions of sustainable development encountered was recorded.The main study expanded on the findings from the pre-study and provided a more detailedanalysis of one senior high-school (upper secondary school). Several examples oforganizational structures and other factors– macro-actors in the theoretical model - werelocated with the potential to influence the furthering of the cause of sustainable developmentin that particular school. The possibility is discussed that the school would profit fromdeveloping a common mode of communication based on exploring experiences from applyingthe many issues that can be related to sustainable development. Such an endeavor could resultin organizational change typical of a learning organization. In that case, the resilience andcapacity of the organization to handle abrupt changes in national policy would be increased aswell as the preparedness of its students – our future – to handle rapidly changing situations intomorrow‗s society.The study further suggest that a similar ―tool-box‖ of theoretical models could be applied tothe local implementation of other national issues in an institutional setting.