Diversity management and team leadership in a nonprofit organization. Case: AIESEC in Finland

Tutkimuksen tarkoituksena on selvittää kuinka moninaisuus ja sen johtaminen näkyvät voittoa tavoittelemattoman järjestön tiimityössä, kuinka moninaisuus ja tiimityö pystyvät selittämään motiiveja työskennellä voittoa tavoittelemattomassa järjestössä ja mitä tulisi huomioida tiimityön ja tiimin johtajuuden osalta, kun moninaisuus ja voittoa tavoittelemattoman järjestön luonne otetaan huomioon. Tämä tutkielma on laadullinen tutkimus, jossa tutkimusmenetelminä on käytetty yhdeksää teemahaastattelua, edellisen tutkimuksen tuloksia (Astikainen, 2005) sekä havainnointia. Tutkimuksen perusteellavoidaan todeta, että voittoa tavoittelemattoman järjestön luonne, tiimityö tai moninaisuus eivät sinällään merkitse paljoakaan tulosten kannalta, vaan niiden keskinäiset yhteydet. Nämä yhdessä, oikein hyödynnettynä, vaikuttavat työntekijöiden motivaatioon ja sitä kautta organisaation tuloksiin.

Emotional intelligence and multicultural project leadership in Finnish-Chinese MNC context

The main goal of this thesis was to examine how the emotional intelligence skills and multicultural project leadership style of a project manager interrelate and affect the success of a project. The research methods used are literature review in theoretical part of the thesis and semi-structured interviews in empirical part of the thesis. This study is a single case study i.e. one case company was selected to be the secondary level of analysis. Within the case company, four project managers were selected as research units to form the primary level of analysis. Literature review formed the basis for the empirical research and the interview questions were derived from the literature. Findings from the interviews were mirrored against the literature review findings, based on which both conclusions and generalisations could be made. Thus, both deductive and inductive methods were utilised to get more complete picture about the research topic. In the first part of the literature review the general leadership theories and the project leadership terminology are introduced as a background for the concept of emotional intelligence and the integrated leadership model. Emotional intelligence and its interrelation to different leadership concepts are discussed during the literature review. Chinese cultural aspects affecting the way of making business, and the multicultural leadership styles of the Finnish project managers are introduced in the following part of the literature review. It was found that the most successfully used multicultural leadership styles in Finnish-Chinese context are synergistic and polycentric, and these require emotional intelligence skills. In the empirical part on this thesis the findings from the semi-structured interviews are introduced, discussed and analysed. Interviews were done in private meeting rooms, and they were recorded and transcripted to add reliability and validity. Although the sample was only four project managers, the results show that the sample is quite saturated as the responses to several questions followed the same pattern. It was found that Finnish project managers in the case company are democratic and take cultural differences into account in their project leadership. Both synergistic and polycentric leadership styles are used with Chinese team members. Emotional intelligence capabilities and the emphasis of those differ a bit depending on the interviewee. Though, the results show that EI skills and the multicultural project leadership style used in Chinese context are interrelated. The findings from the literature review and the empirical research in this thesis are similar. Though, there is need for further research as the sample was small, and this thesis is a single case study. It is recommendable to make a multi-company study with larger sample of project managers. Also multi-industry perspective is recommendable for further research.

The relationship between a virtual leader’s communication practices and a virtual team’s performance

A lot of research has been carried out into virtual teams and virtual leadership, yet there is hardly any research available on the communication behaviour of virtual leaders within a real business context. This research assessed the communication practices of virtual leaders and analysed the relationship between these practices and the performance of virtual teams. The objective of this research was to examine the distinctions of virtual teams, to study the leader’s role in a virtual team and its performance, and to examine the leader’s communication practices within virtual teams. The research involves a case study in which interviews have been carried out within an international technology company headquartered in Finland. Qualitative research methods were applied in the research. Based on the results of the study it can be said that there is a strong relationship between a virtual leader’s communication practices and a virtual team member’s job satisfaction. Through their communication practices, activities and message contents, leaders can affect the job satisfaction of virtual team members. In virtual leadership the focus is not in virtual but in leadership. It does not matter if the context is virtual or face-to-face; similar communication practices are good in both cases. As the global economic crisis strongly affected the sales results of the between a leader’s communication practices and a virtual team’s objective performance cannot be made.

Playing to Learn: Business Simulation Games as Leadership Learning Environments

The aim of this dissertation is to investigate if participation in business simulation gaming sessions can make different leadership styles visible and provide students with experiences beneficial for the development of leadership skills. Particularly, the focus is to describe the development of leadership styles when leading virtual teams in computer-­supported collaborative game settings and to identify the outcomes of using computer simulation games as leadership training tools. To answer to the objectives of the study, three empirical experiments were conducted to explore if participation in business simulation gaming sessions (Study I and II), which integrate face-­to-­face and virtual communication (Study III and IV), can make different leadership styles visible and provide students with experiences beneficial for the development of leadership skills. In the first experiment, a group of multicultural graduate business students (N=41) participated in gaming sessions with a computerized business simulation game (Study III). In the second experiment, a group of graduate students (N=9) participated in the training with a ‘real estate’ computer game (Study I and II). In the third experiment, a business simulation gaming session was organized for graduate students group (N=26) and the participants played the simulation game in virtual teams, which were organizationally and geographically dispersed but connected via technology (Study IV). Each team in all experiments had three to four students and students were between 22 and 25 years old. The business computer games used for the empirical experiments presented an enormous number of complex operations in which a team leader needed to make the final decisions involved in leading the team to win the game. These gaming environments were interactive;; participants interacted by solving the given tasks in the game. Thus, strategy and appropriate leadership were needed to be successful. The training was competition-­based and required implementation of leadership skills. The data of these studies consist of observations, participants’ reflective essays written after the gaming sessions, pre-­ and post-­tests questionnaires and participants’ answers to open-­ ended questions. Participants’ interactions and collaboration were observed when they played the computer games. The transcripts of notes from observations and students dialogs were coded in terms of transactional, transformational, heroic and post-­heroic leadership styles. For the data analysis of the transcribed notes from observations, content analysis and discourse analysis was implemented. The Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ) was also utilized in the study to measure transformational and transactional leadership styles;; in addition, quantitative (one-­way repeated measures ANOVA) and qualitative data analyses have been performed. The results of this study indicate that in the business simulation gaming environment, certain leadership characteristics emerged spontaneously. Experiences about leadership varied between the teams and were dependent on the role individual students had in their team. These four studies showed that simulation gaming environment has the potential to be used in higher education to exercise the leadership styles relevant in real-­world work contexts. Further, the study indicated that given debriefing sessions, the simulation game context has much potential to benefit learning. The participants who showed interest in leadership roles were given the opportunity of developing leadership skills in practice. The study also provides evidence of unpredictable situations that participants can experience and learn from during the gaming sessions. The study illustrates the complex nature of experiences from the gaming environments and the need for the team leader and role divisions during the gaming sessions. It could be concluded that the experience of simulation game training illustrated the complexity of real life situations and provided participants with the challenges of virtual leadership experiences and the difficulties of using leadership styles in practice. As a result, the study offers playing computer simulation games in small teams as one way to exercise leadership styles in practice.

Tunneälytaitojen ja transformationaalisen johtamisen roolit kosmetiikkamyymälän johtamisessa

Tutkimuksen tavoitteena oli kuvata ja ymmärtää tunneälymallin osa-alueiden ja transformationaalisen johtamisosaamisen ilmenemistä kosmetiikkatoimialalla toimivan case-yrityksen päälliköiden käytännön esimiestyössä. Aihetta tarkasteltiin teoreettisen viitekehyksen kautta empiirisesti myymäläpäälliköille tehdyn kvalitatiivisen teemahaastattelun ja kvantitatiivisin menetelmin kerätyn johtamisen itsearvion vastausten sekä alaisten antamien arvioiden avulla. Tutkimuksesta nousi esille useita yhteneväisyyksiä ja ristiriitaisuuksia aikaisempiin tunneälyn ja transformationaalisen johtamisen tutkimuksiin. Lähes kaikkien muuttujien tilastollisesti erittäin merkitsevät ja korkeat korrelaatiot nousivat tutkimuksen tuloksista yllätykseksi. Tuloksina havaittiin, että päälliköillä oli hyvin kehittyneet tunneälytaidot interpersonaallisten tekijöiden ja yleisen hyvinvoinnin alueilla sekä karismaattisen ja transaktionaalisen passiivisen johtamisen alueilla. Päälliköiden heikoiten kehittyneet tunneälytaidot olivat paineensietokyvyn alueilla. Johtopäätöksenä voitiin havaita esimiesten luovan positiivista palveluilmastoa sosiaalisen vuorovaikutuksen ja merkitysten luomisen kautta ja siten johtaminen perustui vahvasti käytännönläheiseen realismiin ja korkeaan tunneälyyn.

Roles of leadership in complex environments : Enhancing Knowledge Flows in Organisational Constellations through Practice-Based Innovation Processes

Global challenges, complexity and continuous uncertainty demand development of leadership approaches, employees and multi-organisation constellations. Current leadership theories do not sufficiently address the needs of complex business environments. First of all, before successful leadership models can be applied in practice, leadership needs to shift from the industrial age to the knowledge era. Many leadership models still view leadership solely through the perspective of linear process thinking. In addition, there is not enough knowledge or experience in applying these newer models in practice. Leadership theories continue to be based on the assumption that leaders possess or have access to all the relevant knowledge and capabilities to decide future directions without external advice. In many companies, however, the workforce consists of skilled professionals whose work and related interfaces are so challenging that the leaders cannot grasp all the linked viewpoints and cross-impacts alone. One of the main objectives of this study is to understand how to support participants in organisations and their stakeholders to, through practice-based innovation processes, confront various environments. Another aim is to find effective ways of recognising and reacting to diverse contexts, so companies and other stakeholders are better able to link to knowledge flows and shared value creation processes in advancing joint value to their customers. The main research question of this dissertation is, then, to seek understanding of how to enhance leadership in complex environments. The dissertation can, on the whole, be characterised as a qualitative multiple-case study. The research questions and objectives were investigated through six studies published in international scientific journals. The main methods applied were interviews, action research and a survey. The empirical focus was on Finnish companies, and the research questions were examined in various organisations at the top levels (leaders and managers) and bottom levels (employees) in the context of collaboration between organisations and cooperation between case companies and their client organisations. However, the emphasis of the analysis is the internal and external aspects of organisations, which are conducted in practice-based innovation processes. The results of this study suggest that the Cynefin framework, complexity leadership theory and transformational leadership represent theoretical models applicable to developing leadership through practice-based innovation. In and of themselves, they all support confronting contemporary challenges, but an implementable method for organisations may be constructed by assimilating them into practice-based innovation processes. Recognition of diverse environments, their various contexts and roles in the activities and collaboration of organisations and their interest groups is ever-more important to achieving better interaction in which a strategic or formal status may be bypassed. In innovation processes, it is not necessarily the leader who is in possession of the essential knowledge; thus, it is the role of leadership to offer methods and arenas where different actors may generate advances. Enabling and supporting continuous interaction and integrated knowledge flows is of crucial importance, to achieve emergence of innovations in the activities of organisations and various forms of collaboration. The main contribution of this dissertation relates to applying these new conceptual models in practice. Empirical evidence on the relevance of different leadership roles in practice-based innovation processes in Finnish companies is another valuable contribution. Finally, the dissertation sheds light on the significance of combining complexity science with leadership and innovation theories in research.

The Relationship of Organizational Culture, Employee Motivation and Innovativeness: Evidence from Finnish Technology Industries

The purpose of this thesis is to analyze the effects of tangible and intangible incentives on the dimensions of motivation and organizational innovativeness in the context of different organizational cultures. Theory suggests that an antecedent of innovativeness is individual creativity of employees, which is influenced by intrinsic motivation, flexible organizational structures, and transformational leadership. Empirical evidence for this research is derived from 424 respondents representing technology-driven industries in Finland. Data is collected through an online questionnaire and analyzed using SPSS statistics software. The results imply that intangible incentives and intrinsic motivation have an important role in determining organizational innovativeness. The positive relationships of intangible incentives, intrinsic motivation and innovativeness seem to be higher in flexible organizational cultures. As practical implications, managers should foster flexible organizational cultures that highlight employee empowerment. The motivating power of non-financial intrinsic incentives and recognition of good work should not be undermined when compared to tangible monetary rewards.

Ethical leadership as a way to promote work-related well-being

The purpose of this study was to clarify the connections of ethical leadership with the work-related well-being of employees. Additionally, the role of occupational health care in ethical leadership that promotes work-related well- being was analyzed. The objective of the study was to produce knowledge to support the development of ethical leadership and work-related well-being as well as to find ways for occupational health care to support organizations in these actions. The target groups of this study consisted of the managers (N=43) and employees (N=336) working in one organization in the Finnish energy industry. The population was studied in November 2014 using census. The data was gathered with two different web-based surveys containing structured and open questions. The survey for managers consisted of background questions and statements concerning ethical leadership, work-related well-being and occupational health care. The employee questionnaire consisted of questions about background and statements about work-related well-being and ethical leadership. The structured questions were analyzed with SPSS Statistical Program and the open questions using inductive content analysis. At least 80 % of the managers saw their actions as ethical in all but one part of ethical leadership. The work-related well-being of the employees was found best in the area of ability to work (91 % agreed) and lowest in the area of experience of ethical leadership (67 % agreed). The results showed a strong positive connection between ethical leadership and all the components of work- related well-being. The managers and employees were generally quite happy with the services of occupational health care but managers saw some problems with the collaboration with occupational health care. Several ways to improve work-related well-being and collaboration with occupational health care were found. One of the most important things was thought to be offering ways to maintain ability to work and making these actions visible. Investing in ethical leadership and work-related well-being is extremely important for the success of an organization and the societal benefits cannot be forgotten either. The role of occupational health care in promoting the health and well-being of employees is substantial. Occupational health care should offer managers more tools to recognize difficult situations and acting in them as well as encourage managers to seek help from occupational health care without hesitation in problematic situations of leadership.

Ethical leadership as a way to promote work-related well-being

The purpose of this study was to clarify the connections of ethical leadership with the work-related well-being of employees. Additionally, the role of occupational health care in ethical leadership that promotes work-related well- being was analyzed. The objective of the study was to produce knowledge to support the development of ethical leadership and work-related well-being as well as to find ways for occupational health care to support organizations in these actions. The target groups of this study consisted of the managers (N=43) and employees (N=336) working in one organization in the Finnish energy industry. The population was studied in November 2014 using census. The data was gathered with two different web-based surveys containing structured and open questions. The survey for managers consisted of background questions and statements concerning ethical leadership, work-related well-being and occupational health care. The employee questionnaire consisted of questions about background and statements about work-related well-being and ethical leadership. The structured questions were analyzed with SPSS Statistical Program and the open questions using inductive content analysis. At least 80 % of the managers saw their actions as ethical in all but one part of ethical leadership. The work-related well-being of the employees was found best in the area of ability to work (91 % agreed) and lowest in the area of experience of ethical leadership (67 % agreed). The results showed a strong positive connection between ethical leadership and all the components of work- related well-being. The managers and employees were generally quite happy with the services of occupational health care but managers saw some problems with the collaboration with occupational health care. Several ways to improve work-related well-being and collaboration with occupational health care were found. One of the most important things was thought to be offering ways to maintain ability to work and making these actions visible. Investing in ethical leadership and work-related well-being is extremely important for the success of an organization and the societal benefits cannot be forgotten either. The role of occupational health care in promoting the health and well-being of employees is substantial. Occupational health care should offer managers more tools to recognize difficult situations and acting in them as well as encourage managers to seek help from occupational health care without hesitation in problematic situations of leadership.

Hallituksen toimintaan ja puoluejohdon taitavuuteen kohdistuva arviointi puoluekannatuksen selittäjänä

Abstract: Evaluation of government performance and party leadership as a determinant of party selection

Voimalaitosprojektin ennakoivan mittaamisen kehittäminen

Tämän diplomityön tavoitteena oli kehittää Teollisuuden Voima Oy:n Olkiluoto3 -ydinvoimalaitosprojektille ennakoiva mittaristo projektin lopputuloksen mittaamiseen. Aluksi työssä perehdyttiin projektinhallinnan ja projektimittaamiseen teoriaan sekä prosessijohtamisen ja riskienhallinnan periaatteisiin. Lisäksi kartoitettiin ennakoivan mittaamisen perusteita ja menetelmiä. Työn empiirisessä osassa selvitettiin projektin nykytila, mahdollisuudet ennakoivaan mittaamiseen sekä ennakoivan mittaamisen lähtökohdat ja rajoitteet. Näiden pohjalta laadittiin kuvaus projektin nykyisistä menettelytavoista sekä kehitettiin perusmalli mittaristosta ennakoivaan tulosmittaamiseen. Lisäksi kartoitettiin projektin tavoitteet ja menestystekijät, joiden pohjalle ennakoiva mittaristo on rakennettu. Menestystekijöiden kartoituksessa käytettiin hyväksi myös organisaation kyselytutkimusta, joka tarjosikin erinomaista tietoa projektista ja mittaamisen mahdollisuuksista. Muodostettu mittaristo keskittyy aikataulu- kustannus- ja dokumentoinnin mittaamiseen. Muut lopputulokseen vaikuttavat projektinhallinnan osa-alueet on työn rajauksen puitteissa jätetty käsittelemättä. Jatkotoimenpide-ehdotuksena voidaan todeta, että mittariston edelleen kehittäminen ja laajentaminen myös muille projektinhallinnan osa-alueille voitaisiin tehdä esimerkiksi toisen diplomityöntekijäntoimesta.

SC-paperirullien vanaisuuden syntymekanismien selvittäminen

Myllykoski Paper Oy:n PK6:n kapeiden asiakasrullien vanoittuminen on aiheuttanut tuotannonmenetyksiä. Tämän työn tavoitteena oli pyrkiä selvittämään SC-paperirullissa esiintyvän vanaisuuden syntymekanismeja ja sitä, kuinka pituusleikkurilla voitaisiin vähentää vanan muodostumista asiakasrulliin. Työn kirjallisuusosassa selvitettiin rullaustapahtumaa pituusleikkurilla, paperin rullautuvuuteen vaikuttavia tekijöitä ja SC-paperille soveltuvia pituusleikkurityyppejä. Tässäyhteydessä syvennyttiin vanan syntymekanismeihin ja vanan syntymisen mahdollisiin ehkäisymenetelmiin. Vanan muodostumiseen vaikuttavat rainassa olevat jyrkät muutokset mm. neliömassa- ja paksuuspoikkiprofiileissa sekä pituusleikkurin rullausasemien linjauksen virheellisyys. Työn kokeellinen osa jakautui kahteen osaan.Esikokeissa tilastoitiin vanarullien muodostuminen eri pituusleikkurin rullausasemien, rullausposition ja käytetyn superkalanterin mukaan. Vanarullien paperista tutkittiin poikkisuuntaisia profiileja vanan syntysyiden löytämiseksi. Vanarullat olivat pääasiassa rainan reunoista leikattuja ja esikokeiden aikana suurin osan vanarullista muodostui superkalanteri II:n tambuureista. Koeajossa tutkittiin pituusleikkurin ajoparametrien ja rullausposition vaikutusta vanan muodostumiseen kapeassa rainan reunaosasta leikattavassa rullassa. Paperissa olevan profiilivian aiheuttamaa vanaa ei pystytty poistamaan ajoparametrimuutoksilla poistamaan koeajossa. Pituusleikkurin rullausasemien ja telojen linjaus sekä liikkuvien osien välysten poistaminen vähensi vanan muodostumista. Paperin neliömassa- ja paksuusprofiileissa kapealla alueella tapahtuvat jyrkät muutokset lisäsivät merkittävästi vanan muodostumista. Paperin profiilien hallinnalla ja pituusleikkurin kuluvien osien ennakoivalla huollolla voidaan vähentää vanan muodostumista asiakasrulliin.

Competitive intelligence yksikön palvelustrategia

Tutkimuksen tavoitteena oli selvittää, kuinka yrityksen Compeitive Intelligence (CI) yksikön palvelustrategia pitäisi rakentaa ja mitä tekijöitä ottaa huomioon palvelustrategian rakentamisessa, jotta se parhaiten tukisi CI-yksikön integrointia muuhun organisaatioon. Tutkimus suoritettiin laadullisena case tutkimuksena. Tutkimuksen aineisto kerättiin kirjallisuudesta, artikkeleista sekä suorittamalla teemahaastatteluja. Tutkimuksen teoreettisena pohjana käytettiin näkemyksiä markkina-, kilpailu- ja liiketoimintatiedosta, palveluiden markkinoinnista sekä tietojohtamisesta. Tutkimuksen empiirinen aineisto kerättiin haastattelemalla kymmenen CI-yksikön asiakasta kohdeyrityksestä. Niin teorialähteiden kuin kohdeyrityksessä kerätyn materiaalin pohjalta voidaan sanoa, että palvelustrategiaa suunniteltaessa oleellisia elementtejä, joilla voidaan parantaa CI:n integrointia muuhun organisaatioon, ovat palvelu/tuote, jakelu sekä viestintä ja vuorovaikutus. Palvelustrategian rakentamisessa erityisessä ja keskeisessä asemassa on vuorovaikutus. Vuorovaikutuksen merkitys korostuu, koska sillä on vaikutusta palvelustrategian muihin elementteihin, kuten tiedon laatuun ja proaktiiviseen tiedon jakeluun.

Määräaikaisten työntekijöiden sitoutuminen. Case Helsingin kaupunki - Sosiaali- ja terveydenhoitoalan yksiköt

Tämä tutkimus tarkastelee määräaikaisia työsuhteita. Tavoitteena on selvittää määräaikaisten työntekijöiden sitoutumista ja sitouttamista organisaatiossa sekä näitä edistäviä tekijöitä. Lähtökohtana on tutkia määräaikaisuutta sitoutumisen näkökulmasta. Erityisen tarkastelun kohteena on työilmapiirin ja esimiestoiminnan vaikutus sitoutumiseen. Sitoutumisen viitekehyksenä on Curtis & Wrightin (2001) sitoutumismalli. Tutkimuksen empiirisessä osassa haastateltiin määräaikaisia työntekijöitä ja heidän esimiehiään. Aineisto käsiteltiin teemoittelun kautta. Tutkimuksen tuoman uuden näkökulman mukaan suurin osa vastanneista määräaikaisista työntekijöistä koki määräaikaisuuden positiivisena eivätkä halunneet vakinaista työpaikkaa. Samalla kaikki vastaajat olivat hyvin sitoutuneita, eivät niinkään organisaatioonsa, vaan työyhteisöönsä ja työhönsä, sen määräaikaisuudesta riippumatta. Palkankorotuksella tai vakinaistamisella ei näyttäisi tämän tutkimuksen mukaan olevan kovin suurta merkitystä määräaikaisen työntekijän sitoutumisen kannalta, sen sijaan työilmapiirillä ja organisaation johtamistavoilla on.