Action research to explore perceptions of risk in project management

Uses research in a major UK company on the introduction of an electronic document management system to explore perceptions of, and attitudes to, risk. Phenomenological methods were used; with subsequent dialogue transcripts evaluated with Winmax dialogue software, using an adapted theoretical framework based upon an analysis of the literature. The paper identifies a number of factors, and builds a framework, that should support a greater understanding of risk assessment and project management by the academic community and practitioners.

Fragmented coherence: Solid waste management in Colombo

Notwithstanding the increasingly fragmented organizational relationships within Colombo's urban governance system, the cooperative nature of stakeholder relationships lends a high level of coherence to the overall system. Since 1995, Colombo's solid waste management system has been characterized by the increased role of the private sector, community-based organizations and NGOs. Whilst the increasingly fragmented nature of this system exhibits some deeply ingrained problems, there are also a number of positives associated with the increased role of civil society actors and, in particular, the informal sector. Reforming regulatory frameworks so as to integrate some of the social norms that are integral to the lives of the majority of urban residents will contribute to regulatory frameworks being considerably more enforceable than is currently the case. Such reform requires that institutional and regulatory frameworks need to be flexible enough to adapt to the changing social, political and economic context. In the Colombo case, effective cooperation between public sector and civil society stakeholders illustrates that adaptive institutional arrangements grounded in pragmatism are feasible. The challenge that arises is to translate these institutional arrangements into adaptive regulatory frameworks - something that would require a significant mind shift on the part of planners and urban managers.

Differences in sharing knowledge interpersonally and via databases: The role of evaluation apprehension and perceived benefits

Knowledge sharing is an essential component of effective knowledge management. However, evaluation apprehension, or the fear that your work may be critiqued, can inhibit knowledge sharing. Using the general framework of social exchange theory, we examined the effects of evaluation apprehension and perceived benefit of knowledge sharing ( such as enhanced reputation) on employees' knowledge sharing intentions in two contexts: interpersonal (i.e., by direct contact between two employees) and database (i.e., via repositories). Evaluation apprehension was negatively associated with knowledge sharing intentions in both contexts while perceived bene. it was only positively associated with knowledge sharing intentions in the database context. Moreover, compared to the interpersonal context, evaluation apprehension was higher and knowledge sharing lower in the database context. Finally, the negative effects of evaluation apprehension upon knowledge sharing intentions were worse when perceived benefits were low compared to when perceived benefits were high.

Scalable location management for context-aware systems

Location information is commonly used in context-aware applications and pervasive systems. These applications and systems may require knowledge, of the location of users, devices and services. This paper presents a location management system able to gather, process and manage location information from a variety of physical and virtual location sensors. The system scales to the complexity of context-aware applications, to a variety of types and large number of location sensors and clients, and to geographical size of the system. The proposed location management system provides conflict resolution of location information and mechanisms to ensure privacy.

PERCEPÇÕES DE GANHOS PARA OS EMPREGADOS NA GESTÃO POR COMPETÊNCIAS: UM ESTUDO DE CASO

Tendo como pressuposto de que a Gestão de Pessoas por Competências deve agregar valor econômico para a organização e valor social para os indivíduos, a presente pesquisa investiga com os empregados de uma empresa quais os ganhos trazidos na sua vida, profissional e pessoal, pelo modelo implementado na organização em que trabalham. Para alcançar esse objetivo foi realizado um estudo de caso, de caráter qualitativo numa empresa do setor público, que possui há mais de cinco anos um sistema de gestão por competências, contemplando todos os subsistemas (seleção, treinamento, remuneração, avaliação de desempenho e carreira) para 100,0% dos empregados. Num processo de antes e depois do sistema de gestão por competências, a pesquisa foi realizada por meio de questionário e entrevista. Para medir o ganho dos empregados, foram utilizadas as categorias e subcategorias de ganho social definidas na tese de doutoramento de Amyra Sarsur, 2007. Os resultados dessa pesquisa indicaram que, na percepção do empregado, três subcategorias destacaram-se como ganho social: desenvolvimento, compreensão conceptual da organização e autodesenvolvimento. A importância da pesquisa se faz devido à crescente adoção desse modelo de gestão de pessoas pelas empresas brasileiras e a ausência de pesquisas que investigam os ganhos dos empregados com a Gestão por Competências.(AU)

GESTÃO DO CONHECIMENTO: UM ESTUDO SOBRE A RELAÇÃO ENTRE A LIDERANÇA TRANSFORMACIONAL, A CONVERSÃO DO CONHECIMENTO E A EFICÁCIA ORGANIZACIONAL

Este estudo teve como objetivo principal analisar a relação entre a Liderança Transformacional, a Conversão do Conhecimento e a Eficácia Organizacional. Foram considerados como pressupostos teóricos conceitos consolidados sobre os temas desta relação, além de recentes pesquisas já realizadas em outros países e contextos organizacionais. Com base nisto identificou-se potencial estudo de um modelo que relacionasse estes três conceitos. Para tal considera-se que as organizações que buscam atingir Vantagem Competitiva e incorporam a Knowledge-Based View possam conquistar diferenciação frente a seus concorrentes. Nesse contexto o conhecimento ganha maior destaque e papel protagonista nestas organizações. Dessa forma criar conhecimento através de seus colaboradores, passa a ser um dos desafios dessas organizações ao passo que sugere melhoria de seus indicadores Econômicos, Sociais, Sistêmicos e Políticos, o que se define por Eficácia Organizacional. Portanto os modos de conversão do conhecimento nas organizações, demonstram relevância, uma vez que se cria e se converte conhecimentos através da interação entre o conhecimento existente de seus colaboradores. Essa conversão do conhecimento ou modelo SECI possui quatro modos que são a Socialização, Externalização, Combinação e Internalização. Nessa perspectiva a liderança nas organizações apresenta-se como um elemento capaz de influenciar seus colaboradores, propiciando maior dinâmica ao modelo SECI de conversão do conhecimento. Se identifica então na liderança do tipo Transformacional, características que possam influenciar colaboradores e entende-se que esta relação entre a Liderança Transformacional e a Conversão do Conhecimento possa ter influência positiva nos indicadores da Eficácia Organizacional. Dessa forma esta pesquisa buscou analisar um modelo que explorasse essa relação entre a liderança do tipo Transformacional, a Conversão do Conhecimento (SECI) e a Eficácia Organizacional. Esta pesquisa teve o caráter quantitativo com coleta de dados através do método survey, obtendo um total de 230 respondentes válidos de diferentes organizações. O instrumento de coleta de dados foi composto por afirmativas relativas ao modelo de relação pesquisado com um total de 44 itens. O perfil de respondentes concentrou-se entre 30 e 39 anos de idade, com a predominância de organizações privadas e de departamentos de TI/Telecom, Docência e Recursos Humanos respectivamente. O tratamento dos dados foi através da Análise Fatorial Exploratória e Modelagem de Equações Estruturais via Partial Least Square Path Modeling (PLS-PM). Como resultado da análise desta pesquisa, as hipóteses puderam ser confirmadas, concluindo que a Liderança Transformacional apresenta influência positiva nos modos de Conversão do Conhecimento e que; a Conversão do Conhecimento influencia positivamente na Eficácia Organizacional. Ainda, concluiu-se que a percepção entre os respondentes não apresenta resultado diferente sobre o modelo desta pesquisa entre quem possui ou não função de liderança.

Enhancing performance through the introduction of customer orientation into the building components industry

Purpose: This paper aims to describe an investigation into how company performance can be improved by integrating internal and external customers and technology. The approach was developed, implemented and evaluated in the operations of the building components industry. The research was carried out in the precast concrete division of a Singapore company. Design/methodology/ approach: For the purpose of undertaking the investigation an exploratory case study approach was used. This was divided into conceptual and action research stages. The action research was also used to implement the changes in the company. Questionnaire surveys were carried out among company employees and external customers to assess the effect of these changes. Results of the investigation were derived using content and statistical analysis. Triangulation between three sources was used for validating the data. Findings: The exploratory case study strategy resulted in rich research data, which provided evidence of the changes taking place and integration happening, leading to improved performance. The action research approach proved a powerful tool where the uncertainty of outcomes makes it near impossible to make accurate forecasts. Another output of the research was the development of an "integrated customer orientation" (ICO) model. Research limitations/implications: The research in this paper used a single site action research investigation so should be interpreted within the specific company and industry context. There are implications for theory and practice in a number of areas of production and marketing as well as contributions to understanding about productivity improvement and organisational development. The investigation also fulfils the dual objectives of action research by contributing to both knowledge and practice. Originality/value: The paper describes a unique approach towards improving productivity, quality and service through the use of action research to implement changes, as well as providing the research evidence to evaluate both the process of implementation and results achieved. © Emerald Group Publishing Limited.

Managing healthcare performance in analytical framework

Purpose – The purpose of the paper is to develop an integrated framework for performance management of healthcare services. Design/methodology/approach – This study develops a performance management framework for healthcare services using a combined analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and logical framework (LOGFRAME). The framework is then applied to the intensive care units of three different hospitals in developing nations. Numerous focus group discussions were undertaken, involving experts from the specific area under investigation. Findings – The study reveals that a combination of outcome, structure and process-based critical success factors and a combined AHP and LOGFRAME-based performance management framework helps manage performance of healthcare services. Practical implications – The proposed framework could be practiced in hospital-based healthcare services. Originality/value – The conventional approaches to healthcare performance management are either outcome-based or process-based, which cannot reveal improvement measures appropriately in order to assure superior performance. Additionally, they lack planning, implementing and evaluating improvement projects that are identified from performance measurement. This study presents an integrated approach to performance measurement and implementing framework of improvement projects.

A comparative assessment of performance and productivity of health centres in Seychelles

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to measure the technical and scale efficiency of health centres; to evaluate changes in productivity; and to highlight possible policy implications of the results for policy makers. Design/methodology/approach - Data envelopment analysis (DEA) is employed to assess the technical and scale efficiency, and productivity change over a four-year period among 17 public health centres. Findings - During the period of study, the results suggest that the public health centres in Seychelles have exhibited mean overall or technical efficiency of above 93 per cent. It was also found that the overall productivity increased by 2.4 per cent over 2001-2004. Research limitations/implications - Further research can be undertaken to gather data on the prices of the various inputs to facilitate an estimation of the allocative efficiency of clinics. If such an exercise were to be undertaken, researchers may also consider collecting data on quantities and prices of paramedical, administrative and support staff to ensure that the analysis is more comprehensive than the study reported in this paper. Institutionalization of efficiency monitoring would help to enhance further the already good health sector stewardship and governance. Originality/value - This paper provides new empirical evidence on a four-year trend in the efficiency and productivity of health centres in Seychelles. © Emerald Group Publishing Limited.

Process improvement within a HR division at a UK police force

A structured approach to process improvement is described in the context of the human resources division of a UK police force. The approach combines a number of established techniques of process improvement such as the balanced scorecard and process mapping with a scoring system developed to prioritise processes for improvement. The methodology described presents one way of ensuring the correct processes are identified and redesigned at an operational level in such a way as to support the organisation's strategic aims. In addition, a performance measurement system is utilised to attempt to ensure that the changes implemented do actually achieve the desired effect over time. The case demonstrates the need to choose and in some cases develop in-house tools and techniques dependent on the context of the process improvement effort.

The UK productivity gap in the service sector: do management practices matter?

Purpose – This paper aims to contribute to the debate on the drivers of the productivity gap that exists between the UK and its major international competitors. Design/methodology/approach – From the macro perspective the paper explores the quantitative evidence on the productivity differentials and how they are measured. From the micro perspective, the article explores the quantitative evidence on the role of management practices claimed to be a key determinant in promoting firm competitiveness and in bridging the UK gap. Findings – This study suggests that management practices are an ambiguous driver of firm productivity and higher firm performance. On the methodological side, qualitative and subjective measures of either management practices or firm performance are often used. This makes the results not comparable across studies, across firms or even within firms over time. Productivity and profitability are often and erroneously interchangeably used while productivity is only one element of firm performance. On the other hand, management practices are multi-dimensional constructs that generally do not demonstrate a straightforward relationship with productivity variables. To assume that they are the only driver of higher productivity may be misleading. Moreover, there is evidence of an inverse causal relationship between management practices and firm performance. This calls into question most empirical results of the extant literature based on the unidirectional assumption of direct causality between management practices and firm performance. Research limitations/implications – These and other issues suggest that more research is needed to deepen the understanding of the UK productivity gap and more quantitative evidence should be provided on the way in which management practices contribute to the UK competitiveness. Their impact is not easily measurable due to their complexity and their complementary nature and this is a fertile ground for further research. Originality/value – This paper brings together the evidence on the UK productivity gap and its main drivers, provided by the economics, management and performance measurement literature. This issue scores very highly in the agenda of policy makers and academics and has important implications for practitioners interested in evaluating the impact of managerial best practices.

Emergent strategy and the measurement of performance:the formulation of performance indicators at the microlevel

This article presents some evidence on an aspect of the design of a strategic control system, at the microlevel, within a single organization. The research we report used an ethnographic approach to provide an understanding of strategy formulation. Our aim is to contribute to an area of literature which is of increasing significance, but relatively underdeveloped in terms of the application of in-depth, field-research techniques. We take an intensive look at the manner in which performance measures are formulated, at the microlevel, within a single organization. The article presents, as an in-depth case analysis, the experience of a fisheries holding company in New Zealand. The article recounts the experiences of managers within the organization of the process of identification of such things as critical success factors and key performance indicators (KPIs) and, more broadly, the formulation of a strategic performance measurement system.

Communicating knowledge about police performance

This paper describes the organizational processes of knowledge acquisition, sharing, retention and utilisation as it affected the internal and external communication of knowledge about performance in an English police force. The research was gathered in three workshops for internal personnel, external stakeholders and chief officers, using Journey Making, a computer-assisted method of developing shared understanding. The research concluded that there are multiple audiences for the communication of knowledge about police performance, impeded by the requirement to publish performance data. However, the intelligence-led policing model could lead to a more focused means of communication with various stakeholder groups. Although technology investment was a preferred means of communicating knowledge about performance, without addressing cultural barriers, an investment in technology may not yield the appropriate changes in behaviour. Consequently, technology needs to be integrated with working practices in order to reduce organizational reliance on informal methods of communication.

The impact of performance measurement in strategic planning

Purpose – To investigate the impact of performance measurement in strategic planning process. Design/methodology/approach – A large scale survey was conducted online with Warwick Business School alumni. The questionnaire was based on the Strategic Development Process model by Dyson. The questionnaire was designed to map the current practice of strategic planning and to determine its most influential factors on the effectiveness of the process. All questions were close ended and a seven-point Likert scale used. The independent variables were grouped into four meaningful factors by factor analysis (Varimax, coefficient of rotation 0.4). The factors produced were used to build regression models (stepwise) for the five assessments of strategic planning process. Regression models were developed for the totality of the responses, comparing SMEs and large organizations and comparing organizations operating in slowly and rapidly changing environments. Findings – The results indicate that performance measurement stands as one of the four main factors characterising the current practice of strategic planning. This research has determined that complexity coming from organizational size and rate of change in the sector creates variation in the impact of performance measurement in strategic planning. Large organizations and organizations operating in rapidly changing environments make greater use of performance measurement. Research limitations/implications – This research is based on subjective data, therefore the conclusions do not concern the impact of strategic planning process' elements on the organizational performance achievements, but on the success/effectiveness of the strategic planning process itself. Practical implications – This research raises a series of questions about the use and potential impact of performance measurement, especially in the categories of organizations that are not significantly influenced by its utilisation. It contributes to the field of performance measurement impact. Originality/value – This research fills in the gap literature concerning the lack of large scale surveys on strategic development processes and performance measurement. It also contributes in the literature of this field by providing empirical evidences on the impact of performance measurement upon the strategic planning process.

The impact of the performance measurement systems in setting the 'direction' in the University of Warwick

This paper presents a case study examining the role of performance measurement systems in setting organizational ‘direction’. There is a growing concern in the existing literature to link the development of organizational ‘direction’ with performance measurement systems. Furthermore, the alignment between organizational ‘direction’, strategy and performance measurement is an area of increasing interest for both academics and practitioners. However, there is no adequate research recorded in the literature on the use of the performance measurement systems and the potential impact that performance measurement can have in setting the organizational ‘direction’. This study reports the findings of a case study from one of the leading academic institutions in the UK, the University of Warwick, presenting the main characteristics of its performance measurement system and attempting to explain the connection with setting the university’s ‘direction’.