Dillion, Stuart

Title of Thesis:         Understanding Decision Problem Structuring by Executives

Abstract:                This thesis reports on an investigation undertaken to determine the nature of the decision problem structuring behaviour of executive and the determinants of that behaviour.

                             Decision problem structuring is concerned with those activities that translate an identified decision problem into a form suitable for the making of a choice. Activities commonly associated with the structuring of decision problems include the defining of objectives, the generation of alternatives, and the collection of relevant supporting information.

                             Utilising a multiple case study approach, sixteen Chief Executive Officers or General Managers of medium to large (largest had 2800 employees) organisations, operating within a confined geographical region of New Zealand, were questioned on their decision problem structuring behaviour. Participants were asked to describe, in detail, the process they followed in structuring decision problems, along with what they felt caused them to act as they did. In addition to the direct communication between the researcher and the participant, each executive completed a supplementary questionnaire and undertook a computer based cognitive style analysis test (the latter two for purposes of triangulation). Raw interview data was integrated with that from the other data sources (such as the questionnaire) through use of an adaptation of the data analysis aspects of the grounded theory approach.

                             Within the context of the study, described decision structuring behaviour was found to be more closely aligned with that of wider descriptive theory than any of the existing prescribed problem structuring methods. Described behaviour regularly exhibited the use of prior decision-making experiences, decision situations where an identified solution initiated the decision, and the existence of Satisficing behaviour.

                             The most evident structuring process comprised the defining of objective and the generating of alternatives, occurring in an iterative and cyclical manner. These activities were supported where required, by the gathering of information.

                             It was observed that the contextual effects of time, limited finance, excessive information and political interference played a significant part in not just the problem structuring activities, but they were also found to affect the decision maker's perception of the problem before any structuring occurred. As a result, the actual decision problem state and the perceived problem state often differed. Similarly, the executive decision-maker was also found to influence the perception of the problem and the subsequent activities that were carried out in structuring it. The executive's experience, their understanding of decision problem structuring, and their overall confidence were found to be influential.

Methodology:           Multiple case study

Chief Supervisor:      Assoc Prof John Buchanan

Other Supervisor(s):  Prof Jim Corner

Year Completed:       2002

Dorling, Kim

Title of Thesis:         Determinants of Successful Vendor Managed Inventory and Strategic Supply Chain Relationships in the New Zealand Food Industry

Abstract:                Supply chain initiatives are growing in popularity throughout the food industry, as organisations seek to reduce costs, to improve profitability in an increasingly competitive environment. As Whipple and Frankel (2000, p.21) suggest "… firms seeking competitive advantages are participating in cooperative supply chain arrangements, such as strategic alliances, which combine their individual strengths and unique resources." Kurt Salmon Associates (1993) estimated that in the US, continuous replenishment processes (CRP), a form of vendor managed inventory (VMI), would provide annual savings of approximately 5% of sales, with the majority of savings realised by retailers. In support of this, Clark and Hammond (1997) found that, in the UK, supplier inventory turns increased 50 to 100% when electronic data interchange (EDI) was implemented in conjunction with CRP.

                             In order to assist organisations in the New Zealand food industry benefit from these initiatives, this research seeks to answer the primary research question: "What are the key determinants of successful vendor managed inventory and strategic supply chain relationships in the New Zealand food industry?" In addition, a number of secondary research questions were asked including: "Why has the New Zealand food industry been slow to adopt VMI practices?" and "What supply chain efficiencies can be realised in New Zealand through VMI without EDI?"

                             An action research case study between a large supermarket retailer and a large food manufacture in New Zealand was undertaken to answer these questions. Underpinning this is a literature review, which provided theoretical insights into global VMI and supply chain best practices. The output of this research is a series of three integrated frameworks covering industry, organization and management-level aspects of VMI and strategic supply chain relationships. These frameworks, which have been justified and triangulated with the literature, are practical, working model, particularly relevant to organizations in highly concentrated food industries.

Methodology:           Action research case study

Chief Supervisor:      Assoc Prof John Scott

Other Supervisor(s):  Dr Eric Deakins

Year Completed:       2004

Gilmour, Peter

Title of Thesis:         An examination of the managerial decision-making process of experts from a behavioural perspective

Abstract:                The purpose of this study was to develop an understanding of the interaction between expertise, managerial role, and subjective behavioural characteristics. The research seeks answers to the question: What shapes the managerial decisions-making processes of an expert?

                             Four case studies examined the decision-making processes of four domain experts who have taken on managerial roles. The studies follow a triangulated approach using interviews, observations and psychological evaluations to discover the dominant decision making processes of the experts in their managerial roles. This study includes interviews with each of the four experts, interviews with people associated with them in their work environment, the researcher's observations, and three psychological evaluations.

                             The research indicates that the subjective characteristics of the experts studies may determine the domain in which they became expert, and consequently the managerial role that they chose and also the managerial decision-making processes that they follow. The experts' decision-making processes seem to be shaped initially by their subjective characteristics, second by their expertise and last by their managerial role. There was however, an indication that these experts dichotomise their managerial decision-making processes to distinguish between decisions that directly involve people and other decisions. Managerial requirements create situations that require the use of the experts' subjective characteristics that are not otherwise used. It is therefore concluded that the subjective characteristics of the experts studied have shaped their managerial decision-making processes.

                             The outcome from a study of four experts is not expected to be valid for all experts, however it may add weight to an argument that more consideration needs to be made of the two-way interaction between expert and domain.

Methodology:           Multiple case study

Chief Supervisor:      Prof Jim Corner

Other Supervisor(s):  Assoc Prof John Buchanan

Year Completed:       2001

Hung, Frank (Wei-Hsi)

Title of Thesis:         Supporting critical activities from web sites: an evaluation methodology

Abstract:                "Organisational critical activities" (OCAs) are activities which must be conducted by the organisation constantly in order to be successful in the industry. They are recognised as being essential to short, medium, and long-term success in that industry, have been significantly resourced and receive regular seniour management monitoring and direction. Although these activities are extremely important, some empirical studies have shown that they are not well supported by organisations, particularly in the area of Web support. This thesis develops an evaluation methodology called the "organisational critical activity Web support evaluation methodology" (OCAWSEM) which can be utilised to elicit OCAs (Organisational Critical Activities) from organizations, evaluate whether an organization's OCAs are being supported by its Web site, and provide guidance on how the organization can improve its Web site. To develop the OCAWSEM, this thesis reviews the relevant literature and proposes a prototype of OCAWSEM. A new iterative case design (ICD) approach has been used in order to further develop the prototype, and then to test the improved OCAWSEM. The selected field cases were eight universities in New Zealand. In total, 43 semi-structured interviews were conducted with senior teams, middle level managers, and Web teams. A systematic review of these universities' Web sites was performed from the provider's, rather than the user's perspective. The outcome shows that the Developed OCAWSEM is a valid and reliable methodology for the evaluation of the support for OCAs from Web sites in the universities in New Zealand. This thesis provides useful lessons, drawn from the development and testing processes, as the basis from which to develop more specific OCAWSEMs for use in other organisational and industry contexts. Both practitioners and academicians can gain a deeper understanding of the notion of OCAs, better elicit OCAs from management, conduct Web site evaluations, and discuss the support of the Web sites for the OCAs.

Methodology:           Iterative case design

Chief Supervisor:      Prof Robert McQueen

Other Supervisor(s):  Dr Stuart Dillon, Prof Bill Doolin

Year Completed:       2006

Janson, Annick

Title of Thesis:         Narratives of online collaborative experiences: leaders and lurkers

Abstract:                The purpose of this research was to unpack the reasons why people engage in varying levels of online collaboration in a self selected group. The research investigated (1) the role of online interaction platforms, (2) participants' perceived constraints on, and enablers of online collaboration in order to answer the main research question on (3) how leaders and lurkers deconstructed the online experiences underlying their differing participation levels.

                             An action research methodology was adopted to study how a virtual group evolved. Four iterations of the action research cycle, each building on previous learning, describe the online groups activities "following the actors" through the emergence and establishment of the online actor-netowrk.

                             Participants adopted a distributed email listserve to support initial online group collaboration and a web-based discussion forum to grow the actor-network. Thematic analysis of postings outlined seven main themes, translated as either constraining (time and trust), or enabling online collaboration (beliefs on the value of networking, success aspirations, community belonging, communication channels, storytelling and online trust building).

                             A narrative framework was developed to collect and analyse participants' stories and motives. Self-selected leaders and lukers constructed different online practice. In narrative terms, leaders experience most 'unique outcomes' by experiencing and storying online communication skills previously unknown to them. Additionally, leaders emphasised 'social entrepreneurship' motivation to contribute towards their country's growth and proposed 'temporal virtual consultations' as an alternative to conventional conceptions of online groups.

                             Lurkers, on the other hand, were divided about the value of 'virtual networking' in extending business networks. A novel lurking experience was coined 'silent commitment' describing reluctance to participate online contrasting with high face to face involvement.

                             A 'virtual leadership' model was developed integrating the findings to illustrate the contribution of individual self-selected virtual leaders in building social capital. This model illustrates how virtual leaders built online collective capacity constructing an 'archetypal' online narrative.

Methodology:           Action research

Chief Supervisor:      Prof Robert McQueen

Other Supervisor(s): 

Year Completed:       2006

Kock, Nereu

Title of Thesis:         The Effects of Asynchronous Groupware on Business Process                                   Improvement

Abstract:                Group-based business process improvement efforts have been the change dynamics of worldwide and revolutionary management movements, such as total quality management and business process re-engineering. This research investigates the effects of asynchronous groupware on such efforts. Thirty-eight business process improvement groups were facilitated in three organisations over four iterations of the action research cycle proposed by Susman and Evered. The asynchronous groupware tool used to support these groups was an e-mail conferencing system. At the group and individual levels of analysis, the study suggests a large decrease in group interaction and perceived demand for leadership skills, and a large increase in member contribution effort and response time. At the organisational level of analysis, the study suggests a large increase in the efficiency of group-based business process improvement efforts. However, both increases and decreases in the effectiveness of such efforts were equally observed in different iterations, apparently due to the existence of two moderating variables – top management support and perceived contribution threats. From a practitioner's perspective, our research indicates that asynchronous groupware support is likely to be beneficial to business process improvement groups, particularly those searching for incremental improvements. However, our study suggests that this support may not yield positive results in groups searching for radical improvement, such as business process re-engineering groups. The main reason is a perceived increase in the likelihood of future negative personal repercussions associated with contributing written postings to groups making radical business process change decisions.

Methodology:           Action research

Chief Supervisor:      Prof Robert McQueen

Other Supervisor(s): 

Year Completed:       1997

Mills, Annette

Title of Thesis:         Investigating the Determinants of User Sophistication

Abstract:                This thesis reports on a study designed to identify and investigate the factors which further worker sophistication in using computers in the workplace. User sophistication was conceptualised in this research in terms of: i) breath of capability, ii) depth of capability, and iii) finesse. Quantitative data were gathered from 328 computer users in two New Zealand organisations. The PLS implementation of structural equation modelling was then used to test the conceptual model of user sophistication developed in this research. Post-survey qualitative data collected through interviews from 35 individuals, were used to qualify, clarify, and illustrate survey findings. The overall findings emphasised the importance of 'on the job' opportunities to use computers, computer-related training, computer self-efficacy, and computer use; all were found to have positive effects on user sophistication. Task uncertainty was shown to negatively impact user sophistication. Contrary to expectation, organisational support was found to have a negative effect on user sophistication; this finding was further investigated in the qualitative work which affirmed prior expectations of the value of organisational support to the development of user sophistication. Corroboratory evidence was found for the role of computer self-efficacy as a predictor of computer-related behaviours and for the value of Social Cognitive Theory in explaining computer-related behaviours. Overall, the research and influenced by, the working environment. Affirmation of the reliability and validity of the measures of user sophistication and computer self-efficacy also have strong implications for skills assessment and strategies for skills development in the workplace.

Methodology:           Survey design and instrumentation

Chief Supervisor:      Prof Robert McQueen

Other Supervisor(s):  Dr Eric Deakins, Prof Michael O'Driscoll

Year Completed:       1996

Sun, Peter

Title of Thesis:         A method for assessing and developing features of the learning organization

Abstract:                The primary objective of this thesis is to evolve "a method for assessing and developing features of a learning organization". To fulfil this, I approached the thesis by examining several research questions and using multiple research methodologies. The research questions were not all established at the outset. Rather, they eovled as features of a journey down a road less travelled. With this journey came the decision to write the thesis in the first person.

                             The first research question was Q1: "What will bridge the divide between organizational learning and the learning organization?" By reviewing the extent literature on organizational learning and the learning organization, I developed a theoretical framework that linked these two streams. The framework suggests that the extent of divide between the two streams is determined by the extent of learning transfer. The learning transfer is affected by the learning barriers operating at the levels of learning (i.e., individuals, groups, and organizational). This led me to my second research question Q2: "What are these barriers to learning transfer and how do they impact the levels of learning in the organization?"  I cumulated the dispersed literature on learning barriers, and synthesized the learning barriers into five key dimensions: Intrapersonal, relational, cultural, structural, and societal. I then used the Delphi technique on 17 individuals to investigate the impact of the learning barriers on the levels of learning. This generated two additional research questions. The third research question was Q3: "How do individuals initiate a double-loop change?" This deals with the little researched area of initiation of double-loop change whilst engaging with the interfaces at the levels of learning. I used multiple case studies to examines this question and found that individuals transit through four distinct stages when initiating double-loop change: 'embedded', 'embedded discomfited', 'scripted', and 'unscripted'. Once double-loop learning has been initiated at the individual level, it is important that it is transferred across the organization. Therefore, my fourth research question was Q4: "How does a new shared understanding for a double-loop change develop across the organization?" I did an in-depth, single case based investigation of an organization. Using Identify and Complexity theory perspectives, I tracked the evolving new shared understanding through four phases: de-identification phase, situated re-identification phase, transition phase, and identification with core ideology phase.

                             The key insights from examining these research questions, particularly insights from examining Q3 and Q4, enabled me to suggest nine key organizations necessary to overcome the learning barriers and develop a learning organization: Identifying, developing, and dispersing double-loop mastery; Enabling constructive contradictions; Creating a superordinate organizational identify; Building emotional intelligence (in individuals and groups); Ambidextrous leadership; Strategic support for experimentation; Promoting 'systems doing'; Accessibility of valid information; Institutionalizing scanning across industry boundaries. When these nice organizational interventions are implemented, they produce five new learning organization orientations: genetic diversity, organizational ideology, organizational dualism, organizational coupling, and strategic play. These five new learning organizational orientations provide the archetypes of the learning organization. I then developed an instrument to assess these five new orientations, and did a preliminary testing of the instrument.

                             While aspects of my work overlaid with previous knowledge, new advances in knowledge were established by:

·         Postulating a link between the streams of organizational learning and learning organization

·         Synthesizing learning barriers into the five key dimensions, and   investigating their impact on the levels of learning

·         Understanding the stages of double-loop learning initiation by     an individual whilst engaging with the interfaces at the levels of   learning

·         Understanding the process of a new shared understanding         evolving

·         Postulating five new orientations of the learning organization

Methodology:           Meta-level multiple research methodology approach

Chief Supervisor:      Assoc Prof John Scott

Other Supervisor(s):  Prof. David McKie

Year Completed:       2006

Troy, Douglas

Title of Thesis:         A CASE Methodology Companion for Batch Manufacturing Control                             Software for Programmable Logic Controllers

Abstract:                An investigation of the effectiveness of a domain-specific computer aided software engineering (CASE) tool to support the software development life cycle of control software for programmable logic controllers (PLCs) for manufacturing is described. An approach to guide the development of domain-specific CASE tools is articulated. These ideas are combined with past research in automatic programming for PLC software development to produce a prototype CASE tool, called a methodology companion, that is used as the vehicle to assess the potential of the CASE technology to improve industrial practice and the effectiveness of the individual features incorporated into it. The assessment is carried out using a series of structured interviews with practitioners to obtain their informed judgement concerning the potential and limitations of the CASE technology.

                             The results indicate that appropriate CASE technology and standards offer significant potential to improve the production of software artefacts, to facilitate coordination and communication amongst individuals, and to provide an improved organisational infrastructure. Domain-specificity contributes strongly to the acceptance and ease-of-use of CASE by the users, enables organisational changes but improved the effectiveness of individuals, and offers the potential to improve the structure of an organisation. Model-based analysis offers the potential to improve the structure of an organization. Model-based analysis offers the potential to significantly improve the quality of the specification and the software developed from it. For design maintenance and automatic code generation to be successful throughout the life cycle, the study revealed that additional CASE tool functionality is required that supports the testing and maintenance of the software in a domain-specific manner. In the domain of manufacturing control, support is required for incremental code generation and on-line modification of operational PLC software.

                             The investigation is guided by an approach called action research, wherein the research and a client organisation that exhibits characteristics of the problem of interest collaborate to set up an experiment to bring about improvements, carry it out, and then assess its consequences. The action research process proved effective in facilitating the development of a CASE tool that is likely to be adopted in practice by permitting practitioners to influence the design of the CASE tool, as well as to participate in its assessment. This collaboration in the research process brought about changes in their perceptions of how CASES technology may be used to improve the process and products of the software development life cycle.

                             In conclusion, domain-specific CASE methodology companions have the potential to significantly improve quality in the specification and coding phases of the life cycle and can contribute to increased effectiveness of both individuals and the overall organisation. Design maintenance and automatic code generation are problematic and require additional automated aid to be accepted in practice. The action research approach is an effective method for investigating the potential and limitations of CASE technology in a field-based, industry setting.

Methodology:           Software development and qualitative testing

Chief Supervisor:      Prof Robert McQueen

Other Supervisor(s): 

Year Completed:       1995

Wellington, Robert

Title of Thesis:         Asynchronous Communication Technology: An Organisational                                   Perspective on Efficacy and Use

Abstract:                This thesis begins with a statement that the literature has suggested great promise for Asynchronous Communication Technology (ACT's) such as electronic mail and related technologies. An ideology of democracy is made explicit in this research in both its content and research process. The research participants were overtly and covertly encouraged to direct the process and topic of the research to enable theory grounded in practice to emerge. A Participatory Action Research (PAR) method was employed that bordered on ethnography and that incorporated an interpretive philosophy. Informed by educational PAR studies, this thesis is written in the first person to represent the learning and the interpretations of the author.

                             The suggested measures of the quality of this work are that it improves the process of practice, communicates the improvements of practice for continuance and further reflection by other practitioners, and that it helps to develop the theory of Asynchronous Communication Technology use.

                             This research found that email was used for many purpose and was seen as a very effective form of communication. Email occupied such a variety of uses that explanations were sought that could explain the ability of individuals to comprehend unwritten intentions and behaviours. It was found that email occupied many media spaces, and these can be thought of as media genre. Rather than fundamentally change the way we interact, as was first thought on the initiation of this research project, email and other ACT's may simple by more convenient, faster, and more efficient than other forms of communication that the research participants had access to. The technological tools that were employed may have had the potential for changing social dynamics over a long period of time, but these tools were shown to be undemocratic in their construction, therefore suggesting that a democratic end may not be in sight for business related ACT's.

                             Specifically, email did not change the decision making behaviour of the participants, except to allow more freedom and access to information from other staff at the initial stages of the decision making process and to allow for mediation at the end to gain decision acceptance.

Methodology:           Participatory action research

Chief Supervisor:      Assoc Prof John Buchanan

Other Supervisor(s):  Prof Jim Corner, Dr Eric Deakins

Year Completed:       2003

Whitworth, Brian

Title of Thesis:         Generating Group Agreement in Cooperative Computer-mediated Groups: Towards an Integrative Model of Group Interaction

Abstract:                This study addresses the problem of generating agreement in computer-mediated groups.

                             The key entities of group interaction are proposed to be the task, the other individuals, and the group. Extending this three way categorisation across the input-process-output framework suggests an integrative model with three processes (task resolution, interpersonal relating, and group representation), three levels of social influence (informational influence, personal influence, and normative influence), and three types of output (task results, relationships, and agreement).

                             The background upon which these processes operate is the communication setting. A proposed taxonomy of communication settings suggests the natural setting for generating electronic group agreement is asynchronous, many-to-many interaction.

                             Describing non-task group activities as "process losses" denies group combining behaviour, and raises the "group effectiveness paradox", where groups expend more effort to produce less. The integrative model accounts for group activities without paradox.

                             The generation of agreement in cooperative groups is attributed to the "identification" of individuals with the group. Members who identify with a group, tend to accept the group's decisions as their own. This process may use relatively simple position information embedded within multi-threaded communications, rather than complex "social" information. If so, computer-mediated groups can enact agreement across plain text networks.

                             Software was written to simulate asynchronous, many-to-many exchange of position information. Anonymous computer-mediated groups sat multi-choice tests under blind, group aware and confidence aware conditions. The exchange of position information alone produced a significant change in agreement, although neither medium nor exchanged information were "rich", no reasons were given, and there was no personal "presence" or discussion.

                             It was concluded that computer-mediated groups can enact agreement. The method adopted, of isolating one process within a single communication setting, is recommended for research. However for practical implementation, a balance of all three process is suggested, as all have a role in group interaction.

Methodology:           Exploratory study, field experiment

Chief Supervisor:      Prof Robert McQueen

Other Supervisor(s):  Assoc Prof John Buchanan, Dr Mike Hills

Year Completed:       1997