A Personal Working Model

This paper builds an abductive argument for the existence of a working model personal to each knowledge worker which it bases on long-established cybernetic principles of control and regulation. The paper demonstrates what a working model needs to encompass, notably the individual herself as she crafts her personal work system PWS and her supporting personal information management system PIMS. The essential characteristics of a PIMS are identified. Conceprocity, concept process reciprocity, models are introduced and the example of the first author is used as a means of illustrating a Working Model. An appendix presents further details of the Conceprocity modelling language

What is the contribution of personal information management systems (PIMS) to the Working Model and personal work system of knowledge workers?

The thesis reports research into a phenomenon which it calls the personal working model of an individual knowledge worker. The principal conjecture addressed in this thesis is that each of us has a personal working model which is supported by a personal work system enabled by a personal information management system. For some people, these are well defined; for most they are not even explicit. By means of structured self-reflection aided by conceptual knowledge modelling within the context of a process of action learning they can be improved. That personal working model is predicted by Ashby's law of requisite variety and by the good regulator theorem of Conant and Ashby. The latter theorem states that the only good regulator of a system is a model of that system. The thesis and the work it reports result from a systemic approach to identifying the personal information management system and personal work system which together contribute to the personal working model. Starting with abductive conjecture, the author has sought to understand what models are and to explore ways in which those models can themselves be expressed. The thesis shows how a new approach to the conceptual modelling of aspects of the personal knowledge of knowledge worker was designed, built and then used. Similarly, the actual data used by a knowledge worker had to be stored, and for this purpose a personal information management system was also designed. Both these artefacts are evaluated in accordance with principles drawn from the literature of design science research. The research methodology adopted in the first phase of the research now ending also included a relatively novel approach in which the PhD student attempted to observe himself over the last five years of his PhD research – this approach is sometimes called autoethnography. This autoethnographic element is one of a number of methods used within an overall framework grounded by the philosophical approach called critical realism. The work reported in the thesis is initial exploratory research which, it is planned, will continue in empirical action research involving mentored action learning undertaken by professional knowledge workers

Narrative Preaching: A Study Of Contemporary Theory And The Development And Implementation Of An Integrative Model In The Walla Walla College Church

The Topic The topic of this project is narrative preaching. Post-modern culture is characterized by a surfeit of information and a famine of meaning. A cacophony of voices competes for its attention and in such an environment God’s Word frequently goes unheard. Thus it is of critical importance that the gospel be heard in a language this culture readily understands. Because it is specifically attuned to the contemporary sensibility of human beings (i.e., it is a “language” most individuals intuitively understand), narrative and narrative forms of preaching have particular power to assist individuals in coming to saving faith in Jesus Christ. The Purpose This project seeks to develop a model for narrative preaching, to implement the model through a series of narrative sermons presented in a collegiate church, and to evaluate the impact of the sermons on a representative group of listeners. Another goal of the project is to enhance the researcher’s skill in the development and performance of narrative sermons. The Sources Sources for this project include a select list of books and periodical articles, primarily published since 1970, on theories of time and narrative structure, foundational, historical, and practical theology, the Bible as literature, hermeneutics, general homiletics, and comparative narrative homiletics. Data pertaining to the evaluation of the narrative sermons and their presentation to the congregation were gathered by way of an evaluation instrument constructed specifically for this project. Conclusions The general conclusion is that narrative preaching is an effective means of reaching contemporary listeners, even for some who may not consider themselves narratively inclined. The integrative model presented in this project is based on a synthesis of the elements of several established models and appears to be a useful approach to narrative preaching. Further deployment and testing of the model are merited, based on the initial evaluations

The role of performance management in the motivation of employees : a case study

After a review of the literature relevant to performance management systems both over time and across different types of organizations, this thesis confines its research To a case study of the Role of Performance Management in The Motivation of Employees in an organization. Important insight was gained into the relative importance of the performance management practices to promote desired employee outcomes. In view thereof that a discussion of performance in organizations is incomplete without reference to the construct of organizational culture, this study also provided propositions to prompt further research on the role of performance management in reinforcing a high performance organizational culture. Insightful conclusions were drawn from the results obtained and recommendations are made for future research

A critical analysis of the influence of the performance management system used in the financial department at General Motors South Africa

Recently, organisations have been faced with challenges like never before. Increasing competition from businesses across the world has meant that businesses must be more careful about the choice of strategies to remain competitive. This situation has placed more focus on organizational effectiveness in that systems and processes be applied in the right way to the right things to achieve results. All of the organisational processes must continue to be aligned to achieve the overall results desired by the organisation for it to survive and thrive. Performance management is an ongoing process that should reflect the current and emerging business challenges, as well as the company’s values about performance and careers. As the business and workforce change, the performance management process should be modified to ensure that the process and tools remain congruent with organisational values and priorities. The objective of this study was to identify the influence of the current performance management system, in the Finance department at General Motors South Africa, as a facilitation tool in aiding or assisting management in achieving individual and departmental goals. To achieve this objective a comprehensive literature study was performed to determine the views on performance, and on performance management systems. A questionnaire was designed based on the guidelines in the literature study, in order to establish the extent to which the organisation manages performance. The researcher used the random sampling method of selection and distributed the questionnaire to eighty one potential respondents via mail and electronic e-mail. Forty one completed questionnaires were returned and these were processed and -iiianalysed using Microsoft Office Excel 2003, running on the Windows XP suite of computer packages. The respondent’s opinion obtained from the questionnaires were compared with the guidelines provided by the literature study in order to identify shortcomings of the influence that the performance management system has on the achievement of individual and departmental goals at the selected organisation. It can be concluded from the respondent’s opinions that the greatest shortcomings of the current performance management system are the link between performance and reward, and commitment to the process in its totality. The other areas of concern are the lack of training and development, and the necessary resources required to achieve objectives. The study also indicates there is no overwhelming agreement that feedback, both positive and negative, takes place as the literature suggests. The following were the main recommendations and conclusions made: • Firstly, it is imperative that management undergoes training in the feedback and review process which is a critical element in the performance management cycle. • Secondly, to realise the benefit of increased employee effectiveness, management should undergo training to become more effective career coaches to promote a climate of continuous learning and professional growth. • Thirdly, the reward system should be reviewed, if management is committed to using pay as an incentive for desired levels and directions of performance. • Fourthly, management can set an example and build commitment for effective performance management and be leaders at all levels