Organisational evaluation : a complementarist approach

This thesis is about a complementarist approach to organisational evaluation. It is argued that as each of the popular models in organisational evaluation theory have different strengths and weaknesses, they all have some validity and, taken together, represent a complementary set.The thesis will be divided into three parts. In the first part, the principles underlying the dominant models in organisational theory will be discussed and the implications for evaluation practice drawn out. Following this, as a test of the hypothesis that a form of evaluation may be derived from any grounded model of the organisation, suggestions for a form of evaluation from a cultural perspective will be made.The second part will be dedicated to testing the practical feasibility of different models of evaluation. Discussion will be made of the project between the National Association of Councils for Voluntary Service and the Department of Management Systems and Sciences, University of Hull (funded by the Leverhulme Trust).The final part, having established the theoretical and practical validity of several models of organisational evaluation, will address the implications of a complementarist approach. Given that complementarism is based upon the existence of multiple methods, there is the danger that it may be interpreted as an 'anything goes' approach. In order that this be avoided, a model of good practice and an appropriate meta-methodology for evaluation will be suggested. Finally, the limitations and achievements of the project and the thesis will be reflected upon, and areas of future work proposed

Institutionalisation of technology-supported organisational processes: A structurational perspective on IT service management support technology.

Increasing emphasis on strategic and operational IT-business alignment and best-practice frameworks (e.g. ITIL) has promoted the deployment of cross-functional process-based IT Service Management (ITSM) technologies within a wide range of organisations. Such technologies underpin core IT support processes such as Incident, Problem, and Change Management within a Service Management framework, promoting greater visibility and evaluation of IT contribution to the business. However, strategic and operational improvement of cross-functional ITSM processes requires effective embedding of process-supporting software in the organisation's ITSM process infrastructure. This research is based on an in-depth interpretive case-study of the use made of an ITSM software package in an IT Services department of a major UK university. In particular, this thesis examines the roles of organisational context, specific software functionality and design features, and organisational process infrastructure to develop an understanding of how particular ways of working with the software are embedded in various organisational routines. This research identifies a number of prevalent IT support working practices as organisational routines, and analyses the interrelationship between the working practices, organisational processes, the ITSM software artefact, and the immediate and wider organisational context. This thesis makes a number of contributions, including developing a theoretical framework for studying the role of technological artefact and organisational context and processes from the perspective of organisational routines and structuration theory

Integrated performance management systems and motivation in the South African public sector

Philosophiae Doctor - PhDPerformance management processes in the South African public service are often perceived and implemented in isolation from other organisational and management policies, strategies, systems and processes. The central problem addressed in this study concerns the lack of integration of different aspects of performance management into a coherent system. This problem affects motivation and performance of staff.This study provides an overview of the broad field of performance management and specifically focuses on public service integrated performance management systems. One of the main objectives of this study is to identify performance management challenges from an integrated perspective and to develop potential solutions for these challenges.In order to achieve this objective, a literature review and data collection processes were conducted, which served as the foundation on which the research was based. The qualitative research methodology was chosen as it allows for interpretative research and a holistic approach to the research process, which ensures the best way of representing and addressing the complexities of integrated performance management systems and motivation within the context of the public sector. Seventy-six respondents, mainly senior and middle managers from various national and provincial government departments, participated in the study.The fieldwork results identified major strengths, weaknesses and proposed suggestions for the improvement of the existing performance management systems in the public service. Results were analysed, interpreted, discussed and incorporated into the recommendations. Contrary to some negative public perceptions and anecdotal evidence of poor public service performance management, the majority of senior managers in government departments are satisfied with the overall quality, value for money, relevance, appropriateness and simplicity of the process. Integration of various subsystems of performance management system is facilitated by policy initiatives such as cooperative governance and intergovernmental relations. One of the major areas of dissatisfaction is the time required for conducting the performance management process, which is often seen as a last minute compliance exercise. The performance management system has become an isolated activity, not linked to organisational strategy and processes. Additional major weaknesses of the performance management system are identified in the areas of the reward system, design of the system, objectivity of performance judgement, lack of skills and leadership support in the implementation process, communication,and monitoring and evaluation processes.The study recommends that performance management has to be approached from an integrated perspective. The process of the design of performance management must include a thorough consultation with major stakeholders.The implementation of the system has to be supported and driven by top leadership and management. The change management process should be supported by a proactive communication strategy and it should be managed strategically and by competent staff. A reward system that distinguishes high from mediocre performance should be put in place. Programmes must be implemented to ensure high levels of staff motivation. Monitoring and evaluation mechanisms must be put in place to ensure implementation of sustainable performance management systems. These recommendations led to the design of an integrated performance management system.The study concludes that integrated performance management, as a multidisciplinary methodology related to organisational strategy, structure,culture, systems and processes, should be regarded as a critical tool for improving motivation and performance of individuals, teams, departments and the public service as a whole

A theoretical model for the application of Web 2.0 in e-Government

Government organisations in many countries have started embracing modern technologies such as second generation web (Web 2.0) in an attempt to maximize on the benefits of these technologies as well as keeping up with the current trend. Nevertheless, the advancement and the adoption of these of technologies is in its initial stages in the public sector. Therefore, the research problem is that the literature surrounding the application of Web 2.0 is still highly tentative and exploratory. In particular, there is a lack of research exploring the application of Web 2.0 technologies in the context of local e-Government. This study aims to address this research problem by presenting a comprehensive decision-making tool to aid the effective application of Web 2.0 technologies amongst local government authorities (LGAs). In doing so, resulting in the development of a theoretical model that is underpinned by information systems evaluation criteria and impact factors of Web 2.0 from an internal organizational perspective. By addressing the research problem, this study will make a significant contribution to the normative literature by providing new insights of Web 2.0 technologies within the public sector. This will be of specific relevance to scholars, policy makers, LGAs and practitioners who are interested in the adoption of Web 2.0 technologies in an e-Government context. This paper presents the proposed theoretical model and is largely devoted to an explanation on the development of the model

Planning strategically, designing architecturally : a framework for digital library services

In an era of unprecedented technological innovation and evolving user expectations and information seeking behaviour, we are arguably now an online society, with digital services increasingly common and increasingly preferred. As a trusted information provider, libraries are in an advantageous position to respond, but this requires integrated strategic and enterprise architecture planning, for information technology (IT) has evolved from a support role to a strategic role, providing the core management systems, communication networks, and delivery channels of the modern library. Further, IT components do not function in isolation from one another, but are interdependent elements of distributed and multidimensional systems encompassing people, processes, and technologies, which must consider social, economic, legal, organisational, and ergonomic requirements and relationships, as well as being logically sound from a technical perspective. Strategic planning provides direction, while enterprise architecture strategically aligns and holistically integrates business and information system architectures. While challenging, such integrated planning should be regarded as an opportunity for the library to evolve as an enterprise in the digital age, or at minimum, to simply keep pace with societal change and alternative service providers. Without strategy, a library risks being directed by outside forces with independent motivations and inadequate understanding of its broader societal role. Without enterprise architecture, it risks technological disparity, redundancy, and obsolescence. Adopting an interdisciplinary approach, this conceptual paper provides an integrated framework for strategic and architectural planning of digital library services. The concept of the library as an enterprise is also introduced

Performance measurement : challenges for tomorrow

This paper demonstrates that the context within which performance measurement is used is changing. The key questions posed are: Is performance measurement ready for the emerging context? What are the gaps in our knowledge? and Which lines of enquiry do we need to pursue? A literature synthesis conducted by a team of multidisciplinary researchers charts the evolution of the performance-measurement literature and identifies that the literature largely follows the emerging business and global trends. The ensuing discussion introduces the currently emerging and predicted future trends and explores how current knowledge on performance measurement may deal with the emerging context. This results in identification of specific challenges for performance measurement within a holistic systems-based framework. The principle limitation of the paper is that it covers a broad literature base without in-depth analysis of a particular aspect of performance measurement. However, this weakness is also the strength of the paper. What is perhaps most significant is that there is a need for rethinking how we research the field of performance measurement by taking a holistic systems-based approach, recognizing the integrated and concurrent nature of challenges that the practitioners, and consequently the field, face

Digital service analysis and design : the role of process modelling

Digital libraries are evolving from content-centric systems to person-centric systems. Emergent services are interactive and multidimensional, associated systems multi-tiered and distributed. A holistic perspective is essential to their effective analysis and design, for beyond technical considerations, there are complex social, economic, organisational, and ergonomic requirements and relationships to consider. Such a perspective cannot be gained without direct user involvement, yet evidence suggests that development teams may be failing to effectively engage with users, relying on requirements derived from anecdotal evidence or prior experience. In such instances, there is a risk that services might be well designed, but functionally useless. This paper highlights the role of process modelling in gaining such perspective. Process modelling challenges, approaches, and success factors are considered, discussed with reference to a recent evaluation of usability and usefulness of a UK National Health Service (NHS) digital library. Reflecting on lessons learnt, recommendations are made regarding appropriate process modelling approach and application

The fundamental challenge: human and organisational factors in an ERP implementation

Organisations encounter obstacles when implementing ERP systems. This paper intends to explore some of the problems that occur throughout the implementation of an ERP system. Using a combination of the work of Markus et al (2001) and Kim et al (2005), a framework is constructed of Human and Organisational and Technical problems in ERP Implementations during the project phase. Drawing on empirical evidences from a UK furniture manufacturer, this study then discusses and analyses each problem identified in the framework and its affect on the implementation of their ERP system. The findings of this paper reveal that the fundamental challenge of ERP implementation is not technology but organisational and human problems, which, if not properly comprehended and addressed, can lead to ERP failure. Understanding that organisational and human issues are extremely important will encourage practitioners to address these problems and succeed in their ERP system implementations

Towards a network government? A critical analysis of current assessment methods for e-government

Contemporary public administrations have become increasingly more complex, having to cordinate actions with emerging actors in the public and the private spheres. In this scenario the modern ICTs have begun to be seen as an ideal vehicle to resolve some of the problems of public administration. We argue that there is a clear need to explore the extent to which public administrations are undergoing a process of transformation towards a netowork government linked to the systematic incorporation of ICTs in their basic activities. Through critically analysing a selection of e-government evaluation reports, we conclude that research should be carried out if we are to build a solid government assessment framework based on network-like organisation characteristics