Theses and Dissertations from UMD

Permanent URI for this communityhttp://hdl.handle.net/1903/2

New submissions to the thesis/dissertation collections are added automatically as they are received from the Graduate School. Currently, the Graduate School deposits all theses and dissertations from a given semester after the official graduation date. This means that there may be up to a 4 month delay in the appearance of a give thesis/dissertation in DRUM

More information is available at Theses and Dissertations at University of Maryland Libraries.

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Now showing 1 - 4 of 4
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    The Influence of Power on Negotiation Processes
    (2013) Chai, Sabine; Cai, Deborah A; Fink, Edward L; Communication; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
    The focus of this dissertation is on communication processes in negotiations with unequal power distribution between parties. A model is tested proposing that culturally influenced power-distance values and power differences based on resource distribution both influence negotiators' perceptions of the difference in power between parties. This perception influences the choice of negotiation tactics. If the power gap is perceived to be small, both parties will employ more power tactics than if the gap is perceived to be large. An experiment was conducted to test the model. Participants (294) were randomly assigned to one of two roles (manager versus subordinate) and one of two conditions (high resource-power-difference versus low resource-power-difference). Participants formed 147 dyads, completed questionnaires and role-played negotiations, which were recorded and coded for the use of power tactics. The analysis used a structural equation model to test the study's hypotheses; the model had acceptable fit. Power distance and resource distribution were found to influence negotiators' perception of reward power and overall power difference between the parties. Negotiators varied their behavior depending on condition, lending support to power distance reduction theory (Mulder, 1973). However, perception of overall power difference did not directly predict use of power tactics. Limitations and directions for future research are discussed.
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    Redefining multidisciplinary teams: An institutional approach
    (2012) Paik, Yonjeong; Seo, Myeong-Gu; Business and Management: Management & Organization; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
    Multidisciplinary teams, of which members are from different knowledge domains or disciplines, have been studied mostly in the context of cognitive diversity. However, diversityfocused approach may be missing some potential barriers to successful performance of individuals in multidisciplinary teams. Relying on institutional theory for a theoretical framework, I conceptualize two of such barriers: disciplinary embeddedness, or the extent to which an individual is cognitively, affectively and normatively influenced by her discipline, and disciplinary hierarchy, or the degree of perceived status differences among disciplines in the team. Further, I develop a multilevel model of their effects on team member performance in multidisciplinary teams. In the model, it is proposed that individual voice behavior and openness to voice may mediate the negative effects of the two barriers. In addition, I suggest that individual commitment to the team and team leader attributes such as disciplinary background breadth and transformational leadership may mitigate these negative effects. I test the proposed model using a data set from 138 team members in 23 multidisciplinary research teams at a large national research institute in South Korea. I find that disciplinary embeddedness and hierarchy indeed interrupt with team member performance. Additionally, openness to voice and voice behavior are found to be a mediator for the effect of disciplinary embeddedness and hierarchy, respectively. Leader disciplinary background breadth weakens the negative effect of disciplinary hierarchy on voice behavior.
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    Innovation as Group Process: Hierarchy, Status, and the Dilemma of Participative Leadership
    (2010) Huey, Wesley Scott; Lucas, Jeffrey W.; Sociology; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
    Organizations that are characterized by vertical authority structures, where decisions are made and implemented through a clear chain-of-command, are commonly seen as less responsive, less innovative, and less dynamic than organizations that have authority distributed more horizontally. This study takes aim at this presumption by miniaturizing authority structures to the level of the group, where group process theory can be marshaled to predict, measure, and assess outcomes for group innovation in an experimental setting. Using status theory, I propose that hierarchical groups will be more rather than less innovative than egalitarian groups. I conduct an experimental test by manipulating hierarchy in groups instructed to complete a common task, with outcomes mapped to innovative performance. Findings show that hierarchical groups are actually no more, and no less, innovative than egalitarian groups. Irrespective of authority structure, innovation appears to be most likely in groups in which a clear leader emerges who makes others in the group feel like her equal during group interaction. Other findings are presented to explain the apparent no-effect of authority structure on innovation. I will show that status processes advantage each type of group differently with respect to innovation. Hierarchical groups are advantaged by the presence of a clear leader; egalitarian groups are advantaged by the participative interaction that comes naturally to status peers. But the two conditions must occur together to maximize the likelihood for innovation, and this poses a problem for groups who seek to innovate, because status dynamics that promote one of the conditions undercut the status dynamics that promote the other. In egalitarian groups, when authority seekers try to take charge and lead, participative interaction is endangered because members resent the status move. In hierarchical groups, when higher ranking members act participatively, group leadership is contested because others feel empowered to take charge. Each group type therefore faces a dilemma of participative leadership, and because the dilemma is reversed across group types, the net effect of authority structure on innovation is no apparent effect. Implications of the findings for theory and practice are discussed.
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    Temporal Treemaps for Visualizing Time Series Data
    (2004-05-12) Chintalapani, Gouthami; Shneiderman, Ben; Plaisant, Catherine; Systems Engineering
    Treemap is an interactive graphical technique for visualizing large hierarchical information spaces using nested rectangles in a space filling manner. The size and color of the rectangles show data attributes and enable users to spot trends, patterns or exceptions. Current implementations of treemaps help explore time-invariant data. However, many real-world applications require monitoring hierarchical, time-variant data. This thesis extends treemaps to interactively explore time series data by mapping temporal changes to color attribute of treemaps. Specific contributions of this thesis include: · Temporal treemaps for exploring time series data through visualizing absolute or relative changes, animating them over time, filtering data items, and discovering trends using time series graphs. · The design and implementation of extensible software modules based on systems engineering methodologies and object-oriented approach. · Validation through five case studies: health statistics, web logs, production data, birth statistics, and help-desk tickets; future improvements identified from the user feedback.