Browsing by Subject "Collaboration"

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    Collaborative water governance in Thailand : much ado about nothing?
    (2015) Kanjina, Sukit; Hoffmann, Volker
    The river basin committee (RBC) framework was first introduced in Thailand in 2002, and the current one adopted in 2007 has been implemented in all 25 river basins located in the country ever since. By all accounts, the RBC framework is innovative as far as Thailand’s administrative system and water resource sector are concerned. It was only recently that the former started to promote non-public sector participation, and the underlying legal framework expressly requires that representatives of the non-public sector, such as water user organizations and local experts, be included in the RBC together with those representing the public agencies concerned. The latter envisions the RBC as a new mechanism for managing water resources by using a river basin as a managerial unit. Based on the RBC framework’s prescription, it can be seen that Thailand is moving toward collaborative water governance, where both public and non-public sector representatives take part in decision making on water resource-related issues in their respective river basin. This study empirically examines the implementation process and outcomes of the RBC framework by using the Ping RBC arrangement as an illustrative case. It aims specifically to explore the formation and management of the RBC, its collaborative processes and participation, and the outcomes it generates. To this end, semi-structured interviews were conducted with key informants such as the officials responsible from Water Resources Regional Office 1 (WRO 1), and Ping RBC members; and an informal interview was applied as well with some DWR officials. In addition, relevant activities were observed through non-participant observation, while related documentary data, e.g. documents on the RBC framework, also were collected. The data gathered were analyzed by means of qualitative content analysis. It was found overall that the Ping RBC framework was established by following relevant directives. Ping RBC members include representatives from the public sector such as the Royal Irrigation Department (RID) and Department of Water Resources (DWR), as well as the provincial governors concerned and representatives from the non-public sector, including water user organizations (agricultural, industrial, commercial, service, and tourism sectors), local government organizations (LGOs), and the expert group; while WRO 1 serves as the secretariat. In addition, other governing bodies were established as well, including one river basin sub-committee, five provincial river basin working groups, and 20 sub-river basin working groups who, similar to Ping RBC members, represented both the public and non-public sector at the river basin, provincial, and sub-river basin level. It was discovered that regarding RBC management the Ping RBC and its governing bodies were governed by the lead organization-governed form, where WRO 1 played the leading role and left no room for involvement from other members. For example, it called the meetings and prepared their agenda. Indeed, meetings were the only activity organized for these river basin governing bodies and they were infrequent (e.g. twice per year for the Ping RBC). Furthermore, they were organized with a formal format, where the officer responsible normally provided information to the meeting, with virtually no deliberation or discussion. With these meetings being the only activity where members of the river basin governing bodies could get together, it was apparent that face-to-face dialogue, which is a crucial element in leading to others elements in a collaborative process, such as trust and shared understanding, was simply non-existent. Interaction between the secretariat and members of the river basin governing bodies, as well as among the members also failed to occur. Participation in the Ping RBC setup involved just information sharing, as members of the Ping RBC and its governing bodies were provided with only data on, for example, drought and flood situations. The governing bodies of the Ping River Basin, especially the Ping RBC, took part in approving river basin management and development frameworks as well as annual river basin management and development plans. However, their approval was unnecessary because the frameworks and annual plans in question were a collection of project plans gathered from the public agencies concerned and LGOs located in the river basin. They were prepared based on relevant policies and directives, with no need for approval from the Ping RBC setup before submission for national budget allocation. Since the frameworks and annual plans were the only outputs produced, it was therefore apparent that the Ping RBC framework performed virtually no functions to fulfill its mandates such as a water resource management plan, water user priority or water allocation. Evidently, the Ping RBC framework is an ineffective mechanism that is characterized by lack of collaboration, participation and outcomes, which have impacts on water resource management in the river basin. A similar result can be expected from the other 24 RBCs operating under the same administrative system and legal framework. Therefore, Thailand is still far from achieving collaborative governance in its water resource sector. Clearly, this unsuccessful RBC framework was influenced by the Thai administrative system; for instance, the public agencies involved have to follow their own policies and directives, thereby failing to make the RBC framework their top priority and only passively participating in the setup. However, the underlying cause is due largely to the RBC framework’s lack of authority. This is because the legal framework regulating the RBC framework has limited legal authority; consequently, virtually no authority is delegated to this arrangement. Accordingly, the RBC framework has no full authority regarding water resource management as its decisions, if any, can be enforced upon only public agencies and state-owned enterprises. Furthermore, it also has less authority when compared to other public bodies governed by superior legal frameworks; as such, it cannot force active participation in the RBC arrangement, and is not officially recognized (e.g. by the budget allocation system). It can be seen as important that with no authority delegated, non-public sector representatives do not share any decision making power despite their inclusion into the framework concerned. Therefore, to avert the same result generated by the RBC framework in moving toward collaborative water governance, policy changes are needed regarding its authority and implementation process at the national level, or at the DWR. Ideally, a change is required at the national level by passing a comprehensive legal framework, i.e. a Water Act. By this law, the RBC framework’s authority in managing water resources is secured and the framework itself is officially recognized. Arrangements for implementation of the RBC framework also can be prescribed, e.g. a budget allocation system recognizing the RBC framework and creating the RBC’s own office. However, this option is rather difficult to achieve, if not impossible, due to the lack of political support. A more probable change at the national level would be to issue a new regulation that revises the RBC framework, which can be done more easily than passing a law. Essentially, under this new regulation, the new RBC framework would be based at the provincial level. As such, the RBC would be abolished, while the provincial RBC and its governing bodies would be transformed to ‘collaborative watershed partnerships’ focused on a provincial river basin master/action plan. By this new regulation, the public bodies concerned would be obliged to follow the plan mentioned when preparing their water resource-related projects/programs, which would be applicable within authority of the regulation. In addition, diverse activities (e.g. meetings and capacity building) should be organized in order to support both the river basin governing bodies and implementing units of the DWR. The DWR should change its policies regarding implementation of the RBC framework, if there is no change at the national level, and the RBC framework continues to be carried out under the current regulation. It is essential in this circumstance for the DWR to encourage a revision of the RBC structure in order to make it less complex and more manageable, and shift the focus from the RBC itself to the river basin governing bodies at the provincial and sub-river basin level. Besides capacity building activities, and frequent and less formal meetings, the DWR should also direct its implementing units to facilitate the river basin governing bodies in order to develop a river basin management plan for respective provinces. This should be based on the problems and needs of the sub-river basins located in those particular provinces; and presented through the public agencies and LGOs concerned for consideration and inclusion in their own plans. This might be the only way to increase the likelihood of some elements of the river basin management plan being realized, given that the RBC framework has no authority or official recognition.
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    Communication and collaboration technology use at the digital workplace : antecedents, use processes, and consequences
    (2021) Schoch, Manfred; Gimpel, Henner
    Our world is becoming more and more digital and interconnected. Particularly new communication and collaboration technologies have changed the way we go about our daily life and work. Several technological and social developments are the driving forces for this change. On the one hand, technological advancements, such as portable devices, fast infrastructure, and constantly available software applications, transform the way employees communicate, collaborate, and transfer knowledge. On the other hand, social developments, such as an increase in knowledge-intense jobs and a workforce that has grown accustomed to increasingly modern and innovative technology from their private lives, contribute to the development. Further, during the COVID-19 pandemic, digital work and the use of communication and collaboration technology has increased unlike anything seen before. It is the organizations’ responsibility to care for their employees and leave no one behind in this transformation process of work as we know it. Yet, the management of increasingly complex portfolios of digital technologies, comprised of privately-owned and business-owned components, confronts individuals, IT departments, and management with challenges. To address them, organizations and individuals need to broaden their understanding of how and why employees use digital technologies and learn about the associated outcomes. Information Systems research has long been concerned with understanding digital technology use, which is among the most researched topics of the discipline. Research results on technology use have been summarized along the three categories antecedents, use process, and outcomes Antecedents describe factors that influence use. Insights into use processes provide us with details of how technology is used in practice. Use outcomes comprise different factors that can be positively or negatively affected by using technology, such as performance or stress. Within the field, a subset of studies has specifically focused on communication and collaboration technology. Yet, in light of the rise in ubiquitous digital work and the challenges that come with it, further investigation into this subject is necessary. This dissertation aims at providing novel insights into the use of communication and collaboration technology for organizations and individuals across the three categories: antecedents, use processes, and outcomes. In Chapter 2, this dissertation deals with important antecedents of use decisions of communication and collaboration technology. Chapter 2.1 does so by identifying factors that drive the choice of digital technologies in the context of knowledge transfer. Chapter 2.2 analyzes rationales for using privately-owned technology for business purposes based on a risk-benefit perspective. Chapter 3 analyzes individual use processes of communication and collaboration technology in more detail using digital trace data and user interviews. Different heterogeneous user roles are derived from the data in Chapter 3.1. Second, user behavior over time and the effect of external events on such behavior are examined (Chapter 3.2). Chapter 4 presents insights on outcomes of use behavior, particularly adverse outcomes. Insights are provided on the role of individual appraisal in the relationship between communication and collaboration technology use and associated stress (Chapter 4.1). Second, outcomes of the use of mixed IT portfolios comprised of privately-owned and business-owned components are investigated (Chapter 4.2). In summation, this dissertation contributes to the rich body of knowledge on technology use. It broadens our understanding of why communication and collaboration technologies are used, how they are used, and what consequences arise from their use. Thus, insights are provided to practitioners on how to manage technology use in a human-centered way while considering the risks of technology use and reaping its multifaceted benefits. The results of this dissertation may inspire future research on a topic that is potentially more relevant today than ever before.
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    Professionelle unterrichtsbezogene Kommunikation zwischen berufsschulischen Lehrkräften
    (2022) Schadt, Christian; Warwas, Julia
    Despite their relevance for the facilitation of professionalization processes in teacher education as well as for the successful implementation of curricular reforms into the classroom, relevant micro processes of teacher collaboration seem to be little (systematically) investigated so far. This applies especially for the vocational school sector, where teacher collaboration is seen as necessary to cope with the tasks of teaching development that takes collective responsibility. One of the most relevant process variables of successful vs. less successful collaboration among teachers is communication about teaching. However, it has not yet been clarified which characteristics constitute an effective (=professional) communication about teaching for a successful mastering of cooperation processes. The present study addressed this desideratum and examined professional communication about teaching (pct) among (prospective) teachers at vocational schools in two consecutive research studies. A first step in this process was a systematic literature review carried out according to the PRISMA Statement focusing on international research literature to uncover generic characteristics of pct. The systematic literature review was guided by the following questions: a) Which definitions and theoretical underpinnings concerning pct can be identified in studies? b) Which observational measures characterize a pct? c) Is pct among teachers related to job-related growth (and to which facets of job-related growth in detail) A category-based content analysis of k=88 studies identified as relevant throughout the review process showed that pct is very heterogeneously defined and theoretically embedded. In addition, the observable measures of pct could be classified according to two different dimensions. Pct is characterized by the occurrence of characteristics on a level concerning the regulation of the process of communicating (quantitative aspects of communicating, structuring of communicating and atmosphere of communicating) as well as on a level concerning the content of communicating (focus on content and quality of communicating). Pct that follows the characteristics of both of these levels can bring about a large variety of gains in professionalization in the subject-specific, didactical, and pedagogical knowledge and skills of teachers and, above all, promote the successful mastering of collaboration processes. The findings on the observable measures of pct were then applied to develop a category system for the analysis of teaching-related communication between teachers. Subsequently, the second study was designed to determine the extent to which teaching-related communication between (prospective) teachers of vocational schools, that follows the previously identified measures, can actually promote the process of collaborative task accomplishment. For this purpose, a total of N=14 dyads (N=7 dyads of prospective teachers and N=7 dyads of experienced teachers each) were assigned to a simulated teaching situation in which they had to make a joint decision within the framework of lesson planning through communicative exchange. Specifically, a suitable learning task had to be selected from a set of learning tasks presented by means of a vignette for a teachingrelated lesson planning scenario through discussion. The communicative exchanges between the dyads of (prospective) vocational teachers have been recorded, transcribed and evaluated by means of a content analysis using the category system. For this purpose, the category system was first pre-tested, a coding manual was developed, and the simulated teaching situation was evaluated by means of a questionnaire. The research questions of this second sub-study were as follows: d) To what extent do the exchanges between the dyads reflect the characteristics of pct identified by the review? e) To what extent do the participants assess the research design as representative of and realistic for their profession? f) How can we recognize qualitative pct and how can we distinguish between qualitatively different exchanges based on the specific categories? g) In light of the categories of pct derived, to what extent do qualitatively distinguishable exchanges have an effect on the collaboration process/process of collaborative decision-making by dyads? It turned out that the initial category system for pct had to be revised in (a few) parts only and that a suitable coding manual could be developed for analyzing the exchanges of the dyads about learning tasks. The simulated teaching situation was assessed by the participants as being broadly authentic for the area of vocational teaching. In addition, it could be shown that the tools for analyzing pct are suitable for distinguishing exchanges of different qualities among tandems. Finally, it could be demonstrated that a qualitatively distinguishable exchange according to the criteria of analyzing pct can also influence the process of joint task accomplishment of the teacher dyads with varying degrees of success. The findings on this research topic, which has been hitherto largely marginalized within the discipline of vocational teaching, were used to eventually draw up implications for further research and the training of vocational school teachers.