This paper presents the findings of an empirical study into two organizations' experiences with the adoption and use of CASE tools over time. Using a grounded theory research approach, the study characterizes the organizations' experiences in terms of processes of incremental or radical organizational change. These findings are used to develop a theoretical framework for conceptualizing the organizational issues around the adoption and use of these tools--issues that have been largely missing from contemporary discussions of CASE tools. The paper thus has important implications for research and practice. Specifically, the framework and findings suggest that in order to account for the experiences and outcomes associated with CASE tools, research- ers should consider the social context of systems development, the intentions and actions of key players, and the implementation process followed by the organization. Similarly, the paper suggests that practitioners will be better able to manage their organizations' experiences with CASE tools if they understand that such implementations involve a process of organizational change over time and not merely the installation of a new technology.

The names of the authors are in alphabetical order and do not reflect an unequal contribution to the paper. D/2001/7012/16

Connectivity, the control parameter in a nonlinear dynamics model of team performance is mathematically linked to the ratio of positivity to negativity (P/N) in team interaction. By knowing the P/N ratio it is possible to run the nonlinear dynamics model that will portray what types of dynamics are possible for a team. These dynamics are of three types: point attractor, limit cycle, and complexor (complex order, or “chaotic ” in the mathematical sense). Low performance teams end up in point attractor dynamics, medium perfomance teams in limit cycle dynamics, and high performance teams in complexor dynamics. Keywords: positivity; connectivity; team performance; nonlinear dynamics Positive organizational scholars have made an explicit call for the use of nonlinear models stating that their field “is especially interested in the nonlinear positive dynamics... that are frequently associated with positive organizational phenomena ” (Cameron, Dutton, & Quinn, 2003, pp. 4-5). This article answers this call by showing how a nonlinear dynamics model, the meta learning (ML) model, developed and validated against empirical time series data of business

assistance. We would also like to thank Thomas Armentrout for his involvement in the project, Cindy Young for her data entry and analysis efforts, and Kelly Gable for her assistance in manuscriptpreparation.

2003 I dedicate this thesis to my son, Shuntaro, who came into this world on December

Interruptions have commonly been viewed as negative and as something for managers to control or limit. In this paper, I explore the relationship between interruptions and acquisition ofroutines—a form ofknowledge—by teams. Recent research suggests that interruptions may play an important role in changing organizational routines, and as such may influence knowledge transfer activities. Results suggest that interruptions influence knowledge transfer effort, and both knowledge transfer effort and interruptions are positively related to the acquisition ofnew work routines. I conclude with implications for research and practice.

The successful timing of organizational activities depends not only on effective planning and coordination, but also temporal responsiveness – the ability of organizational actors to adapt the timing of their activities to unanticipated events. In this paper, we examine the individuallevel dynamics underlying temporal responsiveness: we examine how organizational actors evaluate timing changes; e.g., changes from existing organizational schedules, routines, expectations, and plans. We review a broad body of psychological, economic, sociological, anthropological and organizational research on time to introduce a reference point model of how people perceive and evaluate time in organizations. We extend these findings to examine the psychology of how changes in timing are valued. Several propositions are presented about personal schedule changes and how individual actors evaluate them. When Plans Change 3

This paper integrates the largely independent literatures on networks and teams. Our objective is twofold: (1) to understand what constitutes an effective organizational network when much of the work of the organization is done by teams; and (2) to examine what the internal and external social capital needs of teams are. We raise questions to guide future research, and point to potential managerial implications.

Speed-to-Market is cited as being vital in today’s competitive, uncertain and turbulent environments. Scholars and industry professionals alike assert that companies can achieve competitive advantages by launching their product faster than their competitors. However, this paper presents a slightly different perspective on speed-to-market by considering another aspect of the speed equation-speed-to-learn or fast learning in new product development (NPD) teams. We assert that although speed-to-market can increase the probability of new product success, speed-to-learn is one of the critical factors that allows teams to get to market rapidly and be more successful. In this study, we propose a model for fast team learning in new product development based on constructs borrowed from accelerated learning models or suggestopedy in the individual learning scholarship. We then empirically test the model on 171 new product teams. We argue that 1) fastlearning teams launch new products quicker with an increased probability of success. And 2) specific mechanisms that are within the teams ’ control can help teams learn faster. Mechanisms uncovered include: vision clarity, learning from customer and competitor, and information coding.

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