Stephanie D. Swindler

An Application of Heuristic Techniques for Evaluation of Collaborative System Interfaces

This paper examines issues related to humancentered design of computer-supported collaborative work (CSCW) systems. Techniques for assessing the usability of collaborative systems are addressed, with emphasis on a heuristic approach to evaluate a CSCW system. Specifically, limitations encountered during the project and recommendations for both the CSCW system and the heuristic evaluation are discussed.

Conation: Its Historical Roots and Implications for Future Research

This conceptual paper is a review of the literature concerning conation. Although there is no single definition for conation, it has been described in several ways including the mental procedure directed toward action including volition and drive, or as the connection between cognition and affect to action. The historical aspects, applications, and research methods for studying conation are brief but informative. Based on the literature review, the application of conation appears to hold considerable promise, especially within the realm of sociotechnical design/systems.

Network centric warfare: Organizational collaboration as a key enabler

Distributed work, globalization and changing situational demands have required that military warfare tactics shift from slower conventional operations to agile, dynamic strategies. Therefore, a better understanding of more dynamic, modern-day context is needed. The present research explored the concept of collaboration in the context of network centric warfare (NCW) and evaluated a metric to assess collaboration at the organizational level. Personnel (n = 240) from a logistics command and control organization completed a series of survey items as part of an ongoing organizational assessment. Results from a factor analysis indicated that organizational collaboration could be conceptualized according to four factors: collaboration effectiveness, collaboration adaptability, collaboration enablers, and job characteristics. The four factors were also examined to determine their relationship to other constructs, such as cohesion and trust, which are integral factors present in collaborative, dynamic environments. All four factors were positively related to organizational trust and group cohesion, thus providing concurrent validity to the organizational collaboration construct. The four factors depicted the complexity of socio-technical systems and could be used as a framework for future research on collaboration and development of collaborative systems. Implications for NCW are discussed.

Organizational collaboration: effects of rank on collaboration

Motivation -- Organizational change initiatives often fail resulting in wasted time, money, and human resources. Many organizational changes such as the implementation of new technology are driven by high ranking personnel. However, these changes are often executed by junior ranking personnel. Thus, potential conflicts can arise if there are mismatches between these groups regarding organizational perceptions. The present study sought to understand if different levels of rank influenced perceptions of organizational collaboration in an Air Force domain. Research approach -- Participants (N=236) from a military logistics Command and Control (C2) center participated in an organizational questionnaire which included a measure of organizational collaboration. Based on their rank, participants were categorized into senior, mid-level, and junior groups. Group differences in collaboration perceptions were tested. Findings/Design -- The findings suggested that rank effects perceived quality of organizational collaboration. Overall, junior ranking personnel reported lower organizational collaboration perceptions compared to senior ranking personnel. Research limitations/Implications -- Due to the exploratory nature of this study and the paucity of collaboration research in general, the generalizability of the results beyond the domain of knowledge work are unclear. Though just a pilot study, the results of this research suggest that organizational leaders must be aware of and acknowledge different perspectives from the range of personnel in their organizations prior to planning organizational changes, such as new technology, policies, and job design. Such changes may have a very different impact on military personnel depending on their organizational beliefs, which in turn, appear to be influenced by their hierarchical status in the organization (i.e., rank). Take away message -- The results suggest that rank does play a significant role in the perceived quality of organizational collaboration across several factors including, general collaboration attitudes, adaptability to new technology, collaboration enablers, as well as job characteristics.

Change management: Developing a tool to foster adaptive collaboration

This paper provides an overview of the theoretical underpinnings being used to develop an adaptive collaboration tool that can be used to assess and influence individual behavior and group performance. The tool is being developed using a variety of theories and conceptual models taken from the Organizational Psychology literature that may shed light on how individuals organize for a common purpose. Drawing on these theories can help to better understand many aspects of human behavior at an individual level as well as at a group or team level. More importantly, these theories can be applied in a more agile and adaptive approach, resulting in a quick assessment of behavior(s) and flexible application of techniques to influence behavior, which can prove to be beneficial for leaders or change agents in any stage of decision making. The tool is being developed within an organizational change context, but ultimately, could prove highly beneficial for a plethora of applications. Being agile and adaptive is essential when dealing with a dynamic and uncertain operational environment.

Organizational Development Goes Digital: Applying Simulation to Organizational Change

Organizational change initiatives are challenging for both researchers to understand and for practitioners/organizational leaders to execute. This article takes a conceptual approach to describe organizational simulation technologies as one of many approaches for use in organizational development activities while also providing two examples of how simulations have been applied to real-world scenarios. Scenario 1 involved a process re-engineering effort within a manufacturing organization where a manufacturing process was modeled to explore how numerous factors (e.g. product inputs, organizational structure, manpower allocation) influenced the simulated output. Scenario 2 included an organizational change initiative involving organizational design modifications in a command and control center. Here, two organizational design alternatives were compared and contrasted. Simulation technologies may provide organizational development (OD) professionals with the opportunity to experiment with alternative organizational designs, an inherent strength for generating potential return on investment estimates. Researchers from the Air Force Research Laboratory have used simulation technologies as one element of an overall organizational development strategy within two different projects, albeit as one aspect of a larger change management strategy. This article discusses these applied examples in the context of a conceptual discussion on the merits of simulation as a tool to support organizational change.

Studying organizational collaboration: lessons learned

Motivation -- Understanding organizational collaboration requires thoughtful and flexible research strategies. This paper briefly addresses a newly developed framework for studying collaboration, and the implementation of that framework in a command and control domain. Results from the framework and lessons learned from studying collaboration in a field setting are discussed. Research approach -- Observations, interviews, and surveys were used to collect data. These methods were pulled from The Socio-technical Readiness Evaluation and Assessment Model (STREAM), which is a newly developed model that provides a framework for studying organizational collaboration barriers and facilitators. Two military organizations were examined in the context of the STREAM framework. Findings/Design -- Based on the data collected, several organizational collaboration barriers were identified including confusion about information flow, constant rotation of military personnel, and intense specialization in a particular job. The lessons learned from studying collaboration within an organization involved the ability to use different data collection methods to better understand the environment, the difficulty in developing collaboration metrics, and the complexity of organizational collaboration. Take away message -- Identifying and implementing metrics for collaboration, setting up the appropriate preliminary meetings, and leveraging triangulation methods proved beneficial for studying organizational collaboration.

“I Object!” Overcoming Obstacles Between Organizational Researchers and Legal Advisors

There are unique obstacles that face researchers when a health intervention has full endorsement of senior leadership. Full endorsement results in the availability of all organizational resources, which often include experts in an array of disciplines. With these resources come high expectations, strict timelines, competing goals, and differing concerns that may lead to unforeseen deviations to the initial intervention strategy. We have found that one of the biggest hurdles to overcome in this process is attaining the intervention endorsement from the legal advisor. Thus, this chapter will focus on the communication obstacles encountered between organizational researchers and legal advisors. The lessons learned involve the necessity for a better understanding of the legal advisors’ goals and common legal issues.

In Line for Takeoff…and Waiting: Challenges with Getting a Wellness Intervention Started in the Military

Due to increased military efforts over the last decade, a multitude of wellness challenges have hit the home front within the military (Allen, Armed Forces J, May 2011; Griffith, Suicide Life Threat Behav 42:453–469, 2012). Both military personnel and civilian employees have experienced an increase in workload, overtime worked and stricter policies within the workplace, all culminating in a tremendous amount of operational demands and employee strain during this time. In addition, a recent APA assessment of military health barriers indicate that there is growing concern of the availability, acceptability and accessibility of mental health resources (Johnson et al., The psychological needs of US military service members and their families: a preliminary report. American Psychological Association Presidential Task Force on Military Deployment Services for Youth, Families and Service Members, 2007). Indicators of these issues were being reported on several Air Force (AF) bases and a team of researchers was called upon to determine specific stressors and possible solutions to alleviate the issues. Many interviews, observations, and focus groups were conducted and resulted in the identification of a wellness intervention strategy to improve morale and workplace conditions; however, the intervention was not implemented. This chapter discusses present strategies for overcoming leadership challenges in a military environment. Most importantly, how to work with leadership to help them understand their role and impact in the intervention, as well as, the importance of having an appropriate infrastructure in place to facilitate implementation of the intervention and greatly impact employee morale and well-being.