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    Exploratory research into the knowledge gap hypothesis and the effect network centrality has on production, innovation and social activity information gain in knowledge based organisations : a research report presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Business at Massey University
    (Massey University, 1999) Barnes, Robyn Leigh
    When information is infused into a system, the likelihood that individuals of high socio-economic status will gain knowledge faster than those individuals with a lower socio-economic status has been described as the knowledge gap hypothesis. The literature relating to the hypothesis maintains that, as the growth in knowledge is greater amongst higher socio-economic status individuals, a relationship tends to exist between education and greater knowledge. The present study explores whether a knowledge gap exists between the most central and the least central individuals in the verbal production, innovation and social activity networks of ten knowledge organisations based in New Zealand. Once self-reported responses to a sociometric questionnaire were gathered, network analysis was carried out in order to reveal the communication relationships in the three networks. The most and least visible individuals in the network in terms of centrality were then determined by use of the "degree", "closeness" and "betweenness" indices. Once the centrality of the actors in each network was established the socio-economic status, as measured by the educational attainment of each actor, was applied. A significant difference was found to exist between the means for the most central and least central actors in the innovation network. The closeness and betweenness measures exhibited much higher mean results for the most central actors in the innovation network. This illustrates that a difference may exist with respect to information access, whereby, the most central actors appear to have more access to, and control over, the information resources. The demographic characteristics of the most central and the least central actors revealed that actors occupying central positions in the innovation network tended to have managerial roles. Those actors that exhibited a lack of centrality had generally been employed with their respective organisation for between 6 and 10 years. Therefore, the suggestion is that any difference in knowledge concerning information relating to the communication of organisational goals is not related to educational attainment. This may provide a modicum of support for the contention that socio-economic status, as measured by education, is not the only variable that contributes to the existence of a knowledge gap. Managers in the knowledge organisations were perceived to be influential with respect to control over and access to information relating to solving organisational problems and the development of organisational goals. The implications for organisational environments are briefly discussed, followed by recommendations for future research concerning the application of the knowledge gap hypothesis to organisational settings.
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    Communicating across cultures in a New Zealand workplace : an investigation of attitudes, policies and practices at Excell, Auckland : a 75 point thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Management in Communication Management at Massey University
    (Massey University, 2006) Mannes, Mariska
    From a sociocultural perspective, the aim in this study was to find out whether or not New Zealanders in one Auckland workplace consciously communicate in a different way with colleagues from migrant cultures. Because New Zealand has become increasingly culturally diverse, workplaces have to adapt to a multicultural workforce. Migrants have cultural values that may conflict with New Zealand values; therefore, it is possible that misunderstandings may occur. The objectives in this study were to find out if in one research site whether New Zealanders adjusted their communication when communicating with colleagues from migrant cultures. Methodology was concentrated on intercultural concepts of positive and negative stereotyping, high and low context communication, hierarchy and cultural differences in power distance to explore any awareness of differences in communicating with migrants compared with the way in which communication was conducted with New Zealanders. Informal interviews were conducted to guide the direction of an initial questionnaire which led to the development of the questionnaire used in a survey carried out with 53 Pakeha and Maori working at Excell Corporation, a New Zealand company in Auckland. Results indicated that New Zealand employees of Excell did adjust their communication when communicating with colleagues from different cultures. However the extent of adaptation depended on the situation. The results confirm the significance of this study for organisations with a multicultural staff by highlighting why and where communication breaks down. For example, avoiding migrant colleagues occurred because of previous frustrating encounters, stereotypic attitudes and not having the time to try to understand migrant colleagues.
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    The interactive effect of communication media choice and personal relationships on tacit knowledge transfer success : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master in Business Studies in Business Information Systems at Massey University, Manawatu campus, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2014) Yu, Jiatao
    The transfer of tacit knowledge can be facilitated by personal relationship strength and by choosing appropriate communication media. However, the interactive effect of personal relationships and media choice on tacit knowledge transfer success has not been studied. Therefore, this study aims to investigate how relationship strength and media choice affect tacit knowledge transfer, and most importantly, how media choice interacts with relationship strength. Data were collected via a questionnaire survey of New Zealand university teachers in the disciplines of human health and medicine. Exploratory Factor Analysis and Structural Equation Modelling were used to analyse the survey data and to test the model. Then, follow-up interviews were carried out with six participants, to collect in-depth qualitative data focusing on the mechanisms behind the relationships to be found statistically significant in the model. Fitting the model by using partial least square structural equation modelling suggested that a higher level of closeness between individuals lead to better tacit knowledge transfer success, the relationship was stronger when individuals use both synchronous media and asynchronous media than when they use only synchronous media. Qualitative results were used to help interpret the quantitative findings by highlighting the importance of the development of common understanding, and by pointing out the fact that individuals adjusted their communication styles to be more suitable for each other. This study contributes to theory by testing Media Synchronicity Theory in the field of tacit knowledge transfer, and by exploring the mechanisms of the change of individuals’ media choice over time.
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    An examination of the relationship between organisational commitment and communication climate in two organisations experiencing change: a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Business Studies in Communication Management at Massey University
    (Massey University, 1997) Perkins, Tina Louise
    This study investigated the relationship between organisational commitment and communication climate in two organisations experiencing change. Emphasis was placed on personal qualities of leaders and included a discussion on trust, honesty and openness, and the impact of the leader's personal qualities on each organisation's communication climate. Methodologies used were both qualitative and quantitative. Research settings were the Eastern Institute of Technology, Napier, and the New Zealand Fire Service - Napier and Hastings Stations. Eighty-seven respondents participated in the study. Both organisations were experiencing change which added another dimension to the study. Data collection techniques included a questionnaire survey and structured interviews. For the questionnaire survey, a selection of questions from sources which included Mowday, Porter and Steers (1979) Organisational Commitment Questionnaire and Dennis, Goldhaber, Richetto and Wiio (1979, 1984) communication climate questionnaire were used in conjunction with newly formulated questions. Communication climate is one of the many factors that impact on organisational commitment. In this study, it is isolated from other antecedents and correlates of organisational commitment. Results indicated that there is a relationship between organisational commitment and communication climate. Commitment to the organisation tended to be low when the climate exhibited characteristics of a defensive communication climate. When supportive characteristics were evident, organisational commitment tended to be higher. However, due to the nature of the work, when the climate was not as supportive, commitment to the clients of the organisation remained high.