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    A mixed methods investigation of ethnic diversity and productivity in software development teams : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctorate of Philosophy in Information Systems at Massey University, Wellington, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2014) Congalton, Julian
    Software has become pervasive across all aspects of society in the developed world and as a result, society has become highly dependent on new software being created for any modern advancement. Much research has focused on reducing the cost to develop software, including understanding what makes software teams more productive. Software teams are increasingly ethnically diverse due to the growth in distributed software development and a globally mobile labour force. Team composition has been found to be a major influence of team performance and ethnic diversity in teams can improve innovation and problem solving. As software development relies on effective teams and often involves solving complex problems, this raises the question of how ethnic diversity within software development teams affects the performance, and therefore productivity of those teams. This research seeks to understand how ethnic diversity in software development teams influences the productivity that those teams achieve. This is important as software related costs represent a significant component of business costs. Furthermore, the cost effective development of new or changed software is critical to support advances in today’s technology-dependent society. A mixed methods research approach has been used in this study with an emphasis on qualitative data. This is the first mixed methods study of productivity in New Zealand software development projects and represents a unique examination of the sociological effects of ethnic diversity in software projects. Using a conceptual model of software development as a socio-technical system, project documents and interviews with project managers were analysed. A detailed analysis reveals themes and patterns regarding the influence of ethnic diversity in software development productivity. The qualitative data has been complemented with quantitative analysis of the project data using the productivity model embodied in the software development cost estimation model COCOMO II combined with indices measuring ethnic diversity. Ethnic diversity improved team problem solving and Ethnic Diversity in Software Development Teams innovation on complex software projects but hindered some aspects of communications which negatively influenced productivity, particularly on large projects. Ethnic diversity could either enhance or impair team cohesion, depending on whether the project manager took steps to build relationships and trust within their team.
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    Pareto analysis of on-site productivity constraints and improvement techniques in New Zealand building industry : a thesis presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Construction Management, School of Engineering and Advanced Technology, College of Sciences, Massey University at Albany, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2011) Durdyev, Serdar; Durdyev, Serdar
    The steady decline in labour productivity in the New Zealand construction sector is a result of internal and external factors, which constrain the achievement of set project objectives. The main objective of this thesis is to identify the key constraints to on-site construction labour productivity based on the views of project managers, contractors and subcontractors in the New Zealand building industry. Qualitative data collected through pilot interviews formed the basis for questionnaire surveys conducted among the target populations. Multi-attribute methods were used in the analysis of the empirical data while the Spearman’s rank correlation test was used for the tests of the research propositions/hypotheses. To test the robustness of the results of the questionnaire surveys, confirmatory interviews were conducted among members of target populations, who did not participate in the earlier surveys. Feedback from the pilot interviews revealed 56 onsite labour productivity constraint factors, which were grouped under eight broad categories: project finance, workforce, technology/process, project characteristics, project management, statutory compliance, unforeseen events, and other external forces. The first five broad categories comprise the internal constraints, while the last three were the external constraints. Results of the analysed questionnaire surveys showed that reworks, level of skill and experience of the workforce, adequacy of method of construction, buildability issues, supervision and coordination were the most significant internal constraint factors. Among the external constraints, the Resource Management Act, ground conditions, market conditions and level of competition in the industry were found to be the most influential sub-factors affecting construction productivity in the New Zealand building industry. Project management, workforce issues and project finance were the most significant broad categories having an impact on construction productivity. Recommendations for improving onsite labour productivity in the New Zealand construction industry were made which included use of quality management systems, early involvement of specialist trades, workforce skill improvement and motivation, and effective site layout.
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    Putting the human into human capital : a human capital index based on competences : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2003) Lees, Heather
    The world of work is increasingly more global and knowledge-based and there is a developing awareness of the importance of human capital. An individual's performance against a comprehensive competence profile will capture, I suggest, the substance of human capital. A review of existing theories and measures directly or indirectly associated with measuring the value of people in the workplace reveals a gap. There has been no simple measure that captures the substance of human capital. A human capital measure was developed in an attempt to address this omission. Various procedures and concepts from the literature were initially tested in a pilot case study in an engineering firm. From this an original human capital index measure was developed and applied in subsequent case studies. The human capital index is derived from the performance ratings of competences which are correlated with productivity measures. Nordhaug's (1993) typology provided a consistent framework for job role coverage, in competence profiles that either already existed or more commonly, were developed during this research. Performance scores for competences were gathered through 360-degree feedback. Productivity measures were specific to each case study. This human capital index was developed with and applied to seven samples in five organisations: customer service representatives and customer service officers in a bank, two groups of lawyers, managers in a supermarket, engineers in the armed forces and technicians in the gaming industry. There were very strong correlations between the human capital indexes and organisational productivity results for several of the samples. Against these same productivity measures the OECD measure of human capital (equivalent years of tertiary education) correlated weakly. This study contributes to the constructs of competences and productivity and their relationship in a human capital measure. It also describes a case study process for human capital measure development and raises issues of human capital measurement acceptability. Results suggest that under certain conditions an human capital index based on competences is feasible as a human capital measure; although it involves a number of subjective processes and is organisation specific. Further development and areas of research are suggested.