Refine
Year of publication
- 2020 (19) (remove)
Document type
- Bachelor Thesis (19)
Is part of the Bibliography
- No (19)
Keywords
- Recruiting (2)
- Affective forecasting (1)
- Agil (1)
- Anstrengung (1)
- Anti-incentives (1)
- Behavioral finance (1)
- Bilanzanalyse (1)
- Bundeswehr (1)
- Change management (1)
- Chatbots (1)
Course of studies
- BMP - Business Management and Psychology (19) (remove)
Games are characterized above all by the fact that players naturally show a very high willingness to play. By using Gamification, one attempts to transfer this high motivational potential to other contexts by integrating elements of a game in a non-playing situation.
This bachelor thesis deals with the research question of how Gamification can influence the motivation and performance of users. It discusses how a gamified system must be designed in order to get the best possible benefit. Furthermore, the risks of Gamification are named and measures to reduce these risks are mentioned.
The methodology used is a literature search in which Gamification and its components are first defined, followed by a definition of motivation and performance. Furthermore, typically used game elements are presented and their effects are explained. Gamification is categorized according to two different approaches, differentiating between various types of Gamification. In order to explain the motivational effect, various psychological motivation theories are presented. The focus is on the self-determination theory according to Deci and Ryan, where the fulfilment of the needs of competence, autonomy and social relatedness are crucial for the emergence and maintenance of motivation. This theory is also used to understand performance improvements.
By presenting practical experiments in which Gamification systems have been developed, it becomes apparent that Gamification can have positive effects on the motivation and performance of users, provided that the basic psychological needs mentioned above are addressed. However, negative effects and various risks that Gamification can entail were also identified. For example, the ability to work in a team, the self confidence of the users, and the quality of the work can suffer if Gamification is implemented incorrectly.
For future research, it is essential to focus more on the interaction of different game elements, to differentiate between the quantity and quality of the achieved results, and to observe the long-term effects of a gamified system.
Since the introduction of the concept of Emotional intelligence (EI), there has been affective turbulence in the past decades in the scientific community. The interest in the concept has been growing since the popularization of it in 1995 by Goleman (Goleman, 1995). It has been claimed to be a new way to success, as it was being linked to performance, job satisfaction, many other work-related constructs (Wong & Law, 2002; Bozionelos & Singh 2017; Miao et al., 2018; Prentice, 2016) and even health-related benefits (Goleman, 2020).
On the other side, the concept of Social Intelligence (SI), which was first introduced and used by Thorndike in 1920, has been around in the scientific community for quite some time as well. It is known for reducing conflict, creating collaborations and mobilizing people towards a common goal (Albrecht, 2005).
There has been a perplexing use of them in the field of research. Therefore, the purpose of this thesis is to examine conceptual issues as the similarities and differences between the two constructs and drawing a clear line between the two. A theoretical review has been conducted for independently understanding each concept. Different conceptual models have been analyzed for differences and similarities, in terms of definition, use, skill, problem-solving area, depth of the construct and aim of reasoning. The conceptual analysis shows there are some distinct differences. In addition to that, the results indicate that both concepts are multidimensional, overlapping and interdependent.
This study examines the current human capital management software market with integrated people analytics module and their targeted type of human resource management. The study is guided by the research question: Does the current human capital management software with people analytics module market target their data usage towards hierarchical or agile type of human resource management? To answer the research question a content analysis of 12 websites of human capital management software providers with integrated people analytics module was conducted. The findings were evaluated based on a scale of 4 prototype approach.
The study revealed that the majority of human capital software providers aim their data usage towards hierarchical organizations. A large part of the examined companies run a mixed approach and try to aim their software towards both hierarchical and agile organizations with different tendencies. The findings of this study align with the literature and suggest to organizations seeking to implement a human capital management suite to choose the software that supports their human resource type and strategy the best.
Successful employee retention remains one of the most critical issues in human resource management. Various retention strategies have been proposed, examined, and empirically tested for centuries to retain valued employees. This research proposes a psychological explanation on the effectiveness of so-called pay-to-quit incentives and hypothesizes that such anti-incentives might be more beneficial than traditional incentives with regards to employee retention. Cognitive Dissonance Theory, Prospect Theory, and Social Identity Theory help to illustrate the underlying psychological mechanisms of pay-to-quit incentives and their impact on choice, attitudes, cognitions, and behavior.
This thesis examines the added value of modern approaches of balance sheet analysis for the external analyst. When talking about modern approaches of balance sheet analysis, scoring models, qualitative analysis, discriminant analysis and artificial neural networks are meant. On the basis of an extensive literature research, it is examined to what extent these approaches can overcome the weaknesses of the traditional balance sheet analysis.
This thesis talks about the relation between investor sentiment, stock return and trading volume in the German stock market. Six Granger causality tests were performed in order to determine, whether one of the above mentioned factors is indicative of the others. The results imply that investor sentiment is indicative of both, stock return and trading volume in the specified time period. However, there is no further significant evidence for other relations among the variables. The results are mostly in line with the literature available on this topic and back up the importance of the concept of investor sentiment as investor sentiment delivers an attempt to explain why investors behave irrationally on the stock market. Hence, the factors influencing investor sentiment should be subject to further research in order to gain a broader understanding of the topic.
The well-substantiated “cheerleader effect” proposes that individuals in groups are perceived to be more attractive compared to when they are presented in isolation. With the aim of finding out whether this effect is applicable to additional dimensions of social perception, we investigated attractiveness, salary, vanity and intelligence judgements in two methodologically distinct experiments. We could not detect differences in ratings between the isolated and group presentations of individuals in a between-subjects design but found evidence supporting the existence of the cheerleader and the “banker effect” in the within-subjects design. Besides an increase in attractiveness, replicating the cheerleader effect, individuals were as well perceived to be earning higher salaries when surrounded by others, thus establishing the banker effect and further emphasising the actual impact of group context on trait judgements. The supplementary finding that both effects do not occur simultaneously within the same person creates new pathways for identifying their underlying causes and deriving possible explanations.
The objective of this thesis is to determine whether or which of the two types of praise effort-based or ability-based – has more positive psychological effects on humans.
Therefore, various study results on these two types of praise will be summarized and compared. This comparison shows that in the short-term, ability-based praise can have a more positive effect on the performance of a person, but in the long-term, effort-based praise has a much better effect. In order to explain this effect, the following two theoretical approaches are examined in more detail: theory of fixed and growth mindset and the effort-ability-relation. Although theory and study results suggest that effort-based praise is the better option, there are some reasons why using only effort-based praise can be harmful. To overcome these harmful effects, it is important to use praise responsibly and accordingly as well as to be aware of its powerful influence.
The literature on feedback was reviewed with respect to its effectiveness. The argument was made that the effectiveness is determined by the recipient´s feedback orientation (openness to feedback). The factors were explored by answering three questions derived from the hypothesized feedback orientation theory from Trost (2020). The research indicated two factors that contribute to employee feedback orientation. The first factor is the feedback source who should have a coach leadership style. The second factor is the feedback environment which should have the element of learning and coaching.
This paper proposes to consider the influence of transparency in leadership styles on work performance and satisfaction. In an experimental setting, a pair of strangers were advised to solve a Sudoku in a digital environment under time pressure. With an induced hierarchy, the leader was able to view the task and the timer, whereas only the subordinate was enabled to actively edit the riddle. The treatment group was told to transparently communicate the intended leadership style during the preparation phase. The results indicate that transparency has a significant positive effect on the performance and the satisfaction of the teams. Furthermore, it is hypothesized that transparency may not be the direct cause of improved performance and satisfaction. Yet it might be crucial in establishing trust between the leader and subordinate, causing a positive effect on the two dependent variables. The paper is concluded by discussing limitations, practical implications and considerations for future research.
This literature review-based study reveals that there are reasons for the acceptance of the effectiveness of equine-supported leadership trainings. Results show that people are able to transfer knowledge to a situation which is different from the learning situation (Baldwin & Ford, 1988). Additionally, this research deals with the assumption that empathy can be raised through the equine-facilitated trainings. This hypothesis is proven by the results of empathy improvement in autistic people during equine-assisted activities (Malcolm, Ecks and Pickersgill, 2018).
What happens in a situation in which an individual is given a quality task for no compensation while knowing that someone else receives a reward for the same effort? If a performance drop occurs, does the individual's fairness sensitivity play a dependent role? These questions are approached theoretically and experimentally within this thesis. As a foundation, the most critical insights from the psychological investigation of extrinsic rewards and its impact on intrinsic motivation and performance are reviewed. Furthermore, relevant findings regarding fairness are introduced from varying fields of research. The conducted double-blind experiment suggests with limited confidence that the higher an individual's fairness sensitivity in a situation of perceived unfair treatment, the lower the performance.
Vision statements are one powerful tool in visionary leadership that have to be communicated regularly in order to create purpose for employees. In the past decades, it was underestimated to achieve a greater understanding for a collective sense of purpose that is equally understood by many employees to increase organizational performance and especially coordination of work. To examine the role of values and mental imagery within vision statements, the concepts are more closely elaborated to develop more certainty in creating the right vision. Additionally, an archival study from the medical sector is portrayed which included vision statements and other performance relevant data of 151 hospitals in the US. The researchers found evidence for a strong interaction and imagery effect when four or fewer values were used within vision statements. The interaction resulted in a higher performance and work coordination of the organization and therefore functions as evidence for a shared sense of purpose. Besides, many leaders rather provide conceptual visions and communicate several values that distort the effect of vision imagery and decrease a collective sense of purpose.
This thesis deals with the marketing of today and its benefits for companies and universities. The focus is on the recruitment of students at universities through the business platform LinkedIn. The tools offered by LinkedIn will be presented and the purpose for which they are beneficial will be determined. Surveys are used to clarify questions about the use of social networks for different activities. In addition, it will be worked out why students choose a university and how LinkedIn fosters this. These findings are then translated into marketing measures for the HFU Business School in Villingen-Schwenningen.
The bachelor’s thesis deals with the question of whether a treatment with neurofeedback could provide a benefit for the members of an organization during a change process.
In particular, the motives and challenges of change projects were identified. Furthermore, the methods which can be used to reduce and even prevent these problems were examined. The non-achievement of basic human needs, the associated fear, the loss of trust and stress plays a major role here. A good change management is able to address some of these issues, for example through good communication and the implementation of a change vision. The difficulty is that people may be too stuck in their views, including previous bad experiences, to be helped by current methods. It could be shown, that the training with neurofeedback achieves positive and fast lasting effects. The thesis explains how the person to be treated must be prepared and what a training might look like. Various areas in which neurofeedback has already been successfully used are briefly described and it is investigated whether there are treatments for disorders that are similar for the resistances in change processes. Expert interviews have examined these assumptions more closely and provided a practical and concrete perspective on the treatment with neurofeedback in an organizational context.
Finally, it was found that training with neurofeedback in companies is quite an interesting option. At this stage, however, there is a lack of studies that can prove the concrete benefits. Until now, neurofeedback has been applied almost exclusively to the medical field and this will probably not change in the upcoming years due to the high complexity of the procedure. Other methods, such as yoga or meditation, are on the one hand easier to carry out and the other hand already established in society. However, since positive results have already been achieved with biofeedback and people are beginning to take an interest in it, this could be a first step towards neurofeedback.
The goal of this research is to find out whether the hierarchical leadership style
of the German Bundeswehr influences their soldiers in a way, that they develop
certain competencies that are highly demanded in the agile companies in the free
market economy. For this purpose, the following question was asked: In which
ways does the leadership style of the German Bundeswehr influence the
motivation of the soldiers, their ability to work in a team and the relationship to
the direct leader?
To be able to answer this question in a proper way, scientific literature was used
to built a theoretical background. It was completed by a semi-structured,
qualitative interview with an expert of the German Bundeswehr. With nearly three
decades of experience, he is responsible for the coaching of leaders and has a
broad knowledge about the leadership culture of the German Bundeswehr.
Both, the literature and the expert are in agreement about the fact, that being a
soldier is more than a job, but a calling. Being a soldier means living for the higher
mission. Meaning, that the motivation for completing a task has to be higher than
the one of civil workers, because it is based on intrinsic motivation. Also, in the
Bundeswehr, it is essential to be able to work in a team, no matter if one has a
sympathy for the others or not. In contrast to the agile way of team work, the
military does not put a lot of effort in figuring out the best team constellation, but
rather focus on the best way to achieve the goal. So, for the soldiers it is inevitable
to be able to work in a team with all different kinds of people. Additionally, to be
able to go through privation and hard times together, the soldiers build close
connections among themselves and to their leaders. So, in comparison to a
mostly professional relationship between colleagues and superiors in the free
market, the soldiers often are friends in their personal life as well.
Based on the mentioned findings, it is possible to expect soldiers to be attractive
potential applicants for leading positions in agile organizations.
This thesis aims to explain corporate visions from a psychological perspective to examine its effects for the individual and the organization.
Therefore, the existing literature on the topic of vision and psychological theories has been reviewed. Psychological theories from cognitive, social, and positive psychology, as well as the psychology of emotion, have been applied to the topic of corporate vision.
Derived from complexity theory, visions can function as positive emotional attractors (PEA), which trigger various psychological processes. Visions activate the default mode network and lead to mental simulations, such as the simulation of a best possible self, which contribute to perceived meaning in life and lead to an increase in positive affect. Further, the PEA leads to adapting a promotion focus. Affective forecasting of the future serves as a motivator. Anticipated emotions can lead to the impact bias and emotional contagion, which are important for the communication of the corporate vision. From the perspective of social psychology, Schwartz’s theory of values and social identity theory can explain the effects of corporate visions. Growth-oriented values can trigger a promotion focus in the individual, therefore being motivating.
Social Identity theory further states, that if an organization’s values are similar to those of the individual, the individual can experience organizational identity.
Personal and professional development is a great incentive for many employees to apply for a job with a company. If this is lacking, however, it can also be a reason to look for a new employer. Now it can be assumed that personnel development looks different in every company. Given this diversity, how can you choose a company if you want to continue your education? How should one know how the personnel development in a company is regulated? One can divide company structure and culture into hierarchical, traditional, or agile, known as dynamic and adapting. Are there differences in their ways to develop their employees that could help applicants to know how their development will be in a company? The paper deals with the theoretical investigation of possible differences between the human resource development in agile and in hierarchical organisations, followed by partly-structured expert interviews with experts out of eight companies about how they manage their employee development and exchange of knowledge. They were categorized in agile and hierarchical according to some structural and cultural questions at the beginning.
The question of this paper is, if there are tendencies of the same kind of organization in terms of structure and culture, to also have the same approach of Human resource development. Further the study is conducted to find out if there are differences in the tendencies between hierarchical and agile organizations, as well as where they lie.
The results suggest that there are tendencies of the same kind of organization to have a similar approach to their human resource development. Differences could be found in terms of distribution of responsibility, frequency and content of feedback meetings and used methods for training and knowledge exchange. This is important for companies who want to compare and improve their approach and for people who want to apply to companies but want to know beforehand their responsibility for their training and how the process is going to be.
This bachelor thesis with the title Chatbots, Video Recruiting and Mobile Communication Channels: Würth Industrie Service in the field of tension between digital acquisition channels and the company philosophy ‘People are the center of attention’ deals with the implementation of digital personnel acquisition channels as well as with the conflict between digitalization and the focus on people. In particular, the communication between applicants and personnel acquisition is addressed.
Digitalization has been developing at a high speed and influences the entire working and living environment. This increasing process of change is also related to the job market and the communication process. Communication has changed in recent years and still does. Instead of the previous, purely functional exchange of information in text form, visual language is becoming increasingly important. Furthermore, the younger generation is used to speed and a quick reaction to messages through social media.
In addition to the change of traditional communication and the trend towards visual language, it must be concerned that human resources is still a people business. Digital processes can cause the actual focus on people to be lost.
Based on a qualitative research approach and the expert interview, three employees of Würth Industrie Service GmbH & Co KG and a service provider are interviewed about digital instruments and the risk of losing the focus on people through digital processes in personnel acquisition. With the help of the qualitative content analysis according to Mayring, it clearly shows how important personal contact with the applicant is in the selection process. Moreover, the personal fit of the candidate with the position and with the company can only be checked in a personal interview by HR Business Partner. Nevertheless, the introduction of a digital tool in the selection process for a pre-selection at Würth Industrie Service GmbH & Co. KG is important in order to relieve the HR Business Partners now and in the future when the number of incoming applications and hiring figures are increasing.
The recommendation to introduce video interviews rather than implementing WhatsApp and Chatbots at Würth Industrie Service GmbH at this point is based on the theoretical principles and the expert interviews.