Dennis de Kool and Victor Bekkers
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the perceived value-relevance of open data published by the Dutch Inspectorate of Education in the parents’ choice of Dutch primary…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the perceived value-relevance of open data published by the Dutch Inspectorate of Education in the parents’ choice of Dutch primary schools.
Design/methodology/approach
Empirical data were collected through a mixed method strategy including quantitative and qualitative methods: quantitative surveys among parents of pupils in 25 primary schools; and semi-structured in-depth interviews using a topic list.
Findings
Parents make little use of the Inspectorate’s website compared to other information sources. The perceived usefulness of this website to parents choosing a primary school is also relatively low. Personal information gathered by school visits, written information from schools and information from other parents are more important sources.
Research limitations/implications
Subjective considerations, such as the atmosphere and ambience of a school, play an important role in parents’ choice behavior. Pragmatic considerations also play a role, such as a school’s nearness. This study shows that it is necessary to rethink the rational assumptions behind publishing performance data.
Practical implications
This study observed a mismatch between the demand and supply of open data about primary schools. The Inspectorate’s publication strategy is based on “hard” and “written” data presented on a website, but parents also appreciate “soft” and personal “oral” data. Parents state that the Inspectorate should not only focus on negative school results for censuring (“naming and shaming”), but also give attention to schools that perform well (“naming and faming”).
Originality/value
Research about parents’ and citizens’ use of quality information in general is scarce. These findings show that parents’ choice behavior is less rational than assumed. Relativistic notions about decision-making processes are recognized in other studies also, but they suggest that highly educated parents are over-represented in the group of parents who actively make school choices, whereas this study found no indications that parents’ educational level affects their choices.
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Noel Scott, Brent Moyle, Ana Cláudia Campos, Liubov Skavronskaya and Biqiang Liu
The purpose of this paper is to explore change leadership in the context of traumatically experienced change. “Being-centeredness” is proposed as a change leadership paradigm…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore change leadership in the context of traumatically experienced change. “Being-centeredness” is proposed as a change leadership paradigm, with the leader becoming a facilitative instrument who assists restoration of a healthy working environment, healed emotions and change transitioning.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper is a conceptual research paper. Conceptualizations of being-centeredness are developed by building on the discourse of change emotions in organizations and research on change leadership.
Findings
Change interventions are experienced more traumatic than often believed. Healing of these emotions is essential to avoid stuckness. Becoming an instrument of change enables being-centered leaders to assist the emotional healings of victims and survivors when change is experienced as traumatic, promoting individual transitioning, restricting resistance to enhance change readiness and resilience.
Research limitations/implications
Although conceptualizations are supported by an abundance of research and practical experience, as with any conceptual research, it lacks direct empirical evidence to support the conceptualizations.
Practical implications
Being-centeredness is an untapped inner capacity in many change leaders and change interventions. Explicitly normalizing and promoting being-centeredness and the further development of this capacity in leaders will allow this latent capacity to surface from its suppressed state, to be applied overtly.
Originality/value
The paper provides a new paradigm on leaders can and should deal with acute emotions that are often experienced from change, which focus more on the way of being of leaders, than competencies or change activities that must be done. This is likely to further emotional healing, change transitioning, resilience and ultimately change success.
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Felipe Sant'Anna Nunes, Helcio R.B. Orlande and Andrzej J. Nowak
This study deals with the computational simulation and inverse analysis of the cooling treatment of the hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy in neonates. A reduced-order model is…
Abstract
Purpose
This study deals with the computational simulation and inverse analysis of the cooling treatment of the hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy in neonates. A reduced-order model is implemented for real-time monitoring of the internal body temperatures. The purpose of this study is to sequentially estimate the transient temperatures of the brain and other body regions with reduced uncertainties.
Design/methodology/approach
Pennes’ model was applied in each body element, and Fiala’s blood pool concept was used for the solution of the forward bioheat transfer problem. A state estimation problem was solved with the Sampling Importance Resampling (SIR) algorithm of the particle filter method.
Findings
The particle filter method was stable and accurate for the estimation of the internal body temperatures, even in situations involving large modeling and measurement uncertainties.
Research limitations/implications
The proposed reduced-order model was verified with the results of a high-fidelity model available in the literature. Validation of the proposed model and of the solution of the state estimation problem shall be pursued in the future.
Practical implications
The solution of the state estimation problem with the reduced-order model presented in this paper has great potential to perform as an observer of the brain temperature of neonates, for the analysis and control of the systemic cooling treatment of neonatal hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy.
Social implications
The main treatment for hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy in neonates is the cooling of affected regions. Accurate and fast models might allow the development of individualized protocols, as well as control strategies for the cooling treatment.
Originality/value
This paper presents the application of the SIR algorithm for the solution of a state problem during the systemic cooling of a neonate for the treatment of the hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy.
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Latisha Reynolds, Samantha McClellan, Susan Finley, George Martinez and Rosalinda Hernandez Linares
This paper aims to highlight recent resources on information literacy (IL) and library instruction, providing an introductory overview and a selected annotated bibliography of…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to highlight recent resources on information literacy (IL) and library instruction, providing an introductory overview and a selected annotated bibliography of publications covering all library types.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper introduces and annotates English-language periodical articles, monographs, dissertations and other materials on library instruction and IL published in 2015.
Findings
This paper provides information about each source, describes the characteristics of current scholarship and highlights sources that contain either unique or significant scholarly contributions.
Originality/value
The information may be used by librarians and interested parties as a quick reference to literature on library instruction and IL.
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Neeraj Kumar Jaiswal and Rajib Lochan Dhar
The purpose of this paper is to investigate how servant leadership, trust in leader and thriving drive employee creativity.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate how servant leadership, trust in leader and thriving drive employee creativity.
Design/methodology/approach
Using a dyadic sample of 48 teams (each team comprising a supervisor and the subordinates under him), the authors investigated the role of servant leadership in predicting employee creativity, the mediating role of trust in leader and interactive role of thriving therein.
Findings
Findings of the study revealed that servant leaders instilled trust within followers, which acted as a mediator in predicting creativity. Further, thriving was found to act as a moderator that influenced the relationship between trust in leader and employee creativity. Findings also indicated that thriving employees exhibited a greater degree of creative behavior when they trusted their leader.
Research limitations/implications
Based on these findings, the study draws the attention of managers toward the role of servant leadership, trust in leaders and thriving in promoting employee creativity.
Originality/value
This is one of the first studies to integrate servant leadership, trust in leader, thriving and creative behavior into a single theoretical model. The study further provides evidence to validate the proposed model in context of predicting employee creativity.
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George Gotsis and Katerina Grimani
The purpose of this paper is to provide an integrative framework of servant leadership and employees’ perception of inclusion. The authors argue that servant leadership embodies…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to provide an integrative framework of servant leadership and employees’ perception of inclusion. The authors argue that servant leadership embodies an inclusive leadership philosophy that is in a position to facilitate feelings of belongingness and uniqueness among diverse employees.
Design/methodology/approach
A theoretical model capturing the effect of servant leadership in shaping climates for inclusion, is developed. The authors elaborate on research streams focussing on climates for inclusion, and examine servant leadership as a potential predictor of inclusion. In this respect, the authors posit that inclusive practices mediate the servant leadership and inclusion relationship, while leaders’ inclusiveness beliefs moderate the servant leadership and inclusive practices relationship.
Findings
The model introduces mediating mechanisms that intervene in the indirect relationship between servant leadership and climates for inclusion. In so doing, the authors seek to identify how organizational practices supported through servant leadership behaviors address employee needs for belongingness and uniqueness. The model predicts multi-level beneficial outcomes for social identity groups.
Practical implications
The paper identifies a bundle of organizational practices facilitating employees’ perceptions of inclusion, by placing an emphasis on how servant leaders can enact and implement practices in view of attaining inclusiveness pursuits.
Social implications
Servant leadership is inclusive by empowering diverse employees and fostering equitable and more humane workplaces, as well as by being more sensitive to various societal expectations.
Originality/value
The paper is intended to explore precisely how servant leadership can help inclusive ideals to thrive in diverse work environments.
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Helen Clare Martin, Colin Rogers, Anthony John Samuel and Martyn Rowling
The police service in England and Wales faces unprecedented challenges as it moves further into the twenty-first century. Globalisation, increases and changes in types of crime…
Abstract
Purpose
The police service in England and Wales faces unprecedented challenges as it moves further into the twenty-first century. Globalisation, increases and changes in types of crime, including cybercrime alongside perennial terrorist threats, coupled with budgetary constraints, mean that the way the police service has traditionally operated needs to change. In part, the police service sees the drive for professionalisation as assisting in providing an efficient and effective answer to the challenges ahead. Previous approaches to leadership styles, based upon hierarchy and rank, may not be the best approach for leaders in such a dynamic and professional organisation. The purpose of this paper is to argue for a debate and a rethink regarding the leadership styles employed by the police in their current role in the context of the influx of new graduate officers.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper presents a discursive argument based upon servant leadership (SL) models that aspire to address the multi-faceted challenges faced by the police service.
Findings
Leaders in the police service may well consider SL for its ability to release the potential and manage the aspirations of graduate officers. SL is also recognised for its potential in helping the police to better engage with important societal changes that will impact on its organisation and its structure in the future.
Social implications
Previous approaches to leadership styles, based upon hierarchy and rank, may not be the best approach for leaders in such a dynamic and professional organisation. This is discussed in relation to a suggested style of leadership.
Originality/value
This paper considers the problems faced in leading a professionalised police service and the suitability of a novel approach to leadership, that of the “Servant Leader”.
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Recently, organizational theorists and business thinkers have discovered the jazz metaphor and have employed this trope as an analogy to infer and describe best practices in the…
Abstract
Purpose
Recently, organizational theorists and business thinkers have discovered the jazz metaphor and have employed this trope as an analogy to infer and describe best practices in the areas of organizational innovation and business strategy. The paper aims to discuss this issue.
Design/methodology/approach
The present paper extends and amplifies this insight in the area of marketing practice and compares the marketing manager to the jazz musician with special attention to the problem of introducing new offerings during the mature stage of the product life cycle – namely, the strategic issue that concerns most marketing managers most of the time.
Findings
Ultimately, the author is struck by the rather profound ways in which – true to the jazz metaphor – the marketing manager during the mature phase of the product life cycle resembles an improvising musician.
Originality/value
The present paper pursues this theme in connection with one particular aspect of marketing strategy – namely, the design and introduction of new offerings during the mature phase of the product life cycle.