Iris A.G.M. Geerts, Joyce J.P.A. Bierbooms and Stefan W.M.G. Cloudt
This two-part study aims to contribute to the body of knowledge on team development by examining the development of self-managing teams (SMTs) in healthcare. Based on an…
Abstract
Purpose
This two-part study aims to contribute to the body of knowledge on team development by examining the development of self-managing teams (SMTs) in healthcare. Based on an exploration of the team development literature, a perspective on SMT development was created, which suggested that SMTs develop along a non-sequential pattern of three processes–team management, task management and boundary management and improvement–that is largely the result of individual, team, organizational and environmental-level factors.
Design/methodology/approach
The perspective on SMT development was assessed in a Dutch mental healthcare organization by conducting 13 observations of primary mental healthcare SMTs as well as 14 retrospective interviews with the self-management process facilitator and advisors of all 100 primary mental healthcare SMTs.
Findings
Empirical results supported the perspective on SMT development. SMTs were found to develop along each of the three defined processes in a variety or possible patterns or simultaneously over time, depending on many of the identified factors and three others. These factors included individual human capital, team member attitudes and perceived workload at the individual level, psychological safety, team turnover, team size, nature of the task and bureaucratic history at the team level, and management style and material and social support at the organizational level.
Practical implications
This study provides a non-sequential model of SMT development in healthcare, which healthcare providers could use to understand and foster SMTs development. To foster SMT development, it is suggested that cultural change need to be secured alongside with structural change.
Originality/value
Even though various team development models have been described in the literature, this study is the first to indicate how SMTs in the healthcare context develop toward effective functioning.
Details
Keywords
One in every five of the almost 17 million inhabitants in the Netherlands is a first- or second-generation migrant. The largest immigrant groups with a non-Western background are…
Abstract
One in every five of the almost 17 million inhabitants in the Netherlands is a first- or second-generation migrant. The largest immigrant groups with a non-Western background are Turks Moroccans, Surinamese and Antilleans. Their labour market position is precarious, as is indicated by higher levels of unemployment, larger dependency on temporary (rather than fixed) contracts and lower job levels. Substantial part of the migrants perceives that their weaker position is due to discrimination. Statistical analyses and field experiments show discrimination in hiring and indicate that part of the differential position of migrant workers in the Dutch labour market may be attributed to discrimination as well. At the work floor, migrants experience more discrimination than native Dutch, mostly in the form of hurtful jokes. Research that focuses on more discrimination grounds shows that ethnic background is not the only, nor the most important ground of perceived discrimination. Age and disability are also major grounds of perceived discrimination. Discrimination is a heavily debated topic that polarizes political debate and public opinion. It has shown to have mobilizing powers in politics. The high levels of public attention for the topic not only spurs citizens’ initiatives and governmental policies for combating it but may also facilitate recognition of discriminatory practices resulting in relatively high levels of perceived discrimination within a European context.
Details
Keywords
Peer van der Helm, Iris Boekee, Geert Jan Stams and Peter van der Laan
This study seeks to examine the education, safety, and professional attitudes of group workers in a Dutch youth prison and to analyse their perceptions of the organisational…
Abstract
Purpose
This study seeks to examine the education, safety, and professional attitudes of group workers in a Dutch youth prison and to analyse their perceptions of the organisational culture and leadership by line management. To achieve therapeutic goals, group workers must maintain a balance between flexibility and control.
Design/methodology/approach
A total of 59 group workers (40 per cent male and 60 per cent female) randomly chosen from eight living groups (141 group workers) were interviewed and completed questionnaires.
Findings
It was found that some interactions between group workers and prisoners created fear, suspicion, and violence, and that staff varied in their behavioural responses to perceived safety risks and disorder. “Transformational” leadership by management was associated with less fear, more flexibility, and less control; factors necessary to create a rehabilitative group climate.
Originality/value
The findings of this study inform the treatment of young offenders in secure correctional facilities.
Details
Keywords
Since Richard Florida’s book The Rise of the Creative Class published in 2000, our attention has been drawn towards a peculiar characteristic of the cities where such a creative…
Abstract
Since Richard Florida’s book The Rise of the Creative Class published in 2000, our attention has been drawn towards a peculiar characteristic of the cities where such a creative class thrives, and that is tolerance. We intend to explore in this paper whether one can use Hofstede’s “Uncertainty Avoidance” dimension to ponder if societies that are “Uncertainty avoidant” can provide a nurturing soil for a creative class to emerge within their bosom. To discuss this question, we examine the case of the Province of Québec (Canada) and most specifically, that of the city of Montréal, a city that has been dubbed by many observers as a creative city. In other words, our question is can a creative class thrive in a city that is located in an “Uncertainty avoidant” cultural and political unit?
Details
Keywords
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the correlation among the best state of art algorithms for fingerprint verification presented at Fingerprint Verification Competition…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the correlation among the best state of art algorithms for fingerprint verification presented at Fingerprint Verification Competition FVC2004.
Design/methodology/approach
For this work, the matching results of more than 40 fingerprint systems from both academy and industry are available on standard benchmark.
Findings
The paper shows that the fusion among some competitors of FVC2004 permits a drastically reduction of the performance. Surprisingly, correlation between best performing algorithms is very low, that is, algorithms tend to make different errors: this indicated there is still much room for improvements.
Practical implications
The results of this paper confirm that a multi‐matcher system can overcome some of the limitations of a single matcher resulting in a substantial performance improvement.
Originality/value
The paper tests the fusion among the state‐of‐the‐art practitioners in fingerprint matching (the competitors of FVC2004).
Details
Keywords
Iris De Been and Marion Beijer
– The aim of this research is to determine whether the type of office environment has an impact on satisfaction with the office environment and productivity support.
Abstract
Purpose
The aim of this research is to determine whether the type of office environment has an impact on satisfaction with the office environment and productivity support.
Design/methodology/approach
Three office types that are most common in The Netherlands were distinguished: individual and shared room offices, combi offices and flex offices. 11,799 respondents filled out a questionnaire measuring satisfaction with the work environment and its contribution to productivity.
Findings
Regression analysis was used to investigate whether these factors were influenced by office type. Results show that office type is a significant predictor. While in combi and flex offices people can choose to work at diverse workspaces, people evaluate productivity support, concentration and privacy less positive than people working in individual and shared room offices. In combi offices, but not in flex offices, people are more satisfied with communication than in individual and shared room offices.
Practical implications
Nevertheless, satisfaction with the organization explains the most variance with regard to satisfaction with the office environment and productivity support.
Originality/value
In The Netherlands, there are a lot of office buildings with a combi or flexible office concept. The large dataset on which the comparison is based, is a real plus for the research.
Details
Keywords
Kais Baatour, Khalfaoui Hamdi and Hassen Guenichi
Illicit trade is pervasive in many nations and may be influenced by the level of national IQ. The current interdisciplinary paper aims to study the association between national…
Abstract
Purpose
Illicit trade is pervasive in many nations and may be influenced by the level of national IQ. The current interdisciplinary paper aims to study the association between national intelligence and illicit trade across nations.
Design/methodology/approach
The illicit trade index scores for 84 countries, developed by the Economics Intelligence Unit, are used to measure the dependent variable. The independent variable is national intelligence, while economic development, unemployment and Hofstede’s cultural dimensions are the control variables. Two-level hierarchical linear models (HLMs) are used to empirically test the above-mentioned association.
Findings
The empirical results suggest that the higher the degree of national intelligence, the lower is the degree of illicit trade across nations. In addition, economic development, unemployment and national culture play an important role in explaining cross-country differences in illicit trade.
Practical implications
Regulatory authorities should find the results of this cross-national research useful in evaluating the likelihood of illicit trade from a cognitive perspective, and in implementing reforms to curb this type of economic crimes.
Originality/value
This interdisciplinary study makes novel contributions to the literature on economic and financial crimes. First, for the first time to the best of the authors’ knowledge, an association between national intelligence and illicit trade is examined. A second original contribution of this study compared to earlier research is related to the use of two-level HLMs. Third, the investigation of the association between intelligence and illicit trade takes a new control variable into consideration, i.e. unemployment, a variable which is found to have a significant effect on illicit trade and that has not been used directly in relationship with illicit trade so far.
Details
Keywords
Mehdi Hussain, Qudsia Begum, Muhammad Sabbir Rahman and Ahmed Imran
Drawing on the adapted unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT2) framework in the bottom of pyramid (BoP) context, this paper examines the number of causal…
Abstract
Purpose
Drawing on the adapted unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT2) framework in the bottom of pyramid (BoP) context, this paper examines the number of causal recipes that foster m-health adoption in a developing country (Bangladesh). This paper aims to propose an extended UTAUT2 model along with identifying the necessary and sufficient factors affecting the m-health adoption intention in the BoP market.
Study design/methodology/approach
The research model was empirically tested, combining two approaches: structural equation modelling (SEM) and fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA). Data were collected from 221 housemaids and female security guards who earn around US$6 per day.
Findings
The SEM results revealed that while performance expectancy (PE), effort expectancy (EE), social influence (SI), facilitating conditions, perceived cost (PC) and technology anxiety (TA) significantly influence the behavioural intention of BoP markets, hedonic motivation is the non-significant predictor. The fsQCA revealed that the two necessary conditions, PC and SI, can be combined with TA to increase the possibility of the success of m-health adoption in the BoP market.
Practical implications
For practitioners concerned with fostering the m-health adoption intention in BoP markets, the present study, which points out equifinality, recommends integrating the PC and SI in several combinations with PE, EE and TA.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, no previous studies using the UTAUT2 theory examined the m-health services in the BoP market. This study contributes empirical data to the predominantly theoretical literature by offering a deeper understanding of the inclusion of TA and PC in several combinations with other UTUAT2 factors as predictors for explaining the m-health adoption intention of BoP markets.
Details
Keywords
Goparaju Purna Sudhakar, Ayesha Farooq and Sanghamitra Patnaik
The purpose of this paper is to classify the factors affecting the performance of software development teams and stress the soft (non‐technical) factors affecting the performance…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to classify the factors affecting the performance of software development teams and stress the soft (non‐technical) factors affecting the performance of software development teams.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper is based on the thorough secondary research and literature review of the past empirical studies published in reputed journals. The methodology followed is the secondary research based on extensive literature review of empirical studies done and analysis of the findings of those studies and categorization of the factors affecting the software development team performance. Literature review and analysis were carried out between March 2010 and March 2011.
Findings
It was found that the soft factors such as team climate, team diversity, team innovation, team member competencies and characteristics, top management support and team leader behavior, have an effect on software development team performance. Mutual trust and communication effectiveness are found to be the prioritized factors affecting the software development team performance.
Research limitations/implications
The conclusions made are based on the past empirical studies found in the literature. A primary research can be done by taking these soft factors into consideration and implications or observations can be found on the software development team's performance.
Originality/value
The original contribution of this paper is the classification of factors affecting the performance of software development teams. This contribution also highlights the soft factors such as team climate, which was not discussed much in the literature. It also highlights trust and communication, for example, as leading factors affecting the software development team performance.