Maike Buhr, Dorli Harms and Stefan Schaltegger
Individual change agents for corporate sustainability can drive the transformation of organizations and foster sustainable development. Current research literature is growing and…
Abstract
Purpose
Individual change agents for corporate sustainability can drive the transformation of organizations and foster sustainable development. Current research literature is growing and is published in a wide variety of journals. This systematic literature review provides an overview and synthesis of different understandings of individual change agents for corporate sustainability transformation. It identifies gaps and puts forward propositions to contribute to theoretical development in the field.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper conducts a systematic literature review and thematic content analysis of individual agency in light of corporate sustainability transformation.
Findings
The analysis identifies five research streams, three key dimensions of individual change agency for sustainability (beliefs, actions and competencies) and presents levels of individual agency for transformation. An integrated definition of change agents for sustainability is proposed.
Research limitations/implications
The review concludes with implications to support individuals in fostering sustainability transformations of organizations, markets and societies. The synthesis and propositions help in identifying which dimensions are already and could in future be addressed by individual change agents. While acknowledging the usual limitations of literature reviews, this paper can inspire future empirical research on the effectiveness of individual change agents for sustainability.
Originality/value
By synthesizing different understandings in the literature of individual change agents for sustainability, this article contributes to the theoretical development of individual agency in the areas of understandings, research streams, dimensions and perspectives. It also develops propositions on how individual change agency can effectively contribute to sustainability transformations at individual, organizational and systems levels.
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This chapter introduces readers to a complex adaptive systems approach for integrating research on genes, behavior, and social structures/institutions. Until recently, scientists…
Abstract
Purpose
This chapter introduces readers to a complex adaptive systems approach for integrating research on genes, behavior, and social structures/institutions. Until recently, scientists have resorted to reductionism as a decoding and epistemological strategy for understanding human health. The complex bonds among health’s biological, behavioral, and social dimensions, however, cannot be fully grasped with reductionist schemas. Moreover, because reducing and simplifying can lead to incomplete understanding of phenomena, the resulting deficient knowledge has the potential to be harmful.
Methodology/approach
To achieve its purpose, this primer will: (1) introduce fundamental notions from complexity science, useful for inquiry and practice integrating research on genes, behavior, and social structures; (2) outline selected methodological strategies employed in studying complex adaptive/dynamic systems; (3) address the question, “Specifically, how can a dynamic systems approach be helpful for integrating research on genes, behavior, and social structures/institutions, to improve the public’s health?”; and (4) provide examples of studies currently deploying a complexity perspective.
Originality/value
The originality/value of this primer rests in its critique of the research status quo and the proposition of an alternative lens for integrating genomic, biomedical, and sociological research to improve the public’s health. The topic of complex adaptive/dynamic systems has begun to flourish within sociology, medicine, and public health, but many researchers lack exposure to the topic’s basic notions and applications.
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Karen Landay and Rachel E. Frieder
Stress and the military go hand-in-hand, particularly in combat environments. While some personality traits or types weaken relationships between stress and performance, others…
Abstract
Stress and the military go hand-in-hand, particularly in combat environments. While some personality traits or types weaken relationships between stress and performance, others, such as psychopathy, may strengthen them. In the present chapter, we consider the ramifications of individuals with high levels of psychopathy or psychopathic tendencies in the military with regard to both their own stress and performance and that of those around them. We discuss different reactions to psychological and physical stress, as well as the implications of psychopathic tendencies as they relate to current military issues, including gender, leadership, teamwork, turnover, post-traumatic stress disorder, and suicide. By juxtaposing relevant research findings on stress and psychopathy, we conclude that psychopathic tendencies should have neither uniformly negative nor positive effects on stress and performance in the military. Rather, effects on such individuals and the peripheral others with whom they interact will likely vary greatly depending on numerous factors.
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Cristiano Codagnone, Athina Karatzogianni and Jacob Matthews
Background to the Requirement for Vibration Isolators in Aircraft, their Development and a Description of the Latest Techniques Employed by Cementation (Muffelite) Ltd. WHEN…
Abstract
Background to the Requirement for Vibration Isolators in Aircraft, their Development and a Description of the Latest Techniques Employed by Cementation (Muffelite) Ltd. WHEN manufacturers first began installing electronic and other delicate equipment in aircraft, it was found that reliability was affected by vibration from various sources. So serious were these operational side effects that they had to be tackled as part of the overall development research.
Margaret S. Crocco, Ching-Fu Lan, Hui Soo Chae and Gary Natriello
This paper deals with two types of educational reform related to teaching and learning the traditional school subject of social studies. First, we consider the importance of…
Abstract
This paper deals with two types of educational reform related to teaching and learning the traditional school subject of social studies. First, we consider the importance of teaching about controversial issues by examining the impact of Hurricane Katrina, the record-setting, natural disaster, which struck the Gulf Coast of the United States in late August 2005. Using this episode as their foundation, the authors demonstrate how the common practice of avoiding controversy within the social studies arena can be addressed. Since Katrina represents a topic for which no warrant exists within state standards for teaching the subject, it can be considered a true “teachable moment”. Second, we analyze a case study involving the use of technology to spark discussion relative to the issues of race and class tied to Katrina, primarily for the two-year period after the hurricane struck. While the use of digital technology has been slow to gain popularity in the field of social studies, the authors use the case study to demonstrate how it can be utilized to generate democratic dialogue and civic engagement.
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David A Jobes and Maureen Elizabeth Bowers
The purpose of this paper is to fully consider the potential changes in clinical suicide prevention that may evolve after the passing of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to fully consider the potential changes in clinical suicide prevention that may evolve after the passing of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA). The authors argue that it is wise to anticipate demand for suicide-specific evidence-based treatments (EBTs) moving forward. The authors outline current best practices in clinical suicide prevention, and describe the Collaborative Assessment and Management of Suicidality (CAMS) as an example of how a suicide-focussed EBT can adapt to some predicted changes.
Design/methodology/approach
This conceptual paper first presents an overview of the main effects of ACA within the behavioral health care (BHC) system. Next, the authors review contemporary approaches to the treatment of suicidal patients, as well as current treatment limitations. The authors present CAMS as a model of a suicide-focussed EBT that holds promise for use in the post-ACA era. To close, the authors discuss anticipated changes in suicide treatment and illustrate that CAMS is adaptable to these changes.
Findings
ACA mandates several changes: implementation of EBTs, better preventative care, integrated treatment models, and improved healthcare administration. A central effect of ACA in BHC is the increased use of EBTs. Therefore effective EBTs for suicide prevention are described.
Originality/value
Anticipating how ACA will affect clinical suicide prevention is necessary, as it is historically a very challenging area of treatment within BHC and a significant public health concern. This paper highlights the importance of the use suicide-specific EBTs.
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Regarding managers' sensemaking of ethical content, this paper aims to help understand how managers come to believe what is important for business ethics and to improve…
Abstract
Purpose
Regarding managers' sensemaking of ethical content, this paper aims to help understand how managers come to believe what is important for business ethics and to improve understanding about their ethical work orientations.
Design/methodology/approach
The method used was a qualitative approach that analyzed 23 in‐depth interviews conducted with managers in various settings.
Findings
Three categories of ethical sense‐making orientations were identified: the proactive managers; the institutional managers; the technical managers. The study follows a discussion of the significance of these categories in terms of ethics in management, focusing on the extent to which the individual or the organization appears to drive ethical dilemmas.
Research limitations/implications
Five main limitations are discussed. It was not the aim of the study to provide an explanatory model for the process of ethical sensemaking and managers' work orientations. The sample of managers used in the study is only indicative of managers' ethical work orientations.
Practical implications
Managers have different ethical work orientations that relate to their personal identities. These categories may provide a framework for future research on additional types of professionals, organizations and cultural settings. For example, the institutional ethical managers are easier for organizations to control since they seem to rely on company rules.
Originality/value
The paper is valuable for management scholars and practitioners in the field of management. Since not much has been written about the sensemaking of managers and business ethics, the paper examines how some managers were more proactive than others in identifying ethical content in unexpected situations.