Gillian Tober, Duncan Raistrick, Helen Fiona Crosby, Jennifer Sweetman, Sally Unsworth, Leah Suna and Alex Copello
The purpose of this paper is to describe the development and delivery of an aftercare programme called Learning To Live Again, which was co-produced between service users and…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to describe the development and delivery of an aftercare programme called Learning To Live Again, which was co-produced between service users and clinic staff.
Design/methodology/approach
In total, 37 semi-structured interviews were conducted with 29 project stakeholders who were service users, mentors, university and clinical staff. The data were transcribed and analysed using thematic analysis.
Findings
Four overarching themes were identified in the analysis of interview data as characterising the process of co-producing an aftercare programme. These were: achieving common ground, roles and responsibilities, the activities programme and the road to recovery. Interdependence of service users and clinicians was given strong emphasis.
Practical implications
A number of challenges arise in co-producing an aftercare programme which is largely service user led and adds to the local recovery capital. The benefits of co-producing aftercare outweigh the difficulties and the programme can be set up within existing resources. Given the study's focus on the process of setting up and maintaining an aftercare programme, no attempt was made to evaluate the improvement in outcomes or cost-effectiveness.
Originality/value
Many peer-mentor-led aftercare programmes have been set up and this paper describes stakeholders’ thoughts about the challenges and benefits of co-producing an aftercare programme.
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Secil E. Ertorer, Jennifer Long, Melissa Fellin and Victoria M. Esses
This paper explores integration experiences of immigrants in the Canadian workplace from the perspective of immigrants themselves, focusing on cultural capital and cultural…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper explores integration experiences of immigrants in the Canadian workplace from the perspective of immigrants themselves, focusing on cultural capital and cultural judgments as factors influencing workplace entry, advancement and social integration in an increasingly diverse work environment.
Design/methodology/approach
An interpretive approach that involved thematic analysis of in-depth interview data was employed.
Findings
The findings reveal that the official two-way multiculturalism policy of Canada is not reflected in the Canadian workplace and that structural forces of assimilation are evident. Cultural judgments and immigrants' cultural capital create barriers for integration.
Research limitations/implications
While highlighting important aspects of immigrant experiences within the Canadian workplace, the study findings cannot generate a fully representative theorization of immigrant employment experiences in Canada. Further studies with diverse migrant groups in different parts of the country would shed more light on the issues faced by immigrants.
Practical implications
The barriers to social integration identified by this study can be largely overcome by improving intercultural skills and cultural intelligence of employers and employees through training and incorporating values of diversity and inclusion into the corporate culture.
Social implications
The factors that foster and hinder workplace integration identified by this study can inform workplace integration strategies and related policies.
Originality/value
Much of the literature concerning immigrants' position in Canada address the economic integration and economic well-being of immigrants, focusing on quantitative, macro level analyses of earnings disparity and labor market segmentation. There is a lack of qualitative research that explores the integration process through the lens of immigrants. Informed by the theories of cultural capital, cultural judgment and integration, the study sheds light on the everyday workplace experiences of skilled migrants and perceived barriers to workplace entry, advancement and social integration.
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Jennifer Jewer, Pedram Pourasgari and Kam Jugdev
Achieving project performance goals in extremely resource-constrained environments, such as those of social enterprises, is challenging. These organizations often employ bricolage…
Abstract
Purpose
Achieving project performance goals in extremely resource-constrained environments, such as those of social enterprises, is challenging. These organizations often employ bricolage – making the most of available resources – to navigate challenging landscapes. This study aims to understand how bricolage capabilities enhance or attenuate organizational project outcomes in resource-constrained social enterprises.
Design/methodology/approach
An exploratory survey was conducted to understand project management practices in Canadian social enterprises. Established scales were used to measure constructs with confirmatory factor analysis, and linear regression was employed to analyze relationships.
Findings
The study provides empirical evidence of the positive influence of bricolage on organizational project performance, with a crossover interaction observed for moderators – entrepreneurial leadership and project management capabilities. While project capabilities strengthen the positive impact of bricolage capabilities on project performance, entrepreneurial leadership has the opposite effect.
Practical implications
The insights from this study offer an initial roadmap for project managers for effective resource acquisition and utilization through bricolage, ultimately enhancing project management effectiveness in resource-constrained environments.
Originality/value
Despite the crucial role of bricolage capabilities in resource-constrained environments, the project management literature has largely neglected this concept. It is unclear how organizations use bricolage to manage projects. This lack of understanding challenges organizations, hindering their ability to apply bricolage consistently and thoughtfully in managing projects. Our study provides a deeper understanding of how bricolage facilitates project performance and enriches our understanding of it as an effective resource mobilization strategy within social enterprises.
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Elizabeth Mansfield, Onil Bhattacharyya, Jennifer Christian, Gary Naglie, Vicky Steriopoulos and Fiona Webster
Canada’s primary care system has been described as “a culture of pilot projects” with little evidence of converting successful initiatives into funded, permanent programs or…
Abstract
Purpose
Canada’s primary care system has been described as “a culture of pilot projects” with little evidence of converting successful initiatives into funded, permanent programs or sharing project outcomes and insights across jurisdictions. Health services pilot projects are advocated as an effective strategy for identifying promising models of care and building integrated care partnerships in local settings. In the qualitative study reported here, the purpose of this paper is to investigate the strengths and challenges of this approach.
Design/methodology/approach
Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 34 primary care physicians who discussed their experiences as pilot project leads. Following thematic analysis methods, broad system issues were captured as well as individual project information.
Findings
While participants often portrayed themselves as advocates for vulnerable patients, mobilizing healthcare organizations and providers to support new models of care was discussed as challenging. Competition between local healthcare providers and initiatives could impact pilot project success. Participants also reported tensions between their clinical, project management and research roles with additional time demands and skill requirements interfering with the work of implementing and evaluating service innovations.
Originality/value
Study findings highlight the complexity of pilot project implementation, which encompasses physician commitment to addressing care for vulnerable populations through to the need for additional skill set requirements and the impact of local project environments. The current pilot project approach could be strengthened by including more multidisciplinary collaboration and providing infrastructure supports to enhance the design, implementation and evaluation of health services improvement initiatives.
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Mergers and acquisitions (M&As) are major corporate changes and are among the most stressful for employees. Employee resistance is a well-recognised reason for high failure rates…
Abstract
Purpose
Mergers and acquisitions (M&As) are major corporate changes and are among the most stressful for employees. Employee resistance is a well-recognised reason for high failure rates of post-merger integration (PMI). The contemporary concept of psychological capital (PsyCap) is a promising approach for dealing with the issue. To date, relatively little research has been conducted on the relationship between PsyCap and resistance. The purpose of this paper is to examine the possible positive impacts of PsyCap on employee resistance during PMI, based on a review of the existing literature and selected interviewers with a panel of experts, and offer a theoretical model for decreasing the resistance.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper builds on the literature on M&A, PMI, and employee resistance by focusing on the contribution of PsyCap. Apart from formulating propositions and answering pre-determined research questions, the findings are the basis for a theoretical model that was validated by a panel of experts.
Findings
This research documents the negative emotions that are triggers for resistance during PMI under the influence of PsyCap. By measuring and assessing the PsyCap needs of employees, resistant employees were revealed, and their PsyCap was developed using tailored interventions. The research findings indicate this to be a feasible approach for reducing resistance during PMI.
Research limitations/implications
All of the findings rely on empirical testing and operationalisation. Cultural differences may influence the PsyCap dimensions.
Practical implications
M&A deals often fail due to unsuccessful PMI implementation because leaders fail to consider the psychological impacts when trying to overcome resistance. The model proposes a possible solution.
Originality/value
The offered theoretical approach is original and provides new insights for researchers and practitioners who evaluate M&A strategies.
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Michael Mehmet, Troy Heffernan, Jennifer Algie and Behnam Forouhandeh
The purpose of this paper is to examine how upstream social marketing can benefit from using social media commentary to identify cognitive biases. Using reactions to leading…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine how upstream social marketing can benefit from using social media commentary to identify cognitive biases. Using reactions to leading media/news publications/articles related to climate and energy policy in Australia, this paper aims to understand underlying community cognitive biases and their reasonings.
Design/methodology/approach
Social listening was used to gather community commentary about climate and energy policy in Australia. This allowed the coding of natural language data to determine underlying cognitive biases inherent in the community. In all, 2,700 Facebook comments were collected from 27 news articles dated between January 2018 and March 2020 using exportcomments.com. Team coding was used to ensure consistency in interpretation.
Findings
Nine key cognitive bias were noted, including, pessimism, just-world, confirmation, optimum, curse of knowledge, Dunning–Kruger, self-serving, concision and converge biases. Additionally, the authors report on the interactive nature of these biases. Right-leaning audiences are perceived to be willfully uninformed and motivated by self-interest; centric audiences want solutions based on common-sense for the common good; and left-leaning supporters of progressive climate change policy are typically pessimistic about the future of climate and energy policy in Australia. Impacts of powerful media organization shaping biases are also explored.
Research limitations/implications
Through a greater understanding of the types of cognitive biases, policy-makers are able to better design and execute influential upstream social marketing campaigns.
Originality/value
The study demonstrates that observing cognitive biases through social listening can assist upstream social marketing understand community biases and underlying reasonings towards climate and energy policy.
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Lyndsay M.C. Hayhurst, Holly Thorpe and Megan Chawansky
Bengi Aygün and Vehbi Cagri Gungor
The purpose of this paper is to provide a contemporary look at the current state‐of‐the‐art in wireless sensor networks (WSNs) for structure health monitoring (SHM) applications…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to provide a contemporary look at the current state‐of‐the‐art in wireless sensor networks (WSNs) for structure health monitoring (SHM) applications and discuss the still‐open research issues in this field and, hence, to make the decision‐making process more effective and direct.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper presents a comprehensive review of WSNs for SHM. It also introduces research challenges, opportunities, existing and potential applications. Network architecture and the state‐of‐the‐art wireless sensor communication technologies and standards are explained. Hardware and software of the existing systems are also clarified.
Findings
Existing applications and systems are presented along with their advantages and disadvantages. A comparison landscape and open research issues are also presented.
Originality/value
The paper presents a comprehensive and recent review of WSN systems for SHM applications along with open research issues.