Alexandra Petridou, Maria Nicolaidou and Julian S. Williams
Efficacy has been broadly analyzed and explored in depth in various fields. However, in the field of educational leadership, empirical studies and research evidence are weak. The…
Abstract
Purpose
Efficacy has been broadly analyzed and explored in depth in various fields. However, in the field of educational leadership, empirical studies and research evidence are weak. The purpose of this paper is to develop and validate a new School Leaders’ Self-Efficacy Scale (SLSES).
Design/methodology/approach
Two studies were undertaken. In the first study, the extant literature was critiqued and an initial form of the SLSES was developed; it was then administered to 233 school leaders in Cyprus. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was employed to identify the structure of the scale. The second study aimed at validating the proposed model by employing confirmatory factor analysis. For this purpose, a revised SLSES was administered for a second time to 289 school leaders.
Findings
EFA suggested an eight-factor structure, namely: Creating an appropriate organizational structure, Leading and managing the learning organization, School Self-Evaluation for School Improvement, Developing a positive climate and managing conflicts, Evaluating classroom practices, Adhering to community and policy demands, Monitoring learning, and Leadership of Continuing Professional Development. Confirmatory model fit indices, factor pattern and structure coefficients, and reliability analyses provided robust evidence for the construct validity of the SLSES.
Originality/value
The paper describes the construction and validation of a new scale measuring school leaders’ self-efficacy. The SLSES provides practitioners and researchers with a promising tool, with implications for measuring the outcomes of the professional development of school leaders and for school improvement studies.
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Discusses the philosophy and practice of Richer Sounds plc, a hi‐fi separates company with the highest sales per square foot of any retail outlet in the world, focusing on its…
Abstract
Discusses the philosophy and practice of Richer Sounds plc, a hi‐fi separates company with the highest sales per square foot of any retail outlet in the world, focusing on its motto “provide second‐to‐none service and value‐for‐money for our customers”, and exploring its recognising quality service.
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Hannah Zeilig, Julian West and Millie van der Byl Williams
The purpose of this paper is to explore the concept of co-creativity in relation to artistic practice with people with a dementia. The aim of the discussion is to outline how…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore the concept of co-creativity in relation to artistic practice with people with a dementia. The aim of the discussion is to outline how co-creativity offers fresh approaches for engaging artists and people with dementia, can contribute to less restrictive understandings of “creativity” and above all, expand the understanding of people with a dementia as creative, relational and agential.
Design/methodology/approach
In order to examine current conceptions of co-creativity and to inform the artistic practice, relevant literature was explored and eight expert interviews were conducted. The interviews were thematically analysed and are included here.
Findings
This paper consequently demonstrates that improvisation, structure, leadership and equality are central elements of co-creative processes and outlines how co-creativity can offer fresh insights into the way in which the arts can engage people with a dementia, the relationship between creativity and dementia and the transformative potential of the co-creative arts for those living with a dementia.
Research limitations/implications
The paper discusses some of the difficulties that are inherent a co-creative approach, including power relations and the limitations of inclusivity. Due to ethical restrictions, the paper is limited by not including the perspectives of people living with a dementia.
Practical implications
This paper paves the way for future research into co-creative processes in a variety of different contexts.
Social implications
A more nuanced understanding of co-creativity with people with dementia could challenge the dominant biomedical and social paradigms that associate “dementia” with irretrievable loss and decline by creating opportunities for creative agency.
Originality/value
This exploration of co-creativity with people with dementia is the first of its kind and contributes to the wider understanding of co-creativity and co-creative practice.
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Joseph C. Ofori-Dankwa and Scott Julian
The purpose of this paper is to present a heuristic model to better understand the inherently paradoxical and concomitant positive and negative organizational outcomes associated…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to present a heuristic model to better understand the inherently paradoxical and concomitant positive and negative organizational outcomes associated with demographic diversity and value congruence in organizations. It further illustrates the resultant organizational dynamics that result from shifting levels of diversity and value congruence.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper adopts the supply and demand heuristic from the economics discipline and further develops the diversity and similarity curves (DSC) model proposed by Ofori-Dankwa and Julian. Further, this analysis is carried out from both short-run (static) and long-run (dynamic) perspectives.
Findings
This study illustrates how different levels of organizational diversity and value congruence (reflected by diversity and similarity curves respectively) could concurrently result in both positive and negative levels of organizational creativity and competitiveness.
Research limitations/implications
As a heuristic, this study's model is a simplistic representation of the inherently complex set of relationships and outcomes that are associated with paradox in a social setting.
Practical implications
This model has managerial utility for explaining how different levels of diversity in an organizational setting could potentially have different positive and negative outcomes.
Originality/value
This study unpacks the implications of different levels of diversity in an organizational setting and sheds original light on the dynamic nature of virtuous and vicious organizational cycles associated with diversity.
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Cyber incivility is a form of unsociable speech and a common daily workplace stressor. The purpose of this paper is to explore the impact of cyber incivility on non-profit leaders…
Abstract
Purpose
Cyber incivility is a form of unsociable speech and a common daily workplace stressor. The purpose of this paper is to explore the impact of cyber incivility on non-profit leaders in Canada and share an intimate portrait of their personal experiences and perceptions.
Design/methodology/approach
The study advances our understanding of how qualitative methods can be introduced into the study of a phenomenon which has been broadly examined in a positivist tradition. The paper draws epistemologically and methodologically on a fusion of critical discourse analysis and auto-ethnography to present emic and experiential insights.
Findings
The findings offer three conceptual contributions: to introduce a novel qualitative method to a dynamic field of study; to advance a critical dimension to our understanding of cyber incivility; and to explore the challenges which emerge when qualitative research must draw largely on positivist, quantitative literature. Additionally, this paper makes three contributions to our understanding of cyber incivility: by introducing organizational context conditions which encourage incivility; by identifying commonalities between incivility and bullying, by challenging the existing taxonomy; and by examining the personal experiences of non-profit leaders in Canada (in operationalized settings).
Originality/value
Quantitative analysis has been limited to the relationship between supervisor and employee and consisted mostly of cross-sectional self-report designs, online surveys and experimental manipulation in simulated workplace environments. This study serves up a deeper analysis from within organizational environments.
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Victoria Stanhope, Mimi Choy-Brown, Meredith Doherty, Julian Cohen-Serrins, Daniel Baslock and Ramesh Raghavan
Mental health inequalities based on race and ethnicity in the USA and globally persist despite efforts to address them. The COVID-19 epidemic accentuated these inequalities and…
Abstract
Purpose
Mental health inequalities based on race and ethnicity in the USA and globally persist despite efforts to address them. The COVID-19 epidemic accentuated these inequalities and demonstrated the extent to which they are linked to social determinants. However, the organizations that are best placed to ameliorate mental health inequalities are often underfunded and under-resourced. Investment strategies that restrict funding for programmatic costs rather than general operating costs often disproportionately impact small organizations that serve communities of color. This study aims to argue that effectively addressing mental health inequalities requires investing in these organizations by applying the lessons learned from implementation science.
Findings
This study demonstrates how organizational factors such as leadership, supervision and organizational culture and climate are key to programmatic success and how implementation strategies can target these factors. As promoting health equity is increasingly recognized as a priority outcome for implementation science research, these organizational approaches can inform funders on how to support small organizations that serve marginalized communities, giving them the capacity and flexibility to address mental health inequalities.
Originality/value
This paper applies the findings from implementation science to consider how best to support mental health organizations, particularly those well suited to serving the mental health needs of diverse communities.
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Niromi Seram, Julian Nanayakkara and Gamini Lanarolle
Organization’s core competencies are acknowledged as most valuable assets and skills which contribute to enhance the ability of innovation, the competitive advantage and…
Abstract
Purpose
Organization’s core competencies are acknowledged as most valuable assets and skills which contribute to enhance the ability of innovation, the competitive advantage and commercial success of the business. Although several researchers have studied the effects of core competencies on the success of an organization, no enough work has been carried out to investigate the effect of core competencies onfront-end decision-making. Apparel-specific studies in the area of core competencies relating to front-end decision-making are rarely found. Therefore, this paper aims to determine the impact of organizational core competencies on front-end decision-making in the apparel innovation.
Design/methodology/approach
A conceptual framework was developed focusing four groups of competencies; technological/ technical, customer, network/ partnership and financial competences and hypothesis were derived. Sixty participants in different companies across Sri Lanka were randomly selected based on their involvement in the front-end of the apparel innovation for questionnaire survey. The data were analyzed using the SPSS version 20 statistical software package. Spearman's rho correlation and Linear regression analysis were used to quantify the impact of the competencies on front-end decisions.
Findings
The factors of network competencies are found to be the most influentialon effective front-end decision-making in apparel innovation in Sri Lanka. These results strongly suggests strengthening companies’ ability to interact with partners who possess raw materials, machineries and technology know-how to facilitate efficient front-end decision-making. The next most influential are the factors of technological competencies. It highlights the importance of strengthening the companies’ own technical/ technological competencies to facilitate effective front- end decision-making in apparel innovation.
Originality/value
The findings of this research are of main interest to extend the current understanding on how different factors of organization’s core competencies influence on effective front-end decision-making in apparel innovation. Particularly, apparel domain practitioners will be motivated in implementing and nurturing these important/ and most influential competencies within their firms to facilitate front-end decision-making to achieve better results consistently.