Sewanu Awhangansi, Michael Lewis, Khalid Karim, Jibril Abdulmalik, Philip Archard, Adeniran Okewole and Michelle O'Reilly
This paper aims to report a non-randomized control study undertaken to investigate prevalence and correlates of conduct disorder among male secondary education students in…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to report a non-randomized control study undertaken to investigate prevalence and correlates of conduct disorder among male secondary education students in South-West Nigeria and to assess the impact of a problem-solving skills and attributional retraining (PSSAR) intervention with this population.
Design/methodology/approach
In total, 787 male students from two schools were screened for conduct disorder. All participants who met criteria for the disorder were allocated to either treatment (n = 55) or control (n = 47) groups. Outcome measures comprised the strengths and difficulties questionnaire (SDQ; teacher and student versions) and the teacher rating of students’ aggressive behaviors.
Findings
Of the sample, 13% were found to present with difficulties that met criteria for conduct disorder. The presence of these difficulties correlated with several demographic variables, including parental conflict and alcohol use. A statistically significant reduction in mean scores was observed for the treatment group in the student rating of the SDQ emotional subscale and total difficulties scores. Teacher ratings were less consistent in that conduct problems, prosocial behavior and total difficulties increased following the intervention, whereas peer problems and aggressive behavior were reported by teachers to reduce. No statistically significant change was found in the outcome measures for the control group.
Practical implications
In resource-constrained settings, school-based interventions are an important means through which treatment gaps in child and adolescent mental health can be addressed.
Originality/value
In resource-constrained settings, school-based interventions are an important means through which treatment gaps in child and adolescent mental health can be addressed. This study’s findings offer some preliminary support for the PSSAR intervention for conduct disorder in this context and indicate areas for further research.
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Khalid Karim, Marton Marosszeky and Steven Davis
To provide a decision support tool for long‐term management of subcontractor supply chain for achieving better quality in construction.
Abstract
Purpose
To provide a decision support tool for long‐term management of subcontractor supply chain for achieving better quality in construction.
Design/methodology/approach
Defects on three construction projects are investigated through direct observation, document analysis, and interviews. A method to analyse and present defects information as an aid to decision making in relation to subcontractor supply chain management is proposed, and its application is illustrated by using the information obtained from the study.
Findings
The importance of managing the subcontractor supply chain to reduce the incidence of defects is established. The nature and extent of the defects, along with what caused them, are discussed. Method for conversion of raw data into a decision support tool is presented.
Research limitations/implications
The data collection method was limited in that it was not based on continuous full‐time observation. Such presence by independent observers for full duration of the project would provide more accurate information.
Practical implications
A useful tool for the construction industry in view of the fact that most of the construction work is now done by subcontractors and the head contractors primarily act as project managers.
Originality/value
The concept of using Pareto analysis/histogram for managing quality has been around for a considerable period of time. This paper converts it into a more efficient and useful decision support tool.
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Radiah Othman and Jamaliah Said
Public sector site is always known for its continuous games of power and control. Public managers often use control to enhance their power and to legitimise their actions…
Abstract
Public sector site is always known for its continuous games of power and control. Public managers often use control to enhance their power and to legitimise their actions. Empirical evidence showed that during the process of implementing accounting information system (AIS), the management adopted various strategies in securing accountants’ participation such as offering accountants to be part in the implementation process as change agents and change champions. Participation is seen as a mechanism to mitigate resistance and to cement commitment of the accountants to the new AIS which would ultimately produce “consent”. Theoretically, this paper is informed by Tannenbaum & Kahn (1957) contribution to organizational control structure, especially their idea that the total amount of control within an organization can be increased by emphasising decision‐making among different organizational members. Nonetheless, this paper argues that multilevel conflicts need to be resolved before participation can be secured and ultimately management control can be enhanced in organizations. The significance of participation in resolving conflicts in the public sector has been under researched and this deficiency remains the focus of this paper. Case studies were conducted in four Malaysian public sector organizations where the interplay of participation, control and conflict were observed and suggestions are proposed for future research.
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The present paper seeks to examine the recent changes in public management in Malaysia in relation to new public management and assess their impacts on administrative performance…
Abstract
Purpose
The present paper seeks to examine the recent changes in public management in Malaysia in relation to new public management and assess their impacts on administrative performance and service delivery.
Design/methodology/approach
The scope of the paper is limited to the period of 1981 till the present date. The paper is mainly based on secondary sources of information, and it uses a combination of descriptive and analytical methods.
Findings
The paper shows that although reforms are steps in the right direction, their impacts so far have been modest. Despite reforms and a few improvements they have made in service provisions, the public bureaucracy in Malaysia continues to suffer from inefficiency, corruption and a host of other problems.
Originality/value
The paper shows the gap between rhetoric and reality of public management reforms in Malaysia. It is expected to be of great value to all those interested in public management – be they in academia or in policy circles.
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The paper seeks to provide an overview of the service delivery innovations and reforms introduced in Malaysia's public sector and examine and analyse their overall impacts on…
Abstract
Purpose
The paper seeks to provide an overview of the service delivery innovations and reforms introduced in Malaysia's public sector and examine and analyse their overall impacts on governance.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper has adopted a combination of descriptive and analytical methods and is primarily based on secondary sources of data and information. While it provides a systematic review of general literature on service delivery innovations and those on Malaysia, the paper draws its conclusions on the basis of triangulation and careful analysis of data available in various local and international sources.
Findings
Although lately Malaysia's service delivery system has witnessed a comprehensive set of innovative changes, public governance of the country continues to suffer from poor records and unfavourable ratings. Innovations and reforms introduced have so far produced generally positive but limited impacts. The paper demonstrates a number of key areas where the impacts of reforms have been clearly unsatisfactory.
Research limitations/implications
The findings of the paper are not based on a comprehensive and rigorous empirical work and, therefore, can only be interpreted as indicative of the overall situation.
Practical implications
The issues and challenges identified in the paper and the policy implications proposed should aid the formulation of strategies and measures for further improving service delivery and governance in Malaysia and other similar contexts.
Originality/value
The paper adds to the limited literature in public governance and service delivery in Malaysia. The findings of the paper are of practical significance to all those interested in this area – especially the policy makers and practitioners in Malaysia's public service.
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The purpose of this paper is to explore how organizational actors interpret and enact technology in cross-boundary work contexts during e-government implementation in a public…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore how organizational actors interpret and enact technology in cross-boundary work contexts during e-government implementation in a public organization in East Malaysia.
Design/methodology/approach
Case study methodology involving semi-structured interviews, unobtrusive observations, and archival records was utilized in the study. Interview subjects include management staff, general employees, and information technology (IT) specialists to provide rich descriptions of their work practice.
Findings
Three distinct contexts contribute to cross-boundary work practice in relation to IT use and non-use, namely, standardization (complete IT use), hybridization (partial IT use), and conventionalization (zero IT use). Technology enactment strategies such as acceptance, avoidance, adaptation, and configuration are employed depending on actors’ interpretation of technology complexity and task interdependency.
Practical implications
Early interventions could involve examining how and why employees accept or avoid technology as part of their work practice and how they switch between enactment strategies. Organizations could ensure better team support to capitalize on the robust social interaction in cross-boundary work contexts to develop greater synergy in technology improvisations.
Originality/value
The study extends the technology enactment perspective as it offers new meanings to structures of action by understanding the temporal agentic orientations and how these are constructed by cross-boundary work contexts. It also offers insight into how enactment strategies are developed according to the productive tensions that arise from the interplay of cognitive orientations.
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Roland K. Yeo and Michael J. Marquardt
The purpose of this paper is to explore the influence of technology on organizational change during an electronic government implementation in a public organization in East…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore the influence of technology on organizational change during an electronic government implementation in a public organization in East Malaysia. It also examines the interpretation and enactment of technology as affecting organizational performance.
Design/methodology/approach
The research utilized a case study approach involving semi-structured interviewing with 18 employees representing department heads, middle managers, and technical officers. The data were triangulated by unobtrusive observations of meetings and work processes as well as archival records.
Findings
Technology could either constrain or enable change based on the interplay of intended and unintended use. The way actors interpret the role of technology during change also affects their enactment of technology, leading to both innovation and disruption in work practices. In turn, their enactment patterns shape organizational structure, strategy, and performance.
Research limitations/implications
The paper contributes to the organizational change literature by exploring how individual-level change has led to organizational outcomes as a result of technology. It extends the technology enactment and sociomateriality literature by considering technology use as an organizing process to facilitate change in order to understand the interplay of the social and material aspect of technology.
Practical implications
Employees should be made aware of and accountable for the consequences of unintended use or avoidance of technology in order to enable positive change. Collective sensemaking of technology-induced change should be encouraged to transform work practices so as to shape organizational structure, strategy, and performance.
Originality/value
Unlike similar research, this study extends the structuration perspective of technology in work organizations by exploring how technology enables and constrains organizational change through intended and unintended use. It further illuminates the power of human agency to innovate and organize structures of action that modify social relations and organizational strategy influencing organizational performance.
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Abdul Karim Khan, Maria Khalid, Nida Abbas and Shehryar Khalid
This study aims to examine the impact of COVID-19-related job insecurity on two types of employees’ behaviors: family undermining and withdrawal. This study also proposes…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to examine the impact of COVID-19-related job insecurity on two types of employees’ behaviors: family undermining and withdrawal. This study also proposes emotional exhaustion as a mediator and symmetrical internal communication as a moderator in the relationship between COVID-19-related job insecurity and employees’ behaviors.
Design/methodology/approach
Using a time-lagged design, data were gathered from 193 employees working in Pakistan’s hospitality sector. Structural equation modeling in AMOS and PROCESS Macro were used to test the hypotheses.
Findings
The results show that COVID-19-related job insecurity is positively related to family undermining and withdrawal behaviors, and these associations are mediated by emotional exhaustion. Furthermore, symmetrical internal communication weakens the positive influence of COVID-19-related job insecurity on emotional exhaustion. Additionally, the indirect impact of COVID-19-related job insecurity on employees’ behavioral outcomes via emotional exhaustion is stronger for employees with low symmetrical internal communication than for those with high levels of symmetrical internal communication.
Practical implications
Hospitality management needs to focus on transparent and horizontal communication patterns to reduce the ensuing negative behaviors from COVID-19-related job insecurity.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to examine the impact of COVID-19-related job insecurity on two types of employees’ behaviors: family undermining and withdrawal. This study also offers new insights via mediating mechanisms and moderators associated with the relationship between COVID-19-related job insecurity and employees’ behavioral reactions.