Nicholas Gilson, Jim McKenna, Anna Puig‐Ribera, Wendy Brown and Nicola Burton
Awareness of potential health impact and variations in key risk factors for chronic disease are important considerations in multi‐site, workplace physical activity interventions…
Abstract
Purpose
Awareness of potential health impact and variations in key risk factors for chronic disease are important considerations in multi‐site, workplace physical activity interventions. This study seeks to examine associations and site variations between workday step counts, sitting times, waist circumference and blood pressure in three universities.
Design/methodology/approach
Participants were white‐collar, university employees (172 women and 44 men; aged 41.0±10.3 years) from Barcelona, Spain (n=81), Brisbane, Australia (n=71) and Leeds, UK (n=64). Workday step counts and sitting times (five days) and waist circumference and blood pressure were assessed and compared against health‐related thresholds. Step counts were classified into tertiles and differences in sitting time, waist circumference and blood pressure were compared across tertiles using ANOVA, as were site variations in key variables.
Findings
Daily step counts were inversely associated with sitting times (p<0.05), women's waist circumference (p<0.05) and systolic (p<0.01) and diastolic (p<0.05) blood pressure. Activity rates – relative to the public health criterion of 10,000 daily steps – were lower in Brisbane (16 per cent) and Leeds (15 per cent), compared with Barcelona (47 per cent). Barcelona employees also sat less (p<0.001), had lower men's and women's waist circumference (p<0.01) and lower women's diastolic blood pressure (p<0.001).
Research limitations/implications
The small number of male participants precluded meaningful analyses for men.
Originality/value
The findings evidence the health benefits of workplace walking in the samples and highlight the need to account for variations in multi‐site, multi‐national interventions.
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Osvaldo Luiz Gonçalves Quelhas, Gilson Brito Alves Lima, Nicholas Van-Erven Ludolf, Marcelo Jasmim Meiriño, Chrystyane Abreu, Rosley Anholon, Julio Vieira Neto and Leandro Silva Goulart Rodrigues
This paper aims to deal with the skills for sustainable development in engineering courses. The main objective is to identify which competences should be developed in these…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to deal with the skills for sustainable development in engineering courses. The main objective is to identify which competences should be developed in these courses to contribute to the resolution of conflicts related to sustainability, as well as the means used by universities for their development.
Design/methodology/approach
The research is divided into two strands: a theoretical and an empirical one. Concerning the theoretical part, the webibliomining method was adopted, to select the articles that were relevant to the theme, and 22 works were selected. Regarding the empirical study, structured questionnaires were applied to 30 specialists in the field, aiming at validating the competencies found in the literature.
Findings
In the literature, eight main competencies required to the engineering professional, related to sustainability, were found. The empirical study showed that some competences are considered more relevant than others by the interviewees.
Practical implications
The competencies verified in the present study and the relative relevance between them found in the empirical study can contribute to the engineering courses that wish to develop the sustainable behavior of the engineers in their professional or daily life.
Originality/value
The originality of the work consists in presenting to engineering students and teachers as well as professionals of the market and the government the competencies that can contribute to the formation of an engineer capable of bringing adequate solutions to the conflicts of sustainability in the twenty-first century. This paper also presents learning teaching methodologies indicated for this purpose. No other works were found with these results.
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V. Arumugam, Maneesh Kumar, Manisha Kumar and Nicholas Rich
To investigate the factors affecting innovation in Six Sigma improvement teams. Based on Activation Theory, this study explores the possibility of an inverted U-shaped association…
Abstract
Purpose
To investigate the factors affecting innovation in Six Sigma improvement teams. Based on Activation Theory, this study explores the possibility of an inverted U-shaped association between psychological safety and innovation and examines how intrinsic motivation moderates this relationship.
Design/methodology/approach
Moderated regression analysis is carried out to test the curvilinear relationship, using data collected from 324 members of 102 Six Sigma improvement teams from two European manufacturing firms.
Findings
The findings demonstrate that the beneficial effect of psychological safety reaches an inflection point, after which its relations with innovation cease to be linear and positive; this gives the relationship a curvilinear pattern (inverted U-shaped). Further, intrinsic motivation has a supportive effect in enhancing the beneficial impact of psychological safety on innovation, and in shifting the inflection points to a higher level; this demonstrates their synergetic influence on innovation.
Originality/value
The impact of psychological safety on innovation is examined from the new perspective of a curvilinear relationship. This is one of the first studies to investigate the combined effects of individual (intrinsic motivation) and team-level antecedents (psychological safety) on innovation in Six Sigma teams. The study provides insights into how Six Sigma enhances innovation and offers some valid inputs to the current academic debate on this topic.
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M. Reza Hosseini, Petra Bosch-Sijtsema, Mehrdad Arashpour, Nicholas Chileshe and Christoph Merschbrock
The “virtuality” of a team collaborative interaction is the extent to which it is accomplished in the same place, in fully distributed virtual teams, or in a hybrid combination of…
Abstract
Purpose
The “virtuality” of a team collaborative interaction is the extent to which it is accomplished in the same place, in fully distributed virtual teams, or in a hybrid combination of the two. However, existence, strength and process of potential association between virtuality and effectiveness in construction project teams have remained elusive. This paper aims to address this gap in the literature.
Design/methodology/approach
In this study, a conceptual model demonstrating the association between virtuality and effectiveness of teams was developed through integrating the input-process-output (IPO) model and the “Big Five” theory. This conceptual model was contextualised for the construction industry drawing upon conducting 17 semi-structured interviews with hybrid team experts.
Findings
The findings provide the first model mapping the associations between virtuality and dimensions of team effectiveness for the construction context.
Practical implications
The discovered patterns of associations between virtuality and dimensions of effectiveness for hybrid construction project teams (HCPTs) will assist managers in designing and running more effective teams. In addition, the findings help construction practitioners better understand how virtuality influence the performance and satisfaction of team members in HCPTs. The present study concludes with outlining a set of recommendations based on the findings of the study.
Originality/value
As the first study in its kind, the present study offers a new insight into the concept and impacts of virtuality for construction teams and provides instructions and guidelines for designing and maintaining the effectiveness of such teams on construction projects.
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The aim of this publication is to list the catalogues of the Department of Manuscripts which are in regular use. Catalogues which have been superseded by later publications are…
Abstract
The aim of this publication is to list the catalogues of the Department of Manuscripts which are in regular use. Catalogues which have been superseded by later publications are not normally included, since whatever their historical or bibliographical interest they are no longer everyday working tools. To save space in cross‐reference, the catalogues, etc., here listed have been numbered serially in Clarendon type, thus: 31. This numeration has no other significance.
Sheng Wang, David B. Greenberger, Raymond A. Noe and Jinyan Fan
This chapter discusses how attachment theory, a theory that provides insight into the processes through which psychological and emotional bonds are developed in relationships, can…
Abstract
This chapter discusses how attachment theory, a theory that provides insight into the processes through which psychological and emotional bonds are developed in relationships, can be useful for understanding mentoring relationships. We develop a conceptual model emphasizing how attachment-related constructs and their relationships with mentors’ and protégés’ behaviors and emotions influence each phase of a mentoring relationship. Recognizing reciprocity in the mentoring process, the model also explains how the interpersonal dynamics of the mentor–protégé relationship influence the benefits gained by both partners. Propositions for future research on mentoring relationships are provided. We contend that examining mentoring through the lens of attachment theory can increase our understanding of the underlying factors or mechanisms that determine individuals’ involvement in mentoring relationships and differentiate successful from unsuccessful mentoring relationships. The research and practical implications are discussed.
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Nicholas Eng, Ruoyu Sun, Juan Meng and Marlene S. Neill
The purpose of this study is to examine the well-being initiatives and programs offered to full-time communication employees and identifies antecedents of employee subjective…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to examine the well-being initiatives and programs offered to full-time communication employees and identifies antecedents of employee subjective well-being and commitment in the workplace (e.g. organizational attention to mental health in the workplace and perceived organizational support, POS).
Design/methodology/approach
Guided by organizational support theory (OST), we conducted an online survey with 262 full-time communication professionals.
Findings
The data show that a variety of well-being initiatives and programs (e.g. mental health assistance programs and flexible working hours) are offered to communication employees, who receive this information from various sources (e.g. emails and announcements at employee meetings). Additionally, the number of well-being initiatives also positively predicted organizational attitudes and attention to mental health in the workplace. Supporting OST, attitudes and attention to mental health in the workplace positively predicted POS, which subsequently predicted subjective well-being and organizational commitment.
Research limitations/implications
The study offers practical implications around the communication professionals’ experience in employee well-being and culture. Perspectives from internal communication teams will help organizations leverage their efficiency in creating a supportive work culture around mental well-being and contribute to the understanding of well-being in communication industries. Theoretically, we extended the range of OST, by testing the theory in a new context of communication professionals during the pandemic.
Originality/value
Although communication professionals carry a critical internal communication role in actively promoting employee mental health, well-being and healthy organizational cultures, very little research has been dedicated to investigating how they handle these subjects themselves. Therefore, this study provides original value by focusing on the perceptions, knowledge and action taken by communication professionals when responding to organizations’ well-being programs/initiatives offerings during the peak of COVID-19 and the factors that influence communication professionals’ subjective well-being.