Ronald I. Powell and Alex G. Copping
This research was founded on the premise that more can be done to help improve safety in the global construction industry. Worker fatigue-impairment may be an underlying cause or…
Abstract
Purpose
This research was founded on the premise that more can be done to help improve safety in the global construction industry. Worker fatigue-impairment may be an underlying cause or major contributor to accidents. Fatigue-impairment is believed to be pervasive in construction, and research has shown it can be as concerning as alcohol-impairment. When fatigue-impairment is acknowledged as existing, there is poor understanding of its severity or how it contributes to performance and accidents. The purpose of this research was to attempt to measure fatigue-impairment in real time.
Design/methodology/approach
This research expanded on actual measurements of fatigue-related impairment from workers on a large construction project displaying significant fatigue-related impairment. The research identified and tested possible techniques for real-time measurement solutions to assist with this safety-related issue. 100 participants had their sleep/wake cycles monitored for a month with an actigraph to derive their on-going mental effectiveness levels by the minute. The same participants took cognitive tests over the month to compare mental performance results to the modelled mental effectiveness levels.
Findings
Performance results from cognitive tests were compared with modelled mental effectiveness from actigraph-monitored sleep of 100 participants for a month each and showed significant correlation for all cognitive tests used.
Practical implications
This research showed that real-time surrogate measurements for fatigue-impairment in the workplace exist to assist organizations manage an important workplace hazard.
Originality/value
Derived from operational settings, this research developed predictive models based on simple, quick and inexpensive cognitive tests as screening techniques for workplace impairment and confirmed the need for and found a solution for fatigue monitoring in the workplace.
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Sarah L. Deck, Martine B. Powell, Sonja P. Brubacher, Helen M. Paterson and Ronald P. Fisher
When an event unfolds in a similar way on multiple occasions, investigators often need information about specific episodes. This study aims to gain new insights into strategies…
Abstract
Purpose
When an event unfolds in a similar way on multiple occasions, investigators often need information about specific episodes. This study aims to gain new insights into strategies for eliciting episodic details about a repeated event by exploring the perspectives and approaches of experienced professionals sampled across a diverse range of fields.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors sampled 16 professionals from various fields, including medicine, law and other groups (e.g., airline investigator), who were highly experienced in their roles and who regularly interview people about repeated events. The professionals were asked about their approach to eliciting episodic details, and their responses were subjected to thematic qualitative analysis.
Findings
The professionals’ approach was broadly consistent with evidence-based recommendations; however, some promising avenues for further research exploration emerged – particularly the use of external evidence as retrieval cues and mental context reinstatement.
Originality/value
This research uses a relatively novel methodological approach by sampling professionals with extensive experience across diverse professional fields. The findings highlight the widespread applicability of repeated-event research and the need to broaden the current research scope to enhance its relevance and impact in the field.
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LOOKING BACKWARDS IN 1986 That this editorial is almost wholly serious must not be taken as heralding a change in the editorial tone of voice for 1986. Normal demotic style will…
Timothy R. Hannigan and Guillermo Casasnovas
Field emergence poses an intriguing problem for institutional theorists. New issue fields often arise at the intersection of different sectors, amidst extant structures of…
Abstract
Field emergence poses an intriguing problem for institutional theorists. New issue fields often arise at the intersection of different sectors, amidst extant structures of meanings and actors. Such nascent fields are fragmented and lack clear guides for action; making it unclear how they ever coalesce. The authors propose that provisional social structures provide actors with macrosocial presuppositions that shape ongoing field-configuration; bootstrapping the field. The authors explore this empirically in the context of social impact investing in the UK, 2000–2013, a period in which this field moved from clear fragmentation to relative alignment. The authors combine different computational text analysis methods, and data from an extensive field-level study, to uncover meaningful patterns of interaction and structuration. Our results show that across various periods, different types of actors were linked together in discourse through “actor–meaning couplets.” These emergent couplings of actors and meanings provided actors with social cues, or macrofoundations, which guided their local activities. The authors thus theorize a recursive, co-constitutive process: as punctuated moments of interaction generate provisional structures of actor–meaning couplets, which then cue actors as they navigate and constitute the emerging field. Our model re-energizes the core tenets of new structuralism and contributes to current debates about institutional emergence and change.
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Johnna Capitano, Kristie L. McAlpine and Jeffrey H. Greenhaus
A core concept of work–home interface research is boundary permeability – the frequency with which elements from one domain cross, or permeate, the boundary of another domain…
Abstract
A core concept of work–home interface research is boundary permeability – the frequency with which elements from one domain cross, or permeate, the boundary of another domain. Yet, there remains ambiguity as to what these elements are and how these permeations impact important outcomes such as role satisfaction and role performance. The authors introduce a multidimensional perspective of work–home boundary permeability, identifying five forms of boundary permeation: task, psychological, role referencing, object, and people. Furthermore, based on the notion that employee control over boundary permeability behavior is the key to achieving role satisfaction and role performance, the authors examine how organizations’ HR practices, leadership, and norms impact employee control over boundary permeability in the work and home domains. The authors conclude with an agenda for future research.
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Ronald H. Humphrey, Chao Miao and Anthony Silard
After summarizing what has been learned so far, the purpose of this review is to suggest several promising avenues for future research on work-to-family enrichment (WFE) and…
Abstract
Purpose
After summarizing what has been learned so far, the purpose of this review is to suggest several promising avenues for future research on work-to-family enrichment (WFE) and family-to-work enrichment (FWE).
Approach
This is a literature review. After reviewing the existing research and searching for gaps in the literature, new areas of research will be proposed to fill these gaps.
Findings
While much has been learned about the antecedents and consequences of work–family enrichment in both directions, WFE and FWE, much remains to be learned.
Research Implications
Three important outcomes – job performance, organizational citizenship behavior, and counterproductive work behavior – need to be studied regarding WFE and FWE. Although supervisor support has been studied, the field needs to incorporate leadership theories and models to understand this phenomenon. Additional predictors of work outcomes – including emotional intelligence, leadership, emotional labor, social support, gender, and cross-cultural variables – need to be examined. Experience sampling methods and advanced research methodologies should also be used.
Practical Implications
Although prior research has demonstrated the important effects of WFE and FWE, the practical effects on organizations in terms of job performance still need to be investigated.
Societal Implications
The literature review conclusively demonstrates that WFE and FWE are both related to job satisfaction and family satisfaction.
Originality
This is the first review to summarize the existing meta-analytical research in this area and to propose the particular avenues of research advocated in this article.
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Jiju Antony, Olivia McDermott, Michael Sony, Daryl Powell, Ronald Snee and Roger Wesley Hoerl
The paper aims to investigate the pros and cons of having a standard for lean six sigma developed in 2015. The study follows up on a previous study by Antony et al. (2021) in more…
Abstract
Purpose
The paper aims to investigate the pros and cons of having a standard for lean six sigma developed in 2015. The study follows up on a previous study by Antony et al. (2021) in more depth and aims to provide a more detailed investigation of various aspects of the standard.
Design/methodology/approach
A sequential mixed methodology was utilised by interviewing a panel of leading academics and practitioners familiar with lean six sigma followed by distributing a survey questionnaire to continuous improvement and operational excellence (OPEX) personnel.
Findings
The findings indicate that continuous improvement and OPEX professionals have conflicting views of International Standards Organisation (ISO) 18404. A majority of the participants of the qualitative study suggested, whilst supporting the requirement for a lean sigma standard, voiced concerns about the auditability of the standard and whether it is currently “fit for purpose” and proposed that it needs to be revised. Within the quantitative survey, 42% had never heard of the standard, and of the 58% who had heard of it, 90% had read it. Just 10% stated that they had or would apply the standard within their organisations. Just fewer than 50% felt that the standard was fit for purpose which suggests for further refinements of the standard in the future. Finally, 85% of respondents of the quantitative survey suggested for the revision of the standard whilst just 15% felt it should be removed.
Research limitations/implications
Other than a previous study by Antony et al. (2021), implementation of ISO 18404 in organisations and its benefits as well as empirical study looking into the impact of the standard on corporate performance in the literature were limited. An opportunity to review lessons learnt from a case study on the ISO 18404 standard implementation within an organisation would further enhance the research.
Originality/value
The paper provides a valuable resource for organisations to obtain insight into a standard in lean six sigma and whether to implement it or not. Furthermore, the results can form the basis of a case for the future revision of the standard by consolidating and strengthening the findings from the first study with more detailed quantitative and qualitative study.
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E. Powell Robinson and Ronald K. Satterfield
The interaction between customer service policy,as defined by the in‐transit delivery lead time component of the order cycle and the design of least cost distribution systems is…
Abstract
The interaction between customer service policy, as defined by the in‐transit delivery lead time component of the order cycle and the design of least cost distribution systems is examined. A broader view of the distribution system design problem than previously taken in the literature is given and both the firm′s network strategy (number and location of facilities) and transportation strategy (mode/method of shipment) into the planning process are incorporated. Procedures for incorporating customer service policy into the distribution system design process are discussed; the effect of alternate customer service definitions on the least cost distribution system design are evaluated; and new mathematical procedures that integrate customer service policy, network strategy and transportation strategy into a comprehensive planning model are provided. Example problems in the text illustrate the potential benefit of accepting premium transportation costs in return for reduced facility proximity to customers.