scholarly journals The extensification of managerial work in the digital age: Middle managers, spatio-temporal boundaries and control

2021 ◽  
pp. 001872672110031
Author(s):  
John Hassard ◽  
Jonathan Morris
Keyword(s):  
Psychological Health ◽  
Middle Managers ◽  
Temporal Change ◽  
Digital Age ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Process Reengineering ◽  
Two Phase ◽  
Managerial Work ◽  
Spatio Temporal ◽  
And Control

How has the experience of managerial work changed in the digital age? This two-phase (2002–2006, 2015–2019) study addresses this question by examining how middle managers perceive the spatio-temporal boundaries of their work to have shifted. Typically, such managers report change occurring in two directions: (i) the contractual employment boundary becoming stretched as hours completed inside the workplace increase; and (ii) this boundary becoming breached as managers conduct additional work voluntarily from locations outside corporate premises. Although such trends can be explained deterministically – the former stemming from corporate acceptance of consultancy-influenced organizational prescriptions (business process reengineering, lean management, agile management etc.), and the latter from widespread adoption of digital communication innovations (BlackBerry, email, WhatsApp etc.) – we argue that to achieve a more rounded appreciation of such work ‘extensification’ attention must also be paid to agentic forces of strategic and political choice. Developing this argument, and acknowledging paradox when theorizing spatio-temporal change, we suggest future research on managerial employment must entail documenting not only factors influencing the stretching and breaching of work boundaries, but also – given incipient political regulations and innovative surveillance technologies – others serving to strengthen and protect them, notably those directed at improving work–life balance and physical/psychological health.

scholarly journals Trust motivation: The self-regulatory processes underlying trust decisions

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (2-3) ◽  
pp. 99-123 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisa van der Werff ◽  
Alison Legood ◽  
Finian Buckley ◽  
Antoinette Weibel ◽  
David de Cremer
Keyword(s):  
Goal Setting ◽  
Feedback Loop ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Two Phase ◽  
Cognitive Trust ◽  
Regulatory Processes ◽  
Dynamic View ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
And Behavior ◽  
And Control

Theorizing about trust has focused predominantly on cognitive trust cues such as trustworthiness, portraying the trustor as a relatively passive observer reacting to the attributes of the other party. Using self-determination and control theories of motivation, we propose a model of trust motivation that explores the intraindividual processes involved in the volitional aspects of trust decision-making implied by the definition of trust as a willingness to be vulnerable. We distinguish between intrinsic and extrinsic drivers of trust and propose a two-phase model of trust goal setting and trust regulation. Our model offers a dynamic view of the trusting process and a framework for understanding how trust cognition, affect and behavior interact over time. Furthermore, we discuss how trust goals may be altered or abandoned via a feedback loop during the trust regulation process. We conclude with a discussion of potential implications for existing theory and future research.

scholarly journals The changing nature of managerial work: The effects of corporate restructuring on management jobs and careers

2019 ◽  
Vol 72 (3) ◽  
pp. 473-504 ◽  
Author(s):  
William M Foster ◽  
John S Hassard ◽  
Jonathan Morris ◽  
Julie Wolfram Cox
Keyword(s):  
Job Insecurity ◽  
Corporate Restructuring ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Organizational Restructuring ◽  
Managerial Work ◽  
Work Strategies ◽  
Everyday Work ◽  
And Control ◽  
Career Uncertainty

This article analyses contemporary issues relevant to understanding the changing nature of management and managerial work. The argument is developed in four parts. First, to provide context, we offer an overview of the literature on the organization and control of managerial work, tracing contributions mainly from the early 1950s onwards. Second, we discuss the first of two related concerns relevant to understanding the contemporary nature of managerial work – strategies of organizational restructuring: an analysis highlighting the role of downsizing and delayering within corporate campaigns promoting ‘post-bureaucratic’ systems. Third, we extend this discussion by addressing how such corporate restructuring affects managers in their everyday work – notably in relation to the perceptions and realities of growing job insecurity and career uncertainty: an analysis that frequently draws upon our own investigations to establish an agenda for future research. The article concludes by summarizing the content of four research articles whose arguments relate to issues discussed in this analysis of managerial work.

scholarly journals A Holistic Overview of Anticipatory Learning for the Internet of Moving Things: Research Challenges and Opportunities

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 272
Author(s):  
Hung Cao ◽  
Monica Wachowicz
Keyword(s):  
Feedback Loop ◽  
Smart Cities ◽  
Geographical Area ◽  
Future Research ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities ◽  
Spatio Temporal ◽  
Anticipatory Action ◽  
And Control ◽  
Near Future

The proliferation of Internet of Things (IoT) systems has received much attention from the research community, and it has brought many innovations to smart cities, particularly through the Internet of Moving Things (IoMT). The dynamic geographic distribution of IoMT devices enables the devices to sense themselves and their surroundings on multiple spatio-temporal scales, interact with each other across a vast geographical area, and perform automated analytical tasks everywhere and anytime. Currently, most of the geospatial applications of IoMT systems are developed for abnormal detection and control monitoring. However, it is expected that, in the near future, optimization and prediction tasks will have a larger impact on the way citizens interact with smart cities. This paper examines the state of the art of IoMT systems and discusses their crucial role in supporting anticipatory learning. The maximum potential of IoMT systems in future smart cities can be fully exploited in terms of proactive decision making and decision delivery via an anticipatory action/feedback loop. We also examine the challenges and opportunities of anticipatory learning for IoMT systems in contrast to GIS. The holistic overview provided in this paper highlights the guidelines and directions for future research on this emerging topic.

scholarly journals Back through the back door? On removing supervisors to reduce hierarchy

2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 473-491
Author(s):  
Jonas A. Ingvaldsen ◽  
Jos Benders
Keyword(s):  
Middle Managers ◽  
Classical Problem ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Organizational Changes ◽  
Managerial Control ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Back Door ◽  
And Control

PurposeThis article addresses why movements towards less-hierarchical organizing may be unsustainable within organizations.Design/methodology/approachEschewing hierarchy may prove sustainable if alternative forms of management are acceptable to both employees and managers accountable for those employees’ performance. Developing alternatives means dealing with the fundamentally contradictory functions of coordination and control. Through a qualitative case study of a manufacturing company that removed first-line supervisors, this article analyses how issues of control and coordination were dealt with formally and informally.FindingsRemoval of the formal supervisor was followed by workers’ and middle managers’ efforts to informally reconstruct hierarchical supervision. Their efforts to deal pragmatically with control and coordination were frustrated by formal prescriptions for less hierarchy, leading to contested outcomes. The article identifies upward and downward pressures for the hierarchy’s reconstruction, undermining the sustainability of less-hierarchical organizing.Research limitations/implicationsThis study is limited by the use of cross-sectional data and employees’ retrospective narratives. Future research on the sustainability of less-hierarchical organizing should preferably be longitudinal to overcome these limitations.Practical implicationsUnless organizational changes towards less hierarchy engage with issues of managerial control and upward accountability, they are likely to induce pressures for hierarchy’s reconstruction.Originality/valueThe article offers an original approach to the classical problem of eschewing hierarchy in organizations. The approach allows us to explore the interrelated challenges facing such restructuring, some of which are currently unacknowledged or underestimated within the literature.

scholarly journals Internet of Bio-Nano Things: A review of applications, enabling technologies and key challenges

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 1-24
Author(s):  
Murat Kuscu ◽  
Bige Deniz Unluturk
Keyword(s):  
State Of The Art ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Comprehensive Overview ◽  
Research Directions ◽  
Future Research Directions ◽  
Harvesting Techniques ◽  
Spatio Temporal ◽  
Main Components ◽  
Novel Applications ◽  
And Control

Internet of Bio-Nano Things (IoBNT) is envisioned to be a heterogeneous network of nanoscale and biological devices, so called Bio-Nano Things (BNTs), communicating via non-conventional means, e.g., molecular communications (MC), in non-conventional environments, e.g., inside human body. The main objective of this emerging networking framework is to enable direct and seamless interaction with biological systems for accurate sensing and control of their dynamics in real time. This close interaction between bio and cyber domains with unprecedentedly high spatio-temporal resolution is expected to open up vast opportunities to devise novel applications, especially in healthcare area, such as intrabody continuous health monitoring. There are, however, substantial challenges to be overcome if the enormous potential of the IoBNT is to be realized. These range from developing feasible nanocommunication and energy harvesting techniques for BNTs to handling the big data generated by IoBNT. In this survey, we attempt to provide a comprehensive overview of the IoBNT framework along with its main components and applications. An investigation of key technological challenges is presented together with a detailed review of the state-of-the-art approaches and a discussion of future research directions.

scholarly journals Beyond being present: learning-oriented leadership in the daily work of middle managers

2015 ◽  
Vol 27 (6) ◽  
pp. 408-425 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marianne Döös ◽  
Peter Johansson ◽  
Lena Wilhelmson
Keyword(s):  
Middle Managers ◽  
Organisational Change ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Analysis Model ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Managerial Work ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Daily Work ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Learning Conditions

Purpose – This paper aims to contribute to the understanding of learning-oriented leadership as being integrated in managers’ daily work. The particular focus is on managers’ efforts to change how work is carried out through indirect acts of influence. In their daily work, managers influence the organisation’s learning conditions in ways that go beyond face-to-face interaction. Neither the influencer nor those influenced are necessarily aware that they are engaged in learning processes. Design/methodology/approach – The research was part of a larger case study. The data set comprised interviews with nine middle managers about ways of working during a period of organisational change. A learning-theoretical analysis model was used to categorise managerial acts of influence. The key concept concerned pedagogic interventions. Findings – Two qualitatively different routes for indirect influence were identified concerning social and organisational structures: one aligning, that narrows organisational members’ discretion, and one freeing, that widens discretion. Alignment is built on fixed views of objectives and on control of their interpretation. The freeing of structures is built on confidence in emerging competence and involvement of others. Research limitations/implications – The study was limited to managers’ descriptions in a specific context. An issue for future research is to see whether the identified categories of learning-oriented leadership are found in other organisations. Practical implications – The learning-oriented leadership categories cover a repertoire of acts of influence that create different learning conditions. These may be significant for the creation of a learning-conducive environment. Originality/value – Managerial work that creates conducive conditions for learning does not need to be a specific task. Learning-oriented elements are inherent in aspects of managerial work, and managers’ daily tasks can be understood as expressions of different kinds of pedagogic intervention.

From Container to Claustrum: Projective Identification in Couples

2014 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tamara Feldman
Keyword(s):  
Psychological Health ◽  
Projective Identification ◽  
The Self ◽  
The Other ◽  
Intimate Partners ◽  
And Control ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
As If

This paper is a contribution to the growing literature on the role of projective identification in understanding couples' dynamics. Projective identification as a defence is well suited to couples, as intimate partners provide an ideal location to deposit unwanted parts of the self. This paper illustrates how projective identification functions differently depending on the psychological health of the couple. It elucidates how healthier couples use projective identification more as a form of communication, whereas disturbed couples are inclined to employ it to invade and control the other, as captured by Meltzer's concept of "intrusive identification". These different uses of projective identification affect couples' capacities to provide what Bion called "containment". In disturbed couples, partners serve as what Meltzer termed "claustrums" whereby projections are not contained, but imprisoned or entombed in the other. Applying the concept of claustrum helps illuminate common feelings these couples express, such as feeling suffocated, stifled, trapped, held hostage, or feeling as if the relationship is killing them. Finally, this paper presents treatment challenges in working with more disturbed couples.

Aviation and the Microbiome

2020 ◽  
Vol 91 (8) ◽  
pp. 651-661
Author(s):  
Joshua T. Davis ◽  
Hilary A. Uyhelji
Keyword(s):  
Psychological Health ◽  
Aviation Safety ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Unintended Consequences ◽  
Microbial Colonization ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Aerospace Medicine ◽  
Medical Certification ◽  
Physical Disorders ◽  
The Impact

INTRODUCTION: Although the impact of microorganisms on their hosts has been investigated for decades, recent technological advances have permitted high-throughput studies of the collective microbial genomes colonizing a host or habitat, also known as the microbiome. This literature review presents an overview of microbiome research, with an emphasis on topics that have the potential for future applications to aviation safety. In humans, research is beginning to suggest relationships of the microbiome with physical disorders, including type 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disease, and respiratory disease. The microbiome also has been associated with psychological health, including depression, anxiety, and the social complications that arise in autism spectrum disorders. Pharmaceuticals can alter microbiome diversity, and may lead to unintended consequences both short and long-term. As research strengthens understanding of the connections between the microbiota and human health, several potential applications for aerospace medicine and aviation safety emerge. For example, information derived from tests of the microbiota has potential future relevance for medical certification of pilots, accident investigation, and evaluation of fitness for duty in aerospace operations. Moreover, air travel may impact the microbiome of passengers and crew, including potential impacts on the spread of disease nationally and internationally. Construction, maintenance, and cleaning regimens that consider the potential for microbial colonization in airports and cabin environments may promote the health of travelers. Altogether, the mounting knowledge of microbiome effects on health presents several opportunities for future research into how and whether microbiome-based insights could be used to improve aviation safety.Davis JT, Uyhelji HA. Aviation and the microbiome. Aerosp Med Hum Perform. 2020; 91(8):651–661.

A Novel Two-phase Soft Starter Used for Three-phase Asynchronous Motors

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (8) ◽  
pp. 1175-1182
Author(s):  
Jingwen Chen ◽  
Hongshe Dang
Keyword(s):  
Pulse Generation ◽  
Power Module ◽  
Two Phase ◽  
Power Semiconductor ◽  
Starting Current ◽  
Semiconductor Switches ◽  
Soft Starter ◽  
Three Phase ◽  
And Control ◽  
Driving Circuit

Background: Traditional thyristor-based three-phase soft starters of induction motor often suffer from high starting current and heavy harmonics. Moreover, both the trigger pulse generation and driving circuit design are usually complicated. Methods: To address these issues, we propose a novel soft starter structure using fully controlled IGBTs in this paper. Compared to approaches of traditional design, this structure only uses twophase as the input, and each phase is controlled by a power module that is composed of one IGBT and four diodes. Results: Consequently, both driving circuit and control design are greatly simplified due to the requirement of fewer controlled power semiconductor switches, which leads to the reduction of the total cost. Conclusion: Both Matlab/Simulink simulation results and experimental results on a prototype demonstrate that the proposed soft starter can achieve better performances than traditional thyristorbased soft starters for Starting Current (RMS) and harmonics.

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