Aligning Business and Knowledge Strategies

2010 ◽  
pp. 277-308 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lars Taxén
Keyword(s):  
Intermediate Level ◽  
Organizational Level ◽  
Canonical Structure ◽  
Common Framework ◽  
Practical Guidelines ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Knowledge Strategies ◽  
Activity Domain

The alignment of business and knowledge strategies necessarily includes the individual and the organizational perspectives. A major problem in this context is to reconcile these perspectives into a common framework for alignment. To this end, an intermediate level is introduced–the activity domain. The activity domain is a canonical structure comprising all kinds of organizational units, irrespective of size and organizational level. The organization is regarded as a constellation of activity domains, each having a capability to produce an outcome that the organization needs in order to fulfill its goals. Alignment is defined as the management of dependencies between capabilities such that these capabilities fit the business’s strategic intents. As a consequence, business and knowledge strategies can be linked to the same target–the activity domain. Practical guidelines and alignment targets for these strategies are suggested.

A Culture of Organizational Grit From the Perspective of U.S. Military Officers: A Qualitative Inquiry

2021 ◽  
pp. 0095327X2098519
Author(s):  
Celeste Raver Luning ◽  
Prince A. Attoh ◽  
Tao Gong ◽  
James T. Fox
Keyword(s):  
Research Question ◽  
Qualitative Inquiry ◽  
Growth Mindset ◽  
Organizational Level ◽  
Military Officers ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Qualitative Research Design ◽  
Professional Pride ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Military

With the backdrop of the utility of grit at the individual level, speculation has begun to circulate that grit may exist as an organizational level phenomenon. To explore this potential construct, this study used an exploratory, qualitative research design. This study explored grit at the organizational level by interviewing leaders’ perceptions of what may be a culture of organizational grit. Participants included 14 U.S. military officers. Seven themes emerged relative to the research question: “What do U.S. military officers perceive as a culture of organizational grit?” Themes included professional pride, team unity, resilience-determination, mission accomplishment, core values, growth mindset, and deliberate practice. This study indicated that a culture of organizational grit is likely a combination of converging organizational elements. Overall, findings indicate that there may be a culture of organizational grit in the military and at the least, more research examining the concept is warranted.

Abiding by the Law? Using Benford’s Law to Examine the Accuracy of Nonprofit Financial Reports

2019 ◽  
Vol 49 (3) ◽  
pp. 548-570 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heng Qu ◽  
Richard Steinberg ◽  
Ronelle Burger
Keyword(s):  
Statistical Methods ◽  
Organizational Level ◽  
Benford’S Law ◽  
Financial Reports ◽  
Forensic Accounting ◽  
Data Form ◽  
Benford's Law ◽  
Natural Data ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Academic Study

Benford’s Law asserts that the leading digit 1 appears more frequently than 9 in natural data. It has been widely used in forensic accounting and auditing to detect potential fraud, but its application to nonprofit data is limited. As the first academic study that applies Benford’s Law to U.S. nonprofit data (Form 990), we assess its usefulness in prioritizing suspicious filings for further investigation. We find close conformity with Benford’s Law for the whole sample, but at the individual organizational level, 34% of the organizations do not conform. Deviations from Benford’s law are smaller for organizations that are more professional, that report positive fundraising and administration expenses, and that face stronger funder oversight. We suggest improved statistical methods and experiment with a new measure of the extent of deviation from Benford’s Law that has promise as a more discriminating screening metric.

The Policy Capacity of Bureaucracy

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sharma Shubham ◽  
Lei Shi ◽  
Xun Wu
Keyword(s):  
21St Century ◽  
Policy Decision ◽  
Active Role ◽  
Organizational Level ◽  
Everyday Functioning ◽  
Global Issues ◽  
Policy Problem ◽  
Policy Capacity ◽  
The Individual

Bureaucracy is one of the oldest institutions of a government system. Its role and importance have grown immensely in modern government systems. Bureaucrats or public administrators are indispensable in the policy decision making process in the 21st century. From the early conception as a branch of government responsible for the implementation of policy decisions and everyday functioning, bureaucracy has assumed a more active role in the policymaking process. It has gone through many reforms; however, these reforms have been largely incremental and static. While the external environment or the problems faced by bureaucracy is continuously evolving, the change in bureaucracy has not been in the same proportion. In the 21st century, many issues confronting bureaucracy are not only wicked but also global in nature. Moreover, challenges posed by technological disruptions and long-term processes such as climate change put bureaucracy at all levels of a government in a far trickier position than their earlier envisaged basic functions. In dealing with such challenges, the policy capacity of bureaucracy cannot be taken for granted. There are often significant gaps in capacity to anticipate a policy problem, to ensure coordination and preserve legitimacy, to translate global issues at local levels, and to learn from the past. It is crucial to strengthen analytical capacity at the individual and organizational level, operational capacity at the organizational level, and political capacity at the systems level to address these gaps. Tackling capacity gaps systematically would enable bureaucracy to design and implement policy and administrative reforms with a long-term vision of adaptation and evolution instead of merely in reactive mode. The policy capacity framework presented in this article is useful in identifying the capacity gaps that inhibit bureaucracy from evolving and the remedies to address these gaps.

Packaging the Promise: Money, Messaging, and Misalignment

2021 ◽  
Vol 123 (6) ◽  
pp. 1-38
Author(s):  
Debbie H. Kim ◽  
Kelly Krupa Rifelj
Keyword(s):  
Public Schools ◽  
Theory Of Change ◽  
Organizational Level ◽  
School Staff ◽  
Full Potential ◽  
Financial Barriers ◽  
Structural Support ◽  
Exit Survey ◽  
Policy Tool ◽  
The Individual

Background Promise programs are a quickly spreading policy tool in the free college movement. Despite their rapid spread, promise programs remain generally untested and there is even less information about how they are implemented. Research Questions (1) In what ways were The Degree Project's (TDP) theory of change and intents represented in messaging materials to students and to school staff? 1(a) In what ways did these messages shape conditions (or not) for sensemaking? (2) In what ways did these messages support (or not) students and school staff in changing their practice? (2a) What changes in practice did we see (or not) for students and school staff? Intervention TDP, which was implemented in Milwaukee Public Schools between 2011–15, is the nation's first randomized control trial of a promise program. Freshmen in the treatment group were offered $12,000 for college if they met particular requirements (e.g., average 2.5 GPA, 90% attendance). TDP leaned heavily on marketing materials and personalized letters to students, families, and school staff to communicate its requirements and to provide college access tips. Research Design We analyze messaging materials, climate and exit survey data, and student and school staff interviews to understand how TDP's theory of change and intents were packaged into messaging materials and ultimately enacted among target students and staff. Findings TDP implementation was successful to a point. School staff handed out messaging materials; students understood the requirements and demonstrated an increase in motivation and desire to go to college. However, TDP failed to meet its goal of sending more students to college. Expectations for school staff (hand out flyers and speak to students) versus students were misaligned, contributing to a lack of substantive conversation and structures for students to convert their increased motivation to go to college into actionable practices over time. School staff were already stretched thin and, with no added structural support, were unable to interact more meaningfully with students. Conclusion TDP failed to send more students to college because it targeted change at the individual rather than organizational level. Students exhibited change in their motivation to attend college, but this was not met with the support needed to convert this motivation to meaningful action. To achieve their full potential, such programs will have to not only address financial barriers, but also leverage broader structural supports in schools to help channel increased student motivation in more productive directions.

Public service motivation and willingness to collaborate

2014 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 80-95 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heather Getha-Taylor ◽  
Alexa Haddock-Bigwarfe
Keyword(s):  
Homeland Security ◽  
Public Service ◽  
Public Service Motivation ◽  
The Body ◽  
Organizational Level ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Original Survey ◽  
The Individual

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine public service motivation (PSM) and the connection with collaborative attitudes among a sample of homeland security actors representing the public, private, and nonprofit sectors. Design/methodology/approach – This study examines relationships between measures of PSM and collaboration using original survey data and hierarchical multiple regression. Findings – Findings reveal strong positive relationships between PSM measures and attitudes toward collaboration at the individual and organizational level. Research limitations/implications – Survey results are cross-sectional and are from respondents participating in a single state's homeland security summit. Practical implications – It is expected that results can be used to enhance collaboration at the individual and organizational levels. At the organizational level, results can be used for matching individuals with collaborative opportunities. At the individual level, results can be used for enhanced self-reflection and effectiveness purposes. Originality/value – This study provides insights on the relationship between PSM measures and collaborative attitudes. The research contributes to the body of scholarly work connecting PSM and correlates of interest.

scholarly journals The Beacon Collaborative: A Journey to Excellence

2021 ◽  
Vol 41 (5) ◽  
pp. e17-e25
Author(s):  
Deborah Hurley ◽  
Sarah M. Gantz ◽  
E. Kate Valcin ◽  
Tara L. Sacco
Keyword(s):  
Critical Care ◽  
Care Delivery ◽  
Care Service ◽  
Stakeholder Involvement ◽  
Service Level ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Organizational Level ◽  
Unit Level ◽  
Individual Unit ◽  
The Individual

Topic The development of the Critical Care Beacon Collaborative to achieve meaningful recognition. Clinical Relevance Recognizing nurses for contributions to their work environment and care delivery is important for their professional and personal fulfillment, job satisfaction, and retention; such recognition can occur at the individual, unit, or organizational level. The American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Magnet Recognition Program acknowledges nursing excellence at the organizational level. It would, however, be difficult for an organization to achieve Magnet designation without nursing excellence at the unit level. To recognize excellence at the unit level, the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses developed the Beacon Award in 2003. Objective To describe one academic medical center’s journey toward winning Beacon Awards across 8 units within the adult critical care service. Content Covered The Critical Care Beacon Collaborative resulted in a Beacon Award for each unit and important staff outcomes. This article describes the organization, the process before the Critical Care Beacon Collaborative convened and the desired state, and the methods used to achieve our goal. It also discusses unit- and service-level stakeholder involvement. The successes, lessons learned, sustainability, and growth of the Critical Care Beacon Collaborative are shared to assist readers who aspire to pursue a Beacon Award.

scholarly journals Quality Improvement in Healthcare: Personality Type and Mindfulness as Determinants

2017 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 35-47
Author(s):  
Kim Peck ◽  
John Pelley
Keyword(s):  
Health Care Organizations ◽  
Healthcare Delivery ◽  
Personality Type ◽  
Organizational Level ◽  
Physician Patient Relationship ◽  
Individual Patient Level ◽  
Organizational Mindfulness ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Physician Patient

Background: The emphasis on “quality” in the design of a management system for an organization was originally introduced through the work of W. Edwards Deming [1] who initially developed his QI principles to help the Toyota Motor Company increase their sales by improving the quality of their product. However, he also saw that these ideas could be applied to management of other types of organizations, such as health care organizations. Review: When applied to a clinical practice, QI is implemented by evaluation of structured clinical and administrative data [2], producing a “mindfulness” about QI that gives attention to several key principles: (i) focusing on data, (ii) care of patients, (iii) team problem solving, and ( iv) healthcare delivery processes that are similar for both the organization and for individual physician-patient relationship. In all instances, the effectiveness of an entire QI program is compromised if any of these principles is missing or inadequate. Such a deficiency is avoided best through a functional knowledge of personality type that increases communication at all levels. This creates a critically important organizational mindfulness for more effective QI team function and also for a more effective physician-patient encounter. The result is increased quality of outcomes at the individual patient level as well as the organizational level. Conclusion: The trend toward inclusion of mindfulness in healthcare develops an improved awareness of how well procedures, medications, and advice are provided.

scholarly journals The Psychological Impact of COVID-19 on Healthcare Providers in Obstetrics: A Cross-Sectional Survey Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lidia Del Piccolo ◽  
Valeria Donisi ◽  
Ricciarda Raffaelli ◽  
Simone Garzon ◽  
Cinzia Perlini ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Psychological Distress ◽  
General Health Questionnaire ◽  
Healthcare Providers ◽  
Organizational Level ◽  
Survey Study ◽  
University Hospitals ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Gynecology And Obstetrics ◽  
The Individual

Objective: To assess the psychological distress of healthcare providers (HCPs) working in the field of obstetrics during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and to identify factors associated with psychological distress at the individual, interpersonal, and organizational level.Design: Cross-sectional survey study.Setting: Four University hospitals in Italy.Participants: HCPs working in obstetrics, including gynecologists, residents in gynecology and obstetrics, and midwives.Methods: The 104-item survey Impatto PSIcologico COVID-19 in Ostetricia (IPSICO) was created by a multidisciplinary expert panel and administered to HCPs in obstetrics in May 2020 via a web-based platform.Main Outcome Measures: Psychological distress assessed by the General Health Questionnaire-12 (GHQ-12) included in the IPSICO survey.Results: The response rate to the IPSICO survey was 88.2% (503/570), and that for GHQ-12 was 84.4% (481/570). Just over half (51.1%; 246/481) of the GHQ-12 respondents reported a clinically significant level of psychological distress (GHQ-12 ≥3). Psychological distress was associated with either individual (i.e., female gender, stressful experience related to COVID-19, exhaustion, and the use of dysfunctional coping strategies), interpersonal (i.e., lower family support, limitations in interactions with colleagues), and organizational (i.e., reduced perception of protection by personal protective equipment, perceived delays on updates and gaps in information on the pandemic) factors in dealing with the pandemic.Conclusions: Results confirm the need for monitoring and assessing the psychological distress for HCPs in obstetrics. Interventions at the individual, interpersonal, and organizational level may relieve the psychological distress during the COVID-19 pandemic and foster resilience skills in facing emotional distress.

The individual and organizational level effects of TQM practices on job satisfaction

2017 ◽  
Vol 38 (2) ◽  
pp. 215-225 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel I. Prajogo ◽  
Brian Cooper
Keyword(s):  
Job Satisfaction ◽  
Organizational Climate ◽  
Organizational Performance ◽  
Employee Attitudes ◽  
Organizational Level ◽  
Total Quality ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Multi Level ◽  
The Individual ◽  
A Company

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the multi-level relationship between people-related total quality management (TQM) practices and employee job satisfaction. The authors draw upon organizational climate theory to hypothesize that TQM is related to job satisfaction at the individual employee level, as well as at the organizational level in the form of shared perceptions of TQM practices in the workplace. Design/methodology/approach Multi-level modelling was used to test the study hypotheses. The sample was drawn from 201 employees working in 23 organizations in Australia. Findings The findings show that people-related TQM practices are positively related to job satisfaction at both individual and organizational levels, with a stronger effect on employee attitudes observed at the organizational level. Research limitations/implications The statistically significant multi-level relationship between people-related TQM practices and job satisfaction extends the findings of previous studies conducted only at the individual level; thus, supporting the sustainability of TQM as a management principle at a company-wide level. Practical implications The findings broadly support the implementation of people-related TQM practices as part of a strategy of creating a “high performance” climate in organizations, which in turn, will likely to positively affect both individual and organizational performance. Social implications From a wider social perspective, the implementation of TQM practices as a company-wide initiative could facilitate greater corporate social responsibility of the organization. Such practices as training, involving, and empowering employees can promote social commitment by valuing employees as one important stakeholder. Originality/value This is the first empirical study to the best of the author’s knowledge that uses multi-level modelling to examine the relationship between TQM practices and employee attitudes such as job satisfaction.

scholarly journals The Impact of Customer Contact on Collective Human Energy in Firms

2018 ◽  
Vol 44 (5) ◽  
pp. 915-952
Author(s):  
Petra Kipfelsberger ◽  
Heike Bruch ◽  
Dennis Herhausen
Keyword(s):  
Transformational Leadership ◽  
Organizational Level ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Customer Contact ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Moderated Mediation Model ◽  
Human Energy ◽  
The Individual ◽  
High Level ◽  
The Impact

This article investigates how and when a firm’s level of customer contact influences the collective organizational energy. For this purpose, we bridge the literature on collective human energy at work with the job impact framework and organizational sensemaking processes and argue that a firm’s level of customer contact is positively linked to the collective organizational energy because a high level of customer contact might make the experience of prosocial impact across the firm more likely. However, as prior research at the individual level has indicated that customers could also deplete employees’ energy, we introduce transformational leadership climate as a novel contingency factor for this linkage at the organizational level. We propose that a medium to high transformational leadership climate is necessary to derive positive meaning from customer contact, whereas firms with a low transformational leadership climate do not get energized by customer contact. We tested the proposed moderated mediation model with multilevel modeling and a multisource data set comprising 9,094 employees and 75 key informants in 75 firms. The results support our hypotheses and offer important theoretical contributions for research on collective human energy in organizations and its interplay with customers.

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