Categorizing transaction costs outcomes under uncertainty: a blockchain perspective for government organizations

Purpose In response, the purpose of this paper is to provide theoretical frameworks about the organizational uncertainty behind what and when to adopt blockchain technology and their implications on transaction costs. The immature nature and the absence of standards in blockchain technology lead to uncertainty in government organizations concerning the adoption (“what to adopt”) and the identification of the right time (“when to start”). Design/methodology/approach Using transaction cost theory and path dependency theory, this paper proposes two frameworks: to assess transaction cost risks and opportunities costs; and to depict four different types of transaction costs outcomes regarding blockchain adoption. Findings This paper identifies various theoretical concepts that influence blockchain adoption and combine the two critical constructs of “bounded rationality” and the “lock-in effect” to categorize the multiple transaction costs outcomes for blockchain adoption. Research limitations/implications Although existing research in blockchain highlights mainly the potential benefits of blockchain applications, only a little attention has been given to frameworks that categorize potential transaction costs outcomes under uncertainty, in particular from organizational theorists. Originality/value Both frameworks advance the understanding of the decision-making behind blockchain adoption and synthesize the current literature to offer conceptual clarity regarding the varied implications and outcomes linked to the uncertainty regarding transactions costs stemming from blockchain technology.

Peran Kepemimpinan Pendidikan Islam dalam Manajemen Perubahan Pada Lingkungan Organisasi Islam Indonesia

The era of disruption has an impact on the stability of educational organizations. This study aims to discuss the change management model of Islamic education institutions. The form of adaptation to global developments is to make changes at the system and governance level. This type of research is qualitative with library methods. The data is taken from research results and reference book sources that are relevant to the conception of organizational change, organizational life cycle, innovation change and organizational effectiveness. The results show the strategy of Islamic education institutions in managing change. Change occurs through three stages, the system pioneer stage, the stability stage and the competition stage. The study also found a conceptual model that was specifically described in the form of an Islamic education organizational change model, the concept of the organizational environment, the synthesis of organizational uncertainty, the concept of organizational change and change management, and the typology of Islamic organizational change.

Uncertainty profiles in engineering-service development: exploring supplier co-creation

PurposeEngineering service (ES) development, particularly with supplier co-creation, is nontrivial, and the literature has acknowledged the high relevance of uncertainty in this context. This study aims to investigate the relationship between different supplier co-creation modes (operationally independent [OI] and operationally dependent [OD]) and uncertainty criticality arising during ES development.Design/methodology/approachThis study develops a conceptual framework of five uncertainty types by synthesizing the relevant literature from service management and new product development. This framework guided the empirical work of two in-depth case studies, describing uncertainty criticality in OI and OD supplier co-creation.FindingsThe findings show that environmental and organizational uncertainty were generally of high criticality for ES development independently of the supplier co-creation mode. Moreover, uncertainty criticality varied between the two cases, with higher criticality of technical and relational uncertainty as well as less resource uncertainty experienced by the focal organization in the OD case. This suggests that supplier co-creation constitutes an uncertainty reallocation.Research limitations/implicationsFurther research is needed to test the generalizability of the qualitative results through quantitative studies.Originality/valueThis research contributes to the service management literature by showing the varying uncertainty profiles manufacturing organizations face when engaging in different supplier co-creation modes. Furthermore, this research provides novel insights on ES development to the broader discussion on ES management.

Motivation of women-officials in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia)

The article represents the results of study of motivation of the civil servants in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia). The goal was to identify the features of motivation of women-officials, considering specifics of their work activities. The survey was carried out in three stages from 2015 to 2018. At the first stage were interviewed 274 officials, at the second – 260, at the third – 130. It was found that although non-monetary motives have less significant for all republican officials, for women these motives retained their significance throughout the study period while for men in the terms of organizational uncertainty the significance of personal income has increased. As the leading attracting motive, women-employees indicated the possibility of personal self-realization (career progression and professional development), as the motive that hold them in public administration – the stability of employment and the opportunity to realize their managerial competencies. As the main demotivating factor they indicated the lack of career growth. After the reorganization, women-officials were demotivated more than men-officials, despite the fact that at the beginning of the study, their loyalty was higher. In our opinion, the reason for this is that the motivational measures in the republic were aimed mainly at increasing the salary that did not match the expectations of women-officials. So, further planning of motivational activities in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) should pay more attention to measures aimed at reducing the labor intensity and at realizing managerial competencies.

Factors Determining Work Arduousness Levels among Nurses: Using the Example of Surgical, Medical Treatment, and Emergency Wards

Introduction. Staff shortages among nurses have been severely felt in most countries around the world for many years. In Poland, this problem is particularly visible due to the lowest nursing employment rate per 1000 inhabitants among 28 EU states and the high rate of leaving the profession. The average age of Polish nurses has been constantly growing for several years—in 2016 it was 50.79, while in 2008 it was 44.19. These data confirm that young nurses are the first to leave the profession. Diagnosis of the working conditions and psychosocial burden level among nurses should be subject to detailed analysis, so that leaving the profession will not additionally deepen the difficult staffing situation in health care. Aim. The aim of the study was to identify factors affecting the assessment of work arduousness levels among nursing personnel. Materials and Methods. The study was conducted among 573 nurses working on surgical, medical treatment, and emergency wards. A standardized job evaluation questionnaire was used to conduct the survey. Results. (1) Stress levels depended on the ward in which the surveyed person worked. Nurses working in the emergency ward assessed their conditions the best, with the lowest stress. The average general result in this group was 38.1 points versus 46 and 45.7 points in the surgical and medical treatment wards, respectively. (2) At the level of the whole studied group, both the nurses’ age and work experience did not differ statistically significantly in the total assessment of working conditions. Differences in the assessment of work arduousness in different age categories occurred at the level of individual wards. In the surgical ward, younger employees were characterized by higher stress levels, especially in the area of arduousness (p=0.0165). In the medical treatment wards, there was a similar age-to-stress ratio for the area of organizational uncertainty (p=0.0063). With age, employees of the emergency ward became more indifferent to stress related to unpleasant working conditions (p=0.0009), while stress related to organizational uncertainty increased (p=0.0495). (3) Nurses working in managerial positions assessed the overall stress related to their job higher than other nurses. They were particularly at risk for burdens related to haste, responsibility, and organizational uncertainty. The average overall assessment of work arduousness for this group was 44.6 points, while for surgical nurses it was 37.2 points. Correlations between the performed function and stress levels were found for almost all of the studied work characteristics (except for hazards). (4) Education had a statistically significant impact on the perception of working conditions in several dimensions. The people with the lowest education evaluated working conditions the best. The difference between people with a higher and those with a secondary education with a specialization was definitely smaller and often nonexistent. Education differentiated the work arduousness assessment depending on the ward. The most statistically significant correlations were obtained in surgical wards, and the least in medical treatment wards. Conclusions. (1) The study results indicate the need to diagnose problems related to work conditions in the context of occupational stress within individual hospital wards. To limit employee turnover, nursing staff managers should approach the issue of improving working conditions individually for each ward, due to differences in the nature of the work and level of stressogenicity. (2) In each hospital ward, employees at different stages of their career are sensitive to the psychosocial burden resulting from different work characteristics. These areas should be thoroughly diagnosed and the burden minimized to prevent departures from the profession—at early stages of the professional career as well as among experienced personnel. (3) Nurses working in managerial positions should receive the necessary substantive support, due to the higher stress burden associated with greater responsibility.

Examination of teachers’ views on organizational uncertainity: A qualitative research

In this study, it was aimed to examine teachers’ opinions about organizational uncertainty. Semi-structured individual interviews were conducted with 14 teachers within the scope of phenomenology design. As the results of this study, teachers stated that uncertainty means unpredictability, disorder, confusion, obscurity and uneasiness; they stated that uncertainty can emerge internally and environmentally, have organizational and individual results, and coping strategies include consultation, collaboration, time-out, planned management, culture and individual strategies. The findings were discussed in the light of the related literature and suggestions for eliminating organizational uncertainty were presented.

Heritage and Management, Professional Utopianism, Administrative Naiveté, and Organizational Uncertainty at the Shipwrecks of Pisa

In 1998, archaeologists discovered the first of sixteen Roman shipwrecks at San Rossore, Pisa, 500 m from the leaning tower. Shortly afterward a grand vision for a “museum with three vertices” was articulated: a public excavation area plus a conservation laboratory and museum of Mediterranean navigation, to be constructed in an under-used sixteenth-century barracks nearby. The grand vision of three interconnected institutions became an obstacle in itself: in the absence of an administrative culture that was able to bring projects “down to earth,” the universalist and utopian tendencies of professional discourse fostered a tendency to choose the “best” project over the most feasible one, adding costs, risks, and uncertainty to an already challenging project. Based on extensive archival research, this chapter reconstructs the fifteen-year history of the project and explores the emergent management issues at this unique site, including the role of professional optimism, bureaucratic myopia, urban planning, and uncertainty.