Job demands, resources and work-related well-being in UK firefighters

Background There is evidence that firefighters are at risk of work-related stress and mental health problems, but little is known about the organizational hazards they experience. Insight is needed into the work-related factors that are most likely to threaten or protect their work-related well-being. Aims To identify levels of job demands and resources (including demands relating to workload, work patterns and the working environment, relationship conflicts, control, support, role clarity and change management) among firefighters, and to use a job demands-resources framework to examine their impacts on work-related well-being. The role played by recovery strategies in predicting work-related well-being was also considered. Methods Job demands and resources were assessed by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) Management Standards Indicator Tool. Validated scales measured recovery strategies (detachment, affective rumination and problem-solving pondering) and work-related well-being (anxiety-contentment and depression-enthusiasm). The impact of job demands, resources and recovery strategies was tested by multiple linear regression. Results The sample comprised 909 firefighters across seven Fire and Rescue Services in the UK (85% male). Levels of job demands and resources did not meet HSE benchmarks. The main risk factors for poor work-related well-being were relationship conflicts and affective rumination, but resources such as role clarity and job control and the use of problem-solving pondering and detachment were beneficial. Conclusions Interventions that aim to reduce relationship conflicts at work and promote problem-solving rather than affective rumination, and detachment from work when off-duty, are likely to improve work-related well-being. Attention to enhancing job resources may also be beneficial

A Knowledge-Engine Architecture for a Competence Management Information System

This paper describes the ongoing project to develop a knowledge-engine architecture that is being specified and developed by a Portuguese software development company called Shortcut. The primary goal of this work is create an architecture suitable for use, initially, in a Competence Management System (CMS) but also scalable for later use in more generic forms of Knowledge Management Systems (KMS). In general, Knowledge Management (KM) initiatives promote the management, i.e. the creation, storage and sharing, of knowledge assets within an organization. The practical focus of our work is to support the management of employees’ competencies through using a KM approach to create a web based CMS based on a structured content management infrastructure. The system is designed using an ontology-driven framework that incorporates expert annotations which integrate aspects of less tangible knowledge, such as contextual information with more structured knowledge such as that stored in databases, procedures, manuals, books and reports. The theoretical focus of the work is on the representation of competence-based knowledge resources, such as human capital, skills, heuristics acquired during project development, best practices and lessons-learned. This work should contribute for improving the understanding and analysis of the collective knowledge, skills and competencies that are created through problem solving in day-to-day activities and could act as a meeting point for issues around problem solving in complex organizations and context-based information retrieval

Managerial Problem-Solving Methods and Outline Specification for a Computer-Based Managerial Job-Management System

This thesis examines problem-solving theory and practice by managers and proposes a structure for computer-based job and problem management. Two principal models are advanced. The Problem-centred model reflects existing perceptions of the problem-solver analysing a specific issue but with further definition given of the main model components. The Role-centred model broadens the perspective to reflect the manager dealing with the totality of his current work units (tasks) amongst which problems form a sub-set. Whilst a work unit may not be 'problematic' it is linked with other issues both in terms of competition for resources and the causal relationships engendered by any resulting actions. The thesis describes a number of designed methods that have emerged in the last few decades including rational sequential approaches as well as self-contained methods which focus on a particular facet. Whilst the varied nature of most managerial problems precludes the adoption of a rigid phased approach, the individual phase components of the former and the specific foci of the latter may be relevant to some amongst the population of problems. Some of the failures in acceptance of the methods by practitioners can be attributed to an assumption that these are comprehensive rather than selectively relevant. Fieldwork provides additional insights into processes adopted in real-world problem-solving, main findings being fragmentation of a problem into sub-problems, the distinction between processes to solve problems and processes to administer the problem-solving process and the network of relationships between different problems. The desk-top PC is identified as currently the main tool for managers offering the most significant potential in terms of medium for methods design and delivery. The recently-emerging PIMs systems can provide the basis for job management but the functionality requires substantial expansion to include the problem-centred activities resulting in broad categories termed Search, Input, Output, Holding, Data and Relating. Executive Information Systems and Expert Systems provide increasingly relevant support within this overall framework, along with other tools and techniques. The main implication of the role-centred model is the requirement that problem-solving methods be embedded within a wider, holistic structure which reflects the manager addressing the totality of his current activities which are prioritised but also interrelated. Within this structure many existing methods, tools and techniques can be assimilated on a non-prescriptive basis as they can be viewed as selectively relevant to types of problem or individual activities within problem-solving processes

How dynamic capabilities change ordinary capabilities: Reconnecting attention control and problem‐solving

Research Summary Building on the attention-based view of the firm, we elaborate the concept of dynamic capabilities and identify two constitutive elements: attention control and problem-solving. We show empirically that the control element of dynamic capabilities regulates how organizations (dis-)engage attention on operational versus change-oriented tasks. On this basis, we develop a process model of how control and problem-solving interact to reconfigure resources and thus modify ordinary capabilities. We study the adoption of lean management in the R&D unit of a large U.S. corporation. Our longitudinal case study identifies obstacles that organizations have to overcome to establish effective dynamic capabilities that enable their adaptation to changing environmental circumstances. Managerial Summary “The vast majority of all change initiatives fail”: We hear this statement a lot in our interactions with practitioners. In this article, we suggest an explanation of why achieving persistent, behavioral change is hard: attention to change processes is difficult to maintain over an extended period of time. Initiatives start, then fade away. By studying the interplay of control mechanisms (that keep organizational attention on the long-term goals) and problem-solving tools (that identify what and how to change in the short term), we provide a framework that can generate actionable implications for executives. In particular, we focus on the decisive and yet underestimated role played by key performance indicators in sustaining attention on change initiatives

AQUAGRID: an extensible platform for collaborative problem solving in groundwater protection

AQUAGRID is the subsurface hydrology computational service of the Sardinian GRIDA3 infrastructure, designed to deliver complex environmental applications via a user-friendly Web portal. The service aims to provide to water professionals integrated modeling tools to solve water resources management problems and aid decision making for contaminated soil and groundwater. In this paper, the AQUAGRID application concept and enabling technologies are illustrated. At the heart of the service are the computational models to simulate complex and large groundwater flow and contaminant transport problems and geochemical speciation. AQUAGRID is built on top of compute-Grid technologies by means of the EnginFrame Grid framework. Distributed data management is provided by the Storage Resource Broker data-Grid middleware. The resulting environment allows end-users to perform groundwater simulations and to visualize and interact with their results, using graphs, 3D images and annotated maps. The problem solving capability of the platform is demonstrated using the results of two case studies deployed

A study of young firm performance in France between 2006 and 2009 using the process theory of organisation

This thesis studies the performance of a cohort of French firms between 2006 and 2009 using a theoretical framework developed for this purpose. This framework is based on the author’s entrepreneurial experience and conviction that firm performance is dependent on solving a managerial problem with two components: (i) an entrepreneurial component which focuses on creating market power with respect to customer wants, resources, means of production, and technology and (ii) an organisational component aiming to implement adequate labour division and coordination and motivation mechanisms in the firm. Solving both aspects of the managerial problem in firms is expected to increase frim performance over time. This book describes the origins of the managerial problem in the economic literature, studies its dual organisational and entrepreneurial aspect, and measures its effect on firm performance.:INTRODUCTION PART I: LITERATURE REVIEW, RESEARCH QUESTION, AND RESEARCH PLAN CHAPTER 1 : LITERATURE REVIEW CHAPTER 2 : RESEARCH QUESTION CHAPTER 3 : RESEARCH PLAN PART II: THEORETICAL DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER 4 : THE PROCESS THEORY OF ORGANISATION CHAPTER 5 : A MODEL OF FIRM PERFORMANCE CHAPTER 6 : LEVERAGES ON FIRM PERFORMANCE CHAPTER 7 : THE MANAGERIAL PROBLEM PART III: EMPIRICAL ANALYSIS CHAPTER 8 : BUILDING A MODEL TO ASSESS FIRM PERFORMANCE CHAPTER 9 : ENTREPRENEURIAL ABILITY AND ITS CHARACTERISTICS CHAPTER 10 : ORGANISATIONAL ABILITY AND ITS CHARACTERISTICS CHAPTER 11 : THE IMPACT OF MANAGEMENT ON FIRM PERFORMANCE PART IV: OUTLOOK APPENDIX A: THE AUSTRIAN SCHOOL OF THOUGHTS AND ITS EVOLUTION APPENDIX B: A CALCULATED EXAMPLE OF FIRM PERFORMANCE WITH NESTED PROCESSES APPENDIX C: ON STRUCTURING AND DRIVING THE FIRM APPENDIX D: LANDMARKS TO UNDERSTANDING THE ENTREPRENEURIAL PROCESS APPENDIX E: DESCRIPTIVE STATISTICS APPENDIX F: MODEL SPECIFICATION REFERENCE

Forming the Architecture of a Multi-Layered Model of Physical Data Storage for Complex Telemedicine Systems

The relevance of this research is determined by the need to study the issues of improving data storage technologies for complex telemedicine systems. The objective is to create a multi-layered data storage model for complex telemedicine systems to ensure the most complete use of their capacity and the timely expansion of existing storage. The research is conducted on the basis of an analysis of existing opportunities and problems in the field of data storage technologies. An analysis of the main features of the development of data storage technologies revealed that the existing models have no detailed description of the recording and physical storage of data bits, which is necessary for describing the storage process. Different architectures are reviewed, and their strengths and weaknesses are discussed. Within the framework of a demonstration experiment using the Kohonen neural network apparatus as a tool for solving the problem of placing objects in accordance with the required parameters, it is shown that the proposed storage system resource management model is operable and allows solving the problem of rational use of physical resources. As a result, a multilevel model of data storage is proposed, which combines the levels of storage process organization and technology. The distinguishing feature of this method is the comparison of storage organization levels, data media, and characteristics of physical storage and stored files. Doi: 10.28991/HIJ-2023-04-04-09 Full Text: PD

Integrated Water Resources Management: A Theoretical Exploration of the Implementation Gap Between the Developed and Developing Worlds

As part of its Millennium Development Goals, the United Nations acknowledges that solving the world\u27s water woes requires giving one billion additional people access to safe and affordable drinking water, while also noting that this is a difficult goal to achieve considering present environmental challenges. Amidst this atmosphere of vanishing freshwater, the legislative policy community has begun to encourage diverse discourse on the topic of efficient resource management, but the form and function of such a solution present unique political and theoretical challenges for policymakers and scholars alike. The current consensus among water managers is that a multifaceted policy framework known as Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) is the most viable strategy for conserving freshwater resources, and as such, it provides a proactive solution for mitigating future bouts of water scarcity. There is a puzzling disparity in IWRM implementation, however, as developed states have experienced more success with the policy than states within the developing world. IWRM\u27s policy framework establishes a set of concrete goals for water use, including effective demand management, the encouragement of a water-oriented civil society, transparency in the policy creation process, conflict resolution guidelines regarding regional and international water issues, equitable access to water resources, the decentralization of water policy, and the privatization of water provision. Drawing from scholarship on the efficacy of spontaneous, negotiated, and imposed environmental policy regimes, this thesis considers the German, Indian, Canadian, and South African IWRM implementation experiences from the perspectives of the theoretical literatures on regimes, common-pool resources/public goods, privatization, and constructivist arguments about the development and diffusion of transnational human rights norms. While all the literatures prove useful at explaining various facets of the implementation puzzle, it is the scholarship on regimes that offers the most robust explanation of the problem at hand by highlighting the importance of a linear sequence of environmental regime creation, the integration of both decentralized and centralized water governance mechanisms, and the extant character of a region\u27s previous water management regimes as central components that help to explain disparate levels of IWRM implementation success