Public Accountability through Soft Steering

This article argues that present-day procedures on public accountability miss the essence of being accountable. We suggest that alternatives are available in social psychology theory and network theory, which point to the decisive role of peers or experienced organization members. In this view, it is not leadership but middle management that is crucial in the socialization of newcomers in an organization to internalize values and to create a situation in which employers and employees develop mutual expectations about what is expected from one another and create multiplex networks in order to maintain such values

Turning shame into creativity: the importance of expressive suppression in creative team environments among Colombian employees

We draw on the functionalist perspective of emotions (Keltner & Gross, 1999) in order to propose that ashamed employees engage in creative activity as a way to restore their positive self-image. We also propose that the shame–creativity relation is strongest if employees expose themselves via expressive suppression to a team environment that encourages creativity. We test these propositions with data from two Colombian field studies. Overall, we find mixed support for a main effect of shame on creativity but consistent support for the moderating effect of exposure to creative team environments on the link between shame and creativity. A scenario experiment confirmed restore motivation as one central mediating mechanism explaining the main and interactive effects of shame on creativity. We discuss implications for the literatures on creativity, shame, and exposure to creative team environments

Aspectos motivacionais no design de tecnologia para mudanças sociais

Orientador: Maria Cecília Calani BaranauskasTese (doutorado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de ComputaçãoResumo: Conectando pessoas e presente em todos os aspectos da vida, quando projetadas para este fim, as tecnologias têm potencial de influenciar a forma com que pessoas em um grupo social percebem e se relacionam com as coisas no ambiente. Este estudo de doutorado em Interação Humano-Computador (IHC) investiga como elementos motivacionais da Psicologia podem ser aplicados para informar o design, explo- rando esse potencial da tecnologia em promover mudanças sociais. O estudo é instanciado no domínio de consumo de energia elétrica, lidando com o desafio contemporâneo de cons- cientizar a sociedade dos limites naturais do planeta no que diz respeito ao uso de recursos naturais. Informar o design com aspectos motivacionais é uma abordagem recente em IHC. Quando encontrada na literatura, comumente tem foco em aspectos individuais e intrín- secos da motivação. Contudo, como argumentado nessa pesquisa, o contexto sociocultural evidencia a importância de considerar também os fatores externos que motivam as pessoas a se engajarem com uma tecnologia e com uma determinada questão social. Por considerar tanto fontes intrínsecas quanto extrínsecas de motivação, a Teoria da Autodeterminação é então considerada o principal referencial teórico da Psicologia nessa investigação, e a Semiótica Organizacional é a base metodológica para analisar os elemen- tos socioculturais que influenciam a motivação extrínseca. A análise situada dos dados socioculturais por uma perspectiva motivacional levou ao design da Tecnologia Socialmente Informada para Eco-Feedback de Energia (sigla SEET, em inglês), uma arquitetura que tem por objetivo estabelecer um novo padrão de com- portamento, ou uma nova maneira de perceber o consumo de energia coletivamente. O SEET é composto por um sistema interativo que promove colaboração, e pela Árvore da Energia, um dispositivo de feedback tangível para locais onde há encontro de pessoas. O SEET é avaliado em dois cenários complementares: uma Escola de Ensino Funda- mental no Brasil, onde os dados socioculturais foram coletados, analisados e aplicados para informar o design; e no contexto de um departamento de uma universidade no Reino Unido. Aspectos motivacionais da arquitetura do SEET são então analisadas, assim como o impacto dessa tecnologia ao desencadear as esperadas mudanças sociaisAbstract: By connecting people and being present in almost all aspects of life, when properly de- signed for that, technology can potentially influence the way people in a social group perceive and relate with things in their environment. This PhD study in the Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) field investigates how motivational elements from Psychology can be applied to inform the design aiming at exploring this potential of technology for promoting a social change. The study is in- stantiated in the energy consumption domain, coping with the contemporary challenge of raising awareness among the society of the planet¿s natural resources usage and limits. Informing the design with motivational aspects is a recent approach in HCI. When found in literature, it is mostly focused on individual and intrinsic aspects of motivation. However, as argued in this research, the sociocultural context evidences the importance of considering also the external factors that motivate people to be engaged with technology and the social issue. By taking into account both intrinsic and extrinsic sources of motivation, the Self- Determination Theory is then considered the main theoretical background from Psychol- ogy in this investigation, and the Organisational Semiotics the methodological basis to analyse sociocultural elements that influence extrinsic motivation. The situated analysis of sociocultural data with motivational lenses has led to the de- sign of a Socially-informed Energy Eco-feedback Technology (SEET), an architecture that aims at establishing a "new pattern of behaviour", or a new way of perceiving collective energy consumption. The SEET is composed by an interactive system that promotes collaboration and The Energy Tree, a tangible and public feedback device for gathering places. The SEET is evaluated in two complementary scenarios: an elementary school in Brazil, where the sociocultural data was collected, analysed and applied to inform design; and in the context of an university department in the United Kingdom. Motivational as- pects of the SEET architecture are then analysed, as well as the impact of this technology to trigger the desired social changeDoutoradoCiência da ComputaçãoDoutora em Ciência da Computaçã

Beyond motivation: Job and work design for development, health, ambidexterity, and more

Much research shows it is possible to design motivating work, which has positive consequences for individuals and their organizations. This article reviews research that adopts this motivational perspective on work design, and it emphasizes that it is important to continue to refine motivational theories. In light of continued large numbers of poor-quality jobs, attention must also be given to influencing practice and policy to promote the effective implementation of enriched work designs. Nevertheless, current and future work-based challenges mean that designing work for motivation is necessary but insufficient. This review argues that work design can be a powerful vehicle for learning and development, for maintaining and enhancing employees' physical and mental health, and for achieving control and flexibility simultaneously (for example, in the form of ambidexterity); all these outcomes are important given the challenges in today's workplaces. The review concludes by suggesting methodological directions

Work-life balance training intervention: motivating training transfer, A

2019 Spring.Includes bibliographical references.Organizations are becoming increasingly aware of the consequences poor work-life balance can have on employees, thus encouraging many to seek solutions to reduce its negative effects. Current initiatives mainly focus on offering alternative work arrangements or improving family-supportive supervisor behaviors. Surprisingly, no studies to date have investigated the effectiveness of individual-level training programs that aim to improve employees' work-life balance skills. Using a two-between one-within design, the present study evaluates the effectiveness of a goal-setting manipulation on training transfer. Results show a significant increase in reported work-life balance between 30 days and 60 days post training. Although no significant effects for self-efficacy and goal-setting are seen, it is worth noting the effect sizes are large. Additionally, post hoc analyses indicate a significant effect of self-efficacy and goal-setting on transfer after controlling for number of children. Finally, post-training attitudes (i.e. intentions to improve work-life balance, motivation to transfer, and affective reactions towards the training) were found to predict transfer. This study contributes to practice by investigating the effectiveness of a work-life balance goal-setting manipulation on training transfer. It also makes an academic contribution by further investigating the mechanisms underlying why training is effective

Can Humanoid Service Robots Perform Better Than Service Employees? A Comparison of Innovative Behavior Cues

This research compares human-robot interaction with human-human interaction. More specifically, it compares potential customer responses to a humanoid service robot’s (HSR’s) behavioral cues during service encounters with those expressed by a human service employee. The behavioral cues tested in this study include innovative service behavior, defined as the extent to which a service representative creates new ideas and solutions for the customer. Based on role theory and the expectancy disconfirmation paradigm, we propose that customers generally respond positively toward an HSR’s artificial innovative service behavior cues. The experimental laboratory study with 132 student participants and an HSR of the Pepper type, shows positive responses to an HSR’s artificial innovative service behavior, but that those responses are weaker compared to human-human interactions within a similar setting. Furthermore, innovative service behavior cues exceed customer expectations and therefore, lead to customer satisfaction and delight with the HSR

Qigong at Work: Where East Meets West

State of the Art Qigong is part of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TMC) and aims to balance body and mind. The roots of Qigong lie in China, where Confucian and Daoist scholars (500-400 B.C.) noted that one must learn to balance and relax one’s thoughts and emotions to avoid illness (Yang, 1997). In the Western world, Qigong is best known for its slow and coordinated movements. According to TCM, these movements will help regulate one’s ‘qi’, or life energy, through the body to improve the health and harmony of mind and body. During the practice of Qigong, one’s breathing, attention and movement are aligned. As such, Qigong is sometimes considered Mindfulness in movement (although there are many important differences). New perspectives / contributionsQigong has many positive outcomes on health and wellness. In both patient groups and healthy individuals, Qigong has been shown to improve psychological well-being, quality of life, immune function, balance and related risk-factors, and bone density (Jahnke et al., 2010). As such, Qigong offers a validated way to reduce the physical and mental activation that results from a person's work. While recent research has demonstrated how important it is to take short breaks at work, there is still little attention for Qigong exercises as a means to recover at work.Practical Implications In this presentation, we will explain and practice several Qigong exercises. These movements can be used at work (and at home) to recover from (hormonal) activation, ‘empty’ one’s head, and restore the body-mind balance. <br/