How Supervisors Influence Performance: A Multilevel Study of Coaching and Group Management in Technology-Mediated Services

This multilevel study examines the role of supervisors in improving employee performance through the use of coaching and group management practices. It examines the individual and synergistic effects of these management practices. The research subjects are call center agents in highly standardized jobs, and the organizational context is one in which calls, or task assignments, are randomly distributed via automated technology, providing a quasi-experimental approach in a real-world context. Results show that the amount of coaching that an employee received each month predicted objective performance improvements over time. Moreover, workers exhibited higher performance where their supervisor emphasized group assignments and group incentives and where technology was more automated. Finally, the positive relationship between coaching and performance was stronger where supervisors made greater use of group incentives, where technology was less automated, and where technological changes were less frequent. Implications and potential limitations of the present study are discussed

Eco‐Holonic 4.0 Circular Business Model to Conceptualize Sustainable Value Chain Towards Digital Transition

The purpose of this paper is to conceptualize a circular business model based on an Eco-Holonic Architecture, through the integration of circular economy and holonic principles. A conceptual model is developed to manage the complexity of integrating circular economy principles, digital transformation, and tools and frameworks for sustainability into business models. The proposed architecture is multilevel and multiscale in order to achieve the instantiation of the sustainable value chain in any territory. The architecture promotes the incorporation of circular economy and holonic principles into new circular business models. This integrated perspective of business model can support the design and upgrade of the manufacturing companies in their respective industrial sectors. The conceptual model proposed is based on activity theory that considers the interactions between technical and social systems and allows the mitigation of the metabolic rift that exists between natural and social metabolism. This study contributes to the existing literature on circular economy, circular business models and activity theory by considering holonic paradigm concerns, which have not been explored yet. This research also offers a unique holonic architecture of circular business model by considering different levels, relationships, dynamism and contextualization (territory) aspects

The Research of Technological Approach to the Modeling of Information and Analytic Provision of Managing an Enterprise

The article is devoted to the solution of actual problems of innovative development of information and analytical provision of managing an enterprise according to the newest technology. A number of recommendations concerning technological upgrading foundation of modernization of information and analytic provision of managing an enterprise are elaborated. Technological approach to the modeling of information provision of business management is substantiated. Actualizing information and analytic provision of managing an enterprise has been carried out in developed flexible information system that is organized as internal network structure. Technological foundation of information and analytical process enterprise to modernize has been considered based on the modern tools of information and communication decisions. Information and analytical provision of managing have been developed through internal and external parallels of impact, which interconnection coordinates theory, methodology and organization of information processes with actualization of its model. The model of information and analytic provision of managing an enterprise according to the individual characteristics of corporate culture, and information environment and development strategy of business entity on the basis of characteristics of technological provision of information process is developed. Information complex has been suggested as developed system with technological process of forming initial data and modernizing processing, transmission and storage of information in accordance with distinctive characteristics of enterprise and general tendencies of its developmen

Data driven wireless network design : a multi-level modeling approach

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A Lightweight Multilevel Markup Language for Connecting Software Requirements and Simulations

[Context] Simulation is a powerful tool to validate specified requirements especially for complex systems that constantly monitor and react to characteristics of their environment. The simulators for such systems are complex themselves as they simulate multiple actors with multiple interacting functions in a number of different scenarios. To validate requirements in such simulations, the requirements must be related to the simulation runs. [Problem] In practice, engineers are reluctant to state their requirements in terms of structured languages or models that would allow for a straightforward relation of requirements to simulation runs. Instead, the requirements are expressed as unstructured natural language text that is hard to assess in a set of complex simulation runs. Therefore, the feedback loop between requirements and simulation is very long or non-existent at all. [Principal idea] We aim to close the gap between requirements specifications and simulation by proposing a lightweight markup language for requirements. Our markup language provides a set of annotations on different levels that can be applied to natural language requirements. The annotations are mapped to simulation events. As a result, meaningful information from a set of simulation runs is shown directly in the requirements specification. [Contribution] Instead of forcing the engineer to write requirements in a specific way just for the purpose of relating them to a simulator, the markup language allows annotating the already specified requirements up to a level that is interesting for the engineer. We evaluate our approach by analyzing 8 original requirements of an automotive system in a set of 100 simulation runs

Dynamic Multilevel Workflow Management Concept for Industrial IoT Systems

Workflow management is implemented in manufacturing at many levels. The nature of processes variesat each level, hindering the use of a standard modeling orimplementation solution. The creation of a flexible workflow management framework that overarches the heterogeneous business process levels is challenging. Still, one of the promisesof the Industry 4.0 initiative is precisely this: to provideeasy-to-use models and solutions that enable efficient execution of enterprise targets. By addressing this challenge, this articleproposes a workflow execution model that integrates information and control flows of these levels while keeping their hierarchy. The overall model builds on the business process model andnotation (BPMN) for modeling at the enterprise level and recipemodeling based on colored Petri net (CPN) at the production level. Models produced with both alternatives are implemented and executed in a framework supported by an enterprise servicebus (ESB). Loosely coupled, late-bound system elements are connected through the arrowhead framework, which is builtupon the service-oriented architecture (SOA) concept. To proveits feasibility, this article presents the practical application ofthe model via an automotive production scenario

Is Labor Green?

In this article, we assess whether unionization of national workforces influences growth in national carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions per capita. Political-economic theories in environmental sociology propose that labor unions have the potential to affect environmental conditions. Yet, few studies have quantitatively assessed the influence of unionization on environmental outcomes using cross-national data. We estimate multilevel regression models using data on OECD member nations from 1970 to 2014. Results from our analysis indicate that unionization, measured as the percentage of workers who are union members, is negatively associated with CO2 emissions per capita, even when controlling for labor conditions. This finding suggests that unionization may promote environmental protection at the national level