Pervasive interventions to increase pro-environmental awareness, consciousness, and learning at the workplace

Börner, D., Kalz, M., Ternier, S., & Specht, M. (2013). Pervasive interventions to increase pro-environmental awareness, consciousness, and learning at the workplace. In D. Hernández-Leo et al. (Eds.), Scaling up Learning for Sustained Impact. Proceedings of the 8th European Conference on Technology Enhanced Learning (EC-TEL 2013), LNCS 8095 (pp. 57-70). Berlin Heidelberg, Germany: Springer. [The final publication is available at link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-642-40814-4_6]This paper reports about pervasive interventions at a university campus to increase the pro-environmental awareness, consciousness, and learning of employees. Based on an assessment of the research gaps in this problem area we present results and design implications from three intervention iterations. While in the first intervention the focus was on increasing awareness through information distribution with ambient learning displays on the campus, the second iteration provided personalised feedback to employees with the help of a sensor network and different client applications. The third iteration then implemented a game-based learning concept. Results reveal that these approaches are effective on different levels and that a combination of these elements can lead to increased pro-environmental consciousness, learning and hopefully a sustained behaviour change of employees.SURFnet Innovatieregeling Duurzaamheid & IC

Pervasive Visual Interfaces to Change Energy Consumption Behaviour at the Workplace

This position paper introduces pervasive interventions at a university campus to increase the pro-environmental awareness, consciousness, and learning of employees making use of different visual interfaces. We briefly present the design of three intervention iterations. While in the first intervention the focus was on increasing awareness through information distribution with ambient learning displays on the campus, the second iteration provided personalised feedback to employees with the help of a sensor network and different client applications. The third iteration then implemented a game-based learning concept. We found that these approaches are effective on different levels and that a combination of these effective elements can lead to a sustained behaviour change among the employees

Mindergie: A pervasive learning game for pro-environmental behaviour at the workplace

This chapter reports about a pervasive learning game to increase the environmental awareness and pro-environmental behaviour at the workplace. Based on a discussion of the theoretical background and related work we introduce the game design and game elements. Results of a formative evaluation study are presented and discussed. Results show that incentive mechanisms are less important than challenging game components that involve employees in proposing solutions for energy conservation at the workplace. Conclusions are drawn for future games and energy conservation activities at the workplace.This project has been partially funded by a SURFnet innovation grant for sustainable ICT solutions and partially by the Welten Institute – Research Centre for Learning, Teaching and Technology of the Open University of the Netherlands

FSEA 2014 – Proceedings of the AVI 2014 Workshop on Fostering Smart Energy Applications through Advanced Visual Interfaces

It is with great pleasure that we welcome you to FSEA 2014, the AVI 2014 workshop on Fostering Smart Energy Applications through Advanced Visual Interfaces. This workshop focuses on advanced interaction, interface, and visualization techniques for energy-related applications, tools, and services. It brings together researchers and practitioners from a diverse range of background, including interaction design, human-computer interaction, visualization, computer games, and other fields concerned with the development of advanced visual interfaces for smart energy applications. FSEA 2014 is the result of the efforts of many people involved in its organization, including our programme committee, and others who have assisted us in putting this workshop together

Wearable Computing for Health and Fitness: Exploring the Relationship between Data and Human Behaviour

Health and fitness wearable technology has recently advanced, making it easier for an individual to monitor their behaviours. Previously self generated data interacts with the user to motivate positive behaviour change, but issues arise when relating this to long term mention of wearable devices. Previous studies within this area are discussed. We also consider a new approach where data is used to support instead of motivate, through monitoring and logging to encourage reflection. Based on issues highlighted, we then make recommendations on the direction in which future work could be most beneficial

Green HRM practices and its impact on organizations : a correlational study

The study of green HRM, also known as green human resource management, is a relatively new HRM subfield that aims to promote environmentally responsible business practices. We assessed the validity of this hypothesis using empirical methods throughout the entirety of our investigation. We analyze a conceptual model that considers the effects of psychological green climate and individual green values by researching green HRM. Responses were gathered from 411 samples of the 440 employees in the food packaging industry. A hypothesis was tested based on green HRM and the belief that green behaviors on the job contribute to a green psychological climate in the workplace. Correlation analysis and research were conducted. The study's findings indicate that workers' environmental attitudes weaken the connection between workplace climate and employees' green behavior. According to the results, this was indeed the case. We hypothesized that employees of an organization with a green HRM would develop a more environmentally conscious mindset. According to the results of these studies, green human resource management impacts green workplace behavior; however, this influence manifests itself differently along social and psychological dimensions. The study's findings indicate that workers' environmental attitudes weaken the connection between workplace climate and employees' green behavior. According to the results, this was indeed the case. We hypothesized that employees of an organization with a green HRM would develop a more environmentally conscious mindset.Vimala Venugopal Muthuswamy (School of Business, Department of Management, King Faisal University)Includes bibliographical references

Responsible leadership competencies in accounting education

The business world continues to be plagued by incidents of leadership failure, including that of Chartered Accountants (CAs). Responsible Leadership (RL) theory was in part conceived in response to misconduct by business leaders. RL competencies overlap with many competencies expected of CAs, according to international education requirements that inform the CA curriculum. Yet studies continue to show that accounting students are underdeveloped in many competencies affiliated with RL. Furthermore, an institutional strategy for developing RL competencies in accounting students is currently lacking. The purpose of this study is to explore how to incorporate the development of RL competencies into the CA curriculum. The study is grounded within RL, Transformative Learning, curriculum, and curriculum change theories. A qualitative research method was adopted. Interviews were conducted with thirteen South African CA leaders holding a variety of societal and business roles, and eleven CA educators from several South African universities. The study identifies a strategy for RL competency development comprising seven core concepts known as the RESPOND model. Strategic considerations relating to 'what', 'which', 'when', 'where', 'who' and 'how', are addressed in the model. Practical recommendations based on the RESPOND model are provided. The study's findings may assist accounting academics deliberating on adaptations to their curricula to achieve competencies and graduate outcomes synonymous with RL. In addition, the RESPOND model provides a theoretical contribution to the advancement of both accounting education and RL theory by both connecting and expanding knowledge within these research fields

The Leader’s Mind Matters: The Effect of Mindful Leadership Development Programs on Leadership Effectiveness, Mindfulness, and Well-Being Among Global Manufacturing Leaders

The purpose of this quasi-experimental quantitative study was to examine the effects of mindful leadership development programs and mindfulness practices on wellbeing, dispositional mindfulness, and leadership effectiveness among 102 global manufacturing leaders facing volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous (VUCA) business environments. Organizations worldwide report challenges to develop leaders to lead effectively and maintain well-being in VUCA environments. Evidence points to the benefits of mindfulness to reduce stress and anxiety, in addition to providing behavioral and cognitive improvements to support leadership effectiveness. Although a few global organizations are offering mindful leadership development programs, there is a gap between industry practices and scholarly research. The results of this study suggest leaders who completed one mindful leadership development program reported greater well-being and received higher annual leadership effectiveness performance appraisal scores (PAS). Leaders who engaged in consistent mindfulness practices also reported higher levels of leadership effectiveness (PAS) as compared to leaders without a mindfulness practice. Implications exist for the bodies of knowledge concerning well-being and leadership effectiveness in VUCA environments, and leadership development programs. Recommendations were provided for future research, culture and strategy, professional practice, and executive leadership. This is the first study (to date) to investigate the effects of mindful leadership development programs for global manufacturing leaders facing VUCA conditions