Cultural Intelligence as a Prism between Workforce Diversity and Performance in a Modern Organization

In today’s globalizing world it is of importance for managers to manage the constantly growing workforce diversity. Besides the generally promoted idea of diversity management, often limited to fair employment, less attention has been paid to the advantages and hidden potentials of diversity. Previous research that has emphasized the link between diversity and organizational performance has indicated very different results. However it highlights mainly only the easily detectable level of diversity. In the present article a theoretical background is created proposing cultural intelligence as a tool linking different levels of workforce diversity and performance in organizations.workforce diversity; values; cultural intelligence; multicultural organizations.

Cognitive behavioral intervention for children with disruptive behavior disorders in residential treatment

Increasing numbers of children being referred for mental health services are exhibiting problematic behaviors that can be subsumed under the category of Disruptive Behavior Disorders. This study with its foundations in a post-positivist approach was designed to explore treatment effectiveness of cognitive behavioral intervention applied to adolescents at Oak Grove Institute, a residential treatment facility. This study hypothesized that Wexler\u27s PRISM Model, with its integration of affect, would be instrumental in modifying disruptive behavior as measured at Oak Grove Institute. Although the small sample size precluded statistically significant findings, there were interesting results with respect to two dependant variables. Findings approached significance on measures of impulsivity and verbal aggression. That is, impulsivity and verbal aggression scores were lowered

Object recognition in lake and estuary environments

Traditionally, autonomous underwater vehicles employ multiple configurations of sensor payloads in order to accomplish a specific mission. Due to advances in imaging technology, imaging sonar arrays and optical imaging devices are among these payloads. Independent of mission specifics, the majority of imaging data is either stored onboard the vehicle or transmitted to a base station for later analysis. In either situation, there is limited local real time analysis and limited mission duration. One focus for increasing real time analysis is the reduction of image information. By using image processing techniques, such as edge detection, less relevant information can be eliminated while preserving important object features. This reduced object information is then used as inputs to a neural network. A neural network is a cognitive algorithm which has the ability to adapt to achieve desired tasks. These networks are able to generalize and make decisions based on partial or limited input information. The goal of this research is to create an autonomous in-situ recognition system for marine environments, specifically the processing and classification of object image data. Image information will be applied to a neural network approach to mimic higher order decision making in an artificial cognitive algorithm

Enhancing Employee Communication Behaviors for Sensemaking and Sensegiving in Crisis Situations: Strategic Management Approach for Effective Internal Crisis Communication

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the organizational effectiveness of internal crisis communication within the strategic management approach, whether it enhanced voluntary and positive employee communication behaviors (ECBs) for sensemaking and sensegiving. By doing so, this study provides meaningful insight into: new crisis communication theory development that takes a strategic management approach, emphasizing employees’ valuable assets from an organization, and effective crisis communication practice that reduces misalignment with employees and that enhances voluntary and positive ECBs for the organization during a crisis. Design/methodology/approach This study conducted a nationwide survey in the USA among full-time employees (n=544). After dimensionality check through confirmatory factor analysis, this study tested hypothesis and research question by conducting ordinary least squares multiple regression analyses using STATA 13. Findings This study found that strategic internal communication factors, including two-way symmetrical communication and transparent communication, were positive and strong antecedents of ECBs for sensemaking and sensegiving in crisis situations, when controlling for other effects. The post hoc analysis confirmed theses positive and strong associations across different industry areas. Originality/value This study suggests that voluntary and valuable ECBs can be enhanced by listening and responding to employee concerns and interests; encouraging employee participation in crisis communication; and organizational accountability through words, actions and decisions during the crisis. As a theoretical implication, the results of this study indicate the need for crisis communication theories that emphasize employees as valuable assets to an organization

Learning, Categorization, Rule Formation, and Prediction by Fuzzy Neural Networks

National Science Foundation (IRI 94-01659); Office of Naval Research (N00014-91-J-4100, N00014-92-J-4015) Air Force Office of Scientific Research (90-0083, N00014-92-J-4015

A general theory of discrimination learning

One important component of learning is the ability to determine the correct conditions under which a rule should be applied. We review a number of systems that discover relevant conditions through a generalization process, and discuss some drawbacks of this approach. We then review an alternative approach to learning through discrimination, in which overly general rules are made more conservative when they lead to errors. Unlike generalization-based programs, a discrimination-based system is able to learn disjunctive rules, discover regularities in errorful data, recover from changes in the environment, and learn useful rules despite incomplete representations. We show how our theory of discrimination learning can be applied to the domains of concept attainment, strategy learning, first language acquisition, and cognitive development. Finally, we evaluate the theory along the dimensions of simplicity, generality, and fertility

Micro to Macro Dynamics of Shared Awareness Emergence in Situations Theory: Towards a General Theory of Shared Awareness

Engineering Management is an interdisciplinary field of study. As such, Engineering Management must rely on the energies of its participants to integrate toward the problem being solved. Many techniques exist to aid the researcher towards a common goal; however, it can only be surmised on how effective the techniques have been. Not until the activity is over and the participants reflect back on their results can they know whether they shared a common understanding of the problem. This study explores the emergence of shared awareness based the interactions of disparate perspectives at a particulate level. The study builds from observations of a real-world problem and explores how shared awareness emerges. Given the shared nature of multiple disciplinary approaches quantifying shared awareness would seem particularly important. It is not enough to say that shared awareness has occurred; more importantly it is necessary to know when shared awareness has occurred and with whom and what the conditions were for shared awareness in situ. Since any given project is longitudinal in nature, change is inevitable. With change comes different conditions for shared awareness; it cannot be assumed that shared awareness is sustained through change. Without knowing the prior conditions for shared awareness there is nothing to compare with when change has occurred. This study attempts to quantify when the emergent state of shared awareness has occurred and by extension the conditions where awareness is shared within a group of individuals. Most importantly, this study will provide a method for studying shared awareness [probability threshold] using percolation theory. Percolation is one of numerous techniques being developed out of statistical mechanics. Statistical mechanics (reinterpreted for the use in this study) provides a framework for relating the microscopic properties of individual atoms and molecules [individual] to the macroscopic bulk properties of materials [whole] that can be observed in everyday life (Albert, 2002). An experiment is proposed to test the hypothesis formed within the study and canons to substantiate the findings of the experiment. Ultimately, the study proposes a General Theory for Shared Awareness that provides a foundation for further research