The dynamics of sensemaking, knowledge and expertise in collaborative, boundary-spanning design

Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 10(4): pp. article 14.This study investigated how a project group deals with the contradiction between distributed knowledge in boundary-spanning collaborative processes and the expectation that software systems will provide unified, codified knowledge. It employed an ethnographic, interpretive approach to examine the ways in which relevant knowledge was presented, recognized, shared or otherwise managed during a project concerned with the joint design of business process and IT systems change. Developing a group understanding of how to manage sensemaking and expertise across salient knowledge boundaries were discovered to be central to perceptions of project completion. Four stages of this development were identified. The contribution of this paper is to propose these stages as the basis for boundary-spanning group management approaches and to suggest ways of progressing the complexities of communication, consensus-building, information exchange, problem-formulation and solution-brokering that are fundamental to collaboration in IS definition. These processes are normally taken for granted, rationalized or ignored by managers of IT-related organizational change. The use of specific types of boundary-object may aid in managing such processes explicitly and ensuring rapid progress. Thus the findings have significant implications for research and practice in other forms of boundary-spanning group collaboration, such as organizational innovation and problem-solving

Developing a Resilience-Thinking Leadership Mindset Scale

The purpose of this study was to develop a resilience-thinking leadership mindset construct and scale. Although literature exists on developing resilience and relational leadership theories, very little research and literature address a resilience-thinking mindset as a leadership strategy. This study represents an initial step in filling this gap. This research project was the initial phase toward the development of a resilience-thinking leadership mindset (RTLM) scale. I used a mixed-methods approach which was divided into three stages. Stage 1 involved the development of the scale items and assessment of both face and content validity to revise the original scale. Stage 2 comprised conducting a pilot study and employing statistical analysis to assess the construct validity, which included an exploratory factor analysis and a partial confirmatory factor analysis (PCFA). The factor analysis revealed a two-factor solution with inter-item Cronbach\u27s Alphas of .936 for Factor 1 and .906 for Factor 2. The PCFA revealed a CFI of .964. Stage 3 entailed giving the refined RTLM scale to leaders in field of resilience management to further interpret and refine the scale\u27s factors and items. This scale will be useful to practitioners, researchers, and organizations that are interested in advancing resilience-thinking, mindful organizing, and adaptive governance. This dissertation is available in open access at AURA: Antioch University Repository and Archive, http://aura.antioch.edu/and Ohiolink ETD Center, https://etd.ohiolink.edu

Local Governmental Collective Action and Mandated Policy Implementation

Groundwater depletion is a global concern. Around the world, groundwater supplies more than half the water used for agriculture and human drinking. Many other species and ecosystems are supported by groundwater and rely on the integrity of groundwater and surface water connections. Like many social and environmental problems, addressing the overextraction of groundwater requires collective action across governmental authorities and jurisdictions. To date, there are few examples of successful, voluntary groundwater management. To steer collective action at the local level, higher levels of government often use policy mandates. This dissertation examines the implementation of one such mandate. California’s Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA), a state-legislated mandate, was passed in 2014. SGMA requires local governmental agencies to work together to address decades of groundwater depletion. From 2018-2022, I conducted ethnographic fieldwork to study the mandated groundwater management planning processes that were undertaken by hundreds of local governmental agencies who, for the first time in California’s history, were faced with a choice: either they work across their jurisdictions to achieve groundwater sustainability or they forfeit their local control of groundwater resources to the state of California. Using a comparative case analysis approach, I address three core topics that are currently underexplored in research on mandated policy implementation: what motivates local governmental agencies to engage in collective action when under a mandate, how do local governmental agencies interact with one another to achieve mandate requirements, and why do we see variation in the ways local governmental agencies interpret their role in mandate implementation

Applying Social Network Analysis to Identify how Chief Resilience Officers Promote Community Resilience through Boundary Spanning, Interorganizational Collaboration, and Leadership

The purpose of this paper is to explore, in some depth, the functions of interorganizational collaboration (IOC) by analyzing the Chief Resilience Officer (CRO) role in 5 US cities. The CRO can act as a key network collaborator or boundary spanner – managing relationships, communication and strategic responses within and across organizations. This study researches the IOC and leadership functions of CROs operating in the social network of 100 Resilient Cities to better understand their boundary spanning roles. This study explores how CROs create and maintain IOC, characterizes their leadership functions and role, and examines the boundary spanning role as reticulist, entrepreneur and innovator, and a leader. This study aims to describe the role of a CRO in the social construction of IOC in a social network context, providing a composite IOC network of a CRO and detailing the nature of their communication (frequency, mode, content) in a composite IOC network

Sensemaking, sensegiving and absorptive capacity in complex procurements

This study explores and describes i) the nature of knowledge exchange processes at the frontline employee (FLE) level and ii) how FLE sensemaking processes affect buyer firm knowledge management practices in complex procurement contexts. The study utilizes an in-depth case analysis in the mining industry to identify a taxonomy of four buyer sensemaking investment/supplier collaboration profiles, to describe three sensegiving supplier roles (“confidence builders”, “competent collaborators”, and “problem-solvers”) and to explore how these evolve during complex procurement implementation. The study concludes with a conceptual model of the apparent linkages between sensemaking, sensegiving and buyer firm absorptive capacity in complex procurements. This study shows how micro-level (FLE) interactions influence macro-level knowledge integration (absorptive capacity) in the buyer firm. For managers, the study shows how the allocation of time and resources affects FLE-level knowledge exchange, with ultimate effect on buyer firm absorptive capacity

Organisational learning for corporate social responsibility in sport organisations

Research question: Although the implementation of corporate social responsibility (CSR) may require changes at the strategic, organisational, and operational levels, studies fall short of investigating the role of organisational learning (OL), which is key to grasp how CSR occurs in organisations. This study fills this gap by exploring the dynamic interaction between different levels of the learning process through which sport organisations implement CSR. Research methods: Drawing on Crossan et al.’s 4I Framework, we examine the learning sub-processes characterising CSR implementation in a sport federation. This study uses a single-case-study research design and analyses interviews (n = 18) and organisational documents (n = 20). Results and Findings: This study reveals that OL for CSR is a critical multilevel and dynamic process that consists of learning subprocesses at the intra-organisational and inter-organisational levels. CSR requires both learning new ways of incorporating CSR practices, as well as embedding into the organisation what has already been learnt. Informal and formal groups were identified as strong repositories of learning, while external stakeholders are essential sources of learning intertwined within the organisation alongside the work of inter-organisational boundary spanners. Implications: Theoretically, this paper extends the discussion of CSR implementation by highlighting the critical role of. It does so by revealing patterns of learning institutionalisation for CSR in a particular European sport federated setting. These findings highlight that the level of institutionalisation of learning influences the integration and sustainability of the CSR strategy. Practically, managers should consider these learning subprocesses as appropriate platforms on which to instil the CSR construct within their organisation

Design boundary dynamics in infrastructure projects: Issues of resource allocation, path dependency and problem-solving

Due to their complexity and high social impact, urban infrastructure projects often face challenges in managing the design decision-making processes across disparate disciplinary and knowledge domain boundaries. This paper introduces the notion of design boundary dynamics to describe the various cross-boundary coordination phenomena associated with organising the design of infrastructure projects. Taking a practice-based theoretical stance, the paper presents findings of qualitative research on the nature and genesis of design boundaries and their relation to the strategic decision-making on a transportation infrastructure project. Findings illustrate the entangled processes, through which the disciplinary, knowledge-domain and stage-based design boundaries emerged as a result of unfolding project practices. Paper identifies the key role of resource allocation constraints, path dependency of project decisions, and problem-solving nature of design and concludes with strategic recommendations for upstream operational integration to mitigate the impact of design boundary dynamics on infrastructure projects

SOCIAL MEDIA IN PATIENTS’ SELF-MANAGEMENT OF CHRONIC DISEASE: THE ROLE OF NURSES AS BOUNDARY SPANNERS

This paper presents research-in-progress of the adoption and use of social media as part of patients’ self-management of their chronic disease. The purpose is to investigate the social and organizational challenges that social media bring to the healthcare setting. We focus on how nurses can act as mediators between the formal healthcare institution and the informal setting in which patients engage via social media. We discuss how the use of social media influences nurses’ professional identity, roles and responsibilities. Preliminary findings and existing literature point to two issues of interest: 1) The inclusion of the informal system of self-management and use of social media into the formal healthcare system and 2) The development of the role of nurses as boundary spanners. We wish to pursue these issues in a three-year research project, conducting in-depth case studies in 10 General Practices to investigate the collaborative partnership between patients and nurses