Book review: strengthening communities with neighborhood data

Strengthening Communities with Neighborhood Data examines the role that data-based development approaches can have in shaping sound public and social policy. With a variety of case studies and a sound methodology, Susan Marie Martin writes that this is a comprehensive policy guidebook that provides a critically rich exploration of the hows and whys of data-generated policy development

The effect of change capability, learning capability and shared leadership on organizational agility

Organizational agility represents a new field of organizational study that is not well examined. In the past organizations had an unmatched competitive advantage due to low competition and higher barriers to entry into their markets. As a result, many organizations dominated their industries. However, in the era of globalization, individuals with an internet connection and the right skills can start new organizations that can compete on a global level. Consequently, organizations now are facing more competition that they experienced in the past. Another reason for increase competition is new technology. Technology is improving increasingly faster than any time in history. Therefore, organizations that are not agile could not survive in the current environment. Agile entities realize that they have to become flexible and nimble to withstand competition. Accordingly, the researcher in this study proposes an organizational agility model and this proposed model is the focus of the study. The proposed model significant arises from the fact that currently there are limited numbers of models that help organizations in becoming agile entities. The characteristics in this study were based on Worley and Lawler (2010) “Agility and Organization Design: A Diagnostic Framework”. The study conducted a survey utilizing an instrument developed by Dr. Worley and Dr. Lawler that contains 15 agility characteristics. The survey uses all 15 characteristics to determine if the organization is agile. In addition, the study utilizes three of the 15 agility characteristics to determent if a relationship occurs between the study variables. This quantitative study examined the relationship between change capability, learning capability, shared leadership and organizational agility. Moreover, understanding these relationships could assist scholars and practitioners in producing change programs that emphasize certain behaviors that make an organization agile. The study surveyed 116 participants and found that focusing on change capability, learning capability and shared leadership could contribute in creating agile organizations. Consequently, after evaluating the study results, a new agility model emerged. This model shows that organizations can achieve agility by developing change capability, learning capability, shared leadership, shared purpose and flexible resources. Ultimately, achieving agility could help organizations compete and endure now and the future

Lessons from the Allegheny Bankruptcy

On July 21, 1998, the nonprofit Allegheny Health, Education, and Research Foundation (AHERF) filed for bankruptcy, with $1.3 billion in debt and 65,000 creditors. The Pittsburgh-based organization had pursued an aggressive strategy of acquiring physicians and hospitals in the Philadelphia area. Its dramatic collapse prompted the entry of a for-profit hospital chain into the Philadelphia market, as Tenet Healthcare Corp. purchased eight hospitals from AHERF at firesale prices. This Issue Brief chronicles the hows and whys of the nation’s largest nonprofit health care failure, and analyzes its lessons for other struggling academic health centers

DESIGNING FOR KNOWLEDGE CREATION WORK:

Designing approaches to support knowledge intensive work has been documented to be critical and costly. Research has shown that knowledge workers frequently evaluate such efforts as missing the mark. They are too often left without the help they need for constructing knowledge-based solutions. Knowledge workers point to failures not so much in accessing topically-perfect-information but rather to communication gaps, such as practices and knowledge interactions that do not address work demands and knowing needs in complex, changing, and sometimes elusive situations. This research used an interviewing approach informed by Dervin's Sense-Making Methodology. The aim was to allow digging deeply to understand hidden depths of knowing practices that rarely have come to light in user studies. The ultimate aim is to design knowledge interactions and practices that support complex knowledge creation anchored to knowledge worker’s knowing practices and to the situationality of these practices. The purpose of this paper is to present an exemplar study focusing on the challenges of doing user research in such a way that it usefully informs the design of knowledge supportive practices and interactions intended for use in complex knowledge creation work in the for-profit context. Dervin’s Sense-Making Methodology is presented as an alternative and more powerful approach to studying knowledge creation work in organizational contexts.Designing approaches to support knowledge intensive work has been documented to be critical and costly. Research has shown that knowledge workers frequently evaluate such efforts as missing the mark. They are too often left without the help they need for constructing knowledge-based solutions. Knowledge workers point to failures not so much in accessing topically-perfect-information but rather to communication gaps, such as practices and knowledge interactions that do not address work demands and knowing needs in complex, changing, and sometimes elusive situations. This research used an interviewing approach informed by Dervin's Sense-Making Methodology. The aim was to allow digging deeply to understand hidden depths of knowing practices that rarely have come to light in user studies. The ultimate aim is to design knowledge interactions and practices that support complex knowledge creation anchored to knowledge worker’s knowing practices and to the situationality of these practices. The purpose of this paper is to present an exemplar study focusing on the challenges of doing user research in such a way that it usefully informs the design of knowledge supportive practices and interactions intended for use in complex knowledge creation work in the for-profit context. Dervin’s Sense-Making Methodology is presented as an alternative and more powerful approach to studying knowledge creation work in organizational contexts

DESIGNING FOR KNOWLEDGE CREATION WORK:

Designing approaches to support knowledge intensive work has been documented to be critical and costly. Research has shown that knowledge workers frequently evaluate such efforts as missing the mark. They are too often left without the help they need for constructing knowledge-based solutions. Knowledge workers point to failures not so much in accessing topically-perfect-information but rather to communication gaps, such as practices and knowledge interactions that do not address work demands and knowing needs in complex, changing, and sometimes elusive situations. This research used an interviewing approach informed by Dervin's Sense-Making Methodology. The aim was to allow digging deeply to understand hidden depths of knowing practices that rarely have come to light in user studies. The ultimate aim is to design knowledge interactions and practices that support complex knowledge creation anchored to knowledge worker’s knowing practices and to the situationality of these practices. The purpose of this paper is to present an exemplar study focusing on the challenges of doing user research in such a way that it usefully informs the design of knowledge supportive practices and interactions intended for use in complex knowledge creation work in the for-profit context. Dervin’s Sense-Making Methodology is presented as an alternative and more powerful approach to studying knowledge creation work in organizational contexts.Designing approaches to support knowledge intensive work has been documented to be critical and costly. Research has shown that knowledge workers frequently evaluate such efforts as missing the mark. They are too often left without the help they need for constructing knowledge-based solutions. Knowledge workers point to failures not so much in accessing topically-perfect-information but rather to communication gaps, such as practices and knowledge interactions that do not address work demands and knowing needs in complex, changing, and sometimes elusive situations. This research used an interviewing approach informed by Dervin's Sense-Making Methodology. The aim was to allow digging deeply to understand hidden depths of knowing practices that rarely have come to light in user studies. The ultimate aim is to design knowledge interactions and practices that support complex knowledge creation anchored to knowledge worker’s knowing practices and to the situationality of these practices. The purpose of this paper is to present an exemplar study focusing on the challenges of doing user research in such a way that it usefully informs the design of knowledge supportive practices and interactions intended for use in complex knowledge creation work in the for-profit context. Dervin’s Sense-Making Methodology is presented as an alternative and more powerful approach to studying knowledge creation work in organizational contexts

Shared Leadership: A Social Network Analysis

Current leadership theory and research has centered on the attributes, behaviors, and relationships of a single leader. However, researchers now recognize the team as an alternative source of leadership. Theories of shared leadership propose that leadership is a process that can be shared among team members, and that this behavior is beneficial to team performance. The purpose of this study was not only to examine the performance benefits of shared leadership, but also to explore factors that may facilitate its development. Moreover, a social network analysis was used to measure the distribution of leadership among team members and the degree of leadership within the team, providing a richer source of information about shared leadership than the more traditionally used aggregation measurement approach. Results indicated that intragroup trust was a key predictor of both dimensions of shared leadership, which were positively related to team effectiveness. Moreover, the interaction between the two dimensions of shared leadership was significantly related to team viability. However, contrary to expectations, the direction of this interaction suggested that the distribution of leadership within the team was more strongly positively related to team viability when the degree of leadership was low rather than high. These empirical findings are among the first on the relatively new concept of shared leadership, and they draw attention to the need for further research to more fully understand the causes and consequences of shared leadership and its measurement

Identifying Levels of Engagement in Local Food Systems by Generation in the State of Georgia, U.S.A.

Local food systems are an emerging way for communities to build vibrant economies, improve health outcomes, and limit their environmental impact. Studies have shown local food engagement differs significantly between generations; however, what remains unclear is how generations’ perceptions and engagement compare to each other so the agricultural community can most effectively communicate about local food systems. Leveraging audience segmentation theory from social marketing, this study sought to address how the five living generations in the United States – Generation Z, Millennials, Generation X, Baby Boomers, and The Silent Generation – perceived and engaged with local food systems. To address this question, a non-probability opt-in sampling of 863 adults in the state of Georgia was used. Each participant was asked four questions pertaining to different aspects of local food systems – the purchase of local foods from grocery stores, use of local food markets, participation in local food events, and level of engagement with local food related media. Millennials and Generation X’ers expressed significantly higher levels of engagement with local food systems when compared to Baby Boomers and The Silent Generation, this was not observed between Generation Z and any other group. While Millennials and X’ers engaged at higher levels, significant opportunities remain for engagement through generation-specific media to turn the universal tepid interest in local food systems into action. Future research should seek to identify the relationship between generational media preferences and how effective they are at transforming interest in local food systems into action

Timber Talk, Vol. 45, No. 4, November 1, 2007

Lumber Market News ; Hardwood Lumber Price Trends—Green; Hardwood Lumber Price Trends—Kiln Dried; 2007 Tax Tips for Forest Landowners; What If...Chinese State-owned Companies Started Buying U.S. Forest Products Companies, or U.S. Timber Lands? It Might Not Be Too Far-fetched; Moisture Meters – the “Whys” and “Hows” of Establishing The True Moisture Content of Wood; You Know You Are Living in 2007 When... ; The Trading Post; Timber Sales

Preparing for the 21st century economy.

After 30 years of university teaching and almost five years as a Reserve Bank president, Anthony M. Santomero knows the importance of education to a well-functioning economy. In recent years, he has seen several broad, long-term trends emerge-trends that will undoubtedly shape our environment and our economic fortunes. In "Preparing for the 21st Century Economy," he talks about two trends he deems to be of particular importance. First is the steady increase in international trade that has spilled over from the second half of the 20th century into the new millennium. Second is the revolution in information and communications technology that has spurred productivity and spawned a need for knowledge workers.International trade ; Information technology ; Education - Economic aspects