Executive Effectiveness Profile Instrument Development and Validation

As executives ascend in organizational structures, they become less likely to receive objective feedback from superiors, peers, and subordinates regarding the effects of their behavior within their organizations. This loss of feedback can contribute to perceptual blind spots within the executives. Such blind spots and their ensuing negative consequences have been found to be a major cause of executive derailment. Despite the enormous value of feedback, there is a paucity of proven methodologies for providing executives with constructive feedback on the effectiveness of their behavior. Consequently, the objective of this research was to design and validate an instrument that measures the perceived effectiveness of an executive\u27s behavior, as judged by the executive\u27s superiors, direct subordinates, and key peers. The instrument was constructed around a composite definition of executive effectiveness supported by a wide body of accepted theory and empirical studies. Face validity was established through the verification of the relevancy of the items to executive effectiveness. Reliability was established through the test-retest method. The instrument was evaluated for item clarity and clarity of directions by a pilot group of 10 executives from a San Diego manufacturing company. An experimental group of 50 executives from various business organizations participated in a line item face validity study. A second experimental group of 100 executives, including the 50 executives from the first experimental group, participated in a test-retest reliability study. The coefficient of stability was found to be statistically significant. The instrument\u27s instructions, scoring, and administration procedures were standardized, in summary, a valid and reliable instrument for measuring perceived executive effectiveness was developed

The effects of a modest dose of alcohol on executive functioning and prospective memory

Rationale Acute alcohol intoxication selectively impairs executive functioning and prospective memory (PM). Much previous researches in this area have used laboratory-based tasks that may not mimic functions that individuals with dysexecutive syndrome have problems with in their everyday life. The present study aimed to assess the effects of a modest dose of alcohol on executive functioning and PM using a virtual reality task and investigate the role of executive planning in PM performance. Methods Forty healthy participants were administered 0.4 g/kg alcohol or matched placebo in a double-blind design. Executive function and PM were assessed using the Jansari–Agnew–Akesson–Murphy (JAAM) task, requiring participants to play the role of an office worker. Results Alcohol intoxication selectively impaired executive function and PM. The participants in the alcohol condition performed worse on the planning, prioritisation, creativity and adaptability executive subscales and also on the time-based and event-based PM tasks. However, alcohol did not impair the selection executive function task or the action-based PM task. Conclusions The results provide further support for the effects of alcohol on executive functioning and PM. In addition, the results suggest that such deficits may be present at relatively modest doses of alcohol and in the absence of a subjective feeling of intoxication Keywords: alcohol; executive functioning; prospective memory; virtual reality; memor

'This is what democracy looks like' : New Labour's blind spot and peripheral vision

New Labour in government since 1997 has been roundly criticized for not possessing a clear, coherent and consistent democratic vision. The absence of such a grand vision has resulted, from this critical perspective, in an absence of 'joined-up' thinking about democracy in an evolving multi-level state. Tensions have been all too apparent between the government's desire to exert central direction - manifested in its most pathological form as 'control freakery' - and its democratising initiatives derived from 'third-way' obsessions with 'decentralising', 'empowering' and 'enabling'. The purpose of this article is to examine why New Labour displayed such apparently impaired democratic vision and why it appeared incapable of conceiving of democratic reform 'in the round'. This article seeks to explain these apparent paradoxes, however, through utilising the notion of 'macular degeneration'. In this analysis, the perceived democratic blind spot of New Labour at Westminster is connected to a democratic peripheral vision, which has envisaged innovative participatory and decentred initiatives in governance beyond Westminster

A randomized controlled trial of assisted intention monitoring for the rehabilitation of executive impairments following acquired brain injury

Background. Acquired brain injury (ABI) can impair executive function, impeding planning and attainment of intentions. Research shows promise for some goal-management rehabilitation interventions. However, evidence that alerts assist monitoring and completion of day-to-day intentions is limited. Objective. To examine the efficacy of brief goal-directed rehabilitation paired with periodic SMS text messages designed to enhance executive monitoring of intentions (assisted intention monitoring [AIM]). Methods. A randomized, double-blind, controlled trial was conducted. Following a baseline phase, 74 people with ABI and executive problems were randomized to receive AIM or control (information and games) for 3 weeks (phase 1) before crossing over to either AIM or no intervention (phase 2). The primary outcome was change in composite score of proportion of daily intentions achieved. A total of 59 people (71% male; 46% traumatic brain injury) completed all study phases. Results. Per protocol crossover analysis found a significant benefit of AIM for all intentions [F(1, 56) = 4.28; P = .04; f = 0.28; 3.7% mean difference; 95% CI = 0.1%-7.4%] and all intentions excluding a proxy prospective memory task [F(1, 55) = 4.79; P = .033; f = 0.28, medium effect size; 3% mean difference; 95% CI = 0.3%-5.6%] in the absence of significant changes on tests of executive functioning. Intention-to-treat analyses, comparing AIM against control at the end of phase 1 revealed no statistically significant differences in the attainment of intentions. Conclusion. Combining brief executive rehabilitation with alerts may be effective for some in improving achievement of daily intentions, but further evaluation of clinical effectiveness and mechanisms is required

Reproducibility of cognitive endpoints in clinical trials: Lessons from neurofibromatosis type 1

OBJECTIVE: Rapid developments in understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying cognitive deficits in neurodevelopmental disorders have increased expectations for targeted, mechanism-based treatments. However, translation from preclinical models to human clinical trials has proven challenging. Poor reproducibility of cognitive endpoints may provide one explanation for this finding. We examined the suitability of cognitive outcomes for clinical trials in children with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) by examining test-retest reliability of the measures and the application of data reduction techniques to improve reproducibility. METHODS: Data were analyzed from the STARS clinical trial (n = 146), a multi-center double-blind placebo-controlled phase II trial of lovastatin, conducted by the NF Clinical Trials Consortium. Intra-class correlation coefficients were generated between pre- and post-performances (16-week interval) on neuropsychological endpoints in the placebo group to determine test-retest reliabilities. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to reduce data into cognitive domains and account for measurement error. RESULTS: Test-retest reliabilities were highly variable, with most endpoints demonstrating unacceptably low reproducibility. Data reduction confirmed four distinct neuropsychological domains: executive functioning/attention, visuospatial ability, memory, and behavior. Test-retest reliabilities of latent factors improved to acceptable levels for clinical trials. Applicability and utility of our model was demonstrated by homogeneous effect sizes in the reanalyzed efficacy data. INTERPRETATION: These data demonstrate that single observed endpoints are not appropriate to determine efficacy, partly accounting for the poor test-retest reliability of cognitive outcomes in clinical trials in neurodevelopmental disorders. Recommendations to improve reproducibility are outlined to guide future trial design