Understanding the Influence of Team Climate on IT Use

This article contributes to the technology acceptance literature by providing an enriched understanding about how team climate for innovation affects end users’ IT use. Empirical data collected from 103 physicians shows that team climate significantly affects the use of a computerized physician order entry system through the mediation of performance expectancy and facilitating conditions. Team climate also affects users’ subjective norm, yet subjective norm is not found to have a significant impact on IT use. Our findings confirm the importance of user’s’ proximal social network in voluntary settings, demonstrating that team climate influences IT use behaviors by changing users’ cognitive perceptions rather than their normative beliefs

Climate Change and Farm Use of Weather Information

More rapid than normal global climate change as represented by rising temperatures and more erratic and severe weather events have heightened the interest in how farmers use weather information. The greenhouse influence through driving climate change will likely be affecting agricultural efforts for some years to come. It behooves us to pay attention to this phenomenon, and especially put effort into understanding how farmers will respond to information about climate generally and forecasts in particular. This research is being funded by the U.S. Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. To address this issue farmers were surveyed in three major agroecological zones representing 1) a western Corn Belt, rainfed corn-soybean regime, 2) a central Great Plains irrigated corn-soybean regime, and 3) a central Great Plains irrigated continuous corn regime. Each of these zones is represented in three counties in eastern Nebraska. To better reflect farmers' weather related needs and issues, focus groups were held in each county to engage farmers in helping the researchers to design the survey instrument. The fact we used focus groups added an intriguing flavor to the study. Between 15-20 farmers in each zone were involved. These farmers were paid $25 for a 2-hour session that culminated in a provided lunch. Each session was also videotaped, providing the opportunity for all members of the research team to see the results of the event (in that only 3-4 members of the larger multidisciplinary research team were allowed to attend an event, due to concerns over affecting farmer responses). The focus was on the farmers' reactions to a series of questions prepared beforehand by the research team, all of which stirred lively dialogue on how farmers actually use weather information. The result was a substantially improved questionnaire. We also sent drafts back to farmer participants for final reviews, and subsequent adjustments were then made reflecting the way they used the words and understood the survey questions. The qualitative data from the focus group events ultimately influenced not only the way questions were asked but also how the modeling is done, and, especially, how the model results are interpreted. A total of 2211 questionnaires were sent, in two separate mailings. There was also a follow-up reminder card. Farmers were offered a payment of$25 to return the questionnaire. A total of 28% took the offer and the overall return rate was 33%, with 698 usable questionnaires in the econometric analysis. A distinctive aspect of this study is the fact that the research team involves active participation not only by agricultural economists but also by a psychologist and a social psychologist, as well as two meteorologists, and an agronomist (who is also a GIS specialist). The result is a nontraditional behavioral economics approach that is sensitive to the climate and agronomic realities faced by farmers in these zones. This approach has a unique two-fold feature; first, it puts special attention on underlying motives, and second, asks whether there may be a complex expression of both private (self) and public (other, community) interest in how forecasts influence farm level decisions. Yet, the modeling still reflects standard derived demand theory and the general expectancy-value or subjective utility perspective, i.e. that farmers have beliefs about fact events and values relating to the outcomes from those events, and that the demand for weather information is derived from the value (profit, sense of well-being, risk-reducing value) it produces for them. The beliefs represent probability statements about outcomes and the values represent the utility or profit related transformations of meaning about the farmer perceptions of the outcomes. The econometric analysis uses proxy measures of the expectancy-value as independent measures, along with such variables as financial capability of the farmer as represented in farm sales, to explain in a Tobit kind of framework 1) the probability of applying weather forecast information since it influences farm level decision(s), and 2) the extent to which this forecast information is influencing these decision(s). The set of four Tobit models in Table 1 test the influence of recent past and current experience (RPE), short (STF) and long-term forecasts (LTF) on 1) agronomic (e.g. selecting the crop type, spraying), 2) insurance, and 3) marketing decisions, within recent past experience/short-term and long-term forecasts. To test the models, we created four indices represented in balance (joint and nonseparable ratio of public (other) to private (self) interests); attitude as a construct of personal belief and value system, influence of social norms, household and community members, county extension, etc; farmers' need for internal control over crop production; and farm sales representing financial limitations. Preliminary analyses suggest that all the farm decisions are influenced by weather forecast information at a different intensity (Table 1). The probability of that influence increases with balance, as the farmer puts more effort into pursuing the self over the community interests. Influence of others and social norms intensify the use of weather information in the decisions as well. Those who want more control over the farm are likely to be more influenced by weather forecasts. Finally, influence of weather forecasts becomes greater as gross farm income (sales) increases. Other intriguing interpretations are suggested by the changes in the size of the parameter elasticities and marginal effects3, e.g. the control parameter is substantively smaller in the insurance decision, which suggests farmers see insurance as offsetting the need for more control over their decisions. As another example, the balance in private and public interests is less significant and less a factor in the very personal, private marketing decision in contrast to "how one farms" (which is likely more sensitive to community scrutiny) in the agronomic decisions. The larger paper explores these refinements in greater detail. Table 1. Intensity of Weather Forecast Influence on Farm Decisions. Variables Agronomy (Cur. Rec. Past Exp. & Short term forecasts) decisions Agronomy (Long Term Forecasts) decisions E1 E 2 ME 1 ME 2 E 1 E 2 ME 1 ME 2 Balance -.37b -.37b -1.109b -.012b -.23a -.24a -.637a -.0202a Attitude .62c .62c .495c .0052c .71c .72c .560c .0178c Norms .12c .12c .153c .0016c .09b .09b .102b .0032b PBC .15c .15c .157c .0017c .19c .19c .178c .0056c Farm Sale .07b .07b .086b .0009b .02 .02 .024 .0008 Easting .06b .06b -2.2E-6b -2.3E-8b -.01 -.01 3.7E-7 1.2E-8 Insurance decisions Marketing decisions Balance -.12 -.13 -.247 -.033 -.29a -.29a -.779a -.040a Attitude .93c .98c .674c .089c .58c .59c .486c .025c PBC .07 .07 .048 .006 .13b .13b .119b .006b Farm Sale .18c .19c .164c .022c .20c .20c .238c .012c Notes: Dependent variable is the degree of influence of climate and weather information and forecasts. a p<0.10, b p<0.05, c p<0.001. 3 E1 is the elasticity at the mean that represents the percentage change in the probability that the weather and climate forecast and information influences decisions at all, and; E2 is the elasticity at the mean for those who are being influenced, the percentage change in the degree of influence. ME1 is the effect of the expected value for the weather and climate already influenced farmers; ME2 is the effect of the probability of being influenced by climate and weather information (elasticity of influence).Farm Management,

The Psychosocial Work Environment, Employee Mental Health and Organizational Interventions: Improving Research and Practice by Taking a Multilevel Approach

Although there have been several calls for incorporating multiple levels of analysis in employee health and wellbeing research, studies examining the interplay between individual, workgroup, organizational and broader societal factors in relation to employee mental health outcomes remain an exception rather than the norm. At the same time, organizational intervention research and practice also tends to be limited by a single-level focus, omitting potentially important influences at multiple levels of analysis. The aims of this conceptual paper are to help progress our understanding of work-related determinants of employee mental health by: (i) providing a rationale for routine multilevel assessment of the psychosocial work environment; (ii) discussing how a multilevel perspective can improve related organizational interventions and (iii) highlighting key theoretical and methodological considerations relevant to these aims. We present five recommendations for future research, relating to using appropriate multilevel research designs, justifying group level constructs, developing group-level measures, expanding investigations to the organizational level, and developing multilevel approaches to intervention design, implementation and evaluation

The social life of the novel idea: What did social psychologists ever do for us?

Purpose - The paper presents the extant literature relating to the social processes of innovation in built environment design teams. The paper connects the relevant and significant work in the field of Social Psychology and Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) to derive a theoretical framework which can be used to direct further research, towards development of the behavioural facet of design management. Design/methodology/approach - First, we establish which aspects of social processes of innovation are already present within the AEC field and examine concepts/ideas in Social Psychology that are likely to be important in understanding group processes within AEC, applying three emergent themes of 1) social climate; 2) risk attitudes and 3) motivation and reward. Second, we identify which elements of Social Psychology may be used to expand, consolidate and develop our understanding and identify gaps in AEC specific knowledge. Findings - The paper suggests that whilst the AEC literature has supplanted some key elements of Social Psychology, this discipline offers a further and significant theoretical resource. However, whilst some aspects of social climate and motivation/reward are well-represented in the AEC field, these have not yet been fully explored. Furthermore, how collective attitudes to risk can influence design decision-making is identified as having a limited presence. Originality/value - This paper is the first to bring together the two disciplines of AEC and Social Psychology to examine the social aspects of innovative design performance in built environment teams. The paper fulfils an identified need to examine the social processes that influence innovative design performance in constructio

Fostering Critical Thinking about Climate Change: Applying Community Psychology to an Environmental Education Project with Youth

This article argues for the participation of community psychology in issues of global climate change. The knowledge accumulated and experience gained in the discipline of community psychology have great relevance to many topics related to the environment. Practitioners of community psychology could therefore make significant contributions to climate change mitigation. To illustrate this assertion, we describe an education project conducted with youth engaged in a community-based environmental organization. This initiative was motivated by the idea that engaged and critically aware youth often become change agents for social movements. Towards this purpose, rather than using mass marketing strategies to motivate small behavior changes, this project focused intensively on a few youth with the vision that these youth would also influence those around them to rethink their environmental habits. This project was influenced by five community psychology concepts: stakeholder participation, ecological and systems thinking, social justice, praxis, and empirical grounding. In this article we discuss the influence of these concepts on the project’s outcomes, as measured through an evaluative study conducted to assess the impacts of the project on the participating youth in terms of their thinking and action. The contributions of community psychology were found to have greatly impacted the quality of the project and the outcomes experienced by the youth

Fostering implementation of health services research findings into practice: a consolidated framework for advancing implementation science

Abstract Background Many interventions found to be effective in health services research studies fail to translate into meaningful patient care outcomes across multiple contexts. Health services researchers recognize the need to evaluate not only summative outcomes but also formative outcomes to assess the extent to which implementation is effective in a specific setting, prolongs sustainability, and promotes dissemination into other settings. Many implementation theories have been published to help promote effective implementation. However, they overlap considerably in the constructs included in individual theories, and a comparison of theories reveals that each is missing important constructs included in other theories. In addition, terminology and definitions are not consistent across theories. We describe the Consolidated Framework For Implementation Research (CFIR) that offers an overarching typology to promote implementation theory development and verification about what works where and why across multiple contexts. Methods We used a snowball sampling approach to identify published theories that were evaluated to identify constructs based on strength of conceptual or empirical support for influence on implementation, consistency in definitions, alignment with our own findings, and potential for measurement. We combined constructs across published theories that had different labels but were redundant or overlapping in definition, and we parsed apart constructs that conflated underlying concepts. Results The CFIR is composed of five major domains: intervention characteristics, outer setting, inner setting, characteristics of the individuals involved, and the process of implementation. Eight constructs were identified related to the intervention (e.g., evidence strength and quality), four constructs were identified related to outer setting (e.g., patient needs and resources), 12 constructs were identified related to inner setting (e.g., culture, leadership engagement), five constructs were identified related to individual characteristics, and eight constructs were identified related to process (e.g., plan, evaluate, and reflect). We present explicit definitions for each construct. Conclusion The CFIR provides a pragmatic structure for approaching complex, interacting, multi-level, and transient states of constructs in the real world by embracing, consolidating, and unifying key constructs from published implementation theories. It can be used to guide formative evaluations and build the implementation knowledge base across multiple studies and settings.http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/78272/1/1748-5908-4-50.xmlhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/78272/2/1748-5908-4-50-S1.PDFhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/78272/3/1748-5908-4-50-S3.PDFhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/78272/4/1748-5908-4-50-S4.PDFhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/78272/5/1748-5908-4-50.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/78272/6/1748-5908-4-50-S2.PDFPeer Reviewe

From ‘motivational climate’ to ‘motivational atmosphere’: a review of research examining the social and environmental influences on athlete motivation in sport

This chapter is intended to provide a comprehensive review of the various theories of social and environmental factors that influence athletes’ motivation in sport. In order to achieve this, a short historical review is conducted of the various ways in which motivation has been studied over the past 100 years, culminating in the ‘social-cognitive’ approach that undergirds several of the current theories of motivation in sport. As an outcome of this brief review, the conceptualisation and measurement of motivation are discussed, with a focus on the manner in which motivation may be influenced by key social agents in sport, such as coaches, parents and peers. This discussion leads to a review of Deci & Ryan’s (2000) self-determination theory (SDT), which specifies that environments and contexts which support basic psychological needs (competence, relatedness and autonomy) will produce higher quality motivation than environments which frustrate of exacerbate these needs. The research establishing the ways in which key social agents can support these basic needs is then reviewed, and the review depicts a situation wherein SDT has precipitated a way of studying the socio-environmental influences on motivation that has become quite piecemeal and fragmented. Following this, the motivational climate approach (Ames, 1992) specified in achievement-goals theory (AGT – Nicholls, 1989) is also reviewed. This section reveals a body of research which is highly consistent in its methodology and findings. The following two sections reflect recent debates regarding the nature of achievement goals and the way they are conceptualised (e.g., approach-avoidance goals and social goals), and the implications of this for motivational climate research are discussed. This leads to a section reviewing the current issues and concerns in the study of social and environmental influences on athlete motivation. Finally, future research directions and ideas are proposed to facilitate, precipitate and guide further research into the social and environmental influences on athlete motivation in sport. Recent studies that have attempted to address these issues are reviewed and their contribution is assessed

Creating Low-carbon Communities: Evaluating the Role of Individual Agency and Systemic Inequality in San Jose, CA

Following a scholarly need to test compelling community level sociodemographic representations of environmental behaviors and outcomes, a sequential mixed method approach was used to evaluate the connections of human agency and systemic inequalities with carbon footprints. Statistical analyses of the 2016 SDG San Jose Dashboard data of city blocks and 2009 - 2013 ACS survey data were supplemented with interviews with eight climate action-oriented community engagement professionals in the South Bay. Boundary limiting socioeconomic conditions for systemic inequalities and human agency, dimensions of Gidden’s Structuration model, were specified. Partially supporting structural inequality theories, socioeconomic resources, primarily, and to a lesser extent dominant race concentration, were associated with larger carbon footprints, particularly when wealth was concentrated. Both human (time driven alone) and demographic (senior and mid-aged blocks) agencies were also in part at play in shrinking or even enlarging carbon footprints, in wealthier communities. These findings not only contributed to the literature on climate action, but also highlighted the need for targeted interventions in communities of different socioeconomic standing

Peer-Created Motivational Climate

Learning Objectives On completion of this chapter, the reader should have 1. understanding of the importance of studying perceptions of the peer motivational climate in youth sport; 2. knowledge of how young athletes perceive different facets of the peer motivational climate; 3. capacity to describe the relationship of different dimensions of the peer motivational climate to young athletes’ motivational indices; 4. awareness of future research directions that aim to enhance our understanding of the antecedents and consequences of the peer motivational climate; and 5. knowledge of appropriate guidelines for building a task-involving peer motivational climate

Variability Within Organizations: Implications for Strategic Human Resource Management

[Excerpt] Strategic human resource management refers to the pattern of planned human resource deployments and activities intended to enable an organization to achieve its goals (Wright & McMahan, 1992). It involves all of the activities that are implemented by an organization to affect the behavior of individuals in an effort to implement the strategic needs of a business. Over the last decade or so, the field of strategic human resource management has witnessed a progression through a number of stages, including a) initial excitement and energy around the convincing argument that HR practices should be considered as a system that, when implemented appropriately, can enhance organizational performance; b) empirical tests of this argument, and c) critiques of the growing field accompanied by propositions for how thinking on the topic can be expanded and improved. Of the critiques that have been levied at the field, the most common contend that the “black box” through which HRM practices are thought to impact organizational performance remains insufficiently specified. Less common, but no less valuable, are critiques surrounding the conceptualization and measurement of fit or alignment, and the need to identify the boundary conditions that influence the effectiveness of “high performance” HRM systems. Even more critiques and proposed theoretical extensions to the field are likely, as it is through such endeavors that we will improve upon and advance our science (cf. Reichers & Schneider, 1990). In this chapter, we introduce and discuss another potential critique of the SHRM field, and, in so doing, hope to illuminate a number of important research questions for the future. In particular, we are concerned with the lack of attention which has been paid to variability within SHRM research. By variability we mean variability at all relevant levels of analysis, but particularly variability within organizations (i.e., individual and group levels). It is our contention that by failing to examine the potential role of variability in SHRM research, we miss a very interesting and important part of the picture