The Micro-political nature of implementing, supporting and coping with organisational change in a professional football club academy

Aim: To investigate the experiences of individuals employed within the academy of a professional football club during a period of organisational change. Key Research Questions: RQ1: How does organisational change impact individual’s day-to-day working practices? RQ2: How do individuals make sense of their actions and behaviours and the actions and behaviours of others during organisational change, and why? RQ3: What impact does organisational change have on the professional working relationships between individuals? Theoretical Background & Literature Review: Investigations into organisational change in sport have only recently received scholarly attention (Welty Peachey & Bruening, 2012). Indeed, professional football, in particular, is dependent on consistent success, with the environment in which employees have to practice characterised by significant change (Wagstaff, Gilmore & Thelwell, 2016). Consequently, investigations into understanding organisational change within professional football appear warranted. From a theoretical perspective, micro-politics has been advocated as a useful framework to understand organisational life within a variety of domains (Gibson & Groom, 2018). Furthermore, previous research (i.e. Munyon et al., 2015) has portrayed the political nature of organisational life and the political skill required by employees to effectively work within and survive in such environments. However, investigations into the micro-political nature of implementing, managing and coping with organisational change in professional football is lacking (Gibson & Groom, 2018). Methodology: Gibson and Groom (2018) have called for in-depth, contextually sensitive methodological approaches to understand organisational change. Such methodological approaches may provide a comparative, relational understanding of interactions within the football environment. In light of the above, an interpretivist approach was adopted to allow for a platform to explore and understand how individuals interpret and make sense of the interrelated, micro-political nature of organisational change in the academy of a professional football club. Data Collection: Following institutional ethical approval, data were collected at the case study site (Alder Football Club) using semi-structured interviews (n=16) with a recently employed Head of Professional Development Phase, a recently promoted Academy Manager, a Head of Foundation Phase, and an Academy Coach, ranging from 60-90 minutes each in length. In addition, ethnographic observational data were collected over three seasons by the primary researcher who was employed as the Under 16’s Academy Coach at Alder Football Club. Ethnographic observational data consisted of field notes, informal and formal meetings, in-house coach development sessions, player assessment evenings, academy training sessions and academy fixtures. Data Analysis: All interview and ethnographic data were subject to a process of thematic analysis using QSR NVIVO 11. A micro-political theoretical framework was used to guide the analysis of all data sets through an iterative process. Specifically, notions of vulnerability, professional self-interests, micro-political literacy (Kelchtermans, 1996, 2005) and social group identity were included in the framework. Findings: Findings highlighted the micro-political nature of changes being made to the image, branding and identity of Alder FC following the appointment of a new Chairman, Board of Directors and 1st Team Manager. Specifically, the creation of a new vision and strategy for Alder FC, aimed at portraying the club’s commitment to developing young players through the academy, evidenced the vulnerable nature of implementing and coping with the changes being made and the micro-political nature of successfully responding to the changes being made. Specifically, issues around increased scrutiny from senior colleagues, both increased and decreased feelings of vulnerability (dependent on the individual’s place within the organisational structure), staff turnover, moral conflict, the construction and destruction of professional working relationships, and the creation of a social group identity designed to support the successful implementation of change became pertinent during the change process at Alder FC. Conclusion: This study is the first to provide novel empirical and theoretical insights into the role that micro-political literacy, micro-political action and employment vulnerability play during periods of organisational change. In considering the applied nature of the findings; individuals tasked with implementing organisational change should consider the role that ‘identity’ plays from an organisational (identity of the football club) and a group (identity of the department i.e. 1st team or academy) perspective. From a departmental perspective, the construction of a social group identity can enhance collaboration, inform decision-making and decrease the potential for conflict amongst employees. However, it must be noted that individual identities of employees must also be congruent with the social group identity of the department. Such findings may be utilised to inform the education and development of practitioners tasked with both implementing and supporting organisational change in professional football

Nonperturbative electron-ion scattering theory incorporating the Møller interaction

We present the first calculations that investigate the effects of both the Møller interaction and close-coupling in the calculation of electron-impact excitation cross sections. Electron scattering from U 91+ is used as a test case. The RCCC method is nonperturbative and we emphasise the restrictions and subsequent limitations associated with employing the Møller interaction in the RCCC method

Photoreceptors generate neuronal diversity in their target field through a Hedgehog morphogen gradient in Drosophila

Defining the origin of neuronal diversity is a major challenge in developmental neurobiology. The Drosophila visual system is an excellent paradigm to study how cellular diversity is generated. Photoreceptors from the eye disc grow their axons into the optic lobe and secrete Hedgehog (Hh) to induce the lamina, such that for every unit eye there is a corresponding lamina unit made up of post-mitotic precursors stacked into columns. Each differentiated column contains five lamina neuron types (L1-L5), making it the simplest neuropil in the optic lobe, yet how this diversity is generated was unknown. Here, we found that Hh pathway activity is graded along the distal-proximal axis of lamina columns and further determined that this gradient in pathway activity arises from a gradient of Hh ligand. We manipulated Hh pathway activity cell-autonomously in lamina precursors and non-cell autonomously by inactivating the Hh ligand, and by knocking it down in photoreceptors. These manipulations showed that different thresholds of activity specify unique cell identities, with more proximal cell types specified in response to progressively lower Hh levels. Thus, our data establish that Hh acts as a morphogen to pattern the lamina. Although, this is the first such report during Drosophila nervous system development, our work uncovers a remarkable similarity with the vertebrate neural tube, which is patterned by Sonic Hedgehog. Altogether, we show that differentiating neurons can regulate the neuronal diversity of their distant target fields through morphogen gradients

Nerve excitability changes in critical illness polyneuropathy

Patients in intensive care units frequently suffer muscle weakness and atrophy due to critical illness polyneuropathy (CIP), an axonal neuropathy associated with systemic inflammatory response syndrome and multiple organ failure. CIP is a frequent and serious complication of intensive care that delays weaning from mechanical ventilation and increases mortality. The pathogenesis of CIP is not well understood and no specific therapy is available. The aim of this project was to use nerve excitability testing to investigate the changes in axonal membrane properties occurring in CIP. Ten patients (aged 37-76 years; 7 males, 3 females) were studied with electrophysiologically proven CIP. The median nerve was stimulated at the wrist and compound action potentials were recorded from abductor pollicis brevis muscle. Strength-duration time constant, threshold electrotonus, current-threshold relationship and recovery cycle (refractoriness, superexcitability and late subexcitability) were recorded using a recently described protocol. In eight patients a follow-up investigation was performed. All patients underwent clinical examination and laboratory investigations. Compared with age-matched normal controls (20 subjects; aged 38-79 years; 7 males, 13 females), CIP patients exhibited reduced superexcitability at 7 ms, from −22.3 ± 1.6% to −7.6 ± 3.1% (mean ± SE, P ≈ 0.0001) and increased accommodation to depolarizing (P < 0.01) and hyperpolarizing currents (P < 0.01), indicating membrane depolarization. Superexcitability was reduced both in patients with renal failure and without renal failure. In the former, superexcitability correlated with serum potassium (R = 0.88), and late subexcitability was also reduced (as also occurs owing to hyperkalaemia in patients with chronic renal failure). In patients without renal failure, late subexcitability was normal, and the signs of membrane depolarization correlated with raised serum bicarbonate and base excess, indicating compensated respiratory acidosis. It is inferred that motor axons in these CIP patients are depolarized, in part because of raised extracellular potassium, and in part because of hypoperfusion. The chronic membrane depolarization may contribute to the development of neuropath

In vivo assessment of interictal sarcolemmal membrane properties in hypokalaemic and hyperkalaemic periodic paralysis

OBJECTIVE: Hypokalaemic periodic paralysis (HypoPP) is caused by mutations of Cav1.1, and Na_{v}1.4 which result in an aberrant gating pore current. Hyperkalaemic periodic paralysis (HyperPP) is due to a gain-of-function mutation of the main alpha pore of Nav1.4. This study used muscle velocity recovery cycles (MVRCs) to investigate changes in interictal muscle membrane properties in vivo. METHODS: MVRCs and responses to trains of stimuli were recorded in tibialis anterior and compared in patients with HyperPP(n = 7), HypoPP (n = 10), and normal controls (n = 26). RESULTS: Muscle relative refractory period was increased, and early supernormality reduced in HypoPP, consistent with depolarisation of the interictal resting membrane potential. In HyperPP the mean supernormality and residual supernormality to multiple conditioning stimuli were increased, consistent with increased inward sodium current and delayed repolarisation, predisposing to spontaneous myotonic discharges. CONCLUSIONS: The in vivo findings suggest the interictal resting membrane potential is depolarized in HypoPP, and mostly normal in HyperPP. The MVRC findings in HyperPP are consistent with presence of a window current, previously proposed on the basis of in vitro expression studies. Although clinically similar, HyperPP was electrophysiologically distinct from paramyotonia congenita. SIGNIFICANCE: MVRCs provide important in vivo data that complements expression studies of ion channel mutations

Regulation of Em Gene Expression in Rice : Interaction between Osmotic Stress and Abscisic Acid

Expression of th

The Gregory-Laflamme instability for the D2-D0 bound state

The D2-D0 bound state exhibits a Gregory-Laflamme instability when it is sufficiently non-extremal. If there are no D0-branes, the requisite non-extremality is finite. When most of the extremal mass comes from D0-branes, the requisite non-extremality is very small. The location of the threshhold for the instability is determined using a local thermodynamic analysis which is then checked against a numerical analysis of the linearized equations of motion. The thermodynamic analysis reveals an instability of non-commutative field theory at finite temperature, which may occur only at very long wavelengths as the decoupling limit is approached.Comment: 19 pages, Latex2e. v2: two refs added. v3: clearer exposition in section

Critical thinking in community nursing: Is this the 7th C?

Compassion in practice and the drive to deliver the 6Cs—care, compassion, competence, communication, courage, and commitment—has been embraced within community nursing practice since its launch in 2012 (Commissioning Board Chief Nursing Officer and Department of Health (DH) Chief Nursing Adviser, 2012). Following the shortcomings in care discovered at the Mid-Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust and the findings of inquiries (e.g. Francis, 2013; Keogh, 2013), nursing as a profession has been under pressure to demonstrate to the public that nurses do care. This need comes under increasing scrutiny when working in the homes of patients, who rightly require demonstration of accountability of care. Effective therapeutic relationships with patients in the community are built on trust, and patients should feel confident that clinical care is appropriate and evidence based (Griffith, 2015). A strong focus upon the core themes of the 6Cs is both integral to and apparent in daily practice within the community setting. The terminology of the 6Cs is a frequent feature of discussions, supervision, teaching, and record keeping. However, is it possible that in this drive to improve the public image of nursing through the focus of care and compassion, the concept of critical thinking is considered secondary? Should critical thinking in community nursing practice be awarded a ‘C’ in its own right

Differentiation signals from glia are fine-tuned to set neuronal numbers during development

Neural circuit formation and function require that diverse neurons are specified in appropriate numbers. Known strategies for controlling neuronal numbers involve regulating either cell proliferation or survival. We used the Drosophila visual system to probe how neuronal numbers are set. Photoreceptors from the eye-disc induce their target field, the lamina, such that for every unit eye there is a corresponding lamina unit (column). Although each column initially contains ~6 post-mitotic lamina precursors, only 5 differentiate into neurons, called L1-L5; the 'extra' precursor, which is invariantly positioned above the L5 neuron in each column, undergoes apoptosis. Here, we showed that a glial population called the outer chiasm giant glia (xgO), which resides below the lamina, secretes multiple ligands to induce L5 differentiation in response to EGF from photoreceptors. By forcing neuronal differentiation in the lamina, we uncovered that though fated to die, the 'extra' precursor is specified as an L5. Therefore, two precursors are specified as L5s but only one differentiates during normal development. We found that the row of precursors nearest to xgO differentiate into L5s and, in turn, antagonise differentiation signalling to prevent the 'extra' precursors from differentiating, resulting in their death. Thus, an intricate interplay of glial signals and feedback from differentiating neurons defines an invariant and stereotyped pattern of neuronal differentiation and programmed cell death to ensure that lamina columns each contain exactly one L5 neuro