Positively Deviant Organizational Performance and the Role of Leadership Values

Cameron cites the infusion of collaborative values and restructuring of relationships as a primary reason for the successful clean up and closure of Rocky Flats, one of U.S.’s most hazardous and controversial toxic dumps. Success was contingent upon mutual trust and respect of and between traditionally adversarial groups by adopting a mutual proactive, sharing orientation and empathetic attitudes. The true leaders in this venture shifted from a profit-first stance to changing organizational culture, ensuring that individuals (especially leaders and influencers) pursued an abundance-based vision

Observations from Canadian practitioners about the investigation and prosecution of crimes involving child and adult witnesses

Hundreds of scientific studies on the competencies and limitations of eyewitnesses have been published, but few have sought input from front-line forensic interviewers. In the current study, a research agenda was established with in-depth input from 13 forensic interviewers. Interviewers indicated which techniques they use most often, rated the usefulness of various interview techniques, and disclosed common challenges when interviewing. Although many recommended techniques were used (e.g., the Cognitive Interview and Rapport Building), some techniques shown to be effective in eliciting quality testimony in scientific studies were not always used or considered useful by front-line interviewers (e.g., permission to correct the interviewer, permission to say ‘I don’t know’). Key areas were identified to guide future research (e.g., techniques when interviewing very young children, witnesses with developmental delays)

Characterization of Vitamin B12 Supplementation and Correlation with Clinical Outcomes in a Large Longitudinal Study of Early Parkinson's Disease.

ObjectiveIn Parkinson's disease (PD), vitamin B12 levels are lower, and comorbid B12 deficiency has been associated with the development of neuropathy and early gait instability. Because little is known about B12 supplement use in PD, we sought to evaluate its use in a large PD cohort and, as an exploratory analysis, to determine whether baseline characteristics or disease progression differed according to B12 supplementation.MethodsWe utilized data collected as part of the National Institutes of Health Exploratory Trials in PD (NET-PD) Long-term Study (LS-1), a longitudinal study of 1,741 participants. We stratified subjects into 4 groups according to daily supplement use: no B12, multivitamin (MVI) containing < 100 μg B12, B12 ≥ 100 μg, and MVI + B12 ≥ 100 μg. Clinical outcomes were assessed at 3 years for each group using the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS), its subscores, and selected individual questions.ResultsOf the 1,147 participants who completed the 3-year visit, 41% took an MVI, 2% took B12, 3% took MVI + B12, and 54% reported taking no supplements. At 3 years, no significant differences in clinical outcomes were observed. However, there was a trend toward lower hazard ratios for developing sensory symptoms (UPDRS Item 17) in the MVI (p = 0.08) and B12 + MVI (p = 0.08) groups compared to that in the no supplement group.ConclusionThese results show that supplementation with vitamin B12 ≥ 100 μg is uncommon in early PD. The finding of a trend toward a lower hazard ratio for the development of sensory symptoms in those taking an MVI or B12 + MVI warrants further study

Asymptotic Probability Density Function of Nonlinear Phase Noise

The asymptotic probability density function of nonlinear phase noise, often called the Gordon-Mollenauer effect, is derived analytically when the number of fiber spans is very large. The nonlinear phase noise is the summation of infinitely many independently distributed noncentral chi-square random variables with two degrees of freedom. The mean and standard deviation of those random variables are both proportional to the square of the reciprocal of all odd natural numbers. The nonlinear phase noise can also be accurately modeled as the summation of a noncentral chi-square random variable with two degrees of freedom and a Gaussian random variable.Comment: 13 pages, 3 figure

Five keys to flourishing in trying times

Kim Cameron reports on two decades of empirical research on organizations that have faced difficult economic situations but achieved unexpected and exceptional levels of success. Examining these organizations, Cameron has uncovered some unusual leadership strategies that can serve as guidelines for organizations facing trying times. These strategies focus on the positive , or an orientation toward strengths rather than weaknesses and abundance rather than deficits in organizations. Cameron explains why these strategies succeed and offers five critical guidelines on putting them to use in your organization.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/64544/1/401_ftp.pd

Energy and carbon performance of housing : upgrade analysis, energy labelling and national policy development

The area of policy formulation for the energy/carbon performance of housing is coming under increasing focus. A major challenge is to account for the large variation within national housing stocks relative to factors such as location, climate, age, construction, previous upgrades, appliance use and heating/cooling system types. Existing policy oriented tools rely on static calculation models that have limited ability to represent building behaviour and the impact of future changes in climate and technology. The switch to detailed simulation tools to address these limitations in the context of policy development has hitherto been focussed on the modelling of a small number of representative designs rather than dealing with the spread inherent in large housing stocks. To address these challenges, the ESRU Domestic Energy Model (EDEM) has been developed as a Web based tool built on detailed simulation models that have been aligned with the outcomes of national house condition surveys. On the basis of pragmatic inputs, EDEM is able to determine energy use and carbon emissions at any scale – from an individual dwelling to national housing stocks. The model was used at the behest of the Scottish Building Standards Agency and South Ayrshire Council to determine the impact of upgrades and the deployment of new and renewable energy systems. EDEM was also used to rate the energy/carbon performance of individual dwellings as required by the EU Directive on the Energy Performance of Buildings (EU, 2002). This paper describes the EDEM methodology and presents the findings from applications at different scales

Relationships, Layoffs, and Organizational Resilience: Airline Industry Responses to September 11

The terrorist attacks of September 11th, 2001 affected the U.S. airline industry more than almost any other industry. Certain of these companies emerged successful, however, and demonstrated remarkable resilience while others languished. This investigation identifies the reasons why some airline companies recovered successfully after the attacks while others struggled. Evidence is provided that layoffs after the crisis, while intended to foster recovery, instead inhibited recovery throughout the four years after the crisis. But layoffs after the crisis were strongly correlated with the lack of financial reserves and the lack of a viable business model prior to the crisis. Digging deeper, we find that having a viable business model itself depended on the extent to which positive employee relationships had been achieved and maintained over the long term. One implication of our findings is that layoffs, while reducing costs in the short term, may also undermine the positive relationships that are critical for achieving lasting recovery.Relationships, layoffs, organizational resilience, terrorist attacks, aviation.

Shifting Nursing Students\u27 Attitudes towards Indigenous Peoples by Participation in a Required Indigenous Health Course

Background: Increasing evidence shows that Indigenous Peoples of Canada experience greater health disparities and receive lesser quality of health care services than non-Indigenous Canadian people. There is an important need to educate health care professionals to be knowledgeable about Indigenous culture, Canadian history, and culturally safe care. Purpose: This project aimed to evaluate if student perceptions of Indigenous Peoples, knowledge of Indigenous culture, and a student’s cultural competency improved through participation in a required Indigenous health course in the third year of one Canadian Bachelor of Nursing program. Methods: A pretest posttest design measured student self-reported Knowledge of Factors Impacting Indigenous Health, Interest in Indigenous Issues, and Perceptions of Indigenous People. Students wrote reflections on their learning throughout the course which were analyzed to understand the nature of how their thinking transformed through exposure to Indigenous history and its impact on the relationship between Indigenous populations and the health care system in Canada. Results: We used previously validated instruments in our study: Student Knowledge of Factors Impacting Indigenous Health, Interest in Indigenous Issues and Attitudes about Indigenous People. Student scores on all three measures improved from the beginning until the end of the course. Previous Indigenous education and experience working in a health care environment had minimal impact on students’ growth on these measures. The analysis of the student reflections rooted in a cultural competence framework showed the transformative nature of their learning. Conclusion: Increasing the knowledge of nursing students about historical factors in a colonial context impacting Indigenous Peoples’ health addresses a key call to action of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada. Indigenous Health courses within nursing curricula can stimulate the personal transformations needed within health care professionals to promote willingness to advocate with Indigenous populations and facilitate progress toward reducing health inequities and increasing health access in this population. Résumé Contexte : De plus en plus de données probantes montrent que les peuples autochtones du Canada connaissent de plus grandes disparités en matière de santé et reçoivent des services de soins de santé de moindre qualité que les Canadiens non autochtones. Il est important d’éduquer les professionnels de la santé pour qu’ils connaissent la culture autochtone, l’histoire canadienne et les soins culturellement sécuritaires. Objectif : Ce projet visait à évaluer si les perceptions des étudiantes à l’égard des peuples autochtones, la connaissance de la culture autochtone et la compétence culturelle des étudiantes s’amélioraient grâce à la participation à un cours obligatoire sur la santé autochtone pendant la troisième année d’un programme canadien de baccalauréat en sciences infirmières. Méthodes : Une conception avant/après a mesuré les connaissances autodéclarées des étudiantes sur les facteurs ayant une incidence sur la santé des Autochtones, l’intérêt pour les questions autochtones et les perceptions des peuples autochtones. Les étudiantes ont écrit des réflexions sur leur apprentissage tout au long du cours. Celles-ci ont été analysées pour comprendre la nature de la transformation de leur pensée à la suite d’une exposition à l’histoire autochtone et son impact sur la relation entre les populations autochtones et le système de santé au Canada. Résultats : Nous avons utilisé des instruments précédemment validés dans notre étude Student Knowledge of Factors Impacting Indigenous Health, Interest in Indigenous Issues and Attitudes about Indigenous People (Connaissances des étudiantes sur les facteurs ayant une incidence sur la santé des Autochtones, l’intérêt pour les questions autochtones et les perceptions des peuples autochtones). Les scores des étudiantes sur les trois mesures se sont améliorés du début à la fin du cours. La formation autochtone antérieure et l’expérience de travail dans un environnement de soins de santé ont eu un impact minime sur la croissance des étudiantes sur ces mesures, mais l’analyse des réflexions des étudiantes ancrées dans un cadre de compétences culturelles a montré la nature transformatrice de leur apprentissage. Conclusion : Accroître les connaissances des étudiantes en sciences infirmières sur les facteurs historiques dans un contexte colonial ayant une incidence sur la santé des peuples autochtones répond à un appel à l’action clé de la Commission de vérité et réconciliation du Canada. Les cours sur la santé autochtone dans les programmes de sciences infirmières peuvent stimuler les transformations personnelles nécessaires chez les professionnels de la santé pour promouvoir la volonté de défendre les intérêts des populations autochtones et faciliter les progrès vers la réduction des inégalités en matière de santé et l’amélioration de l’accès à la santé dans cette population