Organizzazioni e destino: viaggio oltre i confini delle culture d'impresa, alla scoperta dei codici culturali delle organizzazioni

La cultura organizzativa è un'evidenza tanto intangibile quanto determinante nella conduzione di un'impresa, di qualunque natura. Alla base di essa vi sono decisioni originarie che possono essere ricostruite (attraverso l'analisi dei Codici Culturali) grazie all'osservazione delle dinamiche di relazione e degli artefatti dell'organizzazione, dagli edifici, alla disposizione dei luoghi di lavoro e alle strutture organizzative. Uno strumento fondamentale dei Codici Culturali per la comprensione e diagnosi di una cultura d'impresa è quello che chiamiamo in questo scritto "Copione Organizzativo"; esso sviluppa una determinante ma inconsapevole influenza sui comportamenti individuali e di gruppo che tende a mantenersi inalterata nel tempo. Il Copione influenza la valutazione degli eventi e le prestazioni dell'impresa. Indirizza i comportamenti e le decisioni, crea aree di permessi, di proibizioni e di doveri; a volte facilitando i meccanismi operativi, a volte entrando in contrasto con essi e limitando comunque i gradi di libertà delle persone. Lo scritto presenterà le diverse tipologie di Copione Organizzativo e alcune tipiche forme della loro manifestazione che possono essere individuate e affrontate nei momenti chiave della conduzione d'impresa, insieme alle resistenze con cui si dovranno fare i conti soprattutto nelle operazioni di Change Management

Da Giacobbe a Israele: il rito nelle relazioni individuo-organizzazione

Ogni relazione interpersonale si caratterizza per la sua complessità. Spesso è un rapporto oscillante tra incontro/scontro, lotta/abbraccio, aggressione/abbandono fiducioso, e deve essere gestita con enorme rispetto dell'altro. Come nella metafora biblica di Giacobbe che lotta con l'angelo, la relazione può creare ferite ma anche generare benedizioni, cioè occasioni di crescita. Nel mondo economico (e nelle imprese) tuttavia la relazione tende a essere semplificata e ridotta a mero scambio utilitaristico. Tale semplificazione fa sì che spesso nelle organizzazioni le relazioni creino "ferite" psicologiche, cioè delusioni e frustazioni che gli individui non riescono a rielaborare, trasformando queste delusioni in elementi di riflessione e di crescita personale. In pratica le "ferite" non diventano "benedizioni", cioè profezie di sviluppo futuro. Il lavoro si propone di comprendere attraverso quali percorsi le "ferite" possono trasformarsi in "benedizioni". Una delle possibili risposte a questa domanda sta nel fatto che le organizzazioni moderne, in particolare nei Paesi occidentali, utilizzando una razionalità economica di scambio utilitaristico e strumenti manageriali molto formalizzati, basati su liturgie con una loro ferrea ortodossia, non sembrano essere più in grado di riconoscere e gestire adeguatamente i riti che esistono al loro interno, i quali costituiscono lo strumento fondamentale per mantenere l'equilibrio tra identità individuale e identità collettiva, e quindi permettono all'individuo "ferito" di vivere ed elaborare una promessa di futuro ad ogni delusione e sconfitta.The interpersonal relationship, referring to the biblical metaphor of Jacob's fight with the angel, appears extremely complex, as it is often a relation oscillating from encounter to clash, fight to embracement, and aggression to faithful abandoning. It has to be managed with an extraordinary respect from the other. Frequently interpersonal interaction cause personal wounds but also generate "blessing", i.e. changes for growth for the involved individuals. Nevertheless the human relationship within the business world (and companies specifically) tends to be simplified and downgraded to a merely opportunistic exchange. This excessive simplification causes in organizations such relations that may produce psychological wounds, i.e. disappointments and frustrations, that the person are not in condition to process, in order to transform these disillusions in opportunities for reflection and personal growth. In practice, the wounds do not become "blessing", i.e. prophecies for an eventual personal development. This paper aims to identify what paths within the social and organizational contexts lead wounds to blessing. One possible answer to this question is the evidence that modern organizations, particularly those in the western world, adopting an economic rationality of opportunistic exchange and very formalized managerial instruments, based on liturgies with a strong orthodoxy, don't seem any longer able to acknowledge and manage adequately the organization's embedded rites. These rites and rituals constitute the fundamental apparatus to maintain the balance, between individuals and collective identity, which would allow the wounded person to experience, process and generate a promise of future from disappointment and defeat

Ulipristal acetate modulates the expression and functions of activin a in leiomyoma cells

Uterine leiomyoma is the most common benign gynecological tumor in women of reproductive age and represents the single most common indication for hysterectomy. A development of new treatments is necessary for a medical management, and in this direction, several hormonal drugs are under investigation. Ulipristal acetate (UPA; a selective progesterone receptor modulator) is considered as one of the most promising because progesterone has a critical role in development and growth of uterine leiomyoma. The effect of steroids is partly mediated by growth factors like activin A which increases extracellular matrix expression contributing to the growth of leiomyoma. The present study aimed to test whether UPA acts on leiomyoma cells affecting expression and functions of activin A system. Cultured myometrial and leiomyoma cells were treated with UPA, and messenger RNA (mRNA) expression levels of activin A (inhibin βA [INHBA] subunits), its binding proteins (follistatin [FST] and FST-related gene), and its receptors (activin receptor-like kinase 4 [ALK4], activin receptor type [ActR] II, and ActRIIB) were evaluated. The effect of UPA on activin A modulation of fibronectin and vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGF-A) mRNA expression in cultured myometrial and leiomyoma cells was also studied. Ulipristal acetate decreased INHBA, FST, ActRIIB, and Alk4 mRNA expressions in leiomyoma cultured cells. In addition, UPA was able to block the activin A-induced increase in fibronectin or VEGF-A mRNA expression in myometrial and in leiomyoma cultured cells. The present data show that UPA inhibits activin A expression and functions in leiomyoma cells, and this may represent a possible mechanism of action of the drug on uterine leiomyoma

Role of (18)F-FDG PET/CT in the assessment of bone involvement in newly diagnosed multiple myeloma: preliminary results.

PURPOSE: Multiple myeloma (MM) is a malignant B cell and plasma cell disorder which involves the skeleton in more than 80% of patients at diagnosis. The aim of this study was to compare whole-body X-ray (WBXR), MRI and (18)F-FDG PET/CT in patients with MM. METHODS: The study population comprised 28 newly diagnosed MM patients. Findings of (18)F-FDG PET/CT were compared with those of WBXR and MRI with regard to the number and site of lesions detected. RESULTS: Comparing (18)F-FDG PET/CT and WBXR, it was found that in 16/28 pts (57%) (18)F-FDG PET/CT detected more lesions, all of which were located in the skeleton. Nine of these 16 patients had a completely negative WBXR survey. In 12/28 pts (43%) the two methods yielded equivalent findings. Comparing (18)F-FDG PET/CT and MRI, it was found that in 7/28 pts (25%), (18)F-FDG PET/CT detected more lytic bone lesions, all of which were located outside the field of view of MRI (bone lesions in six cases and a soft tissue lesion in one). In 14/28 pts (50%), (18)F-FDG PET/CT and MRI detected the same number of lesions in the spine and pelvis, while in 7/28 pts (25%) MRI detected an infiltrative pattern in the spine whereas (18)F-FDG PET/CT was negative. CONCLUSION: (18)F-FDG PET/CT appears to be more sensitive than WBXR for the detection of small lytic bone lesions, whereas it has the same sensitivity as MRI in detecting bone disease of the spine and pelvis. On the other hand, MRI may be superior to (18)F-FDG PET/CT in diagnosing an infiltrative pattern in the spine. Therefore, careful evaluation of MM bone disease at diagnosis should include both MRI of the spine and (18)F-FDG PET/CT

A prospective comparison of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography-computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging and whole-body planar radiographs in the assessment of bone disease in newly diagnosed multiple myeloma.

none18noneZamagni E; Nanni C; Patriarca F; Englaro E; Castellucci P; Geatti O; Tosi P; Tacchetti P; Cangini D; Perrone G; Ceccolini M; Brioli A; Buttignol S; Fanin R; Salizzoni E; Baccarani M; Fanti S; Cavo M.Zamagni E; Nanni C; Patriarca F; Englaro E; Castellucci P; Geatti O; Tosi P; Tacchetti P; Cangini D; Perrone G; Ceccolini M; Brioli A; Buttignol S; Fanin R; Salizzoni E; Baccarani M; Fanti S; Cavo M

Activin-A and Myostatin Response and Steroid Regulation in Human Myometrium: Disruption of Their Signalling in Uterine Fibroid

Activin and myostatin act on human myometrium and are regulated by steroids; their expression and follistatin-related gene FLRG and Cripto expression is increased in fibroids