The Atonal Proneural Transcription Factor Links Differentiation and Tumor Formation in Drosophila

The acquisition of terminal cell fate and onset of differentiation are instructed by cell type–specific master control genes. Loss of differentiation is frequently observed during cancer progression, but the underlying causes and mechanisms remain poorly understood. We tested the hypothesis that master regulators of differentiation may be key regulators of tumor formation. Using loss- and gain-of-function analyses in Drosophila, we describe a critical anti-oncogenic function for the atonal transcription factor in the fly retina, where atonal instructs tissue differentiation. In the tumor context, atonal acts by regulating cell proliferation and death via the JNK stress response pathway. Combined with evidence that atonal's mammalian homolog, ATOH1, is a tumor suppressor gene, our data support a critical, evolutionarily conserved, function for ato in oncogenesis

The role of leader emotional intelligence in transformational leadership, employee trust, change cynicism and intention to leave.

Much has been written in the popular media about the importance of emotional intelligence (EI) in determining exceptional leadership. The present research contributes to the academic literature by studying the direct and indirect effects of leader EI on a number of organisational variables. Study 1 was the main focus of the research and progressed in three stages. The first involved the development of a measurement model of an employee survey. Respondents reported on their leaders' EI and transformational leadership (TL), and self reported on their own attitudes and intentions. Drawing on exploratory (n = 218) and confirmatory factor analysis (n = 230) results, an eight dimensional model was supported. The emergent factors consisted of EI-perception, EI-management, TL-inspiring influence, TL-concern/behaviour, change cynicism and intention to leave. Secondly, a structural model of relationships between the emergent factors was examined then compared to alternative models (n = 448). The best-fitting model showed that leader EI was associated with employees' intentions to leave and change cynicism via TL and trust. Significant relationships between both EI variables and each TL factor were evidenced. At both stages, the results were successfully cross-validated in a sample from a different organisation (n = 339) and controlled for dispositional trust levels and geographic location. Third, the structural relationships were shown to hold longitudinally over a twelve months (n = 210). Study 2 aimed to assess the effects of leader EI from an ability perspective by matching leader scores on EI tests with employee survey responses. Total leader scores on the AO-MEIS (n = 102) and MSCEIT V2 (n = 102) were not significantly correlated with employee perceptions of leader EI. Total scores on both EI tests were significantly yet weakly related to transformational leadership ratings. At the total-test level, there were no significant relationships between leader EI and trust in manager, trust in organisation, change cynicism or intention to leave. At the branch level, leader scores on MSCEIT-emotion perception were positively associated with employees' trust in both the manager and organisation. Leader MSCEIT-emotion management scores were also related to lower change cynicism. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.Thesis (Ph.D.)-- University of Adelaide, Adelaide Graduate School of Business, 2006

The effect of future redeployment on organizational trust

NNCopyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd

The effect of future redeployment on organizational trust

This study compares levels of organizational trust and connected variables between two groups of employees from an Australian public health organization. One group (N = 123) is based in a hospital that will close as part of the organization's transformational strategy, and the other group (N = 152) is based in other hospitals that will remain open. The first group will become redeployed amongst departments in the remaining hospitals. The relationships between trust, transformational leadership, fairness, perceived organizational support (POS), commitment, organizational citizenship behaviour (OCB conscientiousness) and intention to turnover were investigated, in addition to the relative levels of these variables between the two cohorts of employees. The hypothesis that future redeployment would result in comparatively negative evaluations of organizational trust and associated constructs was not supported, whereas the hypothesis that traditional exchange relationships would be relevant regardless of an employee's situation was partially upheld. The theoretical and managerial implications of these findings are discussed

Attitudinal differences between generation-x and older employees

Using qualitative and quantitative methods the current paper investigated the differences in levels of trust, commitment, procedural justice and turnover intention between Generation-X employees (Gen-Xers) and older age group employees. 234 participants were included in the study, 83 Gen-X subjects and 151 older, non Gen-X subjects. No difference between the Gen-X and the older group was found for levels of affective commitment or trust. As predicted, Gen-X employees displayed lower continuance commitment, exhibited stronger turnover intentions, and had lower scores for perceptions of procedural justice. Relationships between the variables were similar across the Gen-X and older age group. The implications of these findings for the effective management of Gen-X employees are discussed

Engendering trust in manager-subordinate relationships - Predictors and outcomes

The recent growth in the trust literature indicates that both researchers and practitioners are continuing to recognise its importance as a factor for determining organisational success and the well-being of employees. Trust is, however, a complex, multidimensional construct that has generated much debate concerning how trusting relationships might be created. The aim of this paper is to add to current debates by reporting on a study concerning trust within manager-subordinate relationships within a large Australian organisation. The annual staff survey for this organisation indicated that levels of trust in managers were very low, leading the authors to investigate the predictors and outcomes of this situation. Focus group and survey questionnaire results led to the finding that perceived organisational support, procedural justice and transformational leadership were significant predictors of trust in managers and that turnover intent and commitment were significant outcomes. The implications of these findings for researchers and practitioners are discussed

Trust: A precursor to the potential mediating effect of transformational leadership?

Whereas traditional transformational leadership studies tend to test the concept as an independent variable, this paper tests it as a mediator of the effects of management/peer trust, perceived organisational support and procedural justice. The study was undertaken within a large New South Wales (NSW) public sector organisation. In 2000, the organisation’s annual staff survey indicated that levels of trust in management were very low and, as a result, the authors were asked to investigate the possible causes of this outcome. Focus group results and survey questionnaires indicated that trust in management and trust in peers had a significant influence on transformational leadership and that transformational leadership was a significant predictor of turnover intention, OCB conscientiousness and affective commitment. Quantitative results did not support the proposed mediating effects of transformational leadership

What is Instinctive Drive™? : a report on the validation process of the ID™ System used to improve team performance

In a changing environment, behaviour of individual team members remains largely unpredictable. To maximise human capital, managers and individuals need to recognise the dedication that urges them to perform well. The purpose of this paper is to introduce the notion of Instinctive Drive (ID)™. It discusses the I.D. System™, where it came from and how it is employed. The paper compares the use of this tool to other validated tools and points to the likely benefits of knowing individuals’ innate drivers and likely responses. The paper indicates this research is theoretically grounded in the field of organisational behaviour and psychology to improve individual and organisational performance by understanding instinctive drives™. This paper presents preliminary results from a much larger study that aims to validate the I.D. System™ questionnaire and follow up. Preliminary results to quantitatively investigate reliability of the tool are promising and further investigations into validity are underway