Discovery as abductive mechanism for reorienting habits within organizational change

Process studies of organizational and strategic change have drawn attention to the dynamics that generate such change, but we still know little about how discovery unfolds within change. A field study of efforts to create a new system for delivering inpatient medical care revealed that surprises and discoveries, and constructively oriented responses to them, occurred continuously throughout organizational change, not merely at the outset. Seeking to understand this empirical puzzle, I drew on the concept of abduction from pragmatism and organizational studies. This study makes two contributions to theory about the relation between discovery and change. First, I develop a framework that explicates the central role of discovery as an abductive mechanism that enables participants to reorient prevailing habits. Analyses reveal discovery to operate through what I call abduction sequences, or loosely connected and overlapping episodes of creative social activity. Three key motors and their attendant feelings drive discovery via abduction sequences: surprise, doubt and inquiry. Second, I provide a methodology for use in future research on discovery. Specifically, I propose abduction sequences as a useful analytic means for examining discovery within change and other inquiry processes, such as innovation and learning that generate fundamentally new ways of working.Published versio

Developing Absorptive Capacity Theory for Public Service Organizations:Emerging UK Empirical Evidence

A strong public policy focus on high performance means that utilizing management knowledge effectively is at a premium for UK public service organizations. This study empirically examined two English public agencies to explore the inter-sectoral transfer of a strategic management model originally developed in the private sector – absorptive capacity – which is one way of conceptualizing an organizational competence in such knowledge mobilization. Two theoretical contributions are made. First, a new absorptive capacity framework for public service organizations is developed which recognizes the participation of public agency project teams during an innovation process proceeding over time with phases of co-creation, testing, metamorphosis and diffusion. Second, our novel framework modifies an early influential model of absorptive capacity. Counter to this model, we argue that realized absorptive capacity requires agency from skilled and embedded actors to turn ‘curbing routines’ into ‘enabling routines’ in all four stages. Project (middle) managers have flexibility in their roles to seize episodic moments of opportunity to innovate and achieve service delivery goals, and to build absorptive capacity capability. Absorptive capacity capability develops organically over time. Future research directions are discussed

Building research capital to facilitate research

The National Institute for Health Research, Research Design Service (NIHR RDS) was set up to increase the number and proportion of high quality applications for funding for applied and patient focused health and social care research. Access to specialist expertise and collaboration between researchers and health practitioners at the proposal development stage is crucial for high quality applied health research. In this essay we develop the concept of 'research capital' to describe the wide range of resources and expertise required to develop fundable research projects. It highlights the key role the RDS plays supporting researchers to broker relationships to access the requisite 'research capital'. © 2013 Green and Rein; licensee BioMed Central Ltd

The Hidden Curriculum of Veterinary Education: Mediators and Moderators of Its Effects

The “hidden curriculum” has long been supposed to have an effect on students' learning during their clinical education, and in particular in shaping their ideas of what it means to be a professional. Despite this, there has been little evidence linking specific changes in professional attitudes to the individual components of the hidden curriculum. This study aimed to recognize those components that led to a change in students' professional attitudes at a UK veterinary school, as well as to identify the attitudes most affected. Observations were made of 11 student groups across five clinical rotations, followed by semi-structured interviews with 23 students at the end of their rotation experience. Data were combined and analyzed thematically, taking both an inductive and deductive approach. Views about the importance of technical competence and communication skills were promoted as a result of students' interaction with the hidden curriculum, and tensions were revealed in relation to their attitudes toward compassion and empathy, autonomy and responsibility, and lifestyle ethic. The assessment processes of rotations and the clinical service organization served to communicate the messages of the hidden curriculum, bringing about changes in student professional attitudes, while student-selected role models and the student rotation groups moderated the effects of these influences

Probing alignment of personal and organisational values for sustainability: An assessment of barrett's organisational consciousness model

© 2020 by the authors. To what extent are the values of employees and employers aligned in the context of sustainability and how might this be assessed? These are the main research questions in a case study involving a Swedish Small to Medium Enterprise (SME) with ambitions to become more 'sustainable'. The wider context of the paper is the alignment of managerial and employee values for organisational sustainability. Specifically, the study applies and assesses Barrett's concept of Organisational Consciousness as a level-based approach to sustainability values, which we argue is based on an integration of Maslow's hierarchy of needs andWilber's Integral metatheory. Quantifying the incidence of references to various values elicited in interviews, the study demonstrates: the limited salience of Barrett's themes ('attributes') for employees; the divergent perspectives in participants' personal and organisational lives. While normatively affirming Barrett's overall approach, we observe that most organisations are likely to be a considerable distance from Barrett's higher levels. How one interprets this is debatable: it may be concluded that Barrett's framework is overambitious or that organisations need to: (i) broaden their understanding of sustainability and (ii) nurture alignment between personal and organisational values

Associations of physical activity, sedentary time, and physical fitness with mental health during pregnancy: The GESTAFIT project

The present study was developed within the GESTAFIT project framework, which is part of a Virginia A. Aparicio fellowship approved by the Andalucia Talent-Hub Program and co-funded by the European Union's Seventh Framework Program, Marie Sk >> odowska-Curie actions (COFUND - Grant Agreement No.291780). This study was also partially funded by the Ministry of Health of the Junta de Andalucia (PI-03952016) and the University of Granada, Unit of Excellence on Exercise and Health (UCEES). Maria Rodriguez-Ayllon was supported by the Research Initiation Grants for Master's Degree Students. Irene Coll-Risco and Milkana Borges-Cosic were supported by the Spanish Ministry of Education (Grant No. FPU14/02518 and Grant No. FPU13/01993, respectively). Fernando Estevez-Lopez was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (Grant No. BES-2014067612). We are grateful to Ms. Carmen Sainz Quinn for English-language assistance.Purpose: This study was aimed to analyze the associations of objectively measured physical activity (PA), sedentary time, and physical fitness with mental health in the early second trimester (16 +/- 2 gestational weeks) of pregnancy. Methods: From 229 women initially contacted, 124 pregnant women participated in the present cross-sectional study. Data were collected between November 2015 and March 2017. The participants wore Actigraph GT3X+ Triaxial accelerometers for 9 consecutive days to objectively measure their PA levels and sedentary time. A performance-based test battery was used to measure physical fitness. Self-report questionnaires assessed psychological ill-being (i.e., negative affect, anxiety, and depression), and psychological well-being (i.e., emotional intelligence, resilience, and positive affect). Linear regression analyses were adjusted for age, educational level, accelerometer wear time, miscarriages, and low back pain. Results: Moderate-to-vigorous PA was negatively associated with depression (beta = -0.222, adjusted R-2 = 0.050, p = 0.041). Higher levels of sedentary time were negatively associated with positive affect (beta = -0.260, adjusted R-2 = 0.085, p = 0.017). Greater upper-body flexibility was positively associated with better emotional regulation (beta = 0.195, adjusted R-2 = 0.030, p = 0.047). The remaining associations were not significant (all p > 0.05). Conclusion: An active lifestyle characterized by higher levels of moderate-to-vigorous PA and lower levels of sedentary time during pregnancy might modestly improve the mental health of pregnant women. Although previous research has focused on the benefits of cardiorespiratory exercise, the present study shows that only upper-body flexibility is related to emotional regulation in early pregnant women. If the present findings are corroborated in further experimental research, physical exercise programs should focus on enhancing flexibility to promote improvements in emotional regulation during early second-trimester of pregnancy.European Commission 291780Ministry of Health of the Junta de Andalucia PI-03952016University of Granada, Unit of Excellence on Exercise and Health (UCEES)Spanish Government FPU14/02518 FPU13/01993Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness BES-2014067612Research Initiation Grants for Master's Degree Student

Organizing to counter terrorism: sensemaking amidst dynamic complexity

publication-status: Acceptedtypes: ArticlePre-print draft (version 1). ‘The final, definitive version of this paper has been published in Human Relations September 2013 66(9): 1201–1223, by SAGE Publications Ltd, All rights reserved. © [The Author]Organizations increasingly find themselves contending with circumstances that are suffused with dynamic complexity. So how do they make sense of and contend with this? Using a sensemaking approach, our empirical case analysis of the shooting of Mr Jean Charles de Menezes shows how sensemaking is tested under such conditions. Through elaborating the relationship between the concepts of frames and cues, we find that the introduction of a new organizational routine to anticipate action in changing circumstances leads to discrepant sensemaking. This reveals how novel routines do not necessarily replace extant ones but instead, overlay each other and give rise to novel, dissonant identities which in turn can lead to an increase in equivocality rather than a reduction. This has important implications for sensemaking and organizing amidst unprecedented circumstances

Individual, behavioural and home environmental factors associated with eating behaviours in young adolescents

This study aimed to examine individual, behavioural and home environmental factors associated with frequency of consumption of fruit, vegetables and energy-dense snacks among adolescents. Adolescents aged 11-12 years (n = 521, 48% boys) completed a paper-based questionnaire during class-time which included a Food Frequency Questionnaire assessing their consumption of fruit, vegetables, and energy dense (ED) snacks, and items assessing habits, self-efficacy, eating at the television (TV), eating with parents, parenting practices, and home availability and accessibility of foods. Multiple linear regression analyses showed that eating fruit and vegetables while watching TV and home availability and accessibility of fruit and vegetables were positively associated with frequency of fruit consumption and vegetable consumption, while home accessibility of ED snack foods was negatively associated with frequency of fruit consumption. Habit for eating ED snack foods in front the TV, eating ED snack foods while watching TV, and home availability of ED snacks were positively associated with frequency of ED snack consumption. This study has highlighted the importance of a healthy home environment for promoting fruit and vegetable intake in early adolescents and also suggests that, if snacking while TV viewing occurs, this could be a good opportunity for promoting fruit and vegetable intake. These findings are likely to be useful for supporting the development of multi-faceted interventions and aid us in knowing what advice to give to parents to help them to help their young adolescents to develop and maintain healthy eating habits

Towards enhancing national capacity for evidence informed policy and practice in falls management: a role for a "Translation Task Group"?

There has been a growing interest over recent years, both within Australia and overseas, in enhancing the translation of research into policy and practice. As one mechanism to improve the dissemination and uptake of falls research into policy and practice and to foster the development of policy-appropriate research, a Falls Translation Task Group has formed to facilitate linkage and exchange. There has been a growing interest over recent years, both within Australia and overseas, in enhancing the translation of research into policy and practice. As one mechanism to improve the dissemination and uptake of falls research into policy and practice and to foster the development of policy-appropriate research, a Falls Translation Task Group was formed as part of an NHMRC Population Health Capacity Building grant. This paper reports on the group\u27s first initiative to address issues around the research to policy and practice interface, and identifies a continuing role for such a group. MethodA one day forum brought together falls researchers and decision-makers from across the nation to facilitate linkage and exchange. Observations of the day\u27s proceedings were made by the authors. Participants were asked to complete a questionnaire at the commencement of the forum (to ascertain expectations) and at its completion (to evaluate the event). Observer notes and the questionnaire responses form the basis of analysis. Results: Both researchers and decision-makers have a desire to bridge the gap between research and policy and practice. Significant barriers to research uptake were highlighted and included both health system barriers (for example, a lack of financial and human resources) as well as evidence barriers (such as insufficient economic data and implementation research). Solutions to some of these barriers included the identification of clinical champions within the health sector to enhance evidence uptake, and the sourcing of alternative funding to support implementation research and encourage partnerships between researchers, decision-makers and other stakeholders. Conclusion: Participants sought opportunities for ongoing networking and collaboration. Two activities have been identified as priorities: establishing a policy-sensitive research agenda and partnering researchers and decision-makers in the process; and establishing a National Translation Task Group with a broad membership

Study protocol to investigate the effect of a lifestyle intervention on body weight, psychological health status and risk factors associated with disease recurrence in women recovering from breast cancer treatment

Background Breast cancer survivors often encounter physiological and psychological problems related to their diagnosis and treatment that can influence long-term prognosis. The aim of this research is to investigate the effects of a lifestyle intervention on body weight and psychological well-being in women recovering from breast cancer treatment, and to determine the relationship between changes in these variables and biomarkers associated with disease recurrence and survival. Methods/design Following ethical approval, a total of 100 patients will be randomly assigned to a lifestyle intervention (incorporating dietary energy restriction in conjunction with aerobic exercise training) or normal care control group. Patients randomised to the dietary and exercise intervention will be given individualised healthy eating dietary advice and written information and attend moderate intensity aerobic exercise sessions on three to five days per week for a period of 24 weeks. The aim of this strategy is to induce a steady weight loss of up to 0.5 Kg each week. In addition, the overall quality of the diet will be examined with a view to (i) reducing the dietary intake of fat to ~25% of the total calories, (ii) eating at least 5 portions of fruit and vegetables a day, (iii) increasing the intake of fibre and reducing refined carbohydrates, and (iv) taking moderate amounts of alcohol. Outcome measures will include body weight and body composition, psychological health status (stress and depression), cardiorespiratory fitness and quality of life. In addition, biomarkers associated with disease recurrence, including stress hormones, estrogen status, inflammatory markers and indices of innate and adaptive immune function will be monitored. Discussion This research will provide valuable information on the effectiveness of a practical, easily implemented lifestyle intervention for evoking positive effects on body weight and psychological well-being, two important factors that can influence long-term prognosis in breast cancer survivors. However, the added value of the study is that it will also evaluate the effects of the lifestyle intervention on a range of biomarkers associated with disease recurrence and survival. Considered together, the results should improve our understanding of the potential role that lifestyle-modifiable factors could play in saving or prolonging lives