Managing formalization to increase global team effectiveness and meaningfulness of work in multinational organizations

Global teams may help to integrate across locations, and yet, with formalized rules and procedures, responsiveness to those locations’ effectiveness, and the team members’ experiences of work as meaningful may suffer. We employ a mixed-methods approach to understand how the level and content of formalization can be managed to resolve these tensions in multinationals. In a sample of global teams from a large mining and resources organization operating across 44 countries, interviews, observations, and a quantitative 2-wave survey revealed a great deal of variability between teams in how formalization processes were enacted. Only those formalization processes that promoted knowledge sharing were instrumental in improving team effectiveness. Implementing rules and procedures in the set-up of the teams and projects, rather than during interactions, and utilizing protocols to help establish the global team as a source of identity increased this knowledge sharing. Finally, we found members’ personal need for structure moderated the effect of team formalization on how meaningful individuals found their work within the team. These findings have significant implications for theory and practice in multinational organizations

Interobserver variability of optic disk variables measured by confocal scanning laser tomography.

PURPOSE: To assess the interobserver variation of confocal laser scanning tomographic measurements of the optic nerve head and to address the question of whether the addition of clinical optic disk photographs is helpful in outlining the optic disk margin and in reducing the observer-related variation of the measurements. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Optic disk variables for 16 eyes of 16 patients with glaucoma, generated by confocal laser scanning laser tomography (Heidelberg Retina Tomograph), were independently evaluated by four experienced glaucoma specialists, and the interobserver variability was calculated. A second separate review by the same observers included the use of clinical stereoscopic color optic nerve head photographs to aid definition of the optic disk margin. RESULTS: Optic disk parameters with the smallest interobserver variation were cup shape measure, maximum cup depth, height variation contour, and mean height contour. The intraobserver variation of these parameters did not increase when clinical optic disk slides were additionally available. Parameters with the highest interobserver variation were volume below surface, volume below reference, volume above surface, and volume above reference. The observer variation of these optic disk parameters increased significantly for two of the four examiners when clinical optic disk slides were additionally available for outlining the optic disk margin. CONCLUSION: Confocal laser scanning tomography of the optic nerve head can be improved significantly if clinical optic disk photographs are additionally available to help in outlining the optic disk margin. Because interobserver variation in the tomographic optic disk measurements can be significant, even if experienced observer are involved, tomographic optic disk measurements may be centralized in reading centers in the case of multicenter studies. Copyright \ua9 2001 Elsevier Science Inc

Community-based transconjunctival marginal rotation for cicatricial trachoma in Indians from the Upper Rio Negro basin

The objective of the present study was to describe, for the first time in Brazil, the use by a non-ophthalmologist of a community-based marginal rotation procedure by a posterior approach in the indigenous population from the Upper Rio Negro basin. Seventy-three upper eyelids of 46 Indians (11 males and 35 females) with cicatricial upper eyelid entropion and trichiasis were operated in the Indian communities using a marginal rotational procedure by a posterior approach by a non-ophthalmologist physician who had general surgery experience but only an extremely short period (one week) of ophthalmic training. Subjects were reevaluated 6 months after surgery. Results were classified according to the presence and location of residual trichiasis and symptoms were assessed according to a three-level subjective scale (better, worse or no change). Fifty-six eyelids (76.7%) were free from trichiasis, whereas residual trichiasis was observed in 17 eyelids (23.3%) of 10 subjects. In these cases, trichiasis was either lateral or medial to the central portion of the lid. Of these 10 patients, only 4 reported that the surgery did not improve the irritative symptoms. We conclude that marginal rotation by a posterior approach is an effective and simple procedure with few complications, even when performed by non-specialists. Due to its simplicity the posterior approach is an excellent option for community-based upper eyelid entropion surgery

Cell Autonomous Lethals in Drosophila melanogaster

A causal analysis of development requires the isolation and characterization of morphogenetic mutants. We are concerned here with those affecting cell behaviour. Such mutants are revealed by analysis of cell viability of lethals in imaginal disk derivatives, which has utilized mitotic recombination1–4 and gynandromorphs5–7.Peer reviewe