Tiedonkeruutiimien merkitys organisaation uskomusten muuttamisessa

It has been long emphasized that companies must interpret the environment they operate in and develop an understanding of what it signifies for future action. Today, it is typical for companies to deploy specialized intelligence teams with the purpose of scanning information from the environment to serve as a basis for interpretation and decision making. This thesis provides evidence that the role of intelligence teams can go beyond what has been previously suggested. Firstly, the teams are able to evaluate the consistency between the environment and the beliefs held of the environment in the organization, and secondly, the teams direct organizational attention to the inconsistencies they observe and subsequently facilitate change in beliefs through the use of concrete evidence. Intelligence teams can, therefore, operate as update mechanisms and revise unsound beliefs of the environment. Moreover, these findings shed light on the processes that regulate beliefs in organizations and beliefs concerning the environment in particular. Furthermore, the organizational conditions surrounding the teams are described and factors that either support or complicate the teams’ actions are identified.Yritysten pitää seurata ja tulkita toimintaympäristöään ja ymmärtää mitä tuo ympäristö tarkoittaa niiden toiminnan kannalta. Voidakseen tulkita ympäristöään ja tehdä päätöksiä niiden täytyy ensin kerätä tietoa, ja nykyään on tavallista, että yritykset hyödyntävät tiedonkeruuseen erikoistuneita yksiköitä. Tässä työssä esitetään, että tiedonkeruutiimeillä voi olla merkittävämpi rooli kuin aikaisemmin on ajateltu. Tiimeillä on kyky huomata, milloin organisaatiossa on uskomuksia, jotka ovat ristiriidassa ympäristön kanssa. Tiimit ohjaavat organisaation huomion näihin seikkoihin ja edesauttavat muutosta uskomuksissa esittämällä todistusaineistoa. Näin niiden voidaan ajatella toimivan päivitysmekanismeina ja auttavan organisaatioita ylläpitämään tarkan käsityksen ympäristöstä. Tämä löydös on myös esimerkki siitä, miten organisaatioiden sisäiset prosessit muokkaavat uskomuksia. Lisäksi työssä käsitellään olosuhteita, kuten kulttuuria ja toimintatapoja, joiden vaikutuksen alla tiimit työskentelevät ja jotka edesauttavat tai vaikeuttavat tiimien toimintaa

Icehearts

Icehearts-toiminnan tavoitteena on ehkäistä lasten ja nuorten syrjäytymistä, edistää hyvinvointia ja osallisuutta sekä täydentää yhteiskunnan palveluita. Malli perustuu 12 vuoden mittaiseen kanssakulkijuuteen. Sama kasvattaja kulkee lapsen rinnalla läpi lapsuuden ja nuoruuden. Kasvattaja on lasten tukena koulussa, harrastuksissa, vapaa-ajalla ja viranomaistapaamisissa. Toimintamalli hyödyntää systemaattisesti kokemus-, asiantuntija ja tutkimustietoa. Toimintamallin vaikuttavuudesta on monipuolista kansallista tietoa. Vastaavia toimintamalleja ei ole. Toimintamallilla on pitkä historia, nopea levinneisyys ja laaja-alainen vaikuttavuusnäyttö puoltavat toimintamallin implementoimista laajemminkin. Kehittämistoimenpiteinä olisi tärkeä laatia kattavampi riskien arviointi ja juurrattamissuunnitelma, sekä panostaa ulkoiseen viestintään ja monimenetelmälliseen seurantaan. Målet med Icehearts verksamhet är att förebygga marginalisering bland barn och unga, främja välbefinnande och delaktighet samt komplettera samhällstjänsterna. Modellen baserar sig på 12 års mentorskap. Samma vuxen följer barnet genom barndomen och ungdomen. Fostraren stöder barnen i skolan, i hobbyer, på fritiden och vid möten med myndigheter. Praktiken utnyttjar systematiskt empirisk kunskap, expertuppgifter och forskningsdata. Det finns mångsidig nationell information om praktikens effektivitet. Det finns inga motsvarande praktiker. Praktiken har en lång historia, sprider sig snabbt och de omfattande bevisen för att praktiken är effektiv talar för att den bör implementeras även i större utsträckning. Viktiga utvecklingsåtgärder är att utarbeta en mer omfattande plan för riskbedömning och förankring samt att satsa på extern kommunikation och multimetodisk uppföljning. The aim of the Icehearts activities it to prevent social exclusion of children and young people, promote well-being and inclusion, and complement the services provided by society. The practice is based on supporting the children and young people for a period of 12 years. The same adult supports the child through childhood and youth. The mentor supports the children at school, in hobbies, in their free time and in meetings with the authorities. The practice systematically utilises experiential and expert knowledge and research data. There is diverse national data on the effectiveness of the practice. Other corresponding practices do not exist. The long history of the practice, its rapid spread and the broad-based evidence of its effectiveness are in favour of even more extensive implementation of the practice. As development measures, it would be important to draw up a more extensive risk assessment plan and a plan for the instillation of the activities, and to invest in external communication and multi-method monitoring

Icehearts

The aim of the Icehearts activities it to prevent social exclusion of children and young people, promote well-being and inclusion, and complement the services provided by society. The practice is based on supporting the children and young people for a period of 12 years. The same adult supports the child through childhood and youth. The mentor supports the children at school, in hobbies, in their free time and in meetings with the authorities. The practice systematically utilises experiential and expert knowledge and research data. There is diverse national data on the effectiveness of the practice. Other corresponding practices do not exist. The long history of the practice, its rapid spread and the broad-based evidence of its effectiveness are in favour of even more extensive implementation of the practice. As development measures, it would be important to draw up a more extensive risk assessment plan and a plan for the instillation of the activities, and to invest in external communication and multi-method monitoring

Exploring the capability approach to quality of life in disadvantaged population groups

The capability approach argues that having effective choices and fair opportunities are essential to maintain and promote one’s own health and quality of life (QoL). This study examines the determinants of QoL in four disadvantaged population groups (young people not in education, employment, or training; long-term unemployed; refugees; older people living alone) within the framework of the capabilities by tracking the direct and indirect effects of individual and structural factors and capabilities on their QoL. Cross-sectional data (N = 866) with validated scales of quality of life (physical, social, psychological, and environmental QoL) and self-reported capabilities were utilized. Individual factors included age and gender and structural factors education and income. Descriptive statistics and structural equation modelling with latent variables were used for statistical analyses. Our results suggest that capabilities have crucial direct and mediating roles in achieving good QoL in the disadvantaged population groups. Individual factors had only small effects whereas especially the structural factors affected QoL through capabilities. Our results suggest that to reduce health inequalities and to promote wellbeing, policies should focus on improving both the structural factors and the individual capabilities of people in disadvantaged positions.publishedVersionPeer reviewe

TRPA1 as a potential factor and drug target in scleroderma : dermal fibrosis and alternative macrophage activation are attenuated in TRPA1-deficient mice in bleomycin-induced experimental model of scleroderma

Background: Systemic sclerosis is a rheumatoid disease best known for its fibrotic skin manifestations called scleroderma. Alternatively activated (M2-type) macrophages are normally involved in the resolution of inflammation and wound healing but also in fibrosing diseases such as scleroderma. TRPA1 is a non-selective cation channel, activation of which causes pain and neurogenic inflammation. In the present study, we investigated the role of TRPA1 in bleomycin-induced skin fibrosis mimicking scleroderma. Methods: Wild type and TRPA1-deficient mice were challenged with intradermal bleomycin injections to induce a scleroderma-mimicking disease. Macrophages were investigated in vitro to evaluate the underlying mechanisms. Results: Bleomycin induced dermal thickening and collagen accumulation in wild type mice and that was significantly attenuated in TRPA1-deficient animals. Accordingly, the expression of collagens 1A1, 1A2, and 3A1 as well as pro-fibrotic factors TGF-beta, CTGF, fibronectin-1 and YKL-40, and M2 macrophage markers Arg1 and MRC1 were lower in TRPA1-deficient than wild type mice. Furthermore, bleomycin was discovered to significantly enhance M2-marker expression particularly in the presence of IL-4 in wild type macrophages in vitro, but not in macrophages harvested from TRPA1-deficient mice. IL-4-induced PPARγ-expression in macrophages was increased by bleomycin, providing a possible mechanism behind the phenomenon. Conclusions: In conclusion, the results indicate that interfering TRPA1 attenuates fibrotic and inflammatory responses in bleomycin-induced scleroderma. Therefore, TRPA1-blocking treatment could potentially alleviate M2 macrophage driven diseases like systemic sclerosis and scleroderma.publishedVersionPeer reviewe