358 research outputs found

    Can a leader be seen as too ethical? The curvilinear effects of ethical leadership

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    Ethical leadership predicts important organizational outcomes such as decreased deviant and increased organizational citizenship behavior (OCB). We argued that due to the distinct nature of these two types of employee behaviors, ethical leadership decreases deviance in a linear manner (i.e., more ethical leadership leading to less deviance), but we expected ethical leadership to reveal a curvilinear relationship with respect to OCB. Specifically, we expected that, at lower levels, ethical leadership promotes OCB. However, at high levels, ethical leadership should lead to a decrease in these behaviors. We also examined a mechanism that explains this curvilinear pattern, that is, followers’ perceptions of moral reproach. Our predictions were supported in three organizational field studies and an experiment. These findings offer a better understanding of the processes that underlie the workings of ethical leadership. They also imply a dilemma for organizations in which they face the choice between limiting deviant employee behavior and promoting OCB

    Gossip in organisations: Contexts, consequences and controversies

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    This article examines the key themes surrounding gossip including its contexts, the various outcomes (positive and negative) of gossip as well as a selection of challenges and controversies. The challenges which are highlighted revolve around definitional issues, methodological approaches, and ethical considerations. Our analysis suggests that the characteristics and features of gossip lend itself to a process-oriented approach whereby the beginning and, particularly, end points of gossip are not always easily identified. Gossip about a subject or person can temporarily disappear only for it to re-surface at some later stage. In addition, questions pertaining to the effects of gossip and ethical-based arguments depend on the nature of the relationships within the gossip triad (gossiper, listener/respondent and target)

    Oxidative phosphorylation in bone cells

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    The role of energy metabolism in bone cells is an active field of investigation. Bone cells are metabolically very active and require high levels of energy in the form of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) to support their function. ATP is generated in the cytosol via glycolysis coupled with lactic acid fermentation and in the mitochondria via oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS). OXPHOS is the final convergent metabolic pathway for all oxidative steps of dietary nutrients catabolism. The formation of ATP is driven by an electrochemical gradient that forms across the mitochondrial inner membrane through to the activity of the electron transport chain (ETC) complexes and requires the presence of oxygen as the final electron acceptor. The current literature supports a model in which glycolysis is the main source of energy in undifferentiated mesenchymal progenitors and terminally differentiated osteoblasts, whereas OXPHOS appears relevant in an intermediate stage of differentiation of those cells. Conversely, osteoclasts progressively increase OXPHOS during differentiation until they become multinucleated and mitochondrial-rich terminal differentiated cells. Despite the abundance of mitochondria, mature osteoclasts are considered ATP-depleted, and the availability of ATP is a critical factor that regulates the low survival capacity of these cells, which rapidly undergo death by apoptosis. In addition to ATP, bioenergetic metabolism generates reactive oxygen species (ROS) and intermediate metabolites that regulate a variety of cellular functions, including epigenetics changes of genomic DNA and histones. This review will briefly discuss the role of OXPHOS and the cross-talks OXPHOS-glycolysis in the differentiation process of bone cells

    Osteoblastic erythropoietin is not required for bone mass accrual

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    Erythropoietin (EPO), primarily produced by interstitial fibroblasts in the kidney during adulthood, and its receptor are well-known for their crucial role in regulating erythropoiesis. Recent research has unveiled an additional function of circulating EPO in the control of bone mass accrual and homeostasis through its receptor, which is expressed in both osteoblasts and osteoclasts. Notably, cells of the osteoblast lineage can produce and secrete functional EPO upon activation of the hypoxia signaling pathway. However, the physiological relevance of osteoblastic EPO remains to be fully elucidated. This study aimed to investigate the potential role of osteoblastic EPO in regulating bone mass accrual and erythropoiesis in young adult mice. To accomplish this, we employed a mutant mouse model lacking EPO specifically in mesenchymal progenitors and their descendants. Our findings indicate that in vivo loss of EPO in the osteoblast lineage does not significantly affect either bone mass accrual or erythropoiesis in young adult mice. Further investigations are necessary to comprehensively understand the potential contribution of EPO produced and secreted by osteoblast cells during aging, repair, and under pathological conditions

    The impact of language barriers on trust formation in multinational teams

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    This study systematically investigates how language barriers influence trust formation in multinational teams (MNTs). Based on 90 interviews with team members, team leaders, and senior managers in 15 MNTs in three German automotive corporations, we show how MNT members’ cognitive and emotional reactions to language barriers influence their perceived trustworthiness and intention to trust, which in turn affect trust formation. We contribute to diversity research by distinguishing the exclusively negative language effects from the more ambivalent effects of other diversity dimensions. Our findings also illustrate how surface-level language diversity may create perceptions of deep-level diversity. Furthermore, our study advances MNT research by revealing the specific influences of language barriers on team trust, an important mediator between team inputs and performance outcomes. It thereby encourages the examination of other team processes through a language lens. Finally, our study suggests that multilingual settings necessitate a reexamination and modification of the seminal trust theories by Mayer, Davis and Schoorman (1995) and McAllister (1995). In terms of practical implications, we outline how MNT leaders can manage their subordinates’ problematic reactions to language barriers and how MNT members can enhance their perceived trustworthiness in multilingual settings
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