The Impact of Cross Cultural Communication on Collective Efficacy in NCAA Basketball Teams

This research contributes to the knowledge and theory on cross cultural communication by investigating the impact of cross cultural communication competence on the collective efficacy of multicultural National Collegiate Athletic Association basketball teams. Data was collected from 140 U.S. National Collegiate Athletic Association basketball coaches via the Cross Cultural Communication Competence Questionnaire and the Collective Efficacy Questionnaire for Sports. Principle component analysis was conducted on the data, revealing that the cross cultural communication competence and collective efficacy of basketball teams are multidimensional. The hypothesized relationship between cross cultural communication competence and collective efficacy was confirmed and statistically measured through regression analysis. It was found that four of the cross cultural communication competence dimensions produced by the principle component analysis exhibited a significant positive relationship with one of the two dimensions within collective efficacy. Given the well-supported relationship between collective efficacy and team performance in business, this study produces important implications for scholars and practitioners working with multicultural sporting teams

Evaluating the quality of social work supervision in UK children's services: comparing self-report and independent observations

Understanding how different forms of supervision support good social work practice and improve outcomes for people who use services is nearly impossible without reliable and valid evaluative measures. Yet the question of how best to evaluate the quality of supervision in different contexts is a complicated and as-yet-unsolved challenge. In this study, we observed 12 social work supervisors in a simulated supervision session offering support and guidance to an actor playing the part of an inexperienced social worker facing a casework-related crisis. A team of researchers analyzed these sessions using a customized skills-based coding framework. In addition, 19 social workers completed a questionnaire about their supervision experiences as provided by the same 12 supervisors. According to the coding framework, the supervisors demonstrated relatively modest skill levels, and we found low correlations among different skills. In contrast, according to the questionnaire data, supervisors had relatively high skill levels, and we found high correlations among different skills. The findings imply that although self-report remains the simplest way to evaluate supervision quality, other approaches are possible and may provide a different perspective. However, developing a reliable independent measure of supervision quality remains a noteworthy challenge

Creating Inclusion to Leverage Workforce Diversity from a Work Characteristics Perspective

Over the past couple of decades, organisational scholars have been investigating barriers that prevent minorities (e.g. women) from entering and remaining at all levels of organisations. Consequently, the management of workforce diversity and inclusion became a central topic for organisations and research. Despite this attention, our understanding of how diversity shapes the work context in organisations and how these can be translated into an inclusive climate that fosters employees’ performance and well-being is limited. Based on insights of the diversity and inclusion literature and occupational health research, this chapter presents a conceptual framework that suggests that work environments are influenced by the extent of workforce diversity that is present in the organisation (e.g. homogeneous organisations mostly have processes and infrastructures that are developed by and based on the needs of the majority group, minority employees might thus face an unfavourable work context). Moreover, the framework points out that the work context affects employees’ experience of inclusion. The more resourceful one’s work (e.g. the freedom to fulfil task in an authentic way) and the less demanding the work environment (e.g. fewer discrimination), the more one feels an accepted member of their work environment. Higher levels of feeling included is likely to result in better performance and well-being of employees. Finally, the framework proposes that inclusive organisations, in which employees feel good and perform well, will in the long term have more diversity among employees and more gender equality because they attract and retain a diverse workforce

Small and Medium-Sized Accounting Firms in India: Inclusive or Exclusive Leadership?

Integral to the effective management of the business are the concepts of creativity and innovation that set apart one business from another through differentiation and competitive advantage (Hulshegar and Anderson 2009). Business owners need to display effective leadership capabilities in the management of critical resources such as funding, information and time (Carmeli et al. 2010a, b), no matter what their size. Businesses globally face an increasingly uncertain and turbulent environment. Major challenges in this regard include globalisation, technology, privatisation and competition (Cooper et al. 2003). These forces, whether internal or external to the work environment, need to be managed effectively to ensure viability and profitability