Multiple social media in the workplace: Contradictions and congruencies

In this paper, we report an investigation on the use of multiple social media in knowledge work and explore the contribution of activity theory for such a study. As social media are increasingly adopted at work, there is a demand to understand how they are being incorporated. This study focuses on how social media may improve or reduce coherence in work activities, and for this purpose, we use activity theory as an analytical lens to conceptualise social media usage in a Scandinavian software development company. The qualitative data, consisting of interviews and observations, were analysed to capture the mediating role of social media for information sharing within and across work activities. We found social media in general helpful to maintain coherence in terms of sharing work-related information, improving ambient awareness, as well as for socialising, but they also caused inconsistencies in use and adoption. In addition, we found that social media served different purposes in different activity systems, causing both contradictions and congruencies; what was seen as a benefit for some work activities appeared as a limitation for others (eg, concerning pace and aims of information sharing). In our findings through the lens of activity theory, we observed how objects, although they were shared, were fractionalised in networked activities. Our conclusion is that despite the still unoptimised functionality, social media do bring coherence in work activities in a decentralised work environment

Making collaboration tools work at work: Navigating four major implementation dilemmas

Organizations introduce collaboration tools, such as Microsoft Teams and Facebook Workplace, to stimulate communication and collaboration across hierarchies and silos. However, many firms struggle to successfully get their workers to adopt these new technologies. The result is that both management and employees are frustrated, and neither of them become more collaborative. What are the reasons these collaboration initiatives do not always live up to their expectations and how can this be overcome? In this article we discuss four major dilemmas that firms need to address in order to increase the chances of their initiatives becoming a success. First, the scope: is the goal of the project a repository of best practices, or a collaborative space for (work-related) exchange of ideas? Second, design of the tool: should it match the expectation of what management envisions, or should it match (and thereby amplify) current work practices? Third, the implementation strategy: should you go for a top-down implementation with champions and KPIs, or does it make sense to “just let go” and let users play around? And fourth, project governance: should you focus on the quantitative data, or on qualitative evaluations of end-users? Addressing these dilemmas will enhance focus, and ultimately help address the question of how to manage the implementation and use of collaboration tools in relation to broader organizational change: do you want to “disrupt” or “augment” existing ways of working

Knowledge sharing on Enterprise Social Media: Practices to Cope with Institutional Complexity

This study examines the use of enterprise social media (ESM) for organizational knowledge sharing and shows that professionals face ambiguities because their knowledge sharing behavior is informed by an institutional complexity that consists of 2 dissimilar institutional logics: Logics of the profession, and logics of the corporation. Our qualitative case study of an ESM at an IT consultancy organization shows that professionals find ways to manage the ambiguities they experience by engaging the affordances of ESM in such a way as to develop coping practices: Connection management, reputation management, and information management. By complementing the affordance perspective with an institutional logics perspective, we are able to advance scholarly understanding on how ESM can facilitate but also frustrate knowledge sharing

Ouderen, klassieke monoamineoxidaseremmers en intercurrente somatische aandoeningen

Three patients, a woman aged 70, a man aged 74 and a woman aged 78 years, all using tranylcypromine, a monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI), to prevent the recurrence of severe depressive disorders, developed an intercurrent somatic disease. On admission to a general hospital, the first patient was initially refused her MAOI. The second patient was twice refused anaesthesia and the depression recurred twice when the MAOI was tapered off in connection with his operation. Both recovered after being given tranylcypromine. The third patient received tramadol from her surgeon and read in the directions for use that this drug should not be combined with a MAOI. After discontinuation of the MAOI the depression recurred, her medical condition deteriorated and she died. MAOIs are often a treatment of last resort. Discontinuation of an effective treatment and hence compromising the patient's psychiatric status increases the risk of medical and psychiatric complications and therefore should be avoided. Interdisciplinary consultation is essential in such cases

Making collaboration tools work at work: Navigating four major implementation dilemmas

Organizations introduce collaboration tools, such as Microsoft Teams and Facebook Workplace, to stimulate communication and collaboration across hierarchies and silos. However, many firms struggle to successfully get their workers to adopt these new technologies. The result is that both management and employees are frustrated, and neither of them become more collaborative. What are the reasons these collaboration initiatives do not always live up to their expectations and how can this be overcome? In this article we discuss four major dilemmas that firms need to address in order to increase the chances of their initiatives becoming a success. First, the scope: is the goal of the project a repository of best practices, or a collaborative space for (work-related) exchange of ideas? Second, design of the tool: should it match the expectation of what management envisions, or should it match (and thereby amplify) current work practices? Third, the implementation strategy: should you go for a top-down implementation with champions and KPIs, or does it make sense to “just let go” and let users play around? And fourth, project governance: should you focus on the quantitative data, or on qualitative evaluations of end-users? Addressing these dilemmas will enhance focus, and ultimately help address the question of how to manage the implementation and use of collaboration tools in relation to broader organizational change: do you want to “disrupt” or “augment” existing ways of working

Two years' outcome of acute mania in bipolar disorder:different effects of age and age of onset

BackgroundInformation about differences between younger and older patients with bipolar disorder and between older patients with early and late age of onset of illness during long-term treatment is scarce. ObjectivesThis study aimed to investigate the differences in treatment and treatment outcome between older and younger manic bipolar patients and between early-onset bipolar (EOB) and late-onset bipolar (LOB) older patients. MethodThe European Mania in Bipolar Longitudinal Evaluation of Medication study was a 2-year prospective, observational study in 3459 bipolar patients on the treatment and outcome of patients with an acute manic or mixed episode. Patients were assessed at 6, 12, 18, and 24months post-baseline. We calculated the number of patients with a remission, recovery, relapse, and recurrence and the mean time to achieve this. ResultsOlder patients did not differ from younger bipolar patients in achieving remission and recovery or suffering a relapse and in the time to achieve this. However, more older patients recurred and in shorter time. Older patients used less atypical antipsychotics and more antidepressants and other concomitant psychiatric medication. Older EOB and LOB patients did not differ in treatment, but more older LOB patients tended to recover than older EOB patients. ConclusionOlder bipolar manic patients did not differ from younger bipolar patients in short-term treatment outcome (remission and recovery), but in the long term, this may be more difficult to maintain. Distinguishing age groups in bipolar study populations may be useful when considering treatment and treatment outcome and warrants further study. Copyright (c) 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd

Stability of co-occurring psychiatric diagnoses in autistic men and women

Background: Despite a high prevalence of psychiatric conditions in autistic adults, research examining the diagnostic stability of psychiatric conditions diagnosed prior to autism is limited. Method: The present study examined the occurrence of (1) psychiatric diagnoses obtained before autism was diagnosed, (2) psychiatric conditions co-occurring with autism following its diagnosis, and (3) psychiatric conditions that were diagnosed before autism but no longer co-occurred with autism following its diagnosis. Participants (N = 1019, 51.5% female) provided information on psychiatric conditions predating their diagnosis of autism and psychiatric conditions co-occurring with autism. This information was combined to identify prior diagnoses that were no longer present post-autism diagnosis. Results: Results showed that 50.2% of participants (62.7% of females and 37% of males) had at least one prior diagnosis. Mood and personality disorders were the most frequent prior diagnoses. Moreover, 59.3% (67% of females and 51% of males) reported having at least one diagnosis co-occurring with autism. Mood and anxiety disorders were the most frequent co-occurring diagnoses. Finally, 37.7% (47% of females and 27.3% of males) reported at least one previously diagnosed psychiatric condition that was no longer listed as a condition co-occurring with autism following its diagnosis. Personality disorders were most frequently no longer reported as diagnoses co-occurring with autism, despite being listed as prior diagnoses. Conclusions: This study provides quantitative estimates of the temporal stability of specific psychiatric conditions before and after a diagnosis of autism in adults