The Anatomy of Employee Involvement and Its Effects on Firms and Workers

A great many American firms have organized workplace decision-making in new ways to get employees more involved in their jobs -- using policies like self-directed work teams, total equality management, quality circles, profit-sharing, and diverse other programs. This paper uses a firm-based data set and employee-based information to illuminate several aspects about the locus and economic impacts of employee involvement (EI). Having information from employees as well as from firms allows us to ask not only what EI does for firms, the principal question in the literature on the subject, but also what EI does for workers; and to examine EI from the bottom up' perspective of participants rather than managers. We find that EI practices are linked in an hierarchical structure that provides a natural scaling of EI activities and the intensity of the EI effort. Firms that have EI are also more likely to have profit-sharing and other forms of shared compensation. However, EI has a weak and poorly specified effect on output per worker, but it has a strong and positive impact on employee well-being.

Organizational climate and culture:reflections on the history of the constructs in Journal of Applied Psychology

We review the literature on organizational climate and culture paying specific attention to articles published in the Journal of Applied Psychology (JAP) since its first volume in 1917. The article traces the history of the two constructs though JAP has been far more important for climate than culture research. We distinguish four main periods: the pre-1971 era, with pioneering work on exploring conceptualization and operationalizations of the climate construct; the 1971 – 1985 era, with foundational work on aggregation issues, outcome-focused climates (on safety and service) and early writings on culture; the 1986 – 1999 era, characterized by solidification of a focused climate approach to understanding organizational processes (justice, discrimination) and outcomes (safety, service) and the beginnings of survey approaches to culture; and the 2000 – 2014 era, characterized by multi-level work on climate, climate strength, demonstrated validity for a climate approach to outcomes and processes, and the relationship between leadership and climate and culture. We summarize and comment on the major theory and research achievements in each period, showing trends observed in the literature and how JAP has contributed greatly to moving research on these constructs, especially climate, forward. We also recommend directions for future research given the current state of knowledge

Experiences of colorectal cancer survivors in returning to primary coordinated healthcare following treatment

Background. Advances in screening and treatments for colorectal cancer (CRC) have improved survival rates, leading to a large population of CRC survivors. Treatment for CRC can cause longterm side-effects and functioning impairments. General practitioners (GPs) have a role in meeting survivorship care needs of this group of survivors. We explored CRC survivors’ experiences of managing the consequences of treatment in the community and their perspective on the GP’s role in post-treatment care. Methods. This was a qualitative study using an interpretive descriptive approach. Adult participants no longer actively receiving treatment for CRC were asked about: side-effects post-treatment; experiences of GP-coordinated care; perceived care gaps; and perceived GP role in post-treatment care. Thematic analysis was used for data analysis. Results. A total of 19 interviews were conducted. Participants experienced side-effects that significantly impacted their lives; many they felt ill-prepared for. Disappointment and frustration was expressed with the healthcare system when expectations about preparation for posttreatment effects were not met. The GP was considered vital in survivorship care. Participants' unmet needs led to self-management, self-directed information seeking and sourcing referral options, leaving them feeling like their own care coordinator. Disparities in post-treatment care between metropolitan and rural participants were observed. Conclusion. There is a need for improved discharge preparation and information for GPs, and earlier recognition of concerns following CRC treatment to ensure timely management and access to services in the community, supported by system-level initiatives and appropriate interventions

Eyes on Incivility Surgical Teams

Incivility in Surgical Teams Intervention. Data includes experienced or observed incivility from surgical team members, perceptions of team dynamics, and outcomes of job attitudes, stress, and burnout. Data was collected in 2 rounds, pre and post an intervention of placing signs depicting an eye in surgical theater areas. The data is not matched over time at the individual level of analysis

Eyes on incivility in surgical teams: Teamwork, well-being, and an intervention.

Incivility in surgery is prevalent and negatively impacts effectiveness and staff well-being. The purpose of this study was to a) examine relationships between incivility, team dynamics, and well-being outcomes, and b) explore a low-cost intervention of 'eye' signage in operating theater areas to reduce incivility in surgical teams. A mixed methods design was used in an orthopedic hospital. Surveys of incivility, teamwork, and well-being were administered three months apart in a small private hospital. An intervention of signage with eyes was placed in the theater area after administration of the first survey, using a pretest-posttest design. Participants also responded to an open-ended question about suggestions for improvements at the end of the survey which was then thematically analyzed. At the individual level (n = 74), incivility was statistically significantly related to team dynamics which in turn was significantly related to burnout, stress, and job attitudes. At the aggregate level, reported incivility was statistically significantly lower after the 'eye' sign intervention. Thematic analysis identified core issues of management behaviors, employee appreciation, communication, and work practices. Incivility in surgical teams has significant detrimental associations with burnout, stress, and job attitudes, which occurs through its impact on decreased team dynamics and communication. A simple intervention that evokes perceptions of being observed, such as signage of eyes in theater areas, has the potential to decrease incivility at least in the short term, demonstrating that incivility is amenable to being modified. Additional research on targeted interventions to address incivility are needed to improve teamwork and staff well-being