On leaders’ presence:interactions and influences within online communities

By conceptualising presence as a behavioural construct, this study explores how online leaders’ presence exerts an influence on online communities and their members. Drawing on qualitative research where five online communities were examined, the findings show that online leaders’ presence is identified in different forms which ultimately may have different impacts on the community and its members. Articulations of leaders’ presence online included interactive, instructive, stimulating and silent and for each the leader was found to exert a different influence on online community members. The theoretical and practical implications of the study are discussed and areas for further research are identified

Trust Performance and Dramaturgical Plays in Virtual Teams

The paper uses the dramaturgical perspective for conceptualising trust development within temporary virtual teams. The underlying assumption is that temporary teams do not have the luxury of time, which according to the traditional trust theories, enables familiarity among project participants and promotes trust development. Yet, in these teams, trust needs to develop quickly and it is important that it lasts throughout the short duration of the project lifecycle. Using the metaphor of a theatre, the dramaturgical model of trust relationships is developed and is used to present actors, co-actors and audience as all playing a key role during the scripting, staging and performing phases of virtual plays. Particular importance is given to the interactions between these players at the performance stage. As it is argued, these interactions elicit the process of trust development within the temporary setting of virtual teams constituting to a type of trust relationship that is mutually negotiated and jointly constructed. This type of trust is called situated trust and emerges from the scripted and unscripted computer-mediated interactions of virtual players

Members' commitment in online health communities: the case of MedicineAfrica

Online communities have gained multidisciplinary attention in both the academic and practitioner literature. Some of this literature has taken a focus on online communities in the healthcare context (aka online health communities), with recent studies highlighting their potential to contribute to social value creation, for example by reducing the divide between regional and other health disparities. In this research-in-progress paper, we present a case study we conducted with MedicineAfrica; an online health community with the aim of improving healthcare education in countries with fragile healthcare systems. Based on interviews, online observations, and documentary analysis, our study explores: (a) the factors that enhance volunteer-members’ commitment to the online community, resulting in them staying longer than they initially expected; and (b) the impact of members’ commitment on the roles they undertake on the online platform. It is found that, with increased commitment, members of online health communities tend to undertake not just more roles but roles with leading responsibilities as well as take on initiatives for new online activities. We discuss our preliminary analysis so far, which is followed by the study’s implications and further research

Bringing relevance to eLearning – a gender perspective

In this paper, we discuss the importance of relevance in the provision of eLearning for the pursuit of higher education (HE). In particular, we argue how the extant literature focuses on quality and security in the design of eLearning platforms, but pays scant attention to how relevant the platform and the programme contents are to the needs of contemporary adult learners. We studied this topic from a gender perspective and identified the different imperatives and constraints pertaining to men and women seeking personal and career development through HE. Recommendations are made for HE institutions to pay particular attention to the role that relevance plays in eLearning

Instructors as Designated Leaders for Fostering Online Engagement: The Case of Online Learning Communities

With the increasing need to understand pedagogy online, but also with the understanding that the role of designated leaders in online communities has not been examined, the paper presents a study that aims to examine how instructors in online learning platforms may impact, through their presence, participants’ online engagement. The theoretical foundations of the study are based on a typology of different types of leaders’ presence in the online context. In this research in progress paper, the research design of the study is described and expected contributions in the areas of online communities and eLearning are identified

Generating Social Value through Online Communities: The Case of MedicineAfrica

Online communities have seen exponential growth over the last few years, and have thus attracted cross-disciplinary scholarly and practitioner attention. We extend literature on online communities by presenting them as social value creation entities. We use the case of MedicineAfrica—an online healthcare initiative that promotes knowledge sharing and learning to poorly resourced countries. Our approach is qualitative and draws primarily on interviews with different projects and groups of participants involved in MedicineAfrica. So far, our preliminary analysis begins to explain what social value creation means for the different stakeholders involved in MedicineAfrica. Thus, understanding the motives of the voluntary members is important for the sustainability of these communities. We also find that social value is created through the emergence of human and social capital which substantially benefits both those in the remote and fragile areas, as well as those giving up their time to share their knowledge and expertise

Invisible Work Pre- and Post- Digitalisation. The case of a health authority in Norway

In this paper, we argue that, despite the increasing opportunities for transparency and visibility that come with the digitalisation of workplaces, invisible work remains a highly relevant concept, as it represents practices that are vital to the effective functioning of business operations. Drawing on a longitudinal qualitative case study, we examine invisible work practices before and after the digitalisation of a regional health authority in Norway following the implementation of an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system. The study extends the literature in this field by showing both the changing status of invisible work and the emergence of new invisible work in digitalised workplaces. The theoretical and practical implications are then discussed

Trust or Mistrust in Algorithmic Grading? An Embedded Agency Perspective

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has the potential to significantly impact the educational sector. One application of AI that has increasingly been applied is algorithmic grading. It is within this context that our study takes a focus on trust. While the concept of trust continues to grow in importance among AI researchers and practitioners, an investigation of trust/mistrust in algorithmic grading across multiple levels of analysis has so far been under-researched. In this paper, we argue the need for a model that encompasses the multi-layered nature of trust/mistrust in AI. Drawing on an embedded agency perspective, a model is devised that examines top-down and bottom-up forces that can influence trust/mistrust in algorithmic grading. We illustrate how the model can be applied by drawing on the case of the International Baccalaureate (IB) program in 2020, whereby an algorithm was used to determine student grades. This paper contributes to the AI-trust literature by providing a fresh theoretical lens based on institutional theory to investigate the dynamic and multi-faceted nature of trust/mistrust in algorithmic grading—an area that has seldom been explored, both theoretically and empirically. The study raises important implications for algorithmic design and awareness. Algorithms need to be designed in a transparent, fair, and ultimately a trustworthy manner. While an algorithm typically operates like a black box, whereby the underlying mechanisms are not apparent to those impacted by it, the purpose and an understanding of how the algorithm works should be communicated upfront and in a timely manner

LEADERS’ SENSEMAKING IN THE FACE OF PANDEMIC-DRIVEN DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION

Drawing on the sensemaking perspective, this study explores how business leaders with responsibility for digital related programmes, have made sense of digital transformation before and during the Covid-19, and examines the impact of this on on the wider organisational structure including their own position in the organisation. The study is qualitative in nature and is based on a series of case studies with organisations across different sectors. Analysis so far shows that as a result of the pandemic there has been a wider acceptance of the possibilities provided by digital technologies and the opportunities for digital transformation. Further, findings show that digital leaders’ commitment, resources and expectations have contributed to accelerating the process, though this has differed across different organisations. The theoretical and practical implications of the study are explored

LEADERSHIP IN THE VIRTUAL HIGHER EDUCATION SECTOR: Is there a new way to lead in the on-line distance learning environment?

The growth in e-learning and other distance modes of delivery in the higher education sector, the explosion in borderless higher education and the marketisation of higher education, pose a challenge to the traditionally characteristic structures of decision making and consensual leadership in Higher Education. The paper seeks to examine if there is significant difference between leadership in the traditional Higher Education (HE) environment and leadership in the virtual HE environment by examining the framework of leadership models taken from the business literature - transformational and transactional leadership as well as the newer forms of leadership models such as servant leadership and distributed leadership. The models are applied to the case of an emerging virtual arm of a traditional university. The analysis suggests that the virtual higher education institution requires a complex repertoire of leadership skills and abilities but the process of leadership strongly suggests a dispersed or distributed approach