What is Mindful Leadership?

International audienceIn this article, our aim is to describe an emerging concept in the field of organizational behavior: “Mindfulness”. Mindfulness could be defined as the way to become aware of the body, the mind, the emotions and the spirit. It is often presented as a part of Emotional Intelligence (EI). It comes from ancient oriental traditions. It is far from being a recent concept. Even if it is an old concept, more than thousands of years old, it has emerged in the field of organizational behaviour only three or four years ago, mostly in the USA. It is unfortunate considering that mindfulness is part of the Indian culture, much more than it is of the Western culture. In this paper, we call on scholars for doing intensive research on mindfulness. Four areas of research could be considered. First is effective decision making. We argue that any leader or manager will take better decisions if he/she is centered in a state of mindfulness. The second area concerns team work or relationship management. We argue that a mindful person can better transmit a vision to the team and inspire and motivate them. Because mindfulness leads to emotional stability, we argue that a mindful person is also more effective in dealing with conflicts that appear in the workplace. The third area concerns work-life balance. A mindful person is peaceful and calm, and therefore can effectively manage the stresses arising from work and personal life. The fourth area is eco-centric leadership. We argue that mindfulness helps one recognize the interconnectedness between humans and nature. Therefore, mindful leaders develop eco-centric business models that promote a sustainable lifestyle. In this paper we first describe the concept of mindfulness and trace its origins from Buddhist and Indian perspectives. Then, based on published research, we propose that mindfulness in leaders and managers plays a critical role in developing and nurturing a vision of sustainability that thrives on people-centric and eco-centric approach to business. We conclude by discussing the various avenues of research in this new field

Ict And Ecology: In Favour Of Research Based On The Responsibility Principle

The aim of this communication is to present new focuses for research in the field of Information Systems and Ecology. In the first part, we will present, through a review of the literature, the rather negative role played by ICT on the environment: paper, transportation, consumption, waste… The aim of the second part is to discuss the rather positive role played by ICT with regard to knowledge of the environment: simulation, traceability, information… Many questions about research are then liable to be developed, and this will be the subject of the third part: in favour of research into the principle of Responsibility, users, businesses and those who govern

Mentoring Relationships, Gender and Work-Family Conflict: The Case of IT Careers

Mentoring has long been considered important in career advancement in many fields. It is important to pay attention to issues related to mentoring because it appears to be related to a number of organizational and individuallevel outcomes. In this paper, we examine certain factors that may lead to a more effective mentoring relationship, thereby increasing the likelihood that the relationship will be lasting and beneficial for the individual and organization. Specifically, we suggest similarities based on gender and work-family conflict will be related to effectiveness of mentoring relationships. Propositions are presented with respect to these relationships. Although we do not directly link mentoring with retention, the outcomes discussed above will likely result in reduced turnover in IT-related jobs. These outcomes are likely to be negatively associated with women\u27s likelihood of remaining in IT fields and their performance and advancement in the IT field

An Analysis Framework for the Evaluation of Content Management Systems

The content published on the Web never stops growing. It is becoming essential to efficiently manage it. Organizations are increasingly searching for more efficient and feasible ways in which to manage the content of their websites. Content Management Systems offer a solution by facilitating the creation of websites and providing content management. Many organizations are now using Management Content Systems. This increasing interest is apparent in the growing market of such systems and in the updates of existing systems. For an organization, the choice of a Content Management System is not easy, since this is a dynamic market shared among many different publishers. The offer evaluation process requires specific tools. In order to help these organizations in their choice, we have attempted to provide an analysis framework for these applications. This analysis framework designed to help organizations choose their application contributes to the evaluation of these applications. This article puts forward a Content Management software analysis framework and explains its application to a sample of 23 products. The size of this sample allows us to asses the strategic grouping of Content Management Systems. Effectively, the analysis results in the identification of two strategic groups whose main differences lay in the software characteristics and their target markets

Learning Phenomena of MMORPG PLAYERS: A PROPOSED RESEARCH MODEL

This research in progress aims to contributing to the already existing knowledge on the phenomena of learning existing in the massively multi-players online role-playing games (MMORPG). The objective is to be able to identify social skills (personality) and professional skills (managerial skills) which the players can develop by playing in MMORPG. A better knowledge of the effects of this technology on the players would allow to know better the consequences on the real life of the players as the recruitment by online games. So, by basing us on learning theories then on a previous qualitative study led with players and old players, we propose a model of research illustrating the influence of the practice of the MMORPG on the player

Open and Responsible Innovation Concepts for Competitive Advantage

In this paper we present two evolving concepts, Responsible Innovation and Open Innovation, aiming to deepen discussion on similarities and differences between the two. The idea for this conceptual paper is led by the need to elaborate the two concepts in order to allow easier alignment with organizational strategies. We begin by presenting the definitions of the concepts and contexts in which the notions were developed. Responsible Innovation is seen here as a potentially overarching notion that embeds the characteristics of Open Innovation, so the paper discussion is slightly positioned in favour of Responsible Innovation. Moreover, with this paper we want to make contribution on the two concepts in management and business literature

TIC et/ou développement durable : le paradoxe écologique vécu par les utilisateurs

International audienceDans les médias, les technologies de l'information et de la communication (TIC) sont souvent assimilées à des technologies « vertes ». Pourtant, la littérature révèle que le coût écologique de leur utilisation ne cesse de croître… Face à ce paradoxe, la recherche exploratoire que nous avons menée a porté sur les modes d'utilisation des TIC par des personnes impliquées dans la cause écologique. Il ressort de l'analyse des entretiens que, d'une part, des stratégies sont mises en oeuvre pour minimiser les culpabilités dues à un écart entre les attitudes écologiques et un comportement moins écologique en général, et que, d'autre part, l'utilisation des TIC donne lieu à des stratégies de déculpabilisation spécifiques. En effet, en partie dématérialisées et consommables quasi à l'infini, les TIC portent en elles un caractère pour ainsi dire « magique » facilitant une vision idéologique de leur vertu écologique. Étant massivement utilisées aussi bien dans la sphère sociale que dans la sphère privée, elles deviennent porteuses d'éléments d'identité : cela explique-t-il que même des personnes adoptant par ailleurs des comportements en phase avec leur conscience écologique n'envisagent pas d'en réguler leur consommation

Un cas d’économie solidaire à Millau: Le territoire du Larzac réinvente-t-il la distribution ?

International audienceEn novembre 2003, après un an et demi de discussions, naît « Au Marché paysan » à Millau. Au coeur de la ville, dans un local de 150 m 2 , ouvert au public cinq jours par semaine, on trouve les produits de vingt-cinq pro-ducteurs locaux : légumes, viandes, confitures, fromage, miel, jus de fruits, pain, lait, etc.

Articles in French III: Un Cadre d\u27Analyse pour l\u27Evaluation des Systèmes de Gestion de Contenu (SGC)

Les contenus publiés sur le Web ne cessant de s\u27accroître, il devient vital de les gérer de façon efficiente. Les organisations sont plus que jamais à la recherche de moyens pour gérer le plus efficacement possible et de façon rentable le contenu de leurs sites web. Les Systèmes de Gestion du Contenu (SGC) sont proposés pour répondre à ce besoin en facilitant la création des sites web et la gestion de leur contenu. Nombreuses sont les organisations qui ont recours aux SGC. Cet intérêt est visible dans la croissance du marché des logiciels de SGC ainsi que dans les mises à jour régulières des logiciels SGC existants. Pour une organisation, le choix du logiciel SGC n\u27est pas un processus très facile. En effet, ce marché est très dynamique et réparti entre de nombreux producteurs. Le processus d\u27évaluation de l\u27offre demande des outils spécifiques. C\u27est pour aider les organisations dans leur choix que nous avons tenté d\u27apporter un cadre d\u27analyse de ces logiciels. La réalisation de ce cadre d\u27analyse pour aider les organisations dans leur choix contribue à faciliter l\u27évaluation des SGC. Cet article propose un cadre d\u27analyse des logiciels SGC et explique son application sur un échantillon de 23 logiciels. L\u27importance de cet échantillon permet également d\u27estimer les regroupements stratégiques des logiciels SGC. En effet, l\u27analyse conduite a fait ressortir l\u27existence de deux groupes stratégiques qui se différencient principalement de par les caractéristiques des logiciels ainsi que par leur marché cible

25 ans de Recherche en Systèmes d'Information

International audienceLa recherche en Systèmes d'Information est une discipline encore jeune. On peut dater sa naissance à la parution du premier numéro de la revue la plus réputée du domaine, Management Information Systems Quaterly (MISQ) soit 1977. L'objectif de cette analyse de vingt cinq années de recherche en systèmes d'information est double : dépeindre l'évolution du champs sur les différentes dimensions et comparer la production anglophone et francophone. Les résultats de nos analyses nous ont amenés à ouvrir un débat sur la problématique dominante du domaine : l'évaluation des systèmes d'information