Employee perception on transactional and transformational changes in a public organization

Mudanças Transacionais alteram apenas alguns aspectos da organização. As Transformacionais são mais radicais, envolvendo a organização como um todo. A existência na organização de fatores de capacidade organizacional para mudanças pode exercer influência na ocorrência desses tipos de mudanças. Este trabalho avalia se a existência desses fatores influencia a percepção dos indivíduos sobre as mudanças transacionais e as transformacionais ocorridas num órgão público. A organização pesquisada é responsável pelas infraestruturas rodoviária, ferroviária e aquaviária, se passou por reestruturação, fusão e outras mudanças. Os dados (N=340) foram coletados na sede em Brasília, onde trabalham cerca de 450 indivíduos. Foram aplicados o Instrumento de Capacidade Organizacional para Mudanças - visando identificar a existência de fatores que facilitam a ocorrência de mudanças nas organizações -, e o Instrumento de Percepção de Mudanças Organizacionais, como medida para as mudanças organizacionais. Os resultados indicam que a estratégia de atuação, a dinâmica de coalizões e o fluxo de comunicação (R² = 0,35; p = 0, 011) são preditores de percepção de mudanças Transformacionais. O trabalho em grupo (R² = 0,16; p = 0, 001) aparece fracamente como preditor de mudanças do tipo Transacionais. A relevância da pesquisa está direcionada para aqueles que são responsáveis pela gestão administrativa de instituições públicas em processo de mudança.Transactional changes alter only certain aspects of the organization. Transformational changes are more radical, involving the organization as a whole. The existence of capacity factors for organizational change in an organization can influence the occurrence of these types of changes. Change occurrences can be hindered or enhanced due to some organizational capacity factors, including information flow, organizational strategy, coalition dynamics, turbulence in the external environment, group autonomy, bureaucracy and managerial practices. The present paper aims to appraise whether these factors influence or not the way individuals perceive transformational and transactional changes in an organization. The data (N=340) have been gathered from a number of questionnaires applied in a public organization that has undergone management changes and had some of its areas restructured. The Organizational Capacity Assessment Scales for Changes and the Change Perception Scale have also been used. The results point out that organizational strategy, coalition dynamics and communication flow (R2 = 0.35; p = 0.011) are predictors for Transformational Changes perception. As for Transactional Changes, group work (R = 0.16; p = 0.001) is barely considered a predictive factor. The relevance of this research is directed toward those who are responsible for the management process in public institutions

Venom gland transcriptome analyses of two freshwater stingrays (Myliobatiformes : Potamotrygonidae) from Brazil

Stingrays commonly cause human envenoming related accidents in populations of the sea, near rivers and lakes. Transcriptomic profiles have been used to elucidate components of animal venom, since they are capable of providing molecular information on the biology of the animal and could have biomedical applications. In this study, we elucidated the transcriptomic profile of the venom glands from two different freshwater stingray species that are endemic to the Paraná-Paraguay basin in Brazil, Potamotrygon amandae and Potamotrygon falkneri. Using RNA-Seq, we identified species-specific transcripts and overlapping proteins in the venom gland of both species. Among the transcripts related with envenoming, high abundance of hyaluronidases was observed in both species. In addition, we built three-dimensional homology models based on several venom transcripts identified. Our study represents a significant improvement in the information about the venoms employed by these two species and their molecular characteristics. Moreover, the information generated by our group helps in a better understanding of the biology of freshwater cartilaginous fishes and offers clues for the development of clinical treatments for stingray envenoming in Brazil and around the world. Finally, our results might have biomedical implications in developing treatments for complex diseases

Pervasive gaps in Amazonian ecological research

Biodiversity loss is one of the main challenges of our time,1,2 and attempts to address it require a clear un derstanding of how ecological communities respond to environmental change across time and space.3,4 While the increasing availability of global databases on ecological communities has advanced our knowledge of biodiversity sensitivity to environmental changes,5–7 vast areas of the tropics remain understudied.8–11 In the American tropics, Amazonia stands out as the world’s most diverse rainforest and the primary source of Neotropical biodiversity,12 but it remains among the least known forests in America and is often underrepre sented in biodiversity databases.13–15 To worsen this situation, human-induced modifications16,17 may elim inate pieces of the Amazon’s biodiversity puzzle before we can use them to understand how ecological com munities are responding. To increase generalization and applicability of biodiversity knowledge,18,19 it is thus crucial to reduce biases in ecological research, particularly in regions projected to face the most pronounced environmental changes. We integrate ecological community metadata of 7,694 sampling sites for multiple or ganism groups in a machine learning model framework to map the research probability across the Brazilian Amazonia, while identifying the region’s vulnerability to environmental change. 15%–18% of the most ne glected areas in ecological research are expected to experience severe climate or land use changes by 2050. This means that unless we take immediate action, we will not be able to establish their current status, much less monitor how it is changing and what is being lostinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Pervasive gaps in Amazonian ecological research

Biodiversity loss is one of the main challenges of our time,1,2 and attempts to address it require a clear understanding of how ecological communities respond to environmental change across time and space.3,4 While the increasing availability of global databases on ecological communities has advanced our knowledge of biodiversity sensitivity to environmental changes,5,6,7 vast areas of the tropics remain understudied.8,9,10,11 In the American tropics, Amazonia stands out as the world's most diverse rainforest and the primary source of Neotropical biodiversity,12 but it remains among the least known forests in America and is often underrepresented in biodiversity databases.13,14,15 To worsen this situation, human-induced modifications16,17 may eliminate pieces of the Amazon's biodiversity puzzle before we can use them to understand how ecological communities are responding. To increase generalization and applicability of biodiversity knowledge,18,19 it is thus crucial to reduce biases in ecological research, particularly in regions projected to face the most pronounced environmental changes. We integrate ecological community metadata of 7,694 sampling sites for multiple organism groups in a machine learning model framework to map the research probability across the Brazilian Amazonia, while identifying the region's vulnerability to environmental change. 15%–18% of the most neglected areas in ecological research are expected to experience severe climate or land use changes by 2050. This means that unless we take immediate action, we will not be able to establish their current status, much less monitor how it is changing and what is being lost

Pervasive gaps in Amazonian ecological research

Biodiversity loss is one of the main challenges of our time,1,2 and attempts to address it require a clear understanding of how ecological communities respond to environmental change across time and space.3,4 While the increasing availability of global databases on ecological communities has advanced our knowledge of biodiversity sensitivity to environmental changes,5,6,7 vast areas of the tropics remain understudied.8,9,10,11 In the American tropics, Amazonia stands out as the world's most diverse rainforest and the primary source of Neotropical biodiversity,12 but it remains among the least known forests in America and is often underrepresented in biodiversity databases.13,14,15 To worsen this situation, human-induced modifications16,17 may eliminate pieces of the Amazon's biodiversity puzzle before we can use them to understand how ecological communities are responding. To increase generalization and applicability of biodiversity knowledge,18,19 it is thus crucial to reduce biases in ecological research, particularly in regions projected to face the most pronounced environmental changes. We integrate ecological community metadata of 7,694 sampling sites for multiple organism groups in a machine learning model framework to map the research probability across the Brazilian Amazonia, while identifying the region's vulnerability to environmental change. 15%–18% of the most neglected areas in ecological research are expected to experience severe climate or land use changes by 2050. This means that unless we take immediate action, we will not be able to establish their current status, much less monitor how it is changing and what is being lost

Influência dos fatores de capacidade organizacional na percepção de mudanças

Dissertação (mestrado)—Universidade de Brasília, Instituto de Psicologia, Departamento de Psicologia Social e do Trabalho, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Psicologia Social, do Trabalho e das Organizações, 2009.Mudança no ambiente organizacional é algo constante e necessário. O desenvolvimento tecnológico, a dinâmica de mercado e as relações com clientes exigem da gestão, estratégias ágeis e flexíveis. Visando ajustamento e eficiência, as mudanças podem ocorrer apenas em alguns aspectos da organização, caracterizando mudança do tipo Transacional (Burke e Litwin, 1992). Quando ocorre a reconfiguração da organização, a ruptura dos padrões existentes, a criação de novas estratégias e de uma nova missão, caracterizam mudanças do tipo Transformacional (Burke e Litwin, 1992). Tais ocorrências são resultados da influência positiva ou negativa de alguns fatores de capacidade organizacional para mudanças. Esses fatores envolvem o fluxo de informação, a existência de uma estratégia de atuação organizacional, coalizões que apóiem a mudança, turbulência no ambiente externo, autonomia de grupos, a burocracia, e a confiança na atuação gerencial. Este trabalho avalia se tais fatores influenciam a percepção dos indivíduos das mudanças transformacionais e transacionais ocorridas na organização. Os dados (N=340) foram coletados por meio de questionários aplicados num órgão público que passou por reestruturação de áreas, fusão com outros órgãos e mudança de gestão. Foram aplicados o Instrumento de Capacidade Organizacional para Mudanças e o Instrumento de Percepção de Mudanças Organizacional. Os resultados da amostra indicam que a estratégia de atuação, dinâmica de coalizões e fluxo de comunicação (R = 0,35; p= 0, 011) são fatores preditores de percepção de mudanças Transformacionais. Para mudanças Transacionais, o trabalho em grupo (R = 0,16; p = 0, 001) aparece fracamente como preditor de desse tipo de mudança. Como apontado por pesquisas anteriores em instituições públicas, o órgão analisado apresenta baixa capacidade organizacional para mudanças. Os resultados são discutidos considerando a literatura e as implicações práticas da pesquisa. _______________________________________________________________________________ ABSTRACTChange in the organizational environment is constant and necessary. The technological development, the market dynamics and the relationship with customers require quick and flexible strategies. Changes can occur only in some aspects of the organization with a view to implementing adjustments and improving efficiency. This is called Transactional Change (Burke and Litwin, 1992). When the organization itself is reframed, resulting in a new mission and a shift in its underlying strategy and processes, change is referred to as Transformational (Burke and Litwin, 1992). Change occurrences can be hindered or enhanced due to some organizational capacity factors, including the information flow, an organizational action strategy, coalition support for change, turbulence in the external environment, group autonomy, bureaucracy and reliance on managerial action. The present paper aims at appraising whether these factors influence or not the way individuals perceive the transformational and transactional changes in an organization. The data (N=340) have been gathered in a number of questionnaires applied in a public institution that has been merged with other organs, undergone management changes and had some of its areas restructured. The Organizational Capacity Assessment Tools for Changes and the Change Perception Tool have also been used. The results point out that the organizations action strategy, the coalition dynamics and the communication flow (R2 = 0,35; p = 0,011) are predictive factors for Transformational Changes perception. As for Transactional Changes, group work (R = 0,16; p = 0, 001) is barely considered a predictive factor. As previous research work in public institutions have already demonstrated, the analyzed organ has failed to present organizational capacity for changes. The research results are analyzed taking into account the reviewed literature and the practical implications of this work