"Type change" : the perceived structure of organizational change events

Sustainable development and global prosperity hinge substantially on healthy, progressive organizations. The liability of change, which manifests in the dismal success rates of large scale organizational change initiatives, however threatens the advancement of this agenda. While the reasons for this are complex, a starting point for reversing this trend is a greater understanding of the phenomenon of organizational change, which is reified and enacted at the level of the individual employee. The current study empirically explored the under researched area of 'types of change', which influences employee perceptions and responses and which ultimately holds the key to organizational adaptation. Several structural dimensions were extracted from the 663 respondents' perceptions of change events, which suggest a more considered but also a potentially more effective approach to dealing with organizational change

Organization identity as managerial concern

A largely sterile debate characterized the discourse on Organization Identity for the past two decades. Scholarly contributions however mushroomed during the last five years but empirical research remains limited. The current paper set out to briefly report on five empirical studies pursued from within the framework provided by Organization Identity Theory (OlT). The findings of these studies suggest that Organization Identity (Ol) performs a powerful role in organizational functioning. It is postulated that the emerging construct of Organization Identity will in future become a crucial consideration for organizational sustainability. The implications for management are briefly discussed

Migration as personal transition

Although acculturation is the preferred interpretation frame in migration research, it fails to fully accoun t for the entire migration experience. The current study aimed to establish whether ‘personal transition’ per definition (Van Tonder, 2004) can be discerned from the ‘migration stories’ of research participants. Data were obtained from 21 South African migrants to Australia, using semi-structured phenomenological interviews. ‘Migration’ is revealed as a challenging, multifaceted and protracted change process, consistent with the personal transition curve. Viewing migration as ‘change’ enables a broadened perspective beyond the conceptual boundaries of acculturation and implies an extended intervention repertoire for assisting migrants

The Causes of Conflict in Public and Private Sector Organizations in South Africa

The uncertainty that accompanies organizational change heightens prospects for intra organizational conflict. Notwithstanding this, the knowledge base on the sources (or causes) of organizational conflict is underdeveloped – largely as a result of a low incidence of empirical research, and in particular in South Africa. The current study explored the perceived sources of conflict in two South African organizations operating in different economic sectors. An experimental survey focusing on both the causes and the impact of conflict was administered to a sample of 203 employees, representing both companies. Comparative analysis revealed significant differences between the two organizations’ views with regard to the causes and consequences of conflict. The implications of these findings for future research and conflict management are discussed.organizational conflict, conflict management, human resource management, management

Franchisees, change, and the life cycle

By virtue of the franchisor-franchisee relationship a franchise is neither a small business nor a large corporateand more aptly viewed as a hybrid organizational form. Despite this anomaly the franchise still has to contendwith the standard business challenges including constant change in the operating context. Mindful of the multiple sources of change that could impact on the franchise, and the paucity of research in this regard, the current study set out to explore the nature of organizational change experienced at the level of the franchise. Twenty-one (21) franchisees of a large retail institution participated in a qualitative study which utilized a semistructuredinterview schedule for data gathering. Franchisee narrative was subjected to content analysis and a multitude of change themes were extracted. The findings revealed that franchises are subjected to an extensive array of changes originating both external and internal to the franchisor. Moreover, it was observed that the salience of change phenomena life cycle stage-specific. The implications of the study are briefly indicated

Two Steps Back, Three Steps Forward: The Story of South African Migrants Working in Australia

Skilled migration has become a targeted and intentional instrument by a number of countries in an attempt to ensure skill sufficiency and as a driver of continued economic growth and development. Although countries like the United States of America, Canada, New Zealand and Australia have been able to attract significant numbers of skilled migrants through a combination of pull factors, not the least of which government regulations, this has not always translated into the optimal recognition and use of the human capital of the migrants. Since some literature argues a separation between social and economic integration, special attention to the integration of migrants into the workforce is justified. In order to assess the integration though it is crucial to understand the demographics, experience and phases that migrants go through when settling in a new work environment. This paper reports the narrative of South African migrants establishing themselves in the Australian workforce. It determines that this group of migrants seems to predominantly experience aspects of integration in the labour force as reported in other literature, confirming the validity of earlier research while providing a picture of individual and specific challenges and experiences

A framework for digital transformation and business model innovation

With the advent of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, businesses are adapting to the use of digitalisation which requires the digital transformation of their existing business models. However, there is limited empirical research on this phenomenon. The purpose of this study is twofold: (i) to develop a framework for businesses to digitally transform their business models and (ii) to examine literature in order to identify and analyse the constructs underlying the three concepts of Digitalisation, Digital Transformation and Business Model Innovation. The study is qualitative in nature and is based on a narrative review. Relevant articles were identified by using international bibliographic databases and scrutinised using thematic analysis. The findings reveal that the first two constructs require digital capabilities and a digital strategy. The third construct requires digital transformation in the realm of customer-centricity, resources, processes and profit. A set of propositions was formulated and the commonalities were mapped. Based upon this map, a conceptual framework was developed. The findings will assist in the development of future instruments that can guide businesses to digitally transform existing business model elements. This study aims to fill the gap on how business model innovation should be pursued through digital transformation by developing a conceptual framework

Implementation of corticosteroids in treating COVID-19 in the ISARIC WHO Clinical Characterisation Protocol UK:prospective observational cohort study

BACKGROUND: Dexamethasone was the first intervention proven to reduce mortality in patients with COVID-19 being treated in hospital. We aimed to evaluate the adoption of corticosteroids in the treatment of COVID-19 in the UK after the RECOVERY trial publication on June 16, 2020, and to identify discrepancies in care. METHODS: We did an audit of clinical implementation of corticosteroids in a prospective, observational, cohort study in 237 UK acute care hospitals between March 16, 2020, and April 14, 2021, restricted to patients aged 18 years or older with proven or high likelihood of COVID-19, who received supplementary oxygen. The primary outcome was administration of dexamethasone, prednisolone, hydrocortisone, or methylprednisolone. This study is registered with ISRCTN, ISRCTN66726260. FINDINGS: Between June 17, 2020, and April 14, 2021, 47 795 (75·2%) of 63 525 of patients on supplementary oxygen received corticosteroids, higher among patients requiring critical care than in those who received ward care (11 185 [86·6%] of 12 909 vs 36 415 [72·4%] of 50 278). Patients 50 years or older were significantly less likely to receive corticosteroids than those younger than 50 years (adjusted odds ratio 0·79 [95% CI 0·70–0·89], p=0·0001, for 70–79 years; 0·52 [0·46–0·58], p80 years), independent of patient demographics and illness severity. 84 (54·2%) of 155 pregnant women received corticosteroids. Rates of corticosteroid administration increased from 27·5% in the week before June 16, 2020, to 75–80% in January, 2021. INTERPRETATION: Implementation of corticosteroids into clinical practice in the UK for patients with COVID-19 has been successful, but not universal. Patients older than 70 years, independent of illness severity, chronic neurological disease, and dementia, were less likely to receive corticosteroids than those who were younger, as were pregnant women. This could reflect appropriate clinical decision making, but the possibility of inequitable access to life-saving care should be considered. FUNDING: UK National Institute for Health Research and UK Medical Research Council

Procalcitonin Is Not a Reliable Biomarker of Bacterial Coinfection in People With Coronavirus Disease 2019 Undergoing Microbiological Investigation at the Time of Hospital Admission

Abstract Admission procalcitonin measurements and microbiology results were available for 1040 hospitalized adults with coronavirus disease 2019 (from 48 902 included in the International Severe Acute Respiratory and Emerging Infections Consortium World Health Organization Clinical Characterisation Protocol UK study). Although procalcitonin was higher in bacterial coinfection, this was neither clinically significant (median [IQR], 0.33 [0.11–1.70] ng/mL vs 0.24 [0.10–0.90] ng/mL) nor diagnostically useful (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve, 0.56 [95% confidence interval, .51–.60]).</jats:p