Daily Work Life Research Articles

Conceptualizing Instructional Leadership

Instructional leadership has long been advocated as a primary responsibility of principals. What is unclear, however, is the role that instructional leadership plays in the current high-stakes testing era in the daily work lives of principals, how they practice as instructional leaders, and toward what instructional outcomes they strive. This study focused on how principals understand the relationship between their daily work and the improvement of instruction in their schools. The study incorporates the voices of 20 principals. Multiple conceptions of instructional leadership are identified and problematic aspects of these conceptions are discussed.

El colectivo obrero ruso y la migración

ResumenEl artículo analiza el colectivo de trabajadores rusos desde la perspectiva de la migración interna, un aspecto hasta ahora ignorado pero sin embargo importante puesto que la Unión Soviética y la Rusia contemporánea pueden ser consideradas como “sociedades de emigrantes”. A partir de cuestionarios sobre redes y entrevistas temáticas con 38 trabajadores masculinos en la famosa factoría Kirov, en San Petersburgo, examinamos el grado en el que éstos recurren a sus compañeros de trabajo para socializarse, buscar ayuda y apoyo en la vida cotidiana. A pesar de los radicales cambios institucionales ocurridos, el colectivo de trabajadores tiene un impacto importante en la vida de los trabajadores y de los trabajadores migrantes en particular. Esto es explicado mediante un análisis del proceso de emigración en la era soviética. Careciendo de otros canales para adaptarse a la nueva vida en la metrópolis, las nuevas relaciones que los migrantes formaron en la ciudad estaban básicamente relacionadas con el lugar de trabajo. La importancia del lugar de trabajo parece ser un hallazgo trivial e inevitable pero argumentamos que esto no es así por dos cuestiones. Primero, las redes de los migrantes, incluso después de décadas de residencia en la ciudad están todavía marcadas por su pasado migratorio, no siendo obvio por qué esto tiene que ser así. Segundo, la migración por sí misma no lleva inevitablemente a que los compañeros de trabajo sean importantes, como queda ilustrado en el hecho que las redes de los migrantes finlandeses no se construyen alrededor del trabajo. Lo que es relevante no es por tanto la migración como abstracción sino las circunstancias del tipo de migración.AbstractThe article analyses the Russian work collective from the perspective of internal migration, a hitherto neglected yet important aspect of studies of the work collective, given that the Soviet Union and contemporary Russia may be considered as ‘societies of migrants’. Drawing on structured network questionnaires and thematic interviews with 38 male workers in the famous Kirov factory, St. Petersburg, we examine the extent to which the respondent turn to their co-workers for socialising, help and support in daily life. Despite the sweeping institutional changes brought by the transformation, the work collective continues to have an important impact in the daily life of workers, and migrant workers in particular. This is explained by an analysis of the Soviet-era migration process. Lacking other channels for adapting to the new life in the metropolis, the new ties that the migrants formed in the city were mostly related to their workplace. The importance of workplace-related ties may seem to be a trivial and inevitable finding, but we argue this is not so at least in two respects. First, the migrants’ networks, even after decades of residence in the city, are still marked by the migratory background, but there is nothing obvious in that they should remain so. Second, migration per se does not inevitably lead to co-workers being important, as is illustrated by the fact that the networks of Finnish migrant workers are not built around work. What matters then is not migration as an abstraction but the circumstances of the type of migration.

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On the button: NHS Connecting for Health is introducing an Essential IT Skills (EITS) programme this month, to replace its European Computer Driving Licence service. The EITS programme will give NHS staff the opportunity to train for two qualifications, nationally accredited by the British Computer Society. Candidates can learn in classrooms with tutors or at home using computer based learning materials. The training is described as 'fun and interactive', and has been designed to help users become more confident when using National Programme for IT applications in their daily working lives. For more details, access www.connectingforhealth.nhs.uk.

Work Analysis And Autonomy – Socialisme ou Barbarie's Concept of Revolutionary Work Research

"Socialisme ou Barbarie", Castoriadis' political group from 1949 to 1967, was not only an independent and original project of left-wing activism in post-war France, but also the source of a novel concept of work analysis that still stimulates today’s researchers. Crucial was their attempt to analyse daily work and work experiences and to search for the hidden traces of self-organisation. The core finding at work is that the contradictory bureaucratic organisation requires the subject's participation (inclusion) and his/her exclusion at the same time. Bureaucratisation for Castoriadis was the characteristic and – differing from Weber – pseudo-rational tendency of modern capitalism, expressing itself most clearly in the realm of work. In this sense Castoriadis draws a good deal of his theoretical inspiration from "Socialisme ou Barbarie's" work analysis. The group tried to establish a work research in revolutionary perspective with qualitative, most authentic methods to gain informations: through the collection of testimonials of proletarian experiences and their self-interpretation by their authors themselves ("témoignages"). These témoignages are thick descriptions of daily work life and of work experiences. Its insights from the inside inform us about the double life of the enterprise as a formal and informal organisation. And since inclusion and exclusion tendencies here exist as parallels, autonomy and heteronomy seem to be simultaneous tendencies in bureaucratic organisations. From here derives the group's and Castoriadis' temporary optimism and their hope to find germs of autonomy and of emancipation and to advance work's and society's humanisation.

Practice-Based Research

Practice-based evaluation integrates research skills and techniques into the clinical process in order to correlate clinical interventions with treatment outcomes. Although most clinicians recognize the importance of some form of practice evaluation, barriers including lack of time, resources, expertise, and organizational support may deter such evaluation efforts. However, there are numerous advantages for clinicians and agencies to develop a culture that values and integrates practice evaluation into its daily work-life; these include opportunities for teamwork, collaboration, mentoring, and innovation. This paper defines practice evaluation research, identifies strategies for its implementation, and describes a framework for creating a “research friendly” culture. It further describes the implementation of such an innovative program in both a hospital and a mental health agency setting.

Ain't Misbehavin: Workplace Deviance as Organizational Resistance

Although organizational control and power are often designed to diminish workplace deviance, they also have the capacity to incite it. This is because enactments of power that confront organizational members in their daily work lives can create frustration that is expressed in acts of deviance. In this article, the authors examine why power provokes workplace deviance in organizations and, specifically, how types of power affect the form that workplace deviance takes.

The Downward Spiral of Physician Satisfaction

The reality of the growing dissatisfaction with the practice of medicine has reached a crisis level. A recent quote sums up the feelings of many in medicine: “The profession of medicine has taken its members on a wild ride during the past century: a slow, glorious climb in well-being followed by a steep, stomach churning fall.” 1 We believe that it is time for a major introspective evaluation of both medical education and practice. 2 Our purpose is to review the characteristics of the dissatisfied physician, evaluate the reasons for the dissatisfaction, and present potential solutions to improve professional and personal satisfaction. We wish to stimulate discussion and awareness among physicians and specialty organizations of the seriousness of the current medical workforce crisis that impacts both professional and personal lives as one enters or continues in the practice of medicine. Economic pressures, increasing levels of governmental and insurance control, and less time for family and self all play a role in the current downward spiral of physician satisfaction with the practice of medicine. A recent survey found that one of five young physicians would not again choose a career in medicine citing a lack of enjoyment and fulfillment in patient care and the difficulties in the balance of daily working life with personal needs. 3

Negotiating Neoliberal Multiculturalism: Mapuche Workers in the Chilean State

A central component of neoliberal multiculturalism in contemporary Latin America is an increase in indigenous individuals who work for the state, implementing indigenous policy at the municipal, regional and national levels. We explore the consequences of the inclusion of these individuals by analyzing the experiences of Mapuche state workers in Chile. We find that Mapuche workers possess a hybrid subjectivity that leads them to engage in both resistance and consent in their daily work lives. They use state resources strategically for what they feel is movement gain, and are often reflexive about the possibilities of cooptation. Nevertheless, they are often party to actions that are detrimental to the movement. The contradictions in Mapuche workers' actions indicate that the results of neoliberal multiculturalism may be more mixed than many scholars acknowledge. Our findings serve as a corrective on perspectives that attempt to understand neoliberal and multicultural policies without analyzing the roles of the individuals who occupy the state.

Reflective Action in the Academy: Exploring Praxis in Critical Geography using a “Food Movement” Case Study

Abstract: One of the key components of critical geography is praxis—defined here as the melding of theory/reflection and practice/action as part of a conscious struggle to transform the world. Put simply, praxis is giving life to ideas about the way the world is—and could be—by acting on one's convictions in daily (work and home) life. Praxis can thus take many forms, and can occur both within and outside the academy. This paper examines how research and practice can be co‐constituted by examining the “food movement” (ie the mobilization of disparate social actors in resistance to various aspects of the dominant corporate–industrial food system) in Canada as a case study. Through this lens, different forms of praxis are interrogated, not to identify a uniform “best praxis”, but rather to highlight the benefits and drawbacks of particular approaches in this one specific context. In so doing, the paper explores how critical geographers might contribute, through praxis, to the recognition and restructuring of social relations as part of the broader emancipatory project that is central to critical theory.

Perspectives of husbands of women with breast cancer: Impact and response

When breast cancer is diagnosed, it has the potential to have an impact on a woman's partner and influence how the male partner can support the woman. This qualitative study was undertaken to explore the impact on male partners of having a wife who has been diagnosed with breast cancer. In-depth interviews with 15 husbands provided a rich sense of the nature of the impact and how these men responded to it. Analysis revealed two overarching themes: (1) the diagnosis was shocking and unexpected, and (2) the impact of breast cancer on the male partner is wide-ranging. The respondents described a wide range of changes that had occurred in their lives since the unexpected, shocking diagnosis. They shared vivid accounts of personal emotional reactions, changes in daily work life and household responsibilities, worries about children, and changes in their relationships with their wives. They experienced ongoing struggles to balance the demands within their lives. Two significant challenges these men described were coping with work-related demands and sorting out how to be supportive to their wives. Clearly, the breast cancer diagnosis had an impact on these men and created personal tension for them. Cancer nurses need to be aware of this impact, acknowledge the sense of vulnerability it can create in male partners, and work to find effective ways to support them.

English Midwives’ Views and Experiences of Intrapartum Fetal Heart Rate Monitoring in Women at Low Obstetric Risk: Conflicts and Compromises

Over the last 20 years in the United Kingdom, midwives have implemented the routine use of intrapartum fetal monitoring regardless of the risk status of laboring women. This practice is at odds with the published research. The discrepancy between practice and best evidence merits further investigation. A qualitative study was conducted to evaluate midwives' attitudes and experiences about the use of fetal monitoring for women at low obstetric risk. Fifty-eight midwives working in two hospitals in the north of England were interviewed by using a semistructured approach. The taped interviews were transcribed and analyzed by using a general thematic approach. Issues included midwives' perceptions of low-risk status, the socialization of midwives, and the loss of woman-centered care. Midwives subscribed to the notion of woman-centered care, but because of a complexity of factors experienced in their daily working lives, they felt vulnerable when attempting to implement evidence-based fetal monitoring practices. Midwives regretted the loss of a woman-centered approach to care when technologic methods of intrapartum fetal heart rate monitoring were used indiscriminately. An appreciation of the complex factors affecting the ability of midwives to implement evidence-based practice is important when attempting to facilitate the development of appropriate fetal monitoring practices for women at low obstetric risk.

Professional Learning: Erfahrung als Grundlage von Handlungskompetenz

This contribution aims to explain ways of competence development of professionals by promoting and using experience during their daily working life. Learning indicates that the authors focus on subjects, who posses a high degree of professional competence, succeed exceedingly and are called experts. Thus, the authors refer to professionals with a high base level of competence who nevertheless continuously expand their expertise. In their understanding of Professional Learning, they do not focus on competence development processes within formal vocational trainings but rather during their daily working life. An elaborated notion of experience is a crucial determinant of the successful development of professional competence. In the analyses, the authors (1) present a four-component model of professional action competence, (2) explore the role and potential of experience for the development of professional competence, and (3) discuss consequences for the educational design of workplaces in order to foster professional learning and development of action competence at the workplace. (DIPF/Orig.)

Work and leisure time physical activity assessed using a simple, pragmatic, validated questionnaire and incident cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality in men and women: The European Prospective Investigation into Cancer in Norfolk prospective population study

The health benefits of physical activity are well established, but the overall amount of physical activity associated with cardiovascular and other health outcomes, and whether the relationships are similar in men and women and at different ages is still debated. This may be partly related to different methods for assessing physical activity. Most studies have focused on leisure time physical activity. We examined the prospective relationship between usual physical activity, taking into account both leisure and work activity, using a simple, pragmatic, four-point rating scale validated against heart rate monitoring, and cardiovascular disease incidence and total mortality after an average 8 years follow-up in 22,191 community living men and women aged 45-79 years with no known cardiovascular disease or cancer at baseline. The relative risks (95% confidence interval) for all-cause mortality (1,553 deaths) for men and women who were moderately inactive, moderately active, and active compared with those who were inactive were 0.83 (0.73-0.95), 0.68 (0.58-0.80), and 0.68 (0.57-0.81), respectively, after adjusting for age, sex, systolic blood pressure, blood cholesterol, cigarette smoking, alcohol intake, diabetes, body mass index, and social class. The relationships were also consistent for cardiovascular disease incidence (3,079 events), in subgroups stratified by age, sex, body mass index, smoking status and social class, and after excluding deaths in the first 2 years. The combined scale was more consistently associated with mortality than the individual work and leisure time components separately. When both work and leisure time physical activity patterns are taken into account, using a simple, pragmatic, validated questionnaire feasible for use in clinical and public health practice, even very moderate levels of usual physical activity are associated with significantly reduced risk of mortality and cardiovascular disease in men and women in the general population and potential population attributable impact of 14% for inactive compared with active levels. These findings may encourage efforts to increase physical activity levels not only in leisure time but also in usual daily working life.

What is Nanotechnology: New Properties of Words as Territories in a Cross-Disciplinary, Cross Border Flow

The cultural impacts of tools and technologies have always been of great interest to anthropologists, cognitive scientists, and developmental psychologists. Humans have a long history of inventing and using tools, both material and symbolic, and these have influenced the development of our societies in crucial ways, both cognitively and in terms of the specialization of social roles and relationships. Perhaps never before have technological innovations emerged at the rapid rate we see today. This rate of technological change has already brought major alterations in daily activities, work and family life, knowledge production and knowledge sharing. The emergence of nanotechnologies, for example, are challenging social scientists, including anthropologists, to synthesize new ways of studying and understanding human societies. Social scientists are being asked to respond to questions from natural scientists and the "general public" about how best to continue to innovate while ensuring public welfare, and how to minimize unintended negative consequences of nanotechnologies. In an era of post-industrial environmental crises and hard won insights about the complexities of generalizing about human cultures, many citizens and scientists are speaking to the issues of relationships between society and technology. The 2005 Session on Nanotechnology in Society, held at the Society for Applied Anthropology annual meeting was a pioneering effort to involve anthropologists in this challenge, and to foster new awareness. The ideas presented here have been shaped by that discussion and by our interest in how culture and particularly language influence the adoption of new technologies.

Publishing in the Journal of College Counseling, Part II: Comments on Disseminating College Counseling Knowledge Through Professional Issues and Innovative Practice Articles

This is the 2nd of 2 articles in which the editors provide suggestions for authors who are considering submitting manuscripts to the Journal of College Counseling (JCC). The editors describe guidelines for writing manuscripts for the Professional Issues and Innovative Practice sections of JCC. Counseling in the college setting comprises preventive, developmental, and psychotherapeutic services, as well as consultation, supervision, and teaching. The college counseling field responds to continual changes in client demographics, contemporary practices, counseling center mission, and institutional direction. Professional conversation about the issues college counselors face and the practices they use allows them to more effectively adapt to these changing contexts. The Journal of College Counseling (JCC) publishes critical examinations of pressing professional concerns and descriptions of newly emerging practices. Professional Issues and Innovative Practice submissions allow college counselors an avenue for sharing within the professional community and making a contribution to the scholarly literature. The purpose of this article is to provide suggestions on how to communicate successfully when writing manuscripts for the Professional Issues and Innovative Practice sections. Professional Issues Articles Professional Issues manuscripts should present in-depth analyses of contemporary issues that affect the various constituent audiences within the field of college counseling, including practitioners, directors, and divisional mad institutional leaders. Directors may be most interested in issues related to putting counseling center missions into practice, whereas practitioners may be most interested in how contemporary issues affect the daily work life of college counselors. Divisional and institutional leaders are often primarily interested in resource questions and relationships between college counseling and institutional outcomes (such as student retention). Correspondingly, manuscripts for the Professional Issues section should delineate which campus constituencies might be most interested in, or affected by, the professional concern presented in the manuscript. In addition to clearly identifying the relevant audience(s), Professional Issues manuscripts must include an explicit definition of the issue to be examined and statements that clearly support the relevance of the issue to the field of college counseling. Professional Issues manuscripts should also provide readers with all in-depth analysis of various dimensions of the issue that is grounded in counseling and related literature. Using literature to support the need for the manuscript does not exclude submitting manuscripts addressing issues that arise from reflections of one's own experience. On the contrary, personal experience provides an invaluable means for identifying salient issues in the field; however, the positions the authors take must also be supported by relevant extant literature from the field. Once the issue has been thoroughly outlined, including recognizing perspectives that fall outside (or even counter to) the position the authors support, Professional Issues manuscripts need to delineate practical implications for college counseling centers, including implications for practice, policy, and recommendations for future research. An example of a recent, well-conceived Professional Issues article is Sharkin's (2004) review of the literature examining the impact of college counseling centers on college student retention. The author began the article by describing the growing need for college counselors to recognize the potential of their work to affect college student retention, while also noting the relative failure on the part of college counselors to relate their work to this important mission of student affairs. Next, the author outlined research findings on student retention as a function of counseling, which included a review of the impact of academic counseling, psychological counseling, and other psychological services offered by college counselors. …

Solving Tangled Cases of Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders by International Scientific Cooperation

Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WRMSDs) have become a serious worldwide problem. At the same time a number of workers experience a problem in getting their WRMSDs acknowledged. As an attempt to solve these problems, Japanese school lunch cooks' working conditions were discussed at international scientific meetings and a detailed inspection was done at a Japanese school kitchen by Swedish researchers. It revealed that both national and international researchers' opinions coincided. Statements of medical views were written for several tangled cases in Japan and Sweden referring to both the national and international literature. As a result, these tangled cases were acknowledged officially as WRMSDs. New arbitrators and mediators of WRMSDs are required who can understand and communicate between the world of medical and labor sciences and also between the world of science and daily work life.

Radical Steps To Control Your Time, Life, and Success

Soft Skills - Bill Robb of Profit Improvers takes a contrary position on the importance of meetings and other facets of daily work life.

Impact of overactive bladder symptoms on employment, social interactions and emotional well‐being in six European countries

To determine the impact of overactive bladder (OAB) symptoms on issues related to employment, social interactions, and emotional well-being in a population aged 40-64 years. The study comprised a cross-sectional population-based survey of 11 521 individuals aged 40-64 years, conducted in France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Sweden, and the UK. The survey involved a two-stage screening procedure. Initially, individuals with any lower urinary tract symptoms were identified. Those whose only symptom/(s) was suggestive of a urinary tract infection, stress incontinence, or prostate obstruction were excluded from further study. Respondents were asked questions about the impact that their symptoms had on their emotional well-being, social interactions and productivity at home and at work. Of those with OAB, approximately 32% (1272) reported that having these symptoms made them feel depressed, and 28% reported feeling very stressed. There were statistically significant differences in reported feelings of stress and depression when OAB symptoms were stratified by OAB with incontinence (OAB+) vs those with OAB with no incontinence (OAB-), with values for emotional stress of OAB+ 36.4% vs OAB- 19.6%, for depression of OAB+ 39.8% vs OAB- 23.3%. Participants with OAB+ were significantly more likely than those with OAB- to express worry about having accidents and concern about participating in activities away from home because of their bladder symptoms. In addition, those with OAB+ were significantly more likely to report that these bladder symptoms were a source of great concern and made them feel uncomfortable in social situations compared to those with OAB-. Men were significantly more likely than women to report OAB+ having an impact on their daily work life, including worry about interrupting meetings, impact on decisions about work location and hours, and voluntary termination or early retirement. This effect was primarily in men reporting OAB+. OAB symptoms have a significant effect on the emotional well-being and productivity of those affected, both at home and at work.

Effective teaching through active learning

SummaryThere can be very few practitioners whose daily working life is not involved someway in teaching or learning. Used in its broadest sense, we engage teaching everyday in our advice to patients, and conversely we learn from each of our patients. As we move inexorably towards compulsory reaccredidation for all practitioners, purposeful and effective continuing professional development takes over from the previously passive continuing medical education model. As Universities and Medical Schools recognise where most healthcare occurs and see the benefits of community-based education, increasing numbers of undergraduate and postgraduate students pass daily through our surgery doors. No doubt, the majority of busy practitioners see these activities as an increased workload rather than an opportunity, a stress factor rather than a possibility to develop in their personal lives.In this article, we wish to suggest how some of our daily practice activities can be seen as opportunities to teach and learn; how ...

The relationship of ethical climate to deviant workplace behaviour

PurposeThe purpose of this article is to perform a literature review of the existing body of empirically‐based studies relating to the causes and implications of how the ethical climate of a company ultimately affects the incidence of workplace deviance.Design/methodology/approachThe article examines the issue of ethical contexts and climates within organizations, as measured by the Ethical Climate Questionnaire developed in 1987 by Victor and Cullen , and their implications in the daily work lives of participants. The causes of unethical behaviour, including the presence of counter norms, the environment in which a firm operates, and organizational commitment, as well as the manifestation of this behaviour in the form of workplace deviance, are reviewed. Finally, current trends in preventing workplace deviance are investigated, including promoting a strong culture of ethics, and the use of “toxic handlers”, individuals who take it upon themselves to handle the frustrations of fellow employees.FindingsClearly, unethical and deviant behaviour problems are of great concern to organizations, which must take steps to solve them, at the same time as fostering strong positive ethical cultures. Feels that further studies are needed using more definitive and qualitative measurements to learn more about these behaviours.Originality/valueThis article would be useful to those who wish to obtain an overview of the current literature, specifically readers who do not specialize in the subject area.