Management Lessons Research Articles

Biological lessons for strategic resistance management.

Biological resistance to pesticides, vaccines, antibiotics, and chemotherapies creates huge costs to society, including extensive morbidity and mortality. We simultaneously face costly resistance to social changes, such as those required to resolve human-wildlife conflicts and conserve biodiversity and the biosphere. Viewing resistance as a force that impedes change from one state to another, we suggest that an analysis of biological resistance can provide unique and potentially testable insights into understanding resistance to social changes. We review key insights from managing biological resistance and develop a framework that identifies seven strategies to overcome resistance. We apply this framework to consider how it might be used to understand social resistance and generate potentially novel hypotheses that may be useful to both enhance the development of strategies to manage resistance and modulate change in socio-ecological systems.

Team Collaboration Vs Team Competition: Pandavas Vs Kauravas - A Literature Evidence from Kurukshetra (Mahabharata) War

Purpose: Mahabharata is an epic war described in poetic form, an integral part of Indian mythology. While a full-blown war of such a colossal scale in an ancient time of around 3000 B.C. is intriguing for the civilizations today, the first war involving almost every contemporary major economy of the world whose horrors survived for generations, giving ramifications to date is in itself a “lesson learnt hard way”. The main purpose of this paper is to reflect on the management lessons based on Indian traditions. In this paper, the researchers discuss team collaboration vs. team competition between two cousins of Mahabharta the Pandavas and the Kauravas and to bring literature evidence of why the Kauravas lost the Mahabharata war despite having the best-in-class warriors and a larger army. Objective: The researchers have set the following main objectives and the present study investigates 3 wide-ranging research questions: (1) To recognize team collaboration and team competition characters from the Mahabharata War. (2) To assess the reasons why Kauravas, lose the Mahabharata War. (3) To evaluate which team effectiveness model is best for collaboration & and competition. Design/Methodology/Approach: The study is based on secondary data and available shreds of evidence. The hypotheses have been stated for the selected variables and were investigated to prove or disprove the same without any errors. Findings/Results: The researchers draw lessons from the epic story and highlight the great war of Mahabharata is no doubt an epic war, described perfectly which gives numerous lessons on every nook and corner. In the complex scenario, when the Kauravas were in crisis, they often tended to rush into decisions without proper reflection and demonstrated an inability to decide based on subtle, intangible, and often very vital elements like emotion, intuition, and spiritual discernment. At the same time, the Pandavas team's effectiveness and setting the stage for great performance are very much needed in teams to work together successfully. In the end, researchers consider these factors, to have an edge in Mahabharata War. Research Limitations/Implications: Further the fact that the battle between the Pandavas and the Kauravas was already battled, the decision had been made and concluded before it even began, as revealed by Shri Krishna in his Visvarupa to Arjuna, the reason that Kauravas lost was basically due to an act of deceptive stupidity which can be traced back to one crucial event. Originality/New Knowledge/Interpretation/Value: Thus, it can be aforesaid that if we apply the finest practices of the Mahabharata War to the finest practices of Management, we might have renewed associate and can function better in the coming years and make the organization & team glance and perform better in the years to come. Paper Type: The study is based on secondary data and available shreds of evidence.

An overview of the eruption of La Soufrière Volcano, St Vincent 2020–21

Abstract This paper provides an overview of the eruption of La Soufrière Volcano on the island of St Vincent which occurred between 27 December 2020 and 22 April 2022. It sets the stage for the 17 papers included in this Special Publication that showcase the initial scientific findings arising from analysis of the crisis. Here we present a chronology of the eruption and discuss the key findings from these papers while underscoring the areas for which further research is needed. The detailed account of the eruption offers several lessons for volcanic crisis management and provides insights into the most effective communication process through this type of crisis. It highlights the need for and benefits of planning and preparedness activities prior to an eruption as well as of long-term engagement with disaster management officials and at-risk communities. The value of partnerships both within the island and with external collaborators was shown to be critical as was the use of a multiparametric dataset to assess the course of the eruption. We contend that the papers contained in this publication provide key insights into the mechanisms by which volcanic eruptions can impact populations at risk. The suite of analyses and data have generated a canonical dataset that can provide the framework for new advances in understanding the causes and consequences of varying eruptions worldwide.

Liquidity spillovers in the global stock markets: Lessons for risk management

This paper investigates the liquidity spillovers between 56 stock markets for the period from January 2, 2007 to August 12, 2022. Using high-dimensional data, we estimated a LASSO-VAR model to calculate liquidity spillovers across the diverse stock markets. Our results reveal that stock markets are significantly connected through the liquidity channel. This connectedness is mainly explained by variations in the entire system, which are dynamic and intensify during the periods of crisis or financial stress. Developed markets such as the United Kingdom, United States, Canada, and the Eurozone are the main transmitters of liquidity spillovers. However, emerging markets such as Brazil, Mexico, South Africa, Romania, and Bulgaria are also important transmitters of liquidity shocks and facilitate their propagation. Other emerging markets are the least vulnerable to shocks of this nature, and offer the best opportunities to diversify portfolios internationally and contain financial contagion. These results are relevant for investors, market makers, and regulators due to their implications for investment decision-making, as well as for financial regulation design.

How a low income state of India managed the unemployment situation during COVID-19? Lessons for future pandemic management.

The partial and complete lockdown to curb the spread of COVID-19 caused enormous economic and social disruptions throughout the world. India witnessed the sharpest decline in its Gross Domestic Product (GDP), and the unemployment rate rose sharply in the first quarter of 2020-21. Odisha, one of the low income states of India, has faced a steep rise in unemployment, with lakhs of migrant workers returning to the state. This article attempts to examine Odisha's unemployment situation compared to the low-income states of India as well as with the national average during COVID-19. This also investigates to what extent the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) provided relief to the people by providing short-term employment opportunities. This is a descriptive study and is based upon repetitive cross sectional secondary data on unemployment rate and labour force participation rate across the low-income states of India. The study used descriptive statistics to analyze the secondary data from the Center for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE) and MGNREGA report. The labour force participation rate (LFPR) and unemployment rate (UER) data were collected from the CMIE trimester reports. The information related to number days of employment demanded and employment provided were collected from the MGNREGA reports. Total time period was divided in to two parts - 2017-19 pre pandemic period and 2020-2021 pandemic period. The analysis of UER revealed that the unemployment situation in Odisha was better than the low-income states and overall India. The UER during COVID-19 (Sep-Dec 2020 to Sep-Dec 2021) was lower than the pre COVID-19 level in Odisha (1.6% in Sep-Dec 2020), compared to all India, where this was more than the pre-COVID-19 level (7.4% in Sep-Dec 2020). Odisha government had nearly doubled the employment generation through MGNREGA during 2020-21.The state government undertook a number of proactive measures - increasing wage rate, providing extra days of work in vulnerable districts to address the unemployment situation during the pandemic. The state government's effort to manage the livelihood crisis was notable during the pandemic.. Proper implementation of the wage employment programmes led to higher decline in the UER in Odisha compared to other states These experiences can be emulated by other states or countries.

Research on the Influences of Task Interdependence on Team Performance in the Context of the Leader–Member Exchange Differentiation in the Public–Private Partnership Projects

Task interdependence is essential in sustainable cooperation, conflict prevention, and performance improvement of public–private partnership (PPP) project teams and promotes the sustainable development of PPP projects. Based on the theoretical logic of Input–Process–Output (IPO), integrating Team Process Theory and Leader–Member Exchange (LMX) Theory, we constructed a mediated model of task interdependence, team reflection, team performance, and leader–member exchange differentiation in PPP projects. Based on this, we conducted questionnaire research and research analysis on 168 PPP project teams. The results of the study indicate that task interdependence in PPP projects has a significant positive effect on team performance, and there is a significant mediating role of team reflection in the relationship between task interdependence and team performance. The leader–member exchange differentiation in teams not only moderates the relationship between task interdependence and team reflection and team reflection and team performance but also further moderates the indirect effect of task interdependence in PPP projects on team performance through team reflection. The findings extend the impact effects of task interdependence in engineering projects, as well as the moderating mechanisms of leader–member exchange differentiation in Chinese organizational scenarios, providing lessons for PPP project team performance management and sustainable development of PPP projects.

Das, A. & Susantono, B. Informal Services in Asian Cities: Lessons for Urban Planning and Management from the Covid-19 Pandemic

Das, A. &amp; Susantono, B. <i>Informal Services in Asian Cities: Lessons for Urban Planning and Management from the Covid-19 Pandemic</i>

Linking centennial scale anthropogenic changes and sedimentary records as lessons for urban coastal management

Coastal eutrophication and urban flooding are increasingly important components of global change. Although increased seawater renewal by barrier openings and channelizing are common mitigation measures in coastal lagoons worldwide, their effects on these ecosystems are not fully understood. Here, we evaluated the relationships between human interventions in the watershed, artificial connections to the sea, and the sediment burial rates in an urban coastal lagoon (Maricá lagoon, Southeastern Brazil). Sediment accretion along with nutrient and carbon burial rates were determined in two sediment cores representing the past ∼120 years (210Pb dating) and associated with anthropogenic changes as indicated by historical records and geoinformation analyses. Lagoon infilling and eutrophication, expressed by the average sediment accretion, TP, TN, and OC burial rates, respectively, increased ∼9–18, 13–15, 11–14 and 11–12-fold from the earliest (<1950) to the most recent (2000–2017) period. These multi-proxy records confirm mechanistic links between deforestation, urbanization, and untreated sewage discharges. In addition, our findings reveal artificial connections to the sea may contribute to lagoonal eutrophication and infilling, particularly when not integrated with sewage treatment and forest conservation or reforestation in the watershed. Therefore, increased seawater renewal by physical interventions commonly considered as mitigation measures may in contrast cause severe degradation in coastal lagoons, causing harmful consequences that should be not neglected when implementing management practices.

Gren “fuelled” by fire: lessons for project management

Learning outcomes The learning outcomes of this study are as follows: 1) illustrate the project management failures that contributed to the fire accident at Grenfell using a fishbone diagram; 2) identify and classify the power and influence of various stakeholders involved in a brownfield project using a relevant framework; and 3) elaborate the need for following effective stakeholder management processes and project leadership, especially in the context of a refurbishment/renovation project. Case overview/synopsis On 14th June 2017, the Grenfell Tower in North Kensington, West London, UK, caught fire. The fire raged for 60 h and around 72 people lost their lives. Many criticized the response of the London Fire Brigade (LFB) and their lack of preparedness to respond to such an emergency. There were calls for Dany Cotton, the Chief of LFB, to resign. However, there had been a major cladding-related refurbishment at Grenfell, and subsequent investigations revealed that the use of combustible materials, a lack of compliance with the fire-safety norms and a blatant disregard for resident safety had contributed to the fire. The tragedy was a cumulative outcome of failure on two counts: effective project management and stakeholder management during the process of refurbishment, especially in the context of a low-cost housing project. Given this situation, this case considers whether Dany Cotton should own up to her responsibility and resign from her position. In the process, the case considers Grenfell refurbishment from the theoretical lens of project management in the construction management scenario to understand the factors that could have led to an “avoidable” tragedy. Complexity academic level Postgraduate students of construction management; final year undergraduate engineering students who have a foundational course on project management; and architects. Supplementary materials Teaching notes are available for educators only. Subject code CSS 2: Built environment.

Understanding the moral myopia and ambiguity of post-employment conflicts of interest: comparing police to other public and private organizations

ABSTRACT While post-employment conflicts of interest (PECoI) carry important risks of integrity violations, empirical research is scarce. This paper provides insight into the meaning and the perceptions of PECoI in the Dutch (military) police compared to those in other public and private organizations, to draw lessons for the public management of ethics. The study combines document analysis with interviews (N = 32) and a quantitative vignette study (N = 75). We find that PECoI are a blind spot and ambiguous. Five (possible) manifestations of PECoI were identified, like the (mis)use of classified information for commercial purposes and of relations with former colleagues.

Management Lessons from Indian Ethos: Evidence from Ramayana

Ancient Indian Ethos are the basis for modern management practices, as they derive serval lessons from them. The applicability of these lessons are helping to solve todays corporate problems throughout the world. One of theMost revered Epic Ramayana, is considered as marvelous epic, first written literature in the Indian Context. Over the centuries, several authors have explored various dimensions of Ramayana ranging from philosophy, spirituality, politics, economics, sociology, culture, literature, language, poetry, technology, and others. However, we find few research work related to understand the relevance of Ramayana and Management. Hence authors have felt the need for understanding the applicability of great principles and lessons in developing management practices to lead effectively. In this conceptual research paper authors have made an effort to bring management insights from Ramayana. This research paper is developed based on qualitative analysis of earlier research papers, Indian epics and Indian ethos. The review of epic provides valuable insights in developing this article. Based on reviews authors have explored leadership style, motivation, ethical values, people management, team building, planning, strategies, decision making, moral values, governance, tactics, principle of control etc, from Ramayana, which provide important lessons for enhancing managerial effectiveness. The foundation for management and leadership is derived from our Indian ethos, spiritual values and culture. This research paper signifies the practical applicability of great epic “Ramayana” in understanding and developing management practices for the effectiveness.

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CHESS AND MANAGEMENT – AN OVERVIEW

This article intent to find the relationship between chess and management with suitable chess positions linking with business. Chess has a relationship not only with management but with life itself. Chess helps to improve decision making, analysing the situation. Past researchers have worked on these gaps, especially De Jorge-Moreno, J. (2020) [1] study has shown significant relationship. This current study has illustrated different management lessons linked with chess positions.

Impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the social sphere and lessons for crisis management: a literature review.

The COVID-19 pandemic is the most difficult challenge that has affected humanity in recent decades. It has disrupted many features of development with domino effects in the social sphere. This study reviews the literature on the social effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and identifies the affected social areas that have undergone dramatic changes during the pandemic. We use inductive content analysis and thematic analysis to review the literature. The results show that there are seven major areas that have been negatively affected by the COVID-19 pandemic: health, social vulnerability, education, social capital, social relationships, social mobility, and social welfare. The literature has reported dramatic psychological and emotional effects, exacerbation of segregation and poverty, disruption in educational systems and formation of an information gap, as well as a declining trends of social capital among communities. We highlight some lessons that can be learned from the pandemic to enhance social resilience in future. Among others, to effectively respond to the pandemic and other potential future adverse events, governments should adopt fair policies, identify the required changes in the socially affected contexts and take necessary responsive actions, and adopt collaboratively designed approaches to increase social resilience.

Process safety management lessons learned from a fire and explosion accident caused by a liquefied petroleum gas leak in an aromatics reforming unit in Taiwan

A severe fire and explosion accident was caused by a liquefied petroleum gas leak in Taiwan in 2019. This accident resulted in the loss of approximately US$3.5 billion in output value due to a one-and-a-half-year shutdown after the accident; however, no casualties were recorded at the accident scene. An analysis of the accident pipelines demonstrated that the pipeline leak had been caused by hydrochloric acid corrosion. Cause analysis based on the accident timeline, fault tree analysis, and causal factor charting indicated inadequacies in five elements of process safety management (PSM) namely mechanical integrity (MI), management of change, emergency planning and response, process hazard analysis (PHA), and process safety information (PSI) as the root causes of the accident. Furthermore, insufficient PSI (i.e., a lack of comprehensive understanding regarding corrosion mechanisms) was deemed to have been the core problem leading to the accident. This accident revealed common shortcomings that are often overlooked in PSM implementation in Taiwan; thus, the present research can serve as a vital reference for improving PSM programs in Taiwan.

Lessons in Management from Bhagavad Gita

Management as an academic discipline is a century old only. However it has gained tremendous importance. Management as a science is preoccupied with business. In the recent past it has a gained application in other areas- governances, political leadership developmental issues and even ethics. It draws heavily from behaviourial science, economics, (applied &amp; analytical) mathematics, computer and science. Future log ethics, metaphysics and even physics etc. Management has become catch word for life skills. In fact it has become the key skill both for individual, society, organization (including business), manufacturing, public issue (say health, hygiene, and education) and in fact it is an all encompassing skill. The practical message of Bhagvad Gita has strong linkage to core management practices. The present study identifies the origin of the principle of management is Bhagvad Gita

Post-Pandemic Lessons for Destination Resilience and Sustainable Event Management: The Complex Learning Destination

This paper aims to share post-pandemic lessons for destination resilience and the sustainability of events. It offers a new perspective that reimagines the space and place of events as learning destinations enmeshed in complex systems. Complexity arises due to the interactions and interrelationships between numerous stakeholders, activities, and events in the social–ecological destination system, where boundaries are porous, and issues and actions from afar can impact the local community. The case presented here describes the micro-level activities and actions undertaken to engage with destination resilience and sustainable event management and certification at a learning destination in Texas, USA. These situated efforts are shown (i) at the campus-wide level for the university and (ii) with the collaborative, learning-oriented activities undertaken by students in event management classes to pilot test the Sustainable Event Certification Checklist that was developed. They corroborate the general characteristics and criteria of the complex learning destination summarized in the paper, along with identifying and discussing the skills, literacies, and lessons learned to advance destination resilience and the sustainability of events. Participants in the learning destination draw on practical knowledge and develop soft skills to engage in adaptive planning proactively and collaboratively with other stakeholders to address emergent challenges and practical problems in the complex destination and sustainable event domain.

Guiding Principles for the Conduct of Violence Study of Healthcare Workers and System (ViSHWaS): Insights from a Global Survey

Background Globally many studies have reported on violence faced by healthcare workers. However, there is still a lack of homogeneous data to give us a concrete understanding of the present scenario on a global scale. Conducting a global survey required a robust team organization structure, unique dissemination strategies accounting for the regional limitations, and continual networking to maintain and propagate the pool of survey collaborators and responders. This study aims to describe the strategies that helped carry out a global survey- based study, the lessons learned, and recommendations for future studies. Methods This cross-sectional survey-based study was based on methodology of the “Hub and Spoke” model with the core team and sub-groups about different regions and managing country leads. The study was conducted across eight weeks from 6th June 2022 to 8th August 2022. The key steps included team organization, strategy formulation for survey dissemination and data collection, launching the project on social media, and conducting a post-survey amongst the collaborators. The Core Team convened weekly via video conference platforms to discuss the modus operandi, including the responsibilities of team members in communicating with HCWs from each country; strategies for data extraction and analysis. A standard message was created for the survey in English, which was spread via text, audio and video messages; the message was tailored according to the target region and population. The language barrier was managed by creating an audio translation or shifting to “an interviewer-administered” questionnaire. Call for leads and collaborators was organized through social media platforms and incentivized by proposing collaborative authorship. Results A core team of 11 members from 7 countries was assembled, which expanded to 40 country leads from around 110 countries. We also amassed more than 75 regional collaborators who worked to provide feedback and spread the message. The “Violence Study of Healthcare Workers and Systems” (VISHWAS) amassed 5500 responses across the world. A weekly alternating trend in the number of survey responses was observed for eight weeks. Guiding principles garnered through this collaborative project include focusing on 1. Effective team organization, 2. Ensuring external validation of survey tool, 3. Personalized communication, 4. Global networking, 5. Timely communication for maintaining momentum, and 6. Addressing regional limitations. The post-survey analysis showed that WhatsApp messaging was the most common modality used for survey dissemination, followed by in-person meetings and text messaging. The successful techniques were noted to be 1. Direct communication with respondents, 2. Regular progress updates, 3. Responsiveness for regional and country lead’s needs 4. Timely troubleshooting. The most common barriers for the respondents were limitations in language proficiency, technical fallouts, lack of compliance with, and difficulty understanding the questionnaire. Conclusion In this global survey-based study of more than 5500 responses from over 110 countries, valuable lessons in team management, survey dissemination, and addressing barriers to collaborative research. We thereby recommend incorporating the guiding principles from this study to design future surveys on a global scale.

A Multifunctional ‘Scape Approach for Sustainable Management of Intact Ecosystems—A Review of Tropical Peatlands

Nature is declining globally at unprecedented rates with adverse consequences for both ecological and human systems. This paper argues that only transformative change—a fundamental, system-wide reorganization—will be sufficient to arrest and reverse this loss and to meet globally agreed development goals, including the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework. In search for a credible platform to help facilitate such transformative change, this paper explores the potential of multifunctional ‘scape approaches to improve sustainable management outcomes at scale. Beyond a current international focus on nature restoration, this paper emphasizes the urgency and criticality of confirming approaches for sustainably preserving large ‘intact’ natural areas. Through a semi-systematic review of contemporary academic and gray literature and derivation of a theory of change, the authors consider tropical peatland systems—which can interconnect multiple ecosystem types and be of global biodiversity and carbon sequestration significance—to help derive potentially broader sustainable ecosystem management lessons. Beyond identifying key considerations for implementing multifunctional ‘scape approaches, the paper recommends further work to deepen understanding of the multidimensional ‘value’ of nature; strengthen governance frameworks; empower indigenous peoples and their knowledge sharing and community management; align nature-positive and climate-positive goals; andmobilize commensurate business and financial support.

COVID-19 response in Africa: impacts and lessons for environmental management and climate change adaptation.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10668-023-02956-0.

Response of fish stocks in Lake Victoria to enforcement of the ban on illegal fishing: Are there lessons for management?

Most small-scale inland fisheries in the Global South prohibit fishing gear with smaller meshes than is legally permitted. Nonetheless, in most instances, this is not strictly enforced. But starting in 2017, Uganda and Tanzania ramped up enforcement on Lake Victoria. We used time series hydro-acoustic data to determine whether the strict enforcement achieved the management goal of increased biomass (t) of commercial species and an increase in the biomass of big Nile perch (>50 cm). The biomass for 2018–2021 (under strict enforcement) was expected to be greater than in 2007–2017 (prior to strict enforcement). The biomass of key species fluctuated annually, but no spatial or temporal differences in biomass associated with strict enforcement were evident. Similarly, the biomass of big Nile perch did not increase. Our findings suggest that mesh sizes may have limited influence on fish biomass dynamics in Lake Victoria, and that high primary productivity of the lake, high turnover rates of fish species, and limited compliance by fishers likely counteract the effects of high fishing effort on biomass and size structure of fish. Therefore, the high cost of strict top-down enforcement and the societal cost of lost lives, jobs, and livelihoods may not be justified.