Multi-level Lens Research Articles

Seeing knowledge hiding through a multi-level lens

This study investigates knowledge hiding (KH), a growing research area of increasing importance across multiple organisational levels. The rapid expansion of KH research runs the risk that existing knowledge is not accumulated but constantly re-invented. Therefore, this study aims to enhance our understanding by systematically reviewing the antecedents, boundary conditions and outcomes of KH. We develop a thematic mapping of 173 papers, identifying key antecedents, boundary conditions and outcomes of KH alongside emerging knowledge gaps and pertinent research questions. Leveraging these insights, we construct a multi-level framework that categorises KH at the micro, meso and macro levels, integrating findings from our thematic analysis. This study provides a consolidated view of KH literature and is a valuable guide for scholars seeking to advance this domain.

Trust in Human-Agent Teams: A Multilevel Perspective and Future Research Agenda

As technology continues to advance, interest in how humans perceive and interact with autonomous agents has increased, spurring ample research within human-agent teams (HATs). However, the word team is a bit of a misnomer, in that much of this research has examined one human in relation to one agent. We extend the HAT literature by applying a multilevel lens to develop future research questions regarding trust in heterogeneous HATs. First, we assert that trust is an attitude that is multireferent, suggesting research should explore not just humans’ trust in agents, but many other perspectives such as agents’ trust in humans. Second, we assert that trust is multilevel, suggesting research should explore higher-level emergent forms of trust. Third and fourth, we assert trust is dynamic and event-based, suggesting research should explore discontinuous changes in trust in response to events such as agent- and human-enacted trust violation and repair.

The gig verse: building a sustainable future

Purpose Despite the popularity of gig employment amid the changing business landscape, gig scholarship is somewhat limited and the untold reality about gig is yet to be fully revealed. This study aims to critically address the nature of gig employment, its ambiguities, evolution, theoretical premises and the appropriate future road ahead. Design/methodology/approach This paper adopts a dual analytical approach – bibliometric and thematic analyses. After incorporating the exclusion–inclusion criteria, the authors identified 2,135 articles for the bibliometric analyses by using VOSviewer. Additionally, for the deep-delving synthesis, the authors conducted thematic analyses following Braun and Clarke (2006), based on 351 papers. Findings The findings revealed that gig work, in its different forms, is emerging as an alternative work arrangement with respect to the future of work. This study also identified multilevel perspectives of gig employment along with its holistic nomological network. Finally, this study offers some critical research directions that should help enhance the theoretical and practical strengths of this nascent scholarship in future. Research limitations/implications The review findings are limited in nature owing to the paucity of quality research papers published in the said domain. Practical implications The paper brings more clarity to what gig is and isn’t, along with its critical perspectives from multilevel lenses. Originality/value This paper identifies critical perspectives related to gig work and suggests appropriate directions for future gig work related scholarship.

Safety leadership: A bibliometric literature review and future research directions

The field of safety leadership, despite significant growth, remains fragmented. This paper aims to consolidate this field by conducting a bibliometric review of 2,098 articles and 86,495 secondary documents to provide a comprehensive view of safety leadership research. Co-citation analyses revealed three foundational knowledge clusters: leader roles in safety climates and systems; mechanisms of leadership influence on safety outcomes; and the theoretical/empirical foundations for safety leadership. Additionally, bibliographic coupling analyses spotlight five emerging frontiers: leadership practices and safety climates; enabling safety performance and behaviors; holistic and contextualized perspectives informing safety leadership; multilevel lenses of leading safety climate/culture; and active, social, and transformative elements of safety leadership. We synthesize these findings to propose a future research agenda aimed at fostering both theoretical and empirical advancements of safety leadership research.

Multilevel needs assessment of physical activity, sport, psychological needs, and nutrition in rural children and adults.

Physical activity yields significant benefits, yet fewer than 1 in 4 youth meet federal guidelines. Children in rural areas from low socioeconomic (SES) backgrounds face unique physical activity contextual challenges. In line with Stage 0 with the NIH Stage Model for Behavioral Intervention Development, the objective of the present study was to conduct a community-engaged needs assessment survey with middle school children and adults to identify perceptions, barriers, and facilitators of physical activity, sport, psychological needs, and nutrition from a multi-level lens. A cross-sectional survey data collection was conducted with children (n = 39) and adults (n = 63) from one middle school community in the Midwestern United States. The child sample was 33% 6th grade; 51% 7th grade and was 49% female. The adult sample was primarily between 30 and 39 years old (70%) and comprised predominantly of females (85%). Multi-level survey design was guided by the psychological needs mini-theory within self-determination theory and aimed to identify individual perceptions, barriers, and facilitators in line with the unique context of the community. At the individual level, 71.8% of children and 82.2% of the overall sample (children and adults) were interested in new physical activity/sport programming for their school. Likewise, 89.7% of children and 96.8% of adults agree that PA is good for physical health. For basic psychological needs in the overall sample, relatedness was significantly greater than the autonomy and competence subscales. Children's fruit and vegetable intake were below recommended levels, yet only 43.6% of children were interested in nutritional programming. Conversely, 61.5% indicated interest at increasing leadership skills. At the policy-systems-environmental level, the respondents' feedback indicated that the condition and availability of equipment are areas in need of improvement to encourage more physical activity. Qualitative responses are presented within for physical activity-related school policy changes. Interventions addressing children's physical activity lack sustainability, scalability, and impact due to limited stakeholder involvement and often neglect early behavioral intervention stages. The present study identified perspectives, barriers, and facilitators of physical activity, sport, psychological needs, and nutrition in a multi-level context and forms the initial campus-community partnership between scientists and community stakeholders.

Multisectoral actions in primary health care: A realist synthesis of scoping review.

Multisectoral actions (MSAs) on health are key to implementation of primary health care (PHC) and achieving the targets of the Sustainable Development Goal 3. However, there is limited understanding and interpretation of how MSAs on health articulate and mediate health outcomes. This realist review explored how MSAs influence on implementing PHC towards universal health coverage (UHC) in the context of multilevel health systems. We reviewed published evidence that reported the MSAs, PHC and UHC. The keywords used in the search strategy were built on these three key concepts. We employed Pawson and Tilley's realist review approach to synthesize data following Realist and Meta-narrative Evidence Syntheses: Evolving Standards publication standards for realist synthesis. We explained findings using a multilevel lens: MSAs at the strategic level (macro-level), coordination and partnerships at the operational level (meso-level) and MSAs employing to modify behaviours and provide services at the local level (micro-level). A total of 40 studies were included in the final review. The analysis identified six themes of MSAs contributing to the implementation of PHC towards UHC. At the macro-level, themes included influence on the policy rules and regulations for governance, and health in all policies for collaborative decision makings. The meso-level themes were spillover effects of the non-health sector, and the role of community health organizations on health. Finally, the micro-level themes were community engagement for health services/activities of health promotion and addressing individuals' social determinants of health. Multisectoral actions enable policy and actions of other sectors in health involving multiple stakeholders and processes. Multisectoral actions at the macro-level provide strategic policy directions; and operationalise non-health sector policies to mitigate their spillover effects on health at the meso-level. At micro-level, MSAs support service provision and utilisation, and lifestyle and behaviour modification of people leading to equity and universality of health outcomes. Proper functional institutional mechanisms are warranted at all levels of health systems to implement MSAs on health.

Innovation and Change from A Multi-level Paradoxical Perspective in a Highly Formalized Organization

ABSTRACT In organizations, paradoxical tensions exist and can have an impact at each managerial level. Building upon a multi-level lens, this research aims to investigate the underlying paradoxical perceptions of innovation and change at different managerial levels in a Jordanian bank case study. Using a qualitative approach, ‘nuanced interpretations’ were explored, yielding fresh insights. The findings suggest the contradictions and complexities of external environmental changes, demonstrating that senior managers are constantly battling to manage change. Middle managers are split into two groups: those who value change and those who prefer traditional methods. While operational managers recognize the importance of change, it is not as critical as following rules and procedures. This study contributes to the concept of paradox theory by revealing contradictions throughout an organization’s hierarchy and adding to the body of knowledge on formalized organizations by identifying how contradictions emerge in practice. Further, it contributes to managerial practice by revealing how organizational contradictions and tensions stymie change and paves the way for future research. MAD statement This study aims to Make a Difference (MAD) by exploring the underlying paradoxical perceptions of change at various managerial levels, with an emphasis on perceived contradictions as part of organizational change. Building on evidence from a case study of a highly formalized organization. This study focuses on research investigating paradoxes and contradictions in change processes, which laid the groundwork for analyzing previously obscured organizational paradoxes and contradictions. To that purpose, this study shifts the basis of paradox and contradiction to the perspectives of participants, adding to managerial practice by illuminating how organizational contradictions can inhibit change.

Knowledge Generation and Knowledge-, Individual-, and Interfirm-Level Network Structural Features

Although there has been consensus that networks play critical roles in organizations’ innovation, the multilevel feature of networks that nest into each other is underexplored. Despite empirical evidence that has been found at various levels of our social system, without multilevel analysis, our understanding in the relationship between networks and knowledge generation and innovation is limited. To address this limitation, this study adopts a multilevel lens to analyze the three level networks that composed of patent network, individual collaboration network, and interorganizational network in China’s railway industry in a decade to illustrate how network positions at different levels are related to knowledge generation. We find that both knowledge network and interorganizational network contribute to knowledge generation.

The intersection of welfare stigma, state contexts and health among mothers receiving public assistance benefits

The stigmatizing nature of the US welfare system is of particular importance not only because it has shown to deter eligible applicants from participating in public assistance programs despite facing economic hardship, but also because stigma is an important fundamental cause of health inequities. Although scholars agree stigma is shaped by individual and contextual dimensions, the role of context is often overlooked. Given the heterogeneous nature of US state welfare environments, it may be critical to consider the ways in which state policy, social and economic contexts condition the relationship between welfare stigma and health. Using a multilevel lens, this study first examined the impact of experienced and perceived welfare stigma on self-reported health among female public assistance recipients with children. Second, we assessed the moderating effect of uneven state TANF policies, income inequality, and negative public welfare attitudes in shaping these associations. Using data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study merged with state-level economic and social measures, we employed a series of multilevel logit models with random effects. Findings show experiences and perceptions of welfare stigma are significantly linked to poor health regardless of state contexts, and outcomes vary markedly by race, ethnicity and education. States with strong anti-welfare attitudes amplified the relationship between experienced welfare stigma and poor health for Black and Hispanic mothers, and state economic contexts modified the relationship between experienced welfare stigma and poor health for mothers with less than a high school education. TANF generosity had no moderating effect on health suggesting state policy environments have limited ability to protect welfare recipients against the stigmatizing effects of the US welfare system. Results have implications for explaining stigma related disparities in health within the context of U.S. welfare environments and informing policies that may be key levers for reducing health inequities.

Dual-level eco-efficiency analysis in sustainable management: An empirical study on textile manufacturers and supply chains in China

Eco-efficiency analysis at multi-levels can address the disconnection between its macro-level necessity and micro-level contribution. This cross-level analysis helps policymaking on systematically improving the sustainability of industry. Therefore, in this study, the dual-level eco-efficiency evaluation combing with interactive econometric analysis was applied for contributing a more holistic view of sustainable management in the heavy pollution industry. The empirical study was based on 12 international clothing brands and retailers' textile supply chains and their 202 major upstream manufacturers in China from 2015 to 2019. The dual-level evaluation uncovered a significant improvement in eco-efficiency both at the textile manufacturer and supply chain levels during the five years. The manufacturers' average eco-efficiency increased by 54%. The dyeing and finishing companies' efficiency of emissions to air, energy use, GHG emissions, and water use averagely increased by 165%, 39%, 28%, and 19%, respectively; discharges to water did not change significantly. Meanwhile, the interactive econometric analysis revealed the effects of green management certification, technological innovation, and the number of buyers/suppliers on dual-level eco-efficiency. The influencing mechanism of the same factor on eco-efficiency was demonstrated heterogeneous at manufacturer and supply chain levels. Adopting green management certification was an efficient facilitator to promote textile manufacturers' eco-efficiency, but not sufficient to advance supply chain's ecological performance until 2018. Conversely, inducing technological innovation can promote industry sustainability benefitting from knowledge search and absorption at the supply chain level. Depending on the multi-level lens, this study underlines that the same factor may have heterogeneous impacts at different levels and provides a drawable approach that can support decision-making on improving overall eco-efficiency for stakeholders such as companies, brands and retailers, and the government.

Expanded practice in rural community pharmacy: a macro-, meso and micro-level perspective.

Expanding community pharmacists' scope of practice, in rural and remote locations has the potential to improve access to health care and health outcomes. Internationally, a lack of support from other health professionals (HPs) has presented a barrier to the uptake of expanded pharmacy models. Rural allied health workers, including pharmacists, however, already work across an extended scope using generalist and specialist skills to meet unique community needs with limited infrastructure for support. Limited data on expanded practice from Australia prompted this study to explore Australian rural and remote doctor, nurse and allied health perspectives of expanded pharmacy services in non-metropolitan settings. An ethnographic lens of rural culture was applied to this descriptive qualitative study. Semi-structured, in-depth interviews were conducted with HPs working in rural and remote locations in Australia. Inductive and deductive thematic analysis was guided by a multi-level lens of macro- (policy level), meso- (HP level) and micro- (consumer and community level) perspectives. The World Health Organization (WHO) framework for integrated people-centred health services provided strategies to align to the theoretical framework for the analysis. Twenty-three rural and remote HPs (doctors (8), nurses (4), allied HPs (11)) participated. Key themes identified included supportive government and funding provisions (macro); collaboration with other health providers (meso); ensuring pharmacists have the required knowledge, skills, quality assurance and safety measures in place (meso); pharmacists' capacity, including time and space (meso); and opportunity to empower and engage consumers through rural community pharmacies (micro). As pharmacists internationally continue to develop their expanded scope of practice, these results provide the first evidence for Australian rural pharmacists to consider when planning for and developing expanded practice models. Recognition of challenges and motivators for pharmacists' expanded practice are highlighted. Engagement of both government and rural health providers is seen as crucial for expanded models of pharmacy practice to evolve to deliver improved health outcomes for rural and remote communities.

Design of a Free Space Optical Communication System for an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Command and Control Link

An electromagnetic immune Free Space Optical Communication (FSOC) system for an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) command and control link is introduced in this paper. The system uses the scheme of omnidirectional receiving and ground scanning transmitting. It has a strong anti-turbulence ability by using a large area detector and short-focus lens. The design of omnidirectional communication improves the ability of anti-vibration and link establishment. Pure static reception has no momentum effect on the platform. The receiver is miniaturized under no use of a gimbal mirror system, beacon camera system, Four-Quadrant Photodetector (QPD) and multi-level lens system. The system can realize omnidirectional reception and the communication probability in 1 s is greater than 99.99%. This design strengthens the ability of the FSOC system, so it can be applied in the UAV command and control, the satellite submarine communication and other occasions where the size of the platform is restricted.

A multi-level perspective on trust, collaboration and knowledge sharing cultures in a highly formalized organization

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to investigate organizational culture’s perceived importance and practice as it unfolds across hierarchal layers of a formalized organization. Organizational culture is important in innovation and change and becomes significant if its importance and practice are shared across all levels of an organization. Highly formalized organizations are not an exception to this. Yet, there is a shortage of empirical evidence on how the organizational culture’s perceived importance and practice unfold across the senior-management, middle-management and operational levels of a formalized organization.Design/methodology/approachApplying a theoretical frame incorporating information asymmetry, knowledge sharing and cultural participation, this paper examined three important facets of culture, namely, trust, collaboration and knowledge-sharing. Using a Jordanian bank’s case study, this paper collected data using a mixed-methods approach; quantitative to identify variations across levels and, subsequently, qualitative to explore the nuanced patterns in the perceived importance and practice of the three facets across different organizational levels in the context of a formalized organization.FindingsThe findings suggest that the importance and practice of the three cultural facets are shared, as well as differentiated across organizational levels based on purposiveness, person/situation-dependency and nature of work and nature/relevance of knowledge.Originality/valueUsing a multi-level lens provided insight not yet gained by current work in the field. This allowed us to unearth nuanced differences in the perception of organizational culture across organizational hierarchies. The paper contributes to the scholarship on organizational culture in the context of formalized organizations and to managerial practice by offering insights on how a shared practice of trust, collaboration and knowledge sharing is distributed across organizational levels, not captured before. This paper also suggests propositions related to each of three cultural facets, not spelled out before.

Garnering Support for Complementary and Integrative Health Implementation: A Qualitative Study of VA Healthcare Organization Leaders.

Objectives: Healthcare organization leaders' support is critical for successful implementation of new practices, including complementary and integrative health (CIH) therapies. Yet little is known about how to garner this support and what motivates leaders to support these therapies. We examined reasons leaders provided or withheld support for CIH therapy implementation, using a multilevel lens to understand motivations influenced by individual, interpersonal, organizational, and system determinants. Design and setting: We conducted qualitative interviews with leaders in seven Veterans Health Administration medical centers that offered at least three CIH therapies to Veterans and were identified as early adopters of CIH therapies. Subjects: Participants included 12 executive leaders and 34 leaders of key clinical services, including primary care, mental health, physical medicine and rehabilitation, and pain. Measures: We used a thematic analysis to examine leaders' narratives of barriers and facilitators to implementation including their attitudes toward CIH therapies, perceptions of evidence, engagement in implementation, and decisions to provide concrete support for CIH therapies. Drawing from Greenhalgh's Diffusion of Innovation framework, we organized themes according to the influence of individual determinants, two levels of inner setting, and outer system context on CIH implementation. Results: Leaders' decisions to provide or withhold support were driven by considerations across multiple levels including (1) individual attitudes/knowledge, perceptions of evidence, and personal experiences; (2) interpersonal interactions with trusted brokers, patients, and loved ones/colleagues/staff; (3) organizational concerns surrounding relative priorities, local resources, and metrics/quality/safety; and (4) system-level policy, bureaucracy, and interorganizational networks. These considerations interacted across levels, with components at organizational and system levels sometimes prevailing over individual perceptions and experiences. Conclusions: Garnering leaders' support for CIH therapy implementation should address their considerations at multiple levels. Implementation strategies designed to shift individual attitudes alone may be insufficient for securing leaders' support without attention to broader organizational and system-level contextual issues.

Knowledge Sharing in Roadmapping: Toward a Multilevel Explanation

Roadmapping is a workshop-based tool that draws on diverse sets of knowledge from individuals to create shared knowledge in the form of a roadmap for navigating a strategic landscape. Theoretical explanations of knowledge sharing in roadmapping are underdeveloped, with only limited insights into the relationship between individuals’ knowledge (at the micro level) and organizational-level outcomes. This article uses a multilevel lens to examine knowledge sharing in two roadmapping projects empirically. The analysis identifies five mechanisms that enable or constrain knowledge sharing in roadmapping: 1) a neutral space for face-to-face interactions between individuals that fosters; 2) a positive disposition of individuals to share knowledge, together with (3) imperatives to trigger knowledge contributions. Individually shared knowledge is transformed into collective outcomes via 4) shared meanings and 5) shared commitment to act. The analysis also highlights the important role of the facilitator in relation to knowledge sharing. This article extends the theoretical understanding of individuals and their behavior in the roadmapping process. In doing so, it demonstrates how microlevel actions relate to macrolevel outcomes. Practitioners, including facilitators, can use these insights as they design and deliver roadmapping interventions to improve knowledge sharing and, therefore, better strategic outcomes.

Asian Conceptualizations of Leadership: Progresses and Challenges

By investigating broadly a contingency approach and implicit leadership theoretical perspectives with a multilevel lens as a starting point, this review highlights the potential for Asian conceptualizations of leadership. More specifically, by highlighting the important contingent role national culture plays in influencing leadership effectiveness, we review Asian conceptualizations of leadership that exist (e.g., paternalistic leadership style, paternalism, and guanxi in the leadership setting) in the literature and the findings that have been found in a relatively selective manner. This also allows us to advance the notion of a culturally contingent leadership perspective by developing the notion of hierarchical social exchange and various modalities associated with such a relationship. By so doing, this review enables us to underscore the advantages as well as challenges associated with Asian conceptualizations of leadership as well as future research directions that need to be undertaken to more firmly establish their utility to general leadership literature.

A Systematic Literature Review of Organizational Innovation: Exploration, Exploitation, and Ambidexterity through a Multilevel Lens

While research on exploration, exploitation, and ambidexterity is burgeoning with hundreds of articles published each year, scholars have recently called for more clarity regarding the definitional qualities and the conditions under which they relate to other variables. In this paper, we adopt a systematic literature review methodology, to analyze 457 studies published in the organization literature between 2010 and 2019 and develop an overarching model that integrates the features, antecedents, moderators, and consequences of exploration, exploitation, and ambidexterity across different levels of analysis. In this way, we provide a much needed systematic synthesis of the literature that depicts the current state of knowledge while offering a unified overarching model of exploration, exploitation and ambidexterity at the individual, group, organizational, and inter-organizational level of analysis. Our systematic review contributes to the theoretical development of the ambidexterity and broader organizational innovation literature and offers future research directions.

A Systematic Literature Review of Absorptive Capacity: Conceptual and Empirical Developments Through a Multilevel Lens

Scientific work on organizational learning is flourishing yet several researchers have pointed to the importance of clarifying the core features of absorptive capacity as well as its relationships and the underlying mechanisms that link it to other variables of interest. In the present study, we utilize a systematic literature review methodology, analyzing 365 articles published in the premier management journals between 2010 and 2019 and develop a comprehensive framework that assimilates the qualities, antecedents, moderators, and outcomes of absorptive capacity across multiple levels of analysis. By doing so, we offer a compelling systematic integration of extant research that illustrates the current state of the literature on absorptive capacity and provides suggestions for future research. Thus, this study adds clarity to the absorptive capacity theory and provides insights for the development of the organizational learning literature.

The Relationship between Perceived Support and Innovative Behavior: Analyzing the Mediating Role of Work Engagement

This study reconnoiters the relationship between perceived support and individual innovative behavior at the workplace built on Social Exchange Theory and Job Demands-Resources model. In this research, perceived support was measured via organizational, supervisor, peer support through a multilevel lens. Furthermore, the mediator role of work engagement was questioned in the link between perceived support and work engagement. To achieve these, data obtained from a total number of 203 employees in five different firms operating in two separate Technoparks located in Ankara, Turkey. According to the results, perceived support of organization, supervisor and peer have significant positive effects on innovative behavior. Among the dimensions, most important affect was recorded by perceived organizational support. Also, it was indicated that work engagement had a partial mediator effect on the relationship between perceived support and innovative behavior.

Understanding policy integration in the EU—Insights from a multi-level lens on climate adaptation and the EU’s coastal and marine policy

Integration of relatively new policy tasks like climate adaptation into established higher-level policy fields is insufficiently understood in the academic literature. This paper proposes a framework to evaluate the integration of climate adaptation into the sectoral policy-making of the European Commission, particularly following the publication of the EU Adaptation Strategy (in 2013). The paper uses a framework of micro, meso and macro-level institutional behaviour drawing strongly on new institutionalism perspectives to identify and explain factors enabling and hindering policy integration. It focuses on integration in the coastal and marine policy sector, which is expected to be particularly vulnerable to climate change impacts, and draws from data collected through a document review and interviews with key informants. The findings show that the integration of climate adaptation is still at an early stage. The integration process appears to be largely dependent on institutional dynamics at the EU-level combined with how member states and wider sectoral stakeholders engage with adaptation concerns. In particular, the ambivalence of some member states and a lack of urgency among sectoral stakeholders has hampered the integration of adaptation goals.