Organizational Ethos Research Articles

Ventriloquizing Institutional Ethos: Social Issues Management, Internal Public Relations, and the Institutionalization of Neoliberalism and Whiteness in U.S. Universities’ Diversity Discourse

ABSTRACT The way organizations communicate about socio-political issues, such as racism and diversity, has become increasingly visible following the racial reckoning of 2020. This study examines the diversity discourse presented in the strategic plans from 37 of universities that comprise three major academic conferences (BIG10, Southeastern Conference (SEC), and PAC-12) in order to understand how they crafted an ethos that serves as the foundation these institutions use when later communicating about socio-political issues. To do so, we draw on social issues management, neoliberalism, whiteness, and ventriloquism to underscore the complexity of crafting an organizational ethos that features a stated commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. We argue that these organizations’ ethos were simultaneously ventriloquized by larger socio-political discourses while also ventriloquizing diversity in ways that made their discourse about diversity speak in ways that forwarded neoliberal and whiteness ideologies that operated to maintain the status quo.

Trauma-Informed Public Management: A Step toward Addressing Hidden Inequalities and Improving Employee Wellbeing

Public management practices that take a holistic approach are increasingly necessary; trauma-informed care, when embedded within public service, recognizes histories, experiences, and emotions of individuals. Many public servants experience vicarious trauma, by the very nature of their work, and there is a need to recognize this reality and use tools and techniques that are appropriately trauma-informed. Many organizations utilize trauma-informed care principles to engage with clients or citizens in arenas like social work, mental health, or addiction care, yet fewer organizations take a trauma-informed approach with their own employees to provide a safe and supportive workplace. Trauma-informed public management, conceptualized as embedding the six principles of trauma-informed practices into an organizational ethos, represents an opportunity to center the affective needs of public and nonprofit employees and managers who often bring their own traumatic experiences with them to their role and/or experience vicarious trauma in their jobs. The authors use applied examples from public sector responses to the COVID-19 pandemic — a prolonged and traumatic experience shared by public servants and citizens alike — to demonstrate these six principles and outline how trauma-informed techniques can be implemented now to benefit the public sector workforce.

Critical Thinking in Academic Writing amongst Rukwangali Students: Lecturers‘ Perspectives

This article is a part of a larger study that explored the perspectives of Rukwangali education lecturers towards Rukwangali students’ critical thinking in academic writing. The main aim is not only to bring into focus the strategies towards lecturing for critical thinking in academic writing but also to highlight some of the barriers to successful integration by Rukwangali language education students in academic writing and also to elicit perceptions that would impede Rukwangali language lecturers to lecture for critical thinking. On the basis of a critical review of literature, claims about the role of critical thinking in higher education are discussed and the synergies concerning critical thinking and academics are discussed. With the growing enthusiasm for critical thinking and academic writing in higher institutions of learning, a plethora of authors around critical thinking and academic writing have claimed that critical thinking and academic writing have a pivotal role in shaping students. Indeed, these concepts are useful for different solicitations. However, there are certain barriers that can prevent students from utilizing critical thinking in academic writing and lecturers from incorporating critical thinking in their content delivery and assessments even if the definitions and approaches exist. A qualitative design was used in the process of data collection and analysis. A purposive sample of four Rukwangali language education lecturers participated in the study. The findings of the study have led to the acknowledgement that the inability of critical thinking in academic writing by students is influenced by a combination of factors such as subject knowledge, authorial voice, the essay genre, parental education, lack of enough efforts from colleges and universities, teacher competence, nature of students, type of learning environment, organizational ethos and resources, content-driven curricula, assessment criteria, inability to translate content and language barrier. Whereas, a lack of training, lack of information, personal beliefs and preconceptions, and time constraints are singled out to be stumbling blocks for Rukwangali lecturers in implementing critical thinking strategies into their lectures. The article concludes by making recommendations that a closer look at these factors and their solutions would be beneficial in making the skill of critical thinking in academic writing more effective in mitigating the inability of students’ critical thinking in Rukwangali academic writing at Unam’s Rundu campus.

A Qualitative Exploration of Chief Nursing Officer Perspectives on Maintaining Magnet® Designation.

The purpose of this study was to determine chief nursing officer (CNO) perspectives on how to sustain the infrastructure required for successful American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) Magnet® redesignation. American Nurses Credentialing Center Magnet designation is a prestigious achievement reflective of years of dedication, innovation, mentoring, and leadership support. As challenging as the initial attainment of Magnet status can be, sustaining the success and becoming redesignated is considered even more difficult by many CNOs. However, there have been no published reports indicating how to be successful in Magnet redesignation. A grounded theory qualitative approach was used, and data were collected through telephone interviews with CNOs who had successfully attained at least 1 redesignation. Fourteen CNOs participated; data were organized into 6 themes and 15 subthemes describing the critical elements for Magnet redesignation. Relationships among the 6 themes and subthemes are theorized in the form of a wheel with 6 spokes. When "set in motion," the wheel gathers momentum and all of the model elements become coalesced into the organizational ethos.

The Ready-made Network: Networking and Exchange Activity of Independent Workers in Coworking Spaces

Coworking spaces are often said to be breeding grounds for networking and exchange activity by providing their users with direct access to a large and diverse network. Building on prior research on independent workers’ networking and the upcoming literature on coworking spaces as organizational phenomena, we conduct an exploratory study on networking and exchange activity of independent workers working in coworking spaces. Based on qualitative data consisting of 104 interviews and 44 informal talks with coworkers, observations and archival data, we introduce and develop the idea of coworking spaces as ready-made networks. We map the structural network and the different kinds of collaborative activity that take place in coworking spaces and explore how coworking spaces create the conditions for such activity. Our findings depict how 1) spatial proximity and infrastructural means provide the physical opportunity, 2) a collaborative organizational ethos provides the cognitive basis, and 3) default trust among coworkers provides the relational basis for networking and exchange activity in coworking spaces.

\u201cIt\u2019s a Big Family Here.\u201d Becoming and Belonging in a Service Providing Employment-Related Support for People with Mental Health Problems: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis

The impact of employment for individuals with mental health problems is complex. However, research suggests that when support is provided for accessing employment and gaining roles and skills that are valued by others, a positive effect can be seen on recovery. Employment-related support can take many forms and there is a need for further research into the experience of accessing different kinds of services. The current paper examines the lived experience of 11 people participating in a UK social enterprise providing work experience, training, and skills development for those with mental health problems. Although ‘sheltered’, the organisational ethos strongly emphasised service-user empowerment, co-production, equality with staff, provision of valued social roles and person-centred support. Phenomenological analysis revealed that participants valued a sense of belonging and authentic relationships within the service, whilst being given the opportunity to rediscover an identity that may have been lost because of their mental health problem. However, participants also discussed how, although the service improved their self-value, some feared the ‘real world’ outside of the service and were unsure whether they would be met with the same support. Tensions between field dominant approaches in supported employment and the experiences and values of the participants are explored. We argue that the findings highlight the importance of a nurturing working environment and the value for recovery of a range of meaningful roles, beyond competitive employment.

A Means to Many Ends: Promoting Faculty Diversity in Christian Higher Education through the Institutionalization of Service-Learning

The demographics of higher education, including Christian higher education, are changing as campuses are experiencing an increase in enrollment of African, Latino(a), Asian, and Native American (ALANA) students. Increasing faculty diversity, however, has not kept pace with increasing student diversity. In addition to supporting a rapidly changing student body, institutional identification of strategies to develop, recruit, support, and retain ALANA faculty members is needed. Diversification efforts are most successful when a supportive organizational ethos and an inclusive academic environment are established that promote and value the unique contributions of a diverse group of faculty members. Drawing upon research that has focused on service-learning, faculty motivation, and theoretical frameworks in the fields of student development, organizational psychology, and marketing, this article suggests that the institutionalization of service-learning can serve as a strategic mechanism for supporting faculty diversification in Christian higher education.

The Munchetty controversy: Empire, race, and the BBC

AbstractIn September 2019, Naga Munchetty, a BBC presenter, was charged by the corporation as having breached its guidelines in sharing her personal experience of racism in reaction to Donald Trump's “Go Back” outburst at four female political opponents, an incident understood worldwide as a racist attack. The BBC, acting on complaints from some viewers, upheld that Munchetty had partially breached its journalistic guidelines in speaking about her experience of racism. This article, through a postcolonial critique of the incident, argues that the BBC guidelines and the censure of Munchetty have to be viewed through an organizational “dual consciousness” of the libidinal economy of the BBC as part of the British Empire and being an active broker of race relations in Britain through the national broadcasting space as a public service broadcaster. The BBC, both as an organization and a broadcaster, is inscribed through its historicity and a long trajectory of “fixing” the identity of the racial “Other.” In the Munchetty controversy, her racial subjectivity is made “uncanny” or alien to the racialized subject through the BBC's organizational ethos of “objectivity and impartiality” to reassemble race as fiction within its “regime of representation.”

PROPAGANDA INSTITUCIONAL ACERCA DA SUSTENTABILIDADE EMPRESARIAL: ANÁLISE DA CONSTRUÇÃO DISCURSIVA EM PEÇAS PUBLICITÁRIAS

Analisar o discurso organizacional em quatro peças oriundas da Propaganda Institucional (PI) de um Instituto, cujo negócio versa sobre à promoção do desenvolvimento sustentável e do bem-estar social, é o objetivo deste trabalho. Assim, este estudo focou na Responsabilidade Ambiental (RA), um dos pilares da Sustentabilidade Empresarial (SE), e em investigar como este discurso é construído para persuadir e sensibilizar o leitor/co-enunciador a adquirir um posicionamento pró-ambiente. Para tanto, estudou-se a construção do ethos organizacional (via léxico e argumentos) e a embreagem textual presentes nessas peças publicitários. Foi utilizado como aporte teórico os pressupostos da: SE (focando-se na RA), da PI e da Análise do Discurso (AD) de linha francesa, esta última também constitui a metodologia seguida para o exame do material selecionado. Na AD, teoria e metodologia são indissociáveis, isto é, só é possível se falar em metodologia envolvendo os elementos teóricos. Igualmente, para se empreender esta pesquisa, foram realizados dois tipos de análises: a dos dados linguísticos e a dos argumentos usados nas produções textuais examinadas.

Power distance culture and whistleblowing intentions: the moderating effect of gender

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the effect of power distance culture (PDC) on whistleblowing intentions (WI) by examining the moderating effect of gender on the causal relationships.Design/methodology/approachThe study used descriptive and cross-sectional survey design. Data were obtained from 300 employees of the selected organizations in Ghana and analyzed by using descriptive statistics, correlational and hierarchical regression techniques.FindingsThe results indicate that there is a significant relationship between PDC and WI, and such relationship is moderated by gender. The study also revealed that high PDC is the prevailing culture in the organizations surveyed, indicating low tendency of reporting corporate wrongdoing. However, the result of the moderation analysis indicates being a female worker in a PDC has a stronger influence on WI than being a male. Additionally, whistleblowers are likely to report their coworkers than leaders in high PDC organizations, but they are rather likely to report their leaders than coworkers in low PDC organizations.Originality/valueThis paper makes a significant contribution to the existing whistleblowing literature by establishing how gender moderates the influence of organizational culture on whistleblowing and recommends how to improve organizational ethos to facilitate whistleblowing in high-power distance societies.

Born on the internet, how should Suta grow?

Learning outcomes To appreciate the importance of carefully carving out a unique target group of customers and differentiating the offerings by establishing a brand born on the internet. To appreciate the criticality of balance between growth and quality. To appreciate the entrepreneurial dilemma of growth vs control while making difficult business growth choices. To analyse the alternative growth options in the context of the Su and Ta’s concerns and offer decision choices to go with the organizational ethos and business goals. Case overview/synopsis Three years back in Mumbai, India, Sujata and Taniya took a decision to quit their well-paying jobs and launch Suta, their small yet dynamic entrepreneurial venture of smart office wear for women. Sales had grown rapidly from INR 1.5 crore in 2016 to INR 5 crore in 2018. In March 2019, they found themselves at a crossroads: Should they bring in investors to accelerate their plans for growth and risk losing control or depend on organic growth? That would mean depending on operational cash flows to scale their business at a pace that would ensure that they did not compromise the quality of their operations, products and hence customer experience. The sisters had nurtured Suta’s brand image in the minds of their customers, through distinctive designs, quality processes, exemplary customer service and experience. All this through a strong yet responsible supply chain that nurtured weavers in rural India. They wanted both the brand and the many weavers who were dependent on them for work and livelihood, to grow. They had seen enough examples where the pursuit of growth had resulted in the quality of product and customer service suffering, along with employee attrition and process failures. They were very apprehensive of adopting the greedy for growth model through investor funding that many start-ups had followed and which eventually compromised their customer experience. The question clearly was not if they should grow, but how should they grow. Complexity academic level This case is designed for use at the postgraduate level in courses on entrepreneurship, business strategy, strategic management and strategic marketing, as well as in executive management programs. It can be used at the beginning of a course or toward the middle, to set the context for the course. The case will help instructors focus on the unique situation of a company “born on the internet,” which has to manage the current growing business while making a choice for growth in an emerging market where e-commerce channel is rapidly becoming popular. Supplementary materials Teaching Notes are available for educators only. Subject code CSS 3: Entrepreneurship.

Study on Organisational ethos on leader’s behaviour, managerial effectiveness and work motivation

Study on Organisational ethos on leader’s behaviour, managerial effectiveness and work motivation

Creative accounting: An interaction of hr and accounting

The technological changes in HR and Accounting has been astounding and has caused an unprecedented increase in activities related to creative accounting. Human resources in any organization has the incentive to be creative and therefore they indulge into ethical or unethical ways to achieve better results for the organisation. Present paper takes into consideration the ethical dilemma of one particular category of human resources in the organization, the auditors or accounting professionals. The issue of creative accounting emerges when auditors identify loopholes in the accounting standards and use these loopholes to further their own or directors’ self-interest. And, therefore, the use of creative accounting may be seen as a potential threat to the corporate governance and organizational ethos. Irrespective of the fact that manipulation of accounts has resulted into many accounting and governance scandals in the past, use of creative accounting in preparation and presentation of financial statement is rampant. Thus, the objective of the present study is to identify the issues of creative accounting in the organizations and to analyse the extent and impact of role of internal and external auditors as crucial human resources of the organization in this context.

Impact of Organisational ethos on leader’s behaviour, managerial effectiveness and work motivation: A comparative study in public, private and foreign sector

Impact of Organisational ethos on leader’s behaviour, managerial effectiveness and work motivation: A comparative study in public, private and foreign sector

Moderating Role of Intrinsic Motivation on the Relationship of Work Family Conflict and Job Performance in Frontline Officers of Islamic Banks

Workplace life hinges on the key aspects of work-family conflict, employee performance and intrinsic motivation. This study explores the boundaries of work-family conflict associated with perceived job performance and the moderating effect of intrinsic motivation on this association amongst the frontline officers of Islamic banks in Pakistan. The exponential rise of Islamic banking over the past decade demands that the exigencies associated with this industry be studied and scrutinized. This study aims to rectify this dearth of literature on this contemporary issue. The results consistently conclude that work-family conflict is negatively associated with perceived job performance. Furthermore, intrinsic motivation as moderator, weaken this negative association. The study calls upon the need to properly deploy intrinsic motivation arousing tools to overcome the negative consequences of work-family conflict. It is further suggested that if religious inclinations and obligations are instilled in the organizational ethos, then working in Islamic banks may stimulate the source of intrinsic motivation. The study could provide an overview of the practical implications of work-family conflict to scholars and policy-makers. However, methodological limitations of the study may offer unique opportunities for future research in the field and are amply discussed.

A collective case study of the features of impactful dementia training for care home staff

BackgroundUp to 80% of care home residents have dementia. Ensuring this workforce is appropriately trained is of international concern. Research indicates variable impact of training on a range of resident and staff outcomes. Little is still known about the most effective approaches to the design, delivery and implementation of dementia training. This study aimed to investigate the features and contextual factors associated with an effective approach to care home staff training on dementia.MethodsAn embedded, collective case study was undertaken in three care home provider organisations who had responded to a national training audit. Data collected included individual or small group interviews with training leads, facilitators, staff attending training, managers, residents and their relatives. Observations of care practice were undertaken using Dementia Care Mapping. Training delivery was observed and training materials audited. A within case analysis of each site, followed by cross case analysis using convergence coding was undertaken.ResultsAll sites provided bespoke, tailored training, delivered largely using face-to-face, interactive methods, which staff and managers indicated were valuable and effective. Self-study booklets and on-line learning where were used, were poorly completed and disliked by staff. Training was said to improve empathy, knowledge about the lived experience of dementia and the importance of considering and meeting individual needs. Opportunities to continually reflect on learning and support to implement training in practice were valued and felt to be an essential component of good training. Practice developments as a result of training included improved communication, increased activity, less task-focussed care and increased resident well-being. However, observations indicated positive well-being and engagement was not a consistent experience across all residents in all sites. Barriers to training attendance and implementation were staff time, lack of dedicated training space and challenges in gaining feedback on training and its impact. Facilitators included a supportive organisational ethos and skilled training facilitation.ConclusionsEffective training is tailored to learners’, delivered face-to-face by an experienced facilitator, is interactive and is embedded within a supportive organisational culture/ethos. Further research is needed on the practical aspects of sustainable and impactful dementia training delivery and implementation in care home settings.

What is a Flourishing Congregation? Leader Perceptions, Definitions, and Experiences

How do Canadian congregational and denominational leaders in Catholic, mainline, and conservative Protestant settings perceive and define what constitutes a flourishing congregation? Drawing on interview and focus group data with over one hundred leaders across Canada, we bring to description the perceptions, narratives, and experiences that church and denominational leaders hold about flourishing congregations. We highlight three central findings: (a) there is a divide between those who believe that flourishing entails numeric growth and those who do not; (b) depending on the Christian tradition in question, there are several partially overlapping and conflicting pictures of what constitutes a flourishing congregation, evident in three overarching domains and several subsequent dimensions—organizational ethos (clear self-identity, leadership, innovation, and structure and process), internal factors (discipleship, hospitable community, engaged laity, and diversity), and outward variables (evangelism, neighborhood involvement, and partnership); and (c) supernatural discourse figures into how leaders discuss flourishing congregations over and against secular or human-controlled narratives. We draw on cultural sociology, notably discussions on group boundaries (between Christian traditions, within Christian traditions, and between Christian and non-religious organizations), to describe and explain the similar and dissimilar cultural narratives that Catholic, mainline, and conservative Protestant leaders hold about flourishing congregations. We then encourage social scientists to pay greater attention to how leaders themselves perceive and define a flourishing congregation, including the narratives and boundaries that contribute to leader constructions of reality.

Organisational enablers and barriers to the recognition of sexuality in aged care: A systematic review.

To identify organisational characteristics and practices that promote or inhibit the recognition of sexuality in the care of older people in health and aged care settings. Sexuality in old age is poorly understood by health professionals and rarely addressed in care planning and delivery. Nurse managers are ideally placed to lead organisations in promoting a culture of acceptance that enables the expression of sexuality. A search for research/expert opinion papers published from January 2004 to February 2017 was undertaken. Two reviewers performed data extraction and appraisal of 34 included studies using Joanna Briggs Institute tools. The primarily qualitative research was analysed to identify 152 findings that were organised into 22 categories and combined into four syntheses. An organisation's philosophies frame the way older people's sexuality is perceived. Cultivating a culture and environment of acceptance, engagement and knowledge and delivering care in a way that promotes opportunity for safe and private expression of sexuality are key enabling factors. Organisations and nurse leaders can support and facilitate older adults' expression of their sexuality through the review and development of philosophies, policies, procedures, staff attitudes and knowledge and the creation of a conducive environment. Nurse managers play a pivotal role in developing a sexuality-positive organisational ethos by ensuring policies, care practices, the environment and amenities are supportive of the expression of sexuality and by role modelling attitudes of respect and inclusivity.

Organisational Culture: A Comparative Study of Public Sector and Private Sector Banks in East Delhi

There is a significant transformation in the banking sector in India both in the Public and the Private Sector Banks. The everyday scandals makes it imperative to understand the Organisational Culture of the Public and the Private Sector banks. The various terms that are used in association with organisational culture are: values, ethics, beliefs, ethos, climate, and culture. Ethos are the values that give a unique identity to a group. The study has been conducted using the 4 point Instrument of Udai Pareek on OCATAPACE, the Organisational ethos. OCTAPACE is the acronym for eight steps to create functional ethos. OCTAPACE stands for Openness, Confrontation, Trust, authenticity, Pro-action, Autonomy, Collaboration, and Experimenting. The research is undertaken through a primary survey in 32 branches of the Public Sector and Private Sector banks in East Delhi. The findings of the study indicate that there is an interrelationship between various factors of the OCTAPACE profile in case of the two types of banks. There seems to be no significant differences between the OCTAPACE profiles of the two types of banks.

Advancing consumer engagement: Supporting, developing and empowering youth leadership in cancer care.

Advancing consumer engagement: Supporting, developing and empowering youth leadership in cancer care.