Organizational Responses Research Articles

Soft power in complicated and complex education systems: Gender, education and global governance in organisational responses to SDG 4

This article examines how the distinction between complicated and complex education systems contributes to our understanding of global governance and how “soft power” concerned with gender is used in international development organisations’ responses to Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4, the global goal for education. Four global governance approaches which shape these organisations are distinguished: partnership building, gender mainstreaming, gender activism and contestation by global feminist movements. These strands of soft power have implications for how meanings of gender, education, power and accountability are interpreted. The work of three organisations – the Global Partnership for Education (GPE), the Gender at the Centre Initiative (GCI) and the Malala Fund – are reviewed to exemplify these global governance approaches. The analysis draws on a close reading of the organisations’ published documents to build a history of how the gender concerns of SDG 4 came to be interpreted, negotiated, contested or ignored. The activities of the three organisations show considerable interplay between concepts of complicated and complex education systems. The discussion raises questions regarding what kind of work soft power in gender and education does in a context of huge and growing global inequalities and insecurities. In addition, the question is posed why there is still no institutional base to articulate a global feminist politics which confronts and seeks to dismantle unjust structures of power.

Developing good practices and organisational resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic: A retrospective qualitative case study in a higher education institution

The COVID-19 pandemic prompted authorities to enforce social restrictions and business closures, severely affecting the education sector and disrupting academic continuity. While existing studies have primarily focused on the evolution of learning environments, student and academic resilience, and educational policy responses, limited attention has been given to organisational resilience in higher education institutions.This paper addresses this gap by examining the impacts of the pandemic and organisational resilience components within a university of applied sciences. Using Chronicle Workshops and semi-structured interviews, this case study spans from the onset of the pandemic in March 2020 to June 2022, scrutinising the effects on various professions, including top and middle management, teachers, scientific, administrative, and technical staff.Key events included the initial lockdown and the subsequent shift to telework. Social tension during the implementation of COVID-19 certificates emerged as a noteworthy factor. The paper identifies best practices, including anticipative exchanges, investments in occupational health and safety, top-down crisis management, collegial decision-making, technology integration into work processes, creative pedagogical and assessment methods, leadership based on trust and autonomy, self-management, and a strong sense of solidarity. Recommendations for improvement encompass addressing siloed functioning, enhancing crisis communication, prioritising health and safety under normal circumstances, reflecting on technology’s limits in teaching, recognising commitment and skills, ensuring decision transparency, and providing post-crisis support.These findings underscore the significance of considering both social and technical aspects in organisational responses to crises like the pandemic. Strengthening managerial capacity to support staff is crucial for enhancing resilience against future threats.

Virtual Metamorphosing: Digital Transformation and Organizational Responses to Performance Feedback (WITHDRAWN)

Virtual Metamorphosing: Digital Transformation and Organizational Responses to Performance Feedback (WITHDRAWN)

Organizational Responses to Product Cycles

Organizational Responses to Product Cycles

EINSTEINS THEORY OF RELATIVITY AND ORGANIZATIONAL FLEXIBILITY IN DIGITAL TRANSFORMATIONS

The paper will illustrate an analogy of Einsteins Theory of Relativity with the features of organizational flexibility against the backdrop of digital transformations. The relativity of space-time on the structures of organizations in their dynamics has informed the research. Explain how principles of relativity time dilations and space curvatures can be applied in organizational adaptability and responsiveness to give insight on how such flexibility may be achieved in the organisations, especially during digital disruptions. The findings suggest that much like how relativity reset peoples understanding of physics, the flexible approach toward organizational change can reset success in the digital age.

Exploring the Role of ChatGPT in Shaping an Innovative Organizational Culture, Responsiveness to Change, and Enhancing Human Resource Development

The rapid development of digital technology has prompted organizations to adopt new tools and systems to enhance operational efficiency and effectiveness. One of the latest technologies garnering widespread attention is artificial intelligence (AI), including language models like ChatGPT, capable of processing and generating text naturally. This research aims to further explore how ChatGPT can be implemented within organizations to cultivate an innovative culture, responsiveness to change, and effectively support human resource development. This study employs a literature review method with a qualitative approach. Data were collected from articles published on Google Scholar between 2021 and 2024, considering Google Scholar as a comprehensive and credible academic database. The findings indicate that ChatGPT plays a crucial role in fostering innovation by serving as a catalyst for creative ideas and new solutions. Furthermore, ChatGPT has proven to enhance organizational responsiveness to changes in the business environment by providing accurate insights based on real-time data. On the other hand, utilizing ChatGPT as an interactive training tool also aids in accelerating employee competency development. However, it is essential to consider the ethical challenges and considerations in the use of this technology, including data privacy issues and overreliance.

A behavioral theory of Leviathan Inc: State firms’ responses to performance shortfalls

We examine the role of ownership in organizational responses to performance shortfalls. State owners prize performance stability over being competitive, and their firms thus frame performance shortfalls differently than private firms do. In particular, state firms’ performance-stability orientation makes them respond to small performance shortfalls more readily than private firms do. They largely disregard performance comparisons with industry competitors, which more readily trigger divestitures at private firms. Comparisons among state firms matter relatively more. We find empirical support for these propositions in the population of Chinese state and private firms publicly traded in Shanghai and Shenzhen Stock Exchanges from 2003 to 2019. The frame-contingent responsiveness we document extends theory of organizational behavior and adds important nuance to our understanding of state-firm inertia.

Spatial immunophenotyping using multiplexed imaging of immune follicles in secondary lymphoid tissues.

Secondary lymphoid organs (SLOs), including tonsils (TS), lymph nodes (LN), and Peyer's Patches, exhibit complementary immune functions. However, little is known about the spatial organization of immune cells and extracellular matrix (ECM) in the SLOs. Traditional imaging is limited to a few markers, confining our understanding of the differences between the SLOs. Herein, imaging mass cytometry addressed this gap by simultaneously profiling 25-plex proteins in SLO tissues at subcellular resolution. The antibody panel targeted immune, stromal, chemokine, epigenetic, and functional markers. For robust cell identification, a computational workflow SpatialVizPheno was developed to spatially phenotype 999,970 cells using two approaches, including manual gating and semi-supervised gating, iterative clustering, and annotation. LN exhibited the highest density of B cells while the intestinal tissues contained the highest proportion of regulatory and follicular helper T cells. SpatialVizPheno identified the most prevalent interaction between follicular dendritic cells and stromal cells (SCs), plasmablasts/plasma cells, and the SCs across the lymphoid tissues. Collagen-enriched regions were associated with the spatial orientation of B cell follicles in both TS and LN tissues, but not in intestinal lymphoid tissues. Such spatial differences of immunophenotypes and ECM in different SLO tissues can be used to quantify the relationship between cellular organization and ultimate immune responses.

The Role of Strategic Transparency in Enhancing Organizational Culture Strategy: An Exploratory Study of the Opinions of a Sample of Instructors in the College of Administration and Economics, Tikrit University

The study aimed to identify the concept of strategic transparency (henceforth, ST) and its role in promoting organizational culture strategies (henceforth, OCSs). The study included two main variables, namely the independent variable (ST) with three dimensions (organizational accountability, information disclosure, and strategic response), and the dependent variable (OCS) with three dimensions (involvement, consistency, and mission). The research community consisted of instructors from the college of Administration and Economics. A simple random sample consisting of (30) respondents was selected. The questionnaire form was distributed to the study sample and (28) forms were retrieved. The study employed an analytical and descriptive approach using the statistical software of (SPSS). The main focus of the study was formed in this question which represented the research problem: what is the role of ST in promoting OCS? A hypothetical framework illustrating the nature of the relationship between variables and dimensions was developed and explained through the research hypotheses. Then, the study revealed a relationship between ST and OCS, and the influence of ST in the strategy of organizational culture. The study concluded with a set of recommendations for the organization studied, the most important of which included the importance of understanding OCS in the business organization through the adoption of ST. In addition, a set of proposals should be presented for future research areas related to the current research variables.

Analyzing how COVID-19 moderates the relationship between organizational learning capabilities, technological innovation, supply chain management and enterprise performance in the automobile industry

PurposeThis study explored how COVID-19 moderated the relationship between organizational learning capabilities (OLCs), technological innovation (TI), supply chain management (SMC) processes and enterprise performance (EP). It aimed to give ideas on how organizations could change and do well during big disruptions.Design/methodology/approachDesign: A structured questionnaire served as the data collection tool, employing a stratified sampling technique. Partial least squares (PLS) was utilized for data processing. Information was gathered from the automobile industry in Xian, China, providing an in-depth understanding of how COVID-19 moderated the variables under examination.FindingsThe study discovered that COVID-19 changed how organizational learning, TI, SCM and EP interacted. Some organizations had trouble keeping up with learning and innovation, but others used them to make their SCM stronger, leading to better performance. Also, different effects of COVID-19 were seen in various industries and organizations.Practical implicationsThis study provided practical implications for managers, policymakers and practitioners. It emphasized fostering OLCs and TI as crucial for resilience during disruptions like COVID-19. Strategic investments in SCM were highlighted to mitigate disruptions and seize opportunities. Additionally, context-specific approaches were underscored for navigating pandemic-induced challenges.Originality/valueThis study enhanced existing literature by analyzing how COVID-19 moderated the link between organizational learning, TI, SCM and EP. Through diverse methodologies and organizational contexts, it offered fresh insights into dynamic organizational responses to disruptions, advancing both theoretical understanding and practical knowledge in the field.

Organizational responses to transparency determinants

PurposeDespite considerable evidence of the benefits of organizational transparency, policies to enhance transparency often fail or are met with resistance and unexpected results. In part, this is due to a lack of knowledge about the drivers of organizational transparency and their interrelationships. This study examines the interplay among the forces that influence organizational transparency, and thus answers numerous calls for developing a deeper theoretical understanding of the determinants of organizational transparency. We propose three forces that influence organizational transparency and theorize how they combine in nonlinear ways to form five archetypical transparency regimes that organizations operate within. We then discuss contingencies to organizational transparency within each regime.Design/methodology/approachWe employ configurational theorizing to capture the complexity of transparency and the nonlinear relationships among the forces of transparency.FindingsWe propose three forces that influence organizational transparency: institutional, societal, and leadership. We identify configurations of the three forces that yield five archetypical transparency regimes. We then discuss contingencies for cultivating organizational transparency within each regime. Vanguard transparency and pioneering transparency represent the desired regimes for fostering organizational transparency. In contrast, hollow transparency and deceptive transparency reveal a combination of determinants that cultivate less desirable forms of organizational transparency. Paradoxical transparency represents a regime in which socially desirable outcomes are associated with undesirable consequences for an organization.Research limitations/implicationsThis paper is among the first to theorize the drivers of organizational transparency and to discuss the limits and boundaries of organizational responses to transparency determinants.Practical implicationsDespite the many benefits of transparency, we explain why efforts to enhance organizational transparency often fail or are met with mixed results. By considering the three forces, managers and policymakers can avoid unexpected and undesired organizational responses to transparency regimes.Social implicationsWe propose five transparency regimes that place a spotlight on social contingencies to enhance transparency.Originality/valueThis study offers an integrative theory of organizational responses to transparency determinants and develops its theoretical foundations. The model integrates the fragmented empirical findings from previous studies on the determinants of transparency and draws attention to overlooked institutional, societal, and leadership forces that influence organizational transparency.

Waiting for the revolution: how higher education institutions initially responded to ChatGPT

AbstractAlthough debates regarding the integration of digital technologies in higher education are far from new, the launch of ChatGPT in November 2022 was considered by many as something different from the developments that had come before. This article explores how higher education institutions make sense of the potentiality inherent in artificial intelligence and the early responses to the proliferation of ChatGPT. Through a qualitative interview-based study carried out at three HEIs in Norway, and applying Scott’s (2005) three pillars of institutions as an analytical framework, the article examines the type of change pressure ChatGPT was perceived to represent in the period following its launch and the type of organizational response this perception warranted. The findings show that while it was expected that ChatGPT and related technologies not only could threaten — and potentially challenge — key norms and values in the long run, in the short term it was primarily perceived as a regulatory issue that needed to be controlled by higher education institutions. The article points to an epistemic and temporal imbalance in both the expectations and response to ChatGPT, coupled with a lack of technological competence to fully consider the kind of transformation that artificial intelligence technology potentially represents. Coupled with the sense of artificial intelligence being a “moving target”, this led higher education institutions to an initial state of organizational paralysis, in turn adopting a “wait and see” strategy.

Organizational resilience during COVID-19 pandemic: individual, group and organizational responses

PurposeThis paper aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies.Design/methodology/approachThis briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context.Findings25 first-order concepts and 8 second-order themes are categorized into 4 aggregate dimensions at different unit levels; organizational, leadership, operational and individual.Originality/valueThe briefing saves busy executives, strategists and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to-digest format.

Meeting expectations? Response of policy innovation labs to sustainable development goals

Abstract Introduced by the United Nations, Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) aim at facilitating inclusive sustainable development. Responsiveness to SDGs is considered a key to addressing pressing development problems. The current literature focuses on the responsiveness of varied public organizations to SDGs, whereas SDGs’ responsiveness of policy innovation labs (PILs) is understudied. Aiming to address both persistent and emerging social and environmental problems, PILs are aligned with SDGs. On the other hand, PILs seek innovative ways to generate policy solutions in collaboration with citizens through experimental methods and thus are more committed to the local public rather than international organizations. This paper investigates to what extent and in what way PILs respond to SDGs during policy formulation processes, both implicitly and explicitly. Data draws on a database the authors developed, identifying 211 European PILs. Thematic coding of PILs’ websites reveals that 62.1% of the PILs implicitly promote at least one SDG. Additionally, sustainable cities and communities (SDG11) and good health and well-being (SDG3) are the two SDGs with the highest implicit-response rates, respectively. We apply grounded theory analysis from semi-structured interviews with senior PIL employees of 31 PILs to gauge their explicit views of SDGs. This inductive approach reveals three dimensions to SDGs: levels of responsiveness, different practices, and considerations that guide PILs on whether to comply with SDGs. A better understanding of PILs’ response to SDGs provides a more nuanced portrayal of PILs as organizations aiming to craft innovative policy solutions that align with international frameworks.

Single-nucleus multi-omics of Parkinson’s disease reveals a glutamatergic neuronal subtype susceptible to gene dysregulation via alteration of transcriptional networks

The genetic architecture of Parkinson’s disease (PD) is complex and multiple brain cell subtypes are involved in the neuropathological progression of the disease. Here we aimed to advance our understanding of PD genetic complexity at a cell subtype precision level. Using parallel single-nucleus (sn)RNA-seq and snATAC-seq analyses we simultaneously profiled the transcriptomic and chromatin accessibility landscapes in temporal cortex tissues from 12 PD compared to 12 control subjects at a granular single cell resolution. An integrative bioinformatic pipeline was developed and applied for the analyses of these snMulti-omics datasets. The results identified a subpopulation of cortical glutamatergic excitatory neurons with remarkably altered gene expression in PD, including differentially-expressed genes within PD risk loci identified in genome-wide association studies (GWAS). This was the only neuronal subtype showing significant and robust overexpression of SNCA. Further characterization of this neuronal-subpopulation showed upregulation of specific pathways related to axon guidance, neurite outgrowth and post-synaptic structure, and downregulated pathways involved in presynaptic organization and calcium response. Additionally, we characterized the roles of three molecular mechanisms in governing PD-associated cell subtype-specific dysregulation of gene expression: (1) changes in cis-regulatory element accessibility to transcriptional machinery; (2) changes in the abundance of master transcriptional regulators, including YY1, SP3, and KLF16; (3) candidate regulatory variants in high linkage disequilibrium with PD-GWAS genomic variants impacting transcription factor binding affinities. To our knowledge, this study is the first and the most comprehensive interrogation of the multi-omics landscape of PD at a cell-subtype resolution. Our findings provide new insights into a precise glutamatergic neuronal cell subtype, causal genes, and non-coding regulatory variants underlying the neuropathological progression of PD, paving the way for the development of cell- and gene-targeted therapeutics to halt disease progression as well as genetic biomarkers for early preclinical diagnosis.

“We Are Having Abortions”: How Abortion Stories Illustrate Policy and Warn of What Is to Come

A pivotal moment in the post–Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization response was how abortion storytellers rose up in defiance of the laws. Of course, people continued to have abortions, but the way in which they did so openly, refusing to be silent and testifying before Congress about their experiences—potentially criminalized or still legal—was valiant. People who have abortions are experiencing an unprecedented level of visibility at a moment in which we've lost all legal protections. But that visibility and storytelling is one of the critical ways in which we will be able to tell the story of now and support each other as we build a vision for what's next: a world in which everyone is able to freely decide if, when, and how to grow their families and receive an abortion at any time, for any reason, anywhere. We are building it for ourselves, we are imagining it on-screen, and we are telling the stories of what we need to make that world possible today.

Cultural Competency Challenges Certified Nursing Assistants Experience in Providing Palliative Care.

Increasing racial and ethnic diversity in U.S. nursing facilities has necessitated the provision of more culturally competent care. This study explored the cultural challenges in providing palliative care from the perspective of certified nursing assistants (CNAs) and nurses in nursing facilities. A thematic analysis approach was used to examine data from semi-structured interviews with 12 CNAs and 11 nurses from six nursing facilities in a U.S. Midwestern state. Four themes emerged from the data: Cultural Needs Expressed by Residents, Cultural Needs Expressed by Family Members, Accommodating Residents' Cultural Needs, and Organizational Responses to Cultural Competency Challenges. Results highlighted the training variations on diversity and cultural competency issues and the varying cultural competency levels possessed by staff. To support residents' culture-related needs, staff need education and support. Organizations can provide foundational resources for this diversity of cultural expression, including providing more culturally diverse programming facilities. [Journal of Gerontological Nursing, 50(7), 35-41.].

Bereavement care guidelines used in health care facilities immediately following perinatal loss: a scoping review.

The objective of the scoping review was to explore the evidence and describe what is known about perinatal bereavement care guidelines provided within health care facilities prior to discharge. Additionally, the review sought to identify what is known about parents' mental health outcomes, and map these outcomes to the characteristics of the bereavement care guidelines. Perinatal loss poses a serious risk of emotional trauma and mental health sequelae. Conflicting evidence for international bereavement care guidelines and inconsistent implementation, a lack of experimental studies, and older syntheses with a limited focus or population made synthesis complex. Therefore, a scoping review was undertaken to determine the breadth and depth of the existing literature on this topic. Sources pertaining to bereavement care guidelines used in health care facilities immediately after perinatal loss (miscarriage, stillbirth, or neonatal death) and parents' mental health outcomes were included. Sources pertaining to family members other than parents, perinatal loss occurring outside of a health care facility, and physical care guidelines were excluded. The review was conducted using JBI methodology for scoping reviews. The team considered quantitative and qualitative studies, practice guidelines, case reports, expert opinions, systematic reviews, professional organization websites, and gray literature. CINAHL (EBSCOhost), PsycINFO (EBSCOhost), SocINDEX (EBSCOhost), Cochrane Library, JBI Evidence-based Practice Database (Ovid), Embase, PubMed (NLM), ProQuest Dissertations and Theses A&I (ProQuest), Web of Science Core Collection, and Epistemonikos were the major databases searched. OpenGrey, Google Scholar, and organizational websites were also searched. The earliest empirical study publication found (1976) served as the starting date limit. After pilot-testing the screening process, data were extracted, collated, and presented in narrative form as well as in tables and figures. The search was first conducted in September and October 2021, and an updated search was performed on February 9, 2023. The results provide a broad view of bereavement care guidelines to support grieving parents' mental health. The included sources (n = 195) were comprised of 28 syntheses, 96 primary studies, and 71 literature review/text and opinion. From the studies that specified the number of participants, 33,834 participants were included. Key characteristics of bereavement care guidelines were categorized as i) making meaning/memories, ii) good communication, iii) shared decision-making, iv) effective emotional and social support, and v) organizational response. Parents' reported mental health outcomes included both negative outcomes, such as depression, anxiety, anger, and helplessness, and positive outcomes, including coping, healing, recovery, and well-being. Conceptually the characteristics of published guidelines are fairly consistent across settings, with cultural variations in specific components of the guidelines. Despite the exponential increase in research pertaining to bereavement care after perinatal loss, there is a gap in research pertaining to certain characteristics of bereavement care guidelines accepted as best practice to support parents' mental health outcomes. This review provides support for future research given the trauma and mental health risks following perinatal loss. Policies ensuring consistent and appropriate implementation of bereavement care guidelines are essential to improve parents' mental health outcomes.

Market Responses of Consumers and Organizations to Taxation in the Context of Managerial Decision-Making Process

Market Responses of Consumers and Organizations to Taxation in the Context of Managerial Decision-Making Process

Workplace Bullying in Higher Education: A Case Study of an International Student in an Australian Public University

Workplace bullying is a significant issue affecting employees across various sectors, including higher education. This case study examines the experiences of a Chinese female international student employed part-time at a public university in Sydney, Australia. The study documents the specific bullying behaviors she encountered, explores the underlying causes and contributing factors within the organizational and cultural context, and assesses the impact on her psychological well-being and job performance. The findings reveal that the bullying behaviors were multifaceted and persistent, including excessive workload, verbal abuse, and coercion into personal tasks. These behaviors had profound psychological, academic, and physical impacts on the victim, exacerbated by cultural dynamics and inadequate organizational responses. The study highlights the need for comprehensive anti-bullying policies, effective organizational interventions, and tailored support systems for international students. By addressing these issues, universities can create a safer and more supportive work environment for all employees and students. The study also suggests avenues for future research, including comparative studies across different cultural contexts, longitudinal studies, and the evaluation of intervention strategies.