Levels Of Organization Research Articles

A Stakeholder Perspective on Diversity Within Organizations

Research on the influence of internal and external stakeholders on diversity outcomes within organizations has grown in the past decade. Across multiple macro and micro theoretical domains, this body of research has examined various diversity outcomes at different organizational levels. Through an integrative review of literature from management, sociology, psychology, and entrepreneurship, we highlight the channels and pathways of influence and the underlying mechanisms through which four major stakeholder groups—organizational actors, resource exchange partners, institutional actors, and societal forces—impact diversity outcomes in organizations. We discuss future research directions, empirical and conceptual, and present a promising path for future studies to unpack the complex relationships between stakeholders and organizations regarding diversity issues, particularly at the intersection of multiple stakeholders and diversity aspects.

Understanding the chemodiversity of plants: Quantification, variation and ecological function

AbstractPlants produce a great number of phytochemicals serving a variety of different functions. Recently, the chemodiversity of these compounds (i.e., the diversity of compounds produced by a plant) has been suggested to be an important aspect of the plant phenotype that may shape interactions between plants, their environment, and other organisms. However, we lack an agreement on how to quantify chemodiversity, which complicates conclusions about the functional importance of it. Here, we discuss how chemodiversity (deconstructed into components of richness, evenness and disparity) may relate to different ecologically relevant aspects of the phenotype. Then, we systematically review the literature on chemodiversity to examine methodological practices, explore patterns of variability in diversity across different levels of biological organization, and investigate the functional role of this diversity in interactions between plants and other organisms. Overall, the reviewed literature suggests that high chemodiversity is often beneficial for plants, although a heterogeneity of methodological approaches partly limits what general conclusions can be drawn. Importantly, to support future research on this topic, we provide a framework with a decision tree facilitating choices on which measures of chemodiversity are best used in different contexts and outline key questions and avenues for future research. A more thorough understanding of chemodiversity will provide insights into its evolution and functional role in ecological interactions between plants and their environment.

Deerminants of watchdog journalism: A global empirical approach

This article introduces and examines a hierarchical model of influences that identifies the variables affecting the watchdog role of journalists at three levels: the societal (press freedom and democracy), the organizational (media ownership), and the individual (editorial autonomy and perceived influences) on a global scale. Using data from 27,567 journalists in 6403 media organizations across 67 countries, the model's validity is confirmed. The findings reveal that variations in journalists’ perception of their role are more pronounced at the societal level compared to the organizational and individual levels. Furthermore, journalists tend to assume a watchdog role more prominently within public media as opposed to private or state-run outlets. Surprisingly, press freedom and democracy have a weak and insignificant impact on watchdog journalism, challenging established norms in the literature, a result that we critically discussed.

Intra and extra

The subject of the article is the dialectics of cultural space and living environment as a combination of activity and place. The author introduces the concepts of ‘intra’ and ‘extra’ as complexes with different internal structure and relation to the environment. ‘Intra’ (closed) and ‘extra’ (open) mutually define each other and present the essence through conflicts, dispute and dialogue. The relationship of boundaries and roads is the result of different strategies and different views on the space. The ontological predisposition to openness and closedness of cultural spaces characterizes different stages of the civilizational path, different organization levels and different architecture.

Developing Creativity in the Higher Education on the Relationship between Community Art and Whole Child Approach

Under the umbrella of the VUCA-world and growing international competition creativity plays a more important role in higher education. In this context, divergent thinking, fluency, flexibility, problem-sensitiveness and originality are key factors for work, life, and literacy. In the first part of the article we will discuss the philosophical phenomena of this process, which comes from John Dewey’s ’learning by doing’ principle. In fact, rethinking higher education comes to the front in the 21st century, changing teaching education in order to develop creativity with various innovative ways. In the second part of the article Visual Arts, especially Community Art, will be in focus. This promotes communication, collaboration, critical thinking and problem-solving, creativity and innovation, especially project-based learning via Totem Project, which was implemented at J. Selye University from November to December 2022. The aim of the project was community building and creativity development. Building a community is based on collaboration amongst students and teachers (the project had 50 members in total and consisted of 100 working hours) in order to develop creativity, team-building, and collaborative professionalism via sharing aims and expectations, building community and trust, respect and listening. The Totem Project started to map prior knowledge on community in order to develop engagement and creativity at three levels: individual, team, and organizational levels. Finally, at the end of the paper, conclusions will underline some open dilemmas and questions.

Efforts Implemented for Developing Health Management Workforce in the Asia Pacific: A scoping review

Background and objective: A strong and effective health management workforce (HMW) is essential to underpin the comprehensive health care services provided by health care organizations. The fast-growing nature of healthcare systems suggests the required competencies for HMW continue to evolve. The objective of this scoping review is to identify and confirm the key strategies that have been used in developing the health management workforce in the Asia Pacific region. Materials and Methods: A scoping review of the literature was conducted between May and August 2022 using the following databases: Medline, Ovid Emcare, CINAHL, Scopus, and Web of Science, to retrieve original research articles demonstrating development efforts for HMW in the Asia Pacific regions. The review was guided by the PRISMA-ScR (2018) checklist [23]. Results: The scoping review identified four different development strategies for HMW in Asia Pacific region: i) Organisational informal professional development programs, ii) Competency assessment and identification of gaps in knowledge and skills of HMW, iii) Confirming competencies and developing competency framework and iv) Formal education and training. Among these four development strategies, organisational informal professional development programs and competency assessment and the identification of gaps in knowledge and skills of HMW were the main strategies implemented for HMW in the Asia Pacific region. Conclusion: The review concluded that the existing development strategies and efforts for HMW are not evenly implemented within the Asia Pacific region. Political will and policy direction are important and plays a vital role in the competency development of HMW. It is also critical to provide multilevel commitment from system and organisational level together with identifying and addressing the bottlenecks in the development strategies by considering organisation types, management levels and positions, practical training methods, motivation of participants, and other contextual factors.

Developing a codebook to characterize barriers, enablers, and strategies for implementing learning health systems from a multilevel perspective

AbstractIntroductionLearning health systems (LHSs) play a crucial role in improving healthcare delivery and outcomes through continuous learning and data‐driven decision‐making. Implementation of LHSs spans individual, organization, and systemic levels of healthcare. This paper outlines a systematic approach for developing a comprehensive codebook to identify barriers, enablers, and strategies associated with the establishment and operation of LHS from a multilevel perspective.MethodsThe codebook development process was divided into two phases and employed a coding team. Phase 1 involved the synthesis of previous literature, which drove the development of initial codes. Phase 2 included the testing of the codebook with a pilot dataset to derive new codes or iterative refinement, ensuring robustness, and validity.ResultsThe literature search revealed 12 papers that detailed the barriers, enablers, and strategies for LHS implementation. Micro‐level codes were derived from a mixture of existing literature and our pilot dataset. Most meso‐level codes barriers and enablers were derived from the literature, with some subcodes derived from participant interviews. All strategies for implementation at the meso‐level were identified in the literature. At the macro‐level, all codes and subcodes were from the literature.ConclusionsThe codebook contributes to the advancement of implementation science in LHS. The codebook facilitates effective analysis and understanding of the key factors influencing the success of LHS implementation, offering practical insights for policymakers, healthcare practitioners and researchers engaged in the ongoing evolution of LHS.

The “Sense of Place” and Spatial Consciousness

The article considers two issues: the “sense of place” (G. Rose) as a way of self-identification of the citizen within urban space, and spatial consciousness, which is a three-part structure (includes phenomenological, representative and intentional levels of organization) in accordance with which urban planning strategies are embodied. It is shown that there is a close relationship between the political ontology of the city, the symbolic systems of the city and the struggle for the territorialization of cities. The article also analyses the connection between the scientific method and the ways of western self-identification. Moreover, it indicates the role of utopian cities, language and urban mythologies in the political activity of urban space.

Effect Mechanism of Civil Aviation Flight Attendants Resilience on the Safety Behaviors

In order to effectively improve the safety behavior of aviation safety personnel and better guarantee the safety of passenger cabin, the psychological flexibility is taken as the cut-in point, and the personal and organizational levels of aviation safety personnel are combined, a theoretical model of the influence mechanism of aviation safety personnel s psychological resilience on safety behavior was established, and the data collected from 256 aviation safety personnel were investigated by means of multiple regression method, empirical analysis of the theoretical model. The results show that the resilience of aviation safety personnel has a significant positive effect on their safety behavior, and emotional exhaustion plays a mediating role between resilience and safety behavior the sense of organizational justice plays a positive and significant role in the relationship between resilience and safety behavior. The research reveals the influence mechanism of aviation safety personnel s resilience on their safety behavior, which can provide theoretical support and practical guidance for aviation safety personnel s safety management.

Organizational readiness to implement bundled interventions to increase HIV linkage and retention in care and treatment: results from the Black Women First (BWF) initiative

BackgroundEvidence-based and evidence-informed interventions designed to address gaps in the HIV care continuum have the potential to improve HIV care and treatment. However, inadequate organizational readiness can derail intervention uptake, prevent the integration of interventions, and contribute to suboptimal HIV treatment outcomes. This study sought to understand organizational readiness to implement bundled interventions for Black women with HIV and inform facilitators and barriers to implementation.MethodsWe conducted a mixed methods readiness assessment across 12 sites participating in the Black Women First (BWF) initiative to gauge preparedness to implement bundled interventions. Readiness was assessed using the organizational readiness for implementing change (ORIC) scale, and two open-ended questions examined facilitators and barriers. Associations between participant and organizational level factors were evaluated using linear models with clustering by site at baseline, 6- and 12-months. Pre-implementation interviews were conducted with staff virtually and transcripts were managed in NVivo. Directed content analysis was used to explore implementation barriers and facilitators.FindingsSites demonstrated high levels of organizational readiness at baseline; overall organizational readiness for implementing change (ORIC) (mean 56.4, median 59, interquartile range [IQR] 5) and subscales of the ORIC change efficacy (mean 32.4, median 35, IQR 4), change commitment (mean 24, median 25, IQR 1), which is consistent with willingness and capability to implement bundled interventions for Black women with HIV. Organizational readiness remained high at 6- and 12-month follow-up periods. Staff role was significantly associated with organizational readiness (p = 0.007), change efficacy (p = 0.006), and change commitment (p = 0.020) at 6 months. Qualitative analysis indicated strategic planning and assessment (e.g., team coordination and the development of workflows to support implementation); organizational change through network weaving across silos within the organization, and communications systems that engage external partners, as well as resources available for hiring and training, supported readiness. Collaborative leadership and organizational buy-in, staff motivation, and partnerships facilitated implementation processes.ConclusionsOrganizations in the BWF initiative have high levels of organizational readiness reflecting willingness and capability to implement bundled interventions for Black women with HIV. Future research should examine the relationship between readiness and clinical outcomes.

Implementing national care guidelines in local authorities in England and Wales: a theory-of-change

BackgroundThe delivery of high-quality services in chronically underfunded social or long-term care systems is a major challenge internationally. National guidelines, developed by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, set out how local authorities in England and Wales should fund and provide care based on best available evidence. Theoretical and participatory approaches can usefully inform the design and evaluation of implementation strategies for guidelines. The aim of the study is to develop a Theory-of-Change for how the implementation of these guidelines is expected to lead to impacts from a local authority perspective.MethodsAs part of a comparative case study (The ‘Valuing Care Guidelines’ study; February 2022 to April 2024) with three local authority sites in England and Wales, we involved altogether 17 participants in two Theory-of-Change online workshops per site, each of 2 hours. Additional data gathered from the same participants as part of the overall study were used to conceptualise and enrich information from the workshops.ResultsParticipants described the Theory-of-Change map as follows: A wide range of activities (categorised in stages of ‘pre-implementation’, ‘implementation’, ‘sustainment and scaling’) and skills were required to implement guidelines, and achieve long-term organisational sustainability and service delivery outcomes, leading to final impacts for service users and carers. Participants described a co-creation implementation model, led by ‘Implementation Support Practitioners’, who utilised relational skills to achieve motivation, trust, and confidence at different organisational levels, addressing contextual barriers such as inadequate staffing, lack of resources and of organisational support systems. Consistent use of guidelines by frontline staff could only be achieved if the value of guideline implementation was promoted widely, and if consideration was given to the roles of stakeholders, such as the inspection body, local health care providers, users and carers.ConclusionsOur study is the first to investigate the implementation of national social care guidelines by local authorities in England and Wales. It generates insights that can guide implementation practice as well as inform the evaluation of future implementation strategies.

Appreciating dyslexic thinking in qualitative research: reflections and recommendations for culturally competent, neuro-inclusive academia

AbstractDyslexia and its associated learning challenges are often misconstrued as intellectual deficits, leading to erroneous assumptions that individuals with dyslexia cannot thrive or contribute meaningfully to academic institutions. However, this article contends that the unique thinking patterns associated with dyslexia are complementary to and can substantially enrich the professional practice of qualitative research. The social model of disability emphasises how Higher Education Institutions, rooted in ableist and neurotypical norms, often marginalise and fail to accommodate dyslexic cognitive profiles. Conversely, cultural competency, as an actionable conceptual framework, calls for transformative changes that promote understanding, build meaningful relationships, and ensure effective communication with neurodivergent individuals. Drawing on my experience as a dyslexic academic, I examine critical discussions on disability, neurodiversity, higher education, and qualitative research. Adopting an autoethnographic methodological approach, I highlight my professional strengths within this context, and propose an adaptable cultural competency framework aimed at cultivating neuro-inclusive—and specifically dyslexic-friendly practices, at the individual and organisational levels within academia.

Integrative analyses of convergent adaptation in sympatric extremophile fishes

The evolution of independent lineages along replicated environmental transitions frequently results in convergent adaptation, yet the degree to which convergence is present across multiple levels of biological organization is often unclear. Additionally, inherent biases associated with shared ancestry and variation in selective regimes across geographic replicates often pose challenges for confidently identifying patterns of convergence. We investigated a system in which three species of poeciliid fishes sympatrically occur in a toxic spring rich in hydrogen sulfide (H2S) and an adjacent nonsulfidic stream to examine patterns of adaptive evolution across levels of biological organization. We found convergence in morphological and physiological traits and genome-wide patterns of gene expression among all three species. In addition, there were shared signatures of selection on genes encoding H2S toxicity targets in the mitochondrial genomes of each species. However, analyses of nuclear genomes revealed neither evidence for substantial genomic islands of divergence around genes involved in H2S toxicity and detoxification nor substantial congruence of strongly differentiated regions across population pairs. These non-convergent, heterogeneous patterns of genomic divergence may indicate that sulfide tolerance is highly polygenic, with shared allele frequency shifts present at many loci with small effects along the genome. Alternatively, H2S tolerance may involve substantial genetic redundancy, with non-convergent, lineage-specific variation at multiple loci along the genome underpinning similar changes in phenotypes and gene expression. Overall, we demonstrate variability in the extent of convergence across organizational levels and highlight the challenges of linking patterns of convergence across scales.

Supply chain risk management for humanitarian aid delivery: risk identification and contingency analysis

PurposeHumanitarian organizations are responsible for delivering aid under diverse circumstances in various contexts. We argue that humanitarian organizations face specific challenges in their logistics and operations. Thus, adequate supply chain risk management is required to facilitate effective and efficient humanitarian aid delivery.Design/methodology/approachWe first identify potential supply chain risks in humanitarian aid delivery from the literature. We then utilize an expert survey to determine the probability and impact ratings of the identified risks, assessing the importance of six aggregated risk categories. To examine the influence of contingencies on a country, organization, and crisis level, we investigate the effect of ten contextual factors on the importance of different supply chain risks in humanitarian aid delivery.FindingsWe derive six relevant risk categories for humanitarian aid delivery and develop five propositions concerning criticality, context-sensitivity, relevant contingencies, and risk management approaches. Findings and propositions encourage and guide future research on the topic.Practical implicationsRisk identification and assessment support mission-specific decision-making. Our findings encourage and foster organizational learning between missions. A differentiated view of risk types allows for stronger inter-organizational collaboration within the sector and beyond.Originality/valueThis study is among the first to derive supply chain risks and categories specific to humanitarian aid delivery. Contingency analysis on a country, organization, and crisis level offers unique insights into risk management in humanitarian aid delivery.

Influence of Infrastructural Choices Strategy on Organizational Performance of Cements Manufacturing Firms in Kenya

Purpose: To determine the influence of infrastructural choices strategy on organizational performance of cements manufacturing firms in Kenya. Methodology: A mixed methods approach was used in the investigation. The study utilized a concurrent triangulation research design. The unit of analysis comprised of seven (7) cement manufacturing firms, targeting all the 4192 employees from where a sample size of 365 employees was drawn. The data collection tools comprised of semi-structured questionnaires and interview guides. The interview guide was administered to the CEOs while the questionnaires were administered to the managers and non-managers. The study tools were piloted to assess their validity and reliability. The data was then analyzed both descriptively and inferentially using SPSS version 27. Quantitative data was analyzed using means and standard deviations while qualitative data was analyzed using content analysis. To make the number of variables more manageable, the data was subsequently subjected to exploratory factor analysis. Findings: The results of the study revealed that infrastructural choice strategies have been employed by cement manufacturing firms to a good extent. The regression results obtained also led to the rejection of the null hypotheses since infrastructural choice strategies were found to have a positive and significant influence on organizational performance. Unique Contribution to Theory, Policy and Practice: The study recommended, based on these results that the management of individual cement firms need to identify appropriate infrastructural choice strategies and leverage on them in order to achieve efficient and effective utilization of their scarce resources at organizational level.

Variation in thermal courtship activity curves across individuals exceeds variation across populations and sexes.

The dynamics of mating interactions can vary in response to a wide variety of environmental factors. Here, we investigate the potential for individuals to vary consistently in the environmental conditions under which they actively engage in courtship. Specifically, we quantify variation in how courtship activity changes with environmental temperature across levels of biological organization in Enchenopa binotata treehoppers. Male E. binotata produce vibrational courtship signals and receptive females respond with their own sex-specific vibrational courtship signal. We tested each individual twice for the production of courtship signals across a range of ecologically-relevant temperatures (18 - 36 °C). Then, we measured repeatability and variability in the resulting thermal courtship activity curves, including the temperature of peak activity and tolerance to thermal extremes. We also looked at patterns of variation across populations and sexes. We found minimal variation across populations, but significant variation across individuals. Specifically, we found prevalent repeatability in how thermally generalized or specialized individuals are. However, repeatability was limited to females only. We also found higher variability in female traits than in male traits, although patterns of variability did not always predict patterns of repeatability. These results suggest that thermal variation could alter the dynamics of mate competition, and that-due to potentially different selective optima for males and females-the sexes may respond to changes in temperature in different ways. Specifically, females show a higher potential to adapt but males show a higher potential to be more robust to changes in temperature due to overall higher courtship activity across temperatures.

Peace Education through Agroecology and Organic Farming

In this paper, the challenge of peace education appears as an emergent cultural need in a context of conflictual relationships among human beings and between human beings and their life environment. All sectors of human activity, including agriculture, can potentially contribute to building a cultural barrier to a mounting wave of wars. The ecological approach to agriculture through the ecosystem concept is suitable for unveiling the power of cooperation in developing symbiotic relationships between and among agroecosystem components for attaining a balance of ecosystem services (supporting, provisioning, regulating, and cultural). Enhancement of biodiversity within and between cultivated fields is key for the maintenance of sustainable agriculture, land management, and viable rural community. Scaling up cooperation among hierarchical levels of agriculture organisation (field, farm, and regional, national, international landscapes) appears as the most promising solution for developing a coherent framework consistent with building a peaceful attitude for managing both land, food systems, and friendly relationships among human beings. Organic farming is already a certified and appreciated method of agriculture production that has a potential for improving a peaceful attitude when supported by the core principles of Agroecology.

Characterizing indoor air quality and identifying factors influencing air quality at home microenvironment in Dhaka city

In low- and middle-income countries, indoor air pollution stands as a significant contributor to morbidity and mortality, prompting research into the factors influencing exposure at home in urban environments. Thus, this study was designed to investigate the indoor air quality and identifying factors influencing indoor air quality which help in targeting intervention to reduce indoor home air quality. The study conducted in Dhaka city involved 43 homes, where continuous monitoring of PM2.5 concentration was carried out over a 24-h period. Various factors related to home characteristics (i.e., home area and cooking fuel type), ventilation practices (i.e., duration of window opening), and indoor activities (i.e., cooking frequency, daily average cooking duration per meal, cleaning, smoking and use of mosquito coil and spray) were assessed to explore their impact on indoor air quality. Through the multiple linear regression model, the relationship between the factors and indoor pollutant concentrations was analyzed. The average PM2.5 concentration recorded in this investigation was five time higher in comparison to the World Health Organization's (WHO) 24-h guideline level for ambient air pollution. Four factors including outdoor air, home area, cooking duration and cleaning frequency were found to be significantly linked to indoor concentrations, collectively explaining 64 % of the variability in indoor PM2.5 levels. Outdoor air infiltration emerged as the most influential predictor of indoor levels, contributing significantly to indoor concentrations. The identified factors could assist in targeting interventions to reduce microenvironmental PM2.5 concentration at home.

An integrative review of acculturation perspectives in management research: the role of HRM

Acculturation is becoming an increasingly important and discussed topic in management research, with important implications for human resource management (HRM). However, although current managerial and organizational reviews include the concept of acculturation, little research has explored the concept of acculturation itself. Different perspectives on acculturation seem to exist, suggesting that the topic of acculturation has not grown uniformly in the field, and these differences have not been fully explored. This paper conducts an integrative review to examine the main perspectives of acculturation at the individual and organizational levels in management research, along with the strategic role HRM has played in them. Individual-level perspectives include a nonwork-cultural perspective, a work-cultural perspective, and a work-nonwork perspective. Organizational-level perspectives include a merger-fit perspective, a merger-integration perspective, an organizational-distance ­perspective, a diversity-management perspective, and an organizational-socialization perspective. We identify similarities, gaps, and limitations of research on acculturation at both the individual- and organizational-levels and discuss implications for future research.

Developing a Sustainable Digital Transformation Roadmap for SMEs: Integrating Digital Maturity and Strategic Alignment

Digital transformation (DT) is crucial for SMEs to streamline operational efficiency, foster innovation, and meet upcoming challenges. Integrating sustainability into this process not only enhances a company’s reputation but also attracts customers and investors who value environmental responsibility. Despite this opportunity, many SMEs operate without clear plans and strategies. The literature review identified a lack of roadmaps that integrate sustainability into the digital transformation process for SMEs. Thus, this paper aims to propose a sustainable digital transformation roadmap for SMEs that evaluates their digital maturity and facilitates gradual implementation in alignment with their strategic objectives. A systematic literature review using the Methodi Ordinatio defined six key dimensions of digital transformation. Consequently, the SDT-SMEs Roadmap was developed, drawing on ISO/IEC 33000 standards to offer well-defined processes for enhancing digital competencies. The roadmap features three organizational planning levels—strategic, tactical, and operational—and includes a maturity model that evaluates 75 processes across six dimensions: Digital Technologies, Customer Focus, Organizational Culture, Organizational Governance, People, and Sustainability. Validation through a case study confirmed the roadmap’s effectiveness in addressing real-world challenges and guiding SMEs through the digitization process. The SDT-SMEs Roadmap provides a comprehensive and integrated approach, ensuring continuous adaptation and improvement in sustainable digital transformation efforts. This roadmap addresses a significant gap in the literature and presents a practical, strategic, and adaptable pathway for SMEs embarking on their digital transformation journeys.