Organizational Boundaries Research Articles

From Organizational Gossip to a Corporate Crisis: A Network Analysis of Anonymous Online Communication on the Blind Application

This study examined an anonymous online community, Blind, while focusing on the role of social networks in information flow, to explain how internal organizational gossip is diffused to employees of other companies and even to the public through its distinctive network structures. We analyzed three cases of gossip networks that differed in terms of the organizations involved and issue severity. The findings suggest that online gossip networks with a large size, low connectedness, and high centralization can easily diffuse information to community members and the outside public. Logistic regression Quadratic Assignment Procedures (QAPs) were used to examine the endogenous and exogenous effects in each network. The results showed that the receiver effect of company size negatively predicted tie formation in NAVER and Samsung’s gossip networks, indicating that gossip diffusion was more likely facilitated by members of smaller companies actively commenting on gossip. The homophily effect of working for the same company predicted tie formation in Samsung’s gossip network, indicating the difficulty of gossip diffusion to external members. Finally, the results of the structural hole analysis suggest that journalists play an important role in issue delivery and gossip diffusion in NAVER’s case. The findings reveal that internal workplace gossip can spill over an organizational boundary online and develop into a corporate crisis.

Exploring pathways to project success through project delivery team integration: a qualitative comparative analysis

Integration within project delivery teams can improve project outcomes in the building construction industry. However, integration across multiple firms and disciplines can be more challenging to manage, when compared to functionally organized, or siloed, teams. Given that resources to manage integration are limited and that most teams are only partially integrated in practice, this research seeks to explore pathways for their success. Using data collected from ten completed projects in the U.S., a fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis was performed to identify which combinations of six dimensions of integration were sufficient for improved project performance. The analysis revealed six distinct and highly consistent pathways to success, as evaluated by the criteria of being on-budget, on-time, or achieving the planned sustainable certification. Across all pathways, having a single team focus and equitable team relationships were the only dimensions consistently found in pathways leading to desirable project outcomes. Other dimensions, such as co-location, seamless operation across organizational boundaries, and a no-blame culture were found in pathways to both desirable and undesirable project outcomes, depending on their combination with other dimensions. These results contribute to theories on implementing team integration, suggesting that fully integrated teams are not always necessary for success. Instead, integrated teams that can work collaboratively, while still maintaining organizational separation or autonomy, can be as effective. While the study does not enable the identification of all possible pathways to success, it provides guidance to practitioners by highlighting a small subset of pathways, giving greater flexibility in managing integration within their teams.

Design of the new structure and capabilities of LADM edition II including 3D aspects

The decision to refine the existing content and to extend the scope of Edition I of the ISO 19152:2012 Land Administration Domain Model (LADM) is a response to requests from the international Land Administration (LA) community. This response has to be formally organised in accordance with ISO guidelines. This begins with gathering feedback from ISO/TC 211 Member States on the need for updated and enhanced capabilities of the LADM. In addition, several proposals have been made to extend the scope of the LADM Edition I. After analysing the feedback received, it was proposed to develop the LADM Edition II as a multi-part standard: Part 1 — Generic conceptual model, Part 2 — Land registration, Part 3 — Marine georegulation, Part 4 — Valuation information, Part 5 — Spatial plan information and Part 6 — Implementation aspects. In other words, Edition I focuses on land tenure, while the design and development of Edition II is based on the inclusion of rights, restrictions and responsibilities (RRRs) concerning marine georegulation, valuation information, spatial plan information as well as LADM implementation. 3D representations are relevant for all parts.This paper focuses on the design of the new structure of the second edition of the LADM and on the (operational) capabilities of this new edition in relation to the LA issues in Parts (standards addressing a specific part of the scope) and Packages (groups of conceptually close classes), with a particular attention to the requirements and design related decisions taken in the revision process. The parts 1, 2, 4 and 5 are the parts in which the authors are currently involved. Part 1 will be a high-level umbrella standard; Part 2 is largely based on LADM Edition I and focuses on land registration, with an enhanced support on the surveying functionality, including new subclasses of spatial unit, and extended 3D spatial profiles. Part 3 harmonises the description of RRRs and aligns land concepts with marine aspects from the marine domain based on the International Hydrographic Organisation (IHO) S121 Maritime Limits and Boundaries Product Specification. Part 4 deals with valuation information used and produced in the context of land administration, while Part 5 deals with spatial planning information and includes the planned use of the land (zoning), resulting in RRRs. Lastly, Part 6 is planned to be about implementation of the LADM and will be developed in close collaboration with the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC).

Gender and cross‐boundary mobility preferences: the moderating effects of organisational and occupational contexts

The role of gender in career mobility is a major practical and scholarly concern. Drawing on boundaryless career literature and social role theory, we examined whether gender influences employees' psychological mobility, whether this influence varies depending on the nature of career boundaries (the boundaries of job, organisation and industry) and whether it is contingent on organisational or occupational characteristics. We conducted cross‐classified multilevel analyses on 3,527 Australian employees nested within 725 organisations and 43 occupations. The results suggest that females show higher mobility preferences than males when it comes to crossing industries but not changing organisations or jobs. However, their preference for crossing career boundaries is significantly reduced when their organisation has a strong presence of female leadership. We also find that in female‐dominated occupations, females show a higher cross‐organisational mobility preference than males, while in male‐dominated occupations, females show a lower cross‐organisational mobility preference.

What produces corporate social irresponsibility in offshore outsourcing? The effects of interorganizational relationship governance and institutional distance

We theorize on how institutional distance and interorganizational relationship (IOR) governance interact to produce corporate social irresponsibility (CSiR) in offshore outsourcing. Managers generally find it challenging to align practices with stakeholders’ responsibility expectations and more so when activities occur offshore and outside organizational boundaries. This is evident from Apple’s repeated problems in China but insufficiently understood in international business (IB) literature. Institutional distance increases the likelihood and severity of CSiR because it produces a gap in buyers’ and suppliers’ stakeholder expectations and leads to divergence between suppliers’ practices and buyers’ responsibility policies. Trust-based cooperative IORs reduce CSiR and lessen the effect of institutional distance on CSiR. Supplier dependence also reduces CSiR but increases the effect of institutional distance on CSiR and is therefore a double-edged sword. Our novel framework generates insights into CSiR, a dark side of IB, by uncovering the mechanisms that co-produce CSiR in the offshore outsourcing context. We enrich work on offshore outsourcing by suggesting that CSiR represents a hidden cost and advance multilevel theorizing in IB by showing how institutional distance interacts with IOR governance. Managers should consider the tradeoff between performance and CSiR in offshore outsourcing and the downside that comes from (over)exploiting supplier dependence.

Facilitators and barriers to communication in rehabilitation services across healthcare levels: a qualitative case study in a Norwegian context

BackgroundPeople with problems in functioning following severe injury or illness often need multiple and combined interventions in their rehabilitation processes. In these processes, communication and collaboration between the involved healthcare professionals are essential. Despite efforts in research and policy, communication across hospital and primary healthcare services and within the primary healthcare settings remains challenging. In one region of Norway, a new intermunicipal rehabilitation team has been established to supplement the traditional services and context-bound research is needed to gain insight into the complexity of the new communication structures that are developing. The aim of this study was to explore facilitators and barriers to communication to inform further improvement of the services.MethodsA qualitative case study design was used to explore the exchange of patient information in the rehabilitation processes of four patients. Data collection included participant observations in communication situations and an exploration of the electronic patient records of these four patients. Reflexive thematic analysis was used to analyse the empirical data.ResultsThe complex rehabilitation processes explored involved a large number of actors across healthcare organisational levels. Lacking a common culture for rehabilitation, poor access to written information and unclear responsibility for sharing information across organisational boundaries seemed to represent barriers to interprofessional communication. Joint meetings, the use of common rehabilitation tools and language and establishing informal communication channels served to facilitate communication.ConclusionThe intermunicipal team collaborating across different organisational levels added complexity to communication structures, but also facilitated interprofessional communication by promoting formal and informal ways of exchanging information. However, the intricate organisational divisions of healthcare provision in the Norwegian context represent boundaries which can be difficult to overcome. Therefore, cross-organisational coordination services should be developed.

Blockchain‐Based Governance: Implications for Organizational Boundaries and Structures

AbstractBlockchain has emerged as a key Industry 4.0 technology, enabling novel forms of governance and coordination mechanism among organizations and markets. However, extant literature has largely focused on the technical aspects of blockchain, with limited attention to the behavioural and institutional aspects. In this paper, we argue that blockchain‐based smart contracts and decentralized autonomous organizations represent the potential for a radical departure from traditional forms of contractual governance and hierarchy, carrying profound implications for the design and governance of economic transaction and organizational structures. We elucidate how blockchain technologies, characterized by transparency, immutability, programmability and decentralization, reduce transaction costs and establish an industrialized and trustless transactional governance system. Finally, we present an agenda for future research, highlighting the need for new theoretical frameworks and empirical evidence to understand the impact of blockchain on organizational design and forms.

Interprofessional collaboration in the cardiovascular management of Marfan syndrome: A qualitative study based on interviews with professionals

Background and AimPatients with Marfan syndrome, who present with a variety of symptoms and complex psychosocial problems, require interprofessional collaboration in their care. However, it is unclear how health care providers contribute to interprofessional collaboration for these patients. The purpose of this study was to determine the characteristics of interprofessional collaboration for patients with Marfan syndrome in the cardiovascular field. MethodsSemi-structured interviews were conducted with health care specialists (5 physicians, 2 nurses, and 3 certified genetic counselors) were analyzed qualitatively. ResultsBased on the medical collaboration for the management of cardiovascular complications in patients and their relatives, interprofessional collaboration was identified, such as collaboration and cooperation between physicians and certified genetic counselors, and nursing practice to facilitate interprofessional collaboration. In addition, issues such as difficulties in dealing with and coordinating medical care for noncardiovascular complications, lack of specialist physicians, and lack of opportunities to collaborate with nurses were identified. ConclusionsEffective interprofessional collaboration requires the acquisition of Marfan syndrome and genetic knowledge by healthcare providers and the development of a healthcare delivery system based on departments that can provide leadership. In addition, the assignment of nurses to work across organizational boundaries and effective collaboration between genetic counselors and nurses should be considered.

Making teamwork work in the virtual classroom

The quality of online programmes is expected to improve as more students enrol. Online programmes offer convenience, enabling students to pursue education despite time constraints and work commitments. Students, however, still expect an experience comparable to that of face-to-face classes. As a result, many colleges and universities are beginning to explore the use of teamwork to provide students with a sense of community in online programmes, while also enhancing their learning. Although virtual teams can overcome the limitations of time, space and organisational boundaries that hinder traditional teams, they face other obstacles in distributed environments, including limited technical abilities and a lack of collaborative skills. This practice paper explores the work of a new assistant professor who incorporated teamwork in virtual classrooms into an online educational leadership programme. This paper aims to share the challenges and benefits experienced by the instructor while engaging in group work in an online classroom environment, including the various successes and lessons learned.

I can do good even when my supervisor is bad: Abusive supervision and employee socially responsible behaviour

AbstractExisting research has convincingly demonstrated the deleterious impact of abusive supervision within the boundaries of the organization. However, we ask, can the harmful consequences of abusive supervision extend beyond organizational boundaries, and in particular, impact social good creation? To answer this crucial question, the present study investigates whether, how, and when abusive supervision affects employees' socially responsible behaviour (SRB). We build on ego depletion theory, and its theoretical extension, the integrative self‐control theory, to develop and test a multi‐level model that advances our understanding of the psychological mechanisms through, and boundary conditions under which abusive supervision affects employee SRB. Findings from a weekly diary study across 12 weeks support: (1) the role of ego depletion as a core psychological process that underlies the negative impact of weekly abusive supervision on employees' SRB and (2) the role of both trait abusive supervision and weekly impulse control demands as critical boundary conditions that determine whether weekly abusive supervision impacts SRB. These findings have important implications for the abusive supervision and social responsibility literatures, advancing our understanding of what organizations can do to alleviate the detrimental consequences of abusive supervision for social good creation.

A multi-dimensional study of organisational boundaries and silos in the healthcare sector.

Purpose: The aim of this study is to understand how healthcare practitioners experience organisational boundaries and silos in day-to-day operations. Based on a multi-dimensional scale of organisational boundaries, the study examines how organisational demarcation lines enable and constrain daily work tasks in the healthcare sector.Research design: The study is based on a quantitative and qualitative analysis of survey responses from 895 healthcare practitioners in Denmark.Results: The results indicate that tendencies toward organisational silos relate to systems and hierarchies (management-staff) rather than professions and departments. Moreover, the study identifies resource scarcity as an important undercurrent in the understanding of the respondents' perceptions of boundaries and silos.Conclusion: The study contributes to existing research by documenting the coordination and collaboration challenges linked to the multitude of demarcation lines in complex health organisations.

Faculty – Graduate teaching assistant mentoring model: Chaos theory in action

AbstractIn this study, collaboration has been revisited between an American faculty member and an international graduate teaching assistant during a unique faculty‐student mentoring model within principles of chaos theory. The role of culture, beliefs about language learning and teaching had been studied closely to improve faculty/international students’ cooperation in academic settings. The research focused on the nature of the collaborative experience of a faculty member and a graduate teaching assistant in designing and implementing an authentic language learning experience into a graduate level linguistic course and the role of dynamism and chaos theory evident in this mentoring model. Participants engaged in collaborative planning of a language learning experience embedded into a graduate level linguistic course. Reflective journals of participants and assignments were analyzed to better understand the experiences of the collaborators and the ways their culture, beliefs, and mentoring model impacted andragogical choices for instruction and learning of participants and students. Through self‐study, the researchers explored their professional identity and their academic flexibility within the organizational boundaries. The results of the study unveiled the complexity and chaos of each phase of cooperation and how the participants applied flexibility to achieve a more linear teaching/learning process. The collaboration between American faculty and international GTA under the shadow of chaos twisted by culture, beliefs, and hierarchy could still generate novice andragogical practices in higher education to contribute implications for collaborative work across cultures and hierarchies.

Multinationals’ value chain configuration for product diversification in emerging markets: Western firms in China

PurposeThis study aims to analyse how multinational corporations (MNCs) organise value chain activities to penetrate new market segments. It contributes by expanding traditional decisions regarding the vertical fine-slicing of value chain activities (whether performed internally or externally) and the consideration of resource-sharing decisions (integration or separation) for each value chain function.Design/methodology/approachThe authors draw on primary data collected from two case study firms operating in the large emerging Chinese market: Volvo Construction Equipment AB and Epiroc AB. In-depth cases illustrate how foreign MNCs expand into new market segments and simultaneously target both the lower-priced mid-market and the premium segments in the Chinese mining and construction industry.FindingsThe results reveal that product diversification creates challenges for managers who must oversee new (vertical) value chains, often simultaneously. Beyond geography and modes of governance, managers must decide whether to integrate or separate value chain activities for the new product lines. The study identifies four main strategic choices for firms to address this complexity, focusing on the decision to internalise or externalise (i.e. within or across organisational boundaries) and integrate or separate value chain activities between different product lines.Originality/valueThis study builds upon the internalisation theory and recent international business contributions that focus on value chain configurations to explain MNCs’ product diversification as a growth strategy in a host emerging market. It also sheds light on the choice of conducting new activities in-house or externally and elucidates firms’ managerial decisions to operationally integrate or separate individual value chain activities. The study provides insights into the drivers explaining managerial decisions to configure value chain activities across product lines and contributes to the growing body of literature on MNC activities in emerging economies by highlighting that product diversification impacts entry mode diversity and resource sharing across units.

Entrusting life to professionals: A phenomenological hermeneutical study of older persons' participation in prehospital emergency care involving municipal home care and ambulance services.

Participation in care is considered to promote safe and qualitative care. Care-dependent older persons ageing in place have increased emergency care needs, which initiate inter-organisational collaboration involving municipal home care and ambulance services. Previous research concludes that uncertainties exist regarding what participation in care means in clinical practice, which necessitates the need to illuminate the phenomenon for older persons in critical life situations. This study aimed to illuminate meanings of participation in prehospital emergency care from the perspective of care-dependent older persons experiencing acute illness at home. This study has a qualitative design with a lifeworld approach. A phenomenological hermeneutical method was used to analyse transcribed telephone interviews with eleven care-dependent persons aged 70-93 years. Care-dependent older persons' participation in prehospital emergency care means 'Entrusting life to professional caregivers' when being in helpless solitude and existentially unsafe, which emphasises a deepened interpersonal dependence. Meanings of participation in care from the perspective of older persons involve Being reassured in togetherness, Being pliant in trust of emergency expertise, Being enabled through the agency of professional caregivers, and Encountering readiness in the emergency care chain. Care-dependent older persons' participation in prehospital emergency care is existential and involves interpersonal dependence. Togetherness brings reassurance, safety and opportunity for emotional rest while accessing the professional caregivers' power, competence and abilities which provide opportunities for existence and movement towards well-being and continued living. Prehospital emergency care from the perspective of care-dependent older persons transcends organisational boundaries and includes the municipal mobile safety alarm service. The involved municipal and regional organisations need to provide support by implementing lifeworld-led care models and care alternatives that enable professionals to recognise the existential dimension of participation in care.

A Blockchain-Based Approach for Drug Traceability in Healthcare Supply Chain

Abstract: Healthcare supply chains are complex structures spanning across multiple organizational and geographical boundaries, providing critical backbone to services vital for everyday life. The inherent complexity of such systems can introduce impurities including inaccurate information, lack of transparency and limited data provenance. Counterfeit drugs is one consequence of such limitations within existing supply chains which not only has serious adverse impact on human health but also causes severe economic loss to the healthcare industry. Consequently, existing studies have emphasized the need for a robust, end-to-end track and trace system for pharmaceutical supply chains. Therein, an end-to-end product tracking system across the pharmaceutical supply chain is paramount to ensuring product safety and eliminating counterfeits. Most existing track and trace systems are centralized leading to data privacy, transparency and authenticity issues in healthcare supply chains. In this article, we present an Ethereum blockchain-based approach leveraging smart contracts and decentralized off-chain storage for efficient product traceability in the healthcare supply chain. The smart contract guarantees data provenance, eliminates the need for intermediaries and provides a secure, immutable history of transactions to all stakeholders. We present the system architecture and detailed algorithms that govern the working principles of our proposed solution. We perform testing and validation, and present cost and security analysis of the system to evaluate its effectiveness to enhance traceability within pharmaceutical supply chains.

Integrated maternity care in Finland: mothers’ experiences and professionalś perceptions

Abstract Background Divided responsibility to organise primary and specialised maternity care is common. In Finland, this has caused increasing number of visits and poor information flow between the care sectors. Some counties have had vertically integrated care sectors for a few years. Thus, we aim to study mothers’ experiences on care in counties with integrated care (IC) and non-integrated care (NIC), as well as perceptions of maternity care managers about the integration. Methods FinChildren Survey data 2020 on mothers with small babies (N = 8,923) and qualitative thematic interviews for maternity care managers (N = 8) were used. IC-counties were compared to NIC-counties adjusting for confounders in logistic regression. Over 30 indicators on motherś experience were used as outcome measures. The qualitative data were analysed with content analysis. Results Mothers were often more satisfied with care in IC- than in NIC-counties. 72% of first-time mothers in IC-counties compared to 66% in NIC-counties considered visits in antenatal clinics customer-oriented (adjusted OR 1.30 (1.05-1.63)). 87% of mothers in IC- and 81% in NIC-counties received adequate professional support for personal coping during pregnancy (OR 1.57 (1.08-2.27)). 64% of mothers in IC- and 56% in NIC-counties found prenatal classes beneficial for fear of childbirth (OR 1.44 (1.04-1.98)). However, part of the indicators did not show difference in motherś experience on care between IC- and NIC-counties. Maternity care managers felt that the fragmented structures within maternity care together with organisational boundaries pose a challenge to integrated care. Shared structure, management and information systems were seen as promotors for integration. Conclusions Integration of maternity care is to some extent associated with positive experience. However, maternity care should be better integrated in terms of structures, resources and management, to guarantee continued care and support for mothers and families. Key messages • Integrated maternity services are essential from the perspective of pregnant mothers. • Shared organisational systems are needed to ensure sustainable care for mothers and families.

Barriers to better bicycle parking for promoting intermodal journeys: An inter-organisational collaboration perspective

Organisational structures in the transport sector are often complex and fragmented, with different authorities responsible for different stages of a traveller's journey. In such circumstances, collaboration across organisational boundaries is required to facilitate intermodal journeys. This paper aims to provide empirically grounded insights into collaboration in transport planning, extending the literature to include cycling as an access and egress mode. This is done by examining the challenge of improving bicycle parking facilities at railway stations in Copenhagen, Denmark. Interviews with key actors involved in public transport and cycling planning reveal three main inter-organisational barriers to improving station bicycle parking in Copenhagen. First, station bicycle parking falls between the responsibilities of different organisations and levels of governance. Second, the absence of an established funding formula contributes to negotiation-oriented rather than collaborative interactions among the stakeholders. Third, the tension between cyclist satisfaction and rail passenger growth targets hinders collective action. In summary, despite Copenhagen's strong cycling identity and the prioritisation of this transportation mode in the city's political decision-making and transport planning, the issue of station bicycle parking highlights the complexity of multi-actor governance of intermodal journeys.

The Importance of Information Processing in Child Protection Cases—A Study of Social Workers’ Integration of Other Professionals’ Knowledge

Abstract The processes used by social workers to collect, interpret and use stakeholder information in child protection cases are an unexplored but essential part of the decision-making process. This study focuses on social workers’ efforts to integrate the knowledge of other professionals. This article draws on a framework for managing knowledge across organisational boundaries and a process-oriented conceptualisation of knowledge integration. The analysis of ten interviews with social workers shows that the process of knowledge integration affects the basis of social workers’ decision making. We argue that knowledge possessed by other professionals is often viewed as easily transferrable and correctly received, when in fact this knowledge is often complex and subjective and requires extra effort to obtain, understand and integrate into case-specific situations. This implies a need to recognise information processing as an influencing factor in decision making within child protection that pertains to both practice and research.

Sistem Informasi Ketenagakerjaan

Ministry of Manpower (Kemnaker) launched an online-based platform, The Employment Information System (Sisnaker).
 Sisnaker enables all existing information systems in all ministries or agencies and local governments to work together across organizational boundaries. In addition to having implications for the effectiveness and efficiency of existing services, Sisnaker will also improve the integration of planning, implementation, evaluation, and control of labor development in Indonesia as a single national job market.
 Minister of Manpower (Menaker) M. Hanif Dhakiri considers that the presence of Sisnaker is very important so that the community can get good, excellent and real time services to be able to access all 16 services of the Ministry of Manpower. Starting from job seekers, ministries/agencies, companies, and others.

50 years of the Nobel Prize to Lorenz, Tinbergen, and von Frisch: integrating behavioral function into an ethology for the 21st century

The 50th anniversary of the awarding of the Nobel Prize to Konrad Lorenz, Niko Tinbergen, and Karl von Frisch, arguably one of the most significant events in the history of ethology, has gone virtually unnoticed. Students and newcomers to the field may be wrongly led to believe that ethology has lost its prominent role as the leading discipline at the forefront of studies of animal behavior with a biological foundation. However, the decline of ethology is more apparent than real, in part a consequence of tying the discipline to a particular theoretical approach (i.e., that of classical ethology), but also due to the historical amnesia affecting many areas of science and the uneasy relationship of ethology with some of its own subdisciplines. Behavioral ecology emerged in the 1970s as an ethological subdiscipline devoted to the study of behavioral function, one of the four aims of ethology famously identified by Tinbergen. Behavioral ecology became extremely popular, but was criticized due to its narrow focus on behavioral function. With the new millennium came a return to a more balanced approach to the study of animal behavior, with frequent calls to recover the balance between the different areas of study and the integrative spirit that many consider one of the most distinctive features of ethology. Still, some behavioral ecologists contend that ethology disappeared shortly after Lorenz, Tinbergen, and von Frisch’s Nobel Prize award and has been replaced by behavioral ecology, and offer revisionist narratives of the aims and scope of both disciplines in support of this contention. Contrary to this view, modern ethology remains a necessary and coherent endeavor that encompasses and subsumes all four of Tinbergen’s aims, including those considered to be part of the agenda of behavioral ecology. The challenge for the next 50 years will be to preserve the ethological legacy of pursuing the four aims and their integration across levels of biological organization, taxa, methodologies, and interdisciplinary boundaries for a complete understanding of animal behavior.