Organizational Setup Research Articles

Public health innovation labs framework development: a design study of GGD West-Brabant Netherlands

Abstract Introduction Innovation Labs are spaces that encourage the creation, development and testing of novel ideas within organizations.While there are known frameworks for the organization of such labs in the private sector, current literature does not reflect a framework for developing a public health Innovation Lab (PHI-Lab) specifically.The aim of this study was to develop an evidence-based framework for a PHI-Lab together with the Dutch Municipal Health Service(GGD). Methods Our design thinking study consisted of 4 phases: Discovering, Defining, Creating and Evaluating.An initial framework was developed based on the public and public health sectors in the literature.To create and evaluate the framework,a document analysis of the GGD was performed,and co-creation and testing sessions were organized with 11 internal and 11 external stakeholders of the GGD. Results The final PHI-Lab framework is composed of: rationale, enablers and barriers, environment, approach, outcomes and values. Findings emphasized practical reasons for investing in a PHI-Lab, such as the shortage of health professionals.Stakeholders highlighted that proactive leadership and innovation culture are crucial enablers for the setup of the PHI-Lab.The right space and human resources (environment) and methods including design thinking and cross-collaboration (approach) were highlighted as important strategies for overcoming innovation challenges.Despite barriers such as bureaucracy and resource limitations, tailoring solutions to organizational objectives is key to the PHI-Lab’s success and sustainability, with added values of inclusiveness, adaptability and fun. Conclusions This study highlighted some practical additions to the initial framework that are specific to the public health setting, although mostly an adaptation from the public sector.Findings emphasize that there isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution to develop a PHI-Lab.This framework has the intention of benefiting other public health organizations. Key messages • The framework has the intention of benefiting other public health organizations within established networks and partnerships. • Proactive leadership and innovation culture are crucial enablers for the organizational setup of the innovation lab.

Accounting for Intangible Assets, a Study

Intangible investments have happened now seminal supply chain for multifold fraternities and economic locales. However, these investments are rarely recognized as assets by accounting standards. In such scenario, pragmatic goodness of an enterprise cannot be reflected in reported financials despite accounting is to equip effective details for its users. In cutting-edge economy, substantiveness of intangible assets initiates considerations towards its reception in accounts. Intangible assets are perceptible non-monetary non-physical potentiality of value bred by novelty, unparalleled organizational setup or experience capital review. In the era of knowledge economy, intangible assets like tangible assets are worthwhile as collateral for loans also. This paper bottomed on secondary data contemplates several perspectives of intangible assets like importance, accounting treatment beside dimensions concerning measurement, problems and suggestions inherent in its accounting, etc. Accounting relevance of intangible assets and its’ management are identified as major issues. The study extrapolates that disclosure can be reckoned as unfolding to the blowbacks of nowheresville of intangibles in financial statements.

Doing gender in energy communities: A gendered perspective on barriers and motivators

In the transition to a renewable energy system, the European Union champions community-based initiatives like energy communities to promote decarbonization as well as broader societal benefits. Despite these goals, there is a marked underrepresentation of women in energy communities. In 15 qualitative interviews with experts in community-led energy organizations mainly from Germany, our study addresses women specific barriers for participation. The modal organizational setup poses barriers in terms of existing male overrepresentation, technical knowledge as entry requirement, a focus on financial investment, heavy and inflexible time requirements, and the lack of social integration of energy communities. Organizational realities align little with women`s motivators for participation, which encompass environmental enthusiasm and social engagement. The nature of the discovered barriers is compatible with the concept of "doing gender", where malleable, socially constructed organizational arrangements perpetuate traditional gender roles and thereby hierarchies.

ROLE OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION AND SOFT LAW IN CLIMATE CHANGE GOVERNANCE AFTER PARIS AGREEMENT: EUROPEAN GREEN DEAL AS A CATALYST, EMERGENCE OF HYBRID MODELS AND THE CASE OF TÜRKİYE

Climate change has been urging states not only to act but also to cooperate with relevant stakeholders at any level. Paris Agreement, which is considered as the latest and most radical guide in climate change adaptation processes, has accelerated this effort and has been paving the way for changes in the organizational and legislative set-ups of the signatory states. The aim of this study is to understand how organizational and legislative structures have changed in the countries which ratified Paris Agreement and to understand the characteristics of the climate change governance model brought about. It tracks these changes in the case of Türkiye which has been undergoing significant changes in terms its organizational and legislative set-ups and climate policy governance since the ratification of Paris Agreement in 2021. The research also stresses the catalyzing role of the European Green Deal in the climate change adaptation processes, which further perpetuates the goals of Paris Agreement and requires taking concrete steps in this regard.

The Status and Challenges of Contract Farming Engagement in Gimbo District, Kafa Zone, South West Ethiopia People’s Region, Ethiopia

Contract farming has long been used in industrialized nations' agricultural production systems as a system of institutions to help smallholder farmers commercialize their farms in an effort to increase revenue and reduce poverty. This study aimed to assess the state of contract farming and challenges of engagement in Gimbo District, Kafa Zone, South West Ethiopia People’s Region, Ethiopia. A focus group discussion, observations, key informant interviews with fifteen experts and authorities, and surveys of 361 farm households were used to collect data. The study revealed that the productivity of coffee improved from 3-4 qt/ha to the average productivity of about 10 qt/ha and the price of coffee improved from 7 birr/kg to 19 birr/kg. This suggests a considerable increase in production and price improvement resulting from the adoption of contract farming. According to the study, the local community benefited from 345 temporary and 44 permanent jobs that were established by contract farming operations in the study area. According to the report, external variables posed challenges to contract farming initiatives in the research area. These external factors included lacking of a legislative instrument that serves as a guide, the lack of infrastructure, the inadequate assistance of governmental organizations, and the failure to integrate the necessary stakeholders to support the sectors. Thus, the study recommended that the government should focus on raising awareness, enhancing extension services and organizational setup, ensuring transparency and accountability in the contract process, and improving financial services.

Leader vs. the party dilemma: the case of a party rebirth in Czechia

ABSTRACT Influential individuals gaining political weight at the expense of their parties are succeeding. Through case studies of two Czech parties, we explore the role of personalised party leadership. The puzzling set of events that occurred when SPD reestablished itself in response to the internal crisis in USVIT makes these parties worthy of attention. These parties are studied as part of a broader phenomenon of political personalisation. Our findings show how parties which represent cases of significant personalization operate and how personalisation changes their organisational setup and the behaviour of their voters.

Establishing alternative grain networks: A comparison of case experiences in South Tyrol, Italy, and Colorado, United States

Alternative grain networks (AGNs) are micro-systems that supplement conventional food pro­duction and distribution systems, emphasizing high quality food and leveraging regional, socio-cultural, and socio-economic values. In this multiple case study analysis we compare two AGNs, Regiokorn in South Tyrol, Italy, and the Colorado Grain Chain (CGC) in the U.S., using qualitative and comparative analysis to explore the indicators of geographical proximity, cultural homogeneity, commercial viability, and community involvement. Regiokorn and the CGC differ in various ways in these operational dimensions as well as in their organizational setups, the former as a pure business network and the latter including consumer mem­bers. Our findings highlight how these two differ­ent organizational structures can be leveraged to achieve similar outcomes, and provide valuable insights for other AGNs in finding their own paths.

Advancing Customer Feedback Systems with Blockchain

AbstractOrganizations have to adjust to changes in the ecosystem, and customer feedback systems (CFS) provide important information to adapt products and services to changing customer preferences. However, current systems are limited to single-dimensional rating scales and are subject to self-selection biases. The work contributes design principles for CFS and implements a CFS that advances current systems by means of contextualized feedback according to specific organizational objectives. The authors apply Design Science Research (DSR) methodology and report on a longitudinal DSR journey considering multiple stakeholder values by utilizing value-sensitive design methods. They conducted expert interviews, design workshops, demonstrations, and a four-day experiment in an organizational setup, involving 132 customers of a major Swiss library. In the process, the identified design principles and the implemented software artifact were validated qualitatively and quantitatively, leading to conclusions for their efficient instantiation. The authors found that i) blockchain technology can afford four design principles of effective CFS. Also, ii) combining DSR with value-sensitive design methods explicitly provides rationale for design principles in the form of identified important values. Moreover, iii) combining DSR with value-sensitive design methods makes the construction of software artifacts more efficient it terms of design time by restricting the design space of a software artifact to those options that align with stakeholder values. The findings of this work thus extend the knowledge about the design of CFS and offer both researchers a theoretical contribution to reasoning about design principles and managers and decision makers a guide for the efficient design of software artifacts.

Implementing teleophthalmology services to improve cost-effectiveness of the national eye care system

Background and purposeOptometrist-assisted and teleophthalmology-enabled referral pathway (OTRP) for community optometry referrals has the potential to improve the capacity and efficiency of eye care delivery systems through risk stratification and limiting the number of improved referrals. This study investigates the expected future costs and benefits of implementing OTRP under various possible organizational set-ups relevant to a Danish context.MethodsA decision-analytic model (decision tree) with a one-year time horizon was constructed to portray alternative future patient referral pathways for people examined in optometry stores for suspected ocular posterior segment eye disease. The main outcomes were total healthcare costs per patient, average waiting time from eye examination in store until the start of treatment or end of referral pathway, and quality-adjusted life-years (QALY) gained. The economic evaluation compares the general ophthalmologist referral pathway (GO-RP) with a potential reimbursement model for the optometrist-assisted teleophthalmology referral pathways (R-OTRP) and a procurement model for the optometrist-assisted teleophthalmology referral pathways (P-OTRP).ResultsThe cost per individual with suspected ocular posterior segment eye disease was estimated to be £116 for GO-RP and £75 and £94 for P-OTRP and R-OTRP respectively. The average waiting time for diagnosis or end of referral pathway was 25 weeks for GO-RP and 5.8 and 5.7 for P-OTPR and R-OTPR respectively. QALY gain was 0.15 for P-OTRP/R-OTRP compared to 0.06 for GO-RP.ConclusionOTRP is effective in reducing unnecessary referrals and waiting times, increasing patients’ HRQoL, and decreasing the costs of diagnosing individuals with suspected ocular posterior segment eye disease.

How to tackle therapeutic inertia in heart failure with reduced ejection fraction. A scientific statement of the Heart Failure Association of the ESC.

Guideline-directed medical therapy (GDMT) in patients with heart failure and reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) reduces morbidity and mortality, but its implementation is often poor in daily clinical practice. Barriers to implementation include clinical and organizational factors that might contribute to clinical inertia, i.e. avoidance/delay of recommended treatment initiation/optimization. The spectrum of strategies that might be applied to foster GDMT implementation is wide, and involves the organizational set-up of heart failure care pathways, tailored drug initiation/optimization strategies increasing the chance of successful implementation, digital tools/telehealth interventions, educational activities and strategies targeting patient/physician awareness, and use of quality registries. This scientific statement by the Heart Failure Association of the ESC provides an overview of the current state of GDMT implementation in HFrEF, clinical and organizational barriers to implementation, and aims at suggesting a comprehensive framework on how to overcome clinical inertia and ultimately improve implementation of GDMT in HFrEF based on up-to-date evidence.

Unearthing narratives: an ethnographic lens on the organizational tapestry of massive iron ore mining operations

PurposeOres and minerals are extracted from the earth’s crust depending on the type of deposit. Iron ore mines come under massive deposit patterns and have their own mine development and life cycles. This study aims to depict the development and life cycle of large open-pit iron ore mines and the intertwined organizational design of the departments/sections operated within the industry.Design/methodology/approachPrimary data were collected on the site by participant observation, in-depth interviews of the field staff and executives, and field notes. Secondary data were collected from the literature review to compare and cite similar or previous studies on each mining activity. Finally, interactions were conducted with academic experts and top field executives to validate the findings. An organizational ethnography methodology was employed to study and analyse four large-scale iron ore mines of India’s largest iron-producing state, Odisha, from January to April 2023.FindingsSix stages were observed for development and life cycle, and the operations have been depicted in a schematic diagram for ease of understanding. The intertwined functioning of organizational set-up is also discovered.Originality/valueThe paper will benefit entrepreneurs, mining and geology students, new recruits, and professionals in allied services linked to large iron ore mines. It offers valuable insights for knowledge enhancement, operational manual preparation and further research endeavours.

Utilizing the REDCap platform in a cardiac rehabilitation service

Utilizing online health data records helps in disseminating, organizing, and securing vital medical data, yet their availability remains scarce. To address this gap, we implemented an online database, REDCap®, in a cardiac rehabilitation service, in addition to describing the clinical profile of program patients. The electronic health record implementation was carried out across four stages, from organizational setup to record initiation. Four forms were created, with 83 input fields in total, and 75 patients were registered. The majority of patients were male, white, elderly, employed, and diagnosed with ischemic heart disease. The implementation of an online database on the REDCap electronic platform in a cardiovascular rehabilitation service enhances data security and insights into patient demographics. These patient data can promote the dissemination of the importance of this service in preventing and treating cardiovascular diseases.

Transparency and Monitoring of Public Procurement Contract Performance

This study analyzes the monitoring of public procurement contracts’ performance in six countries under EU public procurement rules: Finland, Portugal, Slovenia, Italy, Hungary, and Serbia. Through an in-depth comparative analysis, we explore the nexus between perceived corruption in these countries and the contract performance monitoring systems established or in the making. The analysis centers on four key aspects: the organizational framework, the redress system, the IT infrastructure, and the level of data publicity in each country’s procurement landscape. Expert evaluations conducted by national specialists unveil which countries pay less attention to public contract performance monitoring and transparency. Our findings indicate that countries facing higher corruption rates tend to place greater emphasis on transparency and contract performance monitoring. Moreover, countries greatly differ in their organizational setup, objectives, and monitoring tools, including IT adoption. The insights derived from this study can influence policy and reform efforts focused on the contract phase of public procurement, leading to a more accountable and efficient procurement landscape across Europe.

Society and organizational leadership: Investigating the sociocultural construction of toxic and constructive leaders in Ghana

Toxic leadership phenomenon persists in many institutions at the expense of organisational progress and performance. This article explores the centrality of sociocultural values in leadership formation in Ghanaian organisations. Through the lens of the constructivist paradigm and ethnomethodology research design, fifteen (15) in-depth interviews were analysed. The study revealed that society’s underlying sociocultural values systems fundamentally impact the construction of toxic organisational leaders through complicity and condoning malpractice, impertinence to time, and nonchalance towards leaders’ toxic behaviours. Context, in this regard, has an inbred role in making a leader either toxic or constructive. Society and its organisational setups must positively impact the co-creation of constructive leadership by nurturing values that demand leadership accountability and reward constructive leadership for its significant impact in engendering organisational progress.

A Study to Understand the Effectiveness of Online v/s Offline Training Mode on Employee Performance

Training is the core part of every organization as it provides the basic learning and guidance orientation to the new joiners and upskilling to reskilling competency to meet the upcoming expectations of work. During the last two years, the mode of training has shifted more from offline to online mode due to the pandemic restrictions. So, this research paper aims to explore how much difference training can create when conducted in different modes and the use of technology to facilitate training effectiveness. The use of quantitative and qualitative analysis using structured questionnaires and informal group interaction was adopted for the study. The findings and the outcome concluded that the effectiveness of online and offline modes depends on numerous variables like the ability of the trainer, the level of trainees, the content of the training, the applicability of training to work, etc. The study also found that technology emerged as the greatest gift to training in terms of time, cost, reach, scale, comfort, effort, and effectiveness. The outcome of the study will be highly beneficial for the other organizations to grow in this changing organizational setup.

Manufacturer's Contexts, Supply Chain Risk Management, and Agility Performance

The dynamism of the current business environment emanates significant challenges and disruption risks for supply chains. These vulnerabilities in contemporary supply chains have motivated a substantial academic focus on supply chain risk management (SCRM). In the empirical literature on SCRM, a firm's external environment is conceptualized as a source of risk, and various organizational and technological factors are discussed as influencers of SCRM. However, the factors studied in the literature are generally narrow and analyzed in isolation, which has resulted in a fragmented and inconsistent understanding of the role of organizational and technological setups in SCRM. This study offers a systematic understanding of the antecedents and consequences of effective SCRM by investigating the associations between a manufacturer's environmental, organizational, and technological contexts, SCRM, and agility. The study employs the information processing view as the primary theoretical lens and relies on large-scale multi-industry and multicountry survey data for empirical analysis. In contrast to the threat-rigidity thesis, the findings of this study suggest that manufacturers seek collaborative and flexible work settings to respond to environmental challenges. Besides increasing efficiency, such organizational settings and enhanced technological setups can increase information processing capability to enable SCRM and agility. These findings challenge the suggestions that initiatives taken for efficiency can increase the risk factor and deteriorate performance. The study provides novel insights into the underlying information processing mechanisms for effective SCRM and highlights the importance of organizational and technological setups in enhancing these core mechanisms.

Understanding the role of digital technologies in the transitional care process: a user perspective

The literature defines transitional care as the coordination and continuity of care during the transition from one health care setting to another or to home. Referred to as transition of care, between health care professionals and settings, as their condition and care needs change during the course of a chronic illness, acute illness or acute admission. In this scenario, the transition of care from hospital to home carries a number of risks of adverse events and poor care continuity. Therefore, daily technologies such as wearables and smart devices can support the improvement of interventions as they can collect up-to-date daily data from patients, helping to gain an in depth understanding of the real situation and their healthcare needs, improving the transition care process. 
 The aim of this research, integrated in VITALISE Project (H2020.GA101007990), is to identify and explore the needs, barriers and challenges of transitional care by involving different stakeholders in different participating countries. In Spain 3 patients, 2 carers and 7 health professionals participated in co-creation sessions with a person-centred approach addressing the topic of using ICT tools to gather information/data to support the transitional care process (hospital discharge process and recovery at home) and to collect information on current practices in transitional care processes (from hospital to home).
 Two sessions with patients, carers and with professionals, aimed to understand the different perspectives on each profile, enriching the comments and contributions. Two facilitators with experience guiding accessible co-creation sessions ensured each participant had a space for participation. The sessions were distributed in four blocks: 1) understanding the current practice in transitional care; 2) experience in the use of smart devices and digital tools; 3) understanding the barriers, difficulties and challenges in using digital tools in this process and 4) what the ideal role of technology would be. 
 As a finding, during the patients and carers session participants highlighted that there should be a protocol for the transition process but that it is currently not established and it all depends on how ""fortunate"" you are. They appreciate the advantages given by the health system in their respective country, but they do not agree with the organisational set-up or with some specific actions. Regarding technology, they mostly accept technology in transition processes and believe that it can bring many benefits helping to improve (as long as it is not used to replace human care). On the other hand, professionals use technology in their work on a daily basis and have a very broad view of its impact on people's experiences and its acceptability. Finally, beyond the benefits for the user, professionals take advantage of these technologies to improve individual care and systematise the collection of information. Overall, the inclusion of digital technologies is accepted in integrated and transitional care processes, when adapted to the users and not the other way around. These findings are key for the preparations of the small-scale studies phase “Digital Biomarkers for Supporting Transitional Care Decisions: Protocol for a Transnational Feasibility Study” [JMIR Res Protoc.2022Jan19;11(1):e34573.doi:10.2196/34573].

Towards a better understanding of goal oriented care by means of co-creating an interprofessional training program with experts by experience

The literature defines transitional care as the coordination and continuity of care during the transition from one health care setting to another or to home. Referred to as transition of care, between health care professionals and settings, as their condition and care needs change during the course of a chronic illness, acute illness or acute admission. In this scenario, the transition of care from hospital to home carries a number of risks of adverse events and poor care continuity. Therefore, daily technologies such as wearables and smart devices can support the improvement of interventions as they can collect up-to-date daily data from patients, helping to gain an in depth understanding of the real situation and their healthcare needs, improving the transition care process. 
 The aim of this research, integrated in VITALISE Project (H2020.GA101007990), is to identify and explore the needs, barriers and challenges of transitional care by involving different stakeholders in different participating countries. In Spain 3 patients, 2 carers and 7 health professionals participated in co-creation sessions with a person-centred approach addressing the topic of using ICT tools to gather information/data to support the transitional care process (hospital discharge process and recovery at home) and to collect information on current practices in transitional care processes (from hospital to home).
 Two sessions with patients, carers and with professionals, aimed to understand the different perspectives on each profile, enriching the comments and contributions. Two facilitators with experience guiding accessible co-creation sessions ensured each participant had a space for participation. The sessions were distributed in four blocks: 1) understanding the current practice in transitional care; 2) experience in the use of smart devices and digital tools; 3) understanding the barriers, difficulties and challenges in using digital tools in this process and 4) what the ideal role of technology would be. 
 As a finding, during the patients and carers session participants highlighted that there should be a protocol for the transition process but that it is currently not established and it all depends on how ""fortunate"" you are. They appreciate the advantages given by the health system in their respective country, but they do not agree with the organisational set-up or with some specific actions. Regarding technology, they mostly accept technology in transition processes and believe that it can bring many benefits helping to improve (as long as it is not used to replace human care). On the other hand, professionals use technology in their work on a daily basis and have a very broad view of its impact on people's experiences and its acceptability. Finally, beyond the benefits for the user, professionals take advantage of these technologies to improve individual care and systematise the collection of information. Overall, the inclusion of digital technologies is accepted in integrated and transitional care processes, when adapted to the users and not the other way around. These findings are key for the preparations of the small-scale studies phase “Digital Biomarkers for Supporting Transitional Care Decisions: Protocol for a Transnational Feasibility Study” [JMIR Res Protoc.2022Jan19;11(1):e34573.doi:10.2196/34573].

Development of a non-radial model for resource reallocation using network data envelopment analysis

Public and private sector organizations continually seek to optimize strategies for sustained competitiveness by reallocating resources efficiently among various institutions. This research introduces a non-radial resource reallocation model employing network data envelopment analysis to address this need. The study introduces an approach to redistributing resources in a dynamic network setting over multiple periods. It takes into account indicators of both negative outcomes, aiming to improve the overall effectiveness and efficiency of companies within a holding structure. The research outlines a methodology, including data collection, modeling assumptions, decision variables, and constraints for implementing this reallocation model. By focusing on resource allocation in network systems over periods, this study provides a solid foundation for enhancing resource allocation efficiency in organizations. Additionally, it addresses the complexities associated with resource allocation compared to settings. The proposed dynamic network DEA model considers both temporal aspects in evaluations. Demonstrates its potential for resource allocation in multi-stage processes through applications within the banking industry. One key finding is the importance of recognizing shared constraints among Decision Making Units (DMUs). Considering the impact of restrictions, like government regulations, on decision-making processes and overall efficiency. The created dynamic network DEA model introduces an inventive method to redistribute resources in intricate organizational setups. It offers perspectives for decision-making procedures. Moreover, it sets the stage for further exploration into different indicators and the impact of diverse government interventions on resource allocation effectiveness.

Outside-in and bottom-up: Using sustainability transitions to understand the development phases of mainstreaming plant-based in the food sector in a meat and dairy focused economy

Humanity needs food system sustainability transitions to align future food demand with the planetary boundaries. This requires stakeholders and organisations to react to each other to change their position, strategies and practices. On the basis of niche-regime interactions in sustainability transitions, we explore the case of Denmark's plant-based food business sector development through 27 company case and expert interviews. We identify four development phases and a sequence in which the different environments of society, users, business, and policy contributed to the diffusion and mainstreaming of ‘plant-based’ in food. We find that the development is characterized by an outside-in and bottom-up direction, meaning that the original trigger came from the international level as well as the consumer demand. Businesses see their key internal success factors in the interplay of their organizational set-up, their product and technology, and their strategic choices. The plant-based market is characterized by changes in terms of increasing competition, a diversification of motives among the users, and marketing communication moving away from ‘vegan/vegetarian’ and towards appealing to the mainstream, flexitarian consumer. Results highlight the importance of change and collaboration among all environments, and the crucial role of the international level as a trigger for national developments.