Instrumental Perspective Research Articles

Theories, constructs and contexts in responsible leadership: a future research agenda

PurposeThe study explores the current research trends within the responsible leadership (RL) domain and proposes a future research agenda by conducting an extensive review of past research. The study aims to understand recent developments in theories, constructs and contexts in RL literature.Design/methodology/approachScopus database is used for the data collection on RL and patterns from 1998–2022. In total, 138 articles were covered for a systematic literature review (SLR) of RL behaviors. Further, the search was extended, and 109 more articles were included for bibliometric analysis of RL using R software. In total, 247 papers were reviewed.FindingsThe results present the consequences and antecedents of RL behaviors with external and internal stakeholders. Literature also indicates that researchers are more attentive to empirical studies with internal stakeholders, such as responsible leaders' impact on employee outcomes. Among theories, stakeholder theory's normative integrative and instrumental perspectives are used with RL.Research limitations/implicationsThe first limitation of the study is that this study collected data only from the Scopus database and the choice of language was English. Future studies may use other databases, languages and keywords. Instrumental and integrative RL behavioral styles would help balance organizations' financial and social goals.Originality/valueThis research enhances the literature on RL by combining content and bibliometric analysis to develop a more systematic and comprehensive understanding of integrative and instrumental leadership behaviors.

A critical view on the role of scale and instrumental imaginaries within community sustainability transitions research

AbstractResearch has recently focused on various under‐the‐radar sustainability‐oriented community initiatives to understand and support bottom‐up dynamics of social‐ecological change. While community initiatives vary widely, research on them tends towards an instrumental perspective: a will‐to‐upscale. While exploring possibilities for expanding (some of) the practices and impacts of sustainability‐oriented projects and organizations, we argue for a more cautious approach to instrumentalising community initiatives. We develop our argument around four recurring issues we identify in the literature: (1) conceptual imprecisions; (2) privileging of novelties; (3) politics of urgency; and (4) outwards orientation. In response to these critiques, and leaning on geographical theories of scale, we outline our caution. At its core, this approach is a ‘literacy of scaling’ where scaling functions as a tactic subordinate to the community.

Entity Realism Meets Perspectivism

Relying on the notion of “overlapping perspectives,” this paper argues that entity realism and perspectivism are complementary. According to entity realism, it is justified to maintain a positive attitude toward the existence of unobservable entities with which multiple experimental interactions are possible. Perspectivism also explains that our beliefs about these entities are bounded by historically contingent theoretical and instrumental perspectives. The argument of the paper is developed through a discussion of Ronald Giere’s versions of realism: entity realism, constructive realism, and perspectival realism.

‘Men are from Mars, and Women are from Venus’? Doctoral Students’ Perspectives on Doctoral Education

Gender influences the lives of doctoral students, shaping both their doctoral experience and their views on doctoral education. Following this argument, the purpose of this paper is to investigate gender differences in students’ perspectives of what doctoral education entails. The emphasis is on how and to what extent male and female students’ perspectives differ in reflecting changes in doctoral education’s concept, which appears to be shifting from traditional to instrumental. A study was conducted to determine how Portuguese doctoral students perceive doctoral education in terms of its structuring dimensions. The study’s findings, gathered through 11 focus groups interviews with 31 doctoral students from three Portuguese public universities, five scientific fields and evenly distributed by gender, suggested that a hybrid concept of doctoral education is valued, combining elements of its traditional concept and an instrumental concept. This hybridity, and even a propensity toward a more instrumental perspective, appeared to be particularly prevalent among female doctoral students. The paper advances some explanatory hypotheses for these trends while highlighting clues for future research.

35 years later: re-examining the offence of riot in the Public Order Act 1986

2021 marked the 35th year of the passage of the most important public order legislation in England, the Public Order Act 1986, and saw an ambitious attempt by the Government to ‘overhaul’ public order law, in the form of the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill. 2021 also marked 10 years since the devastating 2011 riots in England. In this context, this article analyses the necessity of and justifications for the riot offence. It argues that the riot offence is neither necessary from an instrumental perspective nor targeted at the mischiefs of public fear and overthrow of the state. Instead, the crux of the offence is the group element, shedding light more generally on public order law’s ideological function of imposing a specific form of ‘order’ and its susceptibility to abuse. The riot offence should therefore be abolished.

The effects of government support on enterprises' digital transformation: Evidence from China

AbstractDigital transformation has become a general trend for enterprises, and it is necessary to investigate the impact of government support on enterprises' digital transformation from the perspective of policy instruments. But so far, there is less empirical evidence on their relationship. Based on Chinese firm‐level data, we investigate the effects of government subsidies and tax incentives on enterprises' digital transformation. The results show that two forms of government support both positively promote enterprises' digital transformation. Moreover, we analyze which factors mediate the observed effects. We demonstrate that easing financial constraints, increasing Research and Development (R&D) investment, and improving risk‐taking ability are underlying mechanisms. Heterogeneity analysis indicates that enterprises that are non‐state‐owned, with higher technology level and higher absorptive capacity, have higher digital transformation. The higher the level of digital finance development and network infrastructure construction in a region, the greater the positive effect of government support on enterprises' digital transformation. The results provide clearer guidance for governments to provide government support so as to stimulate enterprises' digital transformation.

Exploring University Teacher Construction for Higher Education Sustainability in China: Perspective from Policy Instruments

Teacher construction is a long-standing focus of global teacher governance. The construction of a highly qualified and professional higher education teaching force is a source of impetus for the sustainable development of higher education. In-depth systematic analysis of representative macro policies for Chinese university teachers is currently limited. Thus, this study employs the perspective of policy instruments and establishes a two-dimensional analytical framework to examine a key Chinese official teacher policy document to reveal the Chinese government’s policy intentions and instrument use preferences for current higher education teacher development. The aim is to explore the improvement of policy instruments for higher education teacher construction to promote sustainable development in China’s higher education institutions and to contribute Chinese experience to global teacher governance. The results indicate that the ratio of policy instrument use has structural disparities and insufficient appropriateness to the elements of the teacher management process. Environment-oriented policy instruments have been a critical thrust of the current Chinese government’s reform of university teacher development. It is recommended to pay attention to the systemic character of teacher growth and the optimal coordination of content elements and policy instruments to form a governance synergy for the high-quality and sustainable development of higher education.

Current status and future perspective of the link of corporate social responsibility–corporate financial performance in the tourism and hospitality industry

The CSR literature has paid close attention to the effect of CSR on corporate financial performance (CFP), well-known as the CSR–CFP link. Based on the instrumental perspective perceiving CSR as an instrument for enhancing a firm’s performance, people began to see CSR as not only a good deed that benefits society but also a strategy that can benefit the corporation. To empirically test this instrumental perspective, many researchers have investigated whether a firm’s engagement in CSR activities indeed leads to improving the firm’s performance. Through such investigations, the CSR literature has acknowledged that there are still many issues to explore in the CSR–CFP link. The current study, therefore, is to investigate what has been done in the TH literature regarding the CSR–CFP link in the 2000s and further to provide future directions for the CSR–CFP link.

Unveiling Exclusion: A Conceptual Exploration of Parent Pedagogicalisation

CONTEXT The study investigates the concept of parent pedagogicalisation, with the aim to explore, as well as articulate, its analytical content. The notion of parent pedagogicalisation involves normalising forces governing parents to take responsibility for children’s educational achievement, especially targeting the child who differs from the norm and whose achievement is at risk. Set against the background of current global educational tendencies aiming at standardisation and marketisation, understandings of ‘normal’ become increasingly narrower, excluding an increasing number of children. The narrowing perceptions of what is considered ‘normal’ induce a fear of exclusion from educational opportunities and subsequent, future citizenship. In this climate, parents are ascribed a significant role in the child’s education. Within this context, and especially in cases involving children considered ‘outside of normalcy’, pedagogicalisation of the parent entails educating parents about how to support their child’s educational achievement.METHODS Through empirical exploration of parents’ narratives, this study investigates the content of the concept of parent pedagogicalisation with the purpose to provide a theoretical lens that may support the identification of pedagogicalizing forces and possible implications for parents and children. The data consists of parents’ narratives on their experiences with educational follow-up after their child’s cochlear implantation. This empirical sample has been strategically chosen, consisting of a specific group of parents, who, in an educational context, are expected to be exposed to pedagogicalisation. The data contains 27 written narrative responses to an online, qualitative questionnaire with open-ended questions, and 14 follow-up interviews. FINDINGS Data analysis identified three key dimensions central to the content of the concept of parent pedagogicalisation, 1) Parents’ perceived need for knowledge, 2) An instrumental perspective on supporting the child’s learning, and 3) No respite. KEY MESSAGE Our proposition is that these dimensions make up the conceptual construct of parent pedagogicalisation. The three interwoven dimensions demonstrate a complexity and width that indicate implications for the parents and children involved. Potential implications are discussed in relation to a) Parents caught in the nexus between empowerment and disempowerment, and b) The pedagogicalisation of parents - a counterproductive paradox. The significance of parental involvement for children’s educational achievement notwithstanding, the analysis shows that parent pedagogicalisation and its inherent normalising practices may be detrimental to the parents and children involved, acting oppressive and exclusionary. Awareness of the mechanisms involved in parent pedagogicalisation may contribute to the identification and reduction of the associated exclusionary forces, thus encouraging a more inclusionary discourse.

Deontic technology perceptions: a complementary view to instrumental perspectives on technology acceptance and use

PurposeFor decades, organizational research has primarily considered instrumental technology perceptions (ITP) – emphasizing how technology impacts the personal interests of end users themselves – to understand technology acceptance. The authors offer a complementary paradigm by introducing deontic technology perceptions (DTP), defined as the degree to which individuals believe that the technology they use is beneficial to other individuals beyond themselves (e.g. beneficial to customers).Design/methodology/approachThe authors collected quantitative survey-based data from three different hospitals located in the United States. On the basis of conservation of resources theory, the authors investigated whether both DTP and ITP were associated with improved work-related well-being.FindingsTwo pilot studies (n = 161 and n = 311 nurses) substantiated our DTP conceptualization. Our primary study (n = 346 nurses) found support for the association between DTP and improved work-related well-being. Evidence for the relationship between ITP and work-related well-being was mixed and the authors did not find a statistically significant interaction between DTP and ITP.Originality/valueThe authors build on decades of research on technology acceptance by complementing it with our deontic perspective. Our work demonstrates that technology users pay attention and react meaningfully to how their use of technology impacts not only themselves but also external parties like patients, customers and members of the general public.

Analysis of the Impact of Policy Instruments on Payment for Grasslands Ecosystem Services (PGES) Implementation: A Case Study from Northwest China

The implementation of payment for grassland ecosystem services (PGES) is the result of cooperative games between farmers and the local government. However, there are currently many studies on the willingness behavior of farmers to participate in payment for grassland ecosystem services, although there is a lack of research on the impact of the willingness behavior of local governments on the implementation of payment for grassland ecosystem services. Based on the theory of planned behavior, in this study, the impact of government policy instruments on PGES implementation outcomes was taken as the primary research objective, and the following findings were derived from the three secondary objectives of constructing a model, using structural equations to measure and quantitatively decompose the policy instruments: (1) policy instruments have a significant impact on policy implementation; (2) policy instruments play an important guiding role in farmers’ participation in PGES; and (3) the amount of ecological compensation and the degree of policy implementation have a significant impact on policy instruments. Reasonable adjustments can effectively improve the effect of policy implementation. This study incorporated the implementation willingness and interaction of farmers and local governments into the analysis model of the implementation of payment for grassland ecosystem services, providing a theoretical basis for improving the performance of payment for grassland ecosystem services from the perspective of government policy instruments.

Quantitative Evaluation of Big Data Development Policy: Text Data Analysis Based on Coword Network and Policy Tools

In the context of the continuous promotion of China’s big data development strategy, this paper quantitively analyses China’s existing national-level big data policies from the perspective of policy instruments and coword networks, discusses the rationality of existing policies, explores ways to improve policies, and provides a reference for the innovation of China’s big data policies. This paper carries out a quantitative textual analysis of China’s national big data policy from the perspective of policy instruments using word frequency analysis to obtain a keyword coword matrix and visualization analysis tools to obtain a coword network. This paper further studies the network node characteristics and structure using social network analysis methods, including degree centrality, clustering analysis, and multidimensional scale analysis, to identify the policy structure and characteristics. Improving big data policy requires improvements in policy instruments on the supply side, resolving existing policy gaps, and strengthening coordination with other policies.

For Goodness’ Sake: The Next Wave of CSR Research in an Impact-Oriented World

The business case for CSR is a dominant paradigm in management research which argues that organizations should pursue CSR to maximize profits. However, stakeholders increasingly demand managers consider the short- and long-term societal impact of their decisions, such that many stakeholders likely remain unsatisfied by CSR that is primarily oriented toward short-term financial goals. Given this, two dominant theoretical perspectives of CSR have emerged over time: (1) an instrumental perspective that reflects the traditional business case for CSR, and (2) a more normative injunctive perspective that argues organizations have a duty to move beyond financial goals by reducing harm and creating societal value. For this panel symposium we bring together esteemed scholars with expertise in CSR and corporate sustainability to debate whether, why or why not, and how researchers should re-conceptualize the business case for CSR by comparing, contrasting, and reconciling the instrumental and injunctive perspectives of CSR. The panel will (1) offer a current perspective on the state of the business case for CSR, its importance, and its shortcomings; (2) debate the extent to which researchers should seek to re-conceptualize the business case for CSR; and, finally, (3) propose a launching point for future research on the topic. We thereby seek to chart a path forward for researchers interested in CSR at a time when increasingly impact-oriented stakeholder demands blur the line between instrumental and injunctive perspectives of CSR.

Sign language as a technology: existential and instrumental perspectives of Ugandan Sign Language

AbstractThe introduction of Ugandan Sign Language in Acholi, northern Uganda, was part of a growing internationally linked disability movement in the country and was set within the framework of development policy and human rights-based approaches. In this context, Ugandan Sign Language appeared as a technology of development. But how did the appropriation of Ugandan Sign Language change deaf people’s lives, their being-in-the-world, in Acholi? In using the theoretical approach of existential and instrumental perspectives on technologies by Martin Heidegger, this article analyses the complex transitions following the appropriation of Ugandan Sign Language on international, national and local levels. The disability movement – including Ugandan Sign Language projects – reached Acholi during the time of war between the Lord’s Resistance Army and Ugandan national forces. Displacement brought scattered deaf people together in towns and camps, where Ugandan Sign Language was introduced through workshops and institutions including churches. This created new forms of communication and possibilities of sociality. After the war, gender differences emerged, as many deaf women returned to rural homes where they had few opportunities to communicate with other sign language users.

How to promote residents’ collaboration in destination governance: A framework of destination internal marketing

Mobilizing residents' collaboration in destination governance has become imperative for local governments to achieve the success and sustainability of a destination. However, few studies have explored residents' collaboration from the perspective of governance strategies and instruments. Based on a case study of Hangzhou, China, this paper adopts the grounded theory method to inductively construct a new destination governance framework of destination internal marketing to promote residents' collaboration. The findings reveal: (1) In the framework of destination internal marketing, residents are regarded as critical collaborators, playing the roles of achievement sharers, power holders, and responsibility undertakers. (2) Six governance instruments—supply optimization, substitutive compensation, constructing participation systems, participation supports, sharing field creation, and value communication are utilized for mobilizing residents’ collaboration. (3) Through destination internal marketing, a government–resident collaborative relationship based on mutual trust, equal status, and shared goals could be developed. The findings have theoretical and practical significance for effective governance in destinations.

Quantitative Analysis on NCDs Prevention and Control Policies Based on the Perspective of Policy Instruments - China, 1990-2020.

What is already known about this topic?Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) are a major public health problem in the world. NCDs are the leading cause of premature deaths and disabilities among Chinese residents, resulting in heavy economic and health burdens.What is added by this report?This study conducted a quantitative analysis of the policy texts on NCDs prevention and control in China from 1990 to 2020, based on the perspective of policy instruments. It was discovered that China’s NCDs prevention and control policies developed rapidly from the ground up over the 30 years from 1990 to 2020 and that the majority of China’s NCDs prevention and control policies were environment-oriented, while supply-oriented and demand-oriented policies were insufficient.What are the implications for public health practice?The findings of this study suggested that increasing supply-oriented and demand-oriented strategies should be prioritized in the future formulation and revision of NCDs prevention and control policies.

What Motivates Entrepreneurs into Circular Economy Action? Evidence from Japan and Finland

This study investigated entrepreneurs’ motivations to implement circular economy (CE) practices and the ways in which their approaches to CE practices differed by their sociocultural context. The research aimed to contrast the contemporary instrumental perspective on CE through an ecologically dominant logic. The empirical analysis focused on Finland and Japan, two countries with distinct sociocultural contexts but similar regulatory environments regarding the CE. The study analysed entrepreneurs’ motivations towards the CE through self-determination theory that makes a distinction between different levels of internalization in motivations. The Finnish entrepreneurs were characterised by more frequent intertwined intrinsic/transcendent motivations and a vocal approach to CE. The Japanese entrepreneurs’ motivations were more varied; some were intrinsically interested in the CE, while some were even unaware of the CE concept despite operating CE businesses. The Japanese entrepreneurs resorted to masking their CE businesses to better relate with the surrounding linear system. The study shows how the individualistic Finnish culture fostered progress on the CE, while the collectivistic Japanese culture emphasised the need for relatedness and caused stagnation in the CE in its society.

Overcoming Nitrogen Reduction to Ammonia Detection Challenges: The Case for Leapfrogging to Gas Diffusion Electrode Platforms.

The nitrogen reduction reaction (NRR) is a promising pathway toward the decarbonization of ammonia (NH3) production. However, unless practical challenges related to the detection of NH3 are removed, confidence in published data and experimental throughput will remain low for experiments in aqueous electrolyte. In this perspective, we analyze these challenges from a system and instrumentation perspective. Through our analysis we show that detection challenges can be strongly reduced by switching from an H-cell to a gas diffusion electrode (GDE) cell design as a catalyst testing platform. Specifically, a GDE cell design is anticipated to allow for a reduction in the cost of crucial 15N2 control experiments from €100–2000 to less than €10. A major driver is the possibility to reduce the 15N2 flow rate to less than 1 mL/min, which is prohibited by an inevitable drop in mass-transport at low flow rates in H-cells. Higher active surface areas and improved mass transport can further circumvent losses of NRR selectivity to competing reactions. Additionally, obstacles often encountered when trying to transfer activity and selectivity data recorded at low current density in H-cells to commercial device level can be avoided by testing catalysts under conditions close to those in commercial devices from the start.

Evidence integration for coherent nexus policy design: a Mediterranean perspective on managing water-energy interactions

ABSTRACT Nexus governance increasingly relies on using data to design policy measures. At the intersection of different policy fields, such as energy and water, data is seen to shed light on complex challenges and have the ability to measure both problems and solutions systematically. In order to analyze the challenges linked to data use in the context of nexus governance, we use a policy design lens and more specifically the perspective of organizational policy instruments to look at the Mediterranean region. We focus on how the design of organizational tools enables or impedes policy coherence and thereby the efficacy of data use. Addressing this question, we find that current efforts in the region largely satisfy one condition of coherence, which is coordination of different stakeholders, but lacks effective integration as the second component of achieving coherence. This implies that the organizational instruments outlined in the current context of the Mediterranean efforts are only a starting point for developments over time that require holistic thinking, strengthening coherence long-term as well as developing capabilities around nexus governance. Given these findings, we identify future research questions around the role of organizational policy instruments in contributing to the coordination of data-driven nexus policy mixes.

The Belgian mental health reform: When a combination of soft instruments hampers structural change

AbstractIn Europe, the mental health field is undergoing a paradigm shift from a hospital‐centered, institutionalized and segmented model toward a community‐based, patient‐centered and more integrated model. From 2010 onwards, Belgian policymakers availed themselves of new policy instruments to complete this shift, having been hampered by strong professional and cultural barriers over the four previous decades. However, the reform objectives have only partially been achieved. Assuming that an instrument perspective on policy implementation would illustrate why the reform does not achieve its priority objectives, the article questions the relationship between the types of instruments used and the type of change induced. Drawing on the analysis of three policy implementation processes, we argue that these “soft” instruments are by nature not suitable for initiating any type of change and may have limited effects when used in certain contexts and under certain conditions. The article ends with a discussion of the three limitations of these instruments.