Relational Perspective Research Articles

The Relational Dimension of Liberation (vimutti) in the Pāli Discourses of the Buddha

This paper investigates the embodied dimension of liberation (vimutti) in the Pāli discourses of the Buddha. Liberation is to be understood in relation to different kinds of “persons”’ who experience reality in different ways. For the ordinary person, there might be a presumption of being free, but there is actually no experience of liberation. For the disciple in training, liberation starts to become real and shows itself to be different to the ordinary person’s way of life. Eventually, for the awakened disciple, the ordinary way of life is entirely left behind. This does not necessarily entail an escape from the world of embodied life, but it does open new possibilities for choice and freedom in the overall psychophysical and social ecosystem. In all these cases, liberation (or its lack thereof) must be understood from a relational perspective, namely, in connection with how one functions and behaves in relation to other living beings.

A relational perspective on how and when follower attachment style impacts job performance: The moderating role of leader neuroticism

AbstractWe integrate insights from attachment theory and relational leadership to develop a novel interpersonal explanation of why, how and when followers' attachment anxiety and avoidance impact performance. Drawing on the attachment system dynamics model, we posit that attachment avoidance will be negatively related to LMX quality, whereas attachment anxiety will be positively related to LMX ambivalence. Furthermore, we predict that followers' anxious (and avoidant) attachment styles will interact with leader neuroticism leading to a hyperactivation (deactivation) of the attachment system, manifesting in greater LMX ambivalence (and lower LMX quality). Across three studies, we found consistent evidence for a positive relationship between follower attachment anxiety and LMX ambivalence, as well as an indirect effect between attachment anxiety and job performance. Leader neuroticism was especially likely to induce LMX ambivalence and, in turn, undermine job performance in anxiously attached followers. Attachment avoidance, although unaffected by leader neuroticism, was negatively related to LMX quality across all three studies and demonstrated an indirect effect on job performance in Study 3. Overall, our findings shed light on the unique explanatory power of relational mechanisms, beyond previously examined intrapersonal mechanisms, for understanding the attachment style–performance relationship as well as the role that leader characteristics play in triggering the attachment system in anxious followers.

Relational Perspective in Breastfeeding Research.

Relational Perspective in Breastfeeding Research.

Agency in business networks: combining IMP research with a relational sociological perspective to challenge views on sustainability and ethics

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to clarify the ontological assumptions regarding the concept of agency and sociality within business networks in the Industrial Marketing and Purchasing Group (IMP) research by refining these assumptions with a relational sociological (RS) perspective. This paper reinforces the robustness of the actors-resources-activities (ARA) model with an in-depth investigation of the actor dimension, where local interactions between interdependent individuals play a central role in building common futures within business networks through organisational reflexivity.Design/methodology/approachThis conceptual paper investigates the social ontology of research. It challenges the implicit assumptions of IMP research regarding agency and sociality within business networks with a problematisation strategy (Sandberg and Alvesson, 2011). Combining IMP views on agency with the RS perspective, it sets this combined framework as an alternative for the analysis of sustainability and ethics within business networks.FindingsCombining IMP research and an RS perspective allows us to extend the knowledge of sociality within business networks, highlighting the centrality of meaning sharing in the process of network change. By focusing on symbolic interaction processes, an RS perspective contributes to a deeper theoretical understanding of the relationship between local communication and business network patterns. Combined with an IMP perspective on agency, it provides researchers with an alternative conceptual framework for examining sustainability by considering ethics and leadership dialectically.Research limitations/implicationsRS is still an emerging stream within sociology, characterised by diverse views. Not all relational sociologists, as scientists, feel obliged to engage with sustainability research. Thus, the paper is a two-sided invitation to IMP researchers and relational sociologists to delve into the adaptation processes in business networks in highly uncertain environments.Practical implicationsRS focusing on the centrality of communication in local interactions, business network researchers can show that organisational leaders are not the ones with a charismatic vision isolated from any natural and social environment; rather, they are the people with “the capacity to assist the group to continue acting ethically, creatively and courageously in the unknown” (Stacey,2013).Social implicationsAdopting an RS perspective on agency in business networks can help managers and researchers determine how business networks can be managed in a more sustainable way. Combined with a dialectical and processual understanding of ethics, the IMP-RS perspective emphasises day-to-day local communication practices within and between organisations that challenges microeconomic views on nature, strategy, ethics and leadership. This paper thus places the social at the centre of sustainability approaches.Originality/valueFrom an RS perspective, business networks are analysed as patterns of interactions between many organisations and individuals. The value of this conceptual paper is in showing that change within business networks is negotiated through local interactions and symbolic communication between individuals. Thus, it suggests the need to combine the individual and the organisational levels to analyse agency within business networks and to examine the adaptation of business networks to sustainability.

Predictors of mentoring relationship quality in a college peer mentoring program: associations with mentors’ and mentees’ perceptions of family relationships

PurposePeer mentoring programs in higher education settings support incoming students in their transition and adaptation to college life. Mentoring program evaluation research primarily focuses on student outcomes and documents mentoring relationship quality (MRQ) as an important component of programs that facilitate change. The current study examines MRQ in a college peer mentoring program and explores its association with mentors’ and mentees’ perceptions of family relationships.Design/methodology/approachThe sample included 629 first-year students (Mage = 18.4 and 54.2% female) and 88 mentors (Mage = 20.6 and 65.9% female). Each mentor was matched with eight to 10 incoming students in the same department. Dyadic data were collected prior to the program (pre-test) and at the end of the fall semester (mid-program) and spring semester (post-test). At pre-test assessment, mentors and mentees rated their family relationships, perceived trust, loyalty, and fairness in their families. At follow-up assessments, mentees reported their MRQ, mentoring duration, and mentoring activities.FindingsA multilevel modeling analysis revealed that mentees’ and mentors’ perceptions of loyalty in their families predicted higher levels of MRQ at the end of the program. However, mentors’ perceived trust in their families was negatively associated with MRQ.Originality/valueThis study adds to the youth mentoring literature by focusing on family-of-origin experiences of both mentors and mentees from a dyadic and relational perspective. These findings have implications for future research and the practice of formal mentoring programs in college settings.

Rethinking rurality in rural tourism: a new materialist approach

The concept of rurality has been widely debated among scholars, yet rarely questioned in tourism research. We argue that new approaches to rurality in rural tourism research need to be explored if a more inclusive and diverse rurality is to be found. For this purpose, three fundamental dimensions of dominant approaches to tourism rurality, particularly in the Global North, are problematized in the paper: rural as the opposite of, what is not an urban space, rurality as idyllic/romantic landscapes, and rural authenticity as symbolically and existentially perceived by the visitor. The paper then contends that these three dominant taken-for-granted dimensions reinforce a normative conception of rurality which potentially marginalizes, obstructs, and excludes the flourishing of alternative ruralities in rural tourism destinations. A new theoretical approach to rural tourism, which draws on Massey’s relational perspective of space and a new-materialist ontology is proposed, where more inclusive and diverse forms of tourism rurality and more open and non-hierarchical rural assemblages can be envisaged as a result.

Revisiting Reggio Emilia through a more-than-human lullaby: diffractive montages as documenting childhood (and) literacy otherwise

ABSTRACT The authors draw on posthumanism to expand Reggio Emilia’s pedagogical documentation techniques through a diffractive montage. Analysis of a phenomenon involving 4- and 5-year-old children singing a lullaby in a school in Seville (Spain), considers how this diffractive montage leads to a reconfiguration of the pioneering work of Reggio Emilia. The authors also contemplate the narrative of relationships, intra-actions and literacies materialised in this posthumanist diffraction of Reggio Emilia. The diffractive montage sheds light on the new material relations in the phenomenon to enable an expansion of the relational perspective of Reggio Emilia. Throughout this process, learning/play, observer/observed and human/non-human binaries dissolve which troubles the ontological premise of humanistic research. In the diffractive montage epistemic injustice relating to childhood literacies emerges, and so does the imperative to map their multiple familiarities from a de/colonising perspective.

Building up bit by bit, parent’s experiences of equine–assisted intervention among children and adolescents with mental illness: a grounded theory study

ABSTRACT Background Mental ill health among children and adolescents has increased worldwide. Mental health difficulties from a young age are associated with school absence and educational underachievement. A holistic perspective of treatments besides medical treatment is essential Thus, there is a need for research regarding equine-assisted intervention (EAI). Purpose The present study aimed to understand the outcomes of an equine-assisted intervention for children and adolescents with mental ill health from the perspectives of parents and close relatives. Methods This study used a qualitative research design informed by Charmaz’s Grounded Theory, with a purposive sample including six in-depth interviews. Results The theory “building up bit by bit” was constructed, explaining the recognition that their children/adolescents were built up bit by bit and created a stronger self-identity. The participants referred to changes in the child’s or adolescent’s way of being and emotional regulation, which constituted building blocks leading to the child’s or adolescent’s 1. increased Harmony. 2. enhanced Self-identity, and 3. improved Capability. Conclusion Parents and close relatives experienced that their child or adolescent was built up bit by bit and gained a stronger foundation to stand on. This led to increased harmony in everyday life with stronger self-worth, better performance, and reduced school absenteeism.

Theoretical Perspectives Underpinning Research on the Physician-Patient Relationship in a Digital Health Practice: Scoping Review.

The advent of digital health technologies has transformed the landscape of health care, influencing the dynamics of the physician-patient relationship. Although these technologies offer potential benefits, they also introduce challenges and complexities that require ethical consideration. This scoping review aims to investigate the effects of digital health technologies, such as digital messaging, telemedicine, and electronic health records, on the physician-patient relationship. To understand the complex consequences of these tools within health care, it contrasts the findings of studies that use various theoretical frameworks and concepts with studies grounded in relational ethics. Using the PRISMA-ScR (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews) guidelines, we conducted a scoping review. Data were retrieved through keyword searches on MEDLINE/PubMed, Embase, IEEE Xplore, and Cochrane. We screened 427 original peer-reviewed research papers published in English-language journals between 2010 and 2021. A total of 73 papers were assessed for eligibility, and 10 of these were included in the review. The data were summarized through a narrative synthesis of the findings. Digital health technologies enhance communication, improve health care delivery efficiency, and empower patients, leading to shifts in power dynamics in the physician-patient relationship. They also potentially reinforce inequities in health care access due to variations in technology literacy among patients and lead to decreases in patient satisfaction due to the impersonal nature of digital interactions. Studies applying a relational ethics framework have revealed the nuanced impacts of digital health technologies on the physician-patient relationship, highlighting shifts toward more collaborative and reciprocal care. These studies have also explored transitions from traditional hierarchical relationships to mutual engagement, capturing the complexities of power dynamics and vulnerabilities. Other theoretical frameworks, such as patient-centered care, and concepts, such as patient empowerment, were also valuable for understanding these interactions in the context of digital health. The shift from hierarchical to collaborative models in the physician-patient relationship not only underscores the empowering potential of digital tools but also presents new challenges and reinforces existing ones. Along with applications for various theoretical frameworks and concepts, this review highlights the unique comprehensiveness of a relational ethics perspective, which could provide a more nuanced understanding of trust, empathy, and power dynamics in the context of digital health. The adoption of relational ethics in empirical research may offer richer insights into the real-life complexities of the physician-patient relationship, as mediated by digital technologies.

Fighting against assisted dying in Spain: catholic-inspired civic mobilization during the COVID-19 pandemic

AbstractThe article analyzes the network structure and dynamics of the Spanish field of catholic-inspired secular organizations (CISO-N), and their mobilization against the Euthanasia Bill amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to a relational perspective, it adopts a historical-comparative approach to political opportunities that affect the praxis of these organizations. Drawing on 7-year fieldwork, including in-depth interviews with CISO-N activists and participant observation of their demonstrations, it traces CISO-N's discourse of ‘moral panic’ and ties to religious and political organizations, particularly the far-right party VOX. We advance a novel perspective, bridging literature on assisted dying and social movement studies, particularly focusing on far-right Christian populist mobilizations. The article offers one of the first sociological analyses of euthanasia as the new moral, political, and cultural neoconservative anti-rights front, which has been mainly studied from bioethics, socio-medical studies, and medical jurisprudence perspectives.

A Multimodal Study on the Image-text Relations in Medical English Textbook

With the advancement of globalization and information technology, the importance of multimodal teaching and learning of medical English has become increasingly prominent. Based on Martinic and Salway's status relations system, this paper studies the image-text relations of the medical English textbook "Medical Terminology: An Illustrated Guide"(The 8th edition)(2017). All the 256 images in this textbook were analyzed and classified according to the status relations. It has found that in each part as well as the whole textbook, from the perspective of the status relations, the complementary image-text relation is the most frequently identified, which is in accordance with the gradual complexity of the textbook. The setting of the relationship between images and texts in the textbook has a certain rationality and scientificity, which shows that the reasonable preparation and selection of images can better assist medical students in learning medical English terminologies, and can also provide beneficial guide for the compilers to design the medical English textbooks.

Contractual Diversification Advantage: A Relational View of the Link Between Supplier Diversification and Performance

Contractual Diversification Advantage: A Relational View of the Link Between Supplier Diversification and Performance

Refugee solidarity activism in times of pandemic: reorganizing solidarity practices at the EU border

ABSTRACT This article explores how grassroots refugee solidarity groups adapted their solidarity practices to the unprecedented challenges created by the COVID-19 pandemic. By taking as a case study the EU border between Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia, which is situated along the Western Balkans migratory route, this piece explores how grassroots solidarity groups continued to provide first aid in the field to people on the move during the pandemic by adapting their practices to the changed circumstances. Combining a spatial and relational perspective to the study of solidarity activism, this article found evidence that solidarity groups managed to continue their activities during the pandemic thanks to two specific conditions: the existence of established networks and strong ties between international and domestic actors; and the spatiality of the border, which provided fertile ground for these relationships and ties to develop and thrive. The study placed social movement literature into dialogue with critical border studies and critical geography and is based on online and offline participant observation as well as in-depth qualitative interviews with solidarians engaged in refugee solidarity activism.

Following Your Ideal Leader: Implicit Public Leadership Theories, Leader—Member Exchange, and Work Engagement

Although social comparisons are ubiquitous in leadership, previous scholarship in public administration has not yet studied comparative aspects of how followers perceive and respond to leadership. This study addresses this gap and disentangles the link between leadership and work engagement from a socio-cognitive and relational perspective. It examines how public employees compare their real leaders against ideal leaders and how perceived gaps between both affect their work engagement through leader–member exchange (LMX). Building on leadership and job demands–resources theory, a priming study using the Semantic Misattribution Procedure (SMP) extracts participants’ Implicit Public Leadership Theories. Structural equation modeling reveals that work engagement is substantially higher (lower) when characteristics of the supervisor resonate with positive (negative) prototypes of ideal leaders, with this association being fully mediated by LMX. The study shows how implicit information processing matters for the emergence of leader–follower relationships and, in turn, for important follower outcomes. It thus contributes to, and combines, a socio-cognitive and a relational approach to leadership in the public sector.

Interrogating the agency of non-profit labour market intermediaries: Casting light on ‘shadow spaces’ through an institutional-relational view

In a context of government cutbacks, non-profit labour-market intermediaries are assuming a more significant role in efforts to combat precarious employment. Yet such organizations are still subject to state funding regimes, regulations, oversight and neoliberal logics. As such, some scholars argue that they constitute “shadow state” spaces. In this paper, we move beyond the ‘shadow’ concept, casting light on the ways that different state-non-profit relations shape non-profits’ agency to define and realize their respective mandates. Building on a relational perspective, we hold that links between non-profits and the state are not linear. We complement this perspective with an institutional-relational approach to consider how a non-profit’s distinct institutional configuration (i.e., regulations, funders, and partners) enables or forecloses agency vis-à-vis the state apparatus. Through an examination of two non-profit labour market intermediaries that serve immigrant workers in Montreal/Tio’tia:ke, our analysis lends insight into institutional elements that can enlarge a non-profit organization’s space to maneuver.

How does COVID-19 affect employee innovation performance and environmental responsibility engagement in the banking sector? A moderated-mediated perspective

PurposeThe purpose of the article is to shed light on how COVID-19 affects employee involvement in environmental responsibility and innovative performance in the banking industry, and whether employee engagement mediates the relationship between the variables. Thus, this study tries to understand bank employees’ perspectives in relation to the variables.Design/methodology/approachThe study was collected during Time lag (1) and Time lag (2) from 156 to 216 bank employees, respectively. The study applied two types of analysis, to comprehend the impact of COVID-19 on employees, descriptive analysis and the partial least squares (PLS) are used.FindingsThe study's findings focused mainly on the influence of COVID-19 in Jordanian banks on employee innovative performance (EIP) due to pandemic, in addition to its effect on environmental responsibility engagement (ERE). The findings indicated a positive significant relationship between the variables. Meanwhile, employee engagement (EE) mediated the effect between the exogenous and endogenous variables.Originality/valueThe current research provide light on the value of employees' innovative performance and banks' commitment to environmental responsibility for those working in the banking industry, particularly during a pandemic. The findings have significant ramifications for the banking industry and in raising employee engagement.

HER2 mutation as an emerging target in advanced breast cancer.

HER2 activating mutations have emerged as oncogenic drivers and therapeutic targets in a variety of human tumors. In breast cancer, these deregulations occur at low frequency, and are mostly detected in HER2-nonamplified, metastatic disease. Preclinical evidence has clarified the role of hotspot mutations in HER2 constitutive activation, defining them as an alternative mechanism to HER2 gene amplification. Furthermore, recent clinical studies have indicated the emergence of newly acquired HER2 deregulations in significant proportions of breast cancer patients who experience disease progression following both endocrine and HER2-targeted therapies. As the involvement of HER2 mutation in therapy resistance may profoundly impact patient outcomes on successive therapies, several clinical trials are currently investigating the efficacy of various HER2-targeted drugs in HER2-mutant breast cancer. In this review, we firstly summarize the structural organization of the HER2 oncogene and its historical impact on breast cancer prognosis and therapeutic advancement. Then, we provide an overview of the frequencies and functional relevance of clinically recurrent HER2 mutations in breast cancer with a special focus on their role in therapeutic resistance. Finally, we provide a collection of the clinical trials that are currently exploring novel therapeutic approaches for this patient subset and discuss the related perspectives and challenges.

Investigating the indirect impact of transformational leadership on performance and work alienation: evidence from school principals navigating COVID-19

PurposeAlthough significant research has examined the concept of transformational leadership, few studies have explored the indirect impact of transformational leadership on individual and organizational outcomes within the context of crisis. Accordingly, this study aims to advance our understanding of the indirect impact of transformational leadership on school performance and principals' work alienation within the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. In doing so, this study contributes to this developing stream of literature by hypothesizing the indirect effect of two relational resources, namely employee trust and relational coordination, which mediate the relationship between transformational leadership, school performance and principals' work alienation.Design/methodology/approachThis study draws on a unique sample of 634 principals from Irish primary schools navigating the COVID-19 crisis. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was performed using Mplus 8.3 to test the hypothesized model.FindingsMixed findings emerged concerning the mediating process of relational resources and their impact on transformational leadership, school performance and principals' work-alienation. In particular, support is found for the critical role of principals whose transformational leadership style can help increase school performance. However, evidence suggests that employee trust does not mediate the relationship between transformational leadership and principals' work alienation.Practical implicationsThis study provides several practical insights for education professionals, policymakers and HRM practitioners across each phase of the crisis management cycle. Firstly, regarding the pre-crisis stage, educational institutions should invest in targeted leadership development programs that prioritize relationship-building and effective communication among stakeholders. Second, during crises, the study emphasizes the role of relational resources in mediating the impact of leadership on school performance. Moreover, the study illustrates the importance of proactively cultivating strong connections with stakeholders, fostering timely, problem-solving-based communication. Finally, in the post-crisis phase, collaboration with government stakeholders is recommended to inform recovery policies.Originality/valueThis study makes several contributions to the literature on leadership and crisis management. First, this study adds new insights suggesting how principals as leaders influence school performance during crisis. Second, by adopting a relational perspective, this study suggests two types of relational resources (i.e. employee trust and relational coordination), as the mediators between transformational leadership, school performance and principals' work alienation. Third, this study moves the existing research on leadership during crisis forward by focusing on the functional effectiveness of leadership while focusing on the principals' work alienation during the pandemic.

Fill-ins with scalar curvature lower bounds and applications to positive mass theorems

Given a constant C and a smooth closed (n-1)\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$(n-1)$$\\end{document}-dimensional Riemannian manifold (Σ,g)\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$(\\Sigma , g)$$\\end{document} equipped with a positive function H, a natural question to ask is whether this manifold can be realised as the boundary of a smooth n-dimensional Riemannian manifold with scalar curvature bounded below by C and boundary mean curvature H. That is, does there exist a fill-in of (Σ,g,H)\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$(\\Sigma ,g,H)$$\\end{document} with scalar curvature bounded below by C? We use variations of an argument due to Miao and the author (Int Math Res Not 7:2019, 2019) to explicitly construct fill-ins with different scalar curvature lower bounds, where we permit the fill-in to contain another boundary component provided it is a minimal surface. Our main focus is to illustrate the applications of such fill-ins to geometric inequalities in the context of general relativity. By filling in a manifold beyond a boundary, one is able to obtain lower bounds on the mass in terms of the boundary geometry through positive mass theorems and Penrose inequalities. We consider fill-ins with both positive and negative scalar curvature lower bounds, which from the perspective of general relativity corresponds to the sign of the cosmological constant, as well as a fill-in suitable for the inclusion of electric charge.

How micro-firms innovate: A qualitative study on the role of networks

ABSTRACT Despite the increasing scholarly attention to how small businesses innovate, we still know little about the factors that motivate and support innovation in such firms. Drawing upon the relational view perspective, this qualitative study joins this conversation by investigating the controversial role played by networks in affecting innovation in micro-firms active in “traditional” industries, in which continuity with the past is highly important. Building on 32 semistructured interviews with crafts micro-entrepreneurs and network managers, we identify several factors that have effects on innovation and detect three main ways in which micro-entrepreneurs make sense of the influence of networks on the overall innovation process. This study offers two primary contributions. First, we shed light on the varying effects of the network characteristics on innovation in micro-firms. Second, we further our understanding of how micro-entrepreneurs frame the role of networks in affecting innovation. Thus, we develop a framework on the joint effect of network-level characteristics and the micro-entrepreneur’s sense of a network’s role as key drivers of the impact of networks on innovation in micro-firms.