Self-directed Teams Research Articles

A predictive model for collaborative leadership in digital transformation: Does it make a difference in Oman’s e-government performance?

PurposeThis paper aims to investigate the role of collaborative leadership in government digital transformation in the Sultanate of Oman. To analyze collaborative leadership, the research examines four exogenous variables: self-directed team, power-sharing, relational intelligence and agility. The endogenous variable chosen to represent Oman's e-Government performance is organizational performance.Design/methodology/approachA quantitative method was applied to gather cross-sectional data in a questionnaire survey. Using a stratified sampling technique, the data were collected from 100 information and communication technology and e-government officials who assume leadership responsibilities. Partial least square structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) examined measurement and structural models.FindingsThe role of collaborative leadership in the performance of government digital transformation in the Sultanate of Oman was examined in this study. Collaborative leadership was categorized into four exogenous variables: self-directed team, power-sharing, relational intelligence and agility. Oman’s e-government performance operationalized as the organizational performance was selected as the endogenous variable. The results show that the self-directed team and agility components of collaborative leadership significantly positively impacted the performance of government digital transformation in the Sultanate of Oman.Research limitations/implicationsThe major limitation of this research was that the study covered only four collaborative leadership attributes: self-directed teams, power-sharing, relational intelligence and agility. The study should have covered building trust, commitment, emotional intelligence, vision and communication skills.Practical implicationsThese results are important for government policy creators and decision-makers aiming to enhance government digital transformation performance by leveraging collaborative leadership.Social implicationsAddressing collaborative leadership in management can be done through awareness of its importance to critical decision-makers and embedding it in the organization's governance, policies and human resource career path. In particular, it is recommended that public sector leaders continuously monitor self-managing teams and teamwork practices within the organization.Originality/valueThe originality and contribution of the above article lie in its investigation of the role of collaborative leadership in the context of government digital transformation in the Sultanate of Oman. The study contributes to the existing literature by examining the impact of four exogenous variables, self-directed team, power-sharing, relational intelligence and agility, on collaborative leadership. Additionally, the research uses a quantitative approach and uses PLS-SEM to analyze the data. The findings highlight the significant positive impact of self-directed team and agility components of collaborative leadership on the performance of government digital transformation. These insights provide valuable implications for government policy creators and decision-makers aiming to enhance digital transformation in the public sector by effectively implementing collaborative leadership strategies.

The impact of self-directed team on high-performance organization with the mediating role of knowledge sharing culture: Organizational support as a moderator.

The primary aim of this investigation is to identify the relationship between self-directed teams and high-performance organizations (work). Furthermore, exploring the mediating role of knowledge-sharing culture with the self-directed team and high-performance organization relationships. Moreover, this study analyzed the moderating role of a sense of organizational support in the relationship between knowledge-sharing culture and high-performance organizations. Using the PLS-SEM approach (SmartPLS 3.3.7) in this study, we obtained data from employees of high-tech enterprises listed on the Shanghai Stock Exchange China to analyze this study. The present research seeks to determine the direct and indirect effects of the study-related factors on the outcome of the investigation. According to the findings, a self-directed team positively impacts knowledge sharing culture, knowledge sharing behavior, knowledge sharing strategy, and mutual trust among its members. Knowledge-sharing culture has no mediating role and its component in the relationship between independent and dependent constructs. This study also indicated that a sense of organizational support has no moderating effect on the relationship between a knowledge-sharing culture and high-performance organizations. This study may practically contribute to high-tech enterprises to develop and implement business development and proper self-directed team, knowledge-sharing culture, and sense of organizational support, and consequently, can contribute to the growth of overall high-performance organizations.

THE INTERVENING EFFECT OF EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT ON THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN HIGH PERFORMANCE WORK PRACTICES AND EMPLOYEE JOB PERFORMANCE

It is evident that high performance work practices are bringing competitive advantage to the organizations. On the other hand, employee engagement is all about employee’s cognitive, emotional and behavioral involvement of his/her job as well as with the organization. The purpose of this study was to investigate the intervening role or the mediating role of employee engagement on the relationship between high performance work practices and employee job performance. Methodology. Data gathered from 135 managerial level employees in the Sri Lankan public listed banks. Hypothesis was developed based on the theoretical assertions and empirical evidence. Three hypotheses were tested in a non-contrive study setting as a cross sectional study. After the reliability is ensured the correlation, regression and sobel test used to examine the hypothesized relationships. Results The findings of this study reveals that significant mediating effect of employee engagement on the relationship between High Performance Work practices and employee job performance. Practical Implications This study is beneficial for the banks to improve their job performance by adopting high performance work practices including realistic job preview, pay for performance, staff attitude surveys, self-directed teams, regular appraisals, extensive training and symbolic egalitarianism. Originality. This study makes two theoretical contributions. A novel theoretical framework built on the foundation of system theory is presented first, laying the groundwork for further investigation. Secondly, this study adds new knowledge to signaling theory by ensuring the high-performance work practices such as symbolic egalitarianism signals the employee that the organization recognize their worth and enhance and their job performance.

Systematic review on barriers and facilitators of complex interventions for residents with dementia in long-term care.

Psychotropic drugs are frequently and sometimes inappropriately used for the treatment of neuropsychiatric symptoms of people with dementia, despite their limited efficacy and side effects. Interventions to address neuropsychiatric symptoms and psychotropic drug use are multifactorial and often multidisciplinary. Suboptimal implementation of these complex interventions often limits their effectiveness. This systematic review provides an overview of barriers and facilitators influencing the implementation of complex interventions targeting neuropsychiatric symptoms and psychotropic drug use in long-term care. To identify relevant studies, the following electronic databases were searched between 28 May and 4 June: PubMed, Web of Science, PsycINFO, Cochrane, and CINAHL. Two reviewers systematically reviewed the literature, and the quality of the included studies was assessed using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme qualitative checklist. The frequency of barriers and facilitators was addressed, followed by deductive thematic analysis describing their positive of negative influence. The Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research guided data synthesis. Fifteen studies were included, using mostly a combination of intervention types and care programs, as well as different implementation strategies. Key factors to successful implementation included strong leadership and support of champions. Also, communication and coordination between disciplines, management support, sufficient resources, and culture (e.g. openness to change) influenced implementation positively. Barriers related mostly to unstable organizations, such as renovations to facility, changes toward self-directed teams, high staff turnover, and perceived work and time pressures. Implementation is complex and needs to be tailored to the specific needs and characteristics of the organization in question. Champions should be carefully chosen, and the application of learned actions and knowledge into practice is expected to further improve implementation.

Shared leadership in entrepreneurial teams: the impact of personality

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to develop a model to better understand which personality traits and personal values impact transformational leadership qualities in self-directed entrepreneurial teams as perceived by team members.Design/methodology/approachA cohort consisting of six self-directed entrepreneurial teams was selected. A multi-rater system was applied to assess the perceived transformational leadership qualities. A model was developed, using three dimensions of transformational leadership as dependent variables: inspiring others, stimulating interaction among group members and communicating a strong vision.FindingsThe ability to inspire others was predicted by friendliness, measuring a positive labeling of social phenomena. In addition, two positive moderation effects emerged as being related to inspirational capacities: assertiveness and despondency, and assertiveness and emotional empathy interacted. The second moderation effect also impacted the capacity to stimulate group interaction. The personality traits “modesty” and the personal value “human relations” were negatively related to the perceived capacity to communicate a strong vision. Furthermore, a significant but moderate effect of team membership on the capacity to inspire others respectively stimulate interaction seems to exist.Practical implicationsThe research results offer valuable opportunities to enhance or to develop those informal, transformational leadership qualities positively influencing entrepreneurial effectiveness.Social implicationsAs entrepreneurship in small, self-directed teams is a popular phenomenon, research results add to the understanding of group interaction related to informal leadership.Originality/valueShared or informal transformational leadership in the context of self-directed, entrepreneurial teams is a relatively new phenomenon. Integrating a multi-rater assessment of leadership with personality combines interesting perspectives.

IMPLEMENTING FRAILTY MEASURES IN THE CANADIAN HEALTHCARE SYSTEM

Canadian healthcare is changing to include individuals living with frailty, but frailty must be better operationalized and better framed by sound data standards and policy. Frailty results from deficit accumulation in multiple body systems, with exaggerated vulnerability to external stressors. A growing consensus on defining frailty sets the stage for consensus on operationalization and widespread implementation in care settings. Frailty measurement is not yet integrated into daily clinical practice in Canada. Here, we will present how this integration might occur. We hope to demonstrate that implementation must appeal to inter-professional practice needs in different settings or circumstances. In some settings, methods for frailty case finding are expected to evolve as deemed to be most appropriate to the front-line users. In this "hands-off" approach, care providers, supported by emerging knowledge translation on frailty operationalization, would be informed by their setting and local practices to establish patterns of ad hoc case finding and component definition of frailty. This more nimble case finding strategy would be opportunistic, and would appeal to expert clinicians and self-directed teams who emphasize an individualized health care experience for their patients. In other settings, we can shape frailty case finding by building care algorithms around existing standardized practices and data repositories, leading to a systematic application of frailty measures and a more coordinated process of component definition and care protocols. Here, recommended instruments and data standards must be endorsed by health networks locally, provincially and nationally. The interRAI suite of assessment instruments has pan-Canadian standards in place and its pervasiveness makes it the most obvious starting point, especially in home care and long-term care. We anticipate the evolution of an integrated model informed by stakeholders and settings, where policy makers focus on system supports for frailty case finding, while front-line clinicians use case finding strategies to pinpoint and act on key frailty components.

Cellular and organisational team formations for effective Lean transformations

ABSTRACTTeamwork is considered essential for effective Lean organisations. However, how and why are teams formed during a successful Lean transformation relative to changes in organisational structure? Constructs for variables and factors that influence formation of teams, during and after Lean transformation maturity, were identified. The research employed a purposively sampled case study with three questionnaires, focus groups, interviews and multiple linear regression. Self-directed teams become flow-line or cellular-work teams, supported by dedicated cross-functional teams led by first line managers who run manufacturing cells as small business units. Participation of cellular team members leads to ongoing commitment and continuous improvement within the team leading to restructuring of organisations for effective flow and pull. Cross-functional team activity and self-directed team activities are vital components for successful Lean transformations. Constructive, humble, and common-sense leadership is required for team formations. Future research could investigate literacy coupled with Lean transformations for South African organisations.Abbreviations: TPS: Toyota production system; JSE: Johannesburg stock exchange; SMED: single minute exchange of die; TW: Teamwork; PARTINV: Participation and Involvement; CELFM: Cellular Format – self-directed team activity; LHINT: Level of Horizontal Integration – cross-functional team activity; LOCDM: Locus of Decision-Making – by organisational level; TAG: Taguchi; CTR: Cycle Time Reduction; 5S: Five-S; TPM: Total Productive Maintenance; KAN: Kanban pull; VIS: Visibility; KAIZ: Kaizen; HOSHK: Hoshin Kanri; 7W: Seven wastes; PROB: Problem solving; STAND: Standard work; SPF: One Piece Flow; CM: Cellular Manufacturing; HEIJ: Heijunka; DISTVAL: Value per customer; VSM: Value Stream Mapping; POKJID: Mistake proofing; SMED: One digit exchange of die; POLDEP: Policy Deployment

An innovative team-based weightloss competition to reduce cardiovascular and diabetes risk among M\u0101ori and Pacific people: rationale and method for the study and its evaluation

BackgroundObesity rates for New Zealand (NZ) Pacific and Māori (NZ indigenous people) are among the highest in the world. Long-term results of weight management programmes for adults have been modest but primarily focused on individuals. This paper describes the rationale and methodology for a trial of a culturally tailored team-based weightloss competition conducted online with community level support.Methods/DesignA quasi-experimental design was used to compare an intervention and control group. Three six-month competitions with seven teams of seven Māori or Pacific people (N = 147) were run. Eligible participants were: Māori or Pacific, 16 years of age and above, obese (BMI ≥30 kg/m2) and either at risk of or already diagnosed with type 2 diabetes (HbA1c >50 mmol/mol) or cardiovascular disease.The intervention facilitated group use of an internet-based competition offering financial incentives, education and support. The primary outcome was percentage of individual weight lost at 12-months. Secondary outcomes were percentage reduced total cholesterol and glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c). Data collected at baseline, 6-months and 12-months included: height, body weight, blood lipids and HbA1c, eating and dieting habits, family support, food access, alcohol use, nutrition literacy, activity levels, perceptions of weight, stress and sleep, and, perceived contagion effect. Process evaluation tasks will inform acceptability.DiscussionAn attractive, easy to understand weight change programme that effectively reduces disease risk among Māori and Pacific is desperately needed. Web-based delivered support and information to largely self-directed teams could also ease exponential rises in costs to the health system.Trial registrationTrial Id: ACTRN12617000871347.

Home-care nursing staff in self-directed teams are more satisfied with their job and feel they have more autonomy over patient care: a nationwide survey.

The aims of this study were: (1) To examine whether working in a self-directed team is related to home-care nursing staff's job satisfaction; (2) To assess the mediating effect of self-perceived autonomy over patient care; (3) To investigate the moderating effect of educational level on the association between autonomy over patient care and job satisfaction. Self-directed teams are being introduced in home care in several countries. It is unknown whether working in a self-directed team is related to nursing staff's job satisfaction. It is important to gain insight into this association since self-directed teams may help in retaining nursing staff. A cross-sectional study based on two questionnaire surveys in 2014 and 2015. The study involved 191 certified nursing assistants and registered nurses employed in Dutch home-care organizations (mean age of 50). These were members of the Dutch Nursing Staff Panel, a nationwide panel of nursing staff working in various healthcare settings. Self-direction is positively related to nursing staff's job satisfaction. This relationship is partly mediated by autonomy over patient care. For certified nursing assistants and registered nurses with a bachelor's degree, a greater sense of autonomy over patient care in self-directed teams is positively related to job satisfaction. No significant association was found between autonomy over patient care and job satisfaction for registered nurses with an associate degree. This study suggests that home-care organizations should consider the use of self-directed teams as this increases nursing staff's job satisfaction and may therefore help to retain nursing staff in home care.

What do people do at work?

This paper describes the survey of Skills, Technology, and Management Practices (STAMP), which emphasizes the use of behaviourally specific questions in order to improve the quality of job measures. Such measures yield better understanding of the absolute levels of job demands compared to items or scales with arbitrary units that lack definite meaning outside the framework of a particular survey. STAMP measures reveal most workers use relatively simple levels of math on their jobs, but there is a bifurcation of jobs in terms of the complexity of reading and especially writing that is required. Aside from managerial and professional occupations, the absolute level of academic skills required on most jobs does not appear to be very high. Likewise, computer use is widespread but most people use computers for fairly mundane office duties rather than more complex tasks; few workers use any kind of automated production equipment on their jobs. Well-developed employee involvement practices, such as self-directed teams, cover about one-fifth to one-quarter of the workforce. Very few workers report being affected by outsourcing and the numbers affected by technological displacement are almost imperceptible.

Teamwork quality and project success in software development: A survey of agile development teams

Small, self-directed teams are central in agile development. This article investigates the effect of teamwork quality on team performance, learning and work satisfaction in agile software teams, and whether this effect differs from that of traditional software teams. A survey was administered to 477 respondents from 71 agile software teams in 26 companies and analyzed using structural equation modeling. A positive effect of teamwork quality on team performance was found when team members and team leaders rated team performance. In contrast, a negligible effect was found when product owners rated team performance. The effect of teamwork quality on team members´ learning and work satisfaction was strongly positive, but was only rated by the team members. Despite claims of the importance of teamwork in agile teams, this study did not find teamwork quality to be higher than in a similar survey on traditional teams. The effect of teamwork quality on team performance was only marginally greater for the agile teams than for the traditional teams.

Emergent Leadership in Self-Directed Teams: Communication Shifts over Time

With the increase of self-directed, formally leaderless teams in organizations comes a growing interest in understanding the social processes that can explain why some individuals are more likely t...

Enhancing the Effectiveness of Team Debriefings in Medical Simulation: More Best Practices

Teamwork is a vital component of optimal patient care. In both clinical settings and medical education, a variety of approaches are used for the development of teamwork skills. Yet, for team members to receive the full educational benefit of these experiential learning opportunities, postsimulation feedback regarding the team's performance must be incorporated. Debriefings are among the most widely used form of feedback regarding team performance. A team debriefing is a facilitated or guided dialogue that takes place between team members following an action period to review and reflect on team performance. Team members discuss their perceptions of what occurred, why it occurred, and how they can enhance their performance. Simulation debriefing allows for greater control and planning than are logistically feasible for on-the-job performance. It is also unique in that facilitators of simulation-based training are generally individuals external to the team, whereas debriefing on the job is commonly led by an internal team member or conducted without a specified facilitator. Consequently, there is greater opportunity for selecting and training facilitators for team simulation events. Thirteen Best Practices: The 13 best practices, extracted from existing training and debriefing research, are organized under three general categories: (1) preparing for debriefing, (2) facilitator responsibilities during debriefing, and (3) considerations for debriefing content. For each best practice, considerations and practical implications are provided to facilitate the implementation of the recommended practices. The 13 best practices presented in this article should help health care organizations by guiding team simulation administrators, self-directed medical teams, and debriefing facilitators in the optimization of debriefing to support learning for all team members.

Creativity in short-term self-directed groups: an analysis using a complexity-based framework

This paper uses a complexity-based framework to study creativity in short-term self-directed groups. The study is based on observations and interviews collected from three eight-day working groups addressing real-life societal challenges. Qualitative content analysis of the data was conducted using Atlas.ti. The results reveal group differences in creative capacity as well as difficulties in achieving a working mode that enables the production of creative output within a short space of time. Based on these results we identified seven factors that support creativity in these short-term groups. The results provide important clues for organising and facilitating creativity and innovation in self-directed work groups, self-managed teams and other short-term and ad hoc groups.

The impact of shared leadership on teamwork mental models and performance in self-directed teams

The purpose of this study was to clarify the role of shared leadership in self-directed teams by testing its relationship with teamwork mental models and team performance. Data from 40 intact, naturally occurring teams involved in highly interdependent tasks demonstrated that the distribution of informal leadership and whether or not perceptions of leadership were reciprocated among leaders were related to the degree of similarity and accuracy of team mental models as well as subsequent team performance. Specifically, teams with a coordinated type of shared-leadership perception demonstrated significantly higher levels of team mental model similarity, team mental model accuracy, and team performance than teams with a distribution of leaders that failed to recognize each other as leaders as well as teams with no leaders. However, teams with distributed-coordinated leadership were significantly different than teams with centralized leadership only with respect to team mental model accuracy scores. Finally, this study builds on prior research by demonstrating that the team mental model accuracy contributes more to team performance than team mental model similarity.

A Longitudinal, Multilevel Study of Leadership Efficacy Development in MBA Teams

Simulations in which MBA students can practice decision-making and leadership skills in team contexts are commonplace in modern business schools. This longitudinal study explored the development of confidence in one's ability to lead (i.e., leadership efficacy) over time in the context of 40 self-directed MBA teams (198 individuals) participating in a 4-day immersive business simulation. Using random coefficient growth modeling (Bliese & Ployhart, 2002; Ployhart, Holtz, & Bliese, 2002), two manifestations of leadership efficacy were examined: the individual-level variable and team-level dispersion. Findings at the individual level indicated that extraversion and cognitive ability were predictors of the initial level of leadership efficacy, and emotional stability, agreeableness, and openness to experience were predictors of the change in leadership efficacy over time. Midpoint feedback received by the team was also related to leadership efficacy. Findings at the team level indicated that dispersion increased over time within teams, but teams that began their lifespan with strong action and transition processes experienced less dispersion from the outset. Also, more positive midpoint feedback caused greater dispersion in the second half of the team's life. Implications for leadership development are discussed.

Time Urgent Personality Traits and Anxiety Toward Self-Directed Teams

That self-directed teams provide benefits to their individual members, the team, and the organization is an almost universally accepted principle in management practice and education. Yet little re...

A utilização da liderança situacional como diferencial estratégico para as organizações contemporâneas

This article had the purpose of presenting the results for the use of Situational Leadership as a strategic differential at Contemporary Organizations. The themes Motivation in the workplace, Leadership and Empowerment, Styles of Leaderships and Situational Leadership were essential to debate the proposed topic. Having said this, the methodology applied here was case study and data collection was made with the use of the following qualitative tools: semi-structured interviews and observation. The present research was conducted at “Company X” and the individuals chosen for the study were leaders from this mentioned organization. The results obtained seem to indicate that in order to be a situational leader it is not fundamental to have conceptual knowledge of the topic. However, it is essential that this is aligned with contemporary practices. It is a leader’s responsibility to diagnosticate, make it flexible and to establish partnership to improve performance and to develop self-directed teams of high performance.

“Leading from the Middle,” and Other Contrarian Essays on Library Leadership (review)

Reviewed by: “Leading from the Middle,” and Other Contrarian Essays on Library Leadership Dennis T. Clark “Leading from the Middle,” and Other Contrarian Essays on Library Leadership, John Lubans, Jr. Santa Barbara: Libraries Unlimited, 2010. 298p. $50 (ISBN 978-1- 59884-577-8). Seasoned library administrator, experienced library school professor, and eminently readable commentator on the library profession, John Lubans, Jr., possesses a [End Page 1008] perspective on leadership in the library profession unique among authors of administration and management manuals. “Leading from the Middle” embodies his unique perspective in three specific ways. First, Lubans differentiates throughout the book between administration and leadership. Leadership (and “followership,” he would add) is or should be a significant factor for change at any level in an organization. Second, his focus on contrarian leadership, using change as a leadership goal, differs vastly from the rash of recently published library administration texts that typically focus on the process of management. The third significant difference is his reach outside of libraries and higher education to other industries (airlines, classical music, sports) to find wisdom that pertains to libraries. The book primarily comprises revised columns from Library Administration and Management during the period 2000 to 2009. Lubans shapes the thirty-six columns around four themes that library leaders know well: Leadership, Leaders, Coaching, and Techniques. The columns on leadership encourage librarians to lead in different ways—in self-directed teams, for example—not typically associated with academic libraries or higher education in general. The chapters on leaders are often case studies—more like thoughtful portraits— of leaders like Herbert Kelleher of Southwest Airlines; Simone Young, the orchestra conductor; and Saul Zabar, the food impresario, that focus on their soft leadership skills. Kelleher is hailed as an ethical CEO, Young as a collaborative, though demanding, musician, and Zabar as the “head of a family.” (p. 106) The theme of coaching and collaboration highlights the opportunity for library organizations to become increasingly self-managed in order to meet an evolving information landscape. Leaning on lessons learned from travels, conferences, and adventure courses, Lubans uses these chapters to challenge the reader to look in unexpected and unusual places for leadership and management lessons. In one chapter, Lubans uses concepts such as the Aboriginal model of ownership and Adam Smith’s writings on morality to question library fines (p. 159). The final section, on Techniques, requires less reach and advises more direct action. Chapters dealing with customer service, evaluations, and “mess finding” give readers a practical set of articles to immediately digest and apply, with Lubans’ easy-reading style encouraging quick engagement. A simple bond holds these chapters together. Lubans has constantly searched for leaders in institutions and non-traditional cultural settings, mostly outside the library rather than within, who create and support positive and affirming change in their respective communities. He brings these narratives to life in a witty, self-effacing way. Lubans has crafted an excellent primer on embracing organizational change in libraries. Librarians of all stripes are encouraged to read these essays. Dennis T. Clark Virginia Commonwealth University dtclark@vcu.edu Copyright © 2011 The Johns Hopkins University Press

Accounting for health-care outcomes: implications for intensive care unit practice and performance

The aim of this study was to understand the environment of health care, and how clinicians and managers respond in terms of performance accountability. A qualitative method was used in a tertiary metropolitan teaching intensive care unit (ICU) in Sydney, Australia, including interviews with 15 clinical managers and focus groups with 29 nurses of differing experience. The study found that a managerial focus on abstract goals, such as budgets detracted from managing the core business of clinical work. Fractures were evident within clinical units, between clinical units and between clinical and managerial domains. These fractures reinforced the status quo where seemingly unconnected patient care activities were undertaken by loosely connected individual clinicians with personalized concepts of accountability. Managers must conceptualize health services as an interconnected entity within which self-directed teams negotiate and agree objectives, collect and review performance data and define collective practice. Organically developing regimens of care within and across specialist clinical units, such as in ICUs, directly impact upon health service performance and accountability.