Workplace Teams Research Articles

Virtual Reality Pursuit: Using Individual Predispositions towards VR to Understand Perceptions of a Virtualized Workplace Team Experience

Virtual Reality Pursuit: Using Individual Predispositions towards VR to Understand Perceptions of a Virtualized Workplace Team Experience

Mental contrasting promotes effective self-regulation for the benefits of groups.

Self-regulation is essential for maintaining harmonious social connections and sustaining groups, yet little research has examined how individuals regulate their actions for the benefits of groups and which self-regulatory strategies promote effective self-regulation (active engagement and disengagement) in group contexts. In three experiments, focusing on identity groups (family and friends in Study1) and two distinct functional groups (workplace teams in Study 2; sports teams in Study 3), we investigated whether mental contrasting of a desired future with the obstacle of reality, compared to indulging in the desired future, facilitates expectancy-dependent contributions for the benefits of groups. We assessed participants' expectancies of successfully contributing to their groups and varied the mode of thought (mental contrasting vs. indulging). Contributions to groups were measured 1 week (Studies 1 and 2) and 3 weeks later (Study 3). Results showed that mental contrasting guided people to align their actions with expectancy levels; the higher their expectancy, the more people contributed to their groups. In contrast, indulging resulted in insensitivity to expectancy levels. Our findings suggest the potential applicability of the mental contrasting strategy for promoting effective self-regulation in various group settings and provide insights into designing interventions to enhance individuals' engagement in groups.

팀학습을 통한 우수인재양성 커리큘럼 연구

Objectives Korea's Global Talent Competitiveness Index was found to be low, because of high brain drain and organizational defection. We attempted to analyze the characteristics of the appropriate team learning experiences and best case of B University in order to get some implications suitable for the future organization. Methods The learning experiences of high performers were interviewed and using general qualitative research procedures consisting of open coding, axial coding, and selective coding. In order to more systematically reconstruct the operation case of University B, where CTL's entire program is run team-oriented, a deliberation model was implemented. Finally an advisory opinion on innovation and science and technology course was prepared. Results College students showed a high degree of professional orientation in relation to their career paths, expanded information collection channels by selecting teams or groups related to consistently interested topics, and thought through constant differentiation of knowledge, comparison and contrast, and direct and indirect experiential learning. Success factors for high performers in workplace team learning include increasing individual learning through intentional structural hall development, lowering organizational political issues through interdependent team design, and establishing information entry barriers in sites with more information errors. Analyzing 16 CTL programs at University B, which target entrepreneurship as a extra curricular program, and reorganized them into four stages based on Grow's SDL system and its own core competencies. Conclusions Science and technology experts provide social media, video media, coding, big data analysis, machine/deep learning analysis contents, and content from the Department of Social Infrastructure Systems, Mega City Disaster Prevention, and Architecture as science and technology knowledge that everyone needs to know in order to develop citizenship. Through world-class cases related to architecture, it designed interest in class and its use in real life.

Learning from experiments: exploring how short time-boxed experiments can contribute to organizational learning

PurposeThe aim of this paper is to explore how the involvement of workplace teams in experimenting with changes in their work practices through short, time-boxed, experiments (STBEs) can support organizational learning. It is explored how staffs’ experiences with experimental practices give rise to shared knowledge and how this is supported by the design of the STBE-procedure. Also explored is how the STBEs support knowledge retainment.Design/methodology/approachThe study builds on the authors’ participation in a research and development project across seven financial enterprises in Denmark. Qualitative material was developed as part of the experiments. Theoretically emphasizing experience, knowledge creation through dialogue and knowledge retention, the material was analyzed, focusing on participants’ experiences and interactions, as well as on procedures.FindingsThe STBEs occasioned direct experience with new work practices for managers and employees. Supported by the STBE-procedure, these experiences generated new knowledge individually, collectively and on an organizational level. The procedure also created routines that can underpin the retainment of the new practices and knowledge related to incorporating it in the organization.Research limitations/implicationsThe study implicates experience with changes in work practices to be understood as predominantly mindful in opposition to simple, even when the changes appear to be simple.Practical implicationsThe STBEs are applicable when working with organizational learning related to new work practices. Procedures supporting dialogue and mindful processes appear to be advantageous in relation to learning from experiments.Originality/valueBased on an original research and development project and unique qualitative material, the study adds to discussions on how to best conduct and learn from experiments in organizations.

Communication in a Medical Emergency: The Influence of Intergroup Communication on Frontline Healthcare Workers’ Mental Health

Hospitals involve a complex socio-technical health system, where communication failures influence the quality of patient care. Research indicates the importance of social identity and intergroup relationships articulated through power, control, status and competition. In particular, Frontline healthcare workers (HCWs) is clinical workplaces in which doctors are involved in many social groups, including representatives of different professions, clinical specialities and workplace teams under crisis handling condition. A web-based cross-sectional survey was carried out between 1 and 12 December 2022 on a Jakarta area sample of 53 HCWs in Indonesia. The study questionnaire included 7 questions on the mental health of HCWs post-COVID-19 crisis and was analysed using Leximancer (text mining software) and interpretation of major themes. Findings indicated that intergroup conflict is a central influence on communication. Contested responsibilities emerged from a model of care driven by single-speciality professional identity and professionalism may be viewed in terms of self-categorisation rather than simply attainment. The salience of different identities may be considered as influences on teamwork and interprofessional learning, and issues in communication and assessment may be considered in terms of intergroup biases. These results contribute to the growing literature on communication organization and offer new practical insights on how to improve overall efficiency and work performance under crisis conditions.

Team Communication in the Workplace: Interplay of Communication Channels and Performance

This study examines how communication channel use explains the effectiveness of workplace team communication through Media Richness Theory and Media Synchronicity Theory. It examines how job characteristics, personal attributes, communication channel usage, and team performance are interrelated in the workplace. The results of an online survey of 400 full-time employees and executives of large Japanese companies show that team communication effectiveness, including the degree of team coordination, inclusion, and performance satisfaction, can be explained through a combination of rich (synchronous) and lean (asynchronous) media use. The implications of using communication channels in the workplace are also discussed.

Reimagining real estate and facilities management outsourcing : A bp and JLL case study

In 2019 bp set out to renew its facilities and real estate contracts. What began as a typical request for proposal exercise turned into a complete reinvention of the bp workplace organisation. The team got a boost when Bernard Looney took the helm as bp’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) in February 2020. Looney’s vision was the most far-reaching transformation in bp’s 112-year history: to transform bp from an international oil company to an integrated energy company by shifting bp’s focus from producing oil and gas resources to one that delivers energy solutions. bp’s ambition is to become a net-zero company by 2050 or sooner, and help the world get to net zero. bp’s workplace team accepted the challenge; the simple contract renewal they had started needed to be reimagined. This case study goes behind the scenes and shows how the parties pulled off what many in bp thought was impossible, especially in the middle of a pandemic when 100 per cent of the work had to be done virtually.

All Creatures Great and Small: A Review and Typology of Employee-Animal Interactions

Employees interact with animals in a myriad of ways in the context of work. Herein, we seek to catalog this multiplex phenomenon in order to gain theoretical insights. Our article unfolds in four parts. First, we conduct an interdisciplinary review from which we develop a typology of four employee-animal interactions: working for, with, around, and on animals. Second, we outline the current research for each discrete category. Third, we consider key divergent experiences (e.g., the uniquely gendered nature of each) and convergent themes (e.g., all animal work is emotional and hierarchical) across the typology. Fourth, we supplement our review with two metasyntheses of other workplace team interactions—employee-employee and employee-machine/artificial intelligence interactions—to highlight how the study of human-animal interactions can address current conundrums in the organizational domain. We do so to demonstrate that considerations of employee-animal interactions can offer theoretical value to scholars, including those who may not have an inherent interest in the phenomenon. We complement theoretical extensions with suggestions for future research on core management topics, including humanizing workplaces, the future of work, and team collaboration.

Call the on-Call: Authentic Team Training on an Interprofessional Training Ward - A Case Study.

There is a disconnect between how healthcare teams commonly are trained and how they act in reality. The purpose with this paper was to present a learning activity that prepares healthcare students to authentic teamwork where team members are fluent and move between different localities, and to explore how this setting affects learning. A learning activity "Call the On-Call" consisting of two elements, workplace team training where team members are separated into different locations, and a telephone communication exercise, was created. A case study approach using mixed methods was adopted to explore medical-, nurse-, physiotherapy- and occupational therapy students and supervisor perspectives of the effects of the learning activity. Data collection involved surveys, notes from reflection sessions, a focus group interview, and field observations. Thematic analysis was applied for qualitative data and descriptive statistics for quantitative data. The sociocultural learning theory, social capital theory, was used to conceptualize and analyse the findings. The majority of the students (n=198) perceived that the learning activity developed their interprofessional and professional competence, but to a varying degree. Especially nursing students found value in the learning activity, above all due to increased confidence in calling a doctor. Physio- and occupational therapy students lacked the opportunity to be active during the telephone exercise, however, they described how it increased their interprofessional competence. Authenticity was highlighted as the key strength of the learning activity from all professions. Concerns that team building would suffer as a result of splitting the student team proved unfounded. The learning activity created new opportunities for students to reflect on interprofessional collaboration. Constant physical proximity during training is not essential for effective healthcare team building. Splitting the student team during training may in fact enhance interprofessional learning and lead to progression in interprofessional communication.

THE AGILITY AND COMPASSIONATE LEADERSHIP OF THE NEXT NORMAL

This research investigates insight into how leaders could lead the rising waters of the Covid-19 pandemic with agility and compassion.Based on pertinent literature, leaders must redefine their leadership mindset to harness team behavioural change toward team dynamics in organizational resilience. Through phenomenological research of eight companies’ leaders, a proposed model was presented to define the behavioural shift that facilitates leaders in orientating team mindset while embracing compassion. The next normal needs of the organization on the change of leaders’ behaviour, implying that building unique and pleasing agile and compassionate practices would lead to an improved organizational team workplace. This focuses on leaders’ efforts to empower teams through a cohesive concept to enable long-term team success. The research contributes to the body of knowledge through its constructivist approach and identification of underlying team dynamics pivotal for organizational resilience.

A Student Evaluation of an Occupational Therapy Apprenticeship

Apprenticeships are becoming an increasingly popular means of training healthcare professionals; providing an opportunity to earn and study simultaneously in order to gain nationally recognised qualifications. However, there is currently a lack of evaluative data on student experience of Occupational Therapy (OT) or Allied Health Professional (AHP) apprenticeship schemes. The aim of this study was to evaluate the perspectives of five apprentices who commenced the Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust (KCHFT) OT Apprenticeship in January 2020. A qualitative interpretive approach was utilised to analyse semi-structured interview data. Subsequent thematic analysis identified three key themes from the data: support (peer-support, support from employer, and applying theory to practise), organisation (University, time-management and learning needs), and communication (University, and stakeholder expectations). Findings from this study emphasise the importance of clear communication and management of expectations between stakeholders, effective induction processes, and a commitment to supporting mentors and workplace teams within the clinical arena. Future evaluations should consider the perspectives of other stakeholders within apprenticeship programmes.

Spirituality in the Context of Teams and Organizations: An Investigation of Boundary Conditions Using The Integration Profile Workplace Spirituality Measure

In the past two decades, there has been growing interest in workplace spirituality, why it matters, and how it impacts organizational outcomes. We examined how workplace spirituality interacts with elements of workplace teams (i.e., leadership and the surrounding organizational context) to impact important individual- and team- level outcomes. Using a sample of 331 full-time employees plus an additional 293 team member peers, we used a newly developed workplace spirituality measure, The Integration Profile (Miller et al., 2019), to predict organizational commitment and collective efficacy, with ethical leadership and openness of faith environment as moderators. Findings demonstrated the importance of workplace spirituality for organizational commitment, along with significant moderators of ethical leadership and openness of faith environment. We also report exploratory analysis of the factor structure of the workplace spirituality measure, concluding that most of the construct is driven by a global factor as opposed to the theorized eight first-order dimensions.

Play the Game: Evaluation of Psychological Capital, Emotional Intelligence, and Virtual Team Performance among Online Gaming Teams

Virtual teams are becoming ubiquitous with the contemporary work environment. Shutdowns due to the COVID-19 pandemic necessitated many to reconceive the workplace whereby people accomplished work no longer located in immediate proximity, leading many teams to engage online in virtual spaces. Even in a post-lockdown world, virtual teams have remained widely used within the workplace. Online gaming has exploded in popularity, it allows people to interact with others from across the world. Numerous parallels exist between online gaming teams and problem-solving teams often used in the contemporary workplace: 1) pursuing a shared goal; 2) identifying member roles; and 3) collaborating together to accomplish a task. The purpose of our research is to examine the role that psychological capital and emotional intelligence play in team success within an online gaming team challenge. Participants will compete in an online video game event, where their goal, as a 6-player team, is to solve a set of challenges within 24 hours. The researchers will conduct a content analysis of participant recordings from the event. Findings and implications will be discussed. Understanding member interaction among online gaming teams has potential implications for how workplace teams can interact more effectively together.

Canadian Hospital Pharmacists' Perceptions of Workplace Preparedness and Personal Well-Being during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Little is known about hospital pharmacists' experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic, as studies to date have focused on community pharmacy practices. To determine hospital pharmacists' perceptions of their workplace preparedness for the COVID-19 pandemic and to measure their mental well-being with the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale (WEMWBS). Pharmacists working in Canadian hospital inpatient settings during the COVID-19 pandemic were invited to participate in a 2-part online survey. Part A was a 46-item survey containing statements related to directions and support from leadership, personal protective equipment practices, work environment, and emotions. Part B assessed respondents' mental well-being using the validated 14-item WEMWBS. Responses to both parts of the survey were based on Likert scales. The survey was open from July to September 2020. Descriptive analyses were applied. A total of 432 hospital pharmacists consented to participate in the study. Most respondents were women (337/432, 78%), and most were 25 to 44 years old (293/432, 68%). Most respondents were confident that their workplace and pharmacy department were effectively managing patient demand (314/389, 81%) and the pandemic more generally (263/394, 67%). They also felt that their workplace teams were working well together (314/386, 81%). Interestingly, 22% (86/391) of the respondents did not agree that they had received training for COVID-19 infection prevention and control practices. The mean WEMWBS score was 48.9 (standard deviation 8.6), which indicated average mental well-being. After the initial wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, respondents perceived their hospitals and departments as being able to manage the pandemic and reported average mental well-being. Ensuring that all hospital pharmacists receive training for effective COVID-19 infection prevention and control practices is crucial. How their perceptions and well-being have changed since the time of the survey is unknown.

The default is simplicity – A model for the workplace ergonomics problem-solving process

Occupational Applications This paper provides a decision-making model for workplace ergonomics problem-solving to help clarify the situations in which simple, non-quantitative approaches are suitable, in contrast to those conditions where more formal, quantitative methods are needed. The perspective is that of an individual or workplace team focused on a specific problem. The value of this model is that it: 1) avoids unnecessary activities, in particular quantitative assessments when not needed; 2) emphasizes qualitative problem-solving methods; 3) enables non-technical personnel to be involved; and 4) helps expand the use of ergonomics towards reducing production barriers. The context is “continual improvement” rather than “compliance.” Students may profit by learning practical steps useful in the workplace. Practitioners may benefit from reviewing the framework (and indeed improving it). Researchers might gain a better appreciation of simple methods used in the workplace and perhaps test certain premises of the model more rigorously.

An Evaluation of Barriers and Facilitators for a Pressure Injury Prevention Link Nurse Role: A Mixed-Methods Study in New Zealand.

The purpose of this study was to identify barriers and facilitators for nurses in a pressure injury prevention (PIP) link nurse role. Mixed-methods study that used nominal group technique with focus groups, followed by online surveys. The PIP link nurse project recruited 52 RNs; 32 completed the PIP educational program and participated in data collection. The sample was drawn from PIP link nurses, who were invited to participate in focus groups at the end of the project to identify perceived facilitators and barriers to their role. Focus groups were specific to work areas: aged care and community visiting, and hospital. Two were in an urban setting and one in a rural environment. Twenty-two PIP link nurses participated across 3 groups. To ensure comprehensive data from all involved in the project, online surveys were created using focus group priorities as the basis for questions to send to all PIP link nurses, their managers, and workplace colleagues. Participants were invited to participate in focus groups to identify perceived facilitators and barriers to their role. These focus groups were organized around care settings: aged care, community visiting, and hospital. Using a nominal group technique focus group process, participants were asked to identify barriers and facilitators to their role. These were shared with the group until all answers were declared and understood. Voting on order of priority then took place, with majority voting leading to a prioritized list of facilitators and barriers for each group. Considering the similarities and differences across group priorities, researchers developed online surveys representing the main facilitators and barriers from the focus groups. Surveys were then distributed to all PIP link nurses, their managers, and colleagues. Survey data were collected and analyzed in REDCap and reported as percentages of agreement to the questions for each group of respondents. Focus group data indicated facilitating priorities included PIP link nurses' commitment to the role, the support they received from their managers and colleagues, and time release to complete the role. Barriers included lack of time-when other work pressures took priority, and PIP link nurses felt the focus on applying quality improvement theory was more challenging than they had anticipated. Surveys from all groups reiterated the importance of the support of the workplace team in facilitating the role, and the time pressures for the PIP link nurse were a barrier to the role. While the funding of such projects is advantageous, it should be carefully and generously considered how much time is required if the project is to succeed so that lack of time to complete the role does not become a barrier to successful completion.

Their own worst enemy? Collective narcissists are willing to conspire against their in-group.

Collective narcissism - a belief in in-group greatness that is not appreciated by others - is associated with using one's group for personal benefits. Across one pilot and four studies, we demonstrated that collective narcissism predicts readiness to conspire against in-group members (rmeta-analysis =.24). In Study 1, conducted in Poland (N=361), collective narcissism measured in the context of national identity predicted readiness to engage in secret surveillance against one's own country's citizens. In Study 2 (N=174; pre-registered), collective narcissism in UK workplace teams predicted intentions to engage in conspiracies against co-workers. In Study 3 (N=471; pre-registered), US national narcissism predicted intentions to conspire against fellow citizens. Furthermore, conspiracy intentions accounted for the relationship between collective narcissism and beliefs in conspiracy theories about the in-group. Finally, in Study 4 (N=1064; pre-registered), we corroborated the link between Polish national narcissism and conspiracy intentions against fellow citizens, further showing that these intentions were only directed towards group members that were perceived as moderately or strongly typical of the national in-group (but not when perceived in-group typicality was low). In-group identification was either negatively related (Studies 1 and 2) or unrelated (Studies 3 and 4) to conspiracy intentions (rmeta-analysis =.04). We discuss implications for research on conspiracy theories and populism.

Combating team hopelessness: How and why leader interpersonal emotion management matters

AbstractThe extant team affect literature is silent on how team hopelessness may impact team functioning and, more importantly, how leaders may help to regulate it. Relying on the Appraisal‐Tendency Framework of emotion, this paper examines the effect of team hopelessness on team performance, as well as its underlying mechanism, collective efficacy. It also explores how leaders’ use of two different interpersonal emotion management (IEM) strategies can moderate this relationship. Across two field studies involving 80 and 170 workplace teams, respectively, we consistently find that team hopelessness negatively impacts team performance through reduced collective efficacy. Moreover, leaders’ use of a problem‐focused IEM strategy weakens the negative relationship between team hopelessness and team performance via collective efficacy, while their use of an emotion‐focused IEM strategy strengthens it. Our research highlights the detrimental effect of team hopelessness on team functioning and the various consequences of different leader IEM strategies.

Orientation of medical trainees to a new clinical environment (the ready-steady-go model): a constructivist grounded theory study

BackgroundHigh-quality orientation of trainees entering a new clinical workplace is essential to support education and patient safety. However, few consultants receive extensive formal training to support new trainees and must create their own ways of integrating newcomers into their clinical team and work environment. We aim to conceptualise the strategies consultants use in the early stages of working with new trainees that will be useful for future faculty development in this area.MethodsWe used constructivist grounded theory (CGT) methodology by interviewing fifteen consultants in three medical specialties, to explore how trainees are integrated into a new clinical environment. We used CGT principles and procedures (iteration, constant comparison, and theoretical sampling) to analyse and construct a conceptual interpretation of the empirical data.ResultsConsultants’ central concern when introduced to a new cohort of trainees was that they had the required knowledge and skills (ready), were adapted and integrated into the new workplace and clinical team (steady), and safely participating in practice (go). Consultants used two broad strategies: formal orientation and informal orientation. Both these approaches had the common goal of intensifying interaction between consultants and trainees to get trainees to a position where they were ready, adapted, integrated, and participating safely and efficiently in practice. Several disruptors were identified by participants that delayed and sometimes completely inhibited the orientation process.ConclusionsThe model of orientation constructed through this research could be a valuable tool to support faculty development initiatives, the reflective learning practice of clinical supervisors, and curriculum design. The disruptors were identified as valid priorities for improving trainee orientation in postgraduate medical education. Future research should involve a longitudinal approach to explore trainee engagement with orientation upon entering a new clinical workplace.

LEADERSHIP STRATEGY IN MANAGING WORKPLACE DIVERSITY

Leadership is how all the possible dimensions of diversity are managing an organization develops an essential ingredient for any workplace that wants to build happier, more productive and more effective workplaces. Leadership sets the tone for the rest of the organization, recognizing and assessing cultural differences helps the organization to frame sound workforce management strategy and in developing positive workplace outcomes. The way leaders working in global arena have to take cultural differences and values into the main consideration while formulating an effective motivation and leadership strategy. Diversity carries out specific strategies to get leaders have initiated efforts that highlighting a conceptual paper concept and few challenges of workforce diversity. It needs to be the official set application of motivation, leadership practices and also discusses the real-life diversity management. The key area to look within the leadership team workplace diversity is a challenge for everyone, especially managers and business owners. This paper underlines a necessary step to ensure that diversity remains a core business value, even leadership contributes an idea to management policy makers for designing an oriented motivational and leadership strategy for managing a diversified workforce. KEYWORDS : Leadership, Workplace, Diversity, Motivation, Competencies, Challenges,