Practical strategies and the need for psychological support: recommendations from nurses working in hospitals during the COVID-19 pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jody Ralph ◽  
Laurie A. Freeman ◽  
A. Dana Ménard ◽  
Kendall Soucie
Keyword(s):  
Leadership Style ◽  
Information Overload ◽  
The United States ◽  
Psychological Support ◽  
Employee Assistance ◽  
Pay Equity ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Hospital Administrators ◽  
Depth Interviews

PurposeNurses working during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic have reported elevated levels of anxiety, burnout and sleep disruption. Hospital administrators are in a unique position to mitigate or exacerbate stressful working conditions. The goal of this study was to capture the recommendations of nurses providing frontline care during the pandemic.Design/methodology/approachSemi-structured interviews were conducted during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, with 36 nurses living in Canada and working in Canada or the United States.FindingsThe following recommendations were identified from reflexive thematic analysis of interview transcripts: (1) The nurses emphasized the need for a leadership style that embodied visibility, availability and careful planning. (2) Information overload contributed to stress, and participants appealed for clear, consistent and transparent communication. (3) A more resilient healthcare supply chain was required to safeguard the distribution of equipment, supplies and medications. (4) Clear communication of policies related to sick leave, pay equity and workload was necessary. (5) Equity should be considered, particularly with regard to redeployment. (6) Nurses wanted psychological support offered by trusted providers, managers and peers.Practical implicationsOver-reliance on employee assistance programmes and other individualized approaches to virtual care were not well-received. An integrative systems-based approach is needed to address the multifaceted mental health outcomes and reduce the deleterious impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the nursing workforce.Originality/valueResults of this study capture the recommendations made by nurses during in-depth interviews conducted early in the COVID-19 pandemic.

Language teachers’ perceptions of practitioner research

2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (5) ◽  
pp. 897-914
Author(s):  
Sabine Imad Arayssi ◽  
Rima Bahous ◽  
Rula Diab ◽  
Mona Nabhani
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Working Conditions ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Practitioner Research ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Teachers Perceptions ◽  
Theory To Practice ◽  
Depth Interviews

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine language teachers’ perceptions of practitioner research to establish an understanding whether research comprises a fundamental component in their career. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative study was conducted with language teachers and coordinators from various schools in Lebanon. Questionnaires were distributed to 50 language teachers, followed by semi-structured interviews conducted with language coordinators, and in-depth interviews with language teachers who are practitioner researchers. Findings Results indicated that research is a minority activity for language teachers due to lack of time, overwhelming working conditions and lack of flexibility in the workplace. Research limitations/implications There was a lack of cooperation between teachers and coordinators. Originality/value This study provides teachers in Lebanon with the opportunity of transforming their voice through participating in and being agents of research rather than solely observing the process which attempts to bridge theory to practice.

Authentic leadership – an antecedent for contextual performance of Indian nurses

2018 ◽  
Vol 47 (6) ◽  
pp. 1244-1260 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nishtha Malik
Keyword(s):  
Leadership Style ◽  
Authentic Leadership ◽  
Psychological Capital ◽  
Contextual Performance ◽  
Mediating Effect ◽  
Extensive Literature ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Hospital Administrators ◽  
Service Oriented ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between authentic leadership and contextual performance of nursing staff while considering the mediating effect of psychological capital and moderating effect of autonomy on this association. Design/methodology/approach Data were gathered from 41 small and medium-sized hospitals situated in the state of Uttarakhand, India. The sample for the study included 530 nurses and their 146 supervisors. Process macro (Hayes) was used to examine the influence of authentic leadership on contextual performance and the mediating effect of psychological capital and moderating role of autonomy in the relationship between authentic leadership and contextual performance. Findings Results indicate that authentic leadership is positively linked to contextual performance of nurses. Furthermore, psychological capital is found to mediate the relationship between authentic leadership and contextual performance while autonomy acts as a moderator between psychological capital and contextual performance. Practical implications Findings of this investigation would help healthcare managers to understand the importance of developing the psychological capital of healthcare workers. The paper draws attention of hospital administrators toward the need for setting up an appropriate environment wherein nurses are given a certain degree of autonomy to perform their task more effectively. This study also highlights the importance of an effective leadership style, namely authentic leadership in influencing contextual performance in service-oriented organizations such as healthcare institutions, as investigated in this study. Originality/value While extensive literature is available on authentic leadership and its impact on followers’ behavior, very little work seems to have been done to show a linkage between authentic leadership and contextual performance, especially in the context of nurses in developing country such as India. This work, therefore, may be considered original and of significant value in understanding the relationships between the various constructs in the Indian scenario.

scholarly journals The politics of sensemaking and sensegiving at work

2014 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-21 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cathrine Filstad
Keyword(s):  
Leadership Style ◽  
Middle Managers ◽  
Middle Management ◽  
Top Management ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Political Activities ◽  
Political Processes ◽  
Top Managers ◽  
New Knowledge ◽  
Depth Interviews

Purpose – The aim of this paper is to investigate how political activities and processes influence sensemaking and sensegiving among top management, middle management and employees and to examine its consequences for implementing new knowledge. Design/methodology/approach – Data were collected in a Norwegian bank using in-depth interviews with middle managers and financial advisers. Observations of meetings, informal conversations and verbatim notes were also used in data collection among top managers. A practice-based approach was used as an analytical lens. Findings – Top managers' political activities of excluding others from the decision process affect their sensemaking and resulted in sensegiving contradictions between spoken intent and how to change practice. Middle managers' political activities were to accept top managers' sensegiving instead of managing themselves in their own sensemaking to help financial advisers with how to change their role and practice. As a result, middle managers' sensemaking affects their engagement in sensegiving. For financial advisers, the political processes of top and middle managers resulted in resistance and not making sense of how to change and implement new knowledge. Research limitations/implications – A total of 30 in-depth interviews, observations of five meetings and informal conversations might call for further studies. In addition, a Norwegian study does not account for other countries' cultural differences concerning leadership style, openness in decisions and employee autonomy. Originality/value – To the author's knowledge, no studies identify the three-way conceptual relationship between political activities, sensemaking and sensegiving. In addition, the author believes that the originality lies in investigating these relationships using a three-level hierarchy of top management, middle management and employees.

scholarly journals Retired men and Men’s Sheds in Australia

2015 ◽  
Vol 36 (8) ◽  
pp. 972-989 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amie Southcombe ◽  
Jillian Cavanagh ◽  
Timothy Bartram
Keyword(s):  
Leadership Style ◽  
Family Relationships ◽  
Social Connectedness ◽  
Value Congruence ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Charismatic Leadership ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Impact

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the influence of charismatic leadership style and value congruence on the social connectedness of retired men in Australian Men’s Sheds. This study also explores the impact of social connectedness on well-being outcomes, such as employment and training, improved family relationships and access to health and welfare services. Design/methodology/approach – The methodology is a qualitative approach using focus groups (yarning circles) and semi-structured interviews with Shed leaders, men members and healthcare workers. Findings – The findings suggest that a charismatic leader enhances the value congruence between leaders and their members through empowering, envisioning and empathy, which also contributes to the social connectedness of members and enhances well-being of retired men. Originality/value – The study provides insights into the factors that contribute to successful leadership, participatory and leadership practices in the Groups/Sheds, and addresses a gap in the literature in the area of leadership and Men’s Sheds.

Examining the dilution of the consumer-brand relationship on Facebook: the saturation issue

2017 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 335-353 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zahy Ramadan
Keyword(s):  
Social Networking ◽  
Social Networking Sites ◽  
Information Quality ◽  
Information Overload ◽  
Social Networking Site ◽  
System Quality ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Positive Side ◽  
Brand Relationship

Purpose Brands have been progressively using social networking sites, namely, Facebook, as part of their strategy to engage their consumers and ultimately build long-term relationships with them. Nonetheless, with the overuse of “engagement ads” by brands, saturation related to information overload is expected to be reached leading to the dilution of the consumer–brand relationship. The purpose of this paper is to fill a gap in the literature which has predominantly focused on the positive side of social networking sites, and hence still lacks a thorough understanding of the potential risks brands face when using Facebook. Accordingly, this research examines the different risks brands would be facing from saturated consumers on social networking sites such as Facebook. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative study was conducted, with a total of 40 respondents using face-to-face semi-structured interviews over two stages. While the first stage of the study focused on examining the saturation risk and its potential negative effects, the second one explored these risks specifically on the consumer–brand relationship on Facebook. The interviews were recorded, transcribed and then coded for analysis using NVivo 8. Findings Brands are overloading their followers with passively endorsed brand messages, which are negatively affecting consumers’ experience on Facebook, as well as the relationship with these brands. This overall dilution of the consumer–brand relationship on Facebook was hence found to be affecting interaction, similarity with friends, the system quality of the social networking site, as well as information quality. Furthermore, this dilution was found to be affecting brand likability, brand trust and brand association. Originality/value The negative implications are still scarcely examined in the literature where social media engagement is predominantly discussed through a positive lens. Hence, this study has the peculiarity of discussing the risks that companies would face with Facebook’s engagement model along with their implications on the consumer-brand relationship.

Building the African economy

2017 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 92-107 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ademola A. Adenle
Keyword(s):  
International Development ◽  
Public Management ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Development Program ◽  
The United States ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
President Obama ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Clear Cut ◽  
Multi Stakeholder

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to assess the strengths and weaknesses of the President Obama Youth African Leadership Initiative (YALI) program with evidence from experts and other relevant stakeholders. This study examines YALI program with a focus on entrepreneurship and public management. Design/methodology/approach Qualitative semi-structured interviews used in this study explore the understanding and diverse views of various stakeholder experts on training of young leaders in entrepreneurship and public management in Africa regarding the YALI program. Findings The study provides insight into the importance of the YALI program, but questions whether it can make a positive impact and be effectively implemented in Africa. The findings suggest that there is lack of clarity in the objectives of the program, particularly with regards to the role of the key stakeholders including academics, government institutions, policymakers and the private sector. The results underscore the need for sound and clear-cut government policies toward entrepreneurship development that will foster a better relationship between the African governments and the United States Agency for International Development program. Research limitations/implications The study focused on academic experts and a number of policymakers and may not have been representative of all stakeholders. Originality/value The study specifically emphasizes policies that target entrepreneurship training and education for women and youth, using a participatory approach and multi-stakeholder partnership to promote innovative entrepreneurship and social development in the continent.

scholarly journals Can microfinance-backed entrepreneurship be a holistic empowerment tool for women? Empirical evidence from Kashmir Valley, India

2022 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shagufta Tariq Khan ◽  
Mohd Abass Bhat ◽  
Mohi-Ud-Din Sangmi
Keyword(s):  
Mixed Method Research ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Female Entrepreneurs ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Psychological Indicators ◽  
Quasi Experimental ◽  
Set Up ◽  
Social Empowerment ◽  
Depth Interviews ◽  
Practical Implications

PurposeThis study investigates the effectiveness of microfinance-backed entrepreneurship as a mechanism for the holistic empowerment of women.Design/methodology/approachThis study employs a mixed-method research-design consisting of quasi-experimental design (quantitative approach) involving women, both entrepreneurs (132) and non-entrepreneurs (238), as well as in-depth semi-structured interviews (qualitative approach).FindingsQuantitative analysis revealed that female entrepreneurs are better off than female non-entrepreneurs in terms of economic, social, political and psychological indicators of empowerment. However, relatively lesser impact was found in terms of political, and to an even smaller extent, social empowerment of women. Analysis of in-depth interviews corroborated these findings confirming that entrepreneurship serves as an effective tool for the holistic empowerment of women. However, non-entrepreneurs also exhibit social empowerment.Research limitations/implicationsGiven the restricted geographical ambit of the study, prudence ought to be exercised in drawing inferences applied to alternate contexts. That the vast majority of questionnaire respondents are illiterate presented a notable impediment in the process of collection of accurate responses.Practical implicationsMicrofinance intervention ought to be specifically directed to cultivating entrepreneurship among women; in particular, to achieve the full benefits of empowerment, women availing microfinance ought to exert full control over their own business ventures.Originality/valueIn analyzing holistic empowerment through microfinance supported businesses set up by women, the study adds to the existing literature on women entrepreneurship and empowerment.

scholarly journals Transitioning from pandemic to normalcy: what police departments can learn from the rank-and-file

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Janne E. Gaub ◽  
Marthinus C. Koen ◽  
Shelby Davis
Keyword(s):  
Police Officers ◽  
The United States ◽  
The Body ◽  
Police Departments ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Coding Schemes ◽  
Police Agencies ◽  
Police Executives ◽  
Police Personnel

PurposeAfter more than 18 months of life during a pandemic, much of the world is beginning to transition back to some semblance of normalcy. As that happens, institutions – including policing – need to acknowledge changes that had been made during the pandemic and decide what modifications and innovations, if any, to continue moving forward.Design/methodology/approachThe authors use semi-structured interviews and focus groups of police personnel in the United States (US) and Canada. The sample includes police officers and frontline supervisors (n = 20). The authors conduct qualitative analysis using deductive and inductive coding schemes.FindingsThe sample identified four areas of adaptation during the pandemic: 1) safety measures, 2) personnel reallocation, 3) impacts on training and 4) innovation and role adjustments. These areas of adaptation prompted several recommendations for transitioning police agencies out of the pandemic.Originality/valueA growing number of studies are addressing police responses to the pandemic. Virtually all are quantitative in nature, including all studies investigating the perceptions of police personnel. The body of perceptual studies is extraordinarily small and primarily focuses on police executives, ignoring the views of the rank-and-file who are doing the work of street-level police business. This is the first study to delve into the perceptions of this group, and does so using a qualitative approach that permits a richer understanding of the nuances of perception.

Networking: a male dominated game

2018 ◽  
Vol 33 (2) ◽  
pp. 167-183 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Socratous
Keyword(s):  
Online Survey ◽  
Cultural Influences ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Men And Women ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The University ◽  
Chartered Accountants ◽  
Big Four ◽  
Depth Interviews

Purpose Using primary data from an online survey in addition to 29 semi-structured interviews among chartered accountants and academics in Cyprus, originally collected for the purposes of a PhD research, this paper aims to investigate the importance of networking with regards to women’s progression in the workplace, as well as the barriers women are faced with in their attempt to “play” the networking game in according to the male rules. Design/methodology/approach The use of an inductive approach was considered appropriate since there is little existing research on gender issues in Cypriot organisations. For the purposes of the study, a two-step qualitative approach was taken. Step 1 was an online survey with both closed and open-ended questions delivered to employed Cypriot men and women. Step 2 of the study comprised semi-structured, in-depth interviews. The interviews were conducted with specific, preselected employees, both men and women, comprising chartered accountants from the BIG Four companies in Cyprus and academics working at the University of Cyprus. Findings The research reported in this paper suggests that while there is the perception that men and women share the same opportunities within the workplace and women do not progress by choice, there appear to be various structural and cultural influences at play. It is clear that women are restricted from networking opportunities either intentionally or due to cultural and societal norms and this results in minimising their chances of breaking the glass ceiling and progressing to the top of the organisational ladder. Originality/value The research focuses on the impediments women in Cyprus are faced with in their attempt to network. There is no previous research on this subject in Cyprus.

scholarly journals Kindness among colleagues; identifying and exploring the gaps in employment contexts

2019 ◽  
Vol 27 (3) ◽  
pp. 582-595
Author(s):  
Stephen Gibb ◽  
Shama Rahman
Keyword(s):  
Leadership Style ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Initial Study ◽  
Organizational Analysis ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Scientific Approach ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Further Development ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The purpose of this study is to model and explore kindness as a factor in employment contexts. “Kindness among colleagues” is a particular context for the scientific study of kindness which has been under-researched. There is scope within the burgeoning study of kindness for research concerned with employment contexts and colleagues, adopting an employment context appropriate construct of kindness, generating and considering evidence that might be evaluated rigorously in the employment context where kindness is both advocated and critiqued. Design/methodology/approach The literature review identifies and explores the gaps in kindness research in the employment context. A construct distinguishing a set of antecedents of kindness among colleagues was developed to address these gaps. The relevance and usefulness of the construct was tested in semi-structured interviews among some work colleagues in a specific organization setting. Findings The results show that the four antecedents of kindness can be used to capture and explore perceptions and experiences of kindness among colleagues. There is scope for analysis at the levels of individuals, teams and organizations using data about these antecedents which allows for individual and more general workplace dynamics to be described and explored. Research limitations/implications The antecedents of kindness construct are validated to an extent by this initial study. The potential of this for describing and analyzing kindness and workplace relevant themes makes it worth further development; to refine and validate an instrument for measuring kindness among colleagues. Practical implications Kindness among colleagues, if understood in the nuanced way presented here, can help individuals, teams and organizations review and evaluate themselves in diverse contexts. Contexts can be expected to vary with workforce demographics, leadership style and organization cultures. Social implications Kindness is a burgeoning theme and concern across diverse social and cultural contexts for various reasons. The scientific contribution to the advocacy or critique of kindness, in this case kindness among colleagues, provides value in rigor, operationalization and evidencing of the case for and against advocacy of the value of kindness in general. Originality/value This is a focused review and study of kindness among colleagues which contributes to the nomological and methodological development of a scientific approach to organizational analysis concerns with this important theme in contemporary times.

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