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Purpose – To provide a policy perspective on the relationship between transport and climate change.

Methodology/approach – Two key themes are identified and discussed: the meaning of a major change in a policy perspective, covering the Climate Change Act and the development of a Low Carbon Transition Plan. A theoretically informed framework applies and highlights the importance of understanding policy change from a historical perspective.

Originality/value – The largely incremental nature of the policy change is considered in terms of whether there are real prospects of a radical change in transport policy that will deliver a low carbon transport future, whilst also allowing transport to fulfil its many other roles.

Findings – The chapter demonstrates that the current approach to climate change policy has seen only minor adjustments to existing policy tools which are not consistent with the more radical shift in policy targets. This incremental approach may reflect the significant uncertainty over technological change or a reluctance to tackle the difficult issue of travel behaviour. Whilst oil prices remain high this may not be problematic but more proactive steering will be necessary in the coming years.

Erel Avineri is associate professor in travel behaviour at the University of the West of England (UWE), Bristol. He has 20 years experience of consultancy, research and teaching in transport, logistics and operations management. Since he joined UWE in 2004 he has lead research in the fields of travel behaviour, travel information systems, road safety and behavioural change. Dr Avineri has gained wide recognition for his research on travel behaviour under uncertainty, the incorporation of socio-psychological aspects into behaviour models and the design of behaviour change policy measures. Applying choice architecture, Dr Avineri studies the effect of ‘nudges’ on the perception of and attitudes to CO2 reduction. He holds degrees in industrial engineering and management (BSc) and transportation sciences (MSc, PhD) from Technion-Israel Institute of Technology.

The purpose of this paper is to understand service users’ experience of a new acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT)-based substance misuse programme. The programme is designed for people in secure mental health services, presenting with complex mental health difficulties and co-occurring substance misuse problems.

A qualitative approach informed an exploratory pilot of this novel intervention. Service users completing a 16-week ACT programme were invited to participate in the current study. Out of the nine individuals enroled on the programme, six opted to take part in the exploratory pilot and completed semi-structured interviews following part 1 of the programme (eight weeks). Four of these participants proceeded into part 2 of the programme (eight weeks) and completed a further semi-structured interview.

The thematic analysis identified five main themes: “Increased awareness of personal values and the impact of substance use on values”, “Taking committed action towards values”, “Coping skills and the application of skills to manage difficult thoughts and feelings”, “Personal development” and “Use of metaphors/analogies”.

A quantitative evaluation of clinical outcomes is recommended to gauge further programme effectiveness.

The findings provide preliminary support for the use of an ACT-based substance misuse programme in a secure mental health setting.

This study evaluates the use of a novel ACT-based substance misuse intervention with people in secure mental health care with co-occurring mental health and substance misuse difficulties. This paper provides an in-depth understanding of service users’ experience of participating in this new treatment programme.

The purpose of this mixed methods research study was to explore the relationships between spirituality, leader resiliency and life satisfaction/well-being.

Using an explanatory sequential design, the authors tested three research hypotheses to explore the relationships between the participants’ spiritual practices and level of resiliency, life satisfaction and sense of well-being. Data were collected from 101 executive MBA alumni of a US-based university. Following the quantitative analysis of the survey results, interviews were conducted with 25 executives who scored high in the frequency of spiritual practice to further explore how they applied their spirituality in stressful work situations.

The results found positive relationships between spirituality, resilience and overall life satisfaction. Participants who engaged in meditative practices had a significantly higher overall resilience score than non-meditators.

Key limitations are sample size and the risk of common method variance. Though numerous procedural steps were taken to control for these issues, future research with a larger and more diverse sample is needed.

Organizational stress is pervasive and executive burnout is a risk factor for leaders and their organizations. This research offers practical suggestions for ways that human resource managers and organization development practitioners can provide prevention resources to their executives.

This research contributes to the literature by providing support for mindfulness/meditation training for executives. It also demonstrates the value of mixed methods research for a deeper understanding of the lived experiences of the participants.

This study aims to analyze the relationships between leader resilience, leadership style, stress and life satisfaction. It reflects an emerging theoretical framework that positions resilience as a capacity that can be developed vs a response mechanism driven by innate traits.

To test three research hypotheses, online survey data were collected from 101 E.M.B.A. alumni of a US-based university using a cross-sectional, correlational research design. The results were analyzed using multiple linear regression. The authors assessed resilience, leadership style, stress and satisfaction/well-being using standardized inventories.

The results support previous research that has identified a significant relationship between resilience and positive leadership. Unique to this study, however, is the finding that work process behaviors (e.g. time management, cooperation, receptiveness) rather than traits (e.g. optimism, self-esteem, locus of control) are the resilience factors most associated with a positive leadership style. Work process skills significantly interacted with stress level to moderate leadership style. Additionally, a positive leadership style moderated the impact of stressful life events on leader satisfaction/well-being.

Key limitations are sample size and the risk of common method variance. Though numerous procedural steps were taken to control for these issues, future research with a larger and more diverse sample is needed.

Organizational stress is pervasive, and resilience is increasingly recognized as a foundational leadership skill. This study provides empirical data documenting positive relationships between resilience, constructive leadership and leader satisfaction/well-being. This research also identifies work process behaviors (e.g. time management, cooperation and receptiveness) as the primary resiliency factors associated with sustaining positive leadership behaviors in times of stress. These results support previous research findings that have positioned resiliency as a capacity that can be developed, providing further support for investing in resiliency training for leaders.

This research contributes to the literature by analyzing resilience more comprehensively than previous studies. It extends the theoretical understanding of resilience beyond traits using an 160-item inventory that assesses four discrete domains of resilience. The results provide support for the importance of developing process skills in leaders to increase resiliency; thus, increasing the probability, they will model constructive leadership behaviors in times of significant stress.

The purpose of this study was to examine the experience of strategic-level leaders whose spiritual beliefs or practices inform their organizational decision making.

Using a phenomenological methodology, 25 executives were interviewed to understand their lived experience. All participants held executive level positions, engaged in spiritual practices at least once a week and described spirituality as important in their lives.

Thematic analysis revealed themes that pointed to the locus of spirituality in the lives of the executives (innate but not overt) and the types of decisions for which they turned to their spirituality (decisions concerning people). When facing these types of decisions, leaders described an additional step we named “executive discernment.” This additional step sought to establish a connection with the transcendent and was described as heightening their decision-making abilities, serving as a model or “North Star,” or guiding them to a decision.

This study builds on prior theoretical work and gives insight into a process not usually visible: executives' reliance on spirituality during organizational decision making. These insights highlight the potential benefits and provide specificity to the potential risks for leaders who turn to spirituality when making organizational decisions. These risks include an overconfidence in one's decision-making abilities, reliance on an authority inconsistent with organizational aims or failing to convince others of the wisdom of the chosen direction.