Search results

1 – 10 of 43
Open Access
Article
Publication date: 14 November 2023

Bernice Skytt, Hans Högberg and Maria Engström

The Purpose of the study was to investigate the construct validity and internal consistency of the LaMI among staff in the context of elderly care in Sweden.

Abstract

Purpose

The Purpose of the study was to investigate the construct validity and internal consistency of the LaMI among staff in the context of elderly care in Sweden.

Design/methodology/approach

Questionnaire data from a longitudinal study of staff working in elderly care were used. Data were collected using the Leadership and Management Inventory. First data collection was for explorative factor analysis (n = 1,149), and the second collection, one year later, was for confirmatory factor analysis (n = 1,061).

Findings

The explorative factor analysis resulted in a two-factor solution that explained 70.2% of the total variance. Different models were tested in the confirmatory factor analysis. The final model, a two-factor solution where three items were omitted, showed acceptable results.

Originality/value

The instrument measures both leadership and management performance and can be used to continually measure managers’ performances as perceived by staff to identify areas for development.

Details

Leadership in Health Services, vol. 37 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1751-1879

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 31 January 2019

Monica Kaltenbrunner, Svend Erik Mathiassen, Lars Bengtsson and Maria Engström

The purpose of this paper is twofold: first, to describe Lean maturity in primary care using a questionnaire based on Liker’s description of Lean, complemented with observations;…

2529

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is twofold: first, to describe Lean maturity in primary care using a questionnaire based on Liker’s description of Lean, complemented with observations; and second, to determine the extent to which Lean maturity is associated with quality of care measured as staff-rated satisfaction with care and adherence to national guidelines (NG). High Lean maturity indicates adoption of all Lean principles throughout the organization and by all staff.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were collected using a survey based on Liker’s four principles, divided into 16 items (n=298 staff in 45 units). Complementary observations (n=28 staff) were carried out at four units.

Findings

Lean maturity varied both between and within units. The highest Lean maturity was found for “adhering to routines” and the lowest for “having a change agent at the unit.” Lean maturity was positively associated with satisfaction with care and with adherence to NG to improve healthcare quality.

Practical implications

Quality of primary care may benefit from increasing Lean maturity. When implementing Lean, managers could benefit from measuring and adopting Lean maturity repeatedly, addressing all Liker’s principles and using the results as guidance for further development.

Originality/value

This is one of the first studies to evaluate Lean maturity in primary care, addressing all Liker’s principles from the perspective of quality of care. The results suggest that repeated actions based on evaluations of Lean maturity may help to improve quality of care.

Details

Journal of Health Organization and Management, vol. 33 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1477-7266

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 30 July 2019

Annika Strömberg, Maria Engström, Heidi Hagerman and Bernice Skytt

The purpose of this paper is to contribute new knowledge about how first line managers (FLMs) in elderly care perceive their situation, with a focus on differences in management…

4489

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to contribute new knowledge about how first line managers (FLMs) in elderly care perceive their situation, with a focus on differences in management approaches at the intersection of the central and local parts of the organization.

Design/methodology/approach

The present study has a qualitative approach and is part of a larger project on FLMs in elderly care. The results presented here are based on a secondary analysis of 15 of the total of 28 interviews carried out in the project.

Findings

The main results are twofold: the majority of FLMs perceived differences in management approaches between local and central management; the differences caused some struggle because FLMs perceived that the management system did not support the differences. The two main aspects that caused the FLMs to struggle were differences in the foci of the management levels and difficulties in influencing the conditions of management.

Originality/value

The results contribute to the debate on what aspects are important to sustainable management of elderly care. It is common knowledge that FLMs have a complex position, intermediate to the central, upper level management and their subordinates at the local level – levels with different foci and interests. The study contributes new knowledge about what these differences consist of and the dilemmas they cause and offers suggestions as to what can be done to reduce both energy waste and the risk of low job satisfaction.

Details

Leadership in Health Services, vol. 32 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1751-1879

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 8 February 2011

Bernice Skytt, Birgitta Ljunggren, Maria Engström and Marianne Carlsson

The purpose of this paper is to examine whether two groups of first‐line nurse managers perceived improvements in skills and knowledge regarding interpersonal skills and group…

1450

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine whether two groups of first‐line nurse managers perceived improvements in skills and knowledge regarding interpersonal skills and group management, achievement orientation, and organizational view and political savvy after participation in two different development programmes, compared to participants in a comparison group. Further, to understand the first‐line nurse managers' expectations for and experiences of the programme as well as its strengths and weaknesses.

Design/methodology/approach

A total of 13 first‐line nurse managers participated in a training programme, 14 in a self‐development programme, and 14 in a comparison group. Group interviews were used to describe the managers' expectations for and experiences of the programmes, the Leadership and Management Inventory were used to assess the impact of the programmes.

Findings

The results of the interviews showed that the programmes met many of the participants' expectations. Participants perceived significant improvements – in organizational knowledge following the training programme and in achievement orientation following the self‐development programme.

Research limitations/implications

Participation in the groups was not based on random assignment.

Practical implications

Different development programmes focussing on different issues can increase flexibility and decrease costs, as managers can apply to programmes suited to their development needs.

Originality/value

Mixed methods have been used in this study: qualitative methods to describe the participants' experiences of the programmes, and quantitative methods to describe the impact of two different leadership programmes and to contrast these results with a comparison group.

Details

Leadership in Health Services, vol. 24 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1751-1879

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 18 January 2013

Liorah Golomb

The purpose of this paper is to encourage and assist collection of adult‐level, graphic novels and book‐length comics by women, and to demonstrate the breadth and depth of such…

2498

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to encourage and assist collection of adult‐level, graphic novels and book‐length comics by women, and to demonstrate the breadth and depth of such work.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper provides a brief history of women and independent comics, tracing the medium's development from the 1970s underground comix movement to the present day. Individual creators and their works are discussed.

Findings

In the early years of independent comics, many of the women creating them were consciously reacting to an overwhelmingly male‐dominated profession. There was a high degree of shock value in these early works. As time went on the comics still tended towards the autobiographical, but storytelling gained importance. Most of the women creating comics today are still doing so from a woman's point of view, but their target audience seems more universal.

Originality/value

Graphic novels are in increasing demand, both for scholarly and leisure reading. Guides to collecting graphic novels exist; however, the vast majority of the artists included in these guides are men. This paper fills a gap by introducing librarians to several women graphic novelists who have been overlooked thus far.

Book part
Publication date: 21 October 2019

Marco Bettiol, Maria Chiarvesio, Eleonora Di Maria, Cristina Di Stefano and Luciano Fratocchi

Manufacturing offshoring has received substantial attention within international business studies that have explored where activities are located and how they are governed…

Abstract

Manufacturing offshoring has received substantial attention within international business studies that have explored where activities are located and how they are governed. However, recent examples of manufacturing relocation to the home country/region have put the advantages of offshoring under scrutiny, since the location of production activities in high-cost countries may have positive impacts in terms of innovation and marketing opportunities. Despite the growing interest in offshoring and “relocations of second degree,” there is a lack of knowledge on the alternative strategies firms may implement after offshoring. This chapter aims to propose a comprehensive framework to summarize and classify the multiple alternatives firms may implement after the initial relocation abroad of manufacturing activities. Based on an extensive literature review and a comparative analysis of Italian case studies, the chapter suggests theoretical advancement in the theory of location of business activities, offering multiple post-offshoring strategic options that may be implemented individually or in combination. In so doing, the analysis also stresses the variety of strategic paths and the complexity of choices concerning manufacturing location, emphasizing reshoring as a nuanced phenomenon and exploring how domestic and foreign locations can complement each other and be mutually reinforcing.

Details

International Business in a VUCA World: The Changing Role of States and Firms
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-83867-256-0

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 25 October 2023

Marco Bettiol, Maria Chiarvesio, Eleonora Di Maria, Cristina Di Stefano and Luciano Fratocchi

The advantages of offshoring are increasingly under scrutiny, and coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has advanced the debate, calling for a redefinition of firms' production…

Abstract

Purpose

The advantages of offshoring are increasingly under scrutiny, and coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has advanced the debate, calling for a redefinition of firms' production location strategies. While attention has primarily focused on the relocation of second-degree strategies, such as back-shoring, near-shoring and further offshoring, there are also other alternatives, including home country-based domestic product and process innovations, and the development of new business activities. The objective of the authors' paper is to identify which factors influence decision-makers when they select and implement such post-offshoring strategic alternatives.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors consider 11 Italian manufacturing companies that implemented these strategies and analyze triggers, drivers, enabling factors and barriers of the decision phase, as well as content, governance mode and timing of the implementation phase.

Findings

Based on the collected findings, the authors suggest a set of propositions for further research. First of all, firms can simultaneously manage multiple strategies by adopting an ambidextrous approach through which to mitigate supply chain risks. They may integrate their domestic and international production activities, but the home country remains central for innovations and production of high-end products and Industry 4.0 technologies increases the probability of investing in their home country. At the same time, lack of competence induces selective near- and back-shoring, while full back-shoring is mainly a consequence of managerial mistakes. Competence availability acts as a barrier to relocation in the home country, inducing the implementation of either an insourcing strategy or a combination of insourcing and outsourcing.

Originality/value

The authors' work identifies post-offshoring as a dynamic process and provides insights into the post-pandemic scenario. The conceptual framework may represent a useful tool for company managers in re-evaluating their initial offshoring strategies.

Details

Management Decision, vol. 61 no. 12
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0025-1747

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 23 August 2022

Ina-Maria Jansson

The present study aims to contribute to the understanding of digital participation in heritage collections as a democratizing practice by identifying and challenging silent…

Abstract

Purpose

The present study aims to contribute to the understanding of digital participation in heritage collections as a democratizing practice by identifying and challenging silent assumptions concerning how the insufficient influence of participants is conceived of as a problem.

Design/methodology/approach

Three carefully selected scholarly texts incorporating problematizations of insufficient participatory agency were analyzed in detail using a method inspired by Carol Bacchi's approach “what's the problem represented to be?” (WPR), with special emphasis on analysis of ontological elements of the problematizations.

Findings

Participation is problematized based on the assumption that participatory agency risks jeopardizing the protection of heritage and leads to parts of the public memory being forgotten. To challenge the idea that participatory agency is destructive, the present article argues for elaborating an understanding of what forgetting entails for heritage. Framing forgetting as a potentially both harmful and generative concept enables a separation of destructive forgetting (e.g. destruction of historical evidence) and constructive forgetting (re-contextualization).

Research limitations/implications

The study is based on a limited number of texts, and problematizations are investigated in relation to a specific perspective on participatory agency.

Practical implications

By understanding forgetting as a potentially beneficial activity for representation and heritage construction, the article provides a conceptual rationale for facilitating re-contextualization in the design of multi-layered information structures for heritage collections.

Originality/value

There is little earlier research on the silent assumptions that affect how participation is understood and implemented.

Details

Journal of Documentation, vol. 79 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0022-0418

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 14 September 2015

Jon Engström and Mattias Elg

The purpose of this paper is to explore what motivates patients to participate in service development and how participation may influence their well-being. Health-care providers…

4308

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore what motivates patients to participate in service development and how participation may influence their well-being. Health-care providers are increasingly adopting practices of customer participation in such activities to improve their services.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper builds on an analysis of data from a service development project in which lung cancer patients contributed by sharing their ideas and experiences through diaries. Out of the 86 lung cancer patients who were invited to participate, 20 agreed to participate and 14 fully completed the task. The study builds on participants’ contributions, in-depth interviews with six participants and the reasons patients gave for not participating.

Findings

This paper identifies a number of motives: non-interest in participating, restitution after poor treatment, desire for contact with others, volunteerism, desire to make a contribution and the enjoyment of having a task to complete. A self-determination theory perspective was adopted to show how the need to satisfy basic human needs for autonomy, competence and relatedness determines if and how patients participate. Participation may have important benefits for patients, especially an improved sense of relatedness.

Practical implications

Service providers must be prepared to meet different patient needs in service development, ranging from the need to express strong distress to expressing creativity. By understanding the dynamics of motivation and well-being, organizers may achieve better results in terms of improved services and in patient well-being.

Originality/value

This study makes a significant contribution to the study of customer participation in service development, especially in relation to health care, by offering a self-determination-based typology for describing different styles of patient participation.

Details

Journal of Services Marketing, vol. 29 no. 6/7
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0887-6045

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 June 1999

Eileen Oliver

Cuba’s 1959 Revolution brought about dramatic changes not only in that island‐nation but also in the USA. Cubans, and later Cuban‐Americans, have changed the face of Miami and…

3063

Abstract

Cuba’s 1959 Revolution brought about dramatic changes not only in that island‐nation but also in the USA. Cubans, and later Cuban‐Americans, have changed the face of Miami and south Florida. The economic and social successes of Cuban‐Americans, the third largest Latino group in the USA, are prevalent in scholarly and popular literature. In this annotated bibliography, the author presents journal articles, chapters in books, books, and human rights reports, published between 1990 and 1998, as well as World Wide Web sites, that discuss the Cuban‐American experience. Articles from the popular literature are not included, nor are materials that deal primarily with Cuba or Cuba‐USA relations.

Details

Reference Services Review, vol. 27 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0090-7324

Keywords

1 – 10 of 43